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Dear Parents & Patrons:

High school enrollment will be in the high school office August 4^th & 5^th. You may come at any time between 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. to enroll.

The 2014-2015 school year will begin with Inservice and work days for teachers during the week of August 11^th -15^th. August 18^th will be the first day of school for grades K-12, starting at 7:55 a.m. and dismissing at 4 p.m.  Pre-School begins August 18^th and will have classes on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday starting at 7:55 a.m. and dismissing at 11:00 a.m. Students must be 4 years old by August 31, 2014 to be eligible for Pre-School.  Buses will run regular schedules beginning the first day.

STUDENT FEE

USD #217 is instituting a $35 supply fee for all students enrolling in Rolla schools this year. Many schools now have a number of fees which cover such things as planners, textbooks, athletic participation, computer fees and many other things. In order to try to cover a few miscellaneous expenses without making it prohibitive for families to afford we have established this nominal fee for the 2014-15 school year.

FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM

The Rolla Unified School District has an excellent breakfast and lunch program and all students and teachers are urged to participate. If you eat in the lunch room, remember that this is a privilege and you are expected to be orderly and mannerly at all times.  Students should purchase meal tickets at the high school office.

                Breakfast and lunch will be served the first day and throughout the year at the following prices:

                Breakfast:   Grades PreK-5: $1.30     6-12: $1.40      Employees: $2.00       Adult Guests: $3.00

                Lunch:        Grades K-5:       $2.30     6-12: $2.40      Employees: $3.25        Adult Guests: $4.00

MEALS ARE SERVED ON A CASH BASIS.  You will need to send money for your child’s meal account at the first of every week or the first of every month (whichever is most convenient).  Charges will no longer be allowed.  We are no longer sending out bills, or calling on a daily basis.  It will be your responsibility to make sure your child has money in their account.  Your child must have money in their account to eat that day, or you may send a sack lunch.  If that is not possible, he/she will be served only canned fruit and crackers until the account is brought up to date.  A form for reduced or free meals is enclosed for any family wishing to make application.  This form needs to be followed in detail and all areas pertaining to your household must be completed.  Be sure to read and follow the instructions which are located on the back of the application.  These applications should be returned to the high school office on or before August 18^th.  This will facilitate getting the applications processed by the first day of school.  Full prices for meals must be paid until your application is approved.  There will be no reimbursement for paid meals.

We apologize for any inconvenience this causes, however the school district does not recover any money through the Kansas Dept. of Ed. Food Service Program if you fail to pay. Therefore every day your child eats without money in their account the district forfeits that money.

EZSCHOOLPAY

USD 217 now has access to EZSchoolPay.com. You may track your child’s lunch account at any time if you choose to sign-up. EZSchoolPay will also send you an email when your child’s lunch account gets low. This is a free service you may elect to use. If you wish to pay online with a credit card EZSchoolPay will charge you a $3.00 convenience fee. Call the high school office if you have questions.

PARENTS ONLINE   (POL) & STUDENTS ONLINE (SOL)

The district has a web-based program for parents and students to access grades and class information from any online computer. You must supply your personal email address to the high school office to be enrolled in the system and have access to your child’s records.  The program will be available as soon as the system has been updated with the necessary email addresses. Please submit yours as soon as possible. Feel free to call the high school office for more information. (593-4345)

SUPPLIES

The district will furnish all textbooks and teaching materials, except for online classes and college classes taken as dual credit.  There are no book rental fees, but students must pay for damaged and lost books.  Students will furnish their own paper, pencils, pens, crayons, glue, gym shoes, etc.  The only items first grade students will need to bring is a book bag or backpack and a paint shirt for art.  The Rolla Lions Club is donating all supplies for the Rolla first grade students.  The supplies will be available in their classroom on the first day of school. Supply lists for grades Pre-School-12^th grade are enclosed. 

BAND RENTALS

If your child is in band they must pay for their instrument rental the first week of school each semester.  If they still owe money from previous school years, they will not be able to participate until that money is collected.  After the first week of school each semester, if your child has not paid their rental fee then they will be transferred to another class.

SHOP PROJECTS

A $50 deposit is required for all students enrolling in a shop class, excluding Carpentry. This deposit will be applied to the total cost of the project. Students enrolled in a shop class must pay this fee by the end of the first week of the semester of the class or they will be enrolled in another class. Should a student enroll in multiple shop classes the deposit must be applied for each class.

SPORTS PHYSICALS for Grades 6-12 were held last spring.  If you did not have a physical at that time, please contact the JH/HS school office for arrangements.  If you had your physical last spring, please make sure you have turned the physical form into the office.  You cannot practice without your physical form on file in the office.  First day of HS FB, VB, & CC practice is August 18th.

SCHOOL INSURANCE GUIDELINES

Information about school insurance policies concerning sports coverage will be distributed by coaches at the coaches/parents meeting on Tuesday night, August 26th at the Booster Club Hamburger Fry in the lunchroom at 6:30 p.m. Insurance information and claim forms may be picked up in the school office if needed.

The school insurance policy is a supplemental policy.  Upon the event of an accident or injury, you are responsible as the parent to send all necessary paperwork and accident forms to your personal insurance company first.  If for some reason your insurance company denies payment or there is a remaining balance due, it is then your responsibility to file paperwork with the district student insurance company.  A copy of the accident report form may be obtained from the school offices.

HEALTH MATTERS

All new students from pre-school through high school must provide immunization records.  By state law, failure to provide an up-to-date immunization record can result in expulsion from school. According to Kansas Law, any new student age 9 or under must have a child health assessment.  The health assessment must be done within 12 months prior to school entry or within 90 days after school entry.  Pre-Kindergarten & Kindergarten students should bring birth certificates and social security cards along with their immunization records. 

 All Pre-K through 9^th grade students are required by state law to have the Hepatitis B series and one varicella (chicken pox) vaccination (or documentation of the disease by a physician) as well as all other required vaccinations. These immunizations may be obtained at the Morton County Health Department in Elkhart.

If it is necessary for your child to take medication at school, we recommend that you come to the school and administer it yourself. State law prohibits any student to carry or store any type of medication at school without a physician’s written order.  The school will provide a qualified person or persons to administer the medication if so desired.  Since there is not a school nurse available at all times, this service might be delegated to trained and supervised personnel such as the school principal, teacher, or secretary.  By signing this request for services, the parent/guardian of the student gives permission for the school nurse or school representative to contact the student’s physician as he/she deems necessary. 

Parents are permitted to send medications to school for their child to self-medicate, but the parent/guardian & physician signed Permission for Self-Administration of Medication form must accompany this medication.

The Permission for Prescribed Medication form must be filled out by the physician for all prescribed medications with dosage information and returned to the school office.

The Over-the-Counter Medication form must also be filled out with the dosage information and signed by the parent/guardian and returned to the school office for any over-the-counter medications.  We can no longer dispense medication with only phone permission from the parent; written parental permission must be on file in the office.  This includes all over-the-counter medications such as cough drops, Tylenol, Motrin, Pamprin, allergy or cold preparations, etc. 

If your child has a history of asthma and/or uses an inhaler, the Inhaler Release form also needs to be completed and returned.  We do encourage all students to carry their inhaler with them so it is easily available.

New forms are required yearly and can be found online at www.usd217.org, even if medication or dosage does not change.  Any time a medication or dosage changes, a new form must be obtained.  If you have any questions, please call the JH/HS office at 593-4345 or the elementary office at 593-4731.

Please be advised that based on the advice of the Kansas State Department of Education and the Kansas State Board of Education, USD 217 will not supply Epi-Pens in the school facilities and school vehicles.  If your child has known anaphylactic allergies and is in danger of needing an Epi-Pen, please contact your doctor and make appropriate arrangements.  Contact a school office if a doctor prescribes an Epi-Pen for your child and you would like to make arrangements to keep one at school.

BUS ROUTES

• Bus drivers will call their students (riders) and inform them when the school is running mud & snow routes.  The bus drivers will let the parents know when & where to meet the bus.
• If parents are not at the designated pick up area at the appointed time, students will be returned to the school.  Parents will be responsible for coming to the school to pick up their children.

DISMISSAL OF SCHOOL BECAUSE OF WEATHER CONDITIONS

Parents are urged not to send their children to school when storm conditions exist or when road conditions are such as to create a definite hazard.  School will not be dismissed because of storms that arise during the school day as long as it is feasible for students to remain safely at school.

If adverse weather conditions exist before school begins, the building principals will consult with the superintendent concerning dismissal of school.  If severe weather conditions exist before school opens on a given day, and the superintendent  decides the weather to be of such a nature that the safety of students is threatened, the administration will notify the following radio/TV stations and have a delayed start or school closing announcement broadcast.  Such notification would be as early in the morning as possible.

There will be times when a delay of two hours for the start of school is necessary.  This gives school officials time to determine if school will be closed or if conditions will improve enough that we can have school.

In the event that a two hour delay is called the following will occur:

• School will start at 10 a.m.
• There will be no breakfast served.
• Buses will pick up students approximately two hours later than the normal pick-up time.
• Lunch will be served at the regular time.

The two hour delay or dismissal will be broadcast on:

Radio Stations: KULY (1420 AM), KFXX (106.7 FM), KJIL (99.1 FM), KGYN (1210 AM), KSCB (107.5 FM & 1270 AM), KSLS (101.5 FM), Q97 (97.3 FM), and KKBS (92.7 FM)

Television Stations: KBSD/KWCH Channel 6, KSN Channel 11, KAKE/KUPK Channel 13, and FOX Channel 4

In the event that conditions do not improve, please continue monitoring radio, TV, or internet to see if school has been canceled for the day.

DRESS CODE

Studies show that student dress often sets the pattern for classroom behavior.  We expect students to dress appropriately.  All staff members are expected to enforce the dress code with the principal having the final authority on the appropriateness of student dress. Guidelines have been developed to aid in selecting the proper attire for school wear.  We ask that you follow these guidelines.

1. All students are expected to meet community standards and school policies with regard to health, cleanliness, and appearance.
2. All safety rules must be obeyed.
3. Shoes must be worn at all times.  Students should wear shoes that are appropriate for PE class and recess.
4. Please dress your children appropriately for the weather.
5. Only appropriate length shorts will be allowed (No more than 5” from bottom of hemmed garment to top of kneecap).  No short shorts are permitted.  (See handbooks for more details.) We recommend elementary students wear shorts under dresses for playground purposes.
6. Tube tops, bare midriff or half shirts, halter-type blouses, spaghetti-strapped garments, tank tops or muscle shirts with low cut arm holes, see-through blouses or mesh shirts will not be permitted. (Sun dresses will be permitted if modestly cut.) (See handbooks from more details.)
7. USD 217 prohibits clothing that displays pictures, emblems, or writings that are or have double meanings that are lewd, offensive, vulgar, or obscene; advertises tobacco or alcoholic products, drugs or other prohibited substances; or is associated with gangs or inappropriate groups.

It is impossible to list all of the acceptable and unacceptable types of dress and grooming. Therefore, a judgment decision must occasionally be made.  Please see that your children are dressed appropriately to avoid any question of suitability.  If your child comes to school dressed inappropriately you will be called to bring suitable clothing or we will provide a large t-shirt and/or sweat pants for them to wear. 

Please note that cell phones and other electronic equipment (MP3 Players, iPods, etc.) are not to be on or used during school hours. More information can be found in the student handbook.

CALENDARS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

The 2014-2015 calendar is included, however changes are inevitable. If you would like to receive monthly school calendars and periodic updates as well as school announcements by email, please send an email to sbarrett@usd217.org and request to be added to the calendar list.  A monthly calendar will also continue being sent to the Rolla Community email list. Contact Phoebe Brummett at brummett@pld.com and ask to be included on the Rolla Community email list. You may also consult the school web page www.usd217.org

 All forms may be found online (/vnews/display.v/SEC/Forms)