A. School Hours

Our school day begins with Tefillah from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Classes begin at 8:30 a.m. with ten forty minute instructional periods. Dismissal is at 3:20 p.m. On short Fridays, the day is divided into nine thirty minute instructional periods, including a snack time, but not lunch period. Dismissal is at 1:20 p.m. (Check calendar for beginning and ending of early Friday dismissal).

All school holidays are noted on the school calendar. When school is closed there is no one in the building to receive your child. For his or her safety, the school calendar should be retained and referred to concerning all monthly activities. (ANY CHANGES OR ADDITIONS WILL BE NOTED IN THE THURSDAY NOTES AND THE MONTHLY PTA NEWSLETTER "HACHODESH").

Inclement weather or unforeseen emergency may cause the administration to close the school. This decision will be made only as a last resort with the health and safety of students and staff as a primary consideration. This decision will be communicated to parents via a telephone relay set up by the PTA class parents. It will also be announced on our school's voice mail--should you call the school--and on WOR Radio Station 710 AM (click for website) and WOR's School Closings Hot Line (877) 871-9208 along with other school closings.

We seek your cooperation in impressing upon your children the importance of attending school regularly and "being on time." We ask you to please avoid scheduling appointments for your child during school hours. In the event that such an appointment need be scheduled, please send a note with your child on the day of the appointment. Parents must pick up their child before 2:45 p.m.  Parents who pick up their children early must come to the second floor office in order to sign the child out. (PLEASE DO NOT GO TO THE CLASSROOM).

Children who are absent from school must present a note explaining their absence, to the homeroom teacher on the day of their return to school. To avoid gaps in learning during absence, arrange with a classmate to bring home assignments and needed books. Students who arrive past 8:00 a.m. must sign in.

We are sure that you realize that the success of our school program is impaired by excessive and unnecessary interruptions. We urge that you help your child develop a good record of attendance and punctuality.

We ask the cooperation of parents in keeping their child at home, if he/she has any sign of illness. The school will contact parents if a child becomes ill during school hours. Once you receive such a call from the office or school nurse, we urge you to pick up your child immediately or make alternate arrangements.

Any contagious illness should be reported to the school as a courtesy to other parents in the school. A doctor's note will be required before the child is readmitted to school.

When a child gives evidence of a health program of a personal nature (i.e. head lice), the parent will be called and advised in a sensitive manner.

Emergencies: In the event of an medical emergency, we will attempt to reach you immediately.  If a parent cannot be reached, the child will be taken to the nearest hospital and the child's physician will be notified.  In such an event, we will also attempt to notify the individuals indicated by the parents on the Emergency Information Card.

I. Health

Our student's health is of primary concern to us. To insure that their needs are fully protected the following procedures and policies have established:

It is our policy to assign homework in all grades, as necessary. The purpose of homework is to provide an opportunity for students to show that that they are able to apply the skills they have acquired in school while working independently reinforcing the skills and concepts learned in class.  At no time do teachers or the school intend to overburden students.  If you believe your child has an excessive amount of homework, or requires excessive help from you, please bring this to the attention of the teacher.

Parents are requested to provide an atmosphere conducive to studying for their child and to assist him/her in planning homework time properly.  Parents play a crucial role in helping their children to develop good study habits.  Parents should let their children know they expect homework to be complete, neat and finished in a timely manner.  If a child is absent, it is the child's responsibility to get assignments from the teacher or a classmate.

The school provides textbooks for all Judaic and General Studies classes. All books are loaned to students with the following requirements:

In order to be entitled to join and continue membership on any athletic team sponsored by the school, a student must maintain a passing grade in all academic subjects and demonstrate satisfactory social behavior.

click here for new Dress Code information (or read below) Most schools have found that children who are appropriately dressed and groomed have a more wholesome attitude towards school, and do better. The underlying rationale for the Dress Code is that dignity and propriety are called for in the children's house of learning and house of prayer. Therefore the Board of Education of our school adopted the following dress code for grades K-8. 

Children should have a white top and blue pants (boys) or skirt (girls) for assembly days.

Slacks for both boys and girls must be neat. The slacks should have no tears, no holes, frays, fringes or rips. The bottom of the slacks must be hemmed at the appropriate length.

All clothing should be neat, clean and of the tailored type, i.e. not skin tight or excessively baggy.

Shoes and sneakers are to be tied at all times.

Children are required to carry and maintain their personal effects in school. All items (i.e. notebooks, lunchboxes, textbooks and clothing) are to be clearly labeled with your child's name, and kept in an organized manner. Your child should come to school each day with the necessary supplies requested by the teacher; pencils paper, notebook, kippot, etc.  Consult the supply list sent by each grade level teacher.  Boys who do not have kippot will need to purchase them from the school office.  The school administration cannot assume responsibility for personal property that is left behind in the gym, lunchroom, or schoolyard. It is unwise for students to bring to school large sums of money, expensive jewelry, equipment, cameras, tape recorders, computer games, coins, trading cards, stamps, stickers, etc. The school cannot assume responsibility for the safekeeping and care of such items. Backpacks which roll on wheels with extendable handles are not permitted in school.  Prohibited items: Any weapon (actual or toy replica) is prohibited in school.  Radios, tape players, walkmans, beepers, portable telephones and electronic games of any type are not permitted in school.  

The school maintains a "Lost and Found" which is available for retrieval of lost belongings. Three times a year, prior to the school winter, spring and summer breaks, items left in the lost and found are sent to a homeless shelter. Try to retrieve lost items as soon as you know they are missing. We hope that parents would work with children to reinforce the habit of looking after one's possessions.

Messages from parents or relatives to students will not be accepted or transmitted unless it is an emergency. Children are not allowed to call home and we cannot interrupt the class to call students to the phone.

Students are expected to conduct themselves in an orderly fashion. To insure the safety and security for all inhabitants in the building, strict adherence to the required silence and order during an emergency and fire drills is an absolute necessity.

All pupils must enter and leave the building under supervision.

It is required of all students to exhibit respect and courtesy when responding to instructions from school staff. Students whose behavior interferes with their own progress or progress of others are subject to disciplinary action.

Rules and regulations are established in any institution to indicate the limits of acceptable social behavior. Discipline in the school is a prerequisite to the creation of an effective learning atmosphere. The following is a list of disciplinary procedures:

By the end of the second marking period in the fifth grade, a student's academic and social progress will be assessed to determine if he/she is ready to meet the challenges of our Middle School.

Sixth and seventh grade students who receive a failing grade in any academic subject (Judaic or General) at the end of a school year are required to attend summer school (where applicable), or complete an assignment over the summer given by the administration.  

Inculcating respect for the school and school property (building, desks, textbooks) is part of educational program, and we enlist the aid of parents in emphasizing these values to their children. Please help us in preserving the cleanliness and decor of our building.

Student records are confidential and are kept in the school office with access limited to the professional staff members. A student's official record contains his/her test scores, health, attendance, and grade marks. In addition copies of reports made on admission to first grade, other reports, and communications between home and school, are included. Parents may receive information contained in the records, from an authorized professional staff member.

In School Birthday Celebrations - Teachers of kindergarten and first grade arrange a monthly birthday celebration for all of the students whose birthdays occur during the month. Parents are usually contacted and asked to supply a portion of the items necessary for the celebration. No other birthday parties are held in school. All students’ birthdays are acknowledged on a daily basis with the presentation of birthday ribbons at morning minyan.

Outside Birthday Celebrations - Parents who plan birthday parties which involve our students should adhere to the laws of Kashrut. Such parties should not be held on Shabbat or Jewish holidays. Invitations should be mailed, except when all students of a class are invited.

The Solomon Schechter School of Queens maintains a modern computer laboratory with high-speed access to the Internet. These facilities are intended solely to support the Jewish cultural and general academic needs of the school’s student body and faculty. Students, faculty and staff are expected to display proper computer etiquette at all times. This includes compliance with all copyright laws. Under no circumstances are our Internet resources to be used for solely personal matters such as sending and retrieving personal E-mail or accessing web sites for non-school related matters. The use of our computers to access the Internet outside of regular scheduled class time is only permitted with the approval and under the supervision of the computer teacher and/or school administrators.

The school is committed to maintaining at all times a learning and working environment free of sexual harassment and intimidation. Sexual harassment of or by any board member, parent, volunteer, administrator, faculty member, employee, student or guest is strictly prohibited. Students are expected to treat one another with dignity and respect. Sexual harassment is unacceptable. Sexual harassment is unwanted sexual attention that makes a person uncomfortable or causes problems in school, work, or in social settings. Some examples are verbal slurs or abuse; suggestive, offensive, or derogatory comments, sexist remarks about someone’s body, clothing, or sexual activity; insults of a sexual nature; request or demands for sexual favors; catcalls or other suggestive or insulting sounds or gestures; unnecessary and unwanted physical contact; and physical assault. Students who have complaints of sexual harassment should report them immediately to an administrator. Complaints will be considered confidential, and each complaint will be thoroughly investigated. If the evidence supports the allegation that sexual harassment has occurred, corrective action, including the possibility of suspension or dismissal, will be taken.