START TIME/OFFICE HOURS
1st-6th grade:  8:45 am 
AM Kindergarten: 8:45 am
PM Kindergarten: 11:10 am
School Office hours are 8:00 am to 3:30 pm.

STUDENTS SHOULD ARRIVE FOR SCHOOL AFTER 8:15 A.M.
Parents are responsible for their children's actions on school property prior to 8:15 as there is no supervision is provided prior to 8:15 a.m.

TRANSPORTING STUDENTS TO AND FROM SCHOOL
The pick-up area becomes very congested each morning and afternoon with parents dropping and picking up their children at school. Three things can aid in making the drop-off or pick-up easier. They are:

1. Be sure to pull all the way forward along the curb in the pick-up or drop-off areas
2. Remain with your vehicle at all times 
3. Do not use cell phones in the pick-up and drop-off areas

PARKING LOT
All traffic laws, including signage and street markings, are to be followed and will be enforced by the Sheriff's Department.

SAFE ROUTE TO SCHOOL
Please review the safest route to school with your children. Children are expected to practice good citizenship and obey school rules on the way to and from school. Students must use sidewalks and crosswalks.

BICYCLES 
California law requires children to wear a bicycle helmet when riding a bicycle. This law may be enforced by school personnel for students riding a bike to and from school. Our policy is to detain the child and have them call their parent for a helmet. If no helmet is brought to school by the parent, the child may be required to walk home. The parent would then pick up bicycle later in the day, or the child could bring a helmet the next day.

PHONE MESSAGES AND ITEMS DELIVERED TO STUDENTS - THREE TIMES DAILY
Telephone messages or items from parents are delivered to classrooms only at 9:30, 11:00 and 2:30 each day except Wednesdays when there is no 2:30 delivery. If you need a message to get to your child, please call by 2:15 PM. We are unable to get messages to students from 2:31 to 2:57 (one hour earlier on Wednesdays).

STUDENT SIGN-OUT PROCEDURES
If it is necessary for a parent or person listed on a child's emergency card to sign out a child during school hours, the person will be required to sign the log in the office and show photo identification before your child will be called from class to the office. Students will not be called to the office prior to parent or individual's arrival. Please arrange to arrive early enough for the sign-out process and still be able to make your appointment. Keep in mind, that depending on the time of day, students may need to be found on the playground if it is their recess or lunch time.

For the safety and protection of all students, parents must either provide written approval to the school for another person to pick up or the school must make contact with a parent when anyone other than a parent (person listed on front of emergency card) is picking a student up from school before the end of the school day. Even when an individual listed on the back of the emergency card is picking up a student, we must have verification from the parent.

Should someone other than those listed on the emergency card come to pick up a student prior to the end of the school day, approval must be made in writing from the child's parent. This can be done by fax or email in the event of an emergency. As a general rule, it would be a good practice to send a note to the office anytime your child will be picked up by someone other than yourself...siblings included!

NOTE: A photo ID is required to be shown when picking up a student.

MESSAGES TO STAFF
Staff members have 24 hours (more if a weekend) to get back to persons leaving messages.

TELEPHONES / CELL PHONES / ELECTRONIC SIGNALING DEVICES
Students may not use the office telephones unless it is an emergency. Cell phones* are to remain in backpacks if brought to school and not taken out during instructional time unless approved by the teacher. Cell phones may be not be used outside of the classroom at any time. 

No electronic listening or recording device may be used by any person in a classroom without the teacher’s or principal’s permission.*This includes all signaling devices.

ARTICLES FROM HOME
Personal articles (toys, iPods, video games, radios, pets, permanent marks, etc.) should remain at home unless prior written permission from their teacher is given. The school and district are not responsible for personal items brought to school. This includes cell phones.

EMERGENCY INFORMATION
EMERGENCY CARDS / EMERGENCY NUMBERS
It is important to keep your child’s emergency contact information and telephone numbers updated. EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.  Please visit Parent Connect to update your contact information. NOTE: Only persons listed on the student's emergency card will be permitted to pick up children. They must show photo ID when picking up a student.

VISITORS AND PARENT HELPERS
Visitors to our school are required to sign-in at the office and receive a Visitor Pass. A photo identification will be checked against the District's and Megan’s Law Raptor security system to verify the visitor may be on campus and is a parent. Visitor passes are dated by the security system and must be visible to school personnel while on campus. Visitors may only visit the classroom of their own child.

Visitors coming to volunteer in a classroom must have pre-scheduled their volunteer time with the teacher at least one day in advance of the visit. Parents wishing to observe their child’s classroom must make arrangements with the teacher or an administrator at least 24 hours in advance.

Persons not listed on the emergency card may be denied access to classrooms, the lunch areas, or playground. This procedure is in place for safety reasons.
All visitors are to sign out at the office when leaving.


PARENT/CAREGIVER HELPERS AT SCHOOL
Classroom teachers may determine whether they wish to use parent helpers in their classrooms. A teacher desiring to schedule parent helpers must designate the time and day helpers may come to their classroom. Parents desiring to help in classrooms need to make an arrangement with their child's teacher prior to the day of helping need to follow procedures outlined under "Visitors to School" listed in the section above. As of July 2010, the school District has required volunteers to complete the CNUSD Volunteer Application. All applicants will be checked for previous legal issues. The District has established that volunteers on campus for four hours or more on average per week must also have a fingerprint scan conducted and TB Test. Preschool children and/or other minors may NOT accompany parent visitors or helpers to our school due to safety guidelines. Parents may bring young children minors to awards assemblies or class presentations or plays to see siblings recognized or perform.

BREAKFAST AND LUNCH
Highland Elementary School serves lunch to students at the school's Cafeteria. Students may either pay for lunch or breakfast on a daily basis or prepay. Prepaying is a very easy method and may be done for a few days, months, or a year. The Cafeteria’s online My School Bucks program allows parents to prepay student meals using a credit card or debit card. To learn more, contact the school's Cafeteria manager.

LOST AND FOUND
Many articles become lost or are left unclaimed each year. All personal items should be marked with the child's first and last name. Items not claimed at issuance of quarterly report cards will be given to charity. Each year, our school donates hundreds of unclaimed jackets and sweaters. Parents and students are suggested to check the lost and found regularly for missing items. The Lost and Found may be cleared of items by the school at any time during the school year.

WEAPONS/DRUGS
Weapons and drugs are not permitted on school grounds at any time. Students may not possess these items while coming to school or returning home after school. Students found in possession of such items will be suspended pending an expulsion hearing. The Riverside Sheriff's Department will also be called.

Should a student find or discover they have brought a knife or dangerous object to school, he/she should turn it into a teacher or the office immediately. He/She will not get into trouble.

ROOM PARENTS
Room Parents need to plan teacher selected parties such that students are occupied with activities. These activities should fulfill most of the party time. Activities may take place on the playground with the teacher being present and his/her permission.  Birthday parties and/or distribution of food items in recognition of a student's birthday do not take place during school hours.  

PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEOTAPING BY STUDENTS
Photography and videotaping is not permitted without the student's teacher or administrator permission.

FIELD TRIPS
All students participating on school field trips must have a completed, signed field trip permission slip. Students going on the school field trip must remain with the class or classes attending from the time they leave school until their return. Students are required to ride on district/school provided transportation to and from the field trip location. Any child not present for the taking of attendance or who is signed out from school is the responsibility of their parent. Students not present for attendance or signed out from school are not part of a school field trip, but are members of the public if they should arrive at the same location as the field trip students. Any child having medical concerns attending a field trip should discuss these with the teacher prior to the field trip. Parent chaperones are not permitted to bring other persons (preschool children, off-track students, older children on vacation or out of school) because the parent chaperone has the responsibility of monitoring students of the class participating on the field trip.

Parent/Guardian Picking-up Student from a Field Trip
Students are to go with and remain with their class on field trips because field trips are limited and provide students an opportunity to share the experience with their peers. Should a parent wish to sign a student out while the student is on a school field trip, the following procedures are in place to ensure the signing out is conducted safely and to the correct individual.
* The individual signing the student out must be their parent or guardian listed on the emergency card.
* The parent/guardian must provide photo ID of the parent or guardian who will be signing the student out to the office AT LEAST ONE HOUR PRIOR TO the field trip leaving school. This allows the office staff an opportunity to verify the ID to the emergency card {and process it through our Raptor Security System for safety purposes.
*The office will give a photocopy of the ID to the teacher to be used to match it to the individual picking up the student at the location.
*The parent/guardian will then sign the teacher’s sheet with the copy of the photo ID.
NOTE: Students may not be taken directly from a field trip without following the above safety procedures.

Parent/Guardian Taking their Child to a Field Trip Location:
A parent taking a child to the location of the field trip is solely and legally responsible for their child. The school will not pay for student or parent/guardian admissions. Students also may not be dropped off at a location to join a field trip.

HEALTH AND SAFETY INFORMATION

MEDICATION
In the event that a doctor has prescribed medication for your child, which must be taken during school hours, the school must be notified. State law requires that the necessary forms be completed before any medication can be administered at school. Please contact the school office for further information at 736-3308.

HEAD LICE AND NITS
(New District policy for 2014-15 supported by CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics, National Assoc. of School Nurses, and CNUSD nurses)
Students with head lice or nits are permitted to remain in school until the conclusion of the school day. A parent of the student will be notified that same day and "...given information about the treatment of head lice and encouraged to begin treatment of the student immediately and to check all members of the family." The student will be checked upon return school and permitted to remain in school if no active head lice or nits are detected. A notice will be sent home to parents of students in the affected class and "...provide them with information about the detection and treatment of head lice.

CONTAGIOUS DISEASE
Students with a contagious or infectious disease should be kept at home for their own and other's protection. The school should be notified if a child contracts a communicable disease. Admittance to school is dependent upon state law. Please contact the school office if you need additional information.

SPECIAL HEALTH PROBLEMS
If your child has a special health problem, please contact the school nurse or health clerk by calling 736-3308 and leaving a message.