SCHOOL HOURS

A. First Day

School Day Begins: 8:30 a.m.
Family Chapel Service: 9:00 a.m.
Preschool and Jr. Kindergarten: 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 Noon
Kindergarten - Grade 5: 8:30 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Extended Care: 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. (no morning Extended Care)

B. Regular Day

School Day Begins: 8:30 a.m.
Preschool and Jr. Kindergarten: 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 Noon
Kindergarten - Grade 5: 8:30 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Extended Care: 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

C. Final Day of School

Chapel Service and Graduation: 9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
Dismissal of All Classes: 10:15 a.m.
No Extended Care

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Students are expected to arrive at 8:30 a.m. The learning experience that takes place during class time cannot be duplicated. When children begin their day tardy, it impedes their ability to learn.

The faculty and administration of Grace Episcopal School would appreciate your compliance in the following policies:

1. When a student is absent, parents must call the school office 9 a.m. to report the absence.

2. A note, signed by the parent, stating the reason for the absence must be given to the school office within two (2) days of the child’s return to school. After two days, a doctor’s excuse must be provided or the absence is deemed “unexcused”.

3. An accumulation of five (5) tardies or five (5) unexcused absences per academic quarter may be reflected on the student’s permanent record with respect to attendance and grades, and will be sent with all requests for transcripts.

4. Chronic tardiness will result not only in lower grades, but may ultimately void the enrollment contract.

Grace Episcopal School will not be responsible for children who arrive more than 10 minutes before the official start of their program or who remain more than five (5) minutes after their program ends. All children will be placed in Extended Care if arrival is before 8:30 a.m. or if they are not picked up by 12:05 p.m. or 3:20 p.m. Parents will be billed for appropriate charges. The office must be informed of emergency situations. After 6:00 p.m., parents will be charged $15 for the first five (5) minutes they are late picking up their children, and an additional $5 for each five (5) minutes after 6:05 p.m.  Please be courteous by calling the Extended Care staff if you are going to be late picking up your child.  Extended Care children may not be left before 7:30 a.m.

Classes begin promptly at 8:30 a.m. Students will be marked tardy/absent at 8:45 a.m.

LATE ARRIVALS

The late arrival of a child interrupts classes already in progress, is inconsiderate of others, and is unsettling for the child. Please do everything you can to ensure that your child arrives at school on time. Your cooperation is essential. If your child arrives at school after 12:45 p.m., please be sure that he/she has eaten lunch.  All students arriving late must obtain a pass from the school office in order to be admitted to class.

UNEXCUSED ABSENCES

The school realizes there will be times when a child misses school because of special or extenuating circumstances.  However, absence from class for appointments or special vacations is not conducive to academic success nor does it promote an appropriate attitude toward learning.  Parents are requested to make medical appointments after school and make vacation plans within the defined schedule of the school  calendar.  The days right before Christmas vacation and Spring Break are full school days and should not be used to supplement vacation time, and will be considered an unexcused absence. Teachers are not expected to provide extra work or help to students who miss school for non-essential reasons.

SNOW DAYS, WEATHER AND OTHER MAJOR EMERGENCIES

Grace Episcopal School follows the Fairfax County Public School Snow and Inclement Weather Policy. If Fairfax County schools are closed, Grace Episcopal School is closed. If Fairfax County schools open one hour late, Grace opens one hour late -- at 9:30 a.m. Morning Extended Care opens one hour late -- at 8:30 a.m. If Fairfax County schools open two hours late, Grace opens two hours late -- at 10:30 a.m. Preschool and Junior Kindergarten will open at 10:30 a.m. also. Morning Extended Care will open two hours late -- at 9:30 a.m. Only those enrolled in Morning Extended Care will be eligible to attend -- no drop-in students.

Please note the following: If Fairfax County has two consecutive closures or late openings, Grace Episcopal School will utilize TV, radio and phone trees to advise parents of the school status for that 3rd consecutive day.

If there are major weather or other emergencies during the school day, school may close early. Parents must have their children picked up within one hour after the first announcement is made by radio or by telephone. If the Fairfax County school system is closed for an in-service day and there is a weather emergency, Grace Episcopal School will attempt to have Channel 4 (NBC), Channel 7 (ABC), Channel 8 or WTOP radio broadcast our emergency weather information. We may also contact you through "InfoXchange, Inc.", an automated, telephone notification system.  Please be sure that you have someone authorized to pick up your child during emergencies and that you have listed that person on your child’s Emergency Information Form.  it is very important to keep these forms updated.

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OFFICE HOURS

The administrative office hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Extended Care staff will answer the telephone and door buzzer before and after administrative hours. If there is no answer during the regular or Extended Care day and you are calling about a change in plans, please do not leave a message on the answering machine; instead, please keep calling — the staff is not always in the office.

Please be sure to speak directly with a staff member if you have an emergency message or if you have a change in transportation plans.  Do not rely on voice mail.

If there is an emergency and no one answers the school telephone (703/549-5067), call the church office at 703/549-1980 between 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Call the school office if you wish to make an appointment with the Head of School or to have your child’s teacher call you. Please always leave your name and phone number(s) when you call so that the staff can return your call at a convenient time. We request that you do not call the faculty and staff at home.

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ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL

A. Traffic and Parking

When entering or leaving the parking lot, please follow the one-way arrows around the island. Do not park or stand in the handicapped parking spaces unless licensed to do so. Please do not park or drop children off in the fire lane in front of School Entrance.  Please park in a marked parking space and between the painted lines.

Please observe the following rules:

1. Drive slowly.
2. Obey the counter-clockwise traffic flow.
3. Be especially careful backing up.
4. Don’t park by the entrance to pick up your children. When cars are queued up, they create a blind spot for other drivers entering the lot.
5. Once you have your children, keep them close to you when walking in the parking lot or pick-up area.
6. Please do not park in the designated space that says Reserved, School Hours Only. This parking space is reserved for the entire year for the family who "purchased" the space at the Gala/Auction.

Please do not park in the school/church parking lot all day unless you are volunteering at the school. Any other use of the lot except for dropping off and picking up children must be cleared with the school office. The school and church will enforce the towing of vehicles parked in the lot without authorization.

B. Arrival

Escort all Preschool, Junior Kindergarten, and morning Extended Care children to their classes and leave them with a teacher or a teacher’s assistant. Kindergarten and Grades 1-5 students who are not in Extended Care should proceed directly to their classroom.  (Kindergarten and First Graders may be escorted to their class for the first week of school.)

Drop off time is not an appropriate time to conference with teachers. Please contact your child's teacher to schedule conference appointments.

The school day is an extraordinarily busy one, with our faculty fully engaged in teaching and our staff, which is small, committed to the many administrative tasks required for efficient operation. We ask your kind consideration in recognizing that any lengthy, unplanned visits by parents can significantly disrupt the performance of their duties. In general, once your children have been dropped off, don’t linger.  We request that all parents leave the reception area in front of the school office by 9 a.m.  We do encourage grade school parents to come upstairs once a week to look at the student work posted on our bulletin boards to see how their children are developing.

C. Dismissal

Except in inclement weather, all children will be dismissed from the playground gate, located at the far end of the parking lot.  Please wait outside for your child(ren). The Extended Care staff is not responsible for children not enrolled in the Extended Care program.

On rainy days, Preschool and Junior Kindergarten students will be dismissed from the main lobby.  Kindergarten and Grade 1 students will be dismissed in front of the school office.  Students in Grades 2 through 5 will be dismissed from the main lobby.

An authorized adult must pick up Extended Care children from the Extended Care area. Please let the staff know you have arrived and that your child is leaving. Be sure to sign out. Instruct anyone else who picks up your child that the youngster must be signed out before leaving school by an authorized adult listed on the Emergency Information Form.

D. Early Pick Up

If early pick up of your child is required, for any reason, the parent must sign in at the school office and wait for their child in the school foyer.  Please do not go directly to the classroom.

E. Going Home With A Friend

If your child is going home with a friend or if carpool arrangements are changed, it is absolutely necessary for you to send your child’s teacher prior written permission for him or her to leave with the other child’s family or carpool. Telephone changes cannot always be verified and may not be honored. If you fail to notify the school, your child may be held at the school and late charges will apply.

F. Emergencies

If you have an actual emergency and are unable to pick up your child at the designated time, you are required to call the school office and indicate someone listed on your Emergency Information Form pick up your child, or your child will go to Extended Care and you will be charged accordingly.

If a person designated as an alternate on the Emergency Information Form is to pick up your child, written or phone permission is required. In a serious emergency only, when advance written permission is not feasible, call the school office so that your child’s teacher can be notified of the change in pick-up plans. If the office does not recognize a parent’s voice, the school retains the right not to release the child. If the staff member does not know the identity of the person picking up a child, even though the person is listed on the Emergency Information Form, the person picking up the child may be requested to show a picture ID card.

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