School Procedures
Every family is given a school directory and handbook containing school policies and procedures. Below are descriptions of just a few items:
- Program Hours
- Traffic Patterns at The New School of Lancaster
- Snack time
- Birthdays
- Sick-child policy
Program Hours
| Program | Hours | Drop-off | Pick-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morning Toddler | 8:45-11:15 | 8:40-8:50 | 11:15-11:25 |
| Morning Primary | 8:40-11:30 | 8:30-8:40 | 11:30-11:40 |
| Full-day Primary | 8:40-2:50 | 8:30-8:40 | 2:50-3:00 |
| Elementary | 8:30-3:00 | 8:20-8:30 | 3:00-3:10 |
| Extended Care - AM | 7:30-8:30 | 7:30 or later | |
| Extended Care - PM | 11:30-6:00 | 6:00 or earlier |
Traffic Patterns at The New School
Reserved Parking: ALL parking places on the INSIDE (left side) OF CIRCLE are reserved for ONLY toddler parents from 8:40-9:00 AM and 11:00-11:20 AM. DO NOT PARK in these places at this time unless you are a toddler parent.
Parking: Parking at the school is limited. If you elect to park during carline times, please be aware that you may not be able to move your car until carline is over.
Carline: We encourage everyone (except toddlers) to use the drop-off and pick-up service. Even 3- and 4-year-olds can be responsible to walk from the curb into the school when guided by our thoughtful and attentive assistant teachers or safety patrol students. This is part of Montessori education for life. It fosters appropriate independence and a sense of community among the children of different ages and the adults who are guiding them. If you have any questions, please feel free to call us.
Snack Time
Snack time is an important social time for children.
In the primary and early elementary programs children take turns providing snack for their classmates. This gives each child the chance to be host or hostess and line leader for a day, as well as to do something special for his/her classmates. Each month teachers send home a snack schedule noting each child’s assigned snack day.
In addition, early elementary children are allowed to bring something special to share. The child also does the calendar and chooses a morning greeting (community building) that morning.
Upper elementary and middle school classes handle snacks in different ways. Teachers will explain the process to parents when their children enter these programs.
To encourage healthy eating habits please send nourishing snacks. Many children have food allergies and the classroom teacher will send a notice about the types of foods to avoid for shared snacks.
Birthdays
If your child’s birthday falls on a school day, we will assign snack to him/or her on that day. If a child does not attend school on his/her birthday, we will assign snack on the closest school day. Also if a child’s birthday falls during the summer, the classroom teacher will tell you when that will be celebrated.
Birthday snacks may be more “special,” but please do not send extremely sugary frosted cakes or cupcakes or portions that are too large for the children to enjoy comfortably.
Birthdays celebrate the life of a child as a special person. They are also an opportunity to give an impression of how we measure time. For the birthday of a toddler or primary class child, we ask his/her parents to put together a set of pictures, one for each year of the child’s life. In a special ritual, the child carries the globe of the earth around a candle that represents the sun; each time he circles the sun, he is a year older.
In Early Elementary children celebrate their birthday or half birthday by reading “On the Day You Were Born” and singing Happy Birthday. They can invite their parents to come and talk about or share something from the day they were born.
We encourage parents to give books to the library in honor of their child’s birthdays and other events.
Sick-child policy
Please call the school if your child is sick or will not be at school.
While regular attendance is important, keep your child home if any of these symptoms occur during the previous day, or night or in the morning: fever, vomiting, diarrhea, fresh cold symptoms, a rash, runny eyes, aching ears, any symptom of contagious illness.
If your child develops such symptoms at school, we will call you. We will keep your child, away from classmates and as comfortable as possible until you arrive.
Please let us know if your child has a contagious illness so that other parents may be informed. Children’s identities will be held in confidence.
