Preschool Handbook Admission • Children who are three, four, or five years old on or before August 15th of the current school year are eligible for admission to the preschool program at Friendship Christian School • Children must be completely potty-trained to enter the preschool program at Friendship Christian School. Parents will be called should an accident occur, and any subsequent accidents will result in temporary withdrawal of the student until he/she is fully potty trained. Program Information • The preschool program at Friendship Christian School is a school-based program. It is not a “daycare” facility. Therefore, the program includes many components that school-age children experience such as physical education, music, art, and library skills all taught under the direction of certified teachers. • The preschool program is under the direct supervision of the Preschool Principal and is governed and approved by the Tennessee Department of Education. • All preschool staff are dedicated Christians who have made a commitment to serve. They are CPR and First Aid certified. Dress Code • The preschool dress code is the same as K – 5th grade. Please refer to the Unified Dress and Personal Appearance Code found on FACTS in the All School Handbook. School Hours • The preschool program at Friendship Christian School follows the school-age calendar. • School hours are 7:45 AM – 2:30 PM each day with the exception of abbreviated days such as early dismissals, snow closings, exam schedules, and two-week breaks. Please refer to the school calendar for availability. • It is important for your child to arrive after 7:30 AM. Teachers are making preparations prior to this time. It is equally important that all children are picked up by 2:30 p.m. Teachers are responsible for attending meetings, planning, and other activities from 2:30 – 3:15 p.m. • All children are sent to extended care after 2:30 PM.
Arrival/Dismissal Procedures Tennessee State Law requires that parents sign in their preschoolers each day. You may not send a minor to sign a child in or out. Please adhere to these guidelines to ensure the safety of all children. Arrival PreK3 - Please park on the second or third parking level and use the crosswalk to enter the breezeway and proceed to the front entrance of the elementary building. PreK4 parents have two options: Option 1 - Park in parking lot behind the sportsplex and walk students to the Lighthouse building. Option 2 - Enter the fourth entrance on Holt Road (beyond the visitor bleachers). Drive around to the athletic fields and turning left when approaching the portables. Check in/Drop Off will occur under the covered structure with a preschool assistant. Students will be escorted to class. Lower elementary siblings may also be dropped off at this location. Parents will exit behind the sportsplex. Dismissal 1. Students are to be picked up in the upper-level loading area only. Students are NOT permitted to be picked up in the middle or lower levels of the parking lot or behind any of the school buildings at regular dismissal. 2. All cars picking up students must pull into the second entrance on Holt Road and proceed toward the front of the Sportsplex. Establish two lines as you approach the Sportsplex, form three lines when you reach the first crosswalk, and follow these procedures. § Once in the car line, please place your car in park until dismissed. § Preschool teachers will begin escorting preschool children to their cars at 2:15. As this process begins, please stand outside your car so that you may be identified. § Please keep in mind that preschool children will be placed in cars prior to dismissal of older students for safety and convenience. However, no cars will move until all are loaded after the 2:30 dismissal, and a teacher blows the whistle to motion traffic lanes to exit one lane at a time. § If you are unable to wait for the full dismissal, you will need to park in the lower parking lot and walk up to the elementary building to get your child. § The loading zone (covered sidewalk) on the upper level is between the two crosswalks.
3. Once the first group of cars leaves, the next group will enter the loading zone, and the same process as outlined above will take place. Things to Remember: 1. Drive slowly. Vehicles should not exceed 10 miles per hour in the parking areas. 2. The area behind and beside the portables is a No Parking Zone. 3. Watch for pedestrians. 4. Share these guidelines with all adults who bring your child to school including grandparents, friends, etc. Thank you for your cooperation with our safety rules. Together we can provide a safe environment for our children. Behavior/Discipline Each child is expected to cooperate and behave properly during class so that a pleasant learning atmosphere can be maintained. We strongly believe in rewarding good behavior. Although we care deeply about the well-being of each child, it is our task to provide a safe and positive learning environment for every student. When necessary, “time-outs” for calming and thinking about behavior choices will be used. If severe behavior occurs, parents will be contacted immediately and may be asked to pick up the child. If disruptive behavior is continual, parents will be asked to meet with the teachers and the principal to share concerns and suggestions. If disruptive behavior continues to occur, then Friendship Christian School reserves the right to dismiss your child from our program. Disruptive behavior includes, but is not limited to, intentionally hurting another person or refusal to obey a teacher. Communication Periodically, situations may arise which are of concern to parents. In such situations, parents are encouraged to discuss these developments with the child’s teacher. Please limit conversations in the classrooms so that proper attention may be given to the children. The teacher may call you at a later time if you desire. If a satisfactory solution can not be achieved, the parent may discuss the situation with the principal. Our program always has an “open door” policy.
Illness Children should not be sent to school unless they are free of fever (without feverreducing medicine), vomiting, or diarrhea for 24 hours. Parents will be contacted and asked to pick up their child from school should illness occur. Communicable/infectious diseases such as pink eye, strep throat, etc. are highly contagious and any student with the appearance of these will not be allowed to remain at school. Medication Medication will be administered to students providing the parent provides a physician’s statement. The following written information is required by the medical provider before administering medication by school personnel. • Child’s Name • Name of medication • Name of physician and phone number • Time medicine is to be administered • Dosage • Possible side effects • Termination date for administering medication • Parental/guardian permission Each dosage of medication administered shall be documented with the signature of the person assisting the student in self-administration. Lunch Hot lunches are provided each day at a reasonable cost. The students place their lunch order each morning and both K3 and K4 students eat in the cafeteria. Students may also bring their lunches. Milk and ice cream are available. Parents may send money as needed to place in the child’s account. The account will be deducted each time the student purchases lunch, milk, or ice cream. Chapel Each week during the school year all preschool and elementary students assemble for chapel. Students participate in devotional singing and listen to a message from God’s Word. Extended Care Extended Care is available for children up to the 6th grade from 6:30 AM – 7:30 AM and 2:30 – 5:30 PM each day school is in session. Activities and snacks are provided with adult supervision. Day Camp is available on some days when school is not in session. Please refer to the school calendar for availability.
Financial Information Financial information is detained in the current Enrollment Contract completed for each student during the application/re-enrollment process. The Withdrawal policy is: • If a student withdraws for the school year prior to June 1, other than the application fee or re-enrollment fee, there is no additional financial obligation. • If a new or re-enrolling student withdraws during the month of June, 25% of the annual tuition is owed to FCS. • If a new or re-enrolling student withdraws between July 1, and the first day of school, 50% of the annual tuition is owed to FCS. • If a student withdraws on or after the first day of school, 100% of the annual tuition is owed to FCS. FACTS SIS FACTS SIS offers access to grades, homework, class schedules, accounting, calendars, the school directory, newsletters, and forms. This is a useful resource to help parents remain informed. We suggest that you check it regularly. Instructions for FACTS SIS: • Click here to access FACTS SIS • Bookmark or save this site to your favorites for future access • Enter FSCS-TN into the District Code field • Fill in your username and password and click Log In • If you do not have a username and password, click on "Create New Family Portal Account.” (Be sure to enter the same email address you have provided to the school.) Please call the school if you have any problems or questions.