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Campus Safety and Guidelines

For a comprehensive plan of school rules/policies and procedures, please click on the links below for the  24/25 handbook. 

The links are live documents and have the most up to date information. A hard copy will be provided by request in the front office.

 

READ SOME OF THE KEY ITEMS BELOW:

PARKING/ DROP OFF & PICK UP 

We have about 80 parking spaces at Foothill Oak Elementary. Always use a parking space when you need to come onto the campus and walk -- do not leave your car in yellow or red zones at any time. ALL people MUST use sidewalks and crosswalks -- do not walk through the middle of the parking lot or across traffic!

While drivers want to get students picked up and dropped off quickly, but SAFETY is the most important thing for all of us. There is a designated lane for loading and unloading of students along the yellow curb. Please follow the directions of teachers on duty. Parents should continue to ease their vehicles forward in this lane as they pick up or drop off students. Cars are never to be left unattended in this lane! Please help your children to load properly. All adults and children must use crosswalks and cross only at crosswalks. Parking lots can be very dangerous and children should never cross the lot without a parent/guardian with them.

TK, Kindergarten, First Grade and Second Grade students will be dismissed in the South driveway. Third, Fourth and Fifth grade students will be dismissed through the East driveway. Older siblings will be allowed to go wait with younger siblings, but TK-2 students are not allowed to go to the East driveway. The East driveway is shorter and more dangerous for the smaller students.

PLEASE DO NOT BLOCK THE ENTRANCE OR THE EXIT TO THE SCHOOL.

  • BICYCLES, SKATEBOARDS, SCOOTERS, and SKATES  may not be used on campus at any time. All students are required by law to wear a helmet when riding to and from school. Students who do not follow these policies may lose their privilege to bring these items to school and/or have their items confiscated and parents may be required to retrieve the item from school.

VISITORS AND VOLUNTEERS

We encourage parents to volunteer in the classroom or in the community room. Please contact the school and speak with our Community Liaisons. All volunteers must complete an application, attend orientation, provide negative TB test.  More details are highlighted on our Parent /Student Handbook.

PARENT INVOLVEMENT

Parent involvement is a priority at Foothill Oak Elementary. Our Community Liaison works closely with parents and administration to identify needs and interests and to create involvement and learning opportunities for parents.

  • SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL :The School Site Council is an elected committee made up of parents, teachers, and administrators, which serves as an advisory board to the school administration to set budget priorities. This committee meets regularly to develop, review, and recommend plans and budget for our School Improvement Program funds. Elections are held each year to choose representatives.
  • SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS : Vista schools are deeply committed to the use of volunteers to help teachers in the classroom, help supervise on field trips, and perform many other services for the schools. Volunteers can enrich education by sharing their special hobbies, skills, vocation, or special knowledge with students. Please contact the teacher and/or site administrator if you would like to share your unique specialty. 
  • English Language Advisory Committee (ELAC ):  A committee made up of parents, teachers, and administrators. They meet regularly to develop, review, and recommend plans for students who are learning the English language.

HOME-SCHOOL COMMUNICATION

Communication between school and home is essential to effective collaboration. Parents can communicate with the school in person, via telephone and/or email and we will do our best to respond promptly. In addition to individual communications as needed, we will also use the following resources to be sure that families know what is going on at school:

  • School Messenger: This is a web-based telephone communication system that serves as another means of communication with our families. We use this system to send out event and deadline reminders as well as for emergency communications. It is imperative that you maintain a current home phone number on file with the office in order to be able to receive these automated messages.

  • Class Dojo

  • Coffee & Community : Each month, an informal coffee meeting is open for parents to meet with the principal and other school leadership. This is a time for parents to share questions and needs and for staff to report on progress related to parent questions and needs as well as to provide information about news and events.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

WELLNESS POLICY Board Policy No. 5030: Student Wellness. For a complete report/document please visit the district website. Board Policy prohibits non-nutritional food items for incentives, rewards and celebrations. To donate food items please choose from the district approved list of snacks. All food items brought to classrooms must be store bought. No homemade food items

BIRTHDAYS:

A minimum of 5 day notice with the teacher and administration  is required to plan a celebration. 

  • Parents have to be notified about the celebration with enough time to give consent for their student to participate in the event. (This gives parents an option to say NO if they have strict dietary restrictions for their students)

  • Per (VUSD Wellness Policy)  compliant foods brought for the classroom party  MUST meet the following general food standards: Be a fruit, vegetable, dairy, protein or whole grain item.   

SICKNESS & HEALTH CONCERNS:

A health/attendance technician is available in case of sickness or accident during the regular school hours. District school nurses are available by appointment to discuss specific health conditions that may require special attention. Health/attendance technicians and school nurses do not diagnose illnesses. Please consult your children's physician for concerns related to their health. To review more information about our VUSD health program please go to our district School Nurse and Healthcare website.

If your child has a specific health condition, please notify the school upon enrollment and again each year when you complete the Emergency Card. Health information may be shared with any school staff that might be in contact with your student on a regular basis, for example, teachers, bus drivers, playground supervisors or coaches, office staff, or other staff as deemed necessary.

MEDICINE AT SCHOOL:

Notify the school if your student is on a continuing medication regime, even though the medicine is taken at home. This information may be important in an emergency situation. If medication is required during school hours, the guidelines (below) of the California Education Code and VUSD policy must be followed.

  • The parent/guardian's written request on the VUSD medication authorization form.

  • A physician's authorization detailing the amount of the medicine and the method and time schedules by which the medication is taken.

  • ALL medications, including prescription, over-the-counter, herbal and vitamin preparations are included in the guidelines.

  • All medications must be from a California pharmacy. No prescriptions from out-of-state can be given by school personnel.

  • Physician and parent authorizations must be updated annually or whenever there is any change in the medication, dosage, or time schedule.

  • The medicine is to be in the original labeled container.

  • A designated adult is to bring the medication to school.

Please do not bring any medication to school until the physician's and the parent/guardian's authorizations have been completed. Parents need to pick up all medications at the end of each school year. Medications left more than one week after the school year ends will be discarded.

ROUTINE HEALTH CHECKS : Routine health checks including vision, hearing, and head lice are made periodically. You will be notified if we believe that your student is in need of medical attention.

ACCIDENTS OR EMERGENCIES : If your child has an accident or becomes ill at school, you will be contacted through the information listed on their Emergency Card. Please make sure that your child's Emergency Card is updated periodically, and that the names and phone numbers of emergency contact people are current. For the safety of students, the school will not release a student to a person who is not listed on their Emergency Card. Anyone who picks up your child will be required to show their ID to the office staff. Consider purchasing School Accident Insurance. It is inexpensive. The Vista Unified School District does not insure the students.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PROCEDURES :The safety and welfare of students are primary concerns of Foothill Oak Elementary School. Our school has a disaster preparedness plan that conforms to the District's procedure for emergencies. Our program involves more than just preparing a response plan. We have an ongoing process that includes:

  • Identifying hazards at our school

  • Involving teachers, parents, and students in our plan

  • Training staff, students, and volunteers in proper response

  • Conducting emergency drills

  • Encouraging parents to teach their children how to spell their name and learn their phone number and address.

  • Assessment of supplies available for emergencies

It is important that you provide the school with complete, accurate emergency information concerning your child and that you remember to inform the school if there are changes