Parent Information

It is required for all visitors, volunteers and parents to sign in the office before entering the main building.  After signing in, be sure to place  a visitor school sticker on your clothing. If you do not have a school sticker, you will be asked to return to the front office.

If your child has forgotten something at home that they need for school, please bring it to the front office and we will get the item to your child.

Call 970-328-8930 before you arrive at school and we will get your student from their classroom and prepare them for pickup. All children must be checked out if leaving before the closing bell rings.

Misplaced items can usually be found in the "lost and found" area located in the hallway by the ramp. The more valuable items are in held in the front office.  If items are not picked up they will be donated to the thrift store twice a year. 

Our primary communication for parents/guardians is through email. We will occasionally send a text for more important information.  Please make sure that your contact information is up-to-date in PowerSchool. If you have any questions or need to make changes, please contact our school registrar at (970) 328-8970.
 

If you are making afterschool changes for your child, please let the office know before 2:30. We will make sure to communicate all after school changes to their teacher.  If you call after 2:30, we cannot guarantee that the message will get to your child. If you need to get a message to your child, please call the front office at (970) 328-8970 at will deliver the message to them. 

Absence Policy
Regular school attendance is a key factor in student achievement. Any absence represents an educational loss to the student. We know, however, that some absences are unavoidable. Therefore, this policy is designed to minimize student absenteeism and provide students with the opportunity to make up schoolwork missed due to parent-directed absences. The district strongly encourages scheduling family vacations outside of the school year, and strongly discourages withdrawing students from school before the end of the year. Any student who has twenty or more unexcused or pre-excused absences in a year can be considered for retention at grade level.

• The parent/guardian must submit notification of absence a minimum of five school days in advance. Only medical/dental appointments and illness will be excused.
• The student will be responsible for obtaining and completing all missed assignments.

It should be understood that there are things that happen in a classroom that are experiential and cannot be made up. In striving for academic excellence, please help us maintain an attendance rate of 95% or higher.

To report an absence call (970) 328-8970 before the start of the school day. If your child is late, have your child check in at the front office. They will be given a Tardy Slip to give to their teacher. If your child doesn't stop at the office and sign in, they will have an unexcused absence for the day and you will receive a phone call from us.

Parents /guardians should email or call the school if a student will miss more than one full day of school. Only absences that are medical or illness in nature will be excused.

If you live less than a mile from school, consider having your child walk, bike, or ride their scooter to school. Such practices promote fitness and reduce traffic, making students healthier and safer.

Please do not call the teachers classroom during school hours. The teacher's first responsibility is foremost to the student in the class.  Teachers are happy to set up conferences, answer emails and voice-mails at a time that best fits their schedule.

ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL PARKING LOT PROCEDURES

You MAY park along Grundel Way and walk up to drop-off or pick-up your child. Please use all
crosswalks to do this.
The parking lot closest to Valley Road is for TEACHERS ONLY. Please do not park/enter into
this lot.

CARPOOL LANE:
1. Please pull all the way forward
2. Please have your student’s color card up in the front window of your car (for liability
reasons, we cannot load child into cars that do not have their color card)
3. Please have your child load and unload from the passenger side only
4. Please stay in your car (hugs and high fives inside the car)
5. Please pull to the left lane once your have loaded/unloaded
6. Please load/unload at the sidewalk only, not by the grass and trees at the entrance or
the grass by the preschool doors.

PARK & WALK UP:
1. Please do not park in the bus lane parking lot (teachers and busses only)
2. Please walk to the flag pole area to pick up your child, do not pick them up by the trees
near the buses.
3. Please park in parking spots only, do not park by the grass by the exit.
4. Please walk with your child through the crosswalk
5. Please make sure your child’s teacher knows you are taking your child at dismissal time.

PROCEDIMIENTOS DE ESTACIONAMIENTO AL LLEGAR Y A LA SALIDA

PUEDE estacionarse a lo largo de Grundel Way y caminar para dejar o recoger a su
hijo(a). Utilice todos los cruces peatonales para hacerlo.
El estacionamiento más cercano a Valley Road es SOLO PARA MAESTRAS. No se
estacione ni entre en este lote.

CARRIL PARA VARIOS PASAJEROS:
● Por favor, avance hasta el final.
● Tenga la tarjeta de color de su estudiante en la ventana delantera de su
automóvil (por razones de responsabilidad, no podemos cargar al niño en
automóviles que no tengan su tarjeta de color)
● Haga que su hijo(a) suba o baje solo por el lado del pasajero.
● Por favor, quédese en su auto (abrazos y despedidas dentro del coche).
● Diríjase al carril izquierdo una vez que haya subido o bajado pasajeros.
● Por favor suba o baje personas en la acera solamente, no junto al pasto, los
árboles en la entrada ni en el césped junto a las puertas del preescolar.

ESTACIONARSE Y CAMINAR:
● No se estacione en el primer estacionamiento (solo maestras y autobuses).
● Por favor camine hasta el área de la bandera para recoger a su hijo(a), no le
recoja por los árboles cerca de los autobuses.
● Estaciónese solo en lugares de estacionamiento, no lo haga junto al pasto
junto a la salida.
● Camine con su hijo(a) por el paso de peatones.
● Por favor asegúrese que la maestra sepa que se llevará a su hijo(a) a la hora
de salida.

ECSD Student AI Agreements

The agreement statements below align with Guiding Principles of AI Use in ECSD and provide guidelines of acceptable use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) by students in ECSD.

1. Students and staff will use AI tools responsibly, ethically, and in alignment with school rules and district policies. Creating or sharing harmful, misleading, or inappropriate content violates district policies.
 2. Students and staff will not enter personal, sensitive, or confidential data into any AI tool, including any student identifiable data related to education records.
3. Students and staff will critically evaluate AI-generated content for potential inaccuracies, persuasive tone, and bias. It is vital to understand the limitations of AI and the importance of cross-referencing with factual sources.
4. Students will follow staff instructions on when and how to use AI on an assignment and will check with the instructor when unsure.
  5. Students will follow staff instructions for appropriately disclosing and/or citing AI-generated content. AI is not a substitute for original thought, and students will not claim AI-generated content as their own work.

Acuerdos de IA para Estudiantes de ECSD

Las siguientes declaraciones del acuerdo, están alineadas con la Guía de Principios para el Uso de IA en ECSD y proporcionan pautas sobre el uso aceptado de la inteligencia artificial generativa (IA) por parte del estudiantado en ECSD.

1. El estudiantado y el personal usarán las herramientas de IA de manera responsable, con ética y siguiendo las reglas escolares y las políticas del distrito. Crear o compartir contenido dañino, engañoso o inapropiado viola las políticas del distrito.
2. El estudiantado y el personal no ingresarán datos personales, sensibles o confidenciales en ninguna herramienta de IA, incluidos datos identificables de estudiantes relacionados con registros educativos.
3. El estudiantado y el personal revisarán críticamente el contenido generado por IA, para identificar posibles errores, tono persuasivo y prejuicios. Es importante entender las limitaciones de la IA y la importancia de comparar y verificar con fuentes confiables.
4. El estudiantado seguirá las instrucciones del personal sobre cuándo y cómo usar la IA en una tarea y consultarán con el/la instructor(a) en caso de dudas.
5. El estudiantado seguirá las instrucciones del personal, para citar correctamente el contenido generado por IA. La IA no es un reemplazo de las ideas originales, y no deben atribuir el contenido generado por IA como propio.

ECSD Cell Phone Policy
ECSD recognizes the importance of communication and collaboration, and provides devices for students to be productive in the classroom. To keep the focus on academics and to reduce unnecessary distractions, the District has a no cell phone policy with all electronic devices other than the student’s Chromebook.

Academic Settings (Elementary and Middle School)
● Cell phones and electronic devices including smart watches and tablets shall be TURNED OFF when the morning bell rings and not turned back on until dismissal.
● Cell phones and electronic devices, including smart watches and tablets, shall be kept in a student’s locker or backpack– not in clothing pockets.
● Cell phones and electronic devices, including smart watches and tablets, are not allowed to be used on school grounds (inside nor outside) during school hours.
● Cell phones and electronic devices, including smart watches and tablets, can be turned back on at the end of school after the bell rings and used to communicate directly with parents/friends.
● Cell phones and electronic devices, including smart watches and tablets, are not allowed to be used during transition times, at lunch or between classes.
● If a student needs to make an emergency call during the day, they are to go to the office or use a classroom phone with teacher permission.
● Students may not use AirPods or headphones during class, lunch or during transition times. If teachers need for students to use AirPods or other headphones during class it must be directly tied to the lesson.
● Students may not use Smart Watches to message or communicate with others during the day.
● While on school transportation students may use their cell phones and other electronic devices in “silent mode” provided the use of the device, as determined by the supervising staff member or bus driver, in no way disrupts, poses a safety concern or otherwise violates the School District’s Code of Conduct for Students or other parts of this policy.

Academic Settings (High School)
● Cell phones and electronic devices, including smart watches and tablets, shall be TURNED OFF when class begins and not turned back on until the class ends.
● Cell phones and electronic devices, including smart watches and tablets, shall be kept out of sight at all times.
● Cell phones and electronic devices, including smart watches and tablets, may be used during transition times, at lunch or between classes.
● If a student needs to make an emergency call during the day, they are to go to the office or use a classroom phone with teacher permission.
● Students may not use AirPods or headphones during class.
● Students may not use Smart Watches to message or communicate with others during the day.
● While on school transportation students may use their cell phones and other electronic devices in “silent mode” provided the use of the device, as determined by the supervising staff member or bus driver, in no way disrupts, poses a safety concern or otherwise violates the School District’s Code of Conduct for Students or other parts of this policy.
Action steps for violation of the above policy:
● 1st Offense: Teacher confiscates device, gives it to the office as soon as possible and the student can retrieve it at the end of the day. The teacher and the student have a conversation to help prevent further violations.
● 2nd Offense: Teacher confiscates device, gives it to the office as soon as possible and a parent must retrieve the phone/give verbal permission to release the phone. Students will be required to have a restorative conversation about their device usage with administration.
● 3rd Offense: Student will be required to turn in their device to the office at the beginning of each day and may pick it up at the end of each day for as long as administration deems appropriate.
Acceptable Use (All levels)
Cell phones and electronic devices, including smart watches and tablets, may not be used in a manner which is potentially unsafe, illegal, or otherwise might violate the School District’s Code of Conduct for students Prohibited uses include, but are not limited to:
● Using the device to create video or audio recordings of students and/or staff, without permission of the student and/or staff member;
● Using the device to take photographs of students and/or staff, without permission of the student and/or staff member;
● Using the device for academic dishonesty or cheating;
● Using the device in any manner that disrupts the academic environment, or otherwise disrupts school activities or functions;
● Using the device to send, receive or possess text or e-mail messages reasonably interpreted as indecent or sexually suggestive while at school, on school transportation, or at a school-related function;
● Using the device to threaten, harass, intimidate, or bully; or
● Departing a class to activate or operate such devices.
Parents may call the school office during school hours if they need to get a message to their child. If a parent needs to speak with their child, we will arrange for the student to call the parent back using an office phone.
ECSD is not responsible for any lost or stolen electronic devices. Students are encouraged to leave these items at home, but if a student chooses to bring these items to school they are responsible for them at all times.
If a unique circumstance exists warranting the need for a student to use a cell phone or personal electronic device, outside this policy, such requests shall be written into an official plan such as IEP, 504, Health Plan, ALP, or ELD plan, or submitted to the principal in writing. The Principal’s decision shall be final in any requests not included in an official plan.
If a teacher wishes for students to use their cell phones or electronic devices as part of a lesson, and the device is important to the learning, they may do so with the permission of the administrator.