Student/Parent Handbook

Attendance Matters

Please call our attendance line at 970-348-2000 to excuse all absences.

Emails to teachers DO NOT replace a call to the attendance line.

We begin our learning as soon as the bell rings at 8:40 (Monday) and 7:40 (Tuesday-Friday) and continue learning until the bell rings at 2:50 the end of the day.

It is an expectation that your child is on time to school everyday. Please call into the office before school begins if you know your child is going to be late or absent that day.

We know that mornings can be difficult for students, if your child is struggling in the morning please reach out and we can support you in creating a morning routine.

Once your child has missed more than 4 days of school unexcused a mandatory parent meeting with our parent liaison will be scheduled. For every day your child is absent, important learning is missed. After 7 absences, an attendance contract will be made and doctors notes/other supporting documents will be required for all future absences.

Weekly Attendance Incentive Program

We’re excited to kick off our weekly attendance incentive program! Each Friday morning at 10:00 AM, students with perfect attendance for the week—no absences, tardies, or early dismissals—will receive a raffle ticket.

Students will then choose which of our 6 weekly prizes they’d like to enter for. Some of our exciting prize options include:

🧱 LEGO sets
🎨 Arts & crafts kits
🚗 Remote control cars
🧸 Dolls & action figures
📖 Coloring books
…and more!

Winners will be drawn every Friday at 2:30 PM, and prizes will go home that day.

Help us build strong attendance habits by encouraging your child to be on time and stay the whole day, every day. We can’t wait to celebrate their commitment to learning!

Balloon bouquests, gift baskets, flowers, etc., cannot be taken to classrooms or go on buses. Please do not bring or have these items delivered to school. No food or drink. 

Our birthday policy at Meeker is the "Happy Birthday! Let's Move!" policy will take place of any food related birthday treats. Birthday celebrations do not always need to have food associated with them. We are working on celebrating the whole child, and we know that all students will benefit from more movement. All birthday celebrations at Meeker will be free of any food and drink. Instead, we will celebrate through activities, creativity, and movement. The student and teacher will work together to come up with a ten minute activity to celebrate who they are as a person. 

Cellphones are not allowed on during the school day. We understand the importance of being able to communicate with your child after shcool, but all cellphones, smart watches, and devices must be turned off and in your students' backpack from 7:30 a.m. - 2:50 p.m. Students may not get their cellphones out during lunch or recess. If your child has their cellphone our during class, lunch, or recess, it will be confiscated, and you will be notified by phone by the classroom teacher. Please plan on picking up your child's phone from the office if it is confiscated. Students whose phones have been confiscated more than once will be reuqired to turn their phone into the homeroom teacher every morning. 

All personal items should be left at home and not brough to school. Personal items include fidgets, small toys, or anything that distrcts from the learning environment. These items will be confiscated, and you will be responsible for picking them up from the teacher. After two instances of confiscated personal items, guardians will be required to meet with Mrs. Garcia to create a plan to support both the student and teacher. 

All teachers will be using an app for communication with families this school year. Teachers will respond during the hours of 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. on a daily basis, any messages sent after 3:30 p.m. may not be responded to until the next morning. 

You can expect a weekly newsletter from each classroom teacher and a monthly Meeker newsletter. Please read through these as they will have important information in them! 

We will go outside for recess every day unless the temperature with the wind chill is below 17 degrees or if we are getting considerable precipitation. Please make sure your child is prepared to play outside every single day. Snow will not stop students from going outside for recess. If your child schooses to play in the snow without snow boots, they will call you from the office to bring your child new shoes and socks! We do not have extras in the health office to give out. 

We strongly believe in the power of play and the importance of letting children be children. Our teachers have high expectations for your student during the day, and we expect that they give us their all when they are with us. We want you to be able to spend time as a family, eat dinner together, enjoy extracurricular activities without worrying about homework. We still encourage your child to read nightly for enjoyment! 

Please Not: If a child exhibits off-task behavior during the school day and fails to complete an assignment, you will receive a Celver message or phone call from your child's teacher with the expectation that they complete it that evening. 

If your child comes to school on time, they are to enter through the front door and go straight to their classroom. Please do not allow your children to run across the street or through the parking lot. They need to use the crosswalk at all times. We will have a drive line that goes through the circle for both pick up and drop off. 

If you are late picking your child up from school, you will need to park your car and come in to sign them out with your ID present, so it can be checked by our office staff. Any child still at school after 3:00 p.m. will be taken to ABC, and parents will be charged accordingly. 

Any time your child needs to be picked up early during the school day, please make sure you have your ID and are over the age of 18, as it will be checked every time by our office staff. You will need to come in and sign your child out on the computer before your child is called down to the office. 

For the safety of all staff and students, we will not deliver messages to students after 2:30 p.m. We will also not release students between 2:40 p.m. - 2:50 p.m. No one will be admitted into the building after 2:40 p.m.

Snack & Food Items- LUNCH UPDATE

Each grade level will give a 5-10 minute snack break either in the morning or afternoon depending on lunchtime. Snacks that are sent in must follow the wellness policy. Taki’s, cookies, chips, cupcakes, and lunchables are not to be consumed for snack in the classroom.

Snacks may include; veggies, fruit, crackers, cheese sticks, granola bars, etc.

Students may not bring anything other than water to have in the classroom. No coffee, Gatorade, or other sweetened beverages.

For Lunch- We do not allow students to have food sent to them via Door Dash or Delivery.

One of our major goals for the year is to build trusting relationships with families. One of the ways we can do that is to partner with you in the classroom. If you would like to visit your child's classroom or volunteer, we would love to have you. Please make sure you have filled out the volunteer form on the district website, and always bring your ID with you to check in. All visitors and volunteers must first be in contact with your child's teacher so they know you are coming and have a plan for you! 

Since our teachers are busy working during the day, it is important that if you are volunteering that you do not stop and talk with other teachers around the building, and you stay in the area that you are volunteering in. 

We are always searching for volunteers to help with the cafeteria duty during the school day! Please reach out to the office if you have any questions about volunteering! 

Level 1 violations will generally be addressed by the staff member supervising the student when the violation occurs. The staff member’s response should teach the correct, alternative behavior so that the student can learn from their mistake and demonstrate safe and respectful behaviors in the future.

All students are expected to adhere to the District's Universal Student Dress Code (Board of Education Policy, section JICA)

• Any clothing item or accessory that causes a disruption to school safety, personal safety and/or the learning environment may result in discretionary intervention by school administrators. 
• Tattoos, clothing or accessories that display drugs, sexual innuendos, inappropriate language, alcohol, tobacco products or gang connotations are not permitted. Tattoos displaying any of these must be covered at all times. 
• No hats are permitted inside of the school building during the school day. If "hoodies" are worn, the hood may not be worn inside of the school. (Religious headwear is an exception). 
• Sunglasses or dark glasses, absent a verified medical condition, are not to be worn or displayed inside of the school buyilding. 
• Trench coats are not permitted anywhere on school property. 
• Soled shoes or sandals must be worn at all times. For example, no "bedroom" slippers or similar footwear. 
• Undergarments are not to be exposed. 
• Inappropriately sheer, tight, or low cut clothing that bare or expose traditionally private parts of the body including, but not limited to, the stomach, buttocks, back, breasts or cleavage is not permitted. 
• No shaved or notched eyebrows, absent a  verified medical condition. 
• No red or blue belts or shoelaces. 
• No team jerseys or belt buckles that display the numbers 13, 14, 18, 31, 41, or 81. 
• No solid red or solid blue shirts, other than designated school uniforms. 
• No red or blue "Dickies" or "Southpole" brand pants, shorts, or shirts. 
• No red or blue bandana or any color bandana that is draped on clothing or hanging out of a pocket.