Policies and Procedures

For a complete description of GMA policies and procedures, please consult your parent handbook.

Sickness/Accidents and Medication Issues

Children with a temperature above 98.6°F will be sent home. Children must be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school. In other words, your child may not attend school the next day after being sent home. The same policy applies to vomiting and diarrhea. GMA will send home an exposure notice when a confirmed case has been called in; i.e., chicken pox, pink eye, etc.

Discipline

GMA views problem solving as a way of teaching responsibility. Children are encouraged to solve their own social problems at the Peace Table by verbally expressing their feelings and using conflict resolution techniques to settle the dispute satisfactorily. Initially, the children are assisted by a teacher, but as the children become more proficient, the teacher becomes less involved. Ultimately, the teacher acts only as an overseer of the process.

Dress Code

We require children wear clothing and shoes they can manage themselves. Shoes for running, climbing and walking on rough ground are best for school. Try to locate shoes they can put on and take off without asistance. Make sure that your child's name is well marked on all clothing and belongings that come to school. Also, the gymnastics teacher requests that on gymnastics day the children wear sweat pants, shorts, or other loose clothing for class - no pants with buckles or large snaps, no dresses and no skirts please. Please keep clothing with inappropriate advertising at home.

Outdoor Play

Each day the children have a scheduled outside play time during their lunch rotation. Weather and schedules permitting, additional outside times are also encouraged throughout the day. Please make sure that your child dresses according to the weather, especially in the winter with boots, hats, mittens and snow pants. We believe that outdoor activity in important to good health. Please do not ask us to keep your child indoors. If your child is too ill to go outdoors, then your child is too ill to be at school.

Lunch

Lunch may be brought from home or purchased from Eden Alley. When packing your child's meal, we encourage you to include manageable foods. For example, a thermos with a spout is more desirable than one that has to have its contents poured. Consider having your child help prepare the lunch by helping to decide what items to include. The staff uses lunchtime as an opportunity to teach proper table manners, conversation skills and clean-up procedures.

Items from Home

Please do not allow your child to bring toys, gum, candy, pets, or money into the classroom, as these things create problems at school. Items that might be appropriate to the sound of the week may be brought on Share Day. Exceptions can be made for toddler friends who might feel more secure with a special item from home.