Procedures for Special Circumstances

• What does my child do if he/she becomes ill during the day and has to visit the office, and/or the nurses room, etc.?

If a student becomes ill, he or she will be sent to the office. The building secretary will contact the nurse. If the nurse is in another building, the secretary will either call or have the student sign in.

• The building secretary may do the following:

1. Administer bandage(s)

2. Give student an ice pack

3. Check standing orders, possibly give Children’s Tylenol (if parent permission is on file)

4. Clean nose bleed

5. Call the nurse

6. Write down the name of the teacher so that the nurse can follow up when she/he arrives.

7. Contact the school principal if deemed necessary

8. The building secretary may call parents if deemed necessary.

• Is there access to a school nurse? What times during the course of the day is the nurse available?

Two Registered Nurses cover all four buildings on Monday through Friday from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm. The nurses have a cell phone and thus can be reached by building secretaries immediately, if needed.

• How do parents contact the school nurse?

The nurse can be reached by contacting your child's building secretary. The nurse(s) can be reached by phone and/or by e-mail.

• What is the procedure for my child to ride a different bus after school?

STUDENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO CHANGE BUSES UNLESS THERE IS AN EMERGENCY!! For the school district, an emergency would be a situation in which a student needs to be supervised by another family member or friend. An emergency is NOT a situation in which students want to work on homework together or spend the night with a friend. All changes must be made through the school office in the form of a note from parents. Notes can be submitted to the office and the secretary will contact the bus company for approval. This procedure will aid bus drivers in locating students, reduce overcrowding, and decrease unpredictable discipline problems.

In Building #2 (Grades Pre K through 1) the following procedures will be followed:

1. Give the building office written information as to the change. The bus company will be notified by phone of the changes (in case there is not room on the other bus).

2. Building office staff will give the student a bus note. The student is not allowed to make the bus change without a note from the office.

3. The office will not give a bus note without hearing from the parent/guardian.

• How will medication be dispensed at school? Where should medication be delivered: to the teacher, the nurse, or to the office?

Medication needs to be brought to the nurse or to the building secretary in its original container. Prescription medication requires a doctor's order and a signed parent permission slip before medicine can be administered. All medication that is administered will be charted. For your convenience, we have standing orders for a few over-the-counter medications. Any other over-thecounter medication not on the standing order form requires a doctor's order. Only the nurse, individual nurses subbing for the nurse, or the principal, will administer the medication. Please contact the nurse if you have any questions. All medications will be kept locked in the nurse or building secretary's office both for your child's safety, as well as the safety of others.

• How and who do I notify in the event that I am picking up my child after school?

All inquiries should be addressed to the building secretary. Children who are not riding the bus home in the afternoon should always be signed out at the office. All students should wait in the office lobby area for the person to pick them up. Please be advised that all parents are asked to send a note indicating who is picking up the child.

In Building #2 (Grades Pre K through 1) the following procedures will be followed:

1. A written note can be given to the teacher or the building secretary by a parent/guardian.

2. The child will be sent to the lobby to wait for pick up.

3. The child must be signed out.

4. Children will not be released to anyone who has not been cleared by the parent/guardian.

• How does a parent communicate with the teacher: email, telephone, mail, etc.?

Parents may contact a teacher by email, telephone, and/or regular mail. It is best, however, to check with individual teachers as to which medium of communication with work for both the teacher and the parent/guardian.

If my child will not be coming to school, who do I contact and at what time will there be a person to receive my telephone call?

If your child will not be attending school, please notify the office before 9:00 a.m. If you are calling before 8:00 a.m. or after 4:15 p.m., you may leave a message on the school answering machine. The building office personnel will contact the family by 10:30 a.m. if the building secretary has not been notified of a child’s absence.

• If there is a custody issue who do I contact: the teacher, the principal, the superintendent?

All child custody related cases and questions should be addressed directly with the building administrator:

Building #1: Grades 2 through 3: Mr. Damian Droessler, Building Principal. He can be reached at 406-549-6109 or email at ddroessler@hellgate.k12.mt.us 2.

Building #2: Grades Pre K through 1: Mrs. Julia McCarthy-McLaverty, Building Principal. She can be reached at 406-721-2160 or email at jmccarthymclaverty@hellgate.k12.mt.us 3.

Building #3: Grades 4 through 6: Mr. Chris Clevenger, Building Principal. He can be reached at 406- 721-2452 or email at cclevenger@hellgate.k12.mt.us

Building #4: Grades 7 through 8: Mr. Jamie Courville, Building Principal. He can be reached at 406- 532-4590 or email at jcourville@hellgate.k12.mt.us

The building principal will inform the superintendent about all custody issues. Parents/guardians must provide the building principal with legal papers. Copies of necessary information will be made. The building principal will inform the teacher and any necessary staff members of legal specifics related to the custody issues. A copy of the legal papers will be placed in the child’s file and a copy will be kept in the building principal’s office. Copies will not be available in any other location. Legal paperwork will be removed from the child’s file when it is no longer valid.

• Who do I contact if we become homeless during the course of the school year?

Hellgate Elementary has a Homeless Coordinator on staff to assist parents/guardians with issues surrounding homelessness. Mr. Brent Heist, Hellgate Elementary, Dean of Student Services, also serves as the Homeless Coordinator. Mr. Heist can be reached at 406-721-2452 or by email at bheist@hellgate.k12.mt.us