The mission of the Seaford Elementary family is to provide a nurturing environment that offers a high
quality educational program while promoting the intellectual, physical, and emotional development
of all students.
HISTORY/ENROLLMENT
Seaford Elementary was built in 1963. The school encompasses 41,000 square feet
and is located on 19 tree-lined
acres. Enrollment is approximately
500 students in grades K-5.
through the Southern Association
of Colleges and Schools (SACS) for the past 40
years and by the Virginia Department of Education for the past 7 years.
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
Seaford Elementary’s educational program is designed to meet
the needs of all students. We believe that
every child is a unique and important individual. It is our responsibility as educators to
serve as facilitators to help each child develop to their maximum academic,
physical, social, and emotional potential.
Each student will gain from his or her school experience
in direct proportion to the effort they put forth. To increase the opportunity for success, teachers, parents, and administrators must communicate openly and frequently.
key
role in the educational process.
A word of encouragement, a hug
when the day has been rough,
interest in your child’s work, and your presence at school functions are proven ingredients for academic success.
Parents are important! We invite you to come
to school, meet with us, talk to us, join the PTA and volunteer your time and
energy. Your involvement will
demonstrate to your child that you value education and are interested in
ensuring their success.
SCHOOL
PERSONNEL
Principal: Laura
Abel
Assistant Principal: Paula Sasin
Secretary: Ethel Rudisill
Attendance Secretary: Janet Goon
Guidance Counselor: Sherron Anderson
School Nurse: Holly Harris
SCHOOL HOURS
Office Hours
Grades K-5
Parents need to be at school by
SCHOOL PHONE NUMBERS
Office 898-0352 / 898-0588
Clinic 898-0375
Cafeteria 898-0377
Guidance 898-0587
Champions 875-2347
Hotline # 890-1096
ANIMALS AT SCHOOL
Students may not bring pets to school. This does not preclude the use of certain species of animals to complement instructional objectives. If the presence of the animal serves a direct educational purpose, special arrangements may be made with the approval of the principal.
COMMUNICATION OF PROGRESS
Parents are informed of their child’s progress through work samples, interim reports, and quarterly report cards. Information concerning your child’s progress will be sent home divisionwide on the following days:
Interim Report
|
|
Reports Cards
10/12 11/14
12/14 02/01
03/08 04/05
05/17 06/21
OBJECTIVES FOR 2005-2006
Utilizing test data, school survey results, various student performance indicators, and in support of York County School Division initiatives, the following objectives will be the focus of Seaford Elementary’s Biennial Operating Plan:
1. to raise student reading and math achievement
2. to ensure all students benefit from classroom instruction
3. to provide a safe, secure and healthy school environment
4. to enhance communication between all members of the school community
ELEMENTARY INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM
The following is a general description of the elementary instructional program. Classroom teachers will provide parents with a more detailed
outline of each grade’s
program of instruction.
Students who experience
academic difficulty mastering
grade level requirements are provided additional support through various interventions and remediation strategies. Elementary classroom instruction incorporates hands-on opportunities for learning, differentiated grouping, and integration of subject matter across the content areas, and the utilization of technology resources.
READING/LANGUAGE ARTS
The elementary reading/language arts program incorporates the Virginia Standards of Learning objectives for reading, writing, listening, and speaking. For reading instruction, each student is placed at his/her instructional level and progress is measured based on demonstrated mastery of identified skills and growth during the school year. Phonics instruction is an integral part of the total literacy program. The Scott Foresman reading program serves as the foundation for the Division's overall reading program. However, a number of additional resources are also used to support reading instruction.
MATHEMATICS
The elementary math curriculum provides students with a strong background in computational skills, problem solving strategies, mental math and estimation skills, geometry and pre-algebra. The Division’s math curriculum incorporates both the Virginia Standards of Learning for Mathematics and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) standards. Classroom teachers use a variety of hands-on methods in their daily
math instruction and provide examples of real life math applications. Grade levels will utilize flexible grouping activities to better meet student instructional needs in the math content area.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Social studies skills are taught at all grade levels and the curriculum fully incorporates the State’s Standards
of Learning objectives. Grades K-3 curriculum emphasizes self and family, types of communities,
early civilizations, and patriotism. Fourth grade
social studies lessons focus on
history. In the fifth grade, students study the
history and geography of
SCIENCE
The elementary science curriculum incorporates
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Seaford Elementary students, grades 1-5, participate in physical education activities that are designed to stress good sportsmanship and develop healthy minds and bodies. Developing lifelong fitness skills are the overall objective of the school’s physical education program. Activities include physical fitness and conditioning, movement, rhythmic activities, sports, and gymnastics. Additionally, students are provided opportunities for physical activity during the daily recess period.
MUSIC AND ART
Music and art are important components of the total
instructional program.
Art and music teachers
collaborate closely with
classroom teachers to
integrate their instruction
with classroom activities.
Students are exposed to many
art forms, media, tools and
techniques.
FAMILY LIFE
The Division’s Family Life Education program is aligned with
the Virginia Department of Education guidelines and is offered to all
elementary students. The program is available for review in the school’s
library and in all
LIBRARY
The librarian meets with students weekly to conduct lessons on
library skills and help
foster a love of learning. Every
effort is made to integrate library
instruction with content taught
in the classroom. Students are
exposed to a wide variety of
literature to enhance their overall reading achievement.
TECHNOLOGY
The Technology Standards of Learning that are to be mastered
by the end of fifth grade are the foundation of
GUIDANCE SERVICES
The elementary guidance counselor is an important part of the educational community at Seaford Elementary. The school’s guidance counselor works closely with parents and school personnel to find and remove barriers adversely affecting student learning. Parents are encouraged to contact the guidance counselor, Sherron Anderson, at 898-0587 to discuss any concerns about their child’s school experience or parenting issues.
READING
Seaford Elementary has a reading specialist who assists
classroom teachers with the
diagnosis and remediation of
reading difficulties. The
reading specialist works
closely with classroom
teachers to support reading
instruction for all students.
A variety of reading remediation programs are available
including Reach for
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Special education and related therapy services are provided at no cost to identified students between the ages of 2-21 with a disability impacting their academic performance. In order to receive special education and 504 Plan services, a student must be found eligible through a federally mandated eligibility process. The goal of Seaford Elementary’s special education program is to include identified students in regular classroom instruction and social activities as much as is appropriate with supporting modifications, services, and accommodations. Contact Paula Sasin at 898-0386 for additional information concerning the special education program.
HOMEWORK
The Seaford Elementary faculty and staff believe that home
study is a desirable and necessary component of the educational process.
but may include
such tasks as
reviewing for a test or quiz,
researching a project or book
report, or reading independently.
The
Division’s homework policy
recommends that for students in grades K-1, the suggested amount of time for the completion of homework assignments should not exceed 30 minutes per night. For students in grades 2-5, homework assignments should average 45 minutes per night. Homework should also not be weighted more then 10% of a student's grade.
Parents can help by providing a quiet place to work, establishing a daily homework routine, providing positive support, and ensuring that the student takes primary responsibility for completing homework and project assignments.
STUDENT PLANNERS
Students in grades 1-5 will be using a student planner to keep track of homework assignments, notes to parents, and other home-school communications. Each student will be given one planner at the beginning of the school year. If planners are lost or destroyed, they must be replaced at a cost of $5.00. All students are expected to use their planners daily. Please regularly review your child’s planner and use it as a helpful tool to keep informed of what is happening in the classroom and throughout the school. Special SES school take-home folders will also be issued to help organize papers traveling back and forth to school. The replacement cost of these folders is $1.50.
ATTENDANCE
Students must attend school every day unless ill. The office will attempt to telephone
students’ homes to verify absences. Parents are encouraged to notify the school
when their child is absent or tardy by calling the Attendance Secretary at 898-0352. A written excuse signed by a parent must
be given to the teacher on the day the student returns to school following an
absence. If you would like to
request your child’s assignments for the day, please notify the office prior to
If a student becomes too ill to remain in class, the nurse will call parents or the designee by phone and recommend that the child be picked up from school. For this reason, it is very important that we have an
updated phone number for both
parents and the designee. Our
clinic is designed to provide limited
temporary care to help comfort
a sick child while he/she is waiting
to be picked up. The school cannot
provide transportation for a sick child.
A student who contracts a contagious disease or condition such as pink eye, chickenpox, ringworm, impetigo, or pediculosis (head lice) will be sent home from school and must remain home until the condition or disease is corrected. State and division guidelines require that we take these matters seriously for the benefit of all Seaford Elementary students.
Some students may need to receive
daily medication during the school hours.
An Authorization for Medication
Form must be filled out by the physician.
Medication will not be administered without receipt of this form.
EMERGENCY INFORMATION
In case of emergency, each student is required to have on file with the school office the following information:
1. Parent(s) or guardian(s) name(s)
2. Complete and up-to-date address
3. Home phone and parent(s) work phone*
4. Emergency phone number of friends or relatives
5. Physician name and phone number.
6. Authorized person(s) allowed to pick up your child.
Any change of address and/or telephone number during the school year should be reported to the classroom teacher and the office immediately.
·
Cell
phone and/or pager numbers are also very helpful to have on file and should be
updated as changes occur.
TRANSPORTATION
Students who attend York County Schools’ are provided free transportation through our division bus system.
Bus Change
If you wish your child to go home with another student after school, you must send a note to the office so that we may give your child a bus pass.
If you wish to make a permanent change in your child’s
transportation arrangements (picked up or dropped off on a daily basis at an
address other than your own) a letter from you must be on file in the
Transportation Office with a copy also given to the school. You may drop your letter off at the school
office and we will forward it to the Transportation Department, or you may send
it directly to the following address: Transportation Coordinator,
Private
Students who are brought to school by private means of
transportation should arrive no earlier than
beginning of school and should
not be expected to
“baby-sit”
students. Students who go home
by means of private transportation
must be picked up promptly at the
end
of the school day (
When picking up or bringing children to school, at the beginning or end of the day, we request that you park in the two end parking lots. Please do not park in front of the building. This area is designated for bus traffic during specified times of the day so that we may safely load and unload students and you will be unable to use the front driveway.
BEFORE AND
AFTER SCHOOL
DAY CARE
Students attending Seaford Elementary may participate in a
before and/or after school childcare
program, Champions, offered through
the Medallion Company. Participating
students can be brought to the cafeteria
between
school. All Champions’ students must be picked up at the picked up at the end
of the day by
p.m. Call (757) 875-2347 for more information concerning this privately contracted program.
BREAKFAST AND LUNCH
The Seaford Elementary cafeteria offers both a breakfast and lunch program. The cost of breakfast is $.85 and lunch is offered to students for $1.75. Students may also
purchase ice cream for $.50 or $.75,
milk for $.40 or juice for $.40. The
cost of an adult lunch is $2.50.
Lunch room computers can maintain
up to $99 in your child's account.
Send checks payable to
Elementary with your request for the amount of money you would like
deposited in your
child's a breakfast, lunch and ala (ice
cream or milk) accounts. Undesignated
money will be placed in lunch accounts.
PTA
The Seaford Elementary Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) is committed to promoting the welfare of children within the home, school and community and to develop a closer working relationship between the parents and the teachers as they jointly cooperate in the education of the children. The PTA relies completely on volunteers who can give of their time and
share their skills and talents.
All parents are welcomed and
urged to join the PTA and
become involved. PTA working
committees include: Business
Partners, Fund Raising, Bulldog
Bowling, Carnival, Classroom
Coordinators, Gift Wrap, Labels
for Education, Spell-a-thon, and Talent Show, Hospitality, Learning Incentives, Legislative, Membership, School Support Volunteers, Beautification, Born to Read, Material Preparation, Scrapbook, Seafordgram, and Student Program and Library Volunteers, and sponsorship of the Reflections contest.
Cost of PTA membership is only $5.00 per member and is an important investment in you child’s future.
REMEDIATION
Throughout the year, teachers may make available various remediation opportunities to assist students who need additional assistance. Participation in before or after school programs is strictly voluntary and parents will be asked to provide transportation. Students who are recommended to participate in special remediation programs offered during the school day are expected to attend these activities. Remediation programs offered through a grant may limit participation to a specific targeted group of students.
SAFE SCHOOLS
Tragic events in other school districts remind us of the importance of having school safety plans. We will continue to lock outside school doors during the school day, allowing entry only through the front door. In addition to our routine fire, tornado and bus evacuation drills, we will periodically conduct safety drills to practice the procedures we will follow in
case an “Intruder” enters the
building. We do not intend to
alarm students, but we want to
be prepared in case the safety
of our students is compromised.
Please help us by signing in at the office each time you enter the building and by wearing a visitor or volunteer badge throughout your stay. In addition, we ask that you remind your child that threats will be taken seriously and will result in severe consequences. The school division has a no-nonsense response to students who threaten other
students or school staff. Parents who become aware of threats that are made in the neighborhood should call the York County School Division’s Crisis Hotline at 890-1096.
SCHOOL VISITORS
Parents are always welcome to visit the school. Since teachers and students work on a planned schedule, conferences and observations are to be arranged with the teacher prior to visitation. Unscheduled interruptions may consume valuable instructional time and thus hinder the overall progress of the class. For the protection of all students, visitors to Seaford Elementary are required upon entering the building to come directly to the office and receive a visitor’s or volunteer’s badge. No students will be permitted to leave the building with a parent (or persons designated by the parent) without first signing the student out through the school office. Additionally, we need to see your child leave with you. Ensuring the security of all Seaford Elementary students is our top priority.
DISCIPLINE
For the students to learn and work together in a productive
and safe environment, appropriate behavior is necessary. Seaford Elementary has established general
school-wide disciplinary guidelines. Individual teachers also determine realistic
and reasonable behavior expectations for students to follow so that learning
can take place without interruptions.
School-wide
guidelines are:
Use self-control
Do your best work
Respect each other
Follow directions
Be responsible
TOYS AT SCHOOL
Please help remind your child that toys and popular
items such as trading cards, GameBoys, Yo Yo’s, CD players,
and IPods should be enjoyed at
home
and not brought to school. These
items can be a distraction in the
classroom and frequently lead to
disciplinary problems. Teachers
should not have to take time away from
instruction to search for missing toys,
re-focus attention, or solve toy-
related conflicts. Please keep toys at home where
they can best be enjoyed.
EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Seaford Elementary offers students many extra curricular activities. These activities are offered to help children reach their full potential, improve school performance, and provide additional outlets for self-expression.
1. Festival Chorus - Selected 5th
grade students are invited, through audition, to participate in the Division’s
Festival Chorus Program. The choral
performance is held in early spring.
2. Just Say No Club is comprised of fourth
grade students who are interested in participating in drug resistance
activities. Students meet monthly
after school.
3. K-Kids is a program offered through the Kiwanis Club that provides students the opportunity to engage in community service activities that promote leadership skills and encourage involvement in a variety of community activities.
4.
5. SCA is an active way for students to be
involved in helping the school set student policies and practices. Students in grades 4 and 5 are elected to
organizational offices, and all third, fourth, and fifth
grade classrooms elect class
representatives to serve
on the council.
* Additional club and activities are offered based on student interest and the availability of sponsors.
WEE DELIVER
Seaford Elementary offers students the opportunity to
send and receive letters from classmates and teachers
through a school intra-postal system. Student postal
workers pick up mail from classrooms and at
designated mailboxes, and then deliver the letters
throughout the building. The purpose of the WEE Deliver
program is to help students learn to properly address
envelopes and practice “real life” writing skills.
CLASSROOM LOCATIONS
ROOM TEACHER GRADE
97 LISA
MARTIN K
98 TRISHA MOHRHUSEN K
99 SUSAN
100 KATHLEEN COVERDALE K
102 LINDA WARD 1
101 DIANE FORESTER 1
103 AMY SEXTON 1
104 LINDSEY CONGROVE 1
108 STACEY PEARCE 2
105 ELAINE KROSS 2
106 CYNTHIA EACHO 2
107 CAROL CLARK 2
111 DIANE WICHER 3
109 TERRI FORET 3
110 KELLY WATKINS 3
112 MIRANDA ROSSON 3
121 BETH WILSON 4
122 CONNIE HAYES 4
123 CATHY ST. MARY 4
124 KELSEY RASMUSEN 4
114 NANCY NORTHCOTT 5
116 ROGER SEARLES 5
118 NATHAN LEACH 5
120 KELLY DENNY 5
Trailer CHRISTINA HEAD Reading
Trailer KRISTEN GILLIGAN
IS Tech
Trailer BETTY
DEAN (PT)
Trailer CINDEE LETCHWORTH
Art
Trailer JUDY MITCHELL Music
Gym ROBERT ROMANO PE
Library KELLY WILLIAMSON
Library
Resource
Room JOY EATON Special Ed
Resource
Room SARAH JAMESON
Special Ed
Resource
Room EARL BADEAUX Special Ed
ANSWERS TO THE MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What do I do if my child is going to be absent?
Call the Attendance Secretary at
898-0352 prior to
What do I do if my child needs to take medicine at school?
Prescription medication must be in the original bottle with the prescription label on it. Non-prescription medication must be in a labeled container. Parents must send a note giving the nurse permission to dispense the medication along with necessary instructions regarding dosage amount and the time of day for administration.
May I pay for my child’s lunch in advance?
You may pay as much as $99 in advance to be held in a computerized account. Checks should be made out to Seaford Elementary and payment goes directly to the cafeteria manager. There are three student lunch account categories, breakfast, lunch, and ala carte. All checks should specify how the money is to be deposited.
May parents visit during lunch?
Parents are always welcome for lunch. Please pick up a visitor’s badge in the front office. We ask that you meet your child’s class in the cafeteria rather than in the classroom or hallway. Students are expected to stay in the lunchroom with their class and follow all cafeteria routines during a parent visit.
How do I pick up my child early from school or deliver an item during
the day?
Come to the office and sign your child out. We will call them out of class over the intercom. Send a letter to the teacher letting them know you will be picking your child up early so that they can be sure all assignments have been written down. Students who leave early will be dismissed through the office.
Please make every effort NOT to pull your child out during
the school day. If your child needs an
item that was left at home, we will contact the classroom and have the student
pick up the item at a convenient time.
The
Dec. 10, January 25, 26, and 27, March 4, April 8 and May
13. Please try to make appointments on
these days.
What do I do if I want to pick my child up at the end of the day?
Sign the “All Call” clipboard prior to
Why can’t I park in front of the building to drop off or pick up my
child?
This area is for dropping off and picking up students who
ride buses. To have students and cars
mixed in with the buses is a serious safety concern. Cars may park in the parking spaces in front
of the school only between the hours of
What do I do if my child is going home with another child on the bus?
All requests for bus changes must be in writing from the parent. Tell your child to bring the note to the office first thing in the morning and we will give them a bus pass. Your child gives the bus pass to the bus driver; they have permission to ride a different bus.
What should I do if my child can not participate in P.E. because of an
injury?
If students will be missing three or more days of P.E., they will need a doctor’s note. If it is less than three days, parents should send a note to the school nurse. An inability to participate in PE is applied to participation in other outside activities.
How do I contact my child’s teacher?
Feel free to call the school at 898-0352 and leave a message requesting that the teacher contact you. Do not expect to have a teacher called out of class to take your phone call. Teachers are asked to return all phone calls within 24 hours. Also, remember to use the agenda to request teacher contact or exchange information and don't forget teacher e-mail is a wonderful way to stay in touch.
