STUDENT HANDBOOK 208 W. Main St. Fruitland, MD 21826 Telephone: 410-677-5805 Fax: 410-677-5890 WELCOME Welcome to Fruitland Intermediate School! We are thrilled to have you as part of our learning community. Our dedicated staff is committed to providing an environment where every student can thrive, grow, and achieve their full potential. This handbook serves as a comprehensive guide to our school’s policies and procedures, designed to support your child’s educational journey throughout the year. We encourage you to use this as a resource, and please feel free to reach out to us at 410-677-5805 with any questions. We look forward to partnering with you for a successful and memorable school year. Fruitland Intermediate School Dr. Brandy Brady Principal Mrs. Mary Sartorio Assistant Principal
MISSION STATEMENT OF FRUITLAND INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL Our mission at Fruitland Intermediate School is to educate our students so that they achieve their highest levels of learning. Our goal is to provide an educational climate in which each student will: ● develop a desire to learn; ● develop a positive self-image; ● receive opportunities to be challenged; ● experience a safe environment in which to grow. BELIEFS ● All children can learn. ● Each student should be challenged to reach his/her full potential. ● The diversity of each individual, including his/her unique and innate characteristics, should be respected. ● Students should experience challenging content and achieve high standards. ● Each student should acquire a core body of knowledge and a set of definable skills. ● Values adopted by the Wicomico County Board of Education should be reinforced. ● Families and community involvement should be welcomed and encouraged. ● Continual evaluations of our school’s performance should be made to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of high-quality education. PHILOSOPHY Fruitland Intermediate staff maintains high expectations for all our students, staff, and parents. Based on our knowledge of child growth and development and philosophy at Fruitland Intermediate School, we expect parents to: 1. Support your child’s teacher and school in a positive and open manner. 2. Communicate problems and successes with school personnel and assist in seeking solutions to the problems. 3. Support all school and county policies and regulations. 4. Monitor students' grades through X2 Family Portal weekly. 5. Love and support your child. SCHOOL SERVICES At FIS, the school doors open at 8:45 AM for all students. There is no supervision for students arriving before this time. Students should arrive no later than 9:15 AM, or they will be considered tardy. If a student should arrive after 9:15 AM, he/she should report to the office first. If a student is to go home a different way than he/she arrived, a note indicating this should be sent to the teacher. If the student is a bus rider, the note should also be shown to the driver. If a decision is made after the child’s arrival at school; you may fax the note to (410-677-5890), or call the front office (410-677-5805). Children who must leave school during the school day are to bring a note to that effect and should be picked up at the school office by the parent or authorized adult. You will need to sign your child out at the front office.
CAFETERIA SERVICES BREAKFAST- A free breakfast is served daily from 8:45 AM to 9:15 AM. Menus for breakfast and lunches are available each month on the district’s website. Breakfast will not be served on a 90minute delay opening. LUNCH- A balanced lunch is available for all students. The lunch period is thirty (30) minutes long. A la carte items such as ice cream and snacks are available for purchase. PERSONAL DATA FORMS Personal data forms will be sent home to all parents/guardians at the beginning of the school year. These forms will provide each parent/guardian with up-to-date emergency information. The forms will be a tool for parents/guardians to use in emergency situations throughout the school year. Each parent/guardian must complete each form in its entirety. Due to the importance of your child’s health and safety, all forms must be appropriately filed and readily available to the office staff personnel. The completed pages of the personal data forms should include the following: ● Parent/guardian’s home and alternate phone numbers ● Name and number of at least two persons of contact that is legally responsible for the child ● Home and work address All information recorded in the personal data forms is crucial in the case of a child’s injury or illness during the school year. It is each parent/guardian’s responsibility to inform the administrative staff immediately if there are any changes in the child’s health status. In the event of a change in health status, please include any restrictions or limitations prescribed by the health care professional. CHANGE OF ADDRESS Each parent/guardian must notify the school office personnel immediately if there is a change in address or phone numbers. Ensuring that all information is accurate and up-to-date will enable the school to act accordingly and efficiently in the event of an emergency. TRANSFER/WITHDRAWAL The school office personnel will provide each parent/guardian with initial transfer information to assist in registering at a new school if the child is to be transferred or has withdrawn from Fruitland Intermediate School. CURRICULUM Fruitland Intermediate School offers instruction in Reading/Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Art, Music, Physical Education, and Media skills. In order to meet the needs of all students, the following programs are also available: Band, Chorus, Guidance, Orchestra, Reading/Math assistance, special education, T.A.D., speech, and occupational therapy. STUDENT WORK FOLDERS Each student will bring home their assignments, notes written by their teachers, and other important information to keep each parent/guardian informed. We ask that each parent/guardian keep all graded papers but return any signed forms or needed notes. CONFERENCES Conferences may be requested by the teacher or by the parent/guardian at any
time during the school year. If a parent/guardian wants to meet with the child’s teacher, he/she must contact the school office or the teacher to arrange for an appointment. The teacher will either confirm the time requested or reschedule an appointment at a mutually agreeable time. Please do not use school gatherings as times to conduct conferences. Teachers and parents/guardians can share information and discuss ideas more effectively in a more private setting. Parents/guardians should expect teachers to contact them when a student’s performance reflects a failing grade, no homework, poor test scores, etc. STUDENT INSURANCE At the beginning of each school year, parents/guardians may purchase an accident insurance policy from a reputable commercial firm. Two options of coverage are available and include the following: school related accidents and 24-hour coverage. In the event of an accident at school, students would be covered by either policy. STUDENT CAR RIDER ARRIVAL PROCEDURES Student drop-off at the beginning of the day: Enter the parking lot, loop around the back of the building, keep right and pull as far forward as you are safely able. Have your student ready to leave the vehicle promptly, and when it is safe, he or she may exit on the right to the sidewalk, then in the building, as directed. Do not drop off your student from the travel lane. STUDENT CAR RIDER DISMISSAL PROCEDURES Enter the parking lot, loop around the back of the building, keep right and pull forward. You will be directed to form two dismissal lines. Students who usually get picked up will have a number assigned to them that must be associated with the number tag that we issue to the parent. This number tag must be displayed on the mirror. Students will be dismissed from the front west exit. Drivers must remain in their vehicles and exit the school grounds when students are safely in the vehicle to keep the line moving quickly. For safety reasons, you may not park your car in the parking lot and come into the office to sign out your child. Students will only be released to the cars with appropriate tags. Parents may not sign students out of the front office between 3:00 – 3:45. BIKE RIDERS There is a bicycle rack provided for students who ride their bikes to school. It is located on the west side of the building. After parking your bike, be sure that it is secured with a lock attached to the rack. We require all students to walk their bicycles while on school property and we encourage all to wear helmets while riding. BUS LOT PROCEDURES Buses are boarded in the bus loading area on the east side of the building. We expect students to exit the building and to board the assigned bus immediately. You must have prior permission before boarding a bus other than your normal means of transportation. A note from your parent or guardian must request permission. The note is to contain your name, reason for request, date when riding, bus number, and parent’s signature. Submit it to the office at the beginning of the day for approval and a
note will be given to the bus driver to board the bus. GENERAL BUS PROCEDURES Wicomico County provides bus transportation to and from school. Riding the school bus is a privilege which may be withdrawn for continuous inappropriate behavior. The bus driver is in complete charge of the bus and its occupants at all times. The bus ramp in front of school is reserved for buses only from 8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. and from 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. ATTENDANCE Daily school attendance is critical to student success. Please make every effort to ensure that your child attends school each day and arrives on time, missing school only when absolutely necessary. When students are absent, they miss valuable instruction and classroom experiences that cannot be fully replicated through make-up work. Habitual tardiness and early dismissals can also have a significant impact on learning and classroom dynamics. At Fruitland Intermediate School, doors open at 8:45 a.m. and instruction begins at 9:15 a.m. Please help your child establish a consistent bedtime and morning routine so they can arrive on time and ready to learn. A parent's note may excuse up to 5 absences per year; after five parent notes have been used, only doctor or official documentation will be accepted. Up to 3 days of absence due to travel out of town may be excused by completing a Request for Absence form. The automated calling system will call your designated telephone number each day that your child is absent. Please ensure that your telephone numbers are correct so that you will receive these important automated calls. Please be sure to reference the Wicomico County Public School Attendance Policy and Procedures located on the Wicomico County Public School website. If your child is experiencing barriers that make it difficult to attend school, please reach out for support. Services that can be provided include transportation, home visits, attendance monitoring, one on one meetings with students and families, and incentives. For questions about attendance and additional assistance, contact our Home School Liaison, Mrs. Kara Shockley (ext. 39103), Pupil Personal Worker , Ms. Tiffany Redden (410-677-5230 ext. 65526), or our Community School Coordinator, Mr. Braxton Clark (ext. 39192). Together, we can help our students be "Here Today, Ready for Tomorrow." LATE OPENINGS/EARLY CLOSINGS Wicomico County Public Schools has an automated telephone calling system. This system will call your designated telephone number to alert your family of school delays and closures due to weather, and emergency situations. This message may also be emailed to your family if you provide the school with a valid email address on your child’s Student Personal Data and Enrollment Information form sent home on the first day of school. SCHOOL RULES 1. Walk safely and calmly in the hallways. 2. Please leave gum at home; it is not allowed at school or on the bus. 3. Leave personal toys, trading cards, and gaming devices at home. 4. Cell phones and smartwatches must be turned off and stored in
your backpack during the school day. Laser pointers are strictly prohibited. 5. Animals are not allowed on school grounds without administrative permission. 6. Use kind, respectful language at all times. Profanity or hurtful language is not permitted. 7. Weapons of any kind, including guns, knives, or sharp instruments, are strictly prohibited and violate the Wicomico County Code of Conduct. 8. Practice good manners and respect privacy in the restrooms. 9. For your safety, playing, walking, or running in the parking lot or driveways is not allowed. 10. Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself. "Play fighting" is not allowed. If you have a conflict with another student, talk it through calmly or ask a staff member for help. CAFETERIA RULES 1. Good table manners should be displayed. 2. Quiet conversation is permissible. 3. Move in an orderly fashion into the cafeteria and through the serving line. 4. Students must sit at assigned seats/tables. 5. Students must have permission to leave your table. 6. Students must line up quickly and quietly when directed. ASSEMBLY RULES 1. Orderly arrival and departure are required. 2. Remain silent during the presentation unless the presentation requires response from the audience. 3. Keep hands and feet still and chairs quiet. 4. Applaud at the appropriate times and intervals. 5. There will be no yelling, booing, hissing, or hooting under any circumstances. PLAYGROUND RULES SWING SET 1. Sit, do not stand, in the swings. 2. Do not push students in the swings. 3. Do not jump out of the swings. 4. Do not twist or swing sideways. 5. Only one person may swing at a time. 6. You must hold on with both hands. 7. Do not wrap the swings’ chains around the vertical bar in an attempt to raise the height of the swing. BATS AND BALLS (with teacher supervision) 1. Stand behind the backstop when you are waiting your turn. 2. Only school soft balls may be used. 3. No sliding is permitted. SLIDE 1. Only one person at a time is permitted on the slide or the steps. 2. Sit on the slide; do not use knees, back, stomach, or stand up. 3. Climb up the steps; do not climb up the slide part. Stay away from the bottom of the slide. 4. When your turn comes, take it; sitting on the top for a long time is not allowed.
5. No toys, dirt, sticks, etc., are allowed on the slide. 6. Do not play tag or chase on the sliding board. KICK BALL 1. Kicking is to be done away from wires and fences. 2. Watch for fellow playmates as you kick. 3. Avoid kicking a ball in someone’s face or other body areas and causing injury. GENERAL 1. There should be no: physical contact; play-fighting, pushing, or pulling; gymnastics on the ground; climbing on the fence; playing close to stones, trees, and shrubbery; playing between portables; soccer without direct adult supervision, football; kicking balls toward the electric wires or over the fence: throwing stones or other objects at others. 2. Do: get permission to re-enter the building; line up quickly and quietly when the whistle is blown; bring in the equipment you take out. STUDENT HANDBOOK A copy of this Code is available on the wicomicoschools.org website for all families to read. It is the guide of consequences used when inappropriate behaviors occur. SCHOOL BUS RULES 1. Your bus driver has absolute control of the bus and of the conduct of those on it. You are expected to obey your bus driver. 2. If you must cross the road when boarding or leaving the bus, WALK IN FRONT OF THE BUS. Your driver can then warn you of danger. Look both ways before crossing the road. 3. Enter and leave the bus by the front door. The back door is for emergency use only. Do not touch the back door except in case of emergency. 4. Promptly take a seat assigned to you. 5. Sit facing forward. Keep your hands, arms and head inside the window. Keep feet, legs, books, and belongings out of the aisle. 6. Do not chew gum or eat on the bus. 7. Smoking, profane language, and/or weapons will not be tolerated on the bus. COUNTY SCHOOL BUS DISCIPLINE POLICY Students who fail to abide by the bus rules will be disciplined. Bus drivers have the right to suspend a student from riding the bus for a period of one day. The principal and assistant principal may suspend students for additional days. Parents/guardians will be notified of suspensions. The School Bus Discipline Policy is as follows: 1st Offense Referral to the principal’s office. Discipline at the discretion of the principal or designee. 2nd Offense Referral to the principal’s office. Discipline at the discretion of the principal or designee. 3rd Offense Referral to the Transportation Office. Conference with the Supervisor of Transportation, parent, and
student (and driver, if deemed necessary). The student will be removed from the bus until a satisfactory conference is held. 4th Offense Automatic 30 school days off the bus. 5th Offense Automatic removal for the remainder of the school year. TEXTBOOKS & LAPTOPS The student policy of the Board of Education is that textbooks and laptops should be properly cared for to prolong the life of these items. The student will be charged for damaged and/or lost textbooks and laptops. MEDICATION All prescription, over-the counter, homeopathic and herbal medications to be given at school must be ordered by a person authorized to prescribe medication. Written parental consent is required for each medication ordered. The parent must give the first dose of any new prescription, except for emergency medications such as EPI-Pen. The original prescription container should accompany all medications. Medications should be brought to school by the parent or responsible adult. Children are NOT to transport medication to or from school. Children are also not to keep medication in their possession during the school day. All medication must be stored in a locked cabinet. All medication not picked up by the parent or responsible adult will be disposed of one week after the expiration date or at the end of the school year. When the nurse is unable to administer a medication, a trained designated school’s staff person will administer the medication. LOST ITEMS Lost items are placed in the “lost and found” except for jewelry, watches, eyeglasses, etc. These small items are kept in the school office. At the end of each school year, items not claimed will be donated to a charity. EMERGENCY DRILLS Regular emergency drills are held for the student’s protection. When the fire bell rings or code is announced, follow the directions your teacher has practiced with you. If the fire bell rings, or the emergency is announced when the student is in the hallway or elsewhere, the student must leave the building by the nearest exit and go to the nearest adult, who will help the student get to his/her class. DRESS CODE A student’s appearance should reflect pride and respect for self and for school. Any type of attire which attracts undue attention to the wearer, is torn and ragged, unsafe, or causes a disturbance, is in poor taste and not acceptable. All students should groom and dress themselves neatly in items that are suitable for school activities. Examples of unacceptable clothing include: halter tops,midriff shirts, very short shorts or skirts, flip flops, hats, scarves, and other head coverings (except for religious reasons), and T-shirts displaying vulgar, obscene, and/or inappropriate pictures and/or writing. REPORT CARDS/MID-TERM PROGRESS REPORTS Report cards are made available on the Family Portal four times during the school year. Please call the school office if you need assistance accessing Family Portal. If the teacher has requested a conference,
please call or send a note in order to schedule the time. Each student will receive a progress report mid-way through each of the four marking terms. The progress report is also available to families on Family Portal. VISITORS So that the office personnel may have the opportunity to officially greet all parents/guardians, all parents/guardians are asked to come to the school office to register before visiting the school. A notice to this effect is posted on each entrance door of Wicomico County Schools. In addition to allowing us the opportunity to meet visitors to our school, this policy provides for the protection of our students and staff. If a parent/guardian needs to bring something to school for their child or need to confer with the child during the school day, all parents/guardians are asked to report to the office. The office personnel will be glad to provide the parent/guardian with a “Visitor’s Pass” and/or assist in any other way. FIELD TRIPS Field trips are scheduled as part of the students’ educational program. Permission slips must be signed by a parent/guardian before students are permitted to leave the school. All money paid for a field trip is non-refundable. MEDIA RELEASE There are occasions throughout the school year when students are involved in activities and events which receive favorable media/newspaper coverage. We are proud to share students’ accomplishments as we hope you are. If you do not wish for your child to have their photo published on social media or other media outlets, please contact the school to opt-out of this opportunity. CELL PHONES/PERSONAL ELECTRONICS Any personal electronics including, but not limited to cell phones, smart watches, tablets, etc. may not be accessed by students from 8:45-4:15 daily. Students who bring such devices to school will be required to turn them off and place them in their backpacks. Students will not be permitted to carry/wear these electronic devices at school. If a student is seen with one of these items, they will be asked to place it in their backpack. If the item continues to cause distractions, it will be confiscated, and a parent will be required to pick it up from the main office after notification. FIS is not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged cell phones or personal electronic devices. PBIS Our school supports our students and their positive behaviors through the Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS). This initiative supports and rewards positive behaviors to students who are caught doing the right thing. Students earn punches on their skipjack card from staff for positive behavior. Once a card is filled with punches, they can earn monthly incentives, purchase items from their classroom store, or earn other rewards. School-wide and hallway rules, cafeteria procedures, bus ramp expectations, attendance, and other sections of this document support this initiative. SKATEBOARDS Leave at home your skateboards, skates, rollerblades, roller shoes and any other wheeled contraptions. TOYS
Leave at home any toys, games, videos, game consoles, cards or any other play item. As “squishies” have become popular, we insist that they remain at home. They are distracting to the learning environment. COMMUNICATION EFFORTS As we promote communication and remain current, our school website, official Instagram and official Facebook site will be a conduit of information concerning our school and district events. In addition, all our teachers manage Talking Points and monitor their email for messages from parents. Please view all our efforts collectively, as you connect with our school and your child’s teacher to keep open our lines of communication. You may access all our email addresses through the website and connect with school administrators and office staff, as well. We continue to rely on our School Messenger email/phone blasts to send messages. Usually, we send them on Friday evenings. If you do not receive these messages, we likely do not have updated phone numbers or email addresses; contact our office to ensure that your information is up-to-date. Thank you for taking the time to read through Fruitland Intermediate’s Student Handbook. We look forward to a wonderful school year!
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