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ECA TAX CREDITTo help us maintain our enrichment programs andclubs, we hope you will support the State of ArizonaExtracurricular Activity (ECA) tax credit fund. Thisprogram directly benefits your children at NO COSTTO YOU! Your donation will enable you to receive aTAX CREDIT of up to 400 for a married couple ( 200for single parents or married filing separately) onyour Arizona State Income Tax Return. This is acredit, not a deduction, which means the entiredonation comes back to you in the form of a higherrefund check, or a lower tax due amount.Donation cards can be secured in the school officeor online at www.mpsaz.org/community/eca.Please check with the front office if you want todonate to a specific grade level or club. Thank you.ELECTRONIC DEVICESStudents may bring cell phones, tablets, Ipods toschool. While in the classroom, devices must beturned off and remain in backpacks, unlessotherwise directed. Students are only permitted touse personal technology under supervision of schoolstaff or when directed by school staff. Students mayuse technology on MPS busses only in silent modeor with headphones. Parents will need to pick upany technology that is not turned off and in abackpack during the school day. MPS is notresponsible for loss, theft or damage. If you need tocontact your child in the event of an emergency,please call the school office (472-7900) and we willlocate him/her immediately.Other Personal PropertyStudents should not bring valuable personalproperty to school unless it’s necessary forschool activities. Protection of personalproperty is the responsibility of students andparents. The district is not responsible for loss,theft or damage. Toys are not allowed at schoolunless the teacher has made a request for aparticular assignment. Toys include such itemsas stuffed animals, cards, collections, etc.EMERGENCY RESPONSIVENESSOur first concern is always the safety of studentsand staff. We will practice lockdown and fire drillsduring the year. Staff are also trained how toconduct an evacuation. Parents are asked to keeptheir emergency phone numbers current with theschool. In the event of an emergency, parents willbe called using our School Messenger system for anyemergency information.FIELD TRIPSThe purpose of fieldtrips is to enrich therequired curriculum.Students are to betransported to andfrom school-sponsoredactivities via district operated vehicles. Teachers arenot authorized to transport students to and fromschool-sponsored activities in their ownvehicles. Certified teachers must accompanystudents on all school-sponsored trips. We welcomeparents on field trips, however we cannot allowsiblings to attend. If you attend a field trip and wantto take your child home in your car, you must signout your child with the teacher before leaving.FOOD SAFETYAll food brought onto campus for students to shareat classroom celebrations or other group activitiesmust originate from stores or commercial kitchenscertified to comply with Maricopa CountyEnvironmental Services regulations. Countyregulations also apply to school-sponsoredfunctions, such as barbecues, pancake breakfastsand carnivals.FRIDAY FOLDERSFriday Folders are an important way for the teachersand school to communicate with families. Pleaseread the materials in the Friday Folder every weekfor important information from your teacher,district, and community and return with your childon the next school day (usually the followingMonday).

GIFTED and TALENTED PROGRAMThe elementary GT Program centers aroundteaching students tools to enhance their criticalthinking, creative thinking, and problem solvingskills. At Red Mountain Ranch the program isdelivered as a resource pull-out service at Falcon HillElementary School. Students who qualify for GTPtravel to Falcon Hill one day a week to attend classtaught by a gifted endorsed teacher. Information onGTP testing dates and eligibility can be found athttp://www.mpsaz.org/gtp/elementary/ or youmay contact your child’s teacher.HEALTH AND SAFETY PROCEDURESIllness or Injury at SchoolIf a child becomes ill at school, parents will benotified to take the child home. If parents cannot bereached, another adult designated on the student’semergency information will be asked to pick up thechild. Students should not attend school if theyhave a fever, diarrhea,vomiting, a severesore throat or adrainingwound.Students should be feverfree for 24 hours withoutmedication before returning to school.If you detect head lice, treat the condition with headlice shampoo, and remove the nits (egg sacks on hairshafts) with a fine-tooth comb. Children may returnto school after treatment. Parents are encouragedto check their child’s head weekly for lice. Contactthe health office for more information.ImmunizationsArizona law requires children to be up to date ontheir immunizations to attend school. Documentedproof is required for students entering Mesa PublicSchools. Medical, Personal and Religious ExemptionForms are available in the school health office.Exempt students are excluded from school if thereis an outbreak for which they have not beenimmunized.InsuranceThe district does not carry medical or dentalinsurance for students who become ill or are injuredduring school activities. Parents are responsible fortheir children’s insurance and related expenses. Anoptional school-day accident and health policy isavailable for purchase through a private agency.MedicationWhen it is necessary for a student to takemedication during school hours, the followingrequirements must be met:*New Requirement beginning in the 2016-17 school yearAny medication that is to be given more than 5 days willrequire a physician's order. To ensure student safety, theparent/guardian should transport medications to and fromschool.Medication Consent Form Prescription medication must be in the ORIGINALcontainer with a non-expired prescription label.Over-the-counter medications must be in theORIGINAL container with original package directions.Age-appropriate dosage as stated on the label will bedispensed.A Medication Consent Form must be signed by theparent/guardian for us to administer medication tothe child.Name of student, dosage, time, dates to be given, andthe name of the medication must be clearly stated.It is recommended that when you get a prescriptionfilled that you request a separate “school bottle” fromthe pharmacy. This is especially important with liquidmedications (such as antibiotics) that have to berefrigerated.Medications given three times a day are discouragedat school. Please make arrangements to give thesemedications before and after school.Narcotic pain medication will not be given at school.Medications brought to school and not meeting thenecessary requirements, will not be dispensed. Themedication will be locked in the Health Office until aparent/guardian verifies the medication, signs theproper forms or takes it home.Please contact one of the Health Office staff forinformation regarding the procedure for Epi-Pens.Students may NOT carry or administer their ownmedication except with special written permissionfrom the school. This includes prescriptions andover the counter medications.

HOMEWORKThe responsibility for our students’ education isshared by the school and the family. Homework canserve as a valuable extension of time spent learningin school. Your child’s teacher will communicatewith you about the homework expectations atRMRE and in his/her individual classroom.LOST and FOUNDPlease clearly labelyour child’s clothingand possessions withyour child’s full name. If your child loses an article ofclothing, check in our Lost and Found. Items still inthe Lost and Found after a reasonable length of timewill be donated to a charitable organization.OPEN ENROLLMENTStudents who would like to change schools withinthe Mesa Public School District, or are presently onopen enrollment status at Red Mountain Ranch,have until the first Friday in February each year tosubmit applications to the desired school of theirchoice. Applications can be picked up in the schooloffice.If openings are anticipated at any grade level,selection is made on a first come, first served basis,and applicants will be notified between March 15and May 31 . If openings are insufficient, applicantswill be placed on a waiting list. Capacity will bereviewed periodically over the summer and fall.PLACEMENT OF STUDENTSIn the spring of each year, parents may provideinput to the teachers concerning the followingyear’s placement of their student by completing aStudent Placement Form. This form can berequested from the office and is due back by lateApril. Current classroom teachers and specialeducators will make placements based on theirexperiences with students and the parentinformation on the Student Placement Form. Thegoal is to create classes that are balanced for size,gender, achievement, and behavior. We strive tocreate optimum learning environments for allstudents.PRIVACYThe Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment givesparents and eligible students (emancipated minorsor students who are 18 or older) rights regardingprotected personal information, instructionalmaterials, physical exams and health screenings.Information from a student’s records, including allgrades and test results and psychological reviews,may not be released to anyone other than the legalparents/guardianswithout a proper courtorder. Requests fortranscripts and testinginformation may bebrought to the schooloffice by the parent.thstPARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES and REPORTCARDSReport cards are issued four times a year, after eachnine-week grading period. We scheduleconferences twice a year. We urge all parents toattend. Teachers schedule conferences using anonline sign up program. Please watch for thiscommunication in October and December/January.Parents and school personnel may requestadditional conferences at any time.The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act(FERPA) affords parents and students over 18 yearsof age (eligible students) certain rights with respectto the student’s educational records. Click here formore information on the Family Educational Rightsand Privacy Act.Parents may submit Media Opt Out Forms to theoffice within the first two weeks of school orenrollment, whichever is later. The form is availableat school and under “Opt Out” athttp://www.mpsaz.org/optout. A new Opt Out formmust be submitted each year. Parents should alsoshare their opt out decisions with their children’steachers.

We are unable to give out a student's or parent'sname, address or phone number to another studentor parent without their permission.SELLING ON SCHOOL GROUNDSOfficial school organizations may conduct sales oncampus with the approval of the Student Counciland/or the school administrator. All proceeds mustbe deposited in the student funds account. No othersales are permitted on school property without thedistrict’s prior authorization. Students are notpermitted to sell any items that are not schoolsanctioned.SPECIAL EDUCATIONParents and teachers work together to identifypossible learning difficulties for children. When astudent’s progress is not adequate, the classroomteacher will meet with the RTI (Response toIntervention) Team. This legally required first stepinvolves a team of teachers who assist one anotherwith identifying different classroom strategies thatmight assist the student. Classroom teachers musttry different interventions and document theireffectiveness. Following a specific period of time theTeam reconvenes to determine the student’sprogress. If it has been shown that progress has notbeen made, the Team will refer the student forfurther evaluation.If that recommendation is made, parents arerequired to sign a form that allows the psychologistto test their child. Results of the test will bereviewed by the psychologist, and other specialeducation professionals, with the parents during ameeting at school. At that time, recommendationswill be made for either special education placementor to continue intervention strategies in theclassroom. If a special education placement is made,a meeting will be set up to develop an IndividualizedEducation Plan (IEP) with the parents fully involvedin the process.Child FindPublic schools are required toidentify, locate and evaluateall children with disabilities who need earlyintervention or special education services and whoreside within its geographic boundaries. Parents ofchildren under age 3 are referred to the ArizonaEarly Intervention Program, 602-532-9960. Parentsof children age 3 through 5 are referred to thedistrict's Special Education Department, 480-4720703. Children as young as age 2 years 9 monthsmay benefit from speech, hearing, vision anddevelopmental screening to determine if furtherevaluation is necessary. Mesa Public Schools offerseligible children with significant delays, enrollmentin free special education programs. Parents ofchildren in kindergarten through 12th grade shouldcontact their school.TESTINGRed Mountain Ranch Elementary complies withdistrict and state mandated testing. Watch forinformation from your child’s teacher and theschool throughout the year for testing dates andinformation.VISITING SCHOOLVisitors are required to sign in atthe office and receive a pass beforevisiting campus and must sign outprior to leaving campus.When visiting a classroom, parentsor guardians must realize that thefirst responsibility of the teacher isto the students, and the teacher may be unable toconverse at any length with the visitor. If aconference is desired, arrangements will be madeby the teacher for an appointment with the parentsor guardians. Classroom visitors must comply withthe teacher’s requests and instructions.

VOLUNTEERSVolunteers are greatly appreciated at RMRE. Teachers will ask for classroom volunteers early and often, andyou may also be invited by the Parent Teacher Council (PTC) to help out with school-wide programs andevents. Non-parent volunteers (including grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings) must complete anapplication and undergo background investigations through the Human Resources Department. Schooladministrators have the authority to determine the suitability of all prospective volunteers. For moreinformation, visit the Volunteer Services website, or call (480) 472-0433.All volunteers are expected to adhere to the following guidelines: Student privacy rights are protected by federal law.Maintain confidentiality if exposed to any student information or conversations regardingstudents or teachers.Never touch or grab students or use offensive language.Never discipline a student. Refer the student to a teacher.Abide by all directions and instructions from classroom teachers and do not interfere with his orher actions.If you are using any machines in the workroom, please give priority to staff members when theyarrive as they are on a schedule.Small children cannot accompany the volunteer at school.Students are never to be in the teacher workroom.Please ask your classroom teacher for any training you might need to operate any of ourmachines.For your own protection, never be alone with students in the classroom.An up-to-date version of this handbook will be maintained online at www.mpsaz.org/rmre. If you have any questionsor suggestions regarding this handbook, please contact the principal at sgcollins@mpsaz.org.

Family Handbook 2017-2018 . Membership in the Red Mountain Ranch Community presumes a commitment to safety, preparedness, . Never allow children to walk through cars or cross traffic lanes. Safety