Policies & Procedures

Late Pick-Up:

The regular preschool day ends at 1:00 PM.  Enrichment classes end at 2:00 PM.  Please be courteous and ensure that students are picked up promptly.  If a student is not picked up by 1:10 PM, the parent will receive a reminder.  After the first reminder, subsequent incidents will result in a $10 fee per incident.  It is especially important to pick up students promptly from enrichment classes.  After the first reminder for an enrichment class, subsequent incidents will result in a $15 fee per incident.

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Discipline Procedures:

Teachers model and encourage Christian behavior in actions and attitudes.  Students learn to be considerate of peers and respectful to adults through simple acts of sharing, taking turns, assisting classmates, following instructions and using good manners.  Our discipline approach involves verbal warnings, time-outs, teaching moments and trips to the Director’s office.  Students are guided toward positive behavior with praise, acknowledgements, and love.  

St. Thomas is committed to maintaining open dialogue with parents, including on the subject of discipline and behavior issues.  The Director has the right to suspend or dismiss a student from St. Thomas Day School if the student’s inappropriate behavior continues and disrupts the learning of others. 

 

School must be a safe environment for all students, teachers, and staff.  Certain behaviors, such as hitting, biting, or kicking staff members or other students, will not be tolerated.  

Biting and causing physical harm are unacceptable behaviors and present an undue risk of harm to staff and students.  If a student exhibits this type of behavior, the parent may be required to pick the student up early from school.  If a student continues this type of behavior, or continues to attempt this type of behavior, the student may be dismissed from St. Thomas Day School after three incidents.  The safety and well-being of all students and staff are paramount.  Accordingly, students are not entitled to three opportunities in every circumstance.  The Director has the right to immediately suspend or dismiss a student from St. Thomas Day School at any time if, in the sole discretion of the Director, the student’s behavior endangers other children or staff.

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Dress Code

St. Thomas Day School uses washable markers, washable paints, smocks, and is conscious of the investment you make in your child’s clothing.  We use our best efforts to keep clothing clean, but we cannot guarantee your child’s clothing will not get dirty.  Please send your child in weather appropriate, comfortable play clothes bearing in mind your child will be completing art projects, playing outside, and eating in the outfit.  Students should wear comfortable shoes with a back or strap for a secure fit.  Please do not send your child in flip flops.  

Each child must maintain a complete change of clothes in the classroom throughout the school year, including socks, underwear, shirt, pants, and preferably shoes.  Please provide these items in a Ziploc type bag labeled with your child’s name. 

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Potty Training

Our Two Year Old Program teachers will gladly help you and your child with potty-training.  While students are potty-training they must wear pull-ups or diapers until they can consistently verbally or physically communicate the need to use the restroom.  Parents are required to supply wipes and pull-ups or diapers for their child. 

 

If a student is consistently (2 or more times) having accidents, the parents will be asked to return the student to diapers/pull-ups for sanitation purposes.  However, students will be given ample opportunities to visit the restroom to further potty training skills. 

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All Three and Four Year Old Program students must be completely potty trained by the start of the school year.

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Illness 

Please be considerate of other students and teaching staff by keeping your child out of school when contagious.  If your child is diagnosed with a contagious condition or disease, you are required to notify the Director as soon as possible.  This policy is not intended to single-out or ostracize a student.  Illness spreads quickly among student populations and quick action can make the difference in preventing an outbreak.  

Parents will be notified of exposure to communicable disease when there is a confirmed case.  The affected child’s name will not be disclosed.  Following diagnosis of a communicable disease, the Director reserves the right to require a physician’s written release prior to the child’s return.

 

COVID-19

Click here for full guidelines.  

We try to keep this document up to date, but please ask the director any questions.

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FEVER

Children will not be permitted to enter or remain at school if they have a temperature of 100 degrees or higher.  

Please do not return your child to school until they have been fever free for 24 hours after discontinuing fever reducing medicine.   This means if a child has a fever at 4:00 PM, the child is not ready to return to school the following day regardless of the child’s temperature the next morning.

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VOMITING AND DIARRHEA 

If a student vomits while at school, the parent will be contacted to pick up the student immediately. 

The child should not return to school until they have been free of vomiting for 24 hours.  

If a child has diarrhea and a fever, the parent will be contacted to pick up the student immediately.  

If the child has diarrhea but no fever, the child may be permitted to stay at school unless a second incident of diarrhea occurs.  In that case, the parent will be contacted to pick up the student immediately. 

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ANTIBIOTICS

Students being treated with antibiotics should be on the medication for at least 24 hours and not exhibit symptoms before returning to school.

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HEAD LICE 

Head lice is extremely contagious.  If it is determined that a student has head lice, the parent will be notified to pick up the child immediately.  Before returning to school, the child must be free of all lice and eggs.  Proof of treatment is required prior to return (i.e. receipt of purchase/empty treatment container).

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PINK EYE

Pink eye spreads among classmates very easily.  If a student appears to have pink eye, the parent will be contacted to pick up the child immediately.  Treatment with prescription eye drops for a minimum of 24 hours is required prior to return.

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COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

Examples of communicable diseases include but are not limited to strep throat, active chicken pox, mumps, influenza (flu), measles, impetigo, and hand, foot, and mouth disease.  If a student appears to have a communicable disease, the parent will be contacted to pick up the child immediately.  If the student is diagnosed with a communicable disease, the parent is required to notify the Director as soon as possible.  The Director may require a physician’s release before returning to after diagnosis of a communicable disease. 

 

SKIN CONDITIONS

• If a student appears to have ringworm, impetigo, pin worms, rash (other than diaper rash), or skin lesions, the parent may be contacted to pick up the child immediately.  The child will not be allowed to return to school until the condition is completed cleared up.  If a student has a non-contagious rash or lesion, the student may return with adequate dressing on the affected area and a physician’s note confirming the condition is not contagious.