Carden of Tucson
2011 Parent Information Packet
I. Parent Involvement
Carden of Tucson is a community of parents who share the joys and responsibilities of our children’s education. The critical role of parental involvement in a child’s education has been examined in numerous studies and reports. This research overwhelmingly supports the following conclusions.
Parental involvement enhances academic performance.
Academic achievement increases when parents are involved in their children’s education. The more intensively involved the parents are, the greater the positive impact on academic achievement.
Parental involvement leads to better classroom behavior.
Parental involvement not only enhances academic performance, but it also has a positive influence on student attitude and behavior. A parent’s interest and encouragement in a child’s education can affect the child’s attitude toward school, classroom conduct, self-esteem, absenteeism, and motivation.
II. Policies and Procedures
Hours of Instruction
Class is in session from 8:15 a.m-3:00 p.m.
Commencement of School Day
Prior to school, students congregate on the playground. The playground is supervised beginning at 8:00 a.m. Children who arrive before 8:00 a.m. must be signed into childcare unless a parent or caretaker remains with them.
The bell rings at 8:10 a.m., and all students line up by grade under the covered area adjacent to the playground and walk to their classrooms (except on Wednesdays, when students line up by squads and march to their squad rooms). Your child is tardy if he/she is not in her classroom at 8:15 a.m. Late arrivals disrupt your child’s classroom, please bring your child to school on time.
Car Pool Line Entrance
Before the school gate take an immediate right turn on a dirt passage, proceed approximately 75 feet and turn into the open gate. After you drop off or pick up your child/children, exit through the main gate.
Dropping off Students
Before school, you enter through he main gate, park and walk your child to school. Alternatively you may use the car pool line to drop your child off beginning at 8:00 a.m. (Children who arrive before 8:00 a.m. must be signed into childcare unless a parent or caretaker remains with them).
Picking Up Students
Vehicles may NOT enter the main gate from 2:55 -3:15 p.m. To pick up your child, you should enter through the car pool line entrance and exit through the main gate. If you are in the car pool line, an attendant will ask you which child you are picking up. Your child will be sent to the car pool line, and an 8th grader will bring them to your car.
If you have to go to the office between 2:55 p.m. and 3:15, proceed past Carden on Royal Palm Drive approximately 100 yards to a parking lot and enter the Carden parking lot from the north side (if you leave the school before 3:15 p.m. you should exit through the north side of the parking lot; only vehicles in the car pool line are allowed to exit through the main gates until 3:15 p.m.). After 3:15 p.m. all students who have not been picked up will be signed into childcare unless they are staying after school for a club meeting or another activity.
Communicating with Teachers
Email is the preferred medium of communication with Carden teachers, as it does not interrupt classroom activities. All staff email addresses are posted on the Carden website (cardenoftucson.org/). For pressing issues, the office can connect you to the telephone in your child’s classroom; the office phone number is 293-6661.
Paperless Communication
As a cost-saving measure, Carden will send out the weekly newsletter and other communications via email. Please provide the school office with all the email addresses where communications from Carden should be sent.
Friday Envelope
While most school communication will be emailed to you, every Friday an envelope containing forms and select communications from the school office and PTO will be sent home with your child. The envelope should be sent back to school on Monday with your child (even if you do not need to send back any materials); any materials you put inside the envelope will be sent back to the office.
Homework
All assigned homework is mandatory, not optional.
Opening Assemblies
On Fridays at 8:15 a.m. during the 1st and 4th Quarters, all students assemble on the grassy area adjacent to the elementary building (?the greens?). One grade generally does a short presentation. Students with all their citizenship points are recognized and sometimes receive a small prize. Squads in which all members have all their squad/citizenship points will perform their squad cheer. Families are invited to attend all Opening Assemblies. The grade that will be featured each week is listed in the newsletter and on the sign in front of the school.
Squads
Carden squads promote school unity and build leadership skills. Each 8th Graders leads a squad, comprised of 1 to 2 students from the lower grades. Every Carden student is a member of a squad. Squads meet on Wednesday mornings.
School Newsletter
Parent are required to read the school newsletter each week, and return the verification slip that is sent home on Fridays.
Citizenship Points
Each week, students are awarded citizenship points. Students lose citizenship points for (1) late or incomplete homework, (2) two or more tardies, (3) poor classroom or playground behavior, and (4) failure to return verification that parent has read the school newsletter by Thursday. Every student begins each week with all their squad points intact.
Squad Points
If parents supply the office with verification that they have read the school newsletter by Tuesday, their child receives his/her ?squad points? for the week and may wear a ?Peace Builder? shirt/s on Wednesday with jeans or a denim skirt.
Peace Builder Shirts
You will have the opportunity order ?Peace Builder? shirts soon. Until your child has a Peace Builder shirt, he/she should may wear a regular uniform shirt on Wednesdays.
Discipline Issues
Mrs. Bennon, Assistant Director, frequently handles discipline issues so that teachers may keep their focus on instruction.
Absentee Notification
It is important that you call the office 293-6661 prior to 8:15 a.m., if your child is going to be absent from school.
Classroom Cleaning
Each month the classrooms are cleaned by a different family. This is one of Carden’s cost-saving measures to support our low student-teacher ratios. You will be notified in by the car pool attendant or by email when it is your family’s turn to clean your child’s classroom.
Dress Code
Students at Carden are required to wear school uniforms as described below.
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday –Solid colored collared shirt without a logo, navy blue or khaki pants or modest length shorts or skirts or jumpers. A belt is required for all skirts, shorts, and pants that have belt loops.
Wednesday – Peace Builders shirt and jeans, if parent verifies that they read the newsletter by Tuesday, otherwise the regular dress code should be followed. A belt is required for all skirts, shorts, and pants that have belt loops.
Friday – red or white collared shirt without a logo and navy blue bottoms (pants, shorts, skirts or jumper bottoms). A belt is required for all skirts, shorts, and pants that have belt loops.
Polo shirts with the school logo are available for purchase. Inquire at the school office or uniform store.
Carden Uniform Store
Support Carden by donating and purchasing uniform items from the uniform store. The hours and location of the uniform store vary. Inquire at the school office.
Dress Code Violations
Students without a belt (wearing pants/shorts/skirts with belt loops) can borrow one from the office in exchange for sweeping the sidewalks at recess. Other dress code violations may result in the student being sent to office to call home.
School Greens
Students and their family members should not walk on the grassy area adjacent to the elementary building except during opening assemblies and school programs. Limiting the traffic keeps the grass healthy.
Sun Protection
It is recommended that students wear sunscreen every day. During recess and outdoor physical education activities, students may wear hats and sunglasses, but they are not allowed to wear these items in the classroom. Please label your child’s hat with their name.
Lunch
Students may purchase lunch (except on Wednesday) or bring their lunch (lunches brought from home will be refrigerated). Candy and soda drinks are not permitted in student lunches. Microwaves are available in the classrooms for heating up lunches if needed (please only send microwave meals which require no more than 3 minutes to heat up).
Lunches available for purchase:
Monday Bean and cheese burrito or chicken strips or taco, chips, salsa, cookie, and drink
Tuesday Pizza by the slice and a vegetable (carrot or celery sticks)
Thursday 6 ” Sub sandwich (roast beef, turkey or ham) and a cookie
Friday Hot dog, chips and fresh in season fruit
A form to purchase lunch will be send home each week with students and should be returned to the office to order lunch (in person or via the manila envelope). Lunches are ordered a week in advance. Example: Orders for August 8-12 must be turned in Monday Aug. 1.
Vending Machine
There will be a vending machine in the Tutoring room for students to purchase snacks and drinks from. Prices range from .50 cents to $1.50. Below is a list of the items that the vending machine will be stocked with:
| Snyder’s Pretzels | Fruit Bowls | Gardetto’s Pretzel Mix |
| Fruit Snacks | Crackers and Cheese | Trail Mix |
| Peanut Butter Cheese Crackers | Nutri-Grain Bars | Granola Bars |
| Rice Krispies Treats | Famous Amos Choc. Chip | Fig Newtons |
| Peanut Butter | Grandma’s Oatmeal | Nutter Butters |
| Choc. Chip | Oreos |
| Quaker Oatmeal Express | Poptarts |
| Maruchan Instant Lunch | Chicken | Beef |
| Chef Boyardee | Kraft Easy Mac | Ravioli |
| Lasagna | Bumble Bee | Chicken Salad/Crackers |
| Tuna Salad/Crackers |
| Milk | Juice | Bottled Water |
Water Bottles
Teachers permit students to have water bottles in class. However, all water bottles must have lids (no cups or any other type of open container are permitted). If possible, put a cover (even a sock) on water bottles to prevent the condensation from getting papers wet.
III. Volunteer Opportunities
Please consider how you would most like to participate during your child’s school year.
Classroom Volunteer (Ongoing)—assist in your child’s classroom (Goal: 144 hours per classroom – 9 hours per family). Contact your child’s teacher to schedule your volunteer hours.
Room Parent (Ongoing)—support your child’s teacher and classroom operations. Room Parents duties vary by teacher but might include organizing materials to be sent home with students and coordinating class field trips.
Lunch Server (Ongoing) – help hand out and serve lunches Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of each week between 11:00am – 12:30pm.
Back to School Night (Aug)—help organize this important evening when parents meet the teaching staff.
Constitution Program (Sept)—help set up and decorate and hand out snacks for the kids.
Fall Carnival (Oct)—help set up, run, and clean-up activities for families to enjoy. All proceeds go to the teachers to fund classroom activities.
Cookie Dough Fundraiser (Nov)—distribute fundraiser info, collect money, and distribute product. Proceeds have gone into our building fund.
Santa’s Workshop Holiday Gift Store (Dec)—help set up, run and clean up the workshop. The shop is to provide a fun opportunity for the students to shop for family members on their own.
Yard Sale (Jan)—help advertise, gather items, price items, organize items, and staff the sale.
Grandparents Day (Feb)—help organize and plan this event.
Golf Tournament (April)—help advertise, recruit sponsors, and run the tournament.
Teacher Appreciation Week (May)—plan the items and activities that will be performed for the teachers and staff during Teacher Appreciation week.
After School Class/Club (On-going)—consider teaching an after school class or club and donating any profit after your expenses to Carden. Ask Mrs. Jeppson for approval.
Identification and Coordination of New Fundraising Opportunities (Ongoing)—investigate corporate programs, grants, and contests to support Carden.
Recruitment of “Everyday Activity” Users (Ongoing)—Be an ambassador for Carden. Tell groups about how amazing Carden is and then ask them to support the school by applying for a Visa Card, using Goodsearch.com, giving tax credit donations, or doing any of the other ?Everyday Activity? fundraisers listed above.
Recruitment of a Major Donor (Ongoing)—recruit a wealthy patron. Carden is an amazing school, and it deserves a benefactor.
Other Activities (Ongoing) —Movie nights, dances, school clean-up days, Veteran’s Day program, Book Fair, 8th grade Graduation, spaghetti dinner, kite day, talent show and other fundraising ideas and improvements to the school as needed.
IV. Everyday Fundraisers
There are number of Carden fundraisers that involve activities that we do normally anyway. Please take advantage of these and ask your family and friends to do so as well.
GoodSearch
Use GoodSearch.com, a Yahoo powered search engine for your online searches and shopping. When you designate Carden of Tucson as your charity, the school will get 0.01¢ per Internet search and a percentage of your online purchases when you initiate shopping through the links on website.
GoodShop
Do your online shopping through a GoodShop (linked to most major retailers) and Carden will receives a percent of your purchases (donated percent varies by store). Go to www.goodsearch.com and use ?Shop Online? box below the search box)
Target REDCard
Apply for a Target REDCard credit card or link an existing REDCard to Carden through the Take Charge of Education Program. Carden receives 1% of your Target purchases (REDCard holders also save 5% on every purchase). There is no cost to you for participating in this program. (https://redcard.target.com/redcard)
Carden of Tucson Visa Card
apply for and use this Visa. Carden will receive $50 after the first purchase made with each new card and 0.3% of every purchase. There is no annual fee. Please ask all of your family members and friends to apply and use the card at least one time.
State Tax Credit Donation
take advantage of the Arizona Tax Credit which allows you to redirect a portion of your state taxes to Carden – all at no additional financial cost to you! Give up to $400 per married couple or $200 per individual. The entire amount is a tax deduction (dollar for dollar). Thus, it costs you nothing to participate; the program simply allows taxpayers to dictate how their tax dollars are spent. Some employers match employee donations to schools, including tax credit donations.
Box Tops for Education
Save the box top seals from participating products and turn them into the Carden office
Printer Cartridge Recycling
Give used printer cartridges to the Carden office; the school gets a rebate.
School Lunches
Buy lunch for your child. Carden sales lunches every week day except Wednesday as a fundraiser, as well as a convenience to parents.
Uniform Store
Support the uniform store by donating and buying clothes for your child.