General Information

CHILD’S RECORDS

Personal, family, enrollment and performance information will be kept for at least two years after your child leaves Frederick Country Day. Automatic access will be allowed for staff, administrators and secretarial staff, but written permission must be in hand signed by parents, guardians or the courts prior to allowing access to your child’s records to any other persons or entities. To ensure privacy, Frederick Country Day will maintain a log recording the person, organization represented, date and signature of all granted access to records. An appointment must be made before access will be granted. The school retains the right to with hold transcripts and records until all financial obligations have been cleared.

SICK CHILD POLICY

Please notify the office if your child is sick. It is important for us to notify other parents of communicable diseases such as strep throat, head lice, chicken pox or pink eye. Please wait 24 hours after a fever, diarrhea or vomiting before sending your child back to the school. If your child is absent with illness 3 days or longer, a note from the parent must accompany your child’s return. We must be informed of any allergies or other medical conditions that may bring about an emergency, and an emergency contact person must be available within 20 minutes of the school.

SPECIAL MEDICAL NEEDS

We must have on file a “Medication Order Form” signed by your child’s pediatrician for any and all medications you may wish us to administer at any time during the school year; this includes prescription medications, emergency allergy medications such as “Epi-pens” and even over the counter, continued medications such as Tylenol. Forms are available in the office. Please address this issue promptly as we cannot administer any medication without a signed form.

COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

The administration will make every effort to notify parents when we are aware of the presence of communicable diseases. Please check the parent’s bulletin board in the lobby on a daily basis for information regarding communicable diseases. As soon as you are aware that your child is ill with a communicable disease, you should notify the office.

SNOW POLICY

Our snow policy is as follows: when Frederick County Schools are closed, Frederick Country Day will be closed as well. There is no Before Care when schools are delayed in opening. If Frederick County Public Schools open one or two hours late late, we will open at 10:00. If it begins to snow during the day, you must have a designated emergency person to pick up your child should the school have to close early and you cannot pick up your child. During snow conditions, please stay tuned to your local radio station.

TOY POLICY

We do not recommend bringing any toys to the school. We cannot be responsible for any toys, which are lost or broken.

CLOTHING

When dressing your child for Frederick Country Day, please keep the
following in mind:

• Send your child in comfortable play clothes, which are appropriate for messy art projects and active outdoor play.
• Sneakers, not sandals or open toed shoes, are the safest footware for classroom and playground activities.
• We encourage independence. Children are very proud when they can use the bathroom unassisted and can put on their own boots and coats without help from the teacher. Belts and buttoned pants can make independent toileting difficult for children.
• Send a seasonal clothing change, especially socks and underwear, in a labeled zip lock plastic bag.
• Please make sure that your child’s name is clearly marked on all items of clothing especially outerwear.
• Considering the Montessori Philosophy on Peace Education, clothing that displays violent graphics or ideas are unacceptable, including super-hero characters and quotations.

LUNCH BUNCH

Lunch is fun and especially social. It is exciting to be able to eat lunch here with our friends. Please put first and last names on a lunch box using a permanent magic marker. Lunch should consist of food and drink. Meat and dairy products are kept in in-class refrigerators. Please send these perishable items in a labeled ziplock bag for refrigeration. We suggest nutritious lunches be sent, keeping in mind your child's preferences. Please do not include any candy. We will return any uneaten portions of non-perishable food in the lunch box. Due to class size in the Montessori 3-K classrooms, we cannot warm lunches, however, you may send in a small thermos.

INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR

Learning appropriate group behavior is an important focus of our early childhood program. This learning process is varied and gradual. Positive reinforcement of desirable behavior is most successful. A child demonstrating inappropriate behavior is gently, but consistently, reminded how to behave appropriately. If a child continues to have difficulty behaving or suddenly exhibits a change in behavior, a telephone call to a parent is usually made so both parents and staff can be made aware of the situation and work jointly toward correcting or modifying the inappropriate behavior. (See above concerning termination of enrollment.)

ARRIVAL and DISMISSAL

Between 8:45 and 9:00, you may escort your child directly to the classroom or staff members at the circle entrance will provide escort. After 9:00, office staff only will escort your child to the classroom. Children can only be released to parents, guardians or those designated on the emergency list. If your child is to go home with a friend or another adult, please send written permission in with the child or stop by the office. During noon and 3:00 p.m. dismissal, teachers bring children to meet parents in the hallway. Proof of identification may be required when picking up children. Please do not be offended if asked. Please do not park in the circle, and remember, it is against the law to leave children unattended in your car at any time, including arrival or dismissal. If you are going to be late for arrival or dismissal, a call to FCD would be greatly appreciated.

CATASTROPHIC EVENTS
Unfortunately, we must now take seriously the possibility of a catastrophic event that may prevent large numbers of parents from picking up their children, i.e., many parents stranded in Washington, DC with no means of immediate transportation or communication. It is critically important that the person you designated as your child's local emergency pickup provider is reliable and capable of immediate response. While we are prepared to keep children overnight in an emergency situation, it is not ideal. Staff cannot be expected to remain at the center for more than twenty-four hours and children maybe placed ith other available parents or go home with staff.

OUT DOOR FUN

The school’s policy is that each child will spend time outside morning, noon and afternoon unless it is raining or the temperature drops below 20 degrees. Whatever the weather, please see that your child has the appropriate clothing
to engage in outside activities.

TOTE BAGS

Every child must have a tote bag. While important notices and information are sent home in a weekly folder via the tote bag, parents should check their child’s tote bag daily. Personalized FCD tote bags can be ordered through the office.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS

SPECIAL CLASSES: A variety of special classes will be offered to children on a periodic basis including foreign language, music and art appreciation, physical education, creative movement and computer lab. American sign language instruction occurs on a weekly basis. Peace education classes are held weekly in each class. The children also participate in an inter-generational program with Heartfields, an assisted living center located within the Dearbought Community.

BIRTHDAYS

Birthdays are very special days. We invite parents to visit and share pictures of the birthday child with classmates in our Montessori classes. In place of snacks we suggest donating a book to the classroom in your child’s name. If planning an out of school party, please mail all birthday invitations unless the entire class is invited. Names and addresses are available in the Parent Directory.

NAP TIME

If your child has a stuffed animal, small blanket or pillow he or she is familiar with, it may be a good idea to send it for use at naptime. A familiar “cuddly” helps the children feel more relaxed and happy during naptime. Children who do not nap have a rest time followed by afternoon programs in their rooms. 2-3 year olds nap in their rooms. 3-K children nap in one room together.

PARENT DIRECTORY

A directory including names, addresses, phone numbers and classroom assignments will be available in October. Please use this for birthdays, scheduling playtime with friends, family socializations and emergencies. We request that that this information not be shared outside the school community or used for commercial purposes.

Helpful Telephone Numbers

ADMINISTRATION

Christopher R. Kieffer, President
Louise Walmsley, Director
Debbie Lowell, Administrative Assistant

Frederick Country Day does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, or disability in the admission of children, the employment of staff, or in the administration of its policies.

Frederick Country Day is licensed and approved by the Maryland State Department of Human Resources.

Frederick Country Day Montessori School is approved by the Maryland State Department of Education.