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Teacher Resources

Plans and Policies

Parental Concerns

Parental Concerns
WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE A CONCERN

Communication between home and school is a crucial component for any successful school.  At Bradford Elementary School we strive to establish and maintain an open and honest level of dialogue with parents.  Even though parents and teachers may not always agree, our communication should always be respectful and focused on working together to provide the best program for the children of our community.   
If parents have a question or concern the first contact is usually made with the classroom teacher.  Although our teachers have full schedules during the school day, which may make initial contact difficult, our voice mail and email systems are always available.  Sometimes it is also easier to send a note in with your child asking the teacher to contact you.  Our goal is to promptly get back to parents who have asked for communication.  If your original contact with the teacher does not satisfy your concern the next step would be to contact the Principal at extension 223.  
Good communication relies on clear statements of the issues and it is often requested that parents write down the specific details of a concern to help the conversations stay focused.  It is our hope that a satisfying solution to an issue can be resolved with the school staff working together with parents.  If however, a parent continues to be unsatisfied with the response of the principal they would be encouraged to contact the Superintendent at 222-5216, extension 102.  The final step in the process if the superintendent cannot reach an agreement with the concern would be for the parent to request a meeting with the Board of Trustees. 
Honest, open communication is a goal that we focus on with every member of our school community.  We strive to develop skills with our children that will enable each of them to be a contributing member of our system.  As adults we are continually trying to model good communication skills for our young learners and for each other.  If you have suggestions as to how we may improve our communication with you and other members of our community please contact our Community Contact Coordinator at extension 220.

IT Use and Safety-Parent Version

Information Technology Acceptable Use and Safety Policy

Adopted 12/12/01

Information technology is available to the Bradford Elementary community in many forms through the use of computers and software throughout the building. Our goal in providing information technology access to teachers and students is to promote educational excellence by facilitating worldwide information and resource sharing, innovation, and communication.

The Internet is just one of the technologies accessible to students and teachers at Bradford Elementary School. We believe the Internet offers vast, diverse and unique resources. With access to computers and people all over the world comes the availability of material that may not be considered to be of educational value in the context of the school setting. Through close supervision, Bradford Elementary School has taken precautions to restrict access to controversial materials; however, on a global network it is impossible to control all materials. We, at Bradford Elementary School, believe that the benefits to be gained from the information and interaction available on the Internet far outweigh the risks involved in procuring material that may not be consistent with the educational goals of the school.

Supervising teachers have the right to monitor all student activity using information technology. The smooth operation of the network relies upon the proper conduct of the users who must adhere to the following guidelines.

Access: The use of our information technology is a privilege, not a right, and inappropriate use will result in a cancellation of those privileges. The Principal, after consulting with the technology coordinator, will deem what is inappropriate use and their decision is final. Loss of information technology privileges means loss of privileges throughout the school, regardless of where the violation occurred

Free Speech: The Internet is considered a limited forum, similar to a school newspaper. The school district may restrict your right to free speech for valid educational reasons, but will not do so on the basis of its disagreement with the opinions you express.

Privacy: You should expect no privacy of the contents of your personal files on the school system or the Internet. Routine maintenance and monitoring of the system may lead to discovery of violations of this policy, the school's rules or state or federal laws. The principal or technology coordinator may view files when reasonable suspicion of violation exists.

Due Process: The district will cooperate fully with local, state or federal officials in any investigation related to illegal activities conducted through the school's computer system.

User Responsibilities

  • Use of school information technology must be in support of educational goals.
  • Users will show respect for equipment and school community members.
  • Users will not knowingly cause damage to any hardware, software, files, or the network.
  • Users will comply with all school rules regarding appropriate language and behavior.
  • Users will comply with copyright laws.
  • Users will not reveal or share personal accounts or passwords.
  • Users will respect other people's privacy regarding mail or files and will not attempt to gain unauthorized access to them.
  • Users will not use any software except that provided by the school without the express permission of the technology coordinator.
  • Students will not use information technology without the permission of classroom teachers and/or teachers/staff responsible for the equipment being used.
  • Students will not access the Internet without a responsible staff member in the room.
  • Web use for students below grade 4 will be limited to teacher-selected sites.
  • Any student who accesses material on the Internet which is inappropriate or harmful will 1) immediately return to the previous page, and 2) inform a teacher.
  • Students will not reveal any personal contact information about themselves or others on the Internet. Students will not communicate directly with anyone online (e.g., email, chat rooms, Instant Message) without prior permission of her/his parents.
  • Food and liquids are prohibited in the vicinity of information technology.
  • School computers may not be used for any illegal activity, commercial purpose, or any other activity which is prohibited by school policy or that deters a user from her/his responsibilities as a teacher or student.
  • School computers may not be used to post chain letters or to engage in "spamming."
  • Users should notify a teacher or administrator immediately upon identifying a possible security problem or other violation of this policy.

Warranties: Bradford Elementary School makes no warranties of any kind, whether expressed or implied, that the service it is providing will be error-free or without defect. The school will not be responsible for any damages users suffer including, but not limited to, the loss of data or service interruptions caused by its own negligence or user errors or omissions. Use of any information obtained via Bradford Elementary School information technologies is at the user's risk. Bradford Elementary School denies any responsibility for the accuracy or quality of information obtained through its services.

Consequences for Violation of the Acceptable Use Policy: Per administrative procedures. Consequences may range form loss of privileges to possible suspension from school.

Whenever there is a malicious attempt to harm or destroy Bradford Elementary Information Technology or data of another user, the student will immediately lose all access privileges for at least 90 school days. If appropriate, the student will also be obligated to replace any Information technology knowingly destroyed

Roots of Success

Bradford Elementary School was recognized for excellence in the Roots of Success: Effective Practices in Vermont Schools report from the Department of Education.  We are known as Spruce School in the report.  It can be read at http://rootsofsuccess.wordpress.com/report-materials/

IT Use and Safety

Information Technology Acceptable Use and Safety Policy

Kid Friendly User Responsibilities

1. When you're on the computer you must be doing something educational and not goofing off.

2. Treat the computer and files gently and respect the adults and other students who use the computers in our school.

3. Don't destroy or damage other people's files or your own. Don't fool around and cause problems.

4. Use appropriate language when using a computer and use good behavior around computers.

5. Don't copy off other people's papers, or out of books, or from a CD, or the Internet without permission.

6. Don't tell your personal passwords or anyone else's passwords to other people.

7. Don't try to get into other peoples files or email.

8. Don't use disks from home unless you have permission from your teacher.

9. Don't use a computer unless the teacher in charge of it knows you're using it.

10. Don't use the Internet unless a teacher is in the room.

11. Younger kids, below fourth grade, should only use web sites that their teacher gives to them.

12. If you come to a web site that is inappropriate, you immediately click back to the page you were on before, and go tell a teacher.

13. Don't give any personal information on the web and don't chat with anybody on the web without your parent's permission.

14. No drinks or food are allowed near computers or AlphaSmarts.

15. School computers can't be used to buy or sell stuff, and can't be used for anything that is illegal or against school policy or that keeps anyone from doing their work.

16. No school computers can be used for junk mail or chain letters.

17. Tell a teacher if anybody tries to get into security or violates any of this policy.


Consequences for Violation of the Policy:

Mr. Brankman will use normal procedures for discipline. Consequences may range from losing computer privileges to possible suspension from school.

If a student intentionally tries to damage or destroy school computer equipment or files belonging to the school or another user, she/he will lose all computer privileges for at least 90 school days. The student may be required to pay for damages.