Parent Handbook

District Number
585-924-3252

MAIN OFFICE – 4600
    Ms. Ashley Socola – Principal . . . . 4400
    Mr. Tom Cheevers – Assistant Principal . . . . 4401
    Mrs. Staci Thibodeau – Assistant Principal . . . . 4402

HEALTH OFFICE (Nurse’s Office) – 4620
    Mrs. Berardino . . . . 4410
    Attendance . . . . 4412

COUNSELING STAFF
    Mrs. Ackely: 4th Grade – Counselor . . . . 4155
    Mrs. Sanzotta: 5th Grade - Counselor . . . . 4152
    Mr. Rodrick: 6th Grade – Counselor . . . . 4156

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS    
    Mrs. Hopkins-Ives (Student Last Name A-J) . . . . 4157
    Mrs. Miller (Student Last Name K-Z) . . . . 4155

FOOD SERVICE    
    Intermediate Food Service Supervisor . . . . 4450

TRANSPORTATION
    Mrs. Clink, Director of Transportation . . . . 7110

Parents and other community members are welcome to visit the Intermediate School. Arrangements for visitations should be made with the classroom teacher or a building administrator. Student visitors from other buildings or school districts, unless they have a specific reason and prior approval of a Building Administrator, are not permitted to enter the school building.

All visitors to the school must enter through the Main doors and report to the sign-in window with your license or photo ID. The license will be scanned into the Raptor System and a photo ID sticker will be issued. The sticker must be on display at all times while in the building. At the conclusion of your visit, please return the ID sticker to the Office window and you will be exited from the Raptor System.
 

9:00am
Students arrive and report to class using the front main entrances.
Student who do not ride the bus to school should not arrive before 9:00am.  Parents need to be aware that there is no supervision for students before this time.  Parents are to use the drive thru to drop off students located at the VIS Student Drop-Off Lot (across from High School parking Lot D).

9:30am
Academic classes begin

3:11pm
Students who are being picked up or walking are dismissed.  Students riding the bus are dismissed shortly thereafter.

Dismissal
Students being picked up: Sign out for students being picked up at the end of the school day will remain in the Cafeteria. The Cafeteria doors will be unlocked at 3:00 for any student being picked-up between 3:00-3:15 (this is considered an early dismissal). Please enter through the cafeteria doors. Regular dismissal is at 3:15 and students will be dismissed to the Cafeteria at that time for pickup.

Students walking: Students walking or riding bicycles home should report to the Auditorium to be dismissed. Walkers should be walking home or to the Primary or ECS dismissal locations to meet parents. For safety reasons, no students should be dismissed to a parking lot, a vehicle to meet parents, or other locations on campus that is not a school building.  

Half Days
Dismissal for ½ days is at 12:00pm.
 

• You will receive a phone call via a ParentSquare message from the Superintendent.
• The local media will be alerted (13WHAM, WHEC, WROC, Spectrum News, WHAM radio, Democrat and Chronicle, etc.)
• Facebook and Twitter messages will be posted and the District website will feature an update

This process applies not only to full day school closings, but also to two hour delays, early dismissals and evening cancellations.
 

Absences
If your child is absent due to illness, please contact the Health Office at 924-3252, Ext. 4412 before 10:00am. If the Health Office does not receive a call from the parent/guardian, a phone call is made home to verify the absence.  

Parents must provide a written excuse for each absence. Written excuses should contain the reason and date of absence, and should be presented to the homeroom teacher as soon as your child returns to school. Written excuses in the form of an email are acceptable as well.  Please email our nurse, Christine Berardino at berardinoc@victorschools.org.

Tardiness
A student is considered absent if not in the classroom by 9:15. If you child will be late for school, please call the Health Office at 924-3252, Ext. 4412.  A note explaining the cause of lateness is required and the student should report to the Health Office upon arrival to school.  

For further information please visit the Attendance page.

Arrival, Dismissal & Dismissal Changes
Arrival and dismissal times are typically very busy times on our campus roads. Safety and security remain a top priority for us and for this reason we continue to stress our recommendation that your child(ren) utilizes District transportation daily.  Further, please make sure to follow all traffic and parking rules while on our campus. To ensure students’ safety, the bus loop will be closed during student arrivals and dismissal times. We appreciate your patience and understanding!  

Arrivals
Students being driven to school should be dropped off in the West Side lot of the Intermediate School and enter through the West Side doors. This is a drive thru drop off only.  To keep traffic moving efficiently, please drive all the way forward to the “Student Drop Off” sign before unloading. If you plan on walking your child to the door, please park your vehicle in an available parking spot. Please follow the signs designating this location. The West Side doors will be unlocked from 8:00am – 8:15am for students participating in music ensemble rehearsals and then again from 8:50am – 9:10 am.  Unless they participate in an ensemble or morning support, please do not drop your child off before 8:50 as the building will be locked and they will not be supervised.

Dismissal
Dismissal and sign-out for students being picked up at the end of the school day occurs from the Cafeteria. The Cafeteria doors will be unlocked at 3:00 for any student being picked-up after 3:00 - 3:15 (this is considered an early dismissal). Please enter through the cafeteria doors. Regular dismissal is at 3:15pm and students will be dismissed to the Cafeteria at that time for pickup. The High School Bus Loop (Parking Lot D) is available for parking at this time.  Also limited parking is available in the West Side lot.

Dismissal Changes
Please send in a note with your child for any dismissal changes. If you are unable to send in a note with your child in the morning, please contact the Main Office at Extension 4600. All changes need to be received no later than 11:00am. No bus changes are allowed at this time.

Dismissal Change Form (No Bus Changes)

The Victor Intermediate School staff will work in partnership with parents/guardians to maintain a learning and working environment that supports the character development of its students. Character development will reflect and reinforce our school motto of Respecting Ourselves, Others and VIS.

In an effort to ensure the safety of all members of the school community, the Victor Central School District has adopted a Code of Conduct, which outlines expectations and consequences for student behavior. The items addressed in this handbook refer to both building-level and district-level expectations. Expectations for how students conduct themselves apply to all school-sponsored activities, events on school grounds, and on school buses.

Expectations for Student Behavior (A more complete description of these expectations can be found in the Victor Central School District Code of Conduct. This document can be accessed on the district website at www.victorschools.org or in the main office of any school building.)

The Board of Education expects all students to conduct themselves in an appropriate and civil manner, with proper regard for the rights and welfare of other students, district personnel and other members of the school community, and for the care of school facilities and equipment.

The best discipline is self-imposed, and students must learn to assume and accept responsibility for their own behavior, as well as the consequences of their misbehavior. District personnel who interact with students are expected to use disciplinary action only when necessary and to place emphasis on the students’ ability to grow in self-discipline.

Students may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including suspension from school, when they:
• Engage in conduct that is disorderly.
• Engage in conduct that is insubordinate. 
• Engage in behavior that is disruptive.
• Engage in conduct that is violent. 
• Engage in any conduct that endangers the safety, morals, health or welfare of others. 
​​​​​​​• Engage in misconduct while on a school bus.
​​​​​​​• Engage in any form of academic misconduct. 

Disciplinary Action
Disciplinary action, when necessary, will be fair and consistent so as to be the most effective in changing student behavior. As a general rule, discipline will be progressive. In determining the appropriate disciplinary action, school personnel authorized to impose disciplinary penalties will consider the following:

1. The student’s age.
2. The nature of the offense and the circumstances that led to the offense.
3. The student’s prior disciplinary record.
4. The effectiveness of other forms of discipline.
5. Information from parents, teachers and/or others, as appropriate.
6. Other extenuating circumstances, i.e. disability.

Possible Consequences for Misbehavior
Students who are found to have violated the District’s Code of Conduct may be subject to the following consequences, either alone or in combination. The school personnel identified after each consequence are authorized to impose that consequence consistent with the student’s right to due process. 

1. Oral warning – any member of the district staff 
2. Written notification to parent – bus driver, hall and lunch monitors (through administrator), coaches, school counselors, teachers, assistant principal, principal, superintendent
3. Student Behavior Reflection Form completed
4. Detention – teachers, assistant principal, principal, superintendent
5. Suspension from transportation – director of transportation, assistant principal, principal,  superintendent
6. Suspension from social or extracurricular activities – activity advisor, assistant principal, principal, superintendent
7. Suspension of other privileges – principal, assistant principal, superintendent
8.  In-school suspension – assistant principal, principal, superintendent
9. Removal from classroom by teacher – teachers, assistant principal, or principal
10. Short-term (five days or less) suspension from school – principal, superintendent, board of education
11. Long-term (more than five days) suspension from school – principal, superintendent, board of education 
12. Permanent suspension from school – superintendent, board of education

DIGNITY FOR ALL STUDENTS ACT
A student’s ability to learn and to meet high academic standards, and a school's ability to educate its students is compromised by incidents of discrimination or harassment including bullying, taunting, or intimidation. The Dignity Act makes it the official policy of New York State that all students in public schools have the right to an education free of discrimination and harassment.  

The Dignity Act includes, but is not limited to, acts of discrimination and harassment based on a student’s race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender (defined to include gender identity or expression), or sex.

• has or would have the effect of unreasonably interfering with a student’s educational performance, opportunities or benefits, or mental, emotional and/or physical well-being; or
• reasonably causes or would reasonably be expected to cause a student to fear for his or her physical safety. 
   

The following dress code is based on the idea that learning to select attire appropriate to specific occasions and activities is an important part of the total educational process.

We believe each student needs a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment and a culture of mutual respect that promotes learning. In order to promote these values, students are expected to wear clothing which is appropriate for the school setting. While students are encouraged to express their individuality through their clothing, attire must not distract from the academic environment or interfere with the educational process.

Teachers may ask students to remove hats/hoods/coats in the classroom.

Students wearing anything deemed violent, distracting, unsafe, or inappropriate for school will be asked to change or put something on over their clothes.

A productive and satisfying learning environment depends on relationships that allow students to learn and teachers to teach.  Each student is expected to be responsible for his/her own behavior.  The following expectations for conduct, focusing on personal safety and respect for the rights and property of others, apply both in the classroom and throughout the school.

• to have a safe, healthy, orderly and courteous school environment;
• to take part in all district activities on an equal basis regardless of race, sex, religion, national origin, or disability;
• to attend school and participate in school programs unless suspended from instruction;
• express his/her version of events in a disciplinary situation to a teacher and/or building administrator;
• to be treated with respect and courtesy by all members of the school community;
• to be in authorized areas of the building with a pass from a teacher.  Areas include: assigned classrooms, dining room, media center, health office, student restrooms, art gallery, main office, and outside recreation areas when permitted. 

All classes are balanced with regard to gender and academic need. Students along the full continuum of educational services are placed into every class. The delivery of instruction may differ in the various instructional settings, but the make-up of students is similar across all classrooms.

Support staff is provided for Inquiry Center opportunities, special education services, and remedial ELA or math services.

Traditional Setting:  In this setting class size will not exceed 25 in the homeroom.  All students will have the opportunity to work with a variety of teachers as all teachers engage in content area teaming.  Students have an ELA teacher, a math teacher, and an ELA and Math WIN teacher, allowing many opportunities to form adult and peer connections in the building.

Multiage:  In the multiage setting, the children work with the same team of teachers in the same environment for two years. This setting allows for much content integration and a flexible time line to cover curriculum. For this reason, it is important to make the two-year commitment to the program. Multiage placement is by written parent request only. 

COURSES OF STUDY
Students at the Victor Intermediate School participate in a core group of classes in the areas of mathematics, language arts (reading/writing, speaking, and listening), science, and social studies.  

Special Area Classes
Intermediate School students’ educational program is supported through instruction in the following special area classes.

Art - All students participate in visual art instruction once per four-day cycle. 

Music - All students participate in music instruction once per four-day cycle.
In addition to the General Music class, fourth, fifth and sixth grade students will have the opportunity to participate in band, orchestra, and chorus. Rehearsals for performing groups take place from 8:00am - 9:00am. Before school transportation will be provided. In order to continue our tradition of high quality music programs, consistent attendance is crucial. All ensembles work as a team. It is necessary for all the teammates to be present in order for the group to perform successfully.

Physical Education - All students in Grades 4, 5 & 6 are scheduled for physical education classes that are forty minutes in length two times during a four-day cycle.  Proper dress will be required for physical education activities.  This requirement is based upon health, safety, and comfort.

The following are student activities that happen outside the school day.

• Music Ensembles (Chorus, Band and Orchestra)
• Student Council
• Yearbook Club
• School Store
• Orators Club
• Morning Academic Support

• Chess Club (Victor PTSA)
• Parks and Recreation Department Activities
• Winterguard Club (Victor Marching Blue Devils)
• Girls Empowerment Group
• Girls on the Run

The Victor Central School District provides support services for students in regular and special education.  Service providers in the areas of occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech and language therapy, social work, school counseling and school psychology are located in the Victor Intermediate School.  

• Nurse’s Office, Ext. 4620
• Chris Berardino, School Nurse, Ext. 4410
• Attendance, Ext. 4412
• Fax Number, 585-742-7062

The school nurse is available for students throughout the school day. If you are injured or become sick at school, report this immediately to your teacher or other staff member so that you can go to the Health Office.

• Parents/guardians must bring in the original labeled container. (Students are NOT to transport medication)
• An order or script from your child’s doctor can be dropped off or faxed to the Health Office.
• Parents must fill out a permission form so that the nurse has permission to dispense medication. These forms are available in the health office.
• If the medication is not a prescription medication, your doctor will still need to send permission and directions to the nurse to give you the medication (e.g. aspirin or Tylenol).
• The nurse will keep all medications in a locked cabinet and give it to students as prescribed. No students should have medications in their possession during the school day.
• Parent/Guardians are responsible for picking up their child’s medication at the end of the school year. All medication that is not claimed by June 30 will be discarded.

For more information visit our District Health Information page https://www.victorschools.org/parents/health-information

Philosophy
We believe that children in grades K-6 should learn to be responsible for completing and returning independent work that will be accomplished outside of class time. Some teachers will have students begin their homework in class to ensure understanding.

Definition
Homework is work that is assigned by a teacher for a child to complete, partially or entirely, after school hours. It may consist of a project; practice sheet, creative writing assignment, reading or independent study. The assignments may vary for certain groups or individual students. 

• We value the importance of independent reading. There is nothing more critical than inspiring and encouraging children to develop strong habits of learning through engaging texts both inside and outside of school.
• We recognize that homework impacts children and families differently. As such, it can be a cause of significant stress, anxiety, or frustration.
• We believe homework can be of value as long as it is aligned to best practices in instruction. Some of these include extension of learning, independent practice, fostering creativity, finding relevance, and engaging in self-assessment.
• We value the attempt, not just the results. Homework is a form of formative assessment for the teacher as well as the student and it should positively impact actions or interventions moving forward. 

• Homework will be constructive, not punitive.
• Where possible, teachers will work to assign homework on a weekly basis rather than nightly.
• When necessary, homework may be differentiated based on individual student needs.

• We hope families take time to eat, talk, and play together as often as possible in the evenings.
• We hope families encourage and model reading habits and discuss text with their children regularly. Remember, students are never too old for a read-aloud!
• We hope parents will feel comfortable letting teachers know if homework is creating anxiety or struggle for their child. If it reaches this point, it is    completely acceptable to stop. Providing this information to the teacher is far more valuable than having the child complete the task with significant amounts of support. Teachers would then focus upon re-teaching or differentiating tasks for students moving forward.
   

In addition to the two main serving lines for lunch, students will also have access to a snack bar for a la carte items. For nutritional purposes, only 1 snack and/or drink may be purchased per day.  Please call the Food Service office (x6471) if you would like any restrictions put on your child’s account. Each student will be given their ID number and are asked to input that number at the pin pad when making purchases at any one of the serving lines in the cafeteria.  It is recommended that students either prepay (cash or check made payable to Victor Cafeteria Fund) at the register or parents set up an online account at myschoolbucks.com and pay by credit card. Prepayment is convenient and helps to keep the lines moving faster and allows for more time for eating. Lunches and breakfast may be charged on a limited basis. All charges should be paid as soon as possible.  Snacks are not allowed to be charged.

• Breakfast is $1.70 
• Lunch $2.45

Breakfast is served immediately after bus arrival.

• Parents
• Food Service
• Menu
• Scroll to the bottom – Menu available by the school / monthly

• Exhibit appropriate and reasonable behavior. This includes walking at all times, being cooperative with the monitors, and being respectful of all individuals.
• Join the lunch/express line at the end of the line.  
• Remain in their seats during the entire lunch period. (They may not change seats.)
• Take care of their trays and leave the tables and floors clean. 
• Stay in the dining room during the lunch period unless the student is eating with a teacher.
• Sign out in the log if you must leave the cafeteria.
• Homeroom teachers or recess aides will escort students to and from the dining room.  

Because of food allergies, birthdays are handled differently in the various classrooms. If you plan on sending in treats for your child’s birthday, please contact the classroom teacher prior to the date to inquire if there are food allergies.  All food items need to be store bought to ensure the health and safety of the students.  

Birthday treats can be arranged through the school cafeteria using the Birthday Celebration Order Form

Go to top yellow bar on website

1. Parents
2. Food Service
3. Menu (Scroll to the bottom)
4. Other Documents
5. Birthday Celebration Order Form

Party Invitations / Class List
Party invitations may be distributed when given to all of the students in the class or all of the males/females.  Students may not hand out invitations that will only be distributed to a few.  Due to laws of confidentiality, school personnel cannot give the names, addresses and /or phone numbers of your child’s classmates.  The children can share this information with each other that may assist families in their investigation of this information via the phone book.
 

Telephone Access
There may be a rare circumstance where calls to a parent would be permitted. A student will need to speak to the secretary before placing any call. 

Students are strongly discouraged from bringing cell phones and other electronic devices to school. If they do bring a cell phone to school, it needs to be off and in their backpack during the day.

We believe classroom instructional time is valuable and should be interrupted as little as possible. We also work with students to develop a responsibility for their belongings. Therefore, students will be strongly discouraged from using the office or classroom phone. Students who repeatedly forget necessary items will lose the privilege of using the phone.

Cell Phone & Electronic Devices
It is recognized that cell phones and other electronic devices play a significant role in how students communicate. Our goal is to help educate students in the appropriate use of these devices. To this end, the expectations around cell phone/electronic device usage are as follows:

Cell phones and electronic devices must be off and out of sight between 9:00am and 3:15pm, unless for specific use under teacher direction. This includes hallways during passing time. Students who fail to adhere to this expectation are subject to confiscation of the cell phone and possible disciplinary action.

Students who use phones or other devices to view, post, or share inappropriate data are subject to discipline. This includes the sending/sharing of inappropriate photos, videos, or text. Use of phones or electronics to harass, embarrass, offend, upset, or intimidate others during the school day will be met with serious consequences. Use must be appropriate at ALL times.

Appropriate Use:
●    Cell phone/handheld electronic device use is permitted in classrooms at teacher direction
●    Electronics use for texting/calling with permission from a school adult. Use on the bus for games, internet, music

Inappropriate Use:
●    Taking photos or videos without teacher/adult permission in school and on the bus
●    Social media in any location at Victor Intermediate
●    Phone use without permission from school adult
●    Use of ear buds in the cafeteria, hallways, classroom without permission from teacher/adult

Positive student behavior is imperative on a school bus.  The District needs your help in making students aware of the expected behaviors necessary to insure our goal of safety on the buses. All of our students need to understand the importance of these rules whenever they are riding the bus.  Please review the expectations below and share them with your son or daughter.

• Obey the bus driver.
• Keep hands, feet and all possessions to yourself.
• Keep all noise at a low level.
• Remain seated until the driver gives permission for you to leave.
• Keep the driver’s view clear; personal items should be placed on the floor under a seat or on the student’s lap. Large musical instruments must fit on the student’s lap or in the seat area and not obstruct the driver’s view or take up another student’s space.
• Students may not carry the following on the bus: glass, pets, skis, ski poles, sleds, snowboards, skateboards, tools, chemicals, or any object that could cause injury. New York State regulations prohibit any eating or drinking on the bus.
• If your child has a temporary medical condition, such as crutches, that may require special transportation arrangements, please contact Darren Everhart, Director of Transportation, ext. 7110.

Video cameras may be used to monitor student behavior on school vehicles transporting students to and from school or extracurricular activities. Students found violating bus conduct rules will be subject to any of the following disciplinary actions:

• Oral warning
• Assigned seating close to driver
• Bus suspension for 1-2 days or longer based on situation

For more information please visit our Transportation Webpage.
 

Custody Documentation / Court Orders are kept in the Main Office. Custodial Parents/Guardians are expected to notify and maintain a current copy of any Court Documentation with the school. If the school has any questions, the Custodial Parent/Guardian is contacted for verification.

Lost & Found is located in our Cafeteria. The PE teachers also maintain a Lost & Found of items left in the Gym, locker rooms and at the pool.   Students and parents are welcome to check our collection of lost items. These items are donated throughout the year, usually during our longer breaks (Holiday Recess, President’s Recess, and Spring Recess, as well as the end of the year).