Commitment to ASHAR

Student Commitment and Responsibility 
It is our desire to educate students who come to school ready and eager to learn. Therefore, it is our expectation that students enrolled at ASHAR will commit to daily, punctual attendance, active class participation, respectful behavior towards educators and peers, and prompt completion of all assignments and projects.

Parent Commitment and Responsibility 
For a child to succeed at ASHAR, parents must recognize that school is only one facet of a child’s education. In order to ensure a child’s success, it is crucial that every parent embrace an active and ongoing commitment at home to establish effective study skills, and to encourage their child to complete all assignments in a thorough and timely manner.  We try to create an atmosphere of success at school, but the lack of parent support and follow-through will undermine this philosophy.  Parents must be willing to enforce a consistent study schedule, and if additional help is needed, they should be willing to seek outside tutoring.

Attendance- Grades 1-8

The school day begins at 8:15 AM for the entire school. Children are expected to arrive at school by 8:10 AM.  Please do not drop off children before 7:50 AM as there is no supervision before that time.  Children who are not in place and ready to begin by 8:20 AM are considered late.  We believe punctuality shows respect to others and is a life skill we actively teach students at ASHAR.  Tardiness is disrespectful to both teachers and fellow students as it disrupts the classroom needlessly.  We expect children to be brought to school with plenty of time to organize themselves before the beginning of class.  Students arriving after 8:20 AM must come to the office for a late note, as they will not be allowed to enter class without one.  NO EXCEPTIONS.  If lateness becomes habitual the parents of the latecomer will be requested to meet with the administration, and until such time the child may be refused admittance to class. 

Absence

• In case of absence, please do not call the office for assignments and books.
• Rather, for Grades 1-4, please designate, on the Homework Buddy Form (enclosed), a classmate who will collect all assignments, homework, and books from the absent child’s teachers. 
• The form should be duplicated and one copy given to your child’s morning teacher, and another to your child’s afternoon teacher. 
• Students in Grades 5-8 who are absent are responsible to be in touch with their classmates to collect all necessary information and homework assignments.  We are in the midst of updating our website which will contain homework information as well.
• Following a period of absence, a reasonable amount of time will be given for class work and assignments to be brought up-to-date. 
• Students are responsible to get work and notes missed while absent from school.  Failure to make up assignments will result in a “0” grade. 
• Any child who has excessive absences, barring hospitalization or extreme medical circumstances, will seriously jeopardize being promoted to the next grade level.
• In the event of a death in the family, please inform the school as soon as possible.  The school will do everything possible to provide support for the children during the mourning period.  Accommodations in terms of academic expectations will also be made. 

Taking Students Out of School – Grades 1-8
Any absence, even for part of the day, is disruptive to the learning environment.  We ask that every effort be made to schedule appointments outside of school hours.  Should circumstances require a child to be taken out of school during the school day, please send a note that morning with your child indicating when he/she needs to leave.  A parent who comes to pick up a child must come to the office to sign the sign-out sheet.  PARENTS MAY NOT GO TO THE CLASSROOM. Teachers have been instructed never to allow a student to leave the classroom without written permission from the office. Upon arrival of the parent the child will be called to the office. If during any given day a child is not in school for a period of three (3) hours or more, the absence will be counted as an absence for the full day.  It is unacceptable to remove a child for a lunch date.

Family Vacations
Our school calendar has several vacation periods during which it is hoped that families will spend time together.  At ASHAR we discourage the disruption of a child’s academic progress by removing him/her during the academic year for a family vacation.  Students will be held responsible for work missed, and teachers are not required to provide the work in advance. 

Student Withdrawal  
It is our expectation that any student accepted to ASHAR will make a commitment to remain through eighth-grade graduation. When a student is struggling academically, our staff will make every effort to work with both the student and his/her parents/guardians to enable the student to do his/her best. At times, the services of an outside tutor may be required to help the student keep up with the classroom pace.  If parents withdraw a child prior to the end of the current school year, the parents will be expected to meet their full tuition obligation to ASHAR.  In addition, if a child is asked to leave during the school year due to serious behavioral issues the parents will likewise be required to fulfill their full tuition obligation.

Outside Influences
The secular society, which affords us many convenient opportunities for which we are grateful, also poses a danger to our children.  ASHAR cautions our families to be vigilant and to exercise parental control over the influences that affect our children, such as television, internet use, movies, secular music, violent computer games etc.  Enclosed with this packet is an interactive DVD produced by The Foundation for Internet Safety.

Textbooks
ASHAR provides seforim and secular textbooks for students, as well as classroom library trade books.  It is expected that every book issued to a student will be returned in good condition.  In the event that a book is not returned, or is returned damaged, the student will be charged for the book.  It is the responsibility of each student to see that every textbook (non consumable) is covered with a removable cover.  No self-adhering materials or adhesives may be used on school property.  Books missing a book cover may be confiscated and returned to the student after he/she has paid a fine.

Special Needs Students  
While we empathize with special needs families, not every student will achieve his or her optimal ability in the environment we strive to offer. Some, such as children with ADHD, learning disabilities, or problematic behaviors may thrive in programs where specific resources are in place, and at their disposal. Therefore, if at any point in a child’s academic career the administration suspects he/she may have learning or behavioral issues which are difficult for us to address, we may request that the student be tested by a qualified board-certified specialist who has been approved by the administration. In most cases we can have children evaluated by the East Ramapo Central School District (ERCSD) for learning disabilities, where a variety of services can be available to them.  If it is determined that the child’s needs would be best met in another learning environment, the administration will try to assist the parents in finding proper placement for their child.  In addition, we will have in-house assessments of all students throughout the year to make certain they are maintaining the high standards that we have set.
 

Resource
ASHAR offers Resource Room instruction for students with mild to moderate learning deficits.  It is intended for students who are able to function primarily within the context of the regular classroom framework but who need extra help.  It is our ultimate goal to have resource room students fully mainstreamed.  Resource Room is independent of any services which a student may be entitled to from the East Ramapo Central School District.  As noted in the registration packet, there may be additional fees for students requiring resource room instruction.

Mrs. Jenna Schuh will be coordinating the work of the resource room staff with that of the mainstream classroom teachers.

Kashrut
In order to maintain the strict Kashrut regulations of our Yeshiva, all foods brought into the school must bear the following Kashrut symbols: O-U, O-K, Kof-K, Star-K, KAJ, COR, or RCBC.  Universal acceptance of these Kashrut supervisory agencies allows us to maintain the highest standard for our Yeshiva.  Although other Kashrut symbols are also valid, please consult with Rabbi Beller before bringing food with these symbols to school.  Needless to say, a plain “K” does not constitute a hechsher in and of itself.

Because each family has its own standards of acceptable diet and Kashrut, we ask that students do not exchange or share food items.  It goes without saying that NO HOME-COOKED FOODS  will be distributed for a class event. 

Cholov Yisroel milk will be provided for breakfast and lunch for all students.

PTA
Our PTA is an opportunity for parents to become more involved in their child’s school. We encourage every family to volunteer some of their time in service to ASHAR. Assistance would be most welcome for book fairs, lice checks, after school programs, Bar/Bat Mitzvah Fair, and Chesed projects, to name a few.

Also please call the PTA President, Mrs. Beverly Hagler, 362-3832 or PTA Chairman of the Board, Mrs. Gila Kass, 362-7799 for information on ways in which you can help.

Early Childhood
The ASHAR Preschool is an early-childhood program designed to foster your child’s growth, development and Torah foundation through self-discovery and hands-on experiential learning.  The warm and nurturing environment builds the self-confidence of our youngsters and sows the seeds for a lifetime of Torah and secular learning through Avodat Hashem and Derech Eretz.  Our Preschool is the first stage in a continuum of a superior Yeshiva education.  The ASHAR preschool offers programs for Nursery (3’s), Pre-K (4’s) and Kindergarten (5’s) children.  All preschoolers benefit from the outstanding facilities and specialty programs ASHAR has to offer.

The entry cutoff date for our Yeshiva is October 1st.  A Nursery child who misses the cutoff date will be able to register for Nursery with the understanding that he/she will repeat Nursery the following year.  All children entering PreK must be 4 years old by October 1st.  All children entering Kindergarten must be 5 years old by October 1st. 

It is the policy of ASHAR that all children must be toilet trained before beginning school.  Teachers DO NOT change soiled clothing.

We do understand that young children who have just been trained may have accidents.  Therefore, it is necessary to send a seasonal change of clothing so that your child can change.  In the case of repeated problems in this regard, we may have to ask you to withdraw your child from the ASHAR Early Childhood Program.