Daily Life at Dahlia

Useful Information for the School Year

Birthdays – Parents must receive advance permission from the teacher if they wish to bring a small gift (pencil, pen, small toy, etc.) to school for a child’s birthday.  No food is allowed for birthdays at Dahlia due to allergens and specific diets. Please check with your teacher about class policy.

Class Assignments – New class assignments will be given the first day of school in the fall. Students will report to their classrooms from the prior year to receive their new class assignments.

Early Dismissal Day –Every Tuesday for the entire school year, classes are dismissed at 1:29 p.m. for teacher development sessions. 

Federal Lunch Program – If you’re currently on a limited income, your child may qualify to receive a free or reduced-rate lunch. Applications will be sent home at the beginning of the school year. All information is confidential. Dahlia Heights may be eligible for Title 1 funding based on the number of qualified students, so every family is encouraged to apply, even if you feel you may not qualify.

Field Trips  – Your child will bring home a “field trip slip” release form, which must be signed, completed and returned to school. Approved Parent volunteers are encouraged to accompany classes if their schedule permits.

Food/Cafeteria

o      The cafeteria serves breakfast in the classroom from 8:06 to 8:30.

o      Lunch is served from 11:30am to 12:45.

o      Menus are on the Homepage and are sent home monthly.

Homework – Is an integral part of the instructional program at Dahlia Heights. It is an important resource for teachers in helping students to review concepts learned in class. Homework will be assigned, Monday through Thursday. The following is a recommended homework schedule, but keep in mind that some students may need more time to process the ideas in homework and may require additional guidance from parents.

Kindergarten        15 – 20 minutes

Grades 1 – 2         30 – 35 minutes

Grades 3 – 4         35 – 45 minutes

Grades 5 - 6          50 – 60 minutes

Lost and Found – For any item lost, please check the lost-and-found rack located at the left side of the main entrance to the school. Please put your child’s name and room number on items brought to school.  Smaller or more valuable items may be turned into the school's main office.

Lunch Procedures – Children may bring their lunch or buy their lunch in the lunch area. 

Minimum Day Schedule – There are approximately ten days during the school year when students are dismissed at 12:49 p.m. Please be sure to check your school calendar and keep an eye on the sign at the entrance to the school, where upcoming minimum days are often announced.

Parties– Teachers and their room parents organize 2 parties during the year. Each class chooses the dates for their own parties.

Phone Calls – Please help us reduce calls to school requesting that messages be given to children and calls made by your children to home. Make arrangements for after school activities and childcare before your child leaves home daily. Many hours of our office staffs' valuable time can be saved through your careful planning. Also, please read school bulletins and check the website carefully so that you won’t be surprised by special events or minimum school days.

Photo Days– Photo days are usually held in fall and spring. Individual children’s portraits are taken as well as a classroom photo with the teacher. Different photo packages can be purchased from the photographer, but purchase is not required. 

Prohibited Items at School – The following are NOT to be brought to or used at school under any circumstances:

• Skateboards

• Skates

• Toy guns

• Heelys shoes (shoes with skating wheels in the soles or heels)

• Pocket knives or anything that could be construed as a weapon

• Gum or Candy

• Cans and/or glass bottles

• Cell phones.  If parents would like their child(ren) to have cell phones for emergency purposes, they are to be turned off and stored in a non-visible fashion for the entirety of the school day, including during recess and lunch.  Non-emergency calls may be made from the office, if need be.

• Electronic toys, handheld video games or other electronic devices

• Pets (unless prearranged with the teacher as part of a classroom activity).

Bicycles and scooters may be parked at the racks by the gate, but may never be ridden on school grounds. Cell phones and electronic devices and toys may not be used during school hours. Cell phones must be turned off and kept in pockets. No dogs, smoking or weapons are allowed on campus.

Rainy Days, Smog Alerts, Extreme Heat– All activities for the day will take place in the classroom on rainy days or days for which a smog alert has been issued. During inclement weather, children should time their arrival as close to 8:00 AM as possible. 

Report Cards – Are sent home three times a year. Please review each one with your child, sign it and return it to the teacher. If you have any questions or concerns, please schedule a conference with the teacher.

School Visits– If you would like to schedule a school visit, please call the school office at 323.255.1419.  All visitors during the school day will need to sign in at the gate and proceed to the office for a Visitor’s Pass. Please try to limit the visit to approximately 20 minutes.

Schoolyard Hours and Supervision  – In the morning our gates and playground will open at 7:30 a.m. Children who arrive prior to this must be in the company of an adult until 7:30. The playground will be open after school from 2:30 to 6:00 PM. Students can stay to play games or do homework. This is not a childcare program. It is a “permissive” recreation program with only basic supervision. PARTICIPANTS LEAVE AT THEIR OWN DISCRETION AND VOLITION. Once children leave campus for the day, they are not permitted to return to the playground.

Split Grades – Split grades (a 2^nd/3^rd grade classroom, for example) include a group of students with low, medium and high achievers in both grades. Students are assigned to split grades based on their ability to work well together.

Visitors – All visitors during the school day will need to sign in at the gate and proceed to the office for a Visitor’s Pass.  You may visit your child’s classroom during the school year; however, please try to limit the visit to approximately 20 minutes.