Handbook
Parents’ Role
Understanding Your Child’s Growth & Development
The director will take the opportunity from time to time to share research or pertinent information through email or printed information with parents regarding the growth and development of young children.
Donations
Nutrition
Lunch & Snacks
Full day students need to bring a lunch from home every day. There is a microwave for reheating food. Please follow these guidelines when sending microwave-able food:
- Send food in microwave-able containers if it is to be heated.
- Send a plastic spoon/fork if it is needed.
- Send a napkin to cover the item in the microwave.
- Limit the number of times per week that microwave-able food is sent. Only teachers are allowed to operate the microwave, and most teachers also need to eat their own lunch during this time.
All items in the lunch should be ready-made and easy for your child to handle. Teachers are available to assist with lunches, but students should learn to open most containers independently. Send items that your child will eat, but keep your child’s health in mind. In order to keep your child’s food safe, please consider sending your child’s lunch in an insulated lunch kit along with a re-freezable ice pack to keep it cool.
There is an official snack time for all classes. Please include a small, simple-to-eat, healthy snack with your child’s lunch each day. Students will drink water with snack. Do not include a drink for snack time. Teachers will provide individual classroom instructions on this subject.
All students are encouraged to bring a water bottle to school. Please be sure that the bottle has a tight fitting, non-leaking lid or top.
Mondays will be “Pizza Day” at NCA! Students will have the opportunity to order one or two slices of pizza from an inspected restaurant along with a fruit/vegetable, and milk for a specific cost. More details to come.
In the case that a child does not have a snack, we will provide a healthy snack for your child. In the case of a forgotten lunch, we will do our best to contact you; however, if that attempt is unsuccessful, then we will create a healthy lunch from the supplies that we have on hand.
In creating your child’s lunch and snacks, please keep in mind that 1/3 or more of your child’s daily dietary intake will be consumed while in school. If you need ideas for healthy snack or lunch options, please feel free to talk to your child’s teacher or the director.
Breastfeeding
Our school welcomes and supports all parents, including breastfeeding mothers. Our school provides a private, quiet, and soothing room with comfortable seating for use when breastfeeding your child. Should you need, breastfeeding education and local community support resources are available in the office upon request.
Health & Wellness
Vision & Hearing Screenings
Children that are 4 years of age by September 1st of the current school year will be required to have vision and hearing screenings. These may be conducted by your child’s physician or the director will schedule a time for a licensed professional to come and conduct screenings on those children who meet this requirement.
Immunizations
Prior to the first day of classes, new students must provide verification of a physical exam by a physician within the previous year. All students must meet the immunization requirements by the State of Texas. Please be sure that you provide a current immunization record each year. Exceptions to this policy must meet the standards established for state licensing.
Absences
We ask that parents notify the school office as soon as possible if a child will not be attending and the anticipated length of absence. In cases of illness, it may be necessary to provide a doctor’s authorization to return to school for certain illnesses. As tuition is charged on a monthly basis, and the payment ensures your child’s continued enrollment, no credits will be given for missed days.
Illness
Students who are ill belong at home. Please use the following guidelines to determine if your child is well enough to attend school:
- Your child has been free of fever for twenty-four hours.
- Your child does not have a green or yellow nasal discharge.
- Your child ha not had vomiting or diarrhea for twenty-four hours.
- Your child does not exhibit other behavior that might indicate illness.
If you send your child to school with any of these symptoms, we will call you to come and take your child back home. If your child becomes ill during the day, we will isolate him/her from the other children to the best of our ability and then notify you. Please keep the school office informed of changes in phone numbers or of changes in your daytime location so that our information will always be current. In the case of an extreme emergency or illness, we will immediately call 911.
Pest Management Policy
IPM focuses on preventing or suppressing pests using tactics that minimize the impact of control activities on the health of humans and other non-target organisms. The Director of NCA will serve as the IPM coordinator. Objectives of the IPM program will include:
- Elimination of threats by pest to the health and safety of students, staff or the public.
- Prevention of loss or damage by pests to school structures or property.
- Protection of environmental quality inside and outside school buildings.
- Enhancement of the quality of life for students, staff and the public.
Integrated Pest Management Procedures:
IPM procedures shall determine when to control pests and whether to use mechanical, physical, chemical, sanitation, horticultural or biological controls. IPM practitioners depend on current, comprehensive information about the pest, its environment and pest control methods.
The intended goal of IPM principles is control of unacceptable levels of pest activity and damage using the most economical means while creating the fewest possible hazards for people, property and the environment. Pesticides will be used only after determining that no other control option is acceptable or reasonable. This school will use IPM principles to manage pest populations, in every case consider the full range of alternatives including talking no action. IF pesticides must be used to meet pest management goals, NCA will choose the least toxic material available and will comply with all federal, state and local laws and regulations governing pesticide storage, transportation and use.
Notification:
NCA will notify the school staff and students of upcoming pesticide treatments by notices posted at the school and sent via e-mail to parents who wish to be informed in advance of pesticide applications.
NCA will maintain a Products Usage Record, Labels and MSDS Sheets on every pesticide used.
Preventing & Responding to Abuse & Neglect of Children
Emergency Preparedness Plan
Evacuation:
The first responsibility of staff in an emergency is to move the children to a designated safe area or alternate shelter known to all employees, caregivers, and volunteers.
The safe and alternate shelter is:
Nacogdoches First Church of the Nazarene
211 S. E. Stallings Drive
Nacogdoches, TX 75964
(936) 305-5351
Children will walk to the parking lot in the front of the church, or the upper parking lot located on the west side of the church, if NCA is uninhabitable.
Emergency evacuation and relocation diagrams are available in the office and are posted on the bulletin board in the main hallway.
Staff will take Emergency Cards with them, as well as a Class Roster. The Roll will be taken as the students are leaving the building and again when safely located at the evacuation center. Each teacher will be responsible to assure the attendance of the students entrusted to her. Emergency Contact Cards include parental emergency contact telephone numbers and authorization for emergency care, the child’s doctor’s name and telephone number and hospital preference.
Communication:
In the event of a relocation emergency the emergency number is (936) 585-3232 (Director’s mobile number)
The NCA emergency contact number is (936) 305-5351 (First Church of the Nazarene) or (936) 585-3232 (Melissa Hughes, Director’s cell number).
If available, cell phones or the school app will be used to contact parents, emergency personnel, health departments and Child Care Licensing.
Essential Documentation:
The parent and emergency contact numbers for each student will be documented on an Emergency Card that the teacher will take with her to the relocation shelter.
Emergency medical authorizations are included on the Emergency Card.
Hours & Schedules
Schedules & Important Notices
Classroom Daily Schedules can be found posted in the child center’s office, as well as, right outside your child’s classroom door. Other important notices to parents will be sent home in your child’s take-home folder, written on the chalk board sign that is located by the front doors or a parent e-mail will be sent out.
You can also find class schedules on our resources page here.
Arrivals & Departures
Students may be dropped off for the Early Bird Class as early as 7:30 am where they will remain until the classroom teacher is ready for her class at 8:25 am. Those arriving after 8:25 will take their child directly to the classroom. Preschool classes begin promptly at 8:30 am. Please do your best to have your child here on time. Tardiness affects the entire class.
Parents will park in the parking lot east of the school building entering through the glass doors on the south side of the building. Staff members will be there to assist you and your child as you sign them in for the day.
Full day students will dismiss at 3:00 pm. We offer After Care each day, from 3:00-5:30 pm, for those families who need additional child care.
Release of Students
Students will be released only to their parents or to such persons who have been designated by the parents and listed on the Registration and Emergency forms. Parents must send a note or contact the director by phone if there is a last minute change of plans or emergency. Please be prepared to show a driver‘s license as identification if there is any question.
Chapel
Every class attends Chapel one morning per week. Chapel is taught by the Children’s Pastor of the First Church of the Nazarene, and the lesson is presented in an age-appropriate manner. In Chapel we sing, pray, and discuss practical biblical concepts. There is no denominational doctrine taught during Chapel. Lessons focus on biblical truths that can be put immediately into use by the students. Some of these lessons include God’s love, God’s forgiveness, kindness, love for one another, and other important life lessons. Parents are always welcome to come and visit Chapel services.
Holiday Celebrations
We celebrate many holidays with special parties. Parties are planned by room mothers and carried out according to the guidelines set by the teacher and the school. We ask that all parents sign up to help with one or more parties.
School Closings
Please be familiar with the dates on the Nacogdoches Christian Academy calendar. We do not always run concurrently with local school districts. However, in case of bad weather, please follow instructions given by NISD on local media stations for the first day. After the first day of school cancellation, listen for our school’s specific instructions. After the first day, you may also call the school’s phone number for more specific/detailed instructions on the answering machine. You can also view our calendar and check your e-mail for further updates and closings.
School Cancellation Procedure
The procedure for school cancellation due to weather is as follows:
- Listen to the local radio/tv stations for school closings (KSWP radio, KFOX 95 radio; KTRE TV, KETK TV, etc.)
- If NISD will close, our school will close too.
- If NISD will begin late, our school will begin late too.
- NCA Director will send a message through the school app informing you about the delay or closure.
- Check our website https://nacchristian.org for weather updates.
Field Trips
The Texas Department of Public Safety requires all children younger than 8 years of age unless taller than 4 feet 9 inches to be secured in the appropriate child safety seat system. It is the Parent’s responsibility to provide an appropriate child safety seat for all school field trips. If an appropriate seat is not provided, the student will not be allowed to ride in the designated field trip driver’s vehicle.
Discipline
Each teacher has an individual classroom discipline plan filed in the office and approved by the director. These discipline plans are presented at Parent Orientation in each classroom and available upon request from the teacher or office staff.
When necessary, In-School Suspension may be assigned. ISS will be held in the small office in the workroom. The student will be isolated to the ISS room for the duration of the time deemed necessary by the Director. The student will be required to complete all work assigned in the classroom without the aide of the teacher. The Director will oversee this disciplinary measure.
The student will only be allowed to leave the ISS room for a drink or to go to the restroom when allowed. The student will eat their lunch there. The student and their parents should consider ISS a drastic attempt to change an unacceptable behavior. If In -School Suspension is not effective, or is not carried out, the result will be expulsion from Nacogdoches Christian Academy. Once a student is expelled, they will not be reconsidered for enrollment at any time in their academic career.
Policies & Procedures
Dress Code
Nacogdoches Christian Academy t-shirts may be purchased at the beginning of the school year or any time in the school office. Shoes should be tennis shoes which are lace or Velcro closed shoes. Please avoid sandals or boots. The students are involved in a variety of learning experiences that involve jumping, climbing, skipping, running and hopping; and therefore, good fitting, comfortable, light-weight shoes are a must. If a student does not have appropriate footwear they will not participate in recess due to safety issues.
Girls:
- Shorts should be worn under dresses, jumpers, and skirts to allow for playground activities and circle time. Shorts, skirts, jumpers, and skorts should be an appropriate length (as children grow and mature, what was appropriate last year might not be appropriate this year). Shorts and skorts should not be shorter than where fingertips touch the thigh when standing straight.
- Pants should fit properly and not “sag” nor should they be too tight. Pants should not have rips, holes or frays. When necessary, wear a belt.
- Earrings, if worn at all, should be small, stud varieties with only one earring in each ear – no dangling or large earrings.
- Jewelry, if worn at all, should not be excessive – we are not responsible for lost or broken items. This is also a safety issue.
Boys:
- Pants should fit properly and not “sag”. Pants should not have rips, holes or frays. When necessary wear a belt.
- NO EARRINGS should be worn in order to avoid distraction.
Pet Visits
We are required to notify parents when animals are present at school. Please clear it with your child’s teacher before bringing pets to school. We must post a notice on the front door 48 hours in advance of the pet‘s visit.
Birthdays
Parents should contact their child’s teacher before making any birthday plans concerning your child’s class. Birthday favors are not allowed. No private party invitations may be passed out at school. Balloons and flowers will be kept in the office until the end of the day.
Items From Home
Please do not allow your child to bring toys or electronic equipment to school without prior permission from the teacher. We reserve the right to search all backpacks, book bags, desks, and other personal items. Please understand that this policy is in place for the safety and protection of the entire student body.
Possession of Electronics
Students are not permitted to possess such items that include but are not limited to radios, CD players, tape recorders, camcorders, DVD players, MP3 players, i-pods, laser pointers, cameras, electronic devices or games at school, unless prior permission has been obtained from the teacher/director. Without such permission, teachers will collect the items and turn them in to the office to be retrieved by a parent. Repeated misuse of electronic devices may result in further disciplinary action. Nacogdoches Christian Academy will not be responsible for lost or stolen items or items left at school by the students.
Screen Time
There is minimal opportunity for screen time at NCA due to the curriculum and structure of the day. Teachers may show age appropriate movies or use the internet on occasion; however, this is done on an approval basis.
Outdoor Participation
Outdoor activities are a part of each day’s schedule unless it is raining or uncomfortably hot or cold. All students will participate in outdoor activity time unless we have a written note from you explaining why your child is to be kept indoors and for what length of time. Students excused from outdoor participation will need to stay in the office area where they can be supervised by staff.
Contact Information
- Speak to the teacher about the question/concern.
- If the situation is not resolved, speak to the director.
- If the situation is still not resolved, speak to a current Parent Representative.
The Parent Representative will try to resolve the situation. If it cannot be resolved, the Parent Representative will bring the matter before the school board. The staff at Nacogdoches Christian Academy will do its best to hold each particular situation in confidence. Please do your best to follow the proper procedure when trying to resolve questions, concerns, or conflict.
- Local Licensing Agent – 936-404-2489
- Abuse and Neglect Hotline – 1-800-252-5400
- Website – www.txchildsearch.org
Updating Parent Contact Information
It is, also, very important that the school has the most up-to-date contact information for you in the event that an issue arises or that there is an emergency where we need to contact you. The best way to update your information is to send an email or note to your child’s teacher or to the school office reporting the changes to be made. Information that may need to be updated would include cell phone number, home address or emergency contact name and number.