Mustang Manual

Welcome to Prairie Queen Elementary, but more importantly, welcome to our Prairie Queen family! You are joining a school COMMUNITY built on COURAGE and COMPASSION.

We invite you to show COURAGE by taking risks in learning and persevering through challenges on our journey towards excellence. We want to be COMPASSIONATE by being kind to one another and accepting of all of our unique qualities. And we will be a COMMUNITY of leaders by working together, growing together, and succeeding together.

PLCS App: This app is a valuable resource. Check out event calendars, attendance records, lunch menus and account balances, weather-based notifications, library records, report cards and more. To download the App:

1. Open the app store on your phone

2. Search for Papillion La Vista

3. Once you find the PLCS App. click on it to install.

Newsletters: Schoolwide newsletters are emailed to families every other week on Mondays keeping you up to date on school events and other important information. Classroom teachers send out weekly communications on classroom specific information.

PQ Facebook: Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PrairieQueenElementary

School Hours -- 8:05 - 3:05

ARRIVAL

Doors open at 7:50 and the tardy bell rings at 8:05. The drive pattern enters at the northeast side of the school and exits the southwest on Lincoln St. (See Map). Parents are not permitted to exit their cars. Staff members will be curbside to assist students to their entrance door. Please drive up as far as you can on the front drive before stopping to keep the traffic flow moving. The west lot is only for special education students drop off who need escort into the building.

If a student walks to school, parents should designate an outside meeting location to meet others for walking to and from school. If a parent chooses to park in the Werner Park lot, the parent may walk their children across Lincoln, but must leave their children to walk alone across the crosswalk under Safety Patrol supervision.

Students will enter and exit through assigned grade level doors (See Map). Students will go directly to their classroom.

Kids Club traffic can continue around to drop off and pick up in the Northwest parking lot up to 7:45 and from the neighborhood after 7:45.

DISMISSAL

3:00 P.M. -- Van dismissal

3:05 P.M. – All students

3:15 P.M. – The entire campus is cleared of students not accompanied by a responsible adult (parent, guardian, babysitter, Kid’s Club) or attending a school sponsored club. Any students still waiting for rides must wait inside the main front entrance or office.

Prices for 24-25

Elementary Lunch $2.45

Cold Lunch students can purchase milk a la carte for $0.75

Lunch Accounts

You may deposit money in your child’s lunch account through Titan School Solutions or by sending your payment directly to school in an envelope labeled “lunch money” and your child’s name and teacher. Balances on the account at the end of the year will carry over to the next school year or be refunded if/when you move from the District. If you send cash to school, keep in mind we do not keep cash in the office and therefore cannot make change, please send the exact amount you wish to deposit or send a check (to Prairie Queen Elementary).

Times

KG 11:15-11:45

1st 12:00-12:30

2nd 11:55-12:25

3rd 11:25-11:55

4th 11:45-12:15

5th 11:35-12:05

6th 12:10-12:40

Lunch Visitors

A Sign-Up Genius is in place for visitors wanting to come to lunch. The dates for the school year are listed, eight slots a day, for eight total visitors each day. Visitors may bring lunch or purchase lunch here (we need your order in the morning) and will eat at a lunch table with only their student(s) in the hallway.

Communicating an Absence

Please call the front office at 402-514-3650 to notify us if your student will be absent or late for any reason. You may also email amy.rogerson@plcschools.org or kate.hellerthomas@plcschools.org.

If your student is ill, please state the symptoms of the illness. If your child is experiencing a fever over 100.4 they can not attend and must be fever free for 24 hrs without fever reducing medication before returning to school.

Students who need to be picked up early are required to have a parent sign them out. We will NOT call the student down to leave until the responsible adult is here to sign them out.

Our Health Office is manned by a health paraprofessional from 7:50 am to 3:05 pm every school day and our registered school nurse is at the school at least one day a week. The Health Office will contact a parent when:

• A student has a temperature of 100.4 fever or higher
• A student has vomited or has diarrhea
• A student has an injury above the shoulders
• A student has had a bathroom accident

Can medications be brought and/or administered at school?

All medications sent to school require a signed Medication Administration Form to be kept on file in the Health Office. This applies to prescription medication and over the counter medication. You can download health forms here https://www.plcschools.org/enrollment/health-services

• Prescription medication sent to school MUST be in the prescription container, properly labeled to include the student's name, physician's name, and directions for administering the medication at school. Prescription medication will be given w/written permission from both the parent and licensed physician (a current prescription label from the pharmacy will be accepted as written permission from the physician. We cannot administer EXPIRED medication.
• Over the counter medication will be given w/written permission from a parent w/specific instructions for administration and is also required to be sent to school in its original container.
• Cough drops are considered medication and will be treated like any other over the counter medication.

What if my child gets an injury at home?

Injuries sustained at home should be treated there (i.e. sprains, scrapes, bruises). The Health Office has limited supplies of medical stock and cannot provide ice packs or bandages for injuries sustained outside of school.

Shared Food at School

To keep students safe regarding student allergies and other health concerns, drinks and snacks on school property or during school activities will NOT BE SHARED. If your classrooms allow daily snack time, these will also not be shared. This includes birthdays and other celebrations.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidenced- based, tiered framework for supporting students’ behavioral, academic, social, emotional, and mental health. When implemented with fidelity, PBiS improves social emotional competence, academic success, and school climate. It is a way to create positive, predictable, equitable and safe learning environments where everyone thrives.

Every child at Prairie Queen will have a punch card just like the one shown here. When your child is praised for showing safe, respectful, responsible, and kind behaviors at school they will earn a punch on their card. When the card is full, their card is put into their classroom bucket to have a chance to be drawn for the monthly assembly as well as earn a classroom reward. Once the punch card is full, they will get a new card!

Drills

We conduct safety drills throughout the school year to include fire, severe weather and lockdown/lockout drills. If the school is ever dismissed early or evacuated for a real world situation, you will be notified by phone and email via our automated district communication resources. It's very important you keep your contact information updated throughout the year. You can update your information anytime through the Parent Portal on the PLCS App or can call the front office at 402-514-3650/or email amy.rogerson@plcschools.org

Outdoor Recess

Students will go outside for recess every day except when the wind-chill is 10 degrees or below, when lightning is in the area or when it is raining or snowing. Its very important students are dressed appropriately for the weather conditions. If there is snow on the ground, students may bring snow boots to play on the grass fields. If students do not have boots, they will stay on the blacktop during recess during snowy/muddy conditions.

Campus Supervision

Doors don't open for students before 7:50 am and should not be dropped off before that, as there is not adult supervision before staff comes outside to assist with arrival.

Prairie Queen has a full time school counselor to help our student population become successful in all aspects of school. Common reasons students might meet with the counselor are:

• Conflict resolution
• Stress reduction
• Friendship skills
• Anxiety/stress management
• Frequent absences
• Transition struggles

If you have a concern or questions you want to share with the school counselor, you can call 402-514-3653.

Student cell phones and/or smart watches are to be turned off and kept in backpacks from 8:05 - 3:05 at school. All parent/student communication during school hours must take place through the front office. If a student uses a phone/smart watch during the day without permission, it will be turned into the front office until dismissal.

Cell phones/smart watches brought to school are the student's responsibility. The school assumes NO responsibility for loss, theft, or damage to a cell phone or smart watch.

Student Birthdays and Treats

We realize birthdays are a special day to celebrate and we announce every student and staff birthday during morning announcements. If you choose to send in treats for the classroom you can send in trinkets like pencils or stickers, but we do not allow any outside food sent in out of caution for the many food allergies throughout the building. We also recommend signing up to visit for lunch on birthdays, as the kids really enjoy having a special meal brought in just for them to share with a special visitor.

Classroom Parties

There are three classroom parties facilitated by the PTO in October, December and February. PTO will send out a Sign-Up Genius for parent volunteers to help with parties. Only five parent volunteers per class can sign-up for each event due to space limitations. PTO does provide individually wrapped treats for all three class parties, but the food is taken home after the party. The exception to this are the 6th grade parties which are held in the gym.

Spirit Days

Each Friday (or Thursday if we don't have school Friday) students and teachers are invited to wear Prairie Queen spirit wear. The classroom with the highest percentage of spirit wear earns the right to display the PQ Spirit Scroll in their classroom the following week. PTO sponsors PQ spirit wear through 1st Place Spiritwear and can be purchased year round at https://www.1stplace.sale/59769.com