Denham Oaks Elementary School
2024-2025 School Year
School Hours 9:40am-3:50pm
Important Phone Numbers to Remember
Denham Oaks Main Line 813-794-1600
Report an Absence at does.pasco.k12.fl.us, then click on the Report an Absence Tab
Clinic 813-794-1605
Cafeteria 813-794-1678
PLACE 813-794-1692
Bus Transportation 813-794-0520
District Office 813-794-1691
Denham Oaks Website does.pasco.k12.fl.us
If students need to leave early, they must be signed out prior to 3:15pm.
Always bring your ID for signing out students or volunteering- no exceptions!
ENTERING MAIN OFFICE
Every time you come to school between 9:40am-3:50pm, you must enter through the Main Office. You will need to ring the video door bell when you arrive at our Main Office. Our Office staff will ask how they can help you and have you show your ID to the screen prior to buzzing you inside. We appreciate your support with this as this is for the safety of our students and our staff. You will NOT be permitted into our building without an ID to show the video camera.
Volunteers
The 2024-2025 Volunteer Application will be available on July 1, 2024.
Volunteers are a vital part of building relationships between school, parents, community members, and business partners. We truly appreciate the hours our volunteers serve in our schools and the value they add to the educational experience for our students.
To continue to ensure the safety of our students, the District is making several changes to our volunteer requirements and application process for the 2024-2025 school year. Effective 8/1/2024, all volunteers will be required to complete a Level 2 background screening every 5 years. This background check will review records in the state of Florida as well as the national FBI database. The cost for this screening is $41.25 and volunteers will be responsible for this cost. The District will pay the yearly monitoring fee for each volunteer. Volunteers will need to complete an annual volunteer application to ensure accurate records.
Before volunteers can be approved for the 2024-2025 school year, volunteers will need to complete a Raptor volunteer application and this background screening.
Volunteers can access the 2024-2025 Volunteer Application on July 1st, 2024. This application link will be posted on this website.
The District partners with Fieldprint for fingerprinting appointments and processing. Fieldprint has locations throughout the county and many sites are open outside of regular work hours, including weekends. The code listed below is now active. We encourage volunteers to be printed as soon as possible to avoid any delays once the application opens. Volunteers can schedule a fingerprinting appointment using the following link: FIELDPRINT SCHEDULING.
1. Go to the following link: FIELDPRINT SCHEDULING.
2. Select “sign up” if you have never utilized Fieldprint before.
3. Select “I know my code” from the dropdown menu when prompted to do so.
4. Enter the following code, “FPPASCOVECHSVol”.
5. After selecting your appointment, you will be prompted to make the payment.
The following is a list of offenses that disqualify individuals from approval. Backgrounds Screening - Autodisqualifiers.pdf
Any other felony offenses, crimes against children, and/or violence will be reviewed in accordance with the District’s Professional Review Committee. This committee is responsible for reviewing background screenings for employees, vendors and volunteers.
Please note the average processing time for reviewing and approving background screenings is 30 days. We encourage volunteers to complete the volunteer application and background screening early so that they can be approved to volunteer for upcoming events and opportunities for the 2024-2025 school year.
We know this additional background screening places a financial responsibility on our volunteers, but the District believes this step is necessary to ensure we have up to date background information pertaining to all adults that interact with students and staff on our campuses. Our students’ safety is always our first priority.
Denham Oaks Important Information 2024-2025
ABC PROGRAM
The ABC- Assist, Believe and Care program matches community resources with families in need in order to provide basic essentials that will enhance the possibility for the child's success in school. The ABC Program is an example of a school- community partnership. Participation is voluntary and all names are kept confidential. The Guidance Department at the school prioritizes students' needs and matches them to available sponsors. Participant and sponsor applications may be obtained throughout the year in the office, contact Mary Giraldo at mgiraldo@pasco.k12.fl.us for the application and additional information.
ATTENDANCE
It is very important that students attend school regularly and BE ON TIME. To report an absence, please visit our website does.pasco.k12.fl.us. This will prevent us from trying to
contact you to determine the reason for the absence. Absences are marked excused or unexcused based on specific guidelines. Every effort should be made to avoid scheduling vacations or out-of-town trips during the school year. This type of situation interrupts the students' learning. Please check the school calendar before planning. If there is not a stated reason for the absence, it will automatically be marked as unexcused. If a child misses three days without contacting the school or has a pattern of absences, a referral to the School Social Worker will be made. A student is identified as a chronic nonattender or habitual truant when she or he has accumulated five (5) unexcused absences in a calendar month or ten (10) unexcused absences within a ninety (90) calendar day period. At the point the school identifies a student as being a chronic nonattender or habitual truant, the school will begin the process required for truancy. Tardies and early checkouts will also factor into your child’s daily attendance so make sure your child is at school on time and stays all day. Try your best to schedule appointments before or after school or on Early Release Days after 1:50pm.
COMMUNICATION
Communication is a two-way street and it is essential for a positive home and school connection. We work very hard to provide clear and timely communication. This year information will be shared on myStudent and via email. The emails will come from “no-reply” but check the subject line for our school’s name. We will also utilize our Tuesday folders, phone messaging system, parent teacher conferences, email, progress reports, report cards, and our school website and other social media to get information out to our families about all of the wonderful things happening at Denham Oaks. You will need to ensure your email and phone number is up to date in your child’s myStudent account. Our communication systems are linked to that information.
ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL
Arrival: Our tardy bell rings at 9:40 a.m. This is the time school officially starts and students need to be in their classrooms (not getting out of their cars) Children should not arrive at school before 9:20 a.m. as there are no adults available for supervision before this time. Students who arrive after 9:40 a.m. will need to report to the office with an adult to sign into our computerized tardy system. When your child is late for school they are missing important routines to start their day, so please ensure that your child is dropped off at school no later than 9:35am each day.
Dismissal / Early Release: Students leaving before the end of the school day must be checked out at the office before 3:15 p.m. After 3:15 p.m., a parent will be asked to wait for regular dismissal time for car rider, which is 3:50 p.m. Any person who is picking up a child must have permission from the parent, be listed on the child's Emergency Card and must present a photo identification. Parents should schedule appointments after school hours, or as late in the day as possible. If you need to do a change of dismissal, all families MUST fill out the MACH form below prior to noon each day. We ask that you keep dismissal the same as much as you can, so we can ensure your child going home the right way.
https://does.pasco.k12.fl.us/mform/view.php?id=52903
If a parent wants a person to pick up his/her child, even if the person is on the child's emergency card, the parent must notify the school in writing or by a phone call. If notification does not occur, a call will be made to the parent for approval.
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS
Birthdays are a special time, especially for children. It is important for you to make arrangements PRIOR to your child’s special day with your child’s teacher. All food provided in school for birthdays must be purchased from our school cafeteria- you MAY NOT send in store bought food or treat bags for students.
You can contact our Cafeteria Manager at 813-794-1678 to purchase birthday snacks, this must be done 2 weeks prior to the day you are requesting it for. You can also download the order form from our webpage: does.pasco.k12.fl.us.
While every teacher/classroom has a different way to recognize birthdays, it is important to remember that school is NOT a place to hold your child’s party. Party favors/gift bags will not be given out and presents should not be brought to school for a child to open. Please do not have gifts or flowers delivered to school for your child. They will be held in the front office until the end of the day.
BREAKFAST AND LUNCH
Breakfast and lunch are served daily. All students in Pasco County Schools will receive FREE breakfast and lunch this school year. If you want to add money to your child’s account for snacks, you can do so through the online system, cash or a checks need to be made out to Denham Oaks Elementary School and should include your child's student number on the check and your phone number. Children may also bring lunch from home. Students are prohibited from bringing canned or bottled drinks or sodas (carbonated beverages) to school. (The Federal government guidelines prohibit the serving of carbonated beverages one hour before lunch and one hour after lunch.)
We do provide an opportunity for students to purchase a snack. Students are encouraged to eat at least half of their lunch. Parents may contact the cafeteria manager to place a limitation on a child's account for purchase of additional lunch foods or snack purchases. Please clarify with your child if you want them to buy snacks, daily, weekly, or at all. If a child owes any money to the cafeteria then he/she will NOT be allowed to purchase a snack. Free and reduced-priced meals are available for families with special hardship conditions. Applications are available in the school office or on the District website: https://connectplus.pasco.k12.fl.us/do/fns/pascoschoolmeals/
. We are encouraging all families to fill out this application even though we are offering free meals.
***Only Parents may visit and enjoy lunch with their child, once they have earned a lunch coupon from a parent involvement activity. You must have your lunch coupon with you in order to have lunch. These can be earned at family events, conferences, All Pro Dad, etc…
*** During this time you may sit with your child at the tables at the outside picnic table area. You may ONLY take your child to these areas. They must return to class/recess when their lunch time is over and you will need to return to the office to sign out. Guests are not permitted to go to the classrooms or our to recess area.
CELL PHONES AND SMART WATCHES
**NEW CELL PHONE POLICY for all Pasco County Schools
Grades Pre-K through 5: Students in grades Pre-K through 5 who bring WCDs (wireless communication devices) to school must ensure that they remain on silent mode and completely out of view for the entire school day. Classroom teachers may also provide, and student may utilize, a cell phone storage area in their classroom. Students will need to put their cell phones on silent and their smart watches and put them in the bookbags once arriving on campus each day. Please have a conversation with your child prior to the first day of school so they know that they MUST silence their devices and put them away during the ENTIRE school day- no exceptions. Refer to pg. 17 of the Student Code of Conduct for more details and corrective actions/confiscation of device procedures.
DISCIPLINE AND SAFETY
Here at Denham Oaks we pride ourselves on three principles:
Be Responsible – “Doing the right thing even when nobody is watching.”
Being responsible is coming to school on time, being prepared and ready to learn, and using good character. It is important to do what is expected and always try your best.
Be Respectful – “Treating others the way you want to be treated.”
Being respectful is treating self, staff, peers and school property with kindness. Being considerate of others’ feelings and being tolerant of differences in all areas of the school and our community is important.
Be Safe - “Be aware of what is happening around you.”
Being safe is making choices that keep yourself and others free from harm. We work hard on teaching Self Control. This is keeping hands, feet, hurtful words and objects to ourselves.
Parents and families can reinforce these same ideas at home and in the community. When we are all using the same language, a child can truly understand and practice these skills.
Resiliency Education
Guidance and Counseling are an integral part of Denham Oaks’ total educational program. It is developed by certified school counselors and addresses the social, emotional, personal, and academic needs of our students. With the support of teachers and staff, students are provided with comprehensive guidance lessons throughout the year. Throughout our lessons we are helping children to build skills and behaviors to become effective learners and responsible citizens. We look forward to working with your child(ren) and enjoy watching them grow while building positive relationships with teachers, peers and their family.
We are a Silver Level Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS) Model School. Our students have many opportunities to celebrate good choices and we also encourage students to learn from their mistakes. Families are encouraged to be a part of this. You will be able to see your child’s positive behavior points on the myStudent App each day. This is a great way to reinforce the positive expected behavior as well as discuss the behaviors that are occurring that we don’t want to see at school. Students will earn rewards and incentives for earning points each day. We love celebrating our students are earning points and making great choices at school.
HEALTH INFORMATION
STUDENT ILLNESS
Injured or ill students are referred to our full-time health assistant in the clinic for observation. When students have a temperature of 100 degrees or more, are vomiting, or
are sick enough to require further attention, parents will be contacted. All students must be "fever free" without medication or not vomiting for at least 24 hours before returning to school. Do not give your child medication to reduce these symptoms and send them to school. Keep them home if they are truly sick- this will help to stop the spread of germs and infections throughout the school. Parents should not send a child to school if he/she has a temperature, is ill, or injured. Parents must communicate with our clinic assistant before their child returns to school after an illness.
HOME AND EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBERS
If at any time during the year there is a change in employment, address, or phone number, you must notify the school immediately. It is very important that we know how to reach you in case of an emergency. We have had many occasions in the past when we were unable to reach a parent of a child who was very ill or injured. The other emergency numbers should be for someone who will accept responsibility for your child.
STUDENT INSURANCE
Student accident insurance is available at a very reasonable cost. This insurance covers students while traveling to and from school and during school hours. Twenty-four hour protection during the school term is also available. Please check in the back of the school packet of information for
the school insurance form. Accidents occurring during the school day are to be covered by your own insurance. If you do not have medical coverage on your children, give the student insurance your consideration.
STUDENT MEDICATION
Any medication a child needs during the school day must be turned in to the clinic by the parent and given to the child while being supervised by the school health assistant.
Medication that will be given at school includes those prescribed by a physician. No more than a one-month's supply of medication should be brought to the school at one time. If your child is going on a field trip, contact the clinic to make arrangements for a one-time single field trip dose to be placed in a current prescription bottle. You must have a doctor script that states what the medication is, how much is to be given and a specific time it is to be taken each day.
Nonprescription medication will not be given by school personnel unless there is a written request from the physician (dated within the current school year), with directions (dosage amount and specific time to be given), and over-the-counter medications must be brought to school in the original, unopened container.
Medication must be brought in to the clinic/health assistant by an adult. Do not send medication to school with your child in their backpack.
VISITORS
A main goal of ours is to provide a SAFE learning environment and maintain this at all times for both students and staff at Denham Oaks. Visitation to the school needs to be arranged in advance with the classroom teacher and all guests must enter through the front office. We have video doorbell outside the front office- when you arrive, you will need to ring the bell and speak with office staff through the video prior to being admitted into our building. You will be asked to show your ID, so please have it out and ready. ALL Visitors must present a photo I.D. to sign-in and must receive a name tag from the office in order to enter the classrooms. Again all visitors on campus must be prearranged and approved. We don't have visitors/volunteers in our classrooms as this does disrupt our instruction.
There is no provision for a pupil to bring a visiting friend with him/her to school. All parents, volunteers, and visitors must wear a badge while on campus. In elementary schools, Pasco County uses the RAPTOR SYSTEM as a check-in system. This system will require more time on your part when you come into our school. It does a screening with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement prior to clearing anyone to come into our school. All of these procedures are put in place to ensure your child’s safety at school.
EARLY RELEASE DATES and Long Weekends
Pasco County has changed our Student Calendar. We will only have Early Release days during the 2nd Semester beginning in January. Our district has also scheduled long weekends for families. We ask that you limit family trips to these long weekends and not miss necessary school days that are not scheduled days off.
Long Weekends for Families
NO SCHOOL OCTOBER 14th and 15th
NO SCHOOL FEBRUARY 14th and 17th
NO SCHOOL APRIL 18th and 21st
Early Release Days - Dismissal will be at 1:50pm
January 29, 2024 February 26, 2024
March 26, 2024 April 30, 2024
TRANSPORTATION TO and FROM SCHOOL
BUSES: Buses are provided for transportation of children to and from school who live beyond 2 miles from the school. We highly encourage you to utilize the bus service if you are eligible. If you bus pass is not used, it will be deleted from the system. Each student must abide by the rules established in the District's Code of Student Conduct book to ensure the safety of all passengers. Failure to obey these rules will result in suspension of the privilege of riding a school bus. Students are not allowed to get off at a different stop or ride a different bus periodically to go home. Bus stops are assigned based on student’s home address and they are automatically assigned by the District Transportation Department. Students will have dismissal tags put on their backback with their stop information- these need to stay on the backpacks for the entire school year. They will scan their ID tag every time they enter and exit the bus. This will ensure all students are accounted for. You can monitor the whereabouts of your child by downloading the Where's the Bus app. This will track your child so you know when to expect the bus to arrive at your stop.
CAR PICK-UP: Due to safety, the curbside student pick-up area will be for the CAR LINE ONLY. You need to follow these procedures:
- Enter campus through the north gate, closest to State Road 54. Make your first RIGHT.
- DRIVE SLOWLY down towards the south loop and around to the pick-up area.
- If you are in the car line you must stay in your car and in a single file line to pick your child up. Place the issued green car visor card on the passenger side for easy identification. When your car moves up to the car pickup loading area your child will be placed safely in your car. If you do not have a car tag, you will be asked to park and sign out your child in the office.
- All students MUST load on the passenger side and be able to unbuckle and buckle themselves in. If they can not do that, you will be directed to pull up and park so we don’t slow down the dismissal line.
- Absolutely NO CELL PHONE usage while on campus in the carline- we need to ensure everyone’s safety while picking up children.
- The carline goes down Oak Grove BLVD to towards County Line Road. Be respectful and go to the end of the line. Please don’t cut the line by coming down Laurel Ridge or other side streets- others have been waiting in line patiently. DO NOT CUT THE CARLINE.
- We have a lot of cars everyday. Allow enough time in the morning so your child is on time. All car riders should be dropped off by 9:35am so they make to class on time.
- Be patient in the afternoon- we work hard to get all students home quickly and safely. Car dismissal won’t start until 3:50pm. If your child is eligible for school bus, we highly recommend using it- it is much quicker!
WALKERS & BIKE RIDERS:
Students walking or riding bikes to and from school will enter through the front south gate only. A bike rack is available inside the gate. Be sure your child has a lock so they can lock up their bike/scooter/skateboard daily. A bike safety helmet is required by law. Please be sure your child has his/her helmet for school. We will not allow a child to ride home without one. If they don’t have one, you will be called and they will have to walk home or be picked up by car.
Students are required to walk their bike, scooter, or skateboard on school grounds inside the gated areas. Bike riders must use the front gate only for arrival and dismissal. The front gate will only be unlocked and supervised during arrival and departure times.
If you child is going to be a walker and you will come to school to meet them (escorted walker), you will need to have “car tag” with your child’s name for identification purposes. If you don’t have one with you, you will be asked to come to the front office and show ID to be able to pick up you child. No parents/guardians are allowed to park on any streets, in neighbors yards or driveways close to school to walk up and get their child(ren) or have their children walk to them to avoid the carline. Our Oak Grove neighbors need to have their driveways, grass and streets free of cars parked in them. This has been and will continue to be monitored the Pasco County Sherriff's office - please help keep everyone safe and follow our rules for dismissal. This is also a safety issue for our students when they are walking home unesorted (without an adult). If they are a walker, they must be walking home, not around the corner to your parked car. Let’s work together to be respectful our Oak Grove Community!
