Elementary

ELEMENTARY

Mission Statement

“The Creativity Private School offers an American education within an environment in which Islamic values are not only respected but also practiced.”

Creativity Private School offers a supportive, yet structured, learning environment where students will develop strong moral ways of life and educational skills using an Islamic and American curriculum for learning. We support the development of positive self-esteem and integrity, enthusiasm for learning, respect for each other as well as for the environment, an appreciation for understanding cultural diversity, and the development of creativity.

We offer a strong Arabic, Islamic, and American-based curriculum with an emphasis on acquiring and developing the student’s English and Arabic language skills. We believe that learning should encompass enthusiasm, challenge, and enjoyment. Our teacher offers opportunities for discovery, sharing, and learning through active involvement, and problem-solving.

We will strive to make the acquisition of learning the English language and reading/writing development strong priorities. These skills are needed to enjoy and obtain mastery in the learning process, as well as in the other academic content areas such as science and social studies. We will provide an open, accepting, friendly, caring, and learning environment in which these skills can be mastered.

Should you have any questions regarding our programs, please feel free to contact us. We are looking forward to a challenging and successful school year.

We look forward to meeting all our parents during our open house, you are encouraged to maintain open communications with us o ensure that your son/daughter will have a successful school year.

OBJECTIVES

In partnership with students, parents, teachers, and administrators, Creativity Private School accomplishes its mission by:

✔	Preparing young men and women as future leaders and contributing members in a global community.
✔	Challenging students to be critical thinkers, creative problem-solvers, and independent learners.
✔	Developing healthy personal, physical, social, and affective qualities through life skills education.
✔	Providing a safe, orderly, and nurturing environment.

Integrating technology as an instrumental tool in the learning process and Valuing diversity and respect for other cultures.

Rights and Responsibilities For Students & Teachers

CPS CODE OF CONDUCT

The goal of the Creativity Private School’s Code of Conduct is to provide an environment of mutual respect, one, which is conducive to learning and ensures the safety of students and staff.

1.	I have a right to learn and teach at the Creativity Private School.
2.	As a student at the Creativity Private School, it is my responsibility to come to school on time and prepared to learn. I must do my best when completing all assignments and follow all classroom and school rules. It is my responsibility not to disrupt the learning environment for others and myself.
3.	As a teacher at the Creativity Private School, it is my responsibility to be on time and fully prepared to teach. I must do my best in preparing for my classes and should ensure that I have tried, to the best of my ability, to meet the needs of my students. It is my responsibility to enforce the rules that guarantee an environment conducive to learning.
4.	It is my right to be respected at the Creativity Private School.
5.	As a student at the Creativity Private School, it is my responsibility not to bully, tease, or harass others. I must use appropriate language at all times. It is my responsibility never to make statements against a person’s culture, race, or religion.
6.	As a teacher at the Creativity Private School, it is my responsibility to treat every person with respect. I should not, in any way, embarrass a student in front of his peers. It is my responsibility to ensure that students demonstrate respect for each other in school.
7.	It is my right to be safe at the Creativity Private School.
8.	As a student at the Creativity Private School, it is my responsibility not to hit, kick, threaten, or in any way physically, verbally, or emotionally harm another person. I should not bring those substances or objects that have been banned by the school. It is my responsibility to inform the administration if a class is unsupervised.
9.	As a teacher, I should provide my students with a safe classroom environment. I must not leave students alone unsupervised and should be alert at all times to situations that could cause harm to others.
10.	I have the right to expect that my personal belongings will not be stolen or damaged by other students.
11	As a student at the Creativity Private School, it is my responsibility to respect the personal belongings of others and to ask permission before borrowing or using another person’s belongings. I should respect school property.
12.	As a teacher at the Creativity Private School, it is my responsibility to enforce the rules that ensure that the property of others is respected.

A – Z CPS Policies and Procedures

A. PARENT AND VISITOR ACCESS TO THE CAMPUS

✔	In order to ensure the safety of the students, staff, and visitors are secure while on the grounds of the school, we have limited access for all parents and visitors during instruction time.
✔	Upon entering the school, all parents and visitors must present their CPR (ID) to the security guard then sign in the guest book kept at the security guard desk.
✔	Parents or visitors will then proceed to the receptionist who will contact the staff member about the appointment.
✔	They must remain in the reception area until the staff member arrives to escort them onto the campus grounds.
✔	UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES is a parent or visitor to pass the receptionist desk without a staff member as an escort and if they are seen on campus without escort, they will be asked to return to the reception area.

B. LEAVING SCHOOL GROUND

✔	CPS is a closed campus providing safety for students.
✔	Students are not allowed to leave the grounds during school hours.
✔	If a parent wish to pick up a student early, the student must be checked out directly with the Principal’s secretary.
✔	Parents must give at least one day notice before a student will be released from the school to anyone else during or after school hours.

C. PLAYGROUND AND TELEPHONE USE

✔	The playground is for use during the school day while being supervised by a teacher.
✔	Students are NOT allowed to play on equipment after school. They are expected to be picked up directly after school unless they are registered for an After School Activity program.
✔	School is dismissed at 2:00 pm. Please be prompt in picking up or arranging transportation for students.
✔	Parents, drivers, and maids are requested to stay at the designated pick-up areas for student dismissal. The school wants to ensure each student’s safety while in our care and following the dismissal procedures helps in this process.
✔	If you encounter any difficulties in collecting a student, please contact the secretary's office as soon as possible.
✔	Student use of the telephone must be approved by the office or at the request of a teacher.
✔	Students are NOT allowed to bring mobile telephones to school. If a student is found to have a mobile telephone at school, it will be confiscated and held by a Principal until a parent comes in for a conference.

D. RESPECT FOR OUR SUPPORT STAFF

✔	Our support staff (security, maids, maintenance, and office staff) is hired to maintain a clean, safe, and secure environment for students.
✔	If you have any concerns with the way they are doing their job you are requested to bring this concern to a principal or assistant principal.

E. PRAYER TIME

✔	Students who are Muslim will pray the Duhur prayer during school hours.

F. CURRICULUM

✔	The primary role is to give each student a firm foundation and the confidence to excel through new experiences.
✔	The core curriculum objectives are clearly defined for each subject area, building on skills mastered at each grade level.
✔	Teachers provide for individual, as well as small and large groups, instruction based upon the needs of the students.
✔	Teachers attempt to relate the experiences of the students in their own culture to those in the content areas being studied so that connections can be made in understanding new concepts.
✔	Text and workbooks are utilized to reinforce the content area skills being taught in the classroom.
✔	Additional resource materials, supplied by the school and teachers, enhance the curriculum as supplementary materials.
✔	The curriculum emphasizes English skills, Reading, Writing, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Special areas of instruction include reteaching for students needing additional support, Physical Education, Art, and Computer.

G. HOMEWORK

Education is a partnership between the school, the student, and the family. The educators at Creativity Private School believe that support at home is an essential part of a student’s education. CPS feels that homework serves five purposes:

✔	to teach individual responsibility.
✔	to serve as an extension of what goes on in the classroom
✔	to give the student practice on a new skill learned in class
✔	to finish something begun in class
✔	to challenge the student by calling for creativity, higher-level thinking, or problem-solving strategies in an area where the student has already shown skill mastery.

In grade one, students are asked to practice reading with parents regularly and will occasionally be asked to show you what they are learning in Math.

At the second-grade level, the students are expected to read daily for a minimum of 15 minutes, building to 30 minutes by the end of the year. A nightly bedtime story lovingly read aloud to the student is also of great benefit and is one of the most important long-term investments a parent can make in his/her student’s education.

Students should do a daily review of the weekly spelling list and should be prepared for a weekly spelling test. Students may also be asked to practice their Math skills or may do occasional work in other subject areas.

Commencing in third grade we begin to take a more formal approach to homework. We believe that home and school should work together to instill the complimentary habits of homework study and free reading. With that in mind, we have established guidelines outlining grade-appropriate expectations for homework and reading. Third-grade students are expected to devote 50 minutes a night to homework/reading. Of those 50 minutes, we would expect on a typical night no more than thirty minutes to be allocated to homework. Some nights students may receive less homework and be able to allocate more time to reading (e.g. 20 minutes of homework and 30 minutes of reading – total 50 minutes). The goal is a consistent 50 minutes of homework/reading per night.

At the fourth and fifth grade level, we would expect 60 minutes of homework/reading per night with no more than 40 minutes being devoted to homework.

At the middle and high school level, we would expect 90 minutes of homework/reading per night with no more than 60 minutes being devoted to homework.

Please be aware that the time an individual student takes to complete a given homework is affected by their skill level in the subject and their individual work habits.

If your student is consistently experiencing difficulty with the amount assigned or is bringing homework infrequently, you should consult the homeroom teacher. In determining whether or not your student is receiving the right amount of homework be aware that your student’s teacher may begin the year giving less homework than the guidelines state and then gradually increase the homework as the year progresses. In addition, be aware that as the student progresses through the grades they may receive larger projects or assignments with longer due dates that would require them to budget their homework time over several days. Please note that homework assignments will not be issued over holidays (extended weekends or school breaks). We would however encourage students to continue to read during these times.

H. Helping Your Student With Homework

A question parents often ask is how to effectively assist students with homework. Here are some suggestions for working with a student.

✔	Wait for the student to ask for help;
✔	Be available and supportive when help is requested;
✔	Focus on the process of the work rather than the end product;
✔	Understand the importance of the student doing the work, even if the final product is sub-standard. After all, the student is earning the grade, not the parent, and teachers need to be aware of problem areas, not have them masked by too much parent help;
✔	Make sure that the student is able to organize time effectively, which may mean investigating with the teacher the amount of work that is getting done in school; if time management is not the source of an apparent overload of homework, then you should communicate your concern to your student’s teacher;
✔	Be sure that the student has a quiet organized place to do their homework. Their homework area should be well-lit and well-supplied with the necessary stationery supplies;
✔	Help the student to establish a homework routine. Homework will become more consistent if it is done at the same time each day.

I. GRADES AND REPORTING FREQUENCY

Progress Reports will be sent out to all students at the end of each term. Teachers may send a progress report home more frequently to report positive news or to keep you informed of trouble areas.

At the end of each semester, a Report Card will be issued. The report card, like the progress report, is to keep parents informed of the student’s performance and effort.

J. GRADE POLICY AND SCALE

The grading policy for subject areas is assigned as:

	90 – 100	80 – 89	70 – 79	60 – 69	59 and below
Elementary	O Outstanding	V Very Good	S Satisfactory	L Limited Progress	U Fail (Insufficient)

K. ACADEMIC PROBATION / RETENTION

It is the policy of CPS to monitor and measure the academic growth of all students. If there is evidence that a student is not progressing in a positive manner, the student may be placed on Academic Probation. Academic Probation will be considered as a means to assist a student over a short period of time.

At the end of each term administration and teachers will review the academic progress of all students. Students were found to have:

Grades 1-5 only:

The unsatisfactory performance will be placed on Academic Probation. Emphasis will be placed on the four core subject areas; English, Arabic, Science, and Math will weighted heavily.

If the student fails to show improvement in the four core subject areas, the student may be retained in that same grade level at the end of the year, and/or outside testing may be required before the family is allowed to re-enroll the student.

L. Student Recognition

Students will be recognized for academics and good behavior throughout the school year.

M. Retention in the Same Grade Level

Any student on school Probation for 2 or more terms and has failed to improve will be at risk of being retained at the current grade level. Parents will be asked to attend a conference with the teacher, counselor, specialists involved, and principal to discuss recommendations in this situation. The principal has the final decision, which will be made at the end of the second semester. He / She shall approve promotions or retention.

CPS Educational Evaluation System and Promotion Policy