Burns Park Parent Handbook

Burns Park Elementary

1414 Wells St.

Ann Arbor, MI 48104

734-994-1919

https://www.a2schools.org/BurnsPark

Leslee Bullock, Principal, jonesl@aaps.k12.mi.us

Natalie Konarske, Secretary to the Principal, konarsken@aaps.k12.mi.us

Attendance, bur_attendance@aaps.k12.mi.us

Mission Statement:

Burns Park is committed to providing a safe and equitable educational environment where students, staff, and families feel visible, voiced and valued in content, instructional practices, relationships and opportunities.

Vision Statement:

Burns Park staff will enlighten the lives of the children we serve by becoming immersed in the study of Social & Emotional Learning, Trauma Informed Instructional Practices and a Deeper Dive of developmentally appropriate curriculum. Together we will identify realistic student outcomes, create shared goals and monitor student progress through a culturally responsive and relevant lens every day of the year.

Normal School Day

8:30 AM: Breakfast Begins

8:43 AM: Outdoor Adult Supervision Begins

8:45 AM: Arrival Bell

8:50 AM: Tardy Bell/Instruction Begins

3:53 PM: Dismissal

First Day & Half Day of School

11:50 AM: Dismissal

Last Day of School

11:35 AM: Dismissal

Teachers take attendance each morning and afternoon. If your child will be absent or tardy after 8:50am from school, email bur_attendance@aaps.k12.mi.us or call 734-994-1919. Within your message, please be sure to include details about the absence, for example: Bobby Smith will be out due to illness. He has been vomiting and has a fever. While alerting the teacher of absences is nice, official attendance verification is done at the office so it is critical that you communicate with the office. If your child arrives after 8:50 am, they must get a tardy slip from the office before going to class.

If your child is absent due to any contagious infection (COVID, strep, influenza, pink eye, etc.), please inform us so that we may share this information in the weekly county wide health report.

Parents who wish to pick up their child during school hours should notify the school in advance by 2pm via phone or email. Students who are picked up early must be picked up by 3:30. Anyone who arrives at or after 3:30 will need to pick their child up when the bell rings at 3:53.

When you arrive at the building, please ring the buzzer to let the office staff know you’ve arrived. We will buzz you into the building where you should report directly to the office. Students will only be released to those listed in a student’s emergency contacts and you may be asked to show your ID. Please note that we will not release students to minors. This includes older siblings.

If you need to make a change to your child’s end-of-day plan, please email your child’s teacher by 8:30 am and call the office before 2:00 pm. Examples might include changing the plan from riding the bus to going to parent pickup. The earlier you can alert us the better.

• Any student who arrives earlier than 8:43 am must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. (The cafeteria opens at 8:30 for students who would like to eat breakfast before the start of the school day.)

• Parents may park on one of the streets that are perpendicular to Wells and walk from there. Many park on Olivia, Lincoln, or Martin Place, and walk (or send children to walk) onto the playground.

• All walkers MUST cross Wells street at the Lincoln intersection. (Students may not cross the street between cars or buses.)

• For children in Young 5’s or Kindergarten, parents escort them to their line-up zone and pick them up there at the end of the day.

Bus Drop Off and Pickup

• Buses drop off and pick up on Wells Street.

• Principal and/or lead teachers greet students each morning. Principal and/or lead teachers oversee departure each day.

• Young 5, Kindergarten, First grade, and Second grade students are walked to the bus each day by 5th grade bus buddies or teaching assistants.

• Drivers must make a right turn only when entering and exiting the parking lot to avoid unnecessary traffic congestion, unsafe conditions, and slowing down the process. Therefore, drivers must be heading east on Wells to enter the lot. Please remember to turn right ONLY when exiting on to Wells and continue heading east.

• Children enter and exit vehicles on the curbside/passenger side door ONLY. This is an essential safety consideration. Exiting on the traffic/driver side puts our children at risk.

• Families are encouraged to have children ready to exit when entering the drop-off and pick up zone. If students need to finish breakfast, find belongings, or otherwise prepare to exit the car, it slows the line down.

• There is absolutely no parking in the staff parking lot for drop off and pick up.
• For those with handicap status, please have your handicap placard visible when you park.

In the event you are late to pick up your child please:

1. Report to the main office for pick up.

2. Staff escort all students to the main office who are not picked up after the dismissal bell.

3. The main office will call you to connect about pick up.

*Students are not allowed to be on the playground unsupervised.

If you know in advance that you will be late please:

1. Call the main office, we will have your child report directly to the main office instead of going outside to the parent pick up line.

The Ann Arbor Public Schools provides bus transportation to each student who lives one and a half or more miles from school. Bus service is not currently available to School of Choice families or In-District Transfer families.

All students living within the Burns Park attendance area, and at least 1.5 miles from the school, are assigned a bus stop. Students living closer should walk or use alternate transportation. Please ensure safety by having an adult at the bus stop with children each morning and afternoon. Students should be courteous and safe while awaiting the arrival of the bus.

Alternate Bus Plans

Due to safety concerns and the likely potential of available seats on a bus route, students may not travel home with a friend on an AAPS bus except for an emergency situation that is approved by the school principal. Play dates do not constitute an emergency.

Families must communicate with Leslee if alternate bus plans are needed. Please email Leslee and classroom teacher with the details so that this information can be communicated with the bus driver. Students WILL NOT be allowed to ride the bus without prior written authorization.

Bus Rules

The first responsibility of bus drivers is the safe transportation of passengers. If any student’s behavior endangers the safety of others, the driver will issue misconduct reports. These reports can result in bus suspension. The school administrator is responsible for any disciplinary action for misbehavior on the bus and at the bus stop. Riding privileges may be suspended for up to ten days at a time for serious offenses. Expulsion from riding privileges may also occur.

The rules listed below are provided by AAPS and should be followed by all students:

• Observe bus conduct.

• Be courteous, use no profane language.

• Do not eat or drink on the bus.

• Keep the bus clean.

• Cooperate with the driver.

• Do not damage bus or equipment.

• Stay in your seat.

• Keep head, hands and feet inside bus.

• Do not fight, push or shove.

• Do not tamper with bus equipment.

• Do not bring pets on the bus.

• Do not bring flammable material on the bus.

• The bus driver is authorized to assign seats.

• Have a safe trip.

Families will receive information regarding school closings and cancellations via School Messenger, Ann Arbor Public Schools’ communication system. A recorded message will be sent to your phone and email. School closings and/or cancellations due to severe weather (when the temperature and/or wind chill are below -20°F) or building problems will also be announced on television channels 2, 4 or 7 and over radio Stations WEMU (89.1 FM), WTKA (1050 AM), WQKL (107.1 FM), WUOM (91.7 FM), WNRS (1290 AM), and WJR (760 AM) early in the morning. In case of severe weather, please listen to the radio or television rather than calling the school office. School closing information can also be found on the district web page. You can also call the School Closing Hotline at 734-994-8684.

Occasionally, children may need to take medication during the school day. In accordance with district policy, no medication of any kind may be given in the school unless a physician prescribes it. This includes prescription medicine and over the counter medicine. The medicine must be in the original container from the pharmacy. Medication must be accompanied by the written, signed instructions from the physician prescribing the medication and must be specific as to the time, method, and dosage to be administered. Please request the proper form from the school office. It can also be found here. Written permission from parents must accompany the medication. Instructions on the medication label prepared by a pharmacist are not sufficient. This policy also applies to all “over the counter” medication, including aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, cold pills, and medicated lozenges.

Emergency forms will be online through each student’s PowerSchool account, so that the school has a contact person for your child in the event of illness or an accident. Please assist the school staff in keeping the names and telephone numbers of the contact persons current. Any changes should be immediately reported to the school office i.e., home phone, work, cell phone changes, e-mail addresses.

A student who is injured or reports not feeling well at school is monitored in the school office for a short period of time. Minor cuts and scrapes are cleaned and attended to as needed. Parents may be notified at the discretion of the office staff if the condition is mild. Parents are always notified and the child is sent home if (s)he has a fever or if there is an injury or other condition that prevents the student from a productive return to class. The school nurse is notified and consulted whenever there is a serious injury or apparent medical condition. Students who have been ill must be fever-free — without fever-reducing medication — for 24 hours before returning to school, unless they have been directed to quarantine by a school contact tracer, the Washtenaw County Health Department, or your family physician. Students who have vomited must wait 24 hours from the last episode before returning to school.

Ann Arbor Public School District partnered with Care Solace to support the well-being of students, staff, and their family members. Care Solace is a complimentary and confidential care coordination service that can help you quickly find mental health or substance use treatment options matched to your needs, regardless of circumstance. If you would like to use Care Solace to help you find a provider please click the button below.

We have established procedures to follow in the event of an emergency at school. Fire, severe weather, lockdown, and indoor emergency drills are held to ensure that children know what to do in these circumstances. During an emergency situation, all occupants of the building are expected to respond to instructions of the school staff. In the event of an active emergency, communication from school to home will occur once all district protocols have been followed. Our first priority is to ensure that the safety and privacy of impacted individuals is secure. We will then communicate with the greater school community sharing facts and impact to the student population.

Burns Park Elementary School students are expected to come to school in comfortable clothing appropriate for the classroom. Please help your child consider the weather when choosing clothes for the day. Layers are often a good choice. We will be going outside even if it is rainy (within reason). Please make sure your child comes to school ready to go outside for all weather.

*Pro-Tip: All families are asked to send an extra set of clothes in a gallon-sized ziploc bag for emergency situations. This extra set can be stored in your students locker.

ALL outdoor clothing (coats, jackets, sweatshirts, hoodies, boots, gloves, etc.) MUST be labeled.

We recommend that every family sends the following items to school with the children.

• Water bottle (labeled)

• Lunch (if bringing from home)

• Take Home Folder

**Please check your child's backpack daily to stay up to date with the classroom and to monitor what's inside of their backpack.

Cell phones and smart watches are allowed on school property but are not allowed to be used during the school day for communication. Students must keep their cellphone in their backpack. The school assumes no responsibility for theft, loss, damage to, or misuse or unauthorized use of technology brought onto its property.

Burns Park has a no homework policy. This means there is no expectation that homework will be assigned, collected, or graded.

Students and families may, however, choose to engage in learning practices at home that align with classroom instruction. Examples of school-to-home communication that support this include:

• Classroom newsletters

• Math HomeLinks

• Reading bags/boxes

• Individualized Reading Improvement Plans (IRIPs)

These resources are intended as opportunities for practice and connection. Families are welcome to use them outside of school hours if and when it feels right for their child.

At Burns Park, we believe the most important "homework" is time spent with family, engaging in joyful activities, and finding balance after a full day of learning.

Recess will be held outdoors daily. As a general rule, if students are well enough to be in school, then they are well enough to go outside for recess. Requests for indoor recess must be accompanied by a physician’s statement.

Recess will be held inside when temperatures drop below zero degrees Fahrenheit (including wind chill) or when it is raining heavily.

During recess children are supervised by teachers and/or noon hour supervisors. Students should extend the same level of respect to noon hour supervisors as they do other adults in the building.

Every student in AAPS is welcome to have breakfast and lunch free of charge for the 2026-2027 school year. Students must take a full meal to prevent being charged a la carte. We will utilize a share bin for all unwanted items.

Burns Park is a fruit and vegetable snack only school. If your child has dietary restrictions and needs to deviate from fruits and vegetables only please fill out the dietary restrictions form above so that accommodations may be made.

Please note: candy, chips, and soda are examples of non-snack items and may not be eaten during snack time. These foods don't provide essential nutrients and often cause rapid blood sugar spikes, energy crashes, and long-term health issues. Please avoid sending these types of food as a snack for your child.

Burns Park loves to celebrate and your child's birthdays is no exception. Our tradition at Burns Park is to do so in non edible ways. If you would like for your child to celebrate at school here are a few non food suggestions: you could send in a special game, activity or favor, you could surprise them as a mystery reader, or you could donate a book to the class library. Please consult your child's teacher if you have other non food ideas for celebrating.

Every Sunday at 5:00, families will receive an email from Principal Bullock titled "Family Newsletter". It will contain pertinent and timely school information and upcoming events.

All visitors must sign in at the main office located on the 2nd floor. With the exception of individuals with disabilities all visitors will enter through the flagpole doors this year. The parking lot door will be used for staff with badges only.

If you have an additional destination after you reach the office, staff will assist you.

Please use the following form for all volunteer opportunities.

Burns Park Elementary 734-994-1919

Burns Park Attendance bur_attendance@aaps.k12.mi.us

School Secretary, konarsken@aaps.k12.mi.us

Family Tech Support 734-997-1222

Durham Transportation 734-994-2330

School Closing Hotline 734-994-8684

Community Education and Recreation 734-994-2300