General Policies

Dress Code

At Explore, we believe in encouraging students to celebrate uniqueness and self-expression. We do not have a uniform policy and students are welcome to wear the clothes in which they are most comfortable, within the following guidelines:

  • Students should wear clothes that allow them to run, play, and get dirty.
  • Tops must cover the student's midsection and shoulders.
  • Any graphics or text must be child-appropriate.
  • Bottoms must be of acceptable length (fingertip length or 2" above the knee).
  • Shorts must be worn under skirts and dresses.
  • All shoes must have a back strap (no flip flops or slides).
  • Shoes with high heels are not permitted.
  • At all times undergarments must be concealed by clothing.
  • Accessories such as necklaces and bracelets must be safe for running and playing and must not distract from instruction.
  • Perfume, cologne, or other scented cosmetics or lotions are not permitted.

Extra Clothing

All students must bring an extra set of clothes in the event of a bathroom accident or spill. These should be brought on the first day of school and will be stored at the school site. Please place these clothes in a gallon-sized plastic sealable bag labeled with your child’s name.

Electronic Devices

Students are not permitted to have electronic devices other than a cell phone for family communication outside of school. The full Cell Phone Policy is outlined earlier in the handbook. At Explore, electronic devices include games (Nintendo Switch, etc.), and portable tablets (iPads/Kindles). None of these devices are needed and often present a distraction from successful academics and can compromise our community based atmosphere.

In addition, these items can cause conflict and lead to grief when/if lost or stolen. While Explore obviously strives to prevent theft of any item, the Principal reserves the right to not investigate the theft of an electronic device that not allowed at school. In the event that a student is seen with an electronic device or uses a prohibited electronic device in school, a staff member will confiscate it. It will be returned only after a parent/guardian has come to school to pick it up. Repeated violations of this policy may result in indefinite confiscation irrespective of any costs or fees students and/or their families may incur as a result.

Toys

Students are not permitted to bring toys to school, unless they are instructed to do so by their teacher. Teachers will correspond with parents via written communication appropriate times when students are allowed to bring toys to school. If toys are brought to school without permission, they will be stored in a closet until dismissal.

Food Procedures

Families of students who order the school’s lunch and have particular dietary restrictions should alert the Lead Server prior to the beginning of school, so that school staff is able to describe reasonable accommodations to the student or, if necessary, the family can choose to make alternate arrangements.

Breakfast and Lunch

Children need healthy meals to learn. Explore Community School offers healthy meals every school day. Previously, Explore participated in the Community Eligibility Program which allowed 100% of Explorers to be served free breakfast, lunch, and snack. As of school year 2018-2019, Explore now participates in the Free/Reduced Lunch Program which means that students have to pay for breakfast and lunch on a sliding scale and meal service will be recorded using a Point of Sale system. For Explorers who are paying for lunch, families will be able to electronically upload monies to student lunch accounts and/or pay for lunches at school on a bi-weekly or monthly basis.

Full price breakfast costs $2.00 per day; lunch costs $3.00 per day. Some Explorers may qualify for free meals or for reduced price meals. Reduced price is $0.20 per day for breakfast and $0.30 per day for lunch. We will provide an application for free or reduced price meal benefits so you will know what your contribution for meals will be. All Explorers will be able to receive a snack as we operate an extended day academic program.

Students may either receive meals from the school or bring their own food from home. The school has a serving kitchen and uses Revolution Foods as our food service partner. Since school meals are prepared off-site, the school must have an accurate number of meals that students wish to order.

Families will be given a menu of meals at the beginning of each month and will be asked to opt in or opt out for the entirety of the month so that we can order an accurate amount of food and reduce waste of food or school funds. The school is charged for meals ordered, but not eaten. So we want to be as sustainable as possible and planning for meal ordering will allow us to do this.

Food from Home

It is important that students have healthy, balanced meals and for us to maintain the safety of all of our students. As such, families who decide to provide lunch from home must comply with the following guidelines. If your student is out of compliance with these requirements, inappropriate food items will be confiscated and returned home.

Prohibited foods for packed breakfasts, lunches, and snacks:

  • ALL FOOD CONTAINING NUTS!
  • Soda of any kind (even diet)
  • Full sugar juices (including Gatorade or other sports drinks). Contains less than 10% of juice
  • Candy/Gum of any kind
  • Cookies or cakes of any kind

Suggested items for a nutritiously packed lunch:

  • Water or 100% fruit juice
  • A sandwich, soup or other main dish (Students will NOT have access to a microwave, therefore, please do not send meals that must be heated)
  • Crackers or other snack packs
  • Pretzels
  • Fruit and/or vegetables

Lunch With Your Child

For the 2019-2020 school year, our spacious Community Room/cafeteria can accommodate lunch visits. If you would like to eat lunch at school with your child please make arrangements ahead of time your child’s teacher. Please be considerate of the other students when selecting food to bring to eat with your child. Fast food will not be permitted in the cafeteria

Birthdays

Students are permitted to bring store-bought, nut-free treats to be shared with classmates when the teacher is notified at least 24 hours in advance. Celebrations should be limited to 15 minutes as this is enough time to acknowledge the student and celebrate this milestone. Families can notify the teacher via text, email or through Bloomz.

We recommend families bring cupcakes or cookies that are already prepared in individual servings. Treats will be shared at the end of day at Closing Circle . Birthday treats should be easy and quick to serve. Large productions like pizza parties, for example, are not permitted for birthdays. REMEMBER, NUTS AND ITEMS CONTAINING NUTS ARE NEVER PERMITTED AT Explore COMMUNITY SCHOOL!

Please do NOT bring ice cream, as this is difficult to serve and clean. We will notify you if any of your child’s classmates have allergies and will make sure all snacks are safe for every child.

Parents are not required to send birthday treats to school. Unless directed otherwise by caregivers, the Explore community will sing “Happy Birthday” regardless of whether families have sent anything to school. Invitations for individual birthday parties are not to be distributed at school unless there is an invitation included for every child in the student’s class.

Other Celebrations

We know holidays can be exciting times of year for children. The many celebrations that take place at Explore center on school traditions, academics, or multi-cultural celebrations. These include things such as the 100th Day of School, field trips, Field Day, and others. Teaches will communicate guidelines and additional information about other celebrations.