Policy & Procedure

Inclement Weather - In case of inclement weather we will follow the School District of Lancaster delay or closing schedule.

If the Lancaster City School District is on a one OR two hour delay, the Preschool at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church classes will be on a modified schedule.

Tentative Delay Schedule
1 hr delay schedule                10:00 AM-12:30 PM
2 hr delay schedule                10:00 AM-12:30 PM

Resources for closing and delay information include:

  1. The WGAL listing for School District of Lancaster announcements
  2. Text messages from the Preschool Director (if your mobile number is on file)
  3. Email messages from the Preschool Director (if your email address is on file)

Please make sure you check one of these resources for last minute updates during inclement weather.

Walk your child into the building on a modified day no earlier than 10:00 AM. If you arrive and a staff member is not in the classroom, do not leave your child unattended.

Do not call the church office for information. In an inclement weather situation, no one may be available to assist you. In all cases, use your best judgment regarding the safety of transporting your child to and from Preschool. We ask for your patience as we try to provide you with the best service on snowy days. Our main priority is the safety of the children.

Drop Off - Parents and caregivers are to park in a designated space and bring their children into the classroom no earlier than 9:00 AM. Prior to that time, teachers are preparing for the day’s activities and may be in and out of the classroom. No child should be without supervision at any time in the building. In the event that you need to drop off your child earlier or later, please contact the Director and use the office entrance.

Pick Up - Children will be picked up at the Preschool outside entrance at 12:00 Noon. We ask that parents enter the parking lot from Hershey Ave and form a car pick up line at the top of the walk. For convenience and safety, a teacher will accompany the children to the end of the walkway.

Carpooling/Play Dates - If your child is going home with another student, a note must be brought to inform the teacher(s). No child will be released from our care without a written request from a parent. Please let us know of babysitters, caregivers, friends, grandparents or relatives who will be picking your child up on a regular basis. Children will only be released to those individuals listed in the permission pick-up form provided. Please make children aware of who is taking them home.

Security/Safety - All doors to our facility and church will remain locked during school hours. The Preschool outside door will be the drop off and pick up entrance for all Preschool students. An assigned parent volunteer or teacher assistant will be stationed at the Preschool entrance during that time to ensure the safety of our children. The children will use mainly the Preschool (Youth Lounge) and Philoptochos Hall facilities. The Church Sanctuary will be used once a week for prayer time and when the Preschool calendar indicates attendance to a Divine Liturgy. The children will be supervised at all times.

In case of an emergency or parent visitation to the Preschool after 9:00 AM, please contact the Director.

Absence - Please call the Director’s office to let us know if your child will be absent, so that his/her teacher can be notified, and so that we can keep our records current.

Sick Child Rule - If a child comes to school and appears ill, or becomes ill while at school (i.e. fever, upset stomach, rash, etc.) the parent(s) or emergency contact person will be notified for pick up immediately.

Please keep your child home if he/she displays any fever, vomiting, diarrhea, runny nose with a discolored discharge, or symptoms of any communicable diseases such as pink eye or chicken pox. As a general rule, if your child does not seem himself/herself, is not feeling well, is out of sorts, please DO NOT SEND HIM/HER TO SCHOOL.

If you receive a call to come and pick up your child due to illness, it is expected that you will do your very best to get to school as soon as possible, for the comfort of your child and others.

MedicationAny non-prescription medications that you wish to be administered to your child at any time during hours must be listed and signed off on the medical form in the admission packet. All non-prescription medications must be provided from home.

Medical Emergency - We will make every effort to provide a safe, nurturing and caring learning environment and to accommodate all children. Our protocol under a medical emergency or medical treatment is to exercise reasonable care and diligence under the circumstances. In the event of a medical emergency, we will endeavor to summon trained medical personnel to the site immediately by calling 911.The next step would be to notify the parent(s). If the parent cannot be reached we will call the emergency contact person on the child’s registration and profile form.

In addition to our general approach to emergencies, it is understood that occasionally a particular student may require specific medical treatment in the case of an emergency (e.g. the need of an epinephrine injection in case of an allergic reaction, the use of an inhaler for an asthmatic child, juice or snacks for a diabetic child). Parents who have a child for whom this may be the case, must inform the Preschool Director at the time of application for the school year. The Director, at that time, will determine whether or not the school staff can respond adequately to the specific situation. If acceptable, a release form will be provided that must be signed by the parents and the child’s physicians and returned to the Director.

Child’s Health Report - The Child Health Report form must be completed and signed by a physician. Medical forms must be returned prior to the start of the school year. Please be sure to complete all the required information and any allergies or limitations your child may have. The only required immunization for private preschools in the state of Pennsylvania is the MMR. Recommended immunizations are DPT, Polio, and HIB.

Accidents - Accident forms will be filled out for anything that happens at school to keep you informed, and so that you can watch for any delayed symptoms or reactions that may occur. Minor first aid, emergency medical treatment, and transport are all consented items, which appear on the medical forms you fill-out. We will make every attempt to contact you in the event of a serious injury or emergency, as well as attempt to seek treatment at your preferred facility.

Allergies - Please be sure to list any allergies, especially any food allergies your child may have on the medical forms provided. The Director will make sure that any pertinent information is passed on to your child’s teacher. It is highly recommended that parents, who have a child with severe allergies, make a flyer (including child’s name, picture if available, type of allergy, and reaction) to post in their child’s classroom notifying teachers, staff, and other families of the allergy.

Clothing - Comfortable clothes that can get messy are recommended for everyday use. Children will be taking part in outdoor, down on the floor, and messy art activities. Please do not dress them in clothing that, if ruined, will upset them or you. Please send in an extra set of clothing for your child, labeled with their name, in a labeled small shoebox. Please include seasonally appropriate clothes (tops, bottoms, underwear, socks). Check this box throughout the year, and please remember to replace any items that may have been used.

Field Trips - Field trips for students will be conducted at various times throughout the school year. Permission to participate will be gathered individually for each trip through a parent permission slip. There will be a field trip sign-up form each time, where parents or caregivers can volunteer their time to accompany us and help chaperone our outings. In some cases, a nominal fee may be charged for certain field trips on a case-to-case basis.

Parent/Teacher Communication - Teachers want to be in close contact with you, but talking to parents during class time takes the teacher away from the children. Please contact the Preschool office by phone or send a note in your student’s communications folder if you have an issue you need to discuss with the teacher, and the teacher will call you later that day to speak to you or to schedule an appointment if needed.

Any notes and/or important papers will be sent home with your child in his/her communications folder. Please check it daily to be kept up-to-date. Parents will receive monthly calendars and newsletters highlighting classroom activities. These will provide a guide to your child’s activities for each month. Parents will also receive weekly emails informing them of any changes or classroom updates, including events or trips.

Conferences - Parent/teacher conferences are scheduled during the first semester and at the end of the school year. Parents will be notified and sign-up sheets will be made available for dates and times. Day and evening options will be offered to try to meet the needs of parents. At these times, teacher will discuss your child’s progress, review progress reports with you and address any questions or concerns you might have. If you feel you need to meet with your child’s teacher before or in-between these scheduled times, please contact the teacher to set that up.

Backpacks and Schoolbags - Children should come to school with a backpack or schoolbag large enough to fit a folder and clearly labeled with their name to put their finished work and school communications in. Please check your child’s bag each day for completed projects and artwork.

Birthdays/Name Days - We celebrate birthdays/name days during snack time. Birthdays will be celebrated with a hat and song and name days with an icon and hymn. We welcome parents or caregivers to join in the celebration and add to the festivities. Contact your child’s teacher if you plan to come in or are sending something in, so that teachers can make the appropriate arrangements. Please give us notice if you are sending in a special treat.

Discipline - The staff at the Preschool use a variety of time-tested methods in order to maintain control of their classrooms. All of these methods are used in a gentle and nurturing way, and are in no way related to any physical violence or humiliation. We, of course, will work with parents and other professionals, in order to design the most appropriate programming for all of our students, however, if parents and/or students are deemed uncooperative or unresponsive to our attempts, it will be left to the discretion of the teacher, in conjunction with the Director, to determine at such a time if our Preschool Program is the best placement for the child.

We reserve the right to ask that a child be permanently removed in certain severe cases, which include, but are not limited to, hurting other students or teachers/staff, causing deliberate bodily harm to themselves, violent or uncontrollable screaming or outbursts, behaviors that are known to require special education services in the public school arena, that we feel we are not equipped to handle.

The Policies and Procedures are subject to change. Written revisions will be provided to all parents of enrolled children.