Parents' Corner

 

Welcome to the Doral Academy Elementary Parents' Corner! Here parents can find important information about our school. To help guide you, choose a topic from the menu below. When you're ready to return to the top of the page, simply click on the "Back to Top Menu" link.

Parent Contract

Student Code of Excellence

Uniform Policy

School Policies

MDCPS
Code of Student Conduct
Pupil Progression Plan

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)

PARENT CONTRACT

We would like to take this opportunity to inform you of the following school rules and procedures:

Doral Academy follows a multi-age curriculum and my child’s class placement will depend upon the results of a placement test and/or teacher recommendation.

Ø      Parents are to contact the school office if their child is going to be absent.  On the day he or she returns to school, parents must send a handwritten note explaining the reason for their child’s absence.  A maximum of 10 handwritten notes will be accepted per school year.

Ø      Students may not exceed more than 5 unexcused absences per school year.  If a student exceeds the above stated amount he/she will be issued a referral that  will be placed in the students’ permanent record.. After three referrals, he/she may be dismissed from Doral Academy.

 Ø      Arrival time is from 8:00 am to 8:25 am.  Students must be in their seats by 8:30 am.  Any students arriving after 8:30 am will be issued a late pass.  After ten tardies, the students will be issued a referral form that will be placed in the student’s permanent record.  Please be aware that a student who receives 3 referrals in a school year is subject to dismissal from the school.  We understand that emergencies arise.  In such cases, we will need a letter signed by a parent or guardian explaining the reason for being tardy.  Please note Doral Academy is not responsible for students who arrive prior to 8:00 am, including those enrolled in the before care program.

 Ø    Dismissal time for the following grades will be as follows:

Ø      Kindergarten and K/1 students at 2:00 pm daily.

Ø      Second through fifth grade students at 3:00 pm daily except Wednesdays when all students are dismissed at 2:00 pm.

Ø      Students will remain with a faculty member fifteen minutes after dismissal.  Students who are not picked up fifteen minutes after dismissal time will be issued a late charge of $1.00 per minutePlease be aware that all late charges must be paid by the last day of school in order to register your child for the upcoming school year.

Ø      Students who wish to be dismissed early (on a regular school day) must be sign-out by a parent or guardian in the main office. Students will NOT be release to persons whose names do not appear on the emergency contact card kept on file in the main office.  Students will not be dismissed 30 minutes prior to dismissal time without a previous notice.  There are NO EXCEPTIONS!

Ø      Please note that your child is not allowed to bring any toys from home into the classroom.  There will be designated days in which your child will be allowed to bring certain items to school.  The teacher will keep any toys brought into school until the end of the school year.

Ø      Transportation must be provided or arranged by the parent or guardian.  The school is not responsible for any child’s transportation to and from school.

Ø      Uniforms must be worn everyday.  Students who arrive without the proper uniform will be sent home.  Uniform jackets and sweaters are available for cold days.  No other cold weather clothes must be worn. (See uniform policy attached).

Ø      Doral Academy students must abide by our Student Code of Excellence Discipline plan.  Any student failing to follow the Code of Excellence may be dismissed from the school. (See Student Code of Discipline Plan attached).

Ø      All parents’ volunteer hours must be completed prior to the last day of the school year.  Failure to complete the 30 hours will affect your child’s registration for the following school year.

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DORAL ACADEMY STUDENT CODE OF EXCELLENCE

The Code of Excellence is written for you so that the expectations for behavior at Doral Academy are clear.

We believe that a safe and orderly school is of primary importance. When children behave in a respectful, responsible and safe manner, they learn more and develop into responsible children whose character counts. 

The Doral Academy Code of Behavior is a school-wide plan that clearly outlines student expectations. Proper behavior is recognized and consequences are given for breaking the code.

Each parent must take an active role in supporting this plan. We want our children to learn to be responsible citizens. It is in the children’s best interest that parents and staff work together to ensure a happy, safe and productive learning experience.

The Doral Academy Code of Excellence states that students maintain these qualities:

1.- Be honest

2.- Be kind

3.- Be respectful

4.- Be patient

5.- Be proud

6.- Be courteous

Mistakes are okay, as long as you learn from them.

If a student does not follow  our Code of Excellence, the classroom consequences are as follows:

Classroom Consequences:

1st. Consequence  -  VERBAL WARNING

2nd. Consequence  -  TIME OUT/LOSS OF PRIVILEGES/DETENTION

3rd  Consequence -  PARENT CONTACTED/NOTE SENT HOME

REFERRAL TO ADMINISTRATION WILL BE LEFT TO THE DISCRETION OF THE TEACHER BASED ON THE SEVERITY OF THE INCIDENT.

Administrative Consequences:

1.- ADMINISTRATIVE DETENTION/PARENT CALLED

2.- IN-SCHOOL  SUSPENSION/WORK DUTY

3.- OUTDOOR SUSPENSION

SEVERE CLAUSE:  The administration reserves the right to issue a disciplinary action based on the severity of the violation.

BEHAVIOR NOT TOLERATED AT DORAL ACADEMY:

v     Fighting

v     Anything that could be used as a weapon

v     Language that threatens, is offensive  or insulting

v     Substances  harmful to our health

v     Cutting class or skipping school

v     Damaging  or destroying property

v     Refusal to obey teachers and/or administrators

v     Stealing

Students who continue to exhibit unacceptable behavior after administrative referrals will meet with the Doral Academy Board of Directors for possible withdrawal from school.

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UNIFORM POLICY

We believe that a safe and orderly school is of primary importance. When children behave in a respectful, responsible manner, they learn more and develop  into responsible children whose character counts. For this reason we have a strict Discipline Code for students that clearly outlines student expectations. Part of proper behavior is wearing a school uniform at all times during school hours.

Our uniform policy is as follows:

 v      The minimum skirt length permitted is 3 inches above the knee.

v       Skirts or pants cannot be rolled up in the waist or the hems  to adjust the length.

v      All shirt tops must be tucked in.

v      The school uniform colors are navy blue, red and white. All tops must have the school logo on them.

v      Sweaters must be navy blue, red or  white solid color only. Sweaters and sweatshirts  must not have any designs on them whatsoever.

v      Make up and nail polish are not permitted.

v      Earrings are prohibited on boys. Girl should wear discreet earrings, no large hoops. (This is for their own safety)

v      No body painting or tattoos are permitted. Even if it is a temporary, rub-off tattoos.

v      Boys’ hair should be cut above the collar.  “Spiked” hair should be limited to 1” in height.

ANY CHILD NOT WEARING A COMPLETE SCHOOL UNIFORM, OR IN VIOLATION OF ONE OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED INFRACTIONS, WILL BE SENT HOME FOR THE DAY.  The parent will be notified  and must make arrangements to have the child picked up. Any child that cannot be picked up will remain in the office and their time will be considered an indoor suspension and noted as such in their record. 

Please speak with your children regarding the importance of wearing a school uniform to avoid serious consequences . I appreciate your anticipated cooperation with our uniform policy and thank you  for your  assistance helping your children comply with our rules.

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SCHOOL POLICIES

  • School begins at 8:30 am. All students are expected to be in their classrooms by this time. If students arrive at the reception desk on or after 8:30 am they will be marked tardy. Once you drop-off your children we kindly ask that you leave the building since instruction begins at 8:30 am. PARENTS MAY NOT ENTER THE BUILDING unless you have an appointment with your child's teacher or you need to see someone in the office. We want our students to walk in by themselves in order to become independent. We also want them to have a safe and quiet learning environment. THIS WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED AND IS FOR THE SAFETY OF OUR STUDENTS!

  • Per the attendance contract that you received, students who have 10 or more tardies will be issued a referral. After three referrals, the student will be withdrawn from the school. School begins at 8:30 am. All students are expected to be in their classrooms by this time. If students arrive at the reception desk on or after 8:30 am they will be marked tardy.

  • Per the attendance contract that you received, students who have 5 or more unexcused absences will be issued a referral. After three referrals, the student will be withdrawn from the school. NO MORE THAN 15 UNEXCUSED ABSENCES ARE ALLOWED IN THE SCHOOL YEAR. A note is required after each absence. If the student is absent for more than 3 days, a medical note is required.

  • Per the discipline contract you received, students that do not follow the class and school discipline policies will be issued an administrative referral. After three administrative referrals, the student will be withdrawn from the school.

  • Students must be in uniform at all times. Our uniform polo shirts do not have any type of logo on it other than the words "Doral Academy" or our new "Doral Dragons" logo monogrammed on the front of the shirt. Children should be wearing the Doral Academy polo shirts in red. blue or white. T-shirts, without a collar, even if monogrammed, are not permitted. Navy blue or khaki pants and/or shorts/skorts are the required uniform bottoms. Leggings, tights, sweat pants, sweat shirts, or sweaters not bearing the school logo are not permitted. THIS YEAR, ONLY BLACK SHOES OR SNEAKERS ARE PERMITTED.

  • ROLLING BOOK BAGS WILL NOT BE PERMITTED.

  • Beginning with the first Friday in September, through the end of the school year, students may wear blue jeans to school with their Doral Dragons t-shirts or our new "Doral Academy, Where Dreams Take Flight" t-shirt for a donation of $1.00.This is on-going fundraiserwill help fund our after school FCAT tutoring program.

  • Outside lunches (Burger King, McDonald's, etc.) are not permitted to be brought to school. Students may purchase a school lunch for $2.50 per day, or bring a bag lunch from home. Carbonated sodas, such as Coca-Cola, Sprite, etc. are not permitted nor are glass bottles or jars of any kind.

  • Effective Tuesday, August 15th, all students participating in our lunch program must bring $2.50 per day, or pre-pay the week for $12.50, unless they received free/reduced lunch last year, in which case they will continue to receive the free/reduced price until September 14th. If a new application is not received for this school year, then those students will not be able to continue receiving free/reduced prices. Lunch applications are available by request in the main office. If you have any questions regarding the lunch program please speak with Mrs.Schaeffler in the main office.

  • PLEASE FOLLOW THE DESIGNATED DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP ROUTES THAT WE HAVE ESTABLISHED. WE HAVE SECURITY PERSONNEL IN OUR PARKING AREA AS WELL AS TEACHER ASSISTANTS, THEREFORE, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO DROP-OFF YOUR CHILD AND NOT TRY TO FIND PARKING SINCE IT IS RESERVED FOR OUR STAFF AND THE VISITOR PARKING IS EXTREMELY LIMITED IN OUR LOT. WE ALSO ASK THAT YOU REFRAIN FROM PARKING IN THE LOTS OF OUR NEIGHBORING BUSINESSES AND CROSSING 97TH AVE. THIS IS FOR THE SAFETY OF YOUR CHILDREN!

WE ASK FOR YOUR COOPERATION IN FOLLOWING OUR RULES AND PROCEDURES AS THIS WILL ENSURE A SMOOTH YEAR FOR OUR STUDENTS.

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SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS (SACS)

Our school is very proud to have obtained accreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).  Accreditation standards required the school to meet a set of rigorous academic standards that are designed to preserve the integrity of the schooling process for children.  Since Doral Academy has always maintained this philosophy we felt it was essential to seek accreditation since we are such an effective school.  Our hard work and dedication have yielded an honor that will make a lasting imprint on the teachers, staff, students and parents.

 If you would like more information on the accreditation process, please visit the SACS website at www.sacs.org and click on Commission on Elementary and Middle Schools, then click on Commission Standards and finally on Special Purpose Schools, to view the standards that our school has met to receive accreditation.

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