For the welfare and safety of all students, we request that students do not arrive at school any earlier than necessary. If your child does not ride the bus, please plan for his or her arrival time to be between 8:45-8:55am. Although teachers arrive earlier, they are not supervising outdoors or in the hallways. Their time is spent in meetings, conferences with parents and lesson preparations. Staff will be ready to receive students at 8:45am. Any students dropped and unattended before this time will be sent to Aventuras. Families will be billed for this time. Classes begin at 9:00am. Students will be marked tardy if they are not in their seats ready to learn at 9:05am. Please escort your student to the office to get a tardy slip if your student arrives after 9:00am. If a child has five or more unexcused tardies, the student, parents and our dean of students will meet to create a plan of action to ensure an on-time arrival each day.

Minnesota school attendance laws require children to attend school regularly. When your child is absent from school, please call the school office (952-746-6020) before 10 am or email attendance@isla.school each day and give the following information:

• Name of Student
• Grade
• Name of Teacher
• Reason for Absence **important** If no explanation is given, the absence will be unexcused

If your child will be absent for any reason other than illness, parents/guardians should contact the school office and your child’s teacher before the absence. When your child returns to school, send a written note to the teacher. If students arrive late, they must be accompanied to the office before going to their classroom so that attendance reports can be corrected. On occasion, you may have to take your child out of classes for a short period of time or before the end of the school day. Please come to the office and ask our staff to send for your student. PLEASE DO NOT GO TO YOUR CHILD'S CLASSROOM TO PICK THEM UP. No child will be allowed to leave his or her classroom early without clearance from the school office. Students are expected to make up all work missed as a result of lateness and/or absences.

In accordance with ISLA's Background Check Policy. ISLA conducts criminal history background checks on all individuals who are offered employment with ISLA and all individuals who provide extracurricular services to to ISLA, except for enrolled student volunteers. However, ISLA may, at its discretion, elect not to require a background check on an individual who holds a license issued by the state board of teachers or the commissioner of education within the 12 months preceding his or her employment with ISLA. ISLA also conducts criminal background checks on all ISLA volunteers who have student contact not under the supervision of an ISLA employee. At its discretion, ISLA may also conduct background checks on other volunteers, contractors, and service providers. You can access ISLA's Background Check Policy on ISLA's website under the Board Policies tab.

Birthday celebrations are a special time in every child’s life. Students may have their birthday be a non-uniform day at school. If a child has a birthday during the summer months, or on a non-school day, the child may choose a day to wear an outfit of his/her choice. Please notify the teacher as to which day this will be. Schools have a responsibility to help students establish and maintain lifelong, healthy eating habits and maintain a safe environment for all students. Due to the increasing amount of food sensitivities and allergies in our environment, we have decided to eliminate edible birthday treats at ISLA. We will no longer have cakes, cookies, cupcakes or any other edible treats in the school for birthday celebrations. Individual teachers will help you find age-appropriate ways to recognize birthdays within the classroom. Non-edible ideas to celebrate birthdays

• Parent donates book to the classroom and comes and reads the book
• Parent donates an indoor game for class
• Parent donates outdoor equipment: hula-hoops, jump ropes, bouncy balls, soccer or basketballs, etc.
• Other: stickers, tattoos, pencils, pens, markers, erasers, play-dough

A safe and civil environment is needed for students to learn and attain high academic standards and to promote healthy human relationships.  Bullying, like other violent or disruptive behavior, is conduct that interferes with a student's ability to learn and/or a teacher's ability to educate students in a safe environment.  The school cannot monitor the activities of students at all times and eliminate all incidents of bullying between students, particularly when students are not under the direct supervision of  school personnel.  However, to the extent such conduct affects the educational environment of the school and the rights and welfare of its students and is within the control of the school in its normal operations, the school intends to prevent bullying and to take action to investigate, respond to, and the remediate and discipline for those acts of bullying which have not been successfully prevented.  The purpose of the Anti Bullying policy is to assist the school  in its goal of preventing and responding to acts of bullying, intimidation, violence, reprisal, retaliation, and other similar disruptive and detrimental behavior.   The full text of ISLA's Antibullying Policy can be found on the school website at the following link

https://www.isla.school/families/school-policies

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ISLA has signed a contract with Pride Transportation to provide busing for ISLA students for the 2024-2025 school year. ISLA will notify families of their stops and approximate time of pick-up and drop-off about 2 weeks before school starts. Our 6th grade students assist our younger students on the bus. In the event that a student is acting in an inappropriate manner, the incident is reported by the bus driver to our dean of students, who will take necessary and timely action.

If your child reports a problem to you, such as teasing, there are several steps you can take. First, help your child brainstorm ideas for handling the problem and offer lots of encouragement to try these ideas. Have your child talk to the driver about the situation. Finally, you may call the dean of students, and she will work with the students. If the problem affects the safety and well-being of others, it should be reported to the dean of students immediately by the student or parent.

Please remember - bus transportation is a privilege, not a right. The privilege will be withdrawn for inappropriate behavior.

Our school day begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 3:50 p.m. Rules for good bus behavior are:

• Enter and leave the bus in an orderly manner.
• Remain seated until the bus stops.
• Keep hands, feet and other body parts to yourself.
• Use quiet voices and speak respectfully.
• Follow the directions of the bus driver.
• Students are required to ride to/from their assigned bus stop. If a student needs to ride a different route or get off at a different bus stop, he/she must bring a note from his parents and have it approved by administration.

Please read more about ISLA's transportation offerings at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mXuobs6-GZ5493Ge98YyX_jswGpN994s/view?usp=sharing

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Because of the potential for damage and/or theft, students are strongly encouraged not to bring cell phones/smartwatches or other electronic devices. Cell phones/smartwatches or other electronic devices are prohibited from being used during the school day to make calls, text (parents or peers), take pictures or play games. School day is described as any time during the day when your child is in class, recess, lunch, or any other type of activity that takes place on school grounds. 

Students that have cell phones/smartwatches in case of an emergency should keep them turned off (or put in airplane mode) and in their backpack. If a student is seen with a cell phone/smartwatches or other electronic items that are being used as described above will have the device confiscated. It will be held in the office or with the teacher until the end of the day. Continued abuse of this policy will result in a parent/student/administrator conference. 

You can help us enforce this policy by not texting your children and calling or answering their calls during the day. Students are not to call, text or message their family members during the school day. If students need to reach a member of their family, they can use one of the phones in the main office.

Our School offers a before and after school child care program called Aventuras. Please contact Aventuras at aventuras@isla.school if you are interested in care for your student(s).

Open communication between home and school is critical to your child’s success. Conferences, open houses, report cards, weekly packets, individual learning plans, e-mails and newsletters are some of the formal ways we use to keep you informed about your child’s school experiences. Please check your child’s backpack or book bag regularly for notes. Please keep us informed. ISLA currently uses an application called Pick up Patrol for the following instances

• Your child is going to someone else’s home after school.
• Your child is riding a different bus.
• Your child will leave school early, or will leave and return during the day.
• Your child's after-school transportation plans have changed.
• Changes after 3:15 pm will require a phone call to the office. Do not leave a message regarding a change in voicemail.

Parent-student-teacher conferences are scheduled in the fall and spring. The purpose of fall conferences is to provide an opportunity for the parent/guardian and teacher to share information about the child and set goals. The purpose of the spring conference is to review progress to that point.

In cases where parents are separated or divorced and one parent has legal custody of a child, the school must have a copy of the court order that determines custody and visitation rights. The school must have legal documentation in order to comply with any limiting court order. State and federal data privacy laws recognize the right of a natural parent, regardless of child custody, to have access to the school records of his or her child. A non-custodial, natural parent may arrange to review the school record of his or her child. A request form to withhold information will be supplied upon request.

At ISLA we want to be proud of our students because we know they will conduct themselves appropriately, showing pride in themselves and their school. Our staff has the goal of establishing an atmosphere throughout the school in which children feel safe, secure and happy with maximum opportunities to learn. Our positive approach to school-wide discipline:

• Consistence with IBPYP Learner Profiles
• Have simple rules
• Build sense of community pride
• Help students identify specific positive behaviors
• Increase students' positive self-esteem
• Generate a positive climate

ISLA behavior guidelines are:

• Work hard on the task or complete the activity assigned by your teacher. You are here to learn.
• Respect the rights and property of others and yourself.
• Belong and be responsible for your education and your actions.

A detailed copy of the school's code of conduct can be found under School Policies.

Allowed tops are solid color long or short sleeved shirts with a collar.Allowed colors are blue (any shade),hunter green, or white.

ISLA Se Habla Español shirts are also allowed tops. These are sold through the ISLA PTO  Spirit Store or handed down in the uniform exchange. Each grade level has an assigned color and all grades are allowed to wear black. Kinder is yellow, 1st grade is pastel blue, 2nd grade is green, 3rd grade is red, 4th grade is orange, 5th grade is purple.

Sweaters and sweatshirts are allowed. These can have hoods, zippers, buttons, etc. Allowed colors are blue (any shade), hunter green, or white. Approved sweatshirts are also available in the ISLA PTO Spirit Store and the uniform exchange.

Bottoms,dresses, and jumpers must be navy blue or tan. Jeans are not allowed. Other notes:

• Clothing should not have any graphics or text except for small logos/labels. The ISLA logo is allowed (not required) and is set up to be added to clothing purchased at Land’s End if desired.
• Long sleeve shirts of any color/pattern may be worn under the allowed tops.
• Leggings, tights, and shorts worn under dresses/jumpers, shorts, and skirts can be any color/pattern.
• Socks and shoes can be any color/pattern. Shoes must have closed toes and will be used for physical education classes.
• No inappropriate or offensive words or graphics are allowed on clothing or accessories at any time, including non-uniform days.

State law requires schools to have the following drills each year:

• Five (5) fire drills
• Five (5) lock down drills
• One (1) tornado drill

Fire Drills

Students will be instructed on the evacuation routes that are posted at strategic areas of the building. If a fire emergency does occur, students have to evacuate at that moment and may not have time to put on coats or jackets. Everyone in the building, including visitors and volunteers, must leave. 

Lock Down Drills

The purpose of lock down drills is to provide safety procedures for students and staff in the event of an emergency that is not fire or weather related. Although we would like to believe that we could never have and intruder or other dangerous situation inside or outside of our school, we feel it is best to be well-prepared so that we could react safely. 

Tornado Drills

State law requires all schools to have at least one tornado drill each school year. For the tornado drill, students will be instructed on taking indoor shelter and the take cover procedures.

Every child enrolled at ISLA has an emergency information file. This is our first reference in case we need to contact you regarding your child. It is essential that the school office maintain accurate address information, home, work, cell telephone numbers, places of employment and names of parents/guardians and caregivers. Please notify our office if there are any changes to this information.

The school will charge an appropriate replacement fee for textbooks, workbooks, library books or classroom materials that are lost, damaged or destroyed by students. 

ISLA provides fresh and healthy lunches that are catered by Racer Cafe and served from 11:00am-12:45pm. ISLA has a pre-order online system to process all meal requests.

ISLA partners with www.boonli.com to provide a secure, fast and easy-to-use online ordering system that allows parents to view the lunch menu, order, prepay and manage student lunches on the web.

All families need to set up a Boonli account. Directions are available on the ISLA website under the Current Families tab and then the Lunch tab.

Lunchroom guidelines are:

• Walk quietly on the way to and from the lunchroom.
• Sit down at a table and remain in your seat until lunch period is over.
• Eat your own lunch.
• Respect others personal space.
• Talk quietly and in a friendly manner.
• Leave the lunch table and floor clean.
• Keep all food in the lunchroom. No food may leave the area.

Free or Reduced Lunch Applications

Families wishing to apply for free or reduced price lunches should download and complete the Application for Educational Benefits form (found on the Lunch Ordering tab under current families) and return it in a sealed envelope to Gianna Castro in the office. Once your application is processed you will be notified of the results of your application.

Students in Need of a Special Diet Statement

If your child requires a special diet or lactose-free milk and you would like ISLA to make an accommodation, please contact Gianna Castro at lchristensen@isla.school. Forms can be found on the ISLA website to request this accommodation.

Gym shoes must be worn to gym class. If a student cannot participate in physical education class, he or she must bring a note from home and/or doctor. An excuse from home will be honored for up to one week, if a note is sent each day. However, a doctor's note is required to excuse participation for more than 3 days. Students still must report to gym classes even if they are excused from participation.

Students will go outside to play on the playground before lunch.  Exercise and physical activity helps children release their muscle tension after several hours in school and contributes to overall wellness, including cardiovascular and muscular strength and endurance.  Recess also provides an opportunity for students to play and relax outdoors and to socialize.  If it is raining, or it is determined that the temperature or the wind chill prevents safe exposure in the winter, an "inside day" will be announced, and alternate activities will be provided in the classroom.  Inside days occur when the temperature falls below 0º F, below -10º F wind chill or at the discretion of the Director.  Students should ALWAYS come to school with appropriate outdoor clothing for the season.  If a family is unable to afford suitable clothing, the Hopkins Family Resource Center is available to assist in securing these items.  You may contact them at (952) 988-5350.

For your child’s protection, it is our policy not to release a student to anyone other than parents or guardians unless we have received a signed and dated note stating the name of the person who has permission to pick up your child. On occasion, you may have to take your child out of class for a short period of time or before the end of the day. Please come to the office to sign them out and your child will be called to meet you in the office. PLEASE DO NOT GO TO YOUR CHILD’S CLASSROOM TO PICK THEM UP. This creates an unnecessary interruption in instructional time for everyone in the room.

ISLA school hours are 9:00am - 3:50pm. Students may be dropped off at ISLA  between 8:45-8::55 am.

Students may be kept in school after regular dismissal time if severe weather poses a danger to them.

Severe weather closures are communicated directly to families via SMS, email, and are posted on the following media outlets:  WCCO TV (Channel 4), KSTP TV (Channel 5), Fox (Channel 9) and KARE TV (Channel 11). 

It is important to make arrangements with friends, neighbors or relatives to care for your child in the event that school must be dismissed early. Make sure your child knows where to go if you are not home. PLEASE DO NOT CALL THE SCHOOL unless it is an emergency. Incoming calls tie up lines at a time when school personnel must use the phones to ensure the safety of all students.

It is the general policy of the School to utilize fair, consistent, progressive discipline to the extent reasonable and appropriate.  This includes consideration of the specific facts and circumstances of individual misconduct, including the intent of the student and what would be fair and appropriate for the student's age and understanding.  The specific form of discipline chosen in a particular case is solely within the discretion of the school.  The full text of ISLA's Student Discipline Policy can be found on the school website at the following link:

ISLA will partake in the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments as all Minnesota schools do. In addition, ISLA will assess all students upon arrival to this new school. A quick, computerized assessment will allow teachers to know where children are in terms of their academic development. These brief exams are given routinely in grades 2-6, thus allowing for differentiation to take place in the classroom. This means teachers will better understand the needs of individual students and will work to meet their individual needs. 

We also assess regularly in Spanish.

Parent Guardian Guide to Statewide Testing and Refusal to Test Form

Parent Guardian Guide to Statewide Testing and Refusal to test Form Spanish

Please inform the office and the classroom teacher of any absences due to family vacations with as much advance notice as possible. Students are allowed up to 10 school days per school year as excused vacation days. Any vacation days taken over that amount will be unexcused.

Parents are always welcome at ISLA. If you wish to visit a classroom, pre-arrangements should be made with the teacher or through the director. Parents are invited to join their child for lunch, but you should supply your own lunch as we pre-order our lunches through Cafe Racer. 

When you arrive, please check in at the office and pick up a Visitors badge to wear. We require all visitors to check in to ensure the safety of all students and staff.