Hogarth Country Day School
Established 1980
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Our Policies |
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Scan down to find (in this order)
- Admissions Policy
- Open Door Policy
- Health and Safety Policy
- Attendance Policy
- Illness Policy
- Discount Policy
- Snow Day/Cancellation Policy
- Discipline Policy
- Drop Off and Pick Up Policy
- Payment and Late Fee Policy
- Sharing Policy
- Nutrition and Food Policy
- Personal Possessions Policy
- Field Trip/Special Events Policy
- Party Policy
- Birthday Policy
- Substitute Teacher Policy
- Withdrawal Policy
Policies were reviewed and updated on September 27, 2009.
ADMISSIONS POLICY
We admit children to Hogarth on a “first come
first served” basis according to availability of space in each class. Children
must be toilet trained before admission to Hogarth.
We treat children of all races, religions and cultures with equal respect
and consideration. Hogarth does not
administer any placement tests prior to admission.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children notes
“school readiness tests all have error rates in the range of 50%; that
is, half of the children placed in special programs based on results of
readiness tests should be enrolled in regular programs.
Such tests should not be used to create barriers to school entry or to
sort children into what are perceived to be homogeneous groups.”
We realize that age is a poor indicator of
readiness, and class placement is made according to the wishes of parents upon
the approval of the director. We
believe there is no reason to deny access to a quality kindergarten program to
those children who are developmentally ready for the experience, but miss
the age cut-off date for enrollment in most kindergarten programs.
Children completing the Hogarth Early Kindergarten program are not usually
eligible for first grade entrance the following year if the child is born after
the public school’s cut-off date. Hogarth
has no control over public school admissions policies.
OPEN DOOR POLICY
Parents have unlimited access to their
child while their child is in class at Hogarth. You
are not required to call before coming, and we encourage parents to stop in from
time to time to visit while class is in session. We
ask that you exercise this policy judiciously, however, because all visitors
bring a certain amount of disruption to the classroom.
HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY
Our goal is to protect and enhance the
health and safety of all children and adults at Hogarth. Hogarth
is licensed by the State of
In 2009, we are experiencing an outbreak of a new strain of swine (H1N1) flu. Click here to view a page devoted to keeping Hogarth parents informed about H1N1.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Regular, prompt attendance is crucial to your child’s success at Hogarth. Chronically late EK and PK children miss out on a very important part of the curriculum — the Message. Please call the school if your child is going to be late or absent so that we don’t hold up class for someone who isn’t coming. If your child should have separation issues at the beginning of his or her enrollment, the director will meet with you to make specific suggestions to help ease your child into his or her new role of student. Click here to read an article on easing the transition from home to school.
ILLNESS POLICY
The staff observes for signs of illness
among the children at the beginning of each class.
The following symptoms warrant exclusion from school:
temperature over 99.9 degrees; possibly
contagious skin rashes of undetermined nature;
fever, diarrhea and/or vomiting within the last 24 hours;
evidence of lice, scabies, or other parasitic infestation;
severe and/or persistent coughing; yellow or green nose drainage;
difficult or rapid breathing; yellowish
skin or eyes; stiff neck;
and conjunctivitis (pink eye). Children
diagnosed with strep throat may not return to school until they have had
antibiotics for 24 hours. If you
have to medicate your child in order to bring down a fever or diminish symptoms
of an illness, your child should not be in school.
Children with fresh, drippy colds (even those
without fever) should not be in
school. (The emphasis here is on the
word fresh.
We do not require that a child remain out of
school for the duration of the common cold.) Parents of obviously ill children
will be called to pick their child up from school.
Although we require children to use hand sanitizer or wash their hands with soap and water
immediately after blowing their noses, and we disinfect the hard services such
as tables and chair backs at school daily, one contagious child in the early
stages of a head cold can send that cold through the entire classroom.
Parents should take a common sense approach in determining whether to
send a possibly sick child to school. Ask
yourself the questions, “If this were not my child, would I want my child sitting next
to him or her at school? Would I
want my child sharing toys with him or her at school?”
Click here for H1N1 (Swine) Flu Information and the HCDS Response.
We offer a 5% tuition discount to students
of returning Hogarth families. We offer a 5% tuition discount on the
lesser
These discounts do not apply to registration fees or other miscellaneous charges. Each discount is applied after the other(s) are taken. For instance, if you are a returning family enrolling a child 5 mornings and another child for 3 afternoons, your yearly tuition with the returning family discount would be $2,850.00 and $1,900.00 respectively. Because you are enrolling 2 children, you would receive an additional 5% off the lesser tuition, which would become $1,805.00 Your yearly tuition for both children is now $4655.00. If you pay this amount in full in July, you will receive another 2% discount, bringing the amount due to $4,561.90.
There
is no tuition refund or reduction if your child is absent, withdrawn from
school, or if school must close due
to severe weather conditions.
SNOW DAY/CANCELLATION POLICY
Because HCDS enrolls so many children from out-of-town, Hogarth has a list
of target communities that can trigger a cancellation. (Hogarth does not do delayed openings.) Because Hogarth
does not announce cancellations on radio or TV, this information can be found in
an outgoing message on the Hogarth answering machine. In
the event that ANY of the following communities have weather-related closings or
delays, Epping, Raymond, Fremont, Brentwood, Nottingham, and Lee, EK and CPG
parents should call Hogarth at 679-2097 after 6:30 a.m., and PK parents should
call Hogarth after 10 a.m. to listen to the outgoing message telling whether or
not we'll be having class. If there has been a delay, more than likely we will
not have morning class, but may be able to have our afternoon class meet.
If there is a power outage, the machine will not pick up, and the phone will
just ring nonstop. If this should happen, we will definitely not be having
class. (No power results in an automatic cancellation.) This policy gives
us a bit of leeway in deciding snow day cancellations. If we do have class and
not everybody is able to attend, the lesson plan will be adjusted so that no new
concepts are introduced that day. The
HCDS tuition schedule is structured to compensate for 3 unexpected school
closings. There is no further reduction in tuition for weather-related school closings or
cancellations due to circumstances beyond our control. These days taken
off are not made up. If we have an excessively hard winter and lose more than 4
days of class, compensatory make-up classes will be offered for any days we are
closed over and above the initial 4 days. For example, if we lose 5 days
in a winter, 1 compensatory class will be offered.
DISCIPLINE POLICY
It is our belief that children pay attention to
responsive, caring adults. At Hogarth, we build a positive relationship with
each child, which is the foundation for effective classroom discipline. Hogarth staff members are knowledgeable in
child development and do not place inappropriate demands on our young students. These
things, coupled with a first-rate environment and carefully planned curriculum,
lead to a classroom filled with happily involved children.
When a child needs guidance in the classroom,
Hogarth staff uses positive techniques. These include redirection,
anticipation of and elimination of potential problems, positive reinforcement,
and encouragement rather than competition, comparison, or criticism. Children
are never subjected to corporal punishment or other humiliating or
frightening discipline techniques such as loud, threatening voices. Consistent,
clear rules are explained to children and understood by staff.
All children will learn specific strategies to
help them maneuver through the early childhood classroom and social scene.
They will acquire a level of self-discipline that allows them to develop and
maintain friendships, and be a focused student. We have two classroom
rules that help Hogarth children achieve this level of self-discipline.
Rule number one, everyone must be safe. Rule number two, everyone must
have fun. If a child’s behavior is putting his or her own or another's
safety in jeopardy, or infringing on another’s right to have fun, we remind
the child of the rules and have him or her work with us to develop strategies to
comply with these classroom rules.
We actively teach routines and expected
behaviors, and do not have unrealistic expectations for the behavior of young
children just starting school. Children spend their first few weeks at
Hogarth adjusting to the classroom environment, during which time they will have
large blocks of free time to explore the classroom and start developing
friendships.
We expect, and are prepared to help, children
just acquiring classroom skills and social skills, or children dealing with
separation issues. Teachers build positive relationships with all
students by actively playing with the children and helping each child to make
the “home kid” to “school kid” transition. The Hogarth
classroom is purposely set up to promote cooperative play and reduce the
incidences of challenging behavior. The teachers are ever-watchful for
potential problems, and will intervene before a situation escalates out of
control. A child behaving inappropriately will be redirected to another
activity, and the teacher will stay close at hand until the child’s behavior
is appropriately directed.
If a child is experiencing serious behavior problems, it will
most likely be evident during his or her first few weeks of school. We will meet with
the parents to discuss specific strategies to help their child replace negative
behaviors with positive ones. Serious behavior problems are uncommon, and most
children are fairly typical in their behavior.
DROP-OFF
AND PICK-UP POLICIES
Hogarth
opens its doors for Early Kindergarten drop-off at
If
the parking lot is full when you arrive, please pull over and wait at the side
of the road for it to empty out. Do
not attempt to pass cars in the driveway, as the sides are often soft and many
people have become stuck over the years.
If
someone other than yourself or a person on your pick-up list is picking up your
child on a particular day, please send in a note letting the director know the
name of the person, whether or not your child knows this person, and the
relationship of this person to the child. Without
this information, your child will not be released and you will be responsible
for any late pick-up fees that may be incurred while we try to reach you.
PAYMENT
AND LATE FEE POLICIES
Tuition
payments are due on the first of the month from July through
May. (Parents
registering in August will be required to make the first two payments the day
they register.) Tuition
payments
should be placed in a sealed envelope with your child’s name on it and given
directly to the teacher. If
you pay your bills on-line, please have your bank send the payment to:
Hogarth Country Day School, Post Office Box 391, Epping, NH 03042. Tuition
payments received after the 5th of the month are considered late. Please
include a $5.00 late charge for each day your tuition is late when making your
payment. A
$25.00 fee will be applied to all checks returned for non-sufficient funds.
Please
pick your child up from school within the dismissal period outlined in the
Drop-Off and Pick-Up Policies above. Late pick-ups are extremely inconveniencing
to the staff, and will result in a $5.00 charge for every 15 minutes, or part
thereof, that you are late in picking up your child. Pick-ups made more
than 5 minutes after the dismissal period ends are considered late. This late fee should be paid when
you pick up your child. Please make your check payable to the staff person
caring for your child upon your arrival. Should
someone other than a parent be picking your child up, a bill will be sent to you
at home. Please advise
babysitters and others who may be picking up your child about this policy.
SHARING
POLICIES
EK
and PK classes have sharing (which is like show and tell)
the first Tuesday of each month beginning in October. Children
are free to bring something from home that interests them to share with their
classmates on those days. We
do not allow toys or living creatures. We
have a special toy sharing day in January. Examples of past
sharings include a bit of antler discovered in the woods, a motorcycle helmet, a
set of dentures, dental floss, an old spark plug, a piece of wood that looked
like an elf’s shoe, rocks from someone’s back yard, a mechanical pencil, and
lots of photos of pets, family members and friends.
If your child wants to bring in photos, please help him or her to select
one or two pictures. Please don’t
send in the entire photo album. It
is not necessary for children to bring something in to share.
Sharing time includes the sharing of thoughts and ideas as well as
possessions.
NUTRITION
AND FOOD POLICY
We
offer a very basic snack of juice and crackers midway through each class. If
your child has special nutritional needs, please plan to send in a light snack
for your child each day. From
time to time, parents like to send in a snack for all of the children, which is
fine. Please do not send in cakes,
cupcakes, candy or gooey foods.
PERSONAL
POSSESSIONS POLICY
In
late November, your child needs to
bring a pair of basic, soled slippers that cover the entire foot to
school each day until spring. Slipper
socks and giant novelty slippers are not appropriate.
Boots, including wet work boots, may not be worn in the classroom.
Your
child needs to bring a bag with his or her name on it to school daily. This
bag should be large enough to accommodate the papers and “creations” he or
she may accumulate during the course of class.
This bag should be one that your child can easily open and close on his
or her own. We require that you keep
a complete change of clothes in your child's bag.
If your child has difficulty with the initial home-to-school transition and has a special "comfort" item such as a blanket or stuffed animal, feel free to tuck this in your child's bag. Once your child has made the transition, I recommend keeping these special items at home. More than once over the years, I've had parents making late-night visits to school to retrieve a blankie that was inadvertently left behind.
Please do not allow your child to bring toys from home to school. Children are often "territorial" with their own toys, and find it difficult to share. The Hogarth classroom is well-stocked and offers a huge variety of materials and toys for your child to explore.
Your
child should wear comfortable clothes that are easily laundered.
Students are more inclined to create and explore when they
aren’t worrying about their clothes.
We
do not allow cough drops, gum, candy, or throat lozenges.
FIELD TRIP/SPECIAL EVENT POLICIES (added 9.26.09)
The decision was made in mid-September of 2001 to limit the number of times the children are taken off-campus for field trips. After much parent input, it was determined that in-school field trips (also known as special events) would be the preferred vehicle for offering those beyond-the-classroom experiences that field trips traditionally have provided. There are many reasons to limit off-campus trips for such young children, one of which is the inability of many Hogarth working parents to get time off from work to chaperone. Most parents chaperone because they are more comfortable with their child being transported off-campus under their personal supervision. Many working parents want to chaperone for that same reason, but the option to do so is simply unavailable to them. Any off-campus field trips taken are limited to one or two a year, to locations easily accessible from Hogarth.
Once an event is scheduled, the date and event title is posted on-line on the HCDS website's Calendar page. In depth descriptions of the event, and any fees for the event, will be announced via email in advance of the event. Many private preschools simply charge a non-refundable "activity fee" for the entire year, and collect payment for all scheduled special events and field trips right up front in September. HCDS has never done this simply because snow days and other such unexpected things can end up canceling an already paid for event. Any fees, which are determined by the cost of the event, are due on the day of the event in a check made payable to Hogarth School.
Children who miss the event will not be charged. Parents who have paid in advance and whose child is absent the day of the event, will have their check returned to them. Should this happen, HCDS will pay the difference and not pass along the additional charges resulting from those absences. If chaperones are required, a call for chaperones, with requirements specific to the event, will go out via email.
PARTY
POLICY
As a private school, we choose to celebrate several holidays and milestones with in-school parties. Sign-up sheets will appear on the door a week or so before the party for parent volunteers to sign up to bring party food and party paraphernalia such as cups, napkins and spoons.
For the Halloween party, the children are invited to come in costume. If your child becomes uncomfortable, we will help them change into the change of clothes that should be in his or her bag at all times. Please keep costume accessories such as pointed wands, guns, light sabers, and any other weapons at home. If your child dresses as a Dracula-type character, please keep the fake fangs at home, as well. Fake fangs act as drool receptacles, and a child will typically remove the fangs and leave them dripping on the table.
A week or so prior to the Christmas party, each child will draw a classmate's name to be his or her Christmas Card Buddy. Your child needs to bring a special Christmas card to the party that they've either made or that you have purchased to give to their buddy at the party. Feel free, but not obligated, to slip a sheet of stickers or some other small token (but not money) into the card. Please do not include a gift for the Buddy along with card. That way, we won't have 1 or 2 children with special presents to open while their classmates look on and wonder where their presents are. (Please let the director know early in the year if your family celebrates Hanukkah or Kwanzaa so that we can roll those holidays in with Christmas and have one Holiday Party in December.)
For the Valentine's party, your child will need to bring a Valentine for each of his classmates. You can go to the Class Pictures page (please link from the Blog page) to get the correct spelling of all the children's names.
You can find the dates for most of our parties on the Calendar page. If dates are added, you will be informed via email.
BIRTHDAY
POLICY
We
celebrate each child’s birthday in the same manner.
On his or her special day, we sing our birthday songs and the birthday
child gets a birthday
SUBSTITUTE TEACHER POLICY
Each year,
the director puts together a list of substitute teachers.
She has always recruited her substitute staff from among
the Hogarth parent groups. She has
found parents to be the most responsive, dedicated, committed and caring people
she can bring into the Hogarth classroom.
Substitutes
will never work alone or with another substitute.
One regular Hogarth staff member will be present.
All substitutes must be respectful of children and possess patient,
loving personalities. All substitutes must be thoroughly familiar with the Hogarth
School’s discipline policy, which can be found elsewhere on this page.
If a parent cannot reconcile her or his personal philosophy of child
discipline with the Hogarth policy, we ask that s/he not sign up to substitute
teach
All
substitutes need to be okay with receiving an early morning telephone call (as
early as
Substitute
responsibilities include:
-
morning EK substitutes working from
-
morning CPG substitutes working from 8:20 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.,
-
afternoon PK substitutes working from
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assisting the children with coats, boots, etc. at drop-off and pick-up times,
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pouring drinks at snack time,
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monitoring and assisting children during playtime and on the playground,
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assisting the teacher during lesson and circle times,
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assisting those children who need help in the bathroom, and
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helping the teacher clean the classroom as the need arises (wiping down the tables, wiping up spills, helping put materials and toys away, etc.).
Parents who
wish to act as substitutes should inform the director.
WITHDRAWAL
POLICIES
We
are a small school with a very limited enrollment. If, after registering,
you discover that you are unable to send your child to Hogarth in the fall,
kindly inform the director immediately so that she has the opportunity to fill
the vacancy before the start of school.
If your plans should change and you must withdraw your child after the
start of school, we ask for the courtesy of a 2 weeks notice of your intention
to withdraw. Tuition and fees paid are nonrefundable.
Good communication between parents and
teacher is a primary goal at Hogarth. If
at any time these policies are unclear, or if you have questions about
procedures, call