Policy Changes


			Washington Hebrew Congregation



		New Attendance Procedures Parents must provide their child(ren) with a handwritten note giving permission for their child to be picked up from school early. The note should include the exact time of pick-up as well as who will be picking up their child(ren) and the person’s cell phone number. The child(ren) should bring the note to their classroom teacher (for 4th-6th grades, to the teacher of the class period from which they will depart early) at the start of class, so that the teacher can dismiss the student at the appropriate time. A few minutes (no more than five) before the scheduled pick-up time, the student should be dismissed from class by their teacher and go directly to the religious school office, where they will wait for their parent/guardian to pick them up. Parents, please note that early pick ups require the adult to walk into the Religious School office and pick up their child(ren) in the office. For safety reasons, no children are allowed to wait outside of the office or building for early pick up. New Policy on the Use of Electronic Devices Bringing cell phones to Religious School should be discouraged by parents. The use of a cell phone by a student, during Religious School hours is prohibited, except in the event of an emergency. If a cell phone is brought to Religious School, it must be put away (in a pocket, unused notebook or back pack), in the “OFF” position, so as not to create a distraction to the educational process that exists. Faculty and staff should use these guidelines when a student has a cell phone that is not put away: 1st Time: Ask the student to put the cell phone away. 2nd Time: Take the cell phone away from the student until the end of the teaching period. In an emergency, if parents need to contact their child during Religious School hours, they may call 202-895-6326 at Temple and 301-279-7505 or 354-3223 at the Julia Bindeman Suburban Center. The receptionist will forward a written message to your child as soon as possible. Bringing cameras, i-pods, and other types of expensive electronic devices to Religious School is prohibited. These devices should remain at home. In the event that they are brought to Religious School, faculty and staff will follow the same guidelines as they would for cell phones. If there are repeated occurrences of cell phone and electronic device use, the teacher or staff member will bring it to the attention of the administrator with whom they work, to discuss how to handle the situation, and prevent it from continuing to occur.