Thursday Connection: General Rules

General Information

If you are new to Thursday Connection, there are some things you should know. Please park in the back of the church and come in the courtyard entrance. There will be a badge scanner on the sign in table--everyone must scan their badges in and out each week; this is for safety and insurance reasons. You will have a family folder on the sign-in table; please check your folder each week.

If your child is a K-3rd grader, there are stickers to put on the back of their nametag. Please write their schedule on the sticker and place it on the back of their nametag. These nametags are to be worn at all times--this is how we know where they need to be. Please remind them of this. Please double check our schedule against yours--we try very hard, but there could be a mistake or two in the batch--PLEASE CHECK IT BEFORE YOU LEAVE. If there is a mistake, feel free to fix it yourself if you are sure we are wrong, then write a note to Beth and leave it in the tuition box, so that we can make sure it's right in our computer. Don't feel that you have to stand in line to see Beth--she will call you if there is a problem.

Adult Etiquette Reminder

We are really sorry that we need to post this, but felt that maybe the adults needed a small lesson on appropriate behavior.

Please remember to wait patiently if you need attention from Beth, Wendy or Dawn.

Please remember to not cut in line to buy lunch tickets or lunch.

Please remember to be kind to all that you meet throughout the day on Thursday. This includes other moms, volunteers, students, and church staff.

Rudeness is not tolerated from the children and shouldn’t have to be tolerated from another adult.

Please remember that we are all here for one common purpose-to raise well-educated homeschooled children who are a testament to the homeschool community. Our children will model the behavior that they witness.

Thanks for remembering these things!

Break Room Usage

We have begun to take note of students who are in the break room more than the one hour per day that is allowed for free. Please remember that we only allow one study hall per week. If your child is spending more time in the break room, you need to come by and pay for the extra study hall. We strongly discourage more than 2/ week, even if you are paying for this because it the children become bored . Please come by and take care of this if you know this email is targeting you. We are making phone calls each week as we check the roster in the break room. The extra study hall is $25 per semester (about $1.50 each week per extra study hall).

For those who are volunteering, the break room is a good place for your children to wait for you, unless they are younger, and then they should go to the nursery. The nursery is only for volunteers’ children and teachers’ children.

The rule about the one hour in the break room is for those students who have a regular schedule that includes more than one unscheduled hour during their stay at Thursday Connection.

I hope this helps clear up any questions.

Fire Drills

Please talk with your children about fire drills. We plan to have one each semester and don’t want anyone to be scared.

Please remind your children that if there is a fire drill and they are for some reason not in a class (maybe they are in the bathroom), they should walk straight towards the nearest exit. An adult will always be at the doors to direct them (this will be written into job descriptions). An adult will always check the rest of the building, room by room and bathrooms before we are all clear. If they are in the break room, they need to line up with the kids and walk orderly out of the building with the group. Teachers will walk their students away from the building and stay in a group.

No Tackle Football

If your child is one of those who love to play football, please remind them that they are not allowed to tackle, and the ball should not go into the road. This is becoming an increasing issue and is non-negotiable. If either of these things are witnessed this week, the game will be finished-please notify your children that this is now a “first offense” rule. Safety is very important and both of these things are dangerous. Assure them that there will be a better playing area at the new facility.

Former Students

Also, as much as we love our former students, there is to be no loitering on the campus of anyone not associated with Thursday Connection currently. Siblings picking up students should be in/ out. The campus includes the building and the grounds. Thanks for understanding. They are not currently covered under our insurance.

Dispose of Gum Properly

Please remind your children that gum needs to be disposed of properly. We picked up several pieces of chewed gum off of the carpet and sidewalks; chewed gum should be placed in trash cans and not thrown on the ground.

Headphones and Ear Buds

Please remind your children that these are not to be used during class time. If we see the ear buds in their ears during class, we will confiscate the player and a parent will need to claim it. The ear buds need to be off—we have no way of knowing if the player is on or not.

No Heelies Allowed

Please refrain from wearing “heelies” to Thursday Connection. We’ve had a lot of problems with scuff marks on the buffed floors. First Cumberland sent out a notice in one of their weekly bulletins asking their folks not to wear these shoes, and we want to respect this policy.

Honor Code When Doing Work At Home

There is another, more serious issue that seems to be popping up more frequently. Please remind your children of the rules/ honor code when doing work at home. Tests must be completed using the teachers’ rules. Most tests are not open book. Most tests are not to be done as groups. Most tests are to be signed by a parent. Over the past 2 weeks, we have had 4 high school teachers notify us that identical tests/ homework are being turned in by their students. Our goal is for your child to learn—our teachers are willing to help them in any way possible. Please encourage them to take the high road and not to do anything questionable. Also, if you have answer keys within your child’s reach, you may want to consider the temptation this may be to your child. If they turn in flawless work due to copying the answer key, but can’t do the work in class, they haven’t learned anything. Do you really want your child moving to the next level of math in this type of a situation? Of course, these things don’t involve the majority of our students, but it is popping up enough that we are becoming very concerned.

Reminder About Knives

Please be reminded that we do have a weapons/ knives policy that prohibits the carrying of any knife onto the grounds of Thursday Connection/ First Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

Please make sure that your children have left their pocket knives, scouting knives, hunting knives, fishing knives, etc at home before they come for the day. If we become aware of any student in possession of any type of knife, the MINIMUM discipline will be asking you to come in, meet with board members with your student, and remove them from class the rest of the day. We reserve the right to immediately expel any student with a knife once the board meets with the student and parent. This is a very serious violation of our rules. Please discuss this in depth with your students.

Late Pick up Reminder

We are noticing that many kids are being picked up later and later. Remember, if your children aren’t picked up on time, no later than 4:45, you risk a late pick-up fee. Please be courteous to us and pick your child up on time. We are all very tired by the end of the day and want to go home. Extra children in the building make it very hard on our cleaning crew as well. If you have a delay in traffic, you must call Beth at 207-9817. This should be a very rare thing.

Library Information

Please remind your children that the library is a “no talking” and "no eating” zone. This is very important with our relationship with the church. I know it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but we really need to provide at least one quiet place where kids can study if they need to study. Also, if you are an adult who uses the library or monitors the library, please help us keep this room quiet. Thanks.

No Loitering In the Halls

Please remind your children, teens, (and yourselves mom) that loitering is not allowed in the hallways. It is a distraction to classes in progress if there is a gathering outside the door. Please visit in the break room or outside.

Please Ask Children To Clean Up After Themselves

Our cleanup crew is having a huge problem. At the end of the day, the food/ drink mess that they are cleaning up is causing them to spend lots of extra hours. We have addressed this with the teachers, but still are having issues. Please talk to your children about cleaning up after themselves. At our board meeting last night, we decided to give this 2 more weeks. If we continue to have issues, there will be a ban placed on food/ drink in the classroom except for teacher supported events (class parties, activities). Our clean up crew is spending too much time cleaning up after everyone else. Thanks for addressing this with your children.

Students Must Stay In Lunch Room Until 5 Minutes Before Class

Another issue...some of the children are eating quickly and then going to their next class…sometimes up to 20 minutes early. For many of our teachers, that is the only ½ hour they have for regrouping and sanity. Please instruct your children that they are to stay in the lunch area until 5 minutes before the class. Our volunteers will tell them when to leave.

Please Respect the Property of Others

Please remind your children that they need to respect the property of other students. Playing “keep away” or catch with other students bags or belongings should not be done. Please remind them that even if a bag is left unattended it should not be touched-just let an adult know that it is there. One student had a camera broken on Thursday because someone decided to toss his bag. Please remind your students that it may seem like a harmless game but they never know what is may be inside the bag.

FCPC Playground Policy

First Cumberland has asked us to notify our families that their policy for use of the playground is 6th grade or age 12 and under.

The policy is intended to protect the younger children, as well as to care for the equipment. Thanks for understanding.

On a few occasions, there have been several episodes of children playing on the playground while waiting for their mothers to come out of the building. This is absolutely not allowed. Children can not be out of the building without an adult present. The playground is right next to the parking lot. Please do not allow your children to go there to play without supervision-this would be a high schooler or adult who is in charge. This is very important for your child’s protection. Please help us enforce this rule.

No Skateboarding Allowed

We have been informed that there is a “NO SKATEBOARDING” policy in effect at FCPC. Please remind your students of this rule.

Please Do Not Bring Visitors to Class Without Permission

Students are not allowed to bring friends with them to class, unless they have first asked permission from Beth or Wendy. Some of our classrooms are small here and are full with the students paying to take the class. Teachers should not be expected to teach to and discipline the extra students. If someone wants to try a class, and the class has openings, the parents should let Beth or Wendy know before class time. Thanks.

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General Rules