Student
Handbook
“Let your light shine before men in such a way
that they may see your good works and glorify
your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16
General Information
Fairfield Baptist Church
27240 HWY 290
Cypress, Texas 77433
Church Office: 281-373-5446 ext. 1004
Debbie’s Cell: 832-687-9644
Facebook: Sonshine MDO
Remind – Text @sonshinem to 832-924-2709
E-mail: [email protected]
PURPOSE AND GOAL
It is our goal to be a positive influence in each family and share the love of Christ at
every opportunity. We strive to achieve this goal by providing a loving, safe, Christian
atmosphere for children as they learn of God’s love through a wide variety of activities
including Bible stories, prayer, arts, crafts, music, and directed play. The program
promotes intellectual, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual growth.
Children ages 18 months to 5 years old (not yet in kindergarten) as of September 1st of
the current school year may register.
School days are Tuesday and Thursday.
School hours are 9:00 am – 2:00 pm.
Sonshine closely follows the Cy-Fair ISD calendar and holiday schedule.
In case of inclement weather or other emergency, we will cancel if CFISD cancels.
There will be no refunds made on tuition due to cancellations.
REGISTRATION/TUITION FEES
Registration fees help cover the start-up cost for the year and will also hold a place for
your child in school. THIS FEE IS NONREFUNDABLE.
A child is considered enrolled when the registration form is completed and on file, and
the registration fee of $75.00 (for each child) is paid in full.
A waiting list will be kept of the children desiring to enter the program if classes for their
age are full. Openings will be filled in the order the names are placed on the list.
Tuition is as follows:
$190.00 for one child
$361.00 for two children
$532.00 for three children
($1539.00 if paid in full)
($2924.10 if paid in full)
($4309.20 if paid in full)
Supply fees are $125 per child (per school year) and are nonrefundable. Supply fees
are due July 15th prior to the current school year. A 10% discount is given if the tuition is
paid in full for the entire year.
Tuition is due on the first day of school each month. Your tuition is considered late after
the 10th of the month, and a $10.00 late charge is due at that time. There will be a
charge of $25.00 for all insufficient checks.
If a child is out of school for any amount of time, for any reason, full tuition is still due for
that month. If tuition is not paid for any given month, your child will be removed from the
program. Registration fees will be required to re-enter the program with no guarantee of
availability.
Please make all checks payable to FAIRFIELD BAPTIST CHURCH/MDO.
WHAT TO BRING
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Dress your child in clothing that is comfortable and durable.
o Please send your child in closed-toed shoes suitable for running.
Movement and playtimes can be very frustrating for your child if they
are continually adjusting their shoes.
o For girls in skirts or dresses, please have them wear bloomers or
shorts underneath…our children have not yet learned modesty on the
playground! J
o Children still in diapers should wear clothing that is easily manageable
for the teachers to change them. If they are being potty-trained and are
wearing pull-ups, please make sure the pull-ups have Velcro on them
for easier changing.
o Children who are potty-trained should wear clothing that allows them to
be as independent as possible (buttons, belt, and overalls make it
difficult to self-manage).
Extra set of clothing and underwear because all kinds of accidents can occur!
If your child should have an accident and no extra clothes are in their
backpack, they will be changed into extra clothes provided by Sonshine.
Please wash and return the clothes ASAP. (All underpants are new and do
not need to be returned.)
Diapers - Please bring enough diapers for each day. We do not supply
diapers for the children. Please make sure you label the diapers with your
child’s name.
Backpack - Each child needs to bring a full-size backpack (NO BACKPACKS
WITH WHEELS) everyday to carry his/her papers and projects home. Please
make sure the backpack is large enough to hold all their items.
Lunch - Each child needs to bring a ready-to-eat lunch (cut, peeled, and
prepared) along with a drink. We supply the daily snacks.
o NO carbonated beverages, colored drinks, yogurt, or candy. Please
send carpet-friendly items for your child’s lunch.
o The students in Ms. Emily’s and Ms. Vanessa’s classes need to have
lunch boxes. Please be sure to label the lunch boxes.
o We encourage all other students to purchase a divided plastic
container for their lunches.
Comfort items (stuffed animals, blankets, pacifiers) may be brought for the
younger classes (2’s and younger) for rest time. Please – no toys from home.
These items are easily lost or broken and are hard to share with classmates.
There will be designated days for show-and-tell.
PARENT/SCHOOL COMMUNICATION
Communication between parents and MDO will be conducted in the following ways:
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Monthly calendars and newsletters – All planned activities and events
including themes, units, stories, and learning curriculum will be included in the
monthly calendars and newsletters.
Class folders – Each child will receive a folder to be used daily for
correspondence to and from school. We check these folders daily. We ask
that you do the same. Please read all notes and reminders that come
home so that the children will be prepared for upcoming activities and
events such as school pictures, field trips, early release, etc. Tuition
checks can also be sent in using the folder. Please note the area for
indicating any allergies or medical issues your child may have and fill in that
area with that information.
Email, Remind, Texting – E-mail in the director's office will be checked
periodically during school hours. Please e-mail your questions anytime.
Changes in pick-up for your child will be accepted through e-mail. For quicker
response, please text Debbie’s cell or use Remind. These numbers are listed
in the front of this handbook.
Parent conferences can be scheduled at any time. However, the teacher’s
first responsibility is to the children; therefore, do not expect a conference
while class is in session. Please contact the teacher through the school office
for an appointment.
The immediate contact person must have a number that can be reached at all times. All
injuries, accidents, bites and illnesses will warrant a call. If we cannot get in touch with
you, your emergency contacts will be notified.
DROP OFF/PICK UP PROGRAM
We offer car service to all students. You may choose to either utilize the car rider line or
you can come inside and drop off or pick up your child. We strongly suggest that
everyone take advantage of the carline. The carline helps the younger children have
less separation anxiety and the older children to gain independence.
For the safety of all children, unsafe driving through the parking lot during drop-off/pickup times may result in loss of permission to use our line service. It is for the safety of all
children that you do not speed, tailgate, or allow your child to hang out of open car
windows, open side doors of vans, and sunroofs, or ride in a parent’s lap through car
line. All doors must stay closed and secure until a staff member opens the door. In
addition, the car line is a no cell phone area. Please give your full attention to keeping
all of the children and staff safe during this time.
It is our policy for the school staff to bring your child/children to and from your car
through our car line. DO NOT EXIT YOUR CAR WHILE IN THE CAR LINE. A STAFF
MEMBER MUST BUCKLE ALL CHILDREN INTO THEIR SEAT BELT. NO
EXCEPTIONS!! Please place your child’s car seat on the driver’s side to allow safest
entry and exit. All children must have a car seat or booster seat.
Drop Off
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You may drop off your child after 9:00 a.m. If you are dropping your child off,
please enter through the front of the Education Building. Our Sonshine staff
gathers for prayer at 8:50, so please wait by the elevators until 9:00 so as to
not disrupt our prayer time.
We will accept children through the car line from 9:00 a.m. until 9:15 a.m.
After that time, you will need to walk your child into his/her classroom.
Please note that no children will be allowed to enter the building while still
eating their breakfast (or with a bag of food) with the intention to finish eating
in the classroom.
Pick Up
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The only person(s) allowed to pick up your child(ren) are those on your
emergency list. The director/associate director must be informed of any pickup changes in writing by the legal guardian. The director/associate director in
emergency situations must approve any verbal changes. YOUR CHILD WILL
NOT BE RELEASED TO ANYONE OTHER THAN THE PARENT WITHOUT
WRITTEN PERMISSION.
Parents who choose to come into the building to pick up their child MUST use
the front side parking lot and have your child picked up by 1:45 p.m. Once the
children have moved into the pick-up area, parents must pick-up through the
car rider line. Your child’s safety is our first concern, and it becomes too
confusing when parents are trying to pull children out after the car line
process has started.
When picking up your child through the car rider line, please be sure your
Sonshine car tag is displayed where it can be easily read. Please leave it
there until your child is in the car.
Pick-up time for car rider line is 2:00 p.m. PLEASE BE PROMPT. This means
you must be in the car line prior to 2:10. We will stop taking names at 2:10. At
that point you are considered late, and late fees will apply. Please keep in
mind that on special event days, car rider lines are much shorter, so please
be sure to be at the school extra early on those days!
Late fees will be assessed in the amount of $10.00 for anyone not in the car
line by 2:10 p.m. and an additional $5.00 for every 5 minutes thereafter. A
NOTE WILL BE SENT HOME THE FOLLOWING SCHOOL DAY AND MUST
BE PAID PROMPTLY. If a situation arises and you know that you are going to
be late, please call and leave a message on our voicemail or email. Please
realize that calling does not mean that a late fee will not be charged.
HEALTH/MEDICATION
A child who appears ill upon arrival will not be admitted to school for that day. Parents
will be notified immediately when a child becomes ill or injured at school. If your child
exhibits any sign of fever, sore throat, earache, cold, upset stomach, diarrhea, or a rash,
please do not bring him/her to school. A 24-hour period free of these illnesses – without
fever-reducing medicine – is required before your child may return to school.
Please notify the school when your child is ill with a contagious illness regardless of how
minor the illness may be. Information pertaining to the incident and incubation of
contagious diseases will be passed on to the other parents through a memo. This is
required by state law. Confidentiality is assured.
Our staff will not administer medicine, ointment, or lotions sent from home. If a child is
bitten by an insect while on church property, a call will be made to the parent for
approval to administer an anti-itch ointment. Any allergies or medical issues need to be
disclosed so that we, as a staff, are equipped to accommodate any medical situation. A
medical/allergy alert sticker will be placed inside your child’s folder for easy access in a
crisis situation.
DISCIPLINE
Sonshine feels it is very important that teachers have a positive handle on the discipline
in their classroom. The children function better in a structured, yet loving environment.
Our approach is a positive one that helps the children to develop self-control over their
actions. We use methods such as distraction, redirection, and positive isolation (timeout). There is never any form or threat of physical punishment.
Preschool children will be expected to follow simple instructions such as lining up,
walking in the hallway without incidents, sitting at a table when instructed, and focusing
for short periods of time without exhibiting outburst, tantrums, or running from staff.
If a teacher is having excessive difficulty with a child’s behavior or if a child is
continuously harming other children, we may ask for a phone or school conference to
discuss possible solutions. During this conference time it may require the parent to
attend school with his/her child until we feel the problem has subsided. It may also
require a Disciplinary Action Log be kept for a specified amount of time. At the end of
the specified time, a parent conference will be set up to discuss the outcome of this
process.
Although every effort will be made to avoid the termination of a child, Sonshine MDO
reserves the right to dismiss any child for the following reasons:
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Destructive to school property
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Causes deliberate bodily injury or is a threat to other classmates
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Excessively bites, pinches, strikes other children (3 times)
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Referred to the Director repeatedly without obvious positive results
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Inappropriate language
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Striking a staff member in any form or fashion
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Continuously disrupting the learning process of other students
Documentation will be kept on file for behavior not acceptable in a school setting such
as biting, continual misconduct, hitting, throwing toys, and abusive behavior toward the
teachers or students. Our staff is required to send home notices each time a child bites
another child or if a child is bitten by another child. Excessive biting (3 times in a onemonth period) will result in suspension for one week. The safety of each child is our top
priority.
POTTY TRAINING
Children entering the three and four-year-old classes are expected to be potty-trained.
No diapers or pull-ups will be admitted in these classes. All accidents will be
documented and kept on file. Three accidents in a thirty day period is considered not
potty-trained and will be dealt with on an individual basis as per the director. If a child
has a bowel movement, they will be taken to the director’s office, and you will be
required to come to the school to clean and change your child.
BIRTHDAYS
We enjoy celebrating each child’s birthday during the year. It is entirely optional if a
parent wishes to provide a birthday treat for their child’s class on their special day.
Check with your child’s teacher to make arrangements for the day if you wish to send a
treat and to find out the number of treats to send. No cupcakes, please. We ask parents
not to bring items containing chocolate, peanuts, peanut oil, or peanut butter.
FIELD TRIPS
The four-year-old classes will take three field trips per year. Permission slips for these
field trips will be available at Open House. Please be sure to sign and return this form.
In addition, anyone planning on attending the field trips will need to provide a copy of
their driver’s license as well as their car insurance. All students must have a school shirt
and wear them on the field trips. Cost of shirts is $10.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM
Please be sure to sign the Acknowledgement Form at the end of this handbook. Return
the form in your child’s folder. This helps ensure that everyone is aware of the
expectations and requirements of the school.
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All of us at Sonshine hope to make these early years of growing and learning in our
program a wonderful experience for you and your children. Please contact us if you
have any questions.
SPECIAL EVENT DAYS
August
January
8/25
1/3
1/24
8/30
Parent Orientation & Open House
6:30 pm
Sonshine Classes Begin
September
9/15
9/29
Community Helper Visit
(Teacher – Marian Evans)
Make Waves for Jesus
(Splash Day)
October
10/4
10/6
10/11
10/13
10/25
10/27
Oil Ranch Field Trip
(Ms. Emily’s and Ms. Vanessa’s Classes)
Individual Pictures
Jesus is my Superhero (Dress up as a
Superhero)
Fire Truck and Community Helper Visit
(Fireman – Tim Gibson)
Fire Drill
Donuts with Dad (9:00-9:30 am) and Mini
Fall Festival
November
11/3
Community Helper Visit (Policeman –
Butch Black)
11/8
God is my Commander
(Camo Day)
11/17
Thanksgiving Feast 11:30 am
11/22 – 11/24 – Thanksgiving Holiday
No Sonshine MDO
December
Tree Farm Field Trip
(Ms. Emily’s and Ms. Vanessa’s Classes)
12/6
Hats Off to Jesus (Crazy Hat Day)
12/13
Family Christmas Celebration 6:30
12/15
Christmas Parties – Noon Release and
no car line
12/20-12/29 – Christmas Holiday
No Sonshine MDO
1/24
1/26
1/31
Classes Resume
Preregistration Begins for
2017-2018
Class Pictures
Community Helper Visit (Pilot)
Rest in God’s Love (Pajama Day)
February
2/7
2/9
2/14
2/23
Open Registration Begins
Community Helper Visit (Dentist)
Valentine Parties
Saddle up for Jesus!
(Western Day)
March
3/2
Little Beakers Field Trip
(Ms. Emily’s and Ms. Vanessa’s Classes)
3/9
Community Helper Visit
(Vet – Bonnie Cate)
“Bring Your Pet to School!”
3/14 – 3/16 – Spring Break
No Sonshine MDO
3/21
Trike Day (Ms. Mary’s Class)
3/23
Trike Day (Ms. Sharon’s Class)
3/30
Jesus Brightens My Life!
(Color Run)
April
4/6
4/11
4/18
12/1
4/20
4/25
4/27
Individual Pictures
Nursery Rhyme Parade
(Ms. Emily’s and Ms. Vanessa’s Classes)
Community Helper Visits (Librarian –
Mandy Watson)
Spring Sing 6:30 pm
Picnic (Ms. Gena’s and Ms. Erin’s
Classes)
Wild About Jesus (Crazy Hair Day)
May
5/4
5/9
5/11
5/16
5/18
5/18
Noah’s Ark Parade
Community Helper Visits
(Pastor – Jim Daniel)
Mother’s Day Tea 11:30 am
Walk in the Footsteps of Jesus (Crazy
Socks Day)
Graduation 11:00 am
Last Day of Classes – Noon Release and
no Car line
First Day of School Checklist
In order to make the first day of school as enjoyable as possible for both you and your
child, we have provided the following checklist for you:
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Make sure your child’s nametag is on your child.
Display the car rider tag provided on your car’s windshield. If you need more than
one sign, please let us know and we will be happy to provide you with an
additional one.
Make sure your child’s backpack tag is on your child’s backpack. This helps
teachers know exactly what classroom your child needs to go to.
Label all items – lunch boxes, sippy cups, diapers, etc.
Return all paperwork provided at Open House in your child’s folder.
Enjoy your free time – your child is being loved and cared for. Be ready to hear
all about their first day. J
Acknowledgement Form
I have read and understood the Student Handbook for Sonshine MDO. I
understand that any questions or concerns must be addressed with the
director.
Printed Name:
________________________________________________________
Signature:
________________________________________________________
Date: ______________________________