School Policies
Safety
Please see the Daily Routine for information about bus safety, drop off, pick up, and playground supervision. See the Emergency Info page regarding health emergencies and disaster preparedness.
Visitors: Sign In! (and secure your car)
Delivering a forgotten lunch? Please drop it off at the office instead of interrupting instruction in the classroom. (And please don’t leave valuables in your car, even when only dashing in to Oxford. Every year, at least one family’s car falls prey to a smash and grab outside the school.)
Adults visiting the school must first sign in at the office and pick up a visitor name tag—this helps us to know who is on campus for security reasons.
Classroom visits should be pre-arranged with the teacher. Most teachers invite parent/guardian volunteers to help in the classroom after the first two weeks of school. School visits should be arranged with the principal.
Attendance Policies
Absences Are Closely Tracked, for Funding and Truancy
State financial support for Oxford is based on the actual attendance days of its students, and our school district is periodically audited. The school district loses about $40 per day for every absence. Family vacations should be planned during summer vacation and other breaks. Even if you call and let us know about family trips, they are considered unexcused absences and documented as such on the attendance record.
After three unexcused absences, you will receive a district warning letter regarding potential truancy issues, per the California Education Code. If the absences continue, a meeting with the district attendance liaison and the principal will be scheduled to discuss strategies regarding how to improve attendance.
Excused Absences
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illness*
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medical doctor’s appointment
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funeral of a family member (1 day if in California, up to 3 days if out of state)
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religious holidays or celebrations
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court appearance
Keep Contagious Kids Home
If your child is sick, please keep them home until they are feeling better. Please keep in mind that we have some medically-fragile students at Oxford and a cold can hit them hard.
*The general guidelines are 24 hours with no vomiting or fever before returning to school.
Reporting Absences
Please call the school office at (510) 644-6300 or email oxfordattendance@berkeley.net and leave a message on the day of the absence. If you forget to do this, you may get an automated call from BUSD regarding your child’s absence. If you aren’t able to call, a dated note of explanation is also acceptable for clearing absences. Just give the note to Kaitlin in the office or put it in your student’s Thursday folder.
BUSD policy states, “A doctor’s note helps verify an excused absence and shall be required if excessive absences due to illness have previously occurred.”
Handling Late Arrivals
If your child arrives late to school, they must first sign in at the office and get a tardy slip before going to class. We need paper documentation of appointments or a dated note of explanation regarding the reason for the late arrival in case of audit.
Students who are 30 minutes late three times are truant according to the California Education Code; this may also trigger a district warning letter.
Early Pickups
If your child needs to leave school early, please stop by the office, sign them out in the binder and provide a dated note when you want your child to be excused early for a medical reason.
Please do not go to the classroom. We will call the classroom for your child to come and meet you in the office.
What to Bring to School
Kids should bring a backpack to school everyday throughout the school year. They should bring a lunch if they are not getting the school lunch. Pens and paper are mostly supplied at school!
Be sure to label your child’s personal items. You would be amazed at how quickly the Lost and Found fills up—so be sure check it whenever you can!
Discipline and Behavior
We are a place of learning, and part of that is making mistakes and learning how to “fix” them.
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Kids need structure, in classrooms and around the school
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Clear expectations—doing things the “Oxford Way”
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Natural and logical consequences
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No shaming, blaming, demeaning
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Build skills to make the right decision
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Learn to use “tools” from their Toolbox.
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Build those connections and relationships
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Build a strong community
General rules that all other discipline rules relate to are:
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Be Safe
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Be Respectful
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Be Responsible
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Be an Ally