Handbook

Regular school attendance impacts positively on the child’s academic development. The total amount of days that school is in session is prescribed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

ABSENCES

The policies regarding this area are as follows:

• A student who has been absent from school, even for one day, is required to present a written note. Within three days upon the child’s return to school, he/she must bring a written excuse stating the date(s) and reason for absence. This excuse must be signed by a parent or legal guardian. His/her homeroom teacher will document and file this note with the student’s records.
• A doctor’s certificate may be required for absence of an extended nature (3+ days).
• Pennsylvania law dictates that a maximum of ten days of cumulative lawful absences, which include student illness and a serious illness/death in the family, verified by parental notification may be permitted during a school year. When a student has reached this number of days absent, the administrator will notify the parents or guardians with a written warning. In addition, in compliance with Pennsylvania state law, each absence beyond ten cumulative days will require a note from a physician. Students that miss excessive school days without a physician’s note or a note from a parent or guardian are considered truant and are subject to dismissal. The local public school district will be notified of dismissal for truancy and that the child is no longer on our school roll.
• If your child is going to be absent, you are required to call the school. Please leave a message on voice mail. The number to call to report an absence is 215-884-0843. Please call by 7:50 AM. If your child’s name appears on an attendance report from the homeroom teacher and you have not phoned in to let us know, please expect a call from the school to verify the absence or check on your child’s whereabouts. Please help us in this endeavor by calling. Your child’s safety and welfare are of great importance to us.
• In the case of illness, a school official will contact the parents or adult whose name has been submitted to the office with an emergency phone number.
• Any child who stays home without his/her parent’s knowledge is liable for suspension.
• Any child who leaves school without permission will be suspended.
• Absences due to a funeral will be recorded except in the case of a parent, sibling or grandparent through the day of the funeral only.
• One absence due to a high school visit will be excused during the 8th grade year, others are permitted but will count as an absence.
• Family or personal trips constitute an absence. Students are encouraged to be present for school each day. The planning of family vacations during the academic year is strongly discouraged. When it is necessary to take vacation time during the school year, please consult the school calendar and try to take advantage of long weekends when school is not in session. Doctor appointments and vacations should not be scheduled during days on which standardized tests and finals exams are to be given. Please contact the classroom teacher and the office staff directly if there is a need for your child to be on vacation during school time.

WHEN TO KEEP YOUR CHILD AT HOME

• Fever (temperature over 100): Children are not to be sent to school when taking Tylenol (or other aspirin type products) to reduce a fever. A child needs to be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school.
• Abdominal pain
• Diarrhea
• Undiagnosed rash (especially with a fever)
• Sore throat (especially with a fever)
• Enlarged glands
• Excessive coughing
• Inflamed eyes (especially if there is any drainage)
• Green or yellow nasal discharge (This is a sign of infection.)

The school reserves the right to send a child home who exhibits any of these symptoms during the school day. If the parent/guardian cannot be reached, the emergency contacts will be tried.  A child should remain at home at least 24 hours with no fever or vomiting following an illness. By following these guidelines, you will protect not only the health of your child, but also the health of his/her classmates and school staff.

COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

Any student suspected of having any of the following communicable diseases must remain out of school for the indicated time, and must return to school with a parent’s or physician’s note indicating type of treatment. Since these diseases are contagious, school authorities, the main office and the classroom teacher, must be notified. It will be the job of the school to notify the classroom or school community.

LATENESS

Chronic lateness demonstrates a lack of cooperation with school policy. For each lateness, except for bus delays, a parent or guardian must escort the student into the school office.

• If your child is going to arrive late at school, you are required to call the school. Please leave a message on voice mail. The number to call to report an absence or lateness is 215-884-0843. Please call by 7:50 AM.
• A student is considered late if they arrive after 8:00 AM and before 10:00 AM.  Students arriving after 10:00 AM are considered absent for the morning. If a student is late due to bus transportation, the student will not be marked as tardy.
• A parent must accompany the student to the Main Office for an admittance slip. Do not use car line or drop off on Fairhill Avenue. You must park and enter the Upper Building with your student. Older students do not take the place of a parent.
• St. Luke Catholic School has determined that more than ten late arrivals a year or five late arrivals in any single trimester is excessive. When a student exceeds this limit, parents or guardians will be notified by a written warning sent home. Each lateness after that will result in a detention.
• Students who have been late are not eligible for a Perfect Attendance Certificate on the last day of school for the year.

EARLY DISMISSAL

Please make dental and doctor appointments after school hours. When it is necessary for a child to be excused from school before the regular dismissal time, a note must be given by the child to his/her teacher in the morning. A child leaving school early must be picked up by a parent, or an authorized person representing the parent, in the Main Office. Students may NOT be picked up for early dismissal after 2:30 PM.  Students leaving before 2:00 PM are considered absent for the afternoon. 

St. Luke Catholic School believes that an appropriate dress code is important in educating our students. Neatness and cleanliness in personal attire are part of a child’s education and the responsibility of the parents. When a child looks and feels good about him/her self, he/she acts and works accordingly.

The complete school uniform is required for each student every day. Uniforms are to be worn to all field trips and other school-related trips, unless otherwise specified by the principal. Any student not in compliance with the dress code will receive a formal warning. If at any time during the year an exception in uniform is necessary, a note of explanation must be sent to the child’s teacher who will forward it to the principal. This note should indicate the expected date by which the uniform will be complete.

Personal appearance that constitutes a distraction is not permitted. Final approval/disapproval are at the discretion of the principal.

UNIFORM POLICY (Flynn and O'Hara school Code:PA056)

General Rules

• All students must wear St. Luke Catholic School uniform pieces with logos. NO logos, Nike Elite sport socks, or the like, are permitted with the school uniform with the exception being on gym days.
• Boys and girls may not wear non-religious necklaces, bracelets, or rings.
• Girls may wear post earrings. No dangling earrings (extension below the earlobe) are permitted. Boys may not wear earrings.
• Girls may wear clear or neutral nail polish; colored nail polish is not permitted. Boys may not wear nail polish.
• No students may wear make-up.
• Students may not have tattoos.
• Boys’ hair must be kept trimmed and above the eyes and collar. Girls’ hair must be neat and out of the face. No hair dye, hair extensions, feathers, scarves, head coverings, or thread wrappings are permitted. Hair accessories are limited to navy or white barrettes, ponytail elastics, and headbands.
• All shirts (without the banded bottoms) MUST BE TUCKED IN AT ALL TIMES.
• Only the neckline of a plain white undershirt may be visible under the shirt.
• Belts must be worn with pants or shorts by boys in grades 1-8.
• Sneakers (for gym class, preschool, and kindergarten) should not have lights, wheels or make sounds of any kind.

• Girls' uniform jumpers/kilt must be at least fingertip length.

  Dress Code Violations:

• Parents will be contacted by school personnel to provide the correct uniform for their child.
• After three violations, a student will serve a lunch detention.

TAG DAYS

Tag days occur occasionally throughout the year. These days are a special privilege, subject to proper attire, and warrant everyone’s full cooperation. Midsections, backs, and shoulders must be covered. All tops must be short-sleeved or longer. Scoop or V-necked tops must not be too low. Pajamas are not acceptable at any time. T-shirts with words or images deemed inappropriate by school staff are not permitted. Shoes must be flat and have a backing or strap at the heel for recess and stairwell safety. Students in Grades 4-8 may only wear shorts of Bermuda length, slightly above the knee, or longer. Capris are also an option for girls. Skirt length requirements mirror those of the regular uniform. Leggings may only be worn with a longer top at least fingertip length. Any student not following the guidelines will be required to call home for a change of clothes.

Homework is given for the following reasons: to foster habits of independent work-study, to reinforce learning that has taken place in school, and to bring home and school together. Each teacher sets up his/her own policy for home assignments. Parents should provide a good study atmosphere, set a definite time for homework each day, and check the homework to ascertain that it has been completed. It is important, however, that parents recognize that homework is the student’s responsibility; they should not assume that responsibility for the child. If there is a problem about assigned work, parents should contact the teacher involved by sending a note.
The Office of Catholic Education suggests the following time allotments for daily homework (includes both written and study assignments):

• Grades 1 and 2: 30 minutes
• Grades 3 and 4: 60 minutes
• Grades 5 and 6: 90 minutes
• Grades 7 and 8: 120 minutes

The school realizes that teachers, students, and subjects vary. The objective is not time, but the extension of learning beyond class time.

All written assignments should be done neatly and legibly. No assignment, projected by a teacher to take a few weeks, can be done overnight or in one weekend. Rather, students should approach long-term assignments by evenly distributing the work over a period of time and not procrastinating until the due date. These time-management skills provide vital training for the future. Parents’ signatures on homework are at the discretion of the individual teacher. The teacher reserves the right to detain students during recess for the purpose of completing assignments not submitted.

Homework Illness Policy

In the event of absence or suspension, all homework and missed assignments are to be made up.
For short absences, students should make arrangements with classmates, check assignments online or obtain them when they return to school. If a student is absent, parents may call the main office for homework before 10:00AM. Homework may be picked up in the main office after 3:00PM.

Homework Vacation Policy

Parents are strongly discouraged from planning vacations during the academic year. While family time is certainly valuable, interruption in the educational process places a burden on the child to learn and make up the required schoolwork. Prior to the extended absence, the school must be notified. Schoolwork will not be given to the student prior to their vacation as this work is a follow-up to the teacher’s instruction. It is the responsibility of the student, upon returning, to meet with the teacher/teachers to discuss plans for making up all missed work and tests. It is also the responsibility of the student to make up the missed work within a week of returning.

In the beginning of the school year, parents/guardians are asked how their child/children will arrive at and leave school. Should a change in student transportation be necessary (for example, a student will be a car rider instead of a bus rider), a note signed by the parent/guardian must be given to the student’s teacher, specifying the nature of the change and the dates affected. A written note is necessary for any change, even if it is for one day.

BUS

The local public school districts provide bus transportation for students. Children who ride the bus are expected to behave in a safe and orderly manner at all times. Failure to do so will result in their being denied the privilege of riding the bus. The safety of all bus passengers is the responsibility of the bus driver who has authority to make any necessary safety rules, in addition to the rules of the Bureau of Traffic Safety of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Children must ride the same bus both morning and afternoon as assigned to them by the school district. Please do not request permission, written or verbal, from the Principal for a student who is a non-rider to take the bus to any location on a given day. The school is not in a position to grant such a request. If you wish to pursue such a change, you may call the transportation office of the local public school district.

Arrival

• All buses will unload students at the front door of the Upper Building on Fairhill Avenue; therefore no parents or guardians may drop-off or park on Fairhill Avenue or Sylvania Avenue.
• Beginning at 7:45 AM, faculty members will supervise students in Grades 3-8 entering the Upper Building and students in Grades K-2 entering the Lower Building school yard.

Dismissal

Students will proceed to their bus following announcement via orderly lines of bus riders to the parking lot behind the school, supervised by faculty members.

CAR LINE PROCEDURES

Use of a mobile phone while driving in the parking lot is not permitted.

Arrival

Beginning at 7:45 AM, faculty members will be in the parking lot and school yard:

• Parents/guardians dropping children off in the morning who want to walk their children to their class line must park in the parking lot behind school entering from Roberts Avenue and walk their children to their class line. All parked cars must exit the parking lot by 8:10 AM.
• Parents/guardians in the car drop-off line must remain in their cars in single file, entering the parking lot from Roberts Avenue. Children are not to be let out of the car until the car reaches the staff person on duty (at the location of the school playground). After the child has safely exited the car, parents/guardians will continue to Easton Road to exit.
• The safest option is to drop-off children in the school/church parking lot. Parents/guardians may not drop-off children on Roberts Avenue, Fairhill Avenue, or Sylvania Avenue.

Dismissal

• Beginning at 2:55 PM, all traffic must enter from Roberts Avenue and proceed to form two single lines along the right side of the parking lot.
• Faculty members will instruct children to enter the cars. When the children are safely in the car, the car will exit by making a right hand turn onto Easton Road. Please do not pass other vehicles in the car line.
• DO NOT attempt to avert this dismissal procedure, as in doing so, you threaten the safety of the children in our charge.

WALKERS

Arrival

• Faculty members will supervise the arrival procedures beginning at 7:45 AM. The opening school bell rings at 8:00 AM and students arriving after this time will be considered late.
• Students in grades 3-8 will enter the Upper Building upon arrival and proceed directly to their homerooms.
• Students in grades K-2 will enter the school yard behind the Lower Building and join their classroom lines.

Dismissal

With faculty supervision, children will be dismissed via Roberts Avenue or Easton Road to walk home beginning at 3:00 PM.

INCLEMENT WEATHER

All students will enter either the Upper Building or Lower Building and proceed immediately to their homerooms.

HALF-DAY SESSIONS

Students will have a half-day of school on certain days throughout the year. On a scheduled half-day of school, students are dismissed at noon following normal dismissal practices.

St. Luke Catholic School admits students of any race, color, national, or ethnic origin to all of the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to its students. The school does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national, or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, its admission policy, or in any school-administered program.

St. Luke Catholic School endeavors to accommodate students with special needs as the school’s resources and capabilities reasonably permit. The school reserves the right to decline admission or impose reasonable conditions of attendance where indicated under the circumstances.

The necessary forms and certificates for admission are:

1.  Birth Certificate
2.  Baptismal certificate (if not batized at Saint Luke the Evangelist Church)
3.  A certificate of immunization that must be updated and available for confirmation
4.  Physical examination form for students entering Kindergarten, Grade 3, and Grade 7
5.  Dental examination form for students entering Kindergarten and Grade 6
6. The prior year's full report card and standardized test scores
7. A teacher recommendation form (supplied by Saint Luke Catholic School)
8.  Documentation of accommodations and/or modifications to curriculum from previous school(s)
9.  Completion of an application/enrollment form(s)

St. Luke Catholic School follows local public school districts’ age requirements for admission. A student who is six years old by September 1 of the school year is eligible for enrollment in Grade 1; students eligible for enrollment in Kindergarten should be five years old by September 1 of the appropriate school year. Potential Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 students must be the required age by September 1 of the current year. Children must be fully toilet-trained.

In other grades, if the child’s age does not meet the September 1 requirement, admission to the grade requested is determined by the principal after review of academic records from the previous year.

A one-year probationary period will be mandatory for all students transferring to St. Luke Catholic School. A student failing to adhere to the school’s philosophy, regulation or rules will be dismissed. New students registering for all grades may be required to take a level test to determine placement and attend St. Luke Catholic School for a shadow day. All new families must meet with the Principal.

ADMISSION OF NON-CATHOLICS

The primary purpose of our school is religious education and faith formation. We exist for the purpose of evangelization and catechesis, that is, the proclamation of the Gospel and formation of the entire school community of faith. Our school offers a complete Catholic religious education program and makes every effort to develop the Faith in all the students so that they may live a full Christian life.

Non-Catholic students may be admitted to our school under the following conditions:

1.  Adequate facilities and space are available, without denying the admission of eligible Catholic students.
2. The parents/guardians agree to permit their child(ren) to attend religion classes and religious functions that are offered as part of the school program.
3. The parents/guardians commit themselves to accept and promote the philosophy, goals, and regulations of the school.
4.  The parents/guardians agree to assume responsibility for all financial obligations.

In late Fall each year, currently enrolled families will be emailed the tuition and fee information for the next school year. Current students will be registered automatically on or by January 31 of the current school year. If a student is not re-registering for the upcoming school year, parents or guardians must let the Principal know in writing by January 15.

All financial obligations must be current before paperwork is processed for the next school year.

Registration for Kindergarten students and other students new to our school typically takes place beginning in February for the following school year.

There is a non-refundable fee due at the time of registration.

Families, with completed registration packets, are accepted into the school in the following preferential order:

1. Siblings of current St. Luke Catholic School families and parishioners of St. Luke the Evangelist Parish and Immaculate Conception Parish.
2. Other families (non-parishioner) with children currently registered in our school.
3. Parish families sending their first child to our school
4. Students transferring from other Catholic schools
5. Families residing out of our parish
   1. Catholic students coming from a parish without a school
   2. Catholic students coming from a parish that has closed its school enrollment
   3. Catholic students coming from another parish school for other reasons. *A letter of release is required from the pastor of your current parish.
   4.  Non-Catholic students
6. When a grade is filled, a wait list is established. This is listed in chronological order (upon receipt of registration form and fee) and respects the criteria as stated above. The registration fee is returned if there are not openings in a specific grade.

St. Luke Catholic School provides quality Catholic education through the efforts of the faculty, staff, Home and School Association, volunteers and most of all, through the many sacrifices made by the parents/guardians of the children enrolled here. Tuition is an investment in your child’s education and religious formation. Tuition ensures that sufficient financial resources are available for St. Luke Catholic School, and that enrollment is as available and affordable as possible to all families who desire to apply and abide by the rules regulations and policies established for the school.

The Administration of St. Luke Catholic School has established the following tuition goals:

1. To make a Catholic School education at St. Luke Catholic School affordable to all who truly desire and value it for their children.
2. To foster a trusting, Catholic community relationship among The Archdiocese, the parish, St. Luke Catholic School and your family.
3. To generate funds so that St. Luke Catholic School has a solid financial base in order to effectively improve programs and services to our students.

Tuition is determined in late Fall for the following school year. The school also may impose fees for other items, such as extracurricular activities, science equipment/labs, field trips, books, registration, and graduation.

QUALIFYING FOR SUBSIDIZED TUITION RATES

Per the Standards for Quality Catholic Schools, published by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in January 2012, the following applies: “Tuition is subsidized by parish funds. Parents who are not members of the parish or who are non-contributing members of the parish should expect to pay 100% of the total cost per pupil.”

TUITION PAYMENTS

The tuition policy of St. Luke Catholic School requires that the parents and/or guardians must arrange to pay the total tuition charged for the current school year. All families are required to make tuition payments using the FACTS Tuition Management Plan. Each family’s preferred manner of payment must be submitted each year at the time of student registration. Through this plan, the family authorizes the bank to transfer the tuition payment from a checking or savings account.

FACTS Tuition Management Plan Options for payment include:

1. Full Payment. Under this plan the entire amount of tuition is paid through the FACTS plan on July 1.
2. Semester Payment. Under this plan the entire amount of tuition is paid through the FACTS Plan in two installments due in July and December.
3. Monthly Payments. Under this plan the entire amount of tuition is paid in ten (10) monthly payments beginning July 1.

DIFFICULTY IN PAYMENT OF TUITION

For the sake of your family’s security and peace of mind, and for the general financial stability of our school, it is the obligation of and we encourage each parent and/or guardian to contact the school as soon as possible when they are experiencing economic difficulties or changes in life situation.

Families who experience these problems may contact the Business Manager of St. Luke Catholic School to arrange for a confidential meeting to discuss special arrangements. All requests shall be held in strict confidence.

TUITION AND FEE DELINQUENCY

In fairness to all families, parents/guardians are expected to keep tuition payments up to date. Both parents/guardians are jointly responsible for tuition and other fees charged by the school. The student report card will not be released if the tuition account has an outstanding balance. In addition, the school reserves the right to take further action, up to and including dismissal and withholding of school records, if outstanding balance payment is not made. Accounts will be monitored and notifications sent out periodically. If at the end of the first or second trimester there is a balance due, the student(s) will not be allowed to return to class until the payments are brought up to date and/or arrangements are made with the Business Manager.

EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS AND/OR STUDENTS TRANSFERRING FROM ST. LUKE CATHOLIC SCHOOL:

• Tuition and fee obligations for transferring students must be paid in full before the school completes and transmits any materials to accomplish the transfer.
• Tuition and fee obligations for eighth grade students must be paid in full in April.
• Eighth grade and transferring students whose tuition and fees are not paid in full will have report cards, term reports, and school records withheld until all tuition and fees are satisfied.
• In addition, eighth grade families will not have their child/children participate in the eighth grade trip, graduation ceremonies, or receive their diploma until all tuition and fees are satisfied.

FEES

Fees determined by the Administration are in addition to the tuition.

Click to read the updated Responsible Use Policy from the Archdiocese (2018).

Student Recognition Policy

In an effort to encourage and affirm students whose academic, social and behavioral performance is outstanding, St. Luke Catholic School will acknowledge their effort and achievement at the end of each trimester. The criteria for such acknowledgment are as follows:

Academic Excellence (Grades 4-8)

• General average of 95 or above (and in all core academic subjects).
• Personal and Social Growth, Effort and Study Skills and special subject grades of 3 or 4.
• Student must also have a good conduct record.
• All grades must be 95 or above.

Academic Honors (Grades 4-8)

• General average of 90 or above (and in all core academic subjects).
• Personal and Social Growth, Effort and Study Skills and special subject grades of 3 or 4.
• Student must also have a good conduct record.
• All grades must be 90 or above.

Outstanding Effort Award (Grades K-8)

• A positive student who shows outstanding educational growth, improvement, commitment or intellectual development in their academic subjects.
• Completes ALL assignments daily, both at home and in school.
• Participates orally in class; does work neatly.
• Has a passing grade in every subject.
• Has a 3 or a 4 in all special subjects, as well as Personal & Social Growth and Effort & Study.
• One student per homeroom.

Outstanding Achievement in Religion (Grades 1-8)

• One student per homeroom is recognized for achieving the highest average in the subject area of Religion.

Academic Probation

Occasionally, despite intervention on the part of the school, a student may not be able to demonstrate mastery of the curriculum and achieve passing grades. When this lack of progress is a result of the student not fulfilling his/her academic responsibilities, the student will be placed on academic probation. A student who does not fulfill his/her academic responsibilities in an academic trimester will be placed on academic probation for a period of time designated by the administrator. If the student is unsuccessful in meeting his/her academic responsibilities, the administration will review the student’s continued enrollment in the school. If the school requires the student to receive academic supports and interventions, and the parent refuses those supports and interventions, the school reserves the right to make decisions regarding the continued enrollment of the student at St. Luke Catholic School.

Academic Failures

Attendance at a summer school or a tutoring program is mandatory if a student has a failure on the final report card and wishes to return to St. Luke Catholic School for the next year. Notification of successful completion of a program must be given in writing to the school office prior to the first day of school. The student will then be placed on academic probation until the end of the first trimester. If the student incurs one failure in a major subject in the first trimester report card, that student would be liable for dismissal from St. Luke Catholic School.

Any eighth grade student who fails any of the major subject areas or who has a failing composite average is required to attend summer school provided by the Archdiocesan High School if they wish to attend an Archdiocesan High School in the Fall.