Ellis School Policies
The first day of school is Monday, August 19th!
Our start time is 8:15 am and dismissal is at 2:30 pm for Grades: 1st-5th
*8:15 am - Dismissal 11:35 am for TK & Kindergarten August 19-September 27th,
Ellis Office:
The Ellis Office is happy to welcome our Ellis Eagles. We are located at the front of the school next to the parking lot. We are open from 7:30 am-3:30 pm. Any person coming on campus (aside from drop off or pick up) must enter through the Ellis Office.
Visitors:
Parents are invited to visit classrooms or school grounds to observe their children at work or play at any time with 24 hours notice requested. All visitors need to obtain a visitor’s pass from the office so we are able to monitor persons on campus to make sure that only authorized visitors are with us. We would also appreciate a call in advance of your intended visit so that we can avoid an interruption of special testing or other activities on which children must focus their full attention.
If a forgotten lunch, glasses, book, homework, backpack, etc is to be brought to school, please remember to do so through the front office.
Drop Off and Pick Up:
Please remember the following when dropping off or picking up your student:
● The front parking lot is for Ellis staff only
● Parking at Ellis is limited. Please leave your home with plenty of time to arrive
● We encourage families to walk if they are able to
● Please drive slowly- don’t speed.
● Double parking in the street is illegal- don’t do it
● Telling your child to cut across the street when dropping off is unsafe- please use crosswalks
● Please don’t park in crosswalks, and wait for pedestrians to walk all the way through before driving
● Please don’t park in the bus zone- it is not a drop-off location
● Drive extra slowly on Olive Ave. in front of the school at certain times of the year visibility is difficult because of where the sun is positioned. The City of Sunnyvale has not yet been able to staff a crossing guard for this location.
Drop Off/Pick up procedures:
1. Students can be dropped off as early as 8:00 a.m. when supervision is available on campus.
2. Try to leave home “5 minutes early” in order to facilitate a safer and more timely arrival to school.
3. Please respect our neighbors and do not block or park in driveways.
4. The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety will issue citations for double parking and speeding in school zones.
5. Students who are not in line with their class at 8:15 will be marked tardy.
6. Students are to be picked up at 2:25/2:30 unless they attend KLAS or CYW. There is no supervision after school.
Students who have not been picked up on time should wait in the Ellis Office.
Students and families may enter/depart the school at the following locations (see map):
1. Olive Ave- enter through the front of the school and walk through the breezeway between the library and cafeteria
2. Olive Ave- enter at the end of the parking lot
3. Fair Oaks- enter through the back gate next to the field, and walk to the blacktop
4. Central Ave- enter through the gate next to California Young World
Parent Waiting Area- Drop Off:
For campus safety and construction constraints, parents wanting to escort their children on and off campus will drop them off at the blacktop. TK-2nd grade parents may wait with their child in line until the teacher arrives.
Parents Waiting Area - Pick Up:
For parents who want to come on campus for pick up at dismissal, please use the parent waiting area on the blacktop. For those who are waiting on the street for their children at dismissal, please be sure to have a pre-arranged meeting area. Cars cannot wait in the Ellis parking lot.
Students will line up at the following locations for arrival and dismissal:
● TK/Kindergarten- line up outside the classroom
● 1st & 2nd grade- line up at their designated classroom spot on the blacktop next to the primary play structure
● 3rd-5th grade- line up outside the classroom
Absences:
Please notify the office if your child will be absent.
Please call or email before 9:00 am when your child will be absent.
ABSENCE LINE: call (408) 522-8260 and press 1, or send an email to ellisabsence@sesd.org
If your child is absent for more than 2 consecutive days, a doctor’s note is required to excuse your child’s absence.
Be prepared to leave the following information for the school office:
- Date of absence
- Your name
- Your child’s name, spelling the last name
- Teacher’s name
- Grade level
- Reason for absence
Tardies:
It is the responsibility of parents/caregivers to ensure that their children arrive at school on time every day. Any child who is tardy must report to the office for a pass before going to class. Tardy children should have a note from home stating the reason for the late arrival. We will be in close contact with parents/caregivers of parents who are regularly tardy to change this pattern.
Volunteers:
Parents are welcomed and needed for the 2024-2025. The importance of parent involvement in the education of all our students, and we invite and welcome you to actively partner with us on our campus.
Reminder: ALL parents, volunteers, student teachers, non-Ellis staff and any other person on the Ellis campus during school hours MUST sign in and out at the main office EVERY time they are on campus. There are no exceptions. Thank you for your attention to this very important procedure.
Volunteer process:
Volunteer applications are available now! All volunteers must have the following to be cleared:
● completed volunteer form
● TB clearance.
● Fingerprinting- this is required for all volunteers who will chaperone field trips and only needs to be done one time and covers all children in the family.
We will share the volunteer link very soon!
Release of Children from School:
No children will be permitted to leave the school grounds during school without parent or guardian permission. Parents will be expected to report to school in person to the school office to sign out children who need to leave school at any time before the regular dismissal time. We urge you to make all medical/dental appointments after school hours to avoid interrupting your child’s instructional time.