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LT Parent Resources

Absence & Tardiness

To ensure your child's safety, please call our school nurse at (845) 624-3471 X4704, prior to the start of school on the day that your child will be absent. Our answering machine will take your message between 4:00PM and 8:15AM. The secretary will also answer calls from 8:15AM until 9:00AM. Kindly state your name, your student's name, grade, teacher, days absent and the reason for the absence.

After School Programs

Little Tor offers various afterschool programs for students. The Clarkstown Family Resource Center typically offers a number of Enrichment programs which normally begin in the month of September. These have included, STEM, Coding, Art, Board Games, Glee Club, as well as programs on other topics. Please check your child's backpack and district flyers for registration information as these approach. Additionally, our local YMCA offers childcare housed in our school building beginning with the start of the school year. Information on these programs has been/will be distributed, but if you have further questions, please call the Main Office and we will be happy to help you. 

Bus Transportation

Transportation will be provided to all students who reside within the allotted distance from our school, per district policy. Pupils are not permitted to transfer from one bus to another. They may ride only the bus to which they are assigned. Students will not be permitted to ride any other bus, unless special circumstances arise and exceptions are made by the Transportation Department. Please send a note to the Main Office if these circumstances should arise. All students on all buses will receive assigned seats to ensure safety and limit distractions to the driver.

Contacting Your Child During School Hours

If there is an urgent need or emergency during school hours to reach your child, please contact the Main Office and we will arrange such contact. If students should have an emergency and need to contact you, they will be directed to the Main Office and will be permitted to use the phone with assistance. Students are not permitted to use their cell phones during the school day and should not be contacted through these means. If a student chooses to bring their cell phone to school, the device needs to be on silent or off, and must be stored in their backpack until after school hours. Cell phone use is also not permitted on CCSD Elementary school buses. 

Early Dismissal

If an occasion arises when you need to pick your child up sooner than the regular dismissal schedule, we will call down to the classroom before the ringing of our first bell (prior to 2:50). We will hold on ringing down to the classrooms from 2:50 until all the buses are called to avoid disruptions to the classroom during this important “packing up” time. We hope to minimize dismissal errors and give everyone a dedicated time to prepare for dismissal.

Students may not leave the classroom without permission, and students may not leave the school grounds until they are dismissed. All children must be signed out and picked up in the office when being dismissed early, and must be buzzed into the building by our Security Officer, Greeter, or Main Office staff. 

Emergency Closing

When school is closed due to inclement weather or other emergencies, announcements are made via multiple mediums:

The decision to close or delay openings is made by the Superintendent of schools after consultation with local police, the highway department, various weather services, and the Transportation Department. Should the number of days of inclement weather closings exceed the number of days provided, the excess days will be made up at the discretion of district administration.

  • NTI: The District Emergency Notification System will distribute the message via contact numbers you submitted on the emergency contact forms.
  • CCSD Switchboard: (845) 639-6300 (Press 9 and then 4. This will take you to the weather information mailbox.)
  • Radio: WRCR (1300), WLNA (1420), WHUD (100.7 FM), WFAS (1230 AM & 103.9 FM), WVOX (1460 AM), WVNJ (1160 AM), WCBS (880 AM) & County Radio (1640 AM).
  • Television: WABC-TV (Channel 7) & Fox 5 (WNYW), WRNN-TV (Kingston), WNBC-TV (Channel 4)
  • Internet: www.cancellations.com, www.ccsd.edu

Food Services

During the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years, student meals were offered at no cost to our families. However, for the 2022-2023 school year, student breakfast and lunch are provided at a cost to our families. The cost of these meals will be communicated by the district as the school year begins. Students may use cash to purchase school meals, or may also use their designated MySchoolBucks account, to which information has been provided to our families regarding setup and replenishment. 

Homework

The purpose of homework is to support classroom learning through practice, pre-learning, processing, or checking for understanding. 

Assignments are developed for specific purposes:

Teachers will:

It is recommended that the time allotment for homework (in totality- for all subjects, including reading log) is as follows:

Most homework assignments will be given Monday-Thursday.  On occasion, assignments may be given on a Friday. Extended research projects may also be assigned over a period of weeks, in the upper grades.

Parents should:

  • to aid in diagnosis of student’s needs, interests, abilities
  • to provide drill or exercise as needed by student
  • to enrich or extend knowledge
  • to encourage inquiry and recognize talents or interests
  • clearly explain the homework assignment to students
  • post the homework assignment
  • check homework consistently
  • assign work that is appropriate to the age, level and needs/interests of the student
  • Teachers may differentiate assignments for students- particularly those with special needs and consider their accommodations
  • Kindergarten: on an individual basis
  • Grades 1 – 2: 15-30 minutes per night
  • Grades 3 – 4: 30-45 minutes per night
  • Grade 5: 45-90 minutes per night
  • Establish a consistent, regular time for homework. A good routine is an hour of play after school followed by homework time before dinner.
  • Establish a comfortable homework area. It may be at a desk or at a table. Make certain it is well lit and quiet.
  • Have homework supplies handy. Keep paper, pencils, pens, and eraser near your homework spot to save time and avoid interruptions.
  • Concentrate on the task at hand, and see individual assignments through before taking a break.
  • Keep a calendar of long-range assignments.
  • Check student homework assignment pad daily.

Parent Handbook

Click here to view the Parent Handbook.

Report Cards

Communication of student learning is one key to student success. Clarkstown CSD utilizes a Standards-Based Elementary Report Card. A standards-based report card lists the most important skills students should learn in each subject at a particular grade level. In a standards based learning environment, students receive marks that show how well they mastered each skill.  Our report card is based on three marking periods. Teachers will use marking period rubrics to evaluate student progress. These rubrics will provide consistency between teachers and schools because all teachers will be using the same rubrics. Report cards will be sent home in December, March, and June. 

Report cards will be distributed on a trimester schedule.  If a child is absent on the day that report cards are distributed, parents may pick up his/her report card in the office after school is dismissed.  Report cards will not be sent home prior to the distribution date.

If a student receives special education services through an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), it includes a great deal of information including evaluation results, present levels of educational performance and goals.  IEP progress reports will continue to be distributed to parents on the same schedule as the report cards.

Trimester Dates:

Trimester 1 – September 6 – December 2

Trimester 2 – December 5 – March 17

Trimester 3 – March 20 – June 23

School Schedule

At Little Tor Elementary School, the instructional school day begins at 8:30am and ends at 3:00pm. If your child is a walker, it is best for him/her to arrive at school no earlier than 8:15am. Any child that is late for school will need to obtain a late pass from our Security Officer, Greeter, or the Main Office staff before going to class. Dismissal begins promptly at 3:00pm beginning with the students who attend our YMCA and other school-based programs that day, followed by those who ride our buses, followed lastly by the walkers/car riders.

A grade level schedule or class specific schedule can and will be provided to you by your child's classroom teacher.