Useful Information for Parents

Here is some basic information parents need to know for a typical school day. More detailed information is available in the Maury Family Handbook, a guide to the school’s policies, programs, and procedures.

Enrollment

To attend schools, students must be current with their immunizations. Immunization compliance is documented by submitting a completed Universal Health Certificate to the school at the time of enrollment. A series of medical forms, DCPS School Enrollment Packet, should be turned in to the school as part of the enrollment process, and any updated forms throughout the school year should be submitted to the school nurse.

Uniform

uniformsAll Maury students are expected to come to school wearing a uniform daily (unless the administration suspends for a special occasion). Parents are responsible for ensuring their child adheres to the uniform policy.

The Maury uniform colors are navy and white. Students are expected to wear clothing and footwear appropriate for the weather and for recess and physical education.

Bottoms: Navy pants, shorts, skirts, skorts, or dresses.

Tops: White or navy button-down collared shirt, polo shirt with collar, or Maury logo t-shirt (see links to purchase below). White or navy sweaters or cardigans are permitted. NO: Plain t-shirts and undershirts as uniform shirts.

Support the PTA! The Maury PTA also sells blue and white shirts and sweatshirts for pickup and coordination through a volunteer.

Maury logo shirts can also be ordered online here.

Footwear and accessories: Casual shoes, sneakers, or sandals. Crocs are discouraged. NO: Open-toed sandals or flip-flops. Children may not wear hats in the building. Dangling earrings are not allowed for safety reasons.

Uniform bank. All families are encouraged to use the uniform bank, where parents can choose and donate used uniforms. If bins are not in the lobby, inquire in the school office.

Donations for students in need. Brand new school supplies and uniforms are also available for Maury students in need. To learn more, please contact the main office at (202) 698-3838 or e-mail Mr. Koontz.

Daily Schedule

7:15 am  Polite Piggy’s opens for students registered for before care only at Constitution Ave. 
8:15 am  Breakfast arrival only. Entrances are 13th St. and Constitution Ave. PreK must sign in at the 13th Street entrance. 
8:30 am  Morning arrival begins for students not eating breakfast. Students may participate in morning recess. 
8:40 am  Bell rings to start the school day; teachers escort K-5 students from playground to class. 
midday  Lunch/Recess (Times vary by grade.) 
3:15 pm  Bell rings for dismissal from the playground and multipurpose room. 

Polite Piggy’s aftercare and afterschool activities begin.  

6:00 pm  Polite Piggy’s aftercare ends. 

Recess

On days of good weather, your child will go outside with his or her class for a 30-minute recess, unless attending tutoring or club activities, or if retained inside by a teacher or school administrator for a specific reason. Outdoor recess is determined by the principal based on weather conditions; indoor recess will be held by a designated person in each classroom on days of rain, snow, or severe cold (below 32º F) or hot weather. Times vary.

Lunch

For PK3 and PK4 students, lunch is served in the classroom; for Kindergarten–Grade 5, lunch is served in the multi-purpose room. Times vary.

School lunch. Lunch is $3 for school year 2022-2023 unless students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. Payment should be made in advance by using the MySchoolBucks online service. Applications for free or reduced-price lunches are available in the main office or on the DCPS website. Each student’s meal account is charged when a lunch is purchased.

Lunch from home. Maury is currently a nut-free (peanut and tree nut) and fish/shellfish-free school in response to documented severe allergies. No food or drinks that contain peanuts/tree nuts or were packaged/manufactured in a facility that handles or processes nuts will be allowed. (Additional resources and information about food allergies and a list of food substitutes is located here.) Please respect the following general rules: no sodas and no sweets/candy. Please write your child’s name directly on the outside of the lunch box/bag.

School breakfast and lunch menus are on display in the cafeteria and are sent home with each child at the beginning of each month. They may also be downloaded from the DCPS website.

Illness

Parents are requested to report immediately if their child has an infectious illness (e.g. strep throat, chicken pox, lice, etc.) to their teacher and the nurse. Children with a temperature over 100.2º F, sore throat, or who have had recent episodes of vomiting or diarrhea should be kept home. Students may return to school after being fever-free or vomit/diarrhea-free for 24 hours without medication. Children diagnosed with a contagious illness such as strep throat or pink eye should be kept home until completing the first 24 hours of antibiotics. Parents should send documentation of results to the nurse. Additional quarantine periods are required for students who test positive for Covid and for close contacts who are not vaccinated. Students presenting symptoms for Covid will be examined by school-based health staff. Questions? Call the Health Suite at (202) 698-3834.

School Health

Maury maintains a Children’s Hospital nurse on-site to administer medication or general first aid. We are also committed to working toward achieving the ends of a healthy school in accordance with local and federal policies. Students have recess daily before and during the school day. They also participate in physical education, health, and social-emotional learning. Please see more school-specific health information here. (During the Covid-19 pandemic, some procedures and operations will be modified to comply with health guidelines.)

Absence

If your child will be absent or tardy, please send an e-mail here by 8:30 AM.

Bullying

Bullying has become a serious issue with young people nationwide. It affects students at every level, from elementary to high school. In an effort to proactively address the issue of bullying the District of Columbia Public Schools has created a Bullying Prevention Policy.  The policy lays out clearly, the definition of bullying and the steps required by schools to address it.  The entire policy is available to download below.

The definition for bullying in DCPS is:

“Bullying,” means any severe, pervasive, or persistent act or conduct, whether physical, electronic or verbal that:

May be based on a youth’s actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, intellectual ability, familial status, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, genetic information, disability, source of income, status as a victim of an intrafamily offense, place of residence or business, or any other distinguishing  characteristic, or on a youth’s association with a person, or group with any person, with one or more of the actual or perceived foregoing characteristics; and

Shall be reasonably predicted to:

  • Place a student in reasonable fear of physical harm to his or her person or property;
  • Cause a substantial detrimental effect on the student’s physical or mental health;
  • Substantially interfere with the student’s academic performance or attendance; or
  • Substantially interfere with the student’s ability to participate in or benefit from school activities or services; or
  • Materially and substantially disrupts the education process or the orderly operation of a school.

Bullying also occurs when a student or group of students organize a campaign against another student or when a student or group of students maliciously spread rumors about another student.  In most circumstances Bullying does not include a mutual fight between two students who are angry with each other.  Such fights are subject to discipline as a violation of Chapter 25 as defined in the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations (DCMR).

DCPS is committed to making every school a safe and welcome space for your child. Families are critical players in these efforts.

  • One of the most proactive measures families can take to shield their children from bullying is to talk to them early and openly about what it means to bully or to be bullied. Doing so not only ensures that you and your child maintain open lines of communication, but also reinforces the importance of speaking up about problems at school.
  • If you suspect your child may be bullied at school, don’t be afraid to ask them about it. Make sure to tell your child that you are there to help and you believe what he or she has to say.
  • If you think your child is bullying others, it is important to discuss the behavior and make it clear that bullying is taken very seriously. At the same time, you may want to work with your child to understand some of the reasons behind the bullying.
  • If you witness cyberbullying (use of the Internet and related technologies to bully) that includes threats of violence, child pornography or sexually explicit materials, and stalking or hate crimes, you should consider reporting the incident to law enforcement. Cyberbullying also can create classroom disruptions and lead to in-person bullying.

School should be a safe, welcoming environment for your child. If you feel that your child is unsafe or is being bullied at school, contact your child’s teacher and the principal.

Parent Tip

Helping your children be responsible with technology will go a long way to keeping them safe.

Here are some things you can do:

Make sure you have passwords for all online accounts

Monitor screen time (i.e., television, internet, FaceBook/Twitter)

Keep technology in common areas of your home so you can monitor use

Turn off technology at night and put it in a safe space

Set an example by modeling responsible use of technology

Resources

If you or your child has been involved in a bullying incident please contact your school to report it.