Here are some answers to Frequently Asked Questions.
- What should I do when my child is absent?
It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to notify the school each day their child is absent. For your convenience, we have an Attendance Hot Line, 968-9628, press 1. This number may be called 24 hours a day. When you call, please leave your child’s name, grade, ID Number, and the reason for the absence.
- What about planned absences?
Parental contact is required two days prior to planned absences. A Planned Absence Form will then be given to your child for his/her teachers to sign allowing the teachers and students to discuss homework and/or missed classroom work, test, or quizzes on the days involved. The student must then return the form to the Main Office prior to the absence.
- How do we find out about homework due to absences?
Students will need to check with their teachers if the absence is less than three days. If the absence is three days or more, a Homework Request can be submitted to the Main Office. Just call the office and request homework for your child. Please give the school a 24 hour notice to get the homework from all the teachers. Parents can always check the HAC program on the PHM website. (See below).
- What about late arrivals?
Students should report to the office before going to class. They will be given a pass, which they will then give to their teacher.
- How do we request an early dismissal?
When it is necessary to pick your child up before the end of the school day please send a note with him/her stating the reason and time for the early dismissal or call the school directly. Have them bring the note to the Main Office prior to the start of the day. Your child will be issued a pass to leave his/her class at the time you specify and will be waiting in the main office for you to sign him/her out.
- What if students want to ride the bus home with a friend?
On occasion you may wish for your child to ride the bus home with another student. We request this arrangement be pre-planned by both families. Each student must bring a note signed by their parent/guardian stating the bus number and verifying permission for the change. No fax or phone requests will be honored. The students need to bring their notes to the main office before the start of the academic school day. Each student may take only one other student with them on any given day. On occasion some notes may not be approved due to the bus having limited space. If this is the case, the office will notify the students so they may notify their parents that they will be riding their own bus home.
Skyward is a free online service where parents may check their child’s grades. At the beginning of the year, parents will receive a letter with their child’s ID number and password, along with instructions on the system.
- What about 2-Hour Delays?
If school is delayed because of the weather it will be broadcast on the radio and TV stations. Please make sure to watch for those. If delayed, the buses will be running two hours later than usual.
- What about lunches?
Students may pay for lunches daily with cash or you may deposit money into an account for your child using cash or a check. Please make checks payable to PHM Food Service and be sure to include your child’s name, grade and ID Number. Place the check/money into an envelope. There is a box in the Main Office for your child to put their money in for lunch. You can mark on the check if you would like your child to only get the hot lunches or if you would like them to be able to purchase a la carte. The money they use each day will be deducted from their account. You can deposit as much as you would like into your child’s account. Any money left at the end of the school year will be used the following year. Additional information is given each year in the first day packet, which you receive on schedule pick up day. No lunches may be brought in for your students from fast food restaurants.
10. Can students use the telephone?
Students with permission may use the telephone to notify their parent/guardian regarding items such as changes in plans for after school activities. Telephones are available for student use in the office or with permission from the teacher in the classroom. If you have Caller ID and receive a call from Grissom, keep in mind that the call could have come from any telephone in the building. When calling Grissom, we always check the Nurse’s Office but if there was not call made from there, we have no other way to verify where the call came from. Encourage your child to leave a detailed message as to the nature of the call. Cell phones are not permitted anywhere but in lockers during the school day.
11. What is the best way to contact a teacher?
If you have internet service, e-mailing the teacher is the most efficient way to contact them. The email address is always the first letter of the first name followed by the teacher’s last name, always ending with @phm.k12.in.us. (For example, John Doe would be jdoe@phm.k12.in.us). You can also check the Grissom Home Page. Go to Academics, find the subject area, click on Meet the Team and all the current staff with their email address will be readily available.
- What do we do about medicine?
State law and school board policy require that all medications, prescriptions or over the counter, must be accompanied by written permission from the child’s parent/guardian and must be in the original container. Prescription medication that is maintenance or long term (more than two weeks) requires a medication authorization form be completed and signed by the students physician and the parent/guardian. Students bringing any medications to school must take it directly to the nurse’s office and leave it with them to be administered at the appropriate time.
Medication that is possessed by a school for administration during school hours or at school functions for a student in grades Kindergarten through Grade 8 may be released only to the student’s parent/guardian or an individual who is at least eighteen years of age and designated in writing by the student’s parent/guardian to receive the medication.
13. If my child is injured and cannot participate in gym, what should I do?
A student may be exempt from gym, athletics, etc for one day with a note from a parent/guardian. Further exemption requires a note from a doctor. The student should take the note to the main office. A copy of the note will then be sent to the nurse and the student’s teachers.
If there is a question that is not answered here or need some clarification, you may call the school directly and someone will be glad to assist you. Thank you!
