Our school office is open 8:00 to 4:00 each school day. Our Kx8 student day is 8:30 to 3:00 Monday through Thursday and 8:30 to 11:45 Fridays. Our 9x12 student day is slightly longer; a start time of 8:25 and Friday is extended by 50 minutes.

The MLC trimester calendar is somewhat different from the regular district calendar. Please use the MLC calendar in the opening day packet.

The entire school goes to lunch from 11:30 to 12:30 Monday through Thursday. Lunch is also served after school on Fridays. Breakfast is served from 8:15 to 8:30 each morning.

Members of the staff are available to or with students from 8:15 to 3:15 Monday -Thursday and 8:15-12:00 on Fridays. There may be staff on the scene, but there is no formal supervision of students before 8:15 and after 3:15 Monday-Thursday and 12:00 on Friday.

The exceptions are students involved in planned supervised activities and those enrolled in the Kids Community Learning Center.

First and second grade students are expected to eat in the cafeteria. Third grade students on up have the option of eating elsewhere in the school or school grounds.

Students at least eleven years old may, with permission, leave campus for lunch provided they act responsibly in the community and return to school in time for afternoon classes.

Staff is on duty in the cafeteria, in the halls and on the playground and equipment during the lunch hour. The gym, library and computer lab are open and supervised 12:00-12:30 most days.

       Regular, on-time attendance is the surest predictor of school success.

Attendance is taken twice daily in grades Kx6 and in each class in grades 7x12. Records of student attendance are maintained in the Registration Office.

Students arriving late should report first to the main office and then immediately to class. Students leaving early should check out in the front office. Students may only leave with adults identified on the registration form or with other prior permission.

Due to the flexibility of the MLC program, it is not always possible to have students respond directly to telephone messages nor, due to spontaneous filed trips, may they always be available for unplanned pick-up.

Registration
This is the basic information we need from each of our families. Review all information at the start of the year and make sure that it is both current and accurate. Emergency contacts should know they are listed. All families must answer questions 2a, 2b and 2c. If you check the medical information box for allergies or current conditions, please provide specific information. Signatures are needed, as are updates as entries change. A copy of each student's birth certificate should be presented at the time of district enrollment.

Free/Reduced Meals
You will receive these forms by mail. Please complete the forms if you think your family may be eligible even if your child chooses to not eat a school lunch. Eligibility status will carry over from last year through October 5th only. New applications must be submitted and approved by that time.

Spontaneous Field Trips
Teachers take many spontaneous walking and public transportation field trips. This form allows your student to participate. Specific permission forms will be used if activities take classes outside the Portland area or involve school bus or private transportation.

Student Medical Information and Release Form
This form provides our staff with easily accessible emergency information that is otherwise scattered among other district forms.

Immunizations
The State of Oregon and Multnomah County have established a schedule for required vaccinations that affects students at all grade levels. You will be receiving information relevant to your students needs. Please respond as soon as possible. Students not current on immunizations will not be allowed to attend school. Questions may be directed to Multnomah County at 503-988-3816.

Publicity and Military Recruitment Denials
Publicity denial assures that your child's name and image will not be given to the general media. (Example: an Oregonian story on portfolios at MLC.)

Military Recruitment is a check box on the Registration Form that denies access to your student's name and address for purposes of military and/or college recruiting.

Permission to Participate in Swimming Activities
Our pool has been refurbished and the Park Bureau will once again be providing lifeguards. Permission is needed for both elective and PE classes.

Off-Campus Lunch
Students eleven years or older may, with written permission, leave campus during the lunch hour provided they act responsibly and return in time for afternoon classes.

In addition to walking and public transportation field trips within the urban area, students may be involved in field studies that include transportation on school buses or staff/parent driven vehicles. These trips require specific written family permission prior to student participation. Permission must be in writing and cannot be taken over the phone.

Some trips are free while others require nominal charges, usually to cover the cost of transportation and/or admission. The cost of many trips is reduced by PTSA sponsored fund-raising events. Limited scholarships are available if a student's family cannot cover expenses. A note or word to the teacher is all that is needed to access these funds. The goal of our PTSA is for every student to participate.

You are welcome to call school (503-916-5737) to talk with staff, but varying teaching schedules are likely to necessitate your waiting for a returned call. Better still, staff e-mail addresses are provided in your opening registration packet. Please be sure the school has your own e-mail address. We hope to begin all school e-mail group bulletins this year.

Our new (and evolving) school website (http://www.pps.k12.or.us/) contains useful information. Our newsletter The Alternative is mailed home the first of each month.

An up-to-date calendar of school events is posted in the main office.

As is the case with all district schools, families wishing to enroll or transfer a student to MLC must complete an on-line application (also available in paper form) and meet the district's required deadlines. All applicants must also complete MLC's own application and submit it to the school office. Applications are available via e-mail or in our offices.

Applications are reviewed and students who meet the criteria listed on the form are entered into a district run lottery that determines the order in which students will be accepted for identified spaces. Siblings of MLC students are given additional weight in the lottery.

Call the district's Enrollment and Transfer Office (503-916-3205) with questions about this process.

Student education records are the property of the State of Oregon. Access is restricted to the student's family and to district staff on a need to know basis. Parents/guardians should call the school office for an appointment to review the record.

At MLC we dedicate ourselves to the pursuit of courageous, respectful, compassionate and self-disciplined lives. At times some of our students struggle with these aspirations and need additional guidance. Teachers, often in consultation with families, handle most classroom incidents and problems between students. If additional assistance is needed, students are referred to our counselor or to our assistant principal.

The Handbook of Students Responsibilities, Rights and Discipline is the district guide we use when responding to problems. Copies are available in the school offices.

The streets around MLC are crowded with fast moving traffic. Please take great care when driving in the area, especially before and after school when many students are crossing the streets.

If at all possible, park in the street and walk your student to and from the building. However, since parking is tight, we make our playground available before 9:00 and after 2:45 to support families dropping off and picking up students. This works as long as drivers move with great caution and according to the traffic pattern defined by the traffic cones. These cones keep cars from parking or driving immediately adjacent to the school where students walk. We also ask that cars not park in the northeast basketball court where students like to play.

If you are volunteering at school or chaperoning a field trip and must park on the playground between 9:00 and 2:45, please park under the Glisan side trees. This leaves as much space as possible for students and classes to play.

The primary concern is the safety of our students. Closure and delayed opening decisions are made at the district level. Should weather conditions be serious enough to modify normal operation of school, radio and television stations will announce one of the following messages, usually by 6:00 AM.

       Schools Closed (Students are not to report.)

       Delayed Opening (The school day will start, depending on the announcement, either one or two hours later than usual.)

It is highly unlikely we would ever close school early. Even if we did, we would stay until all students were safely accounted for.