Primary Division A–Z Guide

Please see a list of contact information for the Primary Division below: 

Please click here to access Avenues’ calendar . We expect all members of the community to respect the integrity of the school program. In particular, we do not recommend any absences before or after vacation periods or long weekends. Please do not remove students from school for personal reasons. In cases of family emergency or other exceptional circumstances, contact the child’s teachers in advance to notify them of the expected absence. Upon return to school, the child will be expected to complete any work missed during their absence. The calendar can be found on your WeChat parent portal. 

Head of School Updates  
Each month, you can expect to receive via WeChat a newsletter from the head of school. These messages will focus on school level campus updates.  

Family bulletins  

Each Friday, you can expect to receive via WeChat a weekly Bulletin  which will provide highlights from the previous week and a look at what’s ahead division-wide.   

Class Posts
Teachers will post updates with information and photos about the classroom, such as curriculum, resources (e.g. books read, apps), documentation of children’s work, reflection or anything relevant to any aspect of learning. Parents are strongly advised to read this information. If you take some time and look at the posts with your child, you will be surprised as to how much information your child will share.

Seesaw
In the Primary Division, Seesaw is a tool that our teachers and students use to organize their learning together. Unlike the Early Learning Center it is not a tool for parent communication. Of course, we encourage you to talk with your student about their learning. You can see your student's Seesaw feed on their Avenues iPad. If you would like to access Seesaw on another device, you can contact the technology team to have an account established for you.

Avenues Parent Association       

The Avenues Parent Association (APA) is established for the purposes set forth below:  

• To support Avenues Shenzhen in its efforts to provide high-quality education;      

• To build a strong sense of community within Avenues Shenzhen among the students, their families and the school;    

• To facilitate communication and foster partnership among parents, the faculty and the school management;    

• To support Avenues Shenzhen in its efforts to realize the Avenues mission and vision;    

• To provide a forum for the expression of views of general interest to the parents and the school;    

• To support new families as they enter Avenues Shenzhen.     

All parents and guardians of students currently enrolled in the School shall be considered to be members of the APA. The APA members shall conduct an annual election for membership on the General Committee, which is responsible for the governance of APA and its work in support of the Avenues Shenzhen community. Subcommittees have been established and all interested APA members are welcome and encouraged to join any such subcommittees by contacting the appropriate Chair, Co-Chairs, if any.

Class Parents   
Class parent volunteers (there are two Class Parents for each class) work with the teachers, the administration of the school and the General Committee of APA to help organize, coordinate and facilitate various activities. Click here for more information. 

Arrival 
Students will arrive between 7:45-8:00 a.m. at Lishui road. Students will proceed directly to their classroom. Faculty and staff will be assigned to designated points throughout A8 and A19 during drop-off and pick-up.

If it is a rainy day, students can enter A19 to wait in the lobby before 7:45 am.

Directions for Car Arrival    
Primary students will utilize Lishui Road for drop-off. By the time you pull up in front of the school, your child(ren) should be ready to unbuckle and exit the vehicle. Caretakers, in particular those arriving in taxis, must be cognizant of the procedures. Our goal is to create one free-flowing lane next to the sidewalk in order to facilitate a quick, safe curbside drop-off. We will always have security in the street helping to direct drop-off. Do not double or triple park any vehicle in front of the school when you drop-off unless instructed by a security guard, who will then assist your child(ren) to the curb.

Late Arrival   
If students miss their designated drop-off time, they must check in with security guards and walk to A19 under the security guards’ escort.

Siblings 
If you have children attending both the ELC and Primary at Avenues, you may apply to pick up your Primary Division child at the A19 entrance of the Primary building for your convenience. (Normally, Primary Division students are escorted by their teachers to the A8 Lishui Road entrance of the Secondary Division for dismissal.)

With this arrangement, after picking up your ELC child and waiting briefly, you can then proceed directly to pick up your Primary Division child.

Our Operations team will reach out to you before school starts to gather your needs.

Dismissal  
Dismissal is a very busy time and making sure our students get home safely is our number one concern. Please follow the directions from the security guards, to help with a safe and organized environment for dismissal.

Dismissal Times  
Grade 1-5: 4:00 p.m. (3:00 p.m. on Wednesday)

Dismissal Options 

• Private car pick up  

• School bus 

Private Car Pick Up  
Students will wait at the Waiting Area of A8 courtyard for private car pick up and be monitored by classroom teachers till 4:10（3:10 on Wednesday). The pick-up person should show teachers your badge then walk to the waiting area to pick up kids. If the child has not been picked up by 4:10 (3:10 on Wednesday), he/she will return to Study Lab in A19. The pick-up person needs to go to the primary division, tell the security guard the child's name, and then the teacher will send the child to the gate.

Bussing  
All school buses depart from campus at dismissal time. On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, the first bus departs at 4:10 PM (3:10 PM on Wednesdays). The school will determine whether to provide a second bus service each semester based on the number of after-school program registrations. If provided, the second bus departs at 6:00 PM on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays (5:00 PM on Wednesdays).

Students who miss their assigned bus must arrange their own transportation.

Attendance
Regular attendance is an important part of the educational experience of each student. We expect students to attend all assigned classes and events and to be on time.

Families must submit a request via WeChat for all attendance-related matters, including absences, lateness, and early dismissals. For same-day requests, parents must submit late requests before school starts and early dismissal requests by 1:30 p.m. All requests must include a clear explanation.

Parents are requested to arrange medical appointments during holiday times or outside of school hours. When it is not possible to arrange appointments outside of school hours, students are expected to return to school afterward.

Changing Dismissal Plans

Students are not allowed to leave the campus during school hours unless accompanied by a teacher. Students cannot leave school early on their own. If student need to leave school early, please refer to the following policy.

If students need to leave school before the end of the school day, or cancel the school bus service, or change the temporary pick-up person, parents or guardians need to fill out the "Dismissal Change" application form via the WeChat parent portal before 1:30 pm, and indicate the student's departure time, the name and photo of the pick-up person, or indicate that the student will go home on his own (only for students in grades 4 and 5 who have signed the consent form for self-dismissal).

If students feel unwell at school, they should go to the nurse office first. After an uation, the nurse will contact the parents to inform them of the situation and arrange for an early dismissal if necessary.

Please note that if the late arrival time is during WAM class, students will stay in the primary division to study independently and if students are taking classes at CCMI, they cannot leave school early.

Children in Multiple Divisions   

Dismissal schedule in divisions: 

• Kindergarten SW, N: 3:15 p.m. 

• Kindergarten Pre-K, K: 3:30 p.m. 

• Primary, Middle Grades, Upper Grades: 4:00 p.m. (Wednesday 3:00 p.m.) 

Explorers Program Dismissal Schedule: 
Kindergarten SW, N: 4:20 p.m. 
Kindergarten Pre-K, K: 4:50 p.m. 
Primary: 5:15 p.m. (Wednesday 3:00 p.m.) 

School Bus Departure Time: 
Kindergarten 1st Round: 3:35 p.m. 
Kindergarten 2nd Round: 5:00 p.m. 
Primary 1st Round: 4:10 p.m. (Wed 3:10 p.m.) 
Primary 2nd Round: 6:00 p.m. (Wed 5:00 p.m.) 

Before the start of school, families with siblings will receive a survey to understand your children’s dismissal arrangements. If necessary, primary students from families with siblings will be arranged to wait for their parents in A19.

Class Placement
Avenues makes every effort to maintain balanced sections; We ask that parents not request specific teachers or sections. The school takes into account a variety of factors when determining class placement.

ID Badges

Every authorized pick up person will get a badge with the adult’s photo and name and student’s name on it. Parents and caregivers are required to show their badge every time when picking up students from school or from school bus or attending school events. Parents can apply for adding, deleting and reporting the loss of a badge through the WeChat parents platform.

Lunch and Snacks   

Avenues’ food program covers a wide variety of dietary needs To avoid food allergies, Avenues adheres to a "nut-free policy" and provides dairy-free meals and vegetarian options. At the same time, students are not allowed to bring any outside food into school to avoid food allergies that may arise from children sharing snacks. For any special dietary needs, parents must contact the Operations Manager via email and complete the 《Consent Form for Food Arrangements at School》.

Fire Drills   
Fire drills are practiced so students become adept at exiting the building quickly and quietly to go to a pre-assigned secured location.      

Lost and Found  
The lost and found is located in the entrance of A19. Parents and students are welcomed to go directly to check if there is any lost item. At the end of semester any unclaimed items will be donated, or thrown away.  

We highly encourage all families to label their students’ clothing/belongings to ensure a prompt return if lost.

Home-learning   
Avenues is dedicated to learning that is both rigorous and engaging for students. Excessive homework—particularly of a rote nature—does not serve either of these goals. Home-learning assignments will vary by grade, with time tending to increase as students age.

The parents’ role in home-learning is to provide a good, quiet place and adequate time for study. This may include scheduling family events to avoid conflict with students’ school responsibilities and limiting access to social media during home-learning time.

Assignments will not ordinarily be given during vacation periods.

Part of the job for a child is learning how to complete their assignments on time and in a way that represents the best they are able to do. Your child may need your help in staying organized and keeping on top of assignments. Recognizing the value of student collaboration, teachers will give guidelines as to the extent of acceptable collaboration on a particular assignment. Home-learning assignments for each class are directly connected to the classwork planned for the class. If a child is late or has not prepared assignments, they may be unable to participate fully in a class.

Field Trip/Excursion Policies and Procedures  
Field trips are a wonderful way of enhancing learning and exploring the neighborhood and cities. During the year, classes go on walking, bus field trips or overnight trips which tie into the curriculum. Before each trip, we will introduce the destination, itinerary, activity goals, and precautions to parents through email, WeChat notification or group message. For some of these trips, parents(legal guardians) are asked to help supervise. If you are asked to supervise please see the field trip guidelines below.

Field Trips Guidelines For Parents：  

1. We realize that a field trip will be a good opportunity to visit with other parents. However, you will be responsible for supervising your own child and possibly another during the trip, and it is important for you to monitor and keep them safe. If a child in your group is too challenging for you to supervise, tell the teacher immediately, and the teacher will take charge of that child. Please refrain from using cell phones during the trip.  

2. Siblings are not permitted on field trips as this may be a distraction for you when supervising students.  

3. Follow travel plans/directions carefully as given by the classroom teacher and please follow any special instructions. Do not deviate from the plan that has been pre-arranged by the teachers.  

4. Please do not stop at any unplanned destinations such as restaurants, stores, etc. when you are on a field trip. It is your responsibility to keep your group together and keep up with the whole group. If the trip includes a parent for every child and children will be dismissed from the end of the trip, you must notify the teacher when you are leaving.  

5. Please arrive on time to the departure place and please be sure to accompany students until the very end of the field trip and back to the destination.  

6. As many of our children have allergies and we have a nut-free policy, please do not offer the children any drinks or snacks unless teachers have requested them.  

7. Other requirements sent by teachers.    

Excursion Trips  
In addition to field trips, we may also lead students on excursion trips outside Shenzhen. Students can voluntarily choose to participate in the excursions, and some trips may require parental accompaniment. Before each excursion, we will introduce the destination, itinerary, activity goals, and precautions to parents through a briefing session.

Birthdays  

1. In-School Birthday Celebration Policy   
Birthdays are special days for our students and we are happy to recognize them at Avenues. Teachers can create meaningful birthday rituals and recognized the birthday student during morning meeting. Summer birthdays are celebrated collectively near the end of the year. As an allergy-aware school, we do not allow students to bring in snacks for birthday celebrations.

2. Birthday Gifts
We ask that families are considerate of others, and mindful of our values of Welcome, Safety and Respect when purchasing birthday gifts or hosting parties for children at off-campus celebrations. Expensive items can detract from the overall celebration and cause discomfort for those who may not be able to give at the same level. The gifts are not what the children will remember most, so we encourage families to focus more on the gathering itself and out of fairness to all, to keep all gifts within a set spending amount (to be determined in collaboration with class parents).

Toys/Technologies from Home    
Please do not allow your child to come to school with toys, electronic devices or precious items that may cause sharing difficulties or a crisis if lost. We cannot be responsible for keeping track of little treasures from home, and even the most well-intentioned child may not be able to share a special toy. Additionally, toys/technologies from home can be a distraction and may get in the way of a child’s learning. Toy guns or weapons, action figures, money and jewelry are never appropriate in school. Books are welcome and should be substituted for those items that are not appropriate. 

Curriculum Night    
At the start of semester one, the school holds a curriculum night which aims to introduce parents to Avenues'philosophy, learning objectives and approach. This is also a great opportunity for parents to build a relationship with the teachers, visit classrooms and learn about their child's day and experiences at school. 

Open Hour  
The Primary Division holds Open Hour events for parents each academic year. Parents are invited into the classroom for an hour of observation. There is no special design or rehearsal of the day's lessons; you will see the real classroom and learning experience of the students. 

Conference  
Conferences take place twice a year and classes will not be held for children on these days. This is an important opportunity for students and teachers to share their growth. All teachers in the team meet prior to the conference to discuss all aspects of each child’s growth, development and progress. Each family will sign up for a conference time. We try to meet all families on conference days and ask that parents keep appointment times as it is difficult for teachers to coordinate time outside of appointed conference days. We strongly suggest that both parents are present for conferences. If one or both parents are unable to be present during the conference time, we ask that you keep the conference time and communicate either via phone or video conference. Check the school calendar for dates.

Showcases   
Showcases are opportunities for students to share their learning from a unit of study. Showcases will have various audiences selected by students to address the current project needs. Some showcases will require parent participation and some may not..

Avenues Community Connections (ACCs)  
The school will regularly hold Avenues Community Connections (ACCs) . The purpose of these meetings will be to talk about your children’s social, physical, emotional and cognitive development, and other topics that are determined in advance, such as literacy, math, and second-language development. These meetings will be led by members of the campus administrative team, other invited key faculty and guests, and are an opportunity for parents to ask questions and share ideas.