Classroom Guidelines
Classes start and end on time. Please make every effort to adhere to the schedule!
Please refrain from bringing food, drinks, toys or any other outside materials to class.
Cell phones must be switched off.
Students are expected to follow basic (age appropriate) classroom etiquette: raising a hand to speak, keeping hands to themselves, remaining seated when required, demonstrating respect for materials, etc. If there are specific rules applicable to a location or a grade level, the teacher will clearly communicate those requirements at the start of class.
Pick-Up Policy
Parents and caregivers must be on time to pick up children. Fig Tree is unable to accommodate late class pick-ups.
Discipline Policy
Sometimes kids have bad days or they are out of sorts and act out; we get that. Happens to the best of us! However, if a student is particularly unruly or disruptive over a period of time, it interrupts class for everyone. And that isn't fair to the other kids (or their families).
In the event of a persistently disruptive student, Fig Tree will adhere to the following procedure:
Teacher will attempt to calmly de-escalate the negative behavior.
Teacher will spend a maximum of 5 minutes (across an entire class session) working to de-escalate a disruption.
If de-escalation lasts longer than five minutes in any given class, the student's parents will be notified, and Fig Tree will work with the family to come up with a management plan. Often, we find this prevents any future disruptions.
If a second 5+ minute disruption incident occurs during the same semester, Fig Tree will work with the family to decide if either: a) the student's parent or guardian will remain in the room during class time going forward, or b) the student will be asked to leave the classroom if his or her behavior becomes disruptive. Parents will determine which approach is most appropriate for their child.
Ongoing persistently disruptive behavior may be grounds for termination, in which case the Fig Tree Refund Policy would apply.
Single Class Cancellation Policy (due to weather, etc.)
In the event of an emergency or inclement weather during the week, Fig Tree will follow the lead of NYC Public Schools: if public school is in session, Fig Tree classes will be held. For Sunday classes, Fig Tree will be in session unless roads and/ or subways are out of order.
Fig Tree will communicate cancellations via email, with as much notice as possible.
If a class is cancelled due to inclement weather or emergency, students in that class will be offered a make-up option, typically on a different day of that week. The rescheduled day, time and location may be different from the original day, time or location.
Student Illness
Children should be kept home from class if they are experiencing any of the following: Fever, vomiting, an unexplained rash, diarrhea, conjunctivitis, persistent and frequent cough that interferes with your child’s class involvement, or any other contagious illness. It goes without saying that if a child is too sick to go to school, he or she should stay home from Fig Tree.
Allergy Policy
In Fig Tree classes, we occasionally taste or work with foods, which may contain common allergenic ingredients such as tree nuts, peanuts, eggs, wheat, or any other known or unknown ingredient. Fig Tree cannot guarantee allergy-sensitive classrooms or buildings, and Fig Tree is not responsible for managing food allergies of individual students. Parents or guardians of children with allergies understand these risks.
Make-Up Policy
Because of the iterative nature of each semester, Fig Tree does not offer make-up classes. However, the schedule is carefully crafted to accommodate NYC public and independent school calendars, likely vacation schedules, and public/ religious holidays.
If a student misses class due to illness or planned absence, Fig Tree will provide the student with an overview of the topics discussed, copies of any relevant material, and copies of Hebrew workbook pages referenced, if relevant. Email us and we'll be happy to send electronic copies of all materials.