School Policy

During inclement weather, parents should listen to the radio or watch local television stations for school closing announcements. Our Lady of Mount Carmel School will be closed if you view any of the following on television:

• Our Lady of Mount Carmel – West (Cuyahoga)

• Cleveland Metropolitan School District

In case of an emergency closing of the school (e.g. water or gas leaks), the staff will contact the parents by telephone. NOTE: Please do not call the convent, rectory, or faculty/staff at home about school closings.

Parents are not permitted to drop off homework, gym shoes, books, or other items forgotten at home unless requested by the Principal. The office will only accept prescription medicine and house keys. PLEASE NOTE: Parents are not permitted to drop off lunches to school. Any child who forgets a homemade lunch will be provided a school lunch and the parent will be billed accordingly.

Because of the different health issues and allergies developed in our students, no food or drink is permitted to be sent to school to celebrate a child’s birthday.

Parents should instruct their child before he/she leaves for school in the morning as to what his/her program will be for the day. Parents are asked not to call the school to relay a message to them except in case of an emergency and no later than 1:15 p.m. Students are not permitted to use the office telephone or cell phone to ask for books, homework, shoes, permission, etc.

Cell Phone Policy:
The use of cell phones during school hours is not tolerated. We understand that students are given the use of cell phones for safety and to contact parents/guardians in case of an emergency when they are attending after school activities. Cell phones will be confiscated from any student who uses a cell phone between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on school property. Text messaging is prohibited during school hours. Our Lady of Mount Carmel School will not be responsible for any misplaced or lost cell phones brought to school by students. It will be the responsibility of the parent/guardian to stop by the principal’s office at the end of the day to pick up the cell.

The concern over child sexual abuse is a serious matter. Part of the Cleveland Diocesan plan to prevent child abuse is a program called Virtus. This program teaches people how to recognize child sexual abusers. The Virtus, Protecting God’s Children program consists of many components. The education component helps prevent child sexual abuse by first making every employee and volunteer aware of the issues surrounding child sexual abuse. This awareness session also helps adults to recognize the warning signs of abuse and shows them the appropriate way to respond to suspicious behavior. The awareness session empowers each person with five steps to help prevent child sexual abuse.

Every person wishing to work with children or young people as employees, coaches, or volunteers must fill out a volunteer application, attend this seminar, and undergo fingerprinting, background, and reference checks. There is a small fee for fingerprinting. The fingerprinting and background check is designed to further assist our students in a safe and Christian atmosphere.

This requirement is a great opportunity for all parents to be more aware of how to protect your child regardless of age and also to know that at any school event your child is safe and protected not just by their function supervisor but also by other parents who are aware of suspicious behavior. Virtus sessions are scheduled periodically throughout the school year.

Volunteer parents (for any event especially field trips and classroom/school events) can not bring with them younger children. When younger siblings are involved the students are distracted, and parents have to take care of their own child. All volunteer parents that will be coming to school to help at any given event are to be approved by the principal before they proceed with the event.

We welcome visitors. However, we do ask that you come by the office and sign in. The main office is located on West 70th Street. We will give you a visitor’s badge that we expect you to wear to go into the classroom. Before you leave, please come back by the office to sign out and return the badge. We are working very hard to provide a safe environment for your child. We need your cooperation. We do reserve the right to screen visitors.

If a parent/guardian/visitor addresses any staff member with inappropriate language or behavior, he/she will be asked to leave the school building and cannot re-enter until an agreement has been made with the Principal. Until such agreement has been reached, that individual is an unauthorized visitor, and by virtue of the posted signs is considered trespassing if he/she refuses to leave or re-enters the building. Our Lady of Mount Carmel believes in student confidentiality, therefore, parents/guardians are not permitted to sit in the classroom to observe the class.

If a problem arises with your child, attempt to resolve it with the classroom teacher first before requesting an appointment with the Principal. Please send a note with your child to set up an appointment with the teacher or call the school office. Do not call the convent or the rectory. If you were not satisfied with your meeting with the teacher then make an appointment to talk to the Principal. Making an appointment gives the teacher and principal time to prepare and in the end, will be advantageous to your child.

Parents/guardians are required to follow the uniform guidelines as set forth by Our Lady of Mount Carmel School. The Early Childhood uniform is sold directly through the school. Kindergarten through 8th-grade students may purchase some of their uniforms at SchoolBelles. Some of the uniform items are available for purchase at school. Warm weather uniform begins 24 in August. Cold weather uniform wear begins with the 2nd quarter in October. Please check your son/daughter before he/she leaves for school.

Warm Weather Uniforms (Aug, Sept, June)

Early Childhood:

Navy blue polo shirt with OLMC logo  
Khaki shorts with OLMC logo
White plain tennis shoes (no lights or characters)
White cotton crew socks for boys/navy blue knee socks for girls

Girl (K-3):

Uniform jumper
Light yellow blouse with Peter Pan collar
Uniform tie
Navy blue knee-high socks

Girls 4-8:

Option 1:
Uniform split skirt
Side pleat skort
Walking shorts or slacks
Light yellow blouse with Peter Pan collar
Uniform tie
Navy blue sweater vest with OLMC monogram
Navy blue knee-high socks

Option 2:
Uniform split skirt
Side pleat skort
Walking shorts or slacks
Yellow polo shirt with OLMC monogram
Navy blue knee-high socks

Boys K-3:

Option 1:
Fitted, dark khaki-colored dress pants or walking shorts from SchoolBelles with a brown or black belt
Tucked-in, white, short-sleeved polo shirt
Navy blue sweater vest with OLMC monogram
White crew socks

Option 2:
Fitted, dark khaki-colored dress pants or walking shorts from SchoolBelles with a brown or black belt
Yellow polo shirt with OLMC monogram
White crew socks

Boys 4-8:

Option 1:
Fitted, dark khaki-colored dress pants or walking shorts from SchoolBelles with a brown or black belt
Tucked-in, white, short-sleeved, button-down dress shirt
Uniform tie
Navy blue sweater vest with OLMC monogram
White crew socks

Option 2:
Fitted, dark khaki-colored dress pants or walking shorts from SchoolBelles with a brown or black belt
Tucked-in, yellow polo shirt with OLMC monogram
White crew socks

Cold Weather Uniforms (OCt - May)

Early Childhood

Navy blue sweatshirt with OLMC logo (with Our Lady of Mount Carmel Navy Blue Polo shirt beneath)
Navy blue sweat pants with OLMC logo
White plain tennis shoes (no lights or characters)
White cotton crew socks for boys/navy blue knee socks for girls Navy blue sweater, windbreaker, or jacket

Girl (K-3)

Option 1:
Uniform jumper
Light yellow blouse with Peter Pan collar
Uniform tie
Sweatshirt with OLMC logo or navy blue cardigan sweater
Navy blue knee-high socks or navy blue tights

Option 2:
Uniform slacks
Light yellow blouse with Peter Pan collar
Uniform tie
Navy blue sweater vest with OLMC monogram
Navy blue knee-high socks

Students have the option of wearing an OLMC logo sweatshirt or navy blue cardigan sweater with a navy blue sweater vest with an OLMC monogram.

Girls 4-8

Uniform split skirt
Side pleat skort
Walking shorts or slacks
Light yellow blouse with Peter Pan collar
Uniform tie
Navy blue sweater vest with OLMC monogram
Navy blue knee-high socks or navy blue tights

Girls have the option of wearing the OLMC sweatshirt or navy blue cardigan sweater however, the navy blue sweater vest with OLMC monogram must be worn with the OLMC sweatshirt or navy blue cardigan sweater.

Girls Shoes: Black soft-soled, flat dress shoes no higher than 1 inch. Platform or black tennis shoes are not permitted.

Girls Uniforms Must Be Mid-Knee Height

Boys K-3:

Fitted, dark khaki-colored dress pants from SchoolBelles with a brown or black belt 
Tucked in, white short-sleeved polo shirt
Navy blue sweater vest with OLMC monogram
White crew socks

Students have the option of wearing an OLMC logo sweatshirt or navy blue cardigan sweater with a navy blue sweater vest.

Boys 4-8:

Fitted, dark khaki-colored dress pants from SchoolBelles with a brown or black belt
Tucked-in, white, short-sleeved, button-down shirt with uniform tie 
Navy blue sweater vest with OLMC monogram
White crew socks

Boys have the option of wearing the OLMC sweatshirt or navy blue cardigan sweater however, the navy blue sweater vest with OLMC monogram must be worn with the sweatshirt or navy blue cardigan sweater.

Boys Shoes: Black dress shoes. NO BOOTS.

Jackets: Plain in detail Navy blue color (including North Face and any other brand)

Coats: Plain in detail Solid Color – No words, logos, or designs larger than 1.5 by 2 inches. No prints, designs, patches, professional or collegiate athletic teams’ logos, cartoon characters

All students should dress appropriately for outdoor recess and cold weather. This includes a warm coat, gloves, hat, scarf, and boots. Students should wear boots on snowy days and then change into their school shoes to wear in the classroom. Any child, who is not properly dressed for colder weather, will spend recess in another classroom. If it is too cold for any student to go outside because of illness, he/she should stay home.