Guidance Department

Welcome to the Guidance Office at Fordham Early Learning Academy!

Fordham Early Learning Academy

Our Staff:

Ms. Marsha Carpenter, School Counselor

Mrs. Kristen Cintra, Guidance Clerk

Mrs. Delia Melendez, Information Processing Clerk

Our mission in the Guidance Department is to assist your child and their teachers in facilitating Fordham Early Learning Academy's mission/vision statement and goals for every student.

We invite you to come in and get to know us and the services we offer from this office. You may come by the school or call during "teacher hours" and make an appointment with us. We want to serve you and your child(ren). Remember, you don't need to wait until you have a problem or special reason! Together, we can provide a good foundation for future success and achievement by making your child's years at Fordham Early Learning Academy a happy and rewarding learning experience. Please call if we can be of service at 352-671-4927 or by email:

Counselor's Goals

  • Help children understand themselves and others;
  • Help to identify children with special needs;
  • Provide crisis intervention;
  • Develop plans to prevent academic/behavioral problems from developing;
  • Provide a Character Education program;
  • Coordinate the efforts of other professionals working for children;
  • Provide orientation for children coming to Fordham Early Learning Academy for the first time;
  • Promote positive attitudes toward persons of diverse cultural, racial, ability, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

General Information

Registration: All new students must register with the Information Processing Clerk (IPC) who is located in the Front Office. Our personnel are familiar with all the requirements and can help you with questions or open the link below:

https://www.marionschools.net/Page/72124

REQUIREMENTS FOR A STUDENT WHO HAS NEVER ATTENDED A FLORIDA PUBLIC SCHOOL

  1. A physical exam within the last year. We can accept a physical from another state if dated within the year.
  2. Immunization certificate from the State of Florida. Take your child’s shot records or certificate from another state to a doctor or the Marion County Health Department. They will review the records and issue a Florida Certificate of Immunization.
  3. Social Security card. If you have a Social Security card for your child, please bring it with you.
  4. Proof of residence. This proof may be one of the following: power or utility connection, rent receipt, telephone bill, etc. These must have your current address; these must be a physical address and not a PO Box number. If you are living with a relative or friend, you must have their proof of residence and a notarized statement from them stating that you are living at their residence.
  5. The name and address of your child's previous school. Our guidance department will send a request for records with parental consent.

REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTERING KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS

  1. A new kindergarten student needs all the requirements listed above plus their original birth certificate. Kindergarten students must be five years of age on or before September 1st of the current school year.

REQUIREMENTS FOR STUDENTS TRANSFERRING FROM A FLORIDA OR MARION COUNTY SCHOOL

  1. Proof of residence. Refer to # 4 above.
  2. Name and address of the child's previous school. Refer to #5 above.

Attendance: As parents, you are responsible for ensuring your child/children have regular, timely attendance. However, if a child is not in his/her classroom at the second bell, he/she must check in at the Front Office before reporting to class. Also, if children are chronically absent, tardy, or picked up early, notices may be sent from the Guidance Office per Marion County School System policies and Florida Statutes. If your child is absent upon returning to school, send a handwritten note as to why the absence occurred. If a doctor sees your child, please send the doctor's note to guidance.

Official Records:Your child's cumulative records are housed online. If you need to review your child's records, please call ahead and make an appointment with the Guidance Office staff at (352) 671-4927. Also, you may review your child's information by logging into Skyward Family Access from the Marion County Public School website. If you are transferring from Fordham Early Learning Academy, we will ensure all necessary documents are forwarded to your child's new school.

Health Services Program
During the school year, all students are eligible to participate in certain health services. Health screenings including, but not limited to, vision, hearing, and scoliosis will be conducted at various grade levels. Parents will be notified if these screenings indicate the need for follow-up. If a parent does not wish for his/her child to participate in health screenings, they should send a written note to the principal every year requesting their child be excluded from participation.

Health services begin in the first week of school. Parents are encouraged to call the school if they have health concerns regarding their child. The visiting health nurse provides health counseling, health education, and assistance with medical referrals and necessary follow-ups. In the case of a health emergency, “911” (emergency medical services) will be called and the parent/guardian will be notified immediately. In the event the parent/guardian cannot be reached, the person designated by the parent/guardian to call “in the case of emergency” will be notified. School health insurance forms are available upon request in the main office.

Medicine and Medication
If students are to take medication at school, an authorization form must be on file in the clinic naming the drug and the physician who prescribed the medicine, the number of the physician, the amount and times medication is to be given and the health condition requiring the medication. Students will not be permitted to take medication without a complete authorization form (including inhalers). The medicine is to be brought to school in the original container and kept in the clinic.

Students are not allowed to keep medication in lockers, desks, purses, etc., or on their person; however, a metered dose inhaler as prescribed by a physician for asthma is permitted. Upon arriving at school, students should bring the authorization form and the medication immediately to the clinic. Schedule medication for times other than school hours if possible. Over-the-counter drugs, such as aspirin, asper gum, cough or throat lozenge, cough syrup, decongestants, etc., should not be brought to school.