Parent Portal
Policies & Procedures
Using an evidence-based and trauma-informed approach, Manville School promotes the academic and social-emotional growth of a diverse community to empower students and caregivers to access the skills and supports needed to reach their goals.
Wellness PolicyManville School regards the physical health and well-being of students as of a very high priority. It is one of the critical foundations for healthy growing and sets the stage for learning to take place. Wellness has both pro-social and health benefit, teaching children about nutrition as well as how to actively play well together. To that end, every effort is made to provide children with healthy food, snacks, and beverages. Manville School is also committed to providing opportunities for physical exercise throughout the day in both structured and non-structured settings. The school nurse is always available to consult with students regarding any nutritional or well-being issues that they may have. Manville serves breakfast and lunch in our spacious and cheerful cafeteria. Lower and Middle Schools eat family style, the Upper School utilizes a cafeteria line as preparation for the transition to high school. Each meal period is 20 to 25 minutes long. Under the supervision of the Manville chef, students are offered nutritionally balanced meals and snacks that afford a wide range of nutrients. There are ample fruits available daily. There is a salad bar with fresh vegetables daily. Bread is available and is 75% whole grain, as are breakfast cereals. Portion sizes and food selection meet federally mandated guidelines for both type and size. Fat-free and 1% milk are offered with breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Manville does not use food as an incentive, nor do we allow students to drink soda or use vending machines available to staff of The Baker Center. Manville also does not withhold food from students under any circumstances. Classroom-based celebrations in honor of birthdays or holidays take place no more than once a month. The dietary restrictions of students who are diabetic or have food allergies always inform the selection of what is to be served. To accommodate the religious, ethnic, or cultural diversity wishes of students, they can, with the permission of family and treatment team, bring lunch to school. The lunch must meet the dietary guidelines of our cafeteria, as well as those guidelines particular to a student, (sugar free, gluten free, etc.) Even with a meal from home, students can add desired items from the salad bar or fruit bar. |
Guidelines for Lunch and/or Snack That Is Brought To School
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The Manville School lunch is a balanced meal containing protein, vegetables, and carbohydrates. We expect lunches that are brought in to be balanced as well. Snacks (chips, pretzels, etc), desserts (cookies, fruit roll-ups, etc.), snack cakes, or candy are not allowed.
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Desserts at Manville consist of something sweet, a piece of fruit, or Jell-o. Please adhere to the restrictions listed above when providing your child with dessert options.
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Students who bring a lunch may be able to help themselves to the salad bar.
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Students may not bring beverages to school. They will have a choice of milk, juice (if offered) or water at school.
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There is no sharing, trading, or giving away of lunches or parts of lunches brought to school.
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Manville cannot provide refrigeration for lunches. Anything that needs to be kept cold must be stored in a lunch box with a cold pack.
Manville School –
Food & Nutrition Services
Children need healthy meals to learn. Manville School offers healthy meals every school day. In School Year 2024-2025, all students will receive free breakfast and lunch at school. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has provided money to do this for another year through the State budget. We need your help to keep providing free meals to all students in future years. Please fill out the application for free and reduced price school meals and submit to your local school district and Manville. The information you provide is confidential. We follow strict federal rules to keep your information private.
If you are not receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and have been approved for free or reduced-price school meals, you may be eligible for SNAP which provides monthly financial assistance to purchase groceries to Massachusetts residents who qualify. Find out if you are eligible for SNAP today by calling Project Bread’s FoodSource Hotline at 1-800-645-8333 and a counselor can help you apply over the phone. You can also apply on your own online at DTA Connect.
Non-Discrimination Statement – School Meals
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online here:, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
Mail
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
Fax
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442
Email
program.intake@usda.gov
Manville School/Baker Center for Children and Families is an equal opportunity provider.
Bullying Intervention & Prevention Policy
The Manville expects that all members of the school community will treat each other in a civil manner and with respect for differences and diversity. We believe that a positive, safe, and civil school environment is necessary for students to learn and achieve. Bullying disrupts a student’s ability to learn and compromises a school’s ability to educate it students in a safe environment. Therefore, Manville School prohibits any form of bullying, including cyber-bullying, and retaliation.
Manville School defines bullying as the repeated use by one or more students of a written, verbal, or electronic expression or a physical act or gesture directed at another student that interferes with a student’s sense of safety, dignity, comfort, or productivity in the school environment.
- Bullying involves a power imbalance in which the child doing the bullying has more power due to such factors as age, size, support of the peer group, or higher status.
- Bullying is carried out with intent to harm the targeted person in some way.
- Bullying can include physical aggression, verbal insults, spreading of malicious rumors or gossip, and threatening exclusion from the peer group.
- Bullying is usually a repeated activity in which a particular child is singled out more than once and often in a chronic manner.
- Cyber-bullying is bullying using technology or any electronic means such as cell phone, the Internet, or a social networking site. It includes but is not limited to email, instant messages, text messages, and Internet postings. Cyber-bullying includes the posting of material on an electronic medium that may be accessed by one or more persons.
Manville School will promptly investigate all reports and complaints of bullying, cyber bullying and/or retaliation, and take quick action to end inappropriate behavior and restore the target’s sense of safety in the school. Parents of both the student who is being bullied (the target), as well as the student who is being accused of doing the bullying (the aggressor) will be notified of the investigation.
All staff receive annual training on the Manville School’s Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan which will include a common understanding of the definition of bullying, including cyber-bullying; an overview of the bullying prevention curricula which will be integrated at all grade levels throughout the school; staff responsibilities under the Plan; an overview of the steps that the Principal or designee will follow when a report of bullying or retaliation is made; and how parents/guardians will be included in the process to ensure their child’s emotional and physical safety in and out of school.
Our bullying prevention curriculum is evidence based and is part of a whole school initiative which includes strategies for the prevention of bullying as well as the development of requisite social skills. We utilize several developmentally and age-appropriate programs, including, MARC Bullying and Cyber-bullying Prevention Curricula. These programs promote a whole school approach by addressing factors at the school, staff, family, child, and peer group level.