BMS MISSION STATEMENT

Building Unique Relationships Nurtures Success!

Name

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Grade

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Homeroom Teacher

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Room #

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ILP Username

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ILP Password

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2014-2015 SCHEDULE

GRADE 6

8:15—9:05 1st Period (Unified Arts & PE)

9:09—9:59 2nd Period (Unified Arts & PE)

10:03—11:11 3rd Period

11:15—12:52 4th Period & Lunch

12:56—2:04 5th Period

2:08—3:15 6th Period

Lunch: 6A 11:32—12:0 Bay A

6B 11:42—12:10 Bay C

GRADE 7

8:15—9:23 1st Period

9:27—10:36 2nd Period

10:40—11:30 3rd Period (Unified Arts & PE)

11:34—12:52 4th Period (Unified Arts & PE) & Lunch

12:56—2:04 5th Period

2:08—3:15 6th Period

Lunch: UA1 - 12:12—12:40 Bay A (Beumel, Boone, Blandford, Newcom, Janiak & Rogers)

UA2 - 12:20—12:48 Bay C (Davidson, Saalwaechter, Huffman, Purcell & Yonts)

GRADE 8

8:15—9:23 1st Period

9:27—10:36 2nd Period

10:40—12:16 3rd Period & Lunch

12:20—1:27 4th Period

1:31—2:21 5th Period (Unified Arts & PE)

2:25—3:15 6th Period (Unified Arts & PE)

Lunch: 8F 11:00—11:28 Bay A

8G 11:07—11:35 Bay C

Dear Parents:

The staff has decided to use the agenda book your child has been given with all students and in all classes at BMS. Our purposes in providing this book are:

-to facilitate communication between home and school.

-to help students be better organized and to plan ahead.

-to further personalize communication between teachers and students by providing a sense of consistency for students from class to class.

-to help students with study skills.

-to reinforce our school philosophy and code of conduct.

Teachers will have students keep track of assignments and long-term projects in their agenda. Teachers will use the agenda to write personal notes to students and their parents. Teachers will monitor the use of the agenda to make sure that all students are taking advantage of its many organizational and motivational benefits.

As parents, you can help to make the use of this agenda and even greater success by doing the following:

-Review the use of the agenda with your child as well as the code of conduct at BMS.

-Check the agenda every night.

-Contact teachers as soon as you sense a need.

Thanks for your support,

The BMS Staff

UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIORS AT BMS

Unacceptable behaviors at BMS include (but are not limited to):

1.  having unexcused tardies to class

2.  failing to have class materials

3.  failing to complete homework assignments

4.  copying, cheating, or plagiarism

5.  back talking or being disrespectful

6.  being dishonest

7.  throwing objects, horseplay

8.  disruptive behavior – noises, instigating conflicts, excessive talking, refusal to settle down

9.  leaving class/hallway without being dismissed

10. using improper language, objectionable popular phrases, four letter words, and suggestive terms

11. running or yelling in the halls

12. being in the hall without a pass or agenda

13. displaying affection in an improper way

14. destroying property including excessive writing in or destruction to the agenda

15. any food and drink other than in the cafeteria is not permitted (unless authorized by a teacher)

16. possession of laser pointers, white out, rubber bands, or paint pens

17. writing or drawing on yourself or others

18. having toys or trading cards in the classroom

19. careless disposal of gum will result in the privilege being removed

20. harassing others – a person is guilty of harassment when he/she intends to intimidate, harass, annoy, or alarm another person

21. bullying others – a pattern of conduct or comments that humiliates, intimidates, excludes, stigmatizes or demeans and/or isolates an individual

ARRIVAL TO SCHOOL

Because supervision is not available, students should not be dropped off before 7:15 AM. The exception would be early arrival for prearranged meetings with teachers, coaches, or sponsors. Upon arrival, sixth grade students sit in Bay A of the Commons Area; Seventh and eighth grade students sit in the big gym. Students are dismissed from their area to go to Homeroom/1st Period around 8:00 AM. Written permission from a teacher is needed for a student to be in the hallways before 8:00 AM.

ATTENDANCE

Every school day is very important. Should an absence occur, students are responsible for making up all work missed during their absence. It is the student’s responsibility to ask for any missed work. A student has five (5) days after returning to school to complete and turn in missed work. Work assigned prior to the absence is due upon returning to school from the day(s) of absence.

BALLOONS OVER BURNS

BMS offers a wide variety of balloons for those wanting to convey GOOD WISHES or HAPPY BIRTHDAY to other students, family, or friends. All items are reasonably priced and available in good supply. All orders should be placed no later than 10:30 AM on the day of delivery. Balloons cannot be carried on school buses.

BOOKBAGS

Book bags, gym bags, or any other tote bags must be kept in the student's locker during the school day. Bags may not be carried to class, or in the hall between class periods. An infraction of this rule may result in a Discipline Ticket (DT).

BUSES

Good behavior is expected at all times. Violation of bus rules may result in a Discipline Ticket (DT) and/or suspension from the bus. The driver is in charge, and students are expected to cooperate with the driver.

At the Bus Stop:

1.  Be at the bus stop at least five (5) minutes early. The driver cannot wait, and will not come back if a rider misses the bus.

2.  Stay on the sidewalk and out of the street, and keep the street clear of books, clothing, or other articles.

3.  Wait for the bus to come to a complete stop. No pushing, shoving, or fighting while waiting or boarding.

4.  Do not damage the property of others while waiting, and do not make excessive noise.

5.  If crossing the street to board the bus, wait until the driver has stopped and signals that it is safe to cross.

While on the bus:

1.  Follow the instructions of the driver and/or monitor.

2.  The driver and/or monitor may assign seats. Discipline problems will be reported to the principal.

3.  Take your seat immediately and remain seated. Do not exchange seats without prior approval.

4.  Hold books, clothing, and other objects in your lap. Items larger than 13”x26” are not allowed. Objects too large to be held in your lap must be transported privately.

5.  Do not block the bus aisle or exits in any way.

6.  Keep the volume down. Excessive noise can be a distraction for the driver.

7.  Cell phones, laptops, MP3s, iPods and other electronic devices may not be used on the bus.

8.  No eating or drinking on the bus. Fighting, scuffling, tobacco products, profanity, and obscenities are not allowed.

9.  Do not open/close windows without approval. Do not throw any object out of the bus windows.

10. Do not extend any part of the body outside of the bus.

11. Do not tamper with, or damage, any part of the bus. Anyone who damages a bus will be subject to disciplinary action and/or restitution.

Riding the bus home:

Students are expected to ride their assigned bus and leave the bus only at their regular designated stop. If a student needs to change his/her regular bus or designated bus stop, even for one (1) day, the student must obtain a Bus Note from the front office. To receive a Bus Note from the office, a student will need to bring a note from home signed by a parent that includes the bus number and the address of the change. Bus Notes must be acquired in the morning.

CAR RIDERS/WALKERS

All car riders must be dropped off and picked up in the rear of the school on the Burns Elementary School side of the building. The front drive is for buses only. If a student lives close enough to walk to or from school, the parent must notify the school in writing. A list of walkers will be kept in the office.

CELL PHONES/OTHER ELECTRONICS

Cell phone use for any reason, including texting, picture taking, etc., during the school day is prohibited unless authorized by a teacher or administrator. (The school day is defined as arrival to school through second run bus dismissal.) Cell phones must be turned off unless in use for school purposes. Violation of this rule will result in disciplinary actions. First Offense – The phone is confiscated and returned to a parent/guardian only. The student will receive a warning or additional consequence, if deemed necessary. Second Offense – The phone, including SIM card and battery, is confiscated and will be returned to the parent/guardian after the parent signs an agreement stating the phone will not be brought back to school. Third Offense – The phone, including SIM card and battery, will be confiscated and be returned to the parent/guardian only. Plus, the student will be suspended for one day (please be aware that more severe disciplinary actions may be taken on the third offense depending on how the student handles the situation). Any further offenses will result in more severe disciplinary actions.

Use of approved eReaders is governed by the Agreement for the Acceptable Use of Technology.

Any other personal electronic items a student chooses to bring to school should be turned off except for school purposes.

Students are responsible for keeping up with devices they bring to school. BMS or DCPS is not responsible for loss, theft, or destruction of devices brought onto school property.

DISCIPLINE

General School-wide Rules:

1.  No fighting, harassment, bullying of others, profanity, vulgar language and/or actions.

2.  Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself in the classroom and in the hallways.

3.  Respect school property. Use equipment as directed and intended.

4.  Students are expected to be in their assigned areas.

5.  No running in the halls, class areas, or to and from buses.

6.  Avoid tardiness.

The Demerit System correlates with our discipline expectations. Demerits will be assessed for less serious offenses that disturb daily classroom procedures.

The following course of action will be implemented for Demerits:

·  3 demerits in one school day will result in a discipline ticket

·  5 demerits in a school week will result in a discipline ticket

·  10 accumulated demerits within a nine week period will result in a discipline ticket

Demerits start over at the end of each nine weeks and the students are given a fresh start. If a student has been punished for 3 demerits in one day, those demerits cannot be used when reprimanding a child for 5 demerits in a week. The same is true with 10 demerits in a nine week period.

The correction for the demerit offenses will be the following:

1st discipline ticket will result in a Wednesday afternoon detention

2nd discipline ticket will result in a ONE day In-House placement

3rd discipline ticket will result in a THREE day In-House placement

4th discipline ticket COULD result in a NINE day Crisis placement

Notes of Concern may be issued by a teacher to communicate behavioral or academic concerns. Notes of Concern are written in a proactive nature in order to communicate with parents for a solution before disciplinary action is needed. When a Note of Concern is received, the student needs to have a parent sign the note, and then return it to the issuing teacher.

A Time-Out referral may be issued by any teacher in order to remove a student from the classroom for disturbing class. In the event that a Time-Out is issued, the student is referred to the Time-Out/In-School Suspension room for the remainder of that class period. This is an intervention that may be used prior to the student receiving a Discipline Ticket (DT).

Discipline Tickets (DT) may be issued by any faculty or staff member. DTs can be written for misbehavior and/or for the accumulation of demerits. Students and parents are required to sign DTs. The consequences for misconduct increase in severity as the number of DTs accumulate. Consequences include Wednesday Afternoon Detention, In-School Suspension, Out-of-School Suspension, and In-House Crisis. Administration will deal with each incident in an appropriate manner after an investigation of the individual situation. DTs are recorded on the student’s Behavior Record.

Wednesday Afternoon Detention is a way of providing a consequence without causing students to miss valuable instruction time, and will hopefully serve as a deterrent to misbehavior. Wednesday Afternoon Detention is 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM. If a student is unable to attend the assigned detention, a written explanation from home is required prior to the day of the assigned detention. If a student is a “no show” for Wednesday detention, and a written explanation has not been received, the absence will be considered skipping, and will result in making up the detention, and additional consequences. Students who misbehave during Wednesday Afternoon Detention may be given additional detention time and/or In-School Suspension.

In-School Suspension/In-House Learning Center (ISS/IHLC) is a structured, supervised program for students in lieu of unsupervised, unstructured Out-of-School suspension. Students assigned to ISS will be in an educational environment, but in total isolation from his/her peers. Violating the rules of ISS will result in additional days assigned or additional consequences.

In-House Crisis (IHC) is an off-campus program for students who show a total disregard for school rules and regulations, for completion of his/her education, for school property, for the safety and well being of other students and staff, or students involved in drugs or alcohol. IHC students must complete all assignments before returning to the regular classroom.

Out-of -School Suspension (OSS) is assigned to students who severely violate the discipline code. Students are suspended from school and school activities for up to ten (10) days per event. When a student is suspended from school, he/she will not be allowed to attend class, visit school, participate in or attend extracurricular activities for the duration of the suspension. A suspension will be considered an unexcused absence. A suspension becomes part of the student's attendance record as well.