Greetings from the Trask Administrative Staff
Dear Trask Parents and Students,
Welcome back! The Administrative staff has been working hard to prepare the school for another wonderful year. We are very proud of the hard work and dedication that our students exhibited last year, and look forward to watching them excel this year. The staff here at Trask is dedicated to helping every student reach and exceed his/her potential in order to prepare them for not just the End-of-Grade tests, but for being successful and happy in life. We ask our parents to be partners with us to insure that this goal is reached for every child, and we “Thank You” in advance for that opportunity.
Each student has been provided with this Agenda/Handbook. Our hope is this book will become a form of communication between school and home. Students will be required to bring this book to every class in order to keep track of assignments and due dates. Please check this book each day in order to help your child plan time at home for completing assignments. You will also find helpful information and rules/policies for the new school year. We ask that you take some time to read over the enclosed information with your child, and then sign the “Emma B. Trask Student Handbook Acknowledgement Form”, which your child will be required to return to his/her homebase teacher.
Our hope is that this will be a great and rewarding year for our students and parents. Please feel free to contact us if there is anything we can do to help your child be successful!
Sincerely,
Sharon Dousharm, Principal
Stephanie Smith, Assistant Principal
Lloyd Brown, Assistant Principal
*****Please See PDF Attachment *****
New Hanover County Schools
2008-2009 Traditional School Calendar
Where to go and who to ask…
8th Grade Administrator – Sharon Dousharm
7th Grade Administrator – Stephanie Smith
6th Grade Administrator – Lloyd Brown
Student Support Team – Marjorie Graham
Homework Academy- Treasa Hyman
Section 504 Plans – Elizabeth Mayott-Scharf
Lockers – Homeroom Teacher
Check in/out – Betty Henry
Medications and Emergency Plans – Nurse
Project Redirect – Dan Bloodworth
6th Grade Counselor – Elizabeth Mayott-Scharf
7th Grade Counselor – Tracy Bacon
8th Grade Counselor – Katrena Mills
School Social Worker – Traci Adcock
Cafeteria – Gloria Day, 350-2190
Athletics – Aaron Livengood, Athletic Director
Dates for Progress Reports and Report Cards
September 24 Progress Report
October 17 Progress Report
October 31 End of 1st 9 weeks
November 10 Report cards sent home by student
November 20 Progress Report
December 10 Progress Report
January 16 Progress Report
January 23 End of 2nd 9 weeks
February 2 Report cards sent home by student
February 11 Progress report
February 25 Progress report
March 20 Progress report
April 2 End of 3rd 9 weeks
April 13 Report cards sent home by students
April 29 Progress Report
May 13 Progress Report
May 29 Progress Report
June 15 Final Report cards mailed home
Students will be required to have their progress reports signed and returned to their teachers within two school days. If your child does not receive a progress report or report card on the dates listed above, please contact his/her teacher, or the appropriate grade level administrator.
Only core teachers will be required to send progress reports home on the bold dates.
Bullying Policy and Procedures
New Hanover County Schools’ Board Policy defines bullying as a form of harassment that means the intimidation of others by the real or threatened infliction of physical, verbal, written, electronic transmission or emotional abuse or attacks of personal property.
Trask does not tolerate bullying of any type. We have 5 trained coaches that investigate reports of bullying to determine whether the report is a true bullying situation. If the report qualifies as bullying, the coach turns the investigation over to an administrator for disciplinary actions. Our bullying coaches are Ms. Mayott-Scharf, Mr. Bacon, Ms. Mills, Ms. Hyman, and
Ms. Adcock. Students can also make the report to any staff member, or they can choose to get a Report Form from the Nurse’s lobby or Main office and fill it out with their parents.
It is extremely important that students report bullying as soon as possible. Bullies are only going to bully those students who allow it to continue.
BULLYING IS A SUSPENDABLE OFFENSE!
2008-09 Trask Middle School Dress Code
This past school year Trask had to provide students with approximately 300 t-shirts due to the inappropriateness of the shirts students were wearing. We also had to address many of our young ladies regarding their shorts and skirts. Attending to dress code issues takes away from instructional time for our staff members. With this being said, our staff voted unanimously to implement the following dress code:
All garments worn must meet the following criteria:
· Must be free of graphics, screen-printing, and decorations using rhinestones or sequins.
· Manufacturer’s labels or emblems can be no larger than 3 inches by 3 inches.
· Form fitting spandex material or nylon (including leggings) may be worn under approved knee length attire.
· Skin tight, oversized, and undersized garments are not permitted.
· Clothing with holes, rips, or tears is not permitted.
· Must be free of any gang related material.
Shoes
· Some type of shoes must be worn at all times.
· No bedroom shoes are permitted.
Shirts
· Shirts must be collared and in the solid colors of red, black, or white.
· Students may wear school spirit T-shirts, which have no collar.
· Shirts may be long or short sleeve. Sleeveless shirts are not permitted.
· Shirts cannot be worn no lower than the hip and must cover waist band of pants, shorts, skirts, skorts, or capris, whether sitting or standing.
Pants, skirts, and shorts
· Girls may wear Capri shorts only.
· Skirts must be at the knee
· Students may wear jeans as long as they meet the criteria listed above.
· Pants must be worn at the waist at all times.
Coats and hoodies
· Must be free of graphics, screen-printing, and decorations using rhinestones or sequins.
Physical Education class attire
· Sophies are no longer permitted. Girls must wear shorts that are mid-thigh in length.
· T-shirts worn during PE must meet be free of inappropriate graphics and/or screen-printing.
In closing, the major changes to our dress code are:
· Requiring students to wear collared shirts in solid red, white, or black.
· We are allowing students to wear any type of pants they would like as long as they meet the criteria.
· We are not allowing our young ladies to wear shorts other than capris.
· Our young men must pull their pants to their waist and their shirts cannot be longer than the hip.
Book Bags
In an effort to have safe and orderly transitions in the hallways, we do not allow students to carry book bags throughout the day. Students are allowed to carry their book bags to and from school, but they must place them in their lockers. Students may purchase a small “sling” bag that is big enough to hold a couple of books.
Lockers
Students may rent a locker for the year once they have completed a locker form and paid a fee of $1.00. Times for going to lockers will be determined by each team of teachers. Plan your book needs for each block very carefully.
*Please note that all student lockers are subject to be searched by school officials at any time, with or without the student’s presence or knowledge.
*The school will not be liable for any items lost or stolen from a student locker.
Cafeteria
The cafeteria is open for breakfast from 7:50 until 8:10. Students are to eat and remain in the cafeteria. Students not served by 8:10 may not eat without a time/dated late bus pass.
Students who charge their meals are expected to clear their charges within one week. Students with two or more unpaid charges will not be allowed to charge until all charges are cleared.
Students are required to bring their ID cards for scanning and paying purposes.
Absolutely no food or drink may be carried out of the cafeteria.
Meal Prices
Breakfast $1.20 Reduced $0.30
Lunch $2.00 Reduced $0.40
Discipline Policy
Trask students are expected to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner in class, on the bus, and at any school activities, on or off Trask campus. Once a student has decided to disrupt the learning of other students, there will be consequences which can include a suspension of up to 10 days. Students who are suspended may have the option to attend Trask’s Redirect Program. In School Suspension is no longer an option at Trask Middle School.
Student Responsibilities
1. Be responsible for your own behavior – you choose how to react to different situations.
2. You should understand that inappropriate/disruptive behavior interferes with the teaching and learning of others.
3. Always respect the feelings and rights of others.
4. Refrain from the use of physical force or the threat of physical force.
5. Refrain from verbal abuse and Bullying
6. Attend school and class everyday and be on time prepared to work.
7. Do what the teachers and adults in the building reasonably request of you.
8. Be aware of and follow all school, teacher, and county rules and procedures.
Teachers have the discretion to enforce consequences for students not adhering to classroom rules. These consequences may be, but not limited to, holding a student conference, lunch detention, after school detention, parent contact, or parent/student conference. If a teacher has given a student an after school detention a parent must be notified in advanced.
Inappropriate Behavior and Consequences
1. The following behaviors could result in time out, parent/student conference, or suspension:
a. Continuous class disruption
b. Major class disruption that affects the learning of others.
c. Profanity
d. Leaving class without permission
e. Verbal abuse of peers
f. Disrespectful behavior – by words or actions
g. Verbal abuse of staff (3-10 days suspension)
h. Failure to serve an assigned lunch or after school detention (1 day suspension)
i. Continuous violation of the dress code (1 day suspension)
j. Refusal to give up items not allowed on school grounds such as headgear, cell phones, CD players, etc… (up to 5 day suspension and a delay in the return of property taken)
k. Refusal to do as a staff has reasonably requested (up to a 5 day suspension)
l. Smoking on school grounds (up to 5 day suspension)
m. Running from a staff member (3-10 day suspension)
n. Leaving campus without permission (up to 5 day suspension)
o. Creating a major disruption on school grounds (up to 10 day suspension and possible a charge)
p. Stealing (5-10 day suspension and a charge)
q. Vandalism (up to 10 day suspension and a charge)
r. Assaulting another student (3-10 day suspension and a charge)
s. Fighting (3-10 day suspension and a charge)
Except where noted, suspensions will generally be based on the number of times a student has been referred to the Time Out Center, the offense committed, and the number of suspensions that a student has already had. Continuous behavior issues can result in a long term suspension.
The following violations will result in an automatic 10 day suspension and a recommendation for long term suspension.
1. Possession of any weapons or explosives on school property.
2. Assault on a staff member
3. Assault and serious injury on another student
4. Possession of a laser light - 2nd offense
5. The knowing use, possession, transmission, or being under the influence of any controlled substance.
6. Arson
7. Sexual assault, sexual offenses, indecent exposure, or sexual misconduct.
8. Causing a serious disruption of the school environment, or encouragement of others to use violence, force, noise, coercion, threat, intimidation, or fear.
9. Threatening school personnel or any other adult.
Time Out Center
The Time Out Center will be used for students who have disrupted the learning of others and need a place to cool down and collect his/her thoughts. The procedure will be as follows:
1. The staff member that chooses to send a student to the Time Out Center will complete a Time Out form, which explains why the student was sent there, and what time the student was sent. Failure to arrive in a timely manner can result in a suspension.
2. Once the student has arrived, he/she will be required to contact and inform a parent of being sent out of class. The teacher will contact the parent at a later time that day to discuss details of the reason why the student was sent to the center.
3. The teacher will send work for the student to do while in the center. The work will be relative to what is being taught in the classroom. The work will be returned to the teacher at the end of the day for grading.
4. Students will not be allowed to sleep while in the center. Students will be required to work. If the student is successful during the time out period he/she will be allowed to leave the center and go to his/her next class.
5. Any student sent to the center more than once during a day could be sent home for the remainder of that day.
6. After a student has obtained several visits to the center the following interventions will occur:
a. Parent conference with teachers and an administrator to plan behavior interventions.
b. Suspension out of school or to the Redirect Program.
Redirect Program
The Redirect Program is an alternative to a student being suspended out of school. The program is designed so that students can attend school from 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm and receive help with the work that is being missed in the classroom. This alternative prevents a student from getting behind in school. Transportation to and from school to attend the Redirect Program will be the responsibility of the parent.
A student may only be allowed to attend the Redirect Program for 2 suspensions or up to 5 days during a semester. After a student has exceeded those limits, further suspensions during that semester will be out of school.