A
commitment to parents and students
GENERAL INFORMATION
Belief Statement
The staff of
To
ensure that your student receives a quality education, we plan to:
- Reduce classroom
disruption by adhering to the discipline procedures.
- Require that students
meet the academic standards stated in the handbook.
- Teach and expect a
productive work ethic that emphasizes personal responsibility, honesty,
initiative, timeliness and cooperation.
School Day and Hours
Students
may be guaranteed access to campus between
BELL
five-period day
First Period
Passing Time
Second Period
Passing Time
First Lunch
Second Lunch
Third Period
For Second Lunch
For First Lunch
Fourth Period
Passing Time
Fifth Period
Closed Campus
FMS operates under a closed campus policy. Once students are dropped off at school by parents or arrive at school by bus, they must remain on campus for the remainder of the day. Parents need to come into the office to check students out if they are leaving before the end of the school day for any reason.
Visitors
Student visitors are not permitted. On the other hand, parents are encouraged to take an active role in their children’s education and are welcome at school. Classroom visitations, while a class is in session, require 24 hour prior approval from the classroom teacher and the principal. So we can better serve you, all visitors to the school are required to sign in at the office.
Emergency School
In the event of severely inclement weather or mechanical breakdown, school may be closed, starting time delayed or dismissed early. Any decision of this nature will be announced on KVAC, 140 radio station. Please do not call the school, as our telephone lines must be open for emergencies.
Textbooks
Textbooks are provided to students by the school district and are issued by classroom teachers. Lost or damaged books and equipment are the responsibility of the student. Resulting fines/costs need to be paid in full prior to the release of report cards and/or transcripts.
Lockers
All
7th- and 8th-grade students will be assigned a
locker. Students are expected to keep
their belongings in their own locker and maintain its upkeep. Locker combinations are private and under no
circumstances should they be shared with others. If a problem occurs with a locker, students
need to report it to the office promptly.
Any damage/vandalism to lockers will be charged to the student who is responsible
for the repair/replacement of the locker.
Valuables
For your own protection, please do not bring large amounts of money and/or personal property to school. Examples of personal property include: radios, headphones, walkmans, tape players, electronic games, and other toys. Not only can these easily items be lost or stolen, they interrupt the educational process. In addition, laser pointers are not allowed at school and will be confiscated if found.
Lost and Found
All lost and found articles should be taken to the office. Unclaimed articles will be disposed of after thirty days.
Lunch and Breakfast Programs
The
The “Bank-a-Meal” program
will be in effect again this year.
Students participating in the district’s meal program will need to
deposit money into their account. We
encourage parents to deposit as much money as possible at one time because it
will be easier for you, your child, and school personnel. If a student loses part of or all of his/her
lunch money, he/she may charge a meal, but before the student may charge
another meal, the first charge needs to be paid.
Withdrawal
Prior to a student being withdrawn from school, a parent/guardian must notify the school office in writing or in person. A withdrawal form needs to be completed by the student prior to leaving school. Once this has been completed and all outstanding fines paid, the school office will furnish records to the new school upon their request.
Assemblies
Assemblies are a regularly scheduled part of the school day and all students will be expected to attend. Assemblies provide one of the few opportunities for students to learn formal audience behavior. The following is a list of guidelines for assemblies:
1. When students are dismissed to go to an assembly, they should walk quietly with their classmates and teacher through the halls and take their assigned place at the assembly.
2. Students should stand and give the Pledge of Allegiance when asked to do so.
3. Students should sit quietly and listen attentively to the speaker or program that is being presented.
4. Students should display courteous behavior at all times during the assembly.
5. Students should demonstrate approval and appreciation during the assembly by clapping, not stamping or whistling.
6. When the assembly is over, students should wait quietly for instructions to be dismissed.
7. After dismissal, students should walk quietly back to class.
8. Students who choose to be disruptive in assemblies will be removed and sent to the Dugout.
ACADEMIC POLICIES
Grading Statement
F MS is dedicated to providing a quality education with high standards to all students. Part of the FMS mission in meeting higher standards includes firm policies on the quality and timeliness of student work. FMS expects students to act responsibly toward completing and turning in quality work. Students are expected to follow the school-wide guidelines regarding standards of quality and due dates.
Grading Policies
Grading policies are established by individual teachers and are in compliance with district/state guidelines. Each teacher will provide students with specific grading criteria and related classroom information at the beginning of the year.
Final grades will be A, B, C, I or N. If a student received a grade of “I” at the end of the quarter, he/she will have two weeks from the time report cards are issued to complete the missing assignments and receive a passing grade. After two weeks, if the work is not made up, the “I” grade will automatically become and “N”, which means there was no credit earned in that class for the grading period.
Quality Work
Teachers take pride in developing meaningful assignments and assign work designed to match a student’s interest, level of ability, and learning style. Completed assignments will be accepted only if they reflect a sense of student pride, careful thought, and attention to detail. If asked, a student can look at their work (self-evaluate) and explain how that assignment reflects exceptional effort. The assignment needs to be written on full sheets of paper, without torn edges or wrinkles. Handwriting must be neat and legible and must be done in black or blue ink or in pencil, depending on the class. Complete sentences will be used unless specified by the teacher. Computation will be shown for math problems. Each assignment must have the proper four-line heading in the upper, right-hand corner.
Late Policy
Completed assignments that are late may be accepted, provided that they are not more than five days late and that the work is of acceptable quality. However, students will not receive full credit for late work.
Academic
Promotion Requirements
The Quillayute Valley School Board recognizes the
importance of developing and maintaining the integrity of the District’s
instructional program. Within this
context, students must be held accountable to achieving high standards in order
to assure greater chances for success in high school and beyond. Acting in the best interests of students, and
supporting the standards at
In order to enter the ninth grade at
1. A middle school student must successfully compete at least 90% of the maximum number of classes offered during the eighth grade year, measured on a quarterly basis AND
2. A middle school student must successfully complete at least 75% of the maximum number of classes offered during the seventh grade year, measured on a quarterly basis OR
3. At the discretion of the middle school principal, an alternative method may be used. A middle school student must successfully complete at least 82% of the maximum number of classes offered during the combined seventh- and eighth-grade years, measured on a quarterly basis.
4. A middle school student must successfully complete at least 75% of the maximum number of classes offered during the sixth-grade year, measured on a quarterly basis. A meeting would be held with the teacher to determine seventh grade eligibility at the end of his/her sixth grade year.
Special Education students are promoted subject to their Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process, as prescribed by state law.
ATTENDANCE POLICIES
Attendance
Regular attendance at school is necessary in order to
receive the full benefit of instruction.
The laws of the State of
Forks Middle School Attendance Procedures are as follows:
1. It is expected that students will attend each class on every school day.
2. All teachers take roll and keep a record of absences. Students who are absent during first period will be reported to the office.
3. Students arriving to school after the commencement of the school day must obtain a pass from the office in order to be admitted to class—regardless of their time of arrival.
4.
EXCUSED ABSENCE - The only valid excuse
for absence from school recognized by the State of
A. Illness or death in the immediate family.
B. Dental or doctor appointments.
C. Pre-arranged absences authorized by the school.
D. Participation in one of the educational programs of the school.
E. Other family emergencies that cannot be anticipated.
5. UNEXCUSED ABSENCE - It is the student’s responsibility to remember that the following are NOT excusable absences and there may not be opportunity to make up work missed due to an unexcused absence(s). In addition, the student will be subject to corrective actions in accordance with the disciplinary policies of the district. The following are unexcused absences:
A. Truancy/skipping. (A student not checking out of school is truant).
B. Long-term suspension. (More than ten days).
C. Either not submitting a note OR submitting a signed excuse, which does not constitute an excused absence as defined above.
6. When a student has been absent from school for any period of time, a note of verification from a parent or guardian is required and should be presented to the secretary in the office. This note needs to be dated and must contain the date(s) of absence, reason, and the signature of the parent or guardian.
7. Washington State Law requires that a parent/school conference be held when any student has two unexcused absences, at which time a plan must be made to improve the student’s attendance. After five unexcused absences in one school month or ten unexcused absences in a school year, the school MUST file a petition with the county juvenile court. The district has no choice in this matter as they must follow the law.
8. A health care provider’s verification of illness is required whenever a student is absent for a total of ten or more days in a semester. These absences can be excused, unexcused or a combination of both.
Tardy Policy
One of the Middle School’s goals is to increase student time on task. It follows that students should be in class, seated, and prepared to begin when the bell rings. Students who choose to be tardy are, in fact, choosing to go to the Dugout to solve this problem.
STUDENT CONDUCT
Classroom
The staff at
Student Behavior
A warning letter will be sent home for the first harassment, bullying, intimidation and roughhousing offence. Subsequent offenses will lead to suspensions as per the building discipline policy.
Building
Discipline Philosophy
Discipline should be thought of as a learning experience with behavior modification as its objective. Unwanted behaviors are modified easiest when the school and parents work together as a team. In addition, any consequences that are used to modify unwanted behaviors should be: supported at home, imposed immediately, firm, fair, consistent, and progressive.
Discipline
Process
1. The most effective discipline takes place within the classroom and is taught and dealt with before problems arise. It is a learning process that should be teacher directed. With this being said, when applicable internal classroom interventions will be tried first.
2. If a warning is ignored and the behavior continues, the student will go to the Dugout. A student who is referred to Dugout will bring a referral form, completed by the teacher, which states the nature of the problem.
3. Upon arrival at the Dugout, the student will write out an explanation of what caused him/her to be excluded from the classroom and develop a three-step plan to resolve the problem.
4. If a solution cannot be reached, the student will be suspended for the remainder of the day.
5. The student will contact his/her parent by phone, or by a letter, taken home by the student, and returned, signed by the parent.
6. The student will miss the class from which he/she was sent and is responsible for making up any work missed.
7. Teachers will not re-admit a student to class until they have read and agreed to the student’s plan.
8. If the student doesn’t follow through with the agreed-upon plan he/she will be sent back to the Dugout with another referral.
9. With each additional referral, the student will be assigned a consequence such as lunch detention after-school work service or a disciplinary step to be determined based on the student’s behavior.
10. The third referral in one day or within the same week will result in a one-day out-of-school suspension. If the student chooses to earn another referral within that same week, he/she will be suspended for the remainder to that day plus one additional day.
It should be noted that there are instances where this process may be altered. Behaviors such as: violence toward others, bullying, harassment, intimidation, disrespect toward teachers, profanity, non-compliance, and other behaviors that a staff member deems as disruptive to an orderly learning environment may result in an automatic referral to the Dugout.
Dugout
The basic premise of the Dugout process is that students choose, by their behavior, to exclude themselves from the classroom and that they can improve their behavior so that they can be a successful classroom participant. The dugout conflict resolution mediator will work with students to help them understand the problems/mistakes and to develop a three-step plan to resolve these problems/mistakes.
Dress and
Personal Appearance
Clothing needs to be appropriate for a school setting. Any type of clothing that is deemed disruptive to the educational process or which constitutes a threat to the health or safety of student(s) is not acceptable. Examples of inappropriate attire may include, but are not limited, any of the following: Clothing which exposes undergarments or displays profanity, sexual innuendo(s), advertisements for alcohol, tobacco or drugs, and/or any gang-related dress. In addition, any clothing that exposes the skin below the collar bones, the mid-section (when arms are raised above the head), and the upper portion of the thigh (skirts/sorts must be longer than one inch below outstretched fingers when arms are hanging freely at the student’s side). Further, no chains, spikes, tank tops and/or trench coats are allowed and hats are not to be worn in the building.
Students must bring a soft-soled pair of gym shoes to wear to P.E.
Drug/Alcohol
Policy
· on school property
· off school property at a school activity function or event
· immediately prior to school or a school activity
Any student who violates the District’s Drug/Alcohol Policy will be encouraged to enter the school Drug/Alcohol Program.
A violation that occurs on school grounds or at a school
activity will result in a choice of a five-day out-of-school suspension and
entrance in to a drug program or a twenty-day out-of-school suspension.
A student who enters the school Drug-Alcohol Program will
be assessed to determine the level of drug/alcohol involvement. Using the results of the assessment, the
student will be placed into one of four categories:
1.
NO PROBLEM – the student is not involved
or made a poor decision.
2.
MISUSE – the student shows signs of
beginning to experiment.
3.
ABUSE – the student shows signs of
patterns of dependency starting to form.
4.
DEPENDENT – the student is totally
controlled by the drug/drugs.
Students placed in categories one and two will be assigned to a “support group”. These groups will deal with such topics as decision making, peer pressure and time management.
Tobacco
Students shall not use, be in possession of, or distribute tobacco products within 250 feet of school property.
The possession or use of tobacco products will result in the following consequences: The first time a student chooses to use or have tobacco at school, he/she is choosing a one-day suspension. If the student chooses to use/have tobacco at school a second time, he/she will have a choice of a five-day out-of-school suspension and entrance in to a drug program or a twenty-day out-of-school suspension.
Weapons at
School
According to the Board policies 4315, 3240, 5225 and RCW 9.41-270, we will not permit or allow any kind of weapon to be brought, displayed or used at school. Any kind of knife is a weapon and must be left at home. Violation of this policy may result in a mandatory one-year expulsion.
Progressive
Discipline
General Guidelines for FMS
Progressive Discipline
(may
be subject to change)
Any
student with 3 behavior referrals in one day/week may be suspended for one or
more days.
Any
student who refuses to resolve will be choosing to be suspended.
Dug
Out referrals require parent notification and may result in notification to law
enforcement and/or a counselor.
·
Cumulative Discipline Referrals
|
Number of
Referrals |
Consequence |
|
1 |
Resolve |
|
2-4 |
Lunch Detention – two to
five days |
|
5-9 |
Work Service – two hours |
|
10-14 |
Suspension – rest of day
plus one day |
|
15-19 |
Suspension – rest of day
plus three days |
·
Individual Discipline Classifications
BUS INFORMATION, DISCIPLINE AND
CONSEQUENCES
Transportation/Bus
Transfer
Please note the parameters under which we issue passes allowing a student to transfer to another bus route. Students may transfer who:
A. Are in need of parental care because the parent/guardian is unable to meet that need.
B. Have a job and need to go to a different stop.