12-13 MBMS Student Handbook - Oconee County Schools

OCONEE COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOLS
GENERAL INFORMATION (A-Z)
ACADEMIC/CURRICULAR INFORMATION
Key Factors for Classroom Success
1. Be prepared for class daily. 7. Manage and budget time wisely.
2. Keep an organized notebook. 8. Keep up with your assignments.
3. Keep an assignment notebook/sheet. 9. Plan review sessions 1-2 weeks before a test.
4. Ask questions. 10. Spend one hour or more on homework each night.
5. Seek extra help. 11. Keep a neat and organized locker.
6. Develop good note-taking skills.
ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION – SHORT TERM
Alternative Education (sometimes called ISS) is a classroom away from the regular school setting, in which the student will
be permitted to continue his/her classroom assignments under the supervision of a certified teacher. An AE classroom is
located at each middle school. AE suspension shall mean the denial to a student of the right to attend regular classes and take
part in any school functions for a specified period of time not to exceed ten days. The principal or assistant principal shall
have the discretionary power to affect a short-term suspension where a student is assigned to the AE class. Each student’s
parents shall be notified when their son or daughter is assigned AE, the reason for the action, and the expectations for the
student and parents.
ARRIVAL AT SCHOOL
Arrival procedure will be announced on the first day of school and is subject to change after evaluation at the beginning of
the school year. School begins promptly at 8:15 AM. STUDENTS WHO ARRIVE TO SCHOOL AFTER 8:15 AM ARE
TARDY TO SCHOOL AND MUST SIGN-IN AT THE FRONT OFFICE! Students that are tardy to school more than
4 times will receive detention.
ATHLETICS/OCONEE COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOLS
Football - Interscholastic sport that takes place from August to October.
Basketball- Interscholastic sport for boys and girls that takes place from late October to early February.
Cheerleading- Tryouts usually take place in March. The activity ranges from August to March. It entails spirit support
in cheering for football and basketball.
Softball- Interscholastic sport for girls that takes place from early August to the end of September. Tryouts take place
each year in May.
Track- For Boys and Girls. Begins in March and concludes in late April.
Cross Country – For Boys and Girls. It begins in late August and ends in early October.
Boys and Girls Soccer- This is an interscholastic sport that takes place in the spring.
Volleyball- This is an interscholastic sport for girls that takes place from August to late September.
ATHLETIC ELIGIBILITY MIDDLE SCHOOL
Student Eligibility
Students must be in the 7 th or 8 th grade to participate in athletics at the middle school. For determining student eligibility, the
grading period shall be a semester. A period of one semester shall also be the minimum length of the ineligibility.
Student shall be eligible if he/she passes five (5) subjects that carry credit toward grade promotion the prior semester.
Connection courses taken in the same semester shall be averaged together and counted as one course grade towards
eligibility.
Physical Examinations
Student must have a certificate of an annual physical examination on file at the school prior to participating in any athletic
try-outs, practices, or games that indicates the student is physically approved to participate. Physical examinations will be
good for twelve (12) months from the date of exam. Forms are available in the main office.
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ATHLETICS/PRACTICES
Football, Girls and Boys Basketball, Girls Softball, Girls Volleyball, Boys and Girls Soccer, Boys and Girls Track, and Cross
Country are possible interscholastic offerings at the middle school level. Practices are intended for participation by those
students playing those respective sports. Students who are not participants with those teams are not allowed to stay after
school to attend the team practices. Golf and Tennis are considered clubs where 6 th grade students are eligible to participate.
All other requirements for athletics must be met.
ATTENDANCE STATEMENT
The attendance protocol is found elsewhere in this agenda and will require the signature of both the parent/guardian and the
student (if age 10 years or older).
CAFETERIA IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS
CAR RIDERS
Students will eat lunch at the time that is appointed for their particular class.
Students may either buy lunch in the cafeteria or bring their own lunch from home. Students can purchase a
beverage in the cafeteria if they bring their lunch.
Students should not have commercial lunches delivered to the school by a parent other than standard “sack” lunches
prepared at home.
MBMS/OCMS do have microwaves in the cafeteria for students to heat various lunches such as Lean Cuisine,
Weight Watchers, or leftovers from home.
Parents who drive students to school are asked to drop students off no sooner than 7:30 a.m. and pick them up by 3:45 p.m.
Parents are also asked to pick up their children in the car rider line and not the bus loading area. This will ensure safety of
all.
CARE OF PROPERTY
MBMS/OCMS is a well-equipped building of which each student can be proud. Students are urged to take pride in the
appearance of their school; the building, furniture, buses, and surroundings. Students will be required to pay for any damage
they cause to the property of their school.
CARE OF VALUABLES/LOST AND FOUND ARTICLES
The school makes every attempt to help students safeguard their valuables. We suggest placing name labels on personal
articles and wearing apparel and using lockers to safeguard them. All lost articles, including textbooks, will be placed in the
lost and found area of the office. The school will not be responsible for personal items lost at school. Students should not
bring large amounts of money to school.
CONNECTIONS COURSES
Connections courses are taught at the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade levels. Students are rotated through these courses
during the year. These courses meet daily. Examples of these are: Art, Family and Consumer Science, Foreign Language,
Band, Music/Chorus, Agriculture/Technology, Computers, Health and Physical Education. We also have Extended Learning
Time for students who need additional assistance with Reading and Math. Courses may change from year to year according
to the needs and interests of students as well as staff availability. It must be noted that all students who enroll in band will be
scheduled to participate in health and physical education.
DANCES
Dances are scheduled during the school year at each middle school. Only middle school students at the school are allowed
to attend and the admission price, if any, is announced beforehand. Special student activities such as dances require good
behavior from all students. Appropriate dress is to be worn by students to these activities and will be announced beforehand.
Any student who is in In-School Suspension or Out-of-School Suspension is prohibited from attending school dances.
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DETENTION – BEFORE/AFTER SCHOOL
Students who violate school rules may be assigned a teacher or school-wide detention. Detention may be held before/after
school hours each week (Times & Day to be determined). Parents are responsible for providing transportation home after
detention. Students who do not attend detention (unexcused absence) could be assigned to Saturday Morning Detention or
Alternative Education (ISS). Twenty-four hour notice is required. An instructional assignment will be provided to all
students as needed.
DETENTION – SATURDAY MORNING/SATURDAY SCHOOL
Saturday morning detention may be held for students with excessive tardies to school/classes and unexcused absences from
weekday detentions and for other misbehaviors. Detention time is 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (3 hours) Assigned students will
be given an instructional assignment if needed . Parents are responsible for providing transportation to and from
detention. Any student who is removed from this detention due to behavior problems or has an unexcused absence, will be
suspended at home one day from school.
Disclaimer
Any policy or procedural changes that take place after the publishing of the student handbook will be sent home with the
student. Such changes will supersede what may be listed in the student handbook. A complete system wide Code of Conduct
is provided in this system handbook pages.
EARLY DISMISSALS
Each student requesting early dismissal should have a note containing the date and time of requested dismissal, the reason for
requesting early dismissal and the signature of a parent or guardian. The student should give the note to his or her homeroom
teacher and request that it be forwarded to the office. The student should pick up the note by 2:00 p.m. on that same day.
When it is time to leave, the student should show the note to the classroom teacher, and then take the note by the office where
the parents can sign their child out of school. The student may also be called from class. Only parents/legal guardians/or
designated people on the student’s information card or enrollment papers can sign a student out of school. Students who
return to school that same day are to sign in at the office to let the office personnel know that they have returned.
If a student becomes sick while at school, the student must report to the office. Permission for dismissal can be granted only
when the student’s parent/legal guardian can be contacted by phone and the dismissal procedure is approved.
EMERGENCY PLANS
Detailed emergency management plans are in place at MBMS/OCMS and are designed to provide guidelines in response to a
variety of emergency situations. They are reviewed several times during the year and drills are conducted periodically.
FIRE DRILLS/TORNADO DRILLS
Fire drills are conducted on a monthly basis so that you will be familiar in leaving the building quickly and safely in case of
fire. In each room, directions for leaving the room are posted to be easily seen. You are to follow the specific instructions of
your teacher or the person in charge and exit the room or building quickly and quietly and in an orderly manner.
Tornado drills will be held periodically so that you will become familiar with the rules for safety. Whenever a tornado alert
is sounded, students will follow the teacher’s instructions and assemble in the school hallways with backs to wall/lockers, and
hands or a book over the head.
FIELD TRIPS /ACTIVITIES
A field trip is designed to enrich, extend, and reinforce curriculum by allowing students to engage in educational pursuits
ordinarily not available to them in the classroom. Trips are announced early and require written parental permission.
However, it must be noted that students with consistent behavioral violations may not be allowed to participate in this
enrichment and will be notified.
GRADING POLICY
Students will receive numerical grades in all classes every nine weeks with a semester and yearly grade. The current grading
scale is:
A = 100-90 B = 89-80 C = 79-70 F = below 70
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At the end of each academic year, students who have made satisfactory progress in their subjects and in system criteria (IHE-
E (2) are promoted to the next grade level. In cases where promotion is questionable, parents are notified by the school in
advance and a cooperative effort is made by all involved personnel to ensure the student’s successful completion of the grade.
GUIDANCE/COUNSELING
Guidance services are available to every student in the school. These services include assistance with interpersonal
relationships; educational planning; interpretation of test scores; career planning; study skills; and help with home, school
and personal concerns. Guidance services are provided through classroom guidance, small group sessions, and on an
individual basis. Appointments can be made with the counselor for individuals/groups as requested. Students must have
written permission from his/her teacher before entering the guidance office. If guidance counselors are not available,
students should return to class.
HOMEROOM
Homeroom for students may be held at the beginning of a school day. The first order of business in homeroom is to check
attendance and get a lunch count. At the end of this activity, using the public address system, morning announcements are
made. At a designated time, students will then proceed to their first class.
HOMEWORK
Homework will be given on occasions as an extension of a student’s school work. It should not be so excessive as to
interfere with normal activities at home. If a student has an extended absence for more than three days in a row, assignments
may be requested by contacting the main office. Please give twenty-four hours notice for homework and other assignments
to be gathered. For absences of less than three days, students are asked to call friends for assignments. Students may also get
their assignments from the teachers Moodle site.
HONOR ROLL
In accordance with Board of Education policy, Malcom Bridge Middle School and Oconee County Middle School recognizes
students who qualify for Honor Roll. Students qualify for Honor Roll for first and second semesters. These are students who
possess a 90.0 semester average in six areas. This average consists of the following: a) 4 subject averages for the semester
and b) 1 exploratory average from all exploratory grades for the semester. The semester average is the average of those five
semester grades.
INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES
This is the basic academic time during the school day. Teams develop schedules within this block of time based on need.
The core curriculum taught during this time includes mathematics, language arts, social studies, and science. Special services
may also be provided during this time. Curriculum for classes in middle school covers the Georgia Performance Standards
(GPS). The Georgia Performance Standards are located at www.georgiastandards.org. Course syllabi also have additional
information about the standards that are addressed in each class.
INVITATIONS
Distributing personal invitations to parties is not allowed at school. These types of activities are usually instructionally
disruptive and result in conflicts and hurtful feelings.
ITEMS NOT PERMITTED AT SCHOOL
For the protection of student’s property and to maintain good order in the school, items that cause disruption or can cause
harm to another individual are PROHIBITED from school grounds. Items such as candy, chewing gum, and plastic drinking
bottles may be permitted at times; however, if they become a source of disruption, the disruption will be addressed. Items
causing disruption that are in a student’s possession will be confiscated and returned at administrator discretion. In addition,
students are not to wear attire that advertises alcoholic beverages, drugs, tobacco products, or which displays racial
connotations, profane or inappropriate slogans or language. Repeated violations could result in consequences.
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LOCKERS AND LOCKS
Lockers are provided for students and will be assigned at the beginning of the year. Students are not permitted to change
lockers after they have been assigned without authorization. Students are expected to furnish their own locks
(combination type) in areas such as physical education and in some cases, their hall lockers. Combinations are to be given to
the Physical Education teacher. Lockers are school property and should not be abused. Students who are found to be
abusing lockers may lose the privilege of having a locker. This includes writing on a locker or placing stickers on a locker.
Students are responsible for everything in their lockers. Lockers are school property and students will make lockers
available at any time for inspection.
MEDIA CENTER
The Media Center contains books, magazines, pamphlets and audiovisual materials which may be used for reference, class
work, and personal enjoyment. A schedule of open times will be posted at the beginning of the school year. During lunch or
class a library pass from a teacher or administrator is required.
Courteous and quiet conduct is expected of students in the Media Center. Failure to maintain appropriate behavior in the
Media Center by students may result in this privilege being removed.
MOVING
It is important that families keep the office informed of any change of address or telephone number, both home and work.
Before a student transfers to another school from MBMS/OCMS, the parent must come to school to formally withdraw that
student to process a transfer of records, turn in textbooks and settle any charges. This process does take a certain amount of
time.
If your family has changed residence or jobs, please send to the main office this updated information. This will be helpful for
mailings and emergencies.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
We make every effort to schedule physical education for all middle school students. Students who are to be excused from
physical education participation must provide a note written by a parent. If the request is for more than three days, a written
medical doctor’s note is required. All students are expected to dress out with their class for physical education each day.
Alternative assignments will be given to those students who are properly excused.
PTO
Middle School PTO is one organization of parents and teachers whose primary goal is supporting the school in a variety of
ways. Its whole interest centers on the welfare and education of children, parents, and citizens of the school community. We
encourage all parents to become members of the PTO. The following activities are examples of PTO Support Services:
-Assistance with health screenings.
-Assistance with VIP cafeteria supervision.
-Assistance with supervision of dances and field trips.
-Assistance in fund raising
-Coordination and operation of PTO activities.
-Voluntary tutoring of students.
- Periodic clerical assistance in the main office and other areas of the school.
REPORT CARDS/PROGRESS REPORTS
Report cards are distributed to students approximately one week after each grading period ends. Students are to have the
report card jacket signed by a parent and return them to their homeroom teacher. If a student’s work is not satisfactory
between the issuance of report cards, parent conferences may be arranged by teachers or parents as time is available.
Progress reports are sent home midway through each grading period.
SCHEDULE
The middle school operates what is known as a modular, flexible schedule, consisting of three major blocks: Homeroom,
Interdisciplinary Studies, and Connections Courses (which include Physical Education). The major components of the day
are large blocks of time known as “inter-disciplinary studies”. In most cases the team teachers are responsible for instruction
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in the core academic subjects and basic skills. Each team arranges has a schedule of time and subjects within this block, and
this arrangement is flexible enough to allow for changes when needed.
SPECIAL EDUCATION/INDEPENDENT EVALUATIONS
The Oconee County Schools will consider independent evaluations; however, the school system reserves the right to conduct
further evaluations for placement decisions and/or to establish eligibility for special programs according to state and federal
regulations.
STUDENT DRESS
Students are expected to dress neatly and appropriately for school. Students who come to school improperly dressed will be
asked to go home, change, have suitable clothes delivered to school, or as a last resort, change into alternative clothing
provided by the school. Alternative clothing will be returned to the school washed on the next school day. All repeat
offenders will be documented by discipline referral and subject to consequences.
The following are some general guidelines:
1. Halters, tank tops, back-less tops or any other top that reveals parts of the body, are prohibited. A student may
wear sleeve-less garments which are non-revealing and have straps across the shoulder of at least three
inches. All tops must not reveal the student’s waistline when standing or sitting. Garments such as boxer
shorts, or any designed undergarment, may not be worn in an exposed manner.
2. Form or overly-tight clothing shall not be worn.
3. Clothing and accessories displaying profanity, obscene, violence, discriminatory or sexually suggestive phrases are
not allowed. Clothing displaying alcohol, tobacco, drugs, or any other item which are inconsistent with the school
atmosphere, as determined by the school administration, shall not be worn. Pants or jeans with holes above the
knees are also not allowed.
4. Head coverings, (Hats, Caps, Bandannas, Headbands, Stockings, Hair Curlers, Combs, Sun Glasses ), are not to
be worn in the building unless authorized by school administration. These items are to be left at home or in your
lockers during school hours.
5. The waistband of pants, shorts, slacks, and similar garments, SHALL NOT be worn below the middle of the hip
bone/waistline.
6. Any articles of clothing or jewelry that may cause injury to one’s self or other students are not allowed. This
includes wallet and/or pocket chains.
7. Pajamas are prohibited clothing at school.
8. Students are permitted to wear walking/dress shorts that are reasonable and non-revealing. A good frame of
reference is for a dress/skirt is that it be no more than three (3) inches above the kneecap. For shorts, they
should be no more than five (5) inches above the kneecap. An easy way to measure for shorts is to use a 3x5
index card.
SCHOOL/HOME COMMUNICATION
Our most important form of communication is the parent-teacher conference. Conferences may be held during planning time
or after school during the school year. If you would like to have a conference with any staff member, please contact the
school to set up an appointment. You can call during the school day and speak with main office staff for possible conference
times. The counselors are also available for conferences regarding test scores, placement, and personal situations.
We ask that prior notification be given to a teacher when coming to the school to speak with them. Last minute visits may
create a scheduling conflict for the teacher and result in the parent visiting the school without having an opportunity to speak
with the teacher.
Middle School students will be using Premier School Agendas this year. The planners are issued to each student free of
charge. However, donations are accepted to off-set the cost of the agendas. We will focus on organizational skills, time
management, goal setting skills, study skills, and will continue emphasis on parental communication with the classroom
teacher. Our goal is to help students improve their academic performance.
SCHOOL INSURANCE
School insurance is offered to each student on an optional basis. It covers all school functions and is available in different
types of policies. Information is given out by homeroom teachers the first days of school. All students participating in
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athletics must be covered by either a school policy or a policy through parents. Students entitled to an insurance claim should
contact the principal’s office for instructions.
TEAMS
Each student in Middle School is assigned to a team. A team is a group of teachers and students working together toward a
common goal through cooperative effort in planning and instruction.
TELEPHONE CALLS
Students may not be called from class to talk on the telephone during school hours, nor are they allowed to make outgoing
calls except in the most urgent circumstances. Students will not be allowed to call for items left at home that morning
(homework, P.E. clothes). Calling for necessary medicines will be allowed. The phones are for school business. The office
personnel may not take messages for delivery to students except, in an urgent situation. Calls of an emergency nature may be
directed to the principal or assistant principal.
We ask that parents refrain from calling or texting your child during school hours. Cell phones are not be used during the
school day and a call or text could result in disciplinary consequences for the student receiving the call or text.
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