335 North Van Dien, Ridgewood, NJ 07450

BF Parent Guide 2017-2018

335 North Van Dien, Ridgewood, NJ 07450

Dear Parents:

This guide is meant to be a streamlined FAQ to help guide you through the maze of being a middle school parent. If you would like further explanation about anything in this guide I will be adding footnotes periodically.

School Arrival:

●Doors Open at 7:45 AM[1][2]

●School Begins at 8:00 AM

●Students may enter in the middle doors in BACK of the school or middle doors in FRONT of the school.

Drop Off:

●Please walk or bike to school whenever possible

●Drop off area #1: Behind the building at the middle BACK doors

●Drop off area #2: Drop students on Meadowbrook and then allow them to walk the remainder to school

●Drop off area #3: Use the cut-out to drop students in the front of the school. Pull all the way up in the driveway and drop off. Do Not pull in and stop immediately. You must pull all the way up to the Auditorium to avoid backing up traffic on Van Dien Ave. (NOTE: it is a RIGHT TURN ONLY out of the cut-out onto Glen Ave.)

●IMPORTANT: There is no Stopping or Standing across the street from BF, please do not turn around on Van Dien after drop off. There is NO Stopping or Standing on Van Dien from the cut-out entrance to Glen[3]

Breakfast:

●Available each morning before school until 7:55 (Warning Bell). To see the information on the menu visit the BFMS website under Parents/Fee Management/Lunch Info

Attendance:

●Teachers mark students present or absent in Skyward the first period of the day. This is their official attendance record. In addition, each teacher then marks students present or absent for each period of the day, this is period by period attendance.[4][5]

Absent:

●If your child is absent you must call the Absence Line at BF: 201-670-2780 extension 1 to report your child’s absence. Please make sure you call the absence line by 8:30.[6]

Tardy:

●If a student is late for school they must report directly to the main office. They will sign in as late at the counter. If it is before 9 AM they may then go directly to class, and the tardy will be recorded by Mrs. Karch, the main office secretary.

●If they are late after 9 AM they will sign in at the main office and get a pass to class from Mrs. Karch. She will then change their absence to a tardy in Skyward.

Early Dismissal:

●If your child is going to leave school early they must bring a note to Mrs. Karch in the morning with the time they will be picked up,and the person picking them up . She will give them a pass to leave class and come to the office at the appointed time.[7]

●At the appointed time you must meet your child in the main office and sign your child out.[8]

SICK STUDENT:

●If your child exhibits signs of illness that may be contagious, or if s/he has a fever over 99.5 they should remain home from school.[9]

●If a student falls ill during the school day, they MUST report to the health office. They will be assessed by the school nurse who will then contact home and make arrangements for pick up, if necessary.

●Students ARE NOT permitted to call home during school hours and request to be picked up because they don’t feel well. They must be seen by the school nurse first.

●Our nurse is Kerri Reilly. You may always call her or email her if you have a medical question or concern.

Communication with your Child at School:

Cell Phones

●Cell Phones are to be left in student lockers throughout the school day unless the students have explicit permission from a teacher to use an electronic device

●Cell Phones are never allowed to be used in the hallways of the school

●Students may come to the office during lunch or homeroom, or with permission of a teacher, in order to call home from a school phone

MESSAGES:

●Unless it is a dire emergency do not call the office and ask to leave a message for your child, we do not deliver messages during class time unless it is an emergency.[10]

Forgotten Items at Home:

●It is essential that parents inform students that if they are missing an item it is up to them to go to the main office to pick it up, we will not call into classrooms for forgotten items

●Lunches: There are grade level bins for student lunches in the main office

●Instruments: Parents must sign in at the main office then bring the instrument directly down to the music room. No instruments may remain in the office

●Homework, PE shoes, or anything else: Please bring any other item to the main office, label it with the student’s name and grade, and leave it on the counter. It is the student’s responsibility to come to the office to pick up any items, we will not call into class for forgotten items.

Dismissal:

●School dismissal is at 2:53

●Students must leave school grounds by 3:15[11]

●Exceptions: Students may stay past 3:15 only if they are with a staff member for extra help, a club, or practice

Lost and Found:

●Lost and Found bins may be located in the gym and in the cafeteria

●Electronics are held in the main office if found

●During the last week of each month all Lost and Found items will be donated to charity or discarded. There will be no exceptions

Reporting a lost item:

It is the student’s responsibility to make sure all their items are secure, including items in their gym lockers. If an item is missing and you wish to report it missing, please fill out the missing items form available on our website. If the item shows up we will be able to get in touch with the family.

Please do not insist that an item has been stolen. Each year students claim that an item has been stolen from them, only to find out that the overwhelming majority of times the student lost the item, or never even had it in school. We will not investigate items as stolen unless there is a specific allegation for us to look into, and we will only use our camera system (which obviously is only in the halls) if we have a reasonable suspicion that something may have occurred AND if using the camera system could possibly assist in finding out if something occurred.

Behavior Reporting:

●If your child has a conflict with a student please have them see his or her guidance counselor as soon as possible. Our guidance team is excellent at helping students navigate adolescence.

●If there is a behavior that you are aware of that occurs to your child that seems more serious, please contact your House Administrator (Mrs. Stovell, Franklin or Mr. Wu, Ridge) and they will conduct an investigation into the situation.

Grading System:

One big change for students in middle school coming from elementary school is the traditional grading system.

Our grading system is what we have inherited, but we are trying to approach it with the following philosophy.

●We expect our students to meet the standards set forth in our curriculum and by the state.

●We expect our students to be able to show growth throughout each and every class

●Our grades should be a reflection of how much the students have learned through hard work, and whether they have been able to meet the standards set forth. Many students will go far beyond any standards, but they still must be able to show growth, and some students may never meet the standards, but they are still extremely successful if they have grown.[12]

●Our grading system is uniform on the weight we give everything. You will see two categories in the grading system. HLH (20%) and LE (80%). HLH is homework and learning habits.[13]

●LE is Learning Evidence. Learning Evidence can take the form of traditional tests, presentations, performances, project, or portfolios (among any other number of things). Learning Evidence is the proof that the student has grown throughout the marking period and that s/he has met the standards.

BF Leadership Team:

Contact Your Guidance Counselor when:

●You have a question about the schedule

●You have a social or emotional concern about your child

●You have a question about your child’s academic progress

Contact Your Grade Administrator when:

●You have a question about an academic program

●You have a behavior question or concern

●You have a curricular question

●You have a question about a particular policy

●You have a question about how your child is assessed

Contact Your Principal when:

●You have an idea to share that would help our students

●You would like to discuss our mission or philosophy

●You have a general BF or community question you would like to discuss

●You have worked with the team or guidance and still have questions or concerns

Questions about grades:

•Please always contact your teacher directly first! You should be able to find each teacher’s email on our school website. Please email the teacher as we have asked that all teachers get back to parents by the end of the next school day.[14]

• If you wish to have a conversation with the teacher please ask them to give you a call in the email, and a time between 7:45 and 3:15 you would be available to have a conversation.

•Please email me, Shauna Stovell (Franklin AP), or Greg Wu (Ridge AP) if the teacher fails to get back to you within the second day. We will look into it and make sure they get back to you.

•After speaking with the teacher, if you still have questions please contact your child’s guidance counselor (Mr. Tashian 8th grade, Mrs. Wearley 7th grade, Mrs. Sheer 6th grade) if you are concerned about more than one class and are looking for assistance for your child, or call your House AP (Mrs. Stovell or Mr. Wu) if you still have specific questions from a class.

Lunch:

●We highly recommend, especially for 6th graders, to bring your own lunch the first few weeks of school.[15]

●The lines to begin the year are difficult to get through because students need their own PIN in order to buy food, no money exchanges hands at the lunch room. Parents have to fill the student lunch account and students have to use their PIN to order.

Student Cell Phones:

●Students are permitted to have cell phones at school. When not in use for a class (teachers create guidelines for phone usage in their classrooms) students should leave cell phones in their lockers.[16]

Student Schedule:

●Student schedules are available through Skyward. If there are concerns about the schedule, parents should reach out to their child’s guidance counselor. Students will receive an updated schedule each quarter, with changes to their quarterly electives.

Advisory:

●Each student will receive a faculty advisor who will be with them for three years. Advisories consist of 11-14 students and they work on navigating middle school in a small group setting. Advisory meets twice a month and on special occasions. It is an extension of the elementary Open Circle, and the high school Freshman Focus programs.

Clubs and Intramurals:

●We want clubs and intramurals to be participatory for students, and we communicate the meeting times to our students through BFBN, End-of-Day or Morning Announcements, and our Club Bulletin Board. It is the student’s responsibility to know when a club meets and to inform their parents. Clubs do not always meet the same time each week, so please be available in case it is canceled or ends early.

●For some clubs there is a $100 dollar activity fee. If your son or daughter signs up for an activity that requires payment of the activity fee the advisor will inform you through email or welcome letter so you may remove your child before the club or sport really gets going. Going forward we will not be refunding activity fees if the student attends more than a couple sessions. You may pay the activity fee once and participate in as many activities as your child wishes.

[1] Please do not arrive earlier than 7:45 as there is no supervision prior to that time and the doors are locked automatically.

[2]NOTE: The school opening time has ALWAYS been 7:45, even though it may have seemed earlier because throughout the years we haven’t really emphasized or enforced the time because we always have plenty of teachers around for at least passive supervision, and we have great kids. We cannot guarantee any supervision before 7:45.

[3] I cannot emphasize the importance of following our drop off procedures enough. It is disappointing every year when a few inconsiderate parents endanger the BF students crossing the street. Each year we have close calls because a couple parents do not want to be inconvenienced or are in a rush. The streets are clear by 8:10 in the morning. I also want to thank the 99% of parents who are able to safely follow our drop off procedures.

[4] You may see a difference in a student’s period attendance, this is due to factors such as missing class for a music lesson, a guidance appointment, or any other number of activities that may occur in middle school. If you see any large discrepancies please contact your grade administrator (Mrs. Stovell, Franklin or Mr. Wu, Ridge)

[5] Oftentimes students may be loitering in the hall and show up late for their first period class. If this occurs the student is sent to the office for being tardy. However, if the student tells the teacher they have checked into the office they will show up as an absence for the day. This is because the teachers take attendance and mark the late students as absent, and Mrs. Karch changes them to tardy from her list. Please encourage your child to get to the first period class on time. There have been several instances of students who were dropped off for school early and were marked absent because they were socializing.

[6] It is essential to make this call. We must have an accurate count of our students, and if you don’t call in by 8:30 you will receive a robocall from the district indicating that your child is not in school.

[7] Please make sure they have a note in the morning - if they do not have a note it will severely delay their dismissal. There are many things happening in the office and we will not be able to stop one task to look up and find your child immediately. In addition, classes often meet in non-classroom environments, whether it is the gym, Twinney’s Pond, or the auditorium, they may not be readily reachable. Finally, it is very disconcerting when teaching to be interrupted in the midst of class, and it definitely throws off the students in a class when the office calls into the room.

[8] This is a legal requirement. There have been times when parents have tried to wait out in the car for a student, but we must release our students to parents who sign out their children and physically come into the building to get them.

[9] Sometimes it is tempting to mask a fever with Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen, but please do not put other children at risk of contracting an illness

[10] If your child has a cell phone please communicate with them after school. It is too disruptive to the teaching to deliver messages to students into the classrooms, and it is unfair for the rest of the students. BF does not have very good cell phone coverage in the building, but outside the building the coverage is adequate.

[11] We want students to be welcome at school, but all students must leave BF by 3:15 every day. Please pick them up before 3:15 or they may be asked to walk home and leave the property, even if the weather isn’t perfect. Any student who isn’t bussed lives within walking distance of the school.

[12]Our grading system will reflect both those ideals. Our students are not in competition with each other, and we are not sitting in judgment in order to rank our students from best to worst. Therefore, a student who performs below the standard, but has shown tremendous growth from the beginning of the marking period to the end may earn an A just like the student who is performing way beyond the standards and has also shown growth. It is also possible that a student who begins above the standard, but puts in no effort to improve and doesn’t improve, may very well earn a grade lower than the student showing tremendous growth.

One way we can measure the success of our teachers is to see the success of their students, and if they are able to motivate all the students to work hard enough to grow and learn, and they all legitimately earn good grades, we are very proud of the teachers and the students.

There are different things assessed for each teacher, and different styles used by our teachers. They are all teaching to the same standards and all looking for students growth. Some are able to measure students formatively within the class, some rely heavily on summative tests. Some put a priority on projects, while others focus on writing skills.