Graham Middle School

GRAHAM MIDDLE SCHOOL

2015-16 Parent-Student Handbook

T3:Teach Today, for Tomorrow!

School Colors: Red. Black and White

Graham MISSION STATEMENT/MOTTO

Graham Middle School will provide relevant and engaging instruction while holding students to high academic standards. Graham Middle School will stress the importance of effective communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking to develop the whole child to become lifelong learners and responsible and active global citizens.

Graham Middle School is committed to developing and nurturing a support structure for all staff members to better address the needs of our entire community.

Graham Office Staff

Principal: Patrick Hosey

Assistant Principal: Rhoda Graves

Assistant Principal: Curry Bryan

Secretary: Khristina Grant

Data Manager: Edith Smith

Receptionist: Karina Mendoza

School Resource Officer: Tiffanie Barnes

Contact Information

Web Address:

Street Address: 311 E. Pine St Graham, NC 27253

Phone: 336-570-6460Fax: 336-570-6464 Central Office: (336) 570-6060

School Hours

Homeroom8:05 AM

Tardy8:10 AM

Dismissal3:25 PM

WELCOME

Dear Graham Parents and Students,

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the 2015-2016 school year. We have prepared this Student-Parent Handbook to provide you with important information about our school. We are excited about the upcoming year and look forward to working in collaboration with Graham families to make this year a successful one for all students.

This handbook provides both general information about our school and highlights the most often used policies and procedures. We suggest that you read it carefully. After reading and reviewing the handbook, please sign the due process form (in the back of the handbook) and return it to his/her homeroom teacher. Should you have a question about any aspect of Graham Middle School do not hesitate to contact us.

-Graham Administration Team

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY

In compliance with federal laws, the Alamance-Burlington School System administers all educational programs, employment activities and admissions without discrimination because of race, religion, national or ethnic origin, color, age, military service, disability, or gender, except where exemption is appropriate and allowed by law. Inquiries or complaints should be directed to Vernetta Bridges, Director of Student Services, Alamance-Burlington School System, 1712 Vaughn Road, Burlington, N.C., 27217, (336) 570-6060.

“En cumplimiento con lasleyesfederales, el Sistema Escolar Alamance-Burlington aplicatodos los programaseducativos, actividades de empleo y de admisión sin ningúntipo de discriminaciónbasada en la raza, religión, nacionalidad o grupoétnico, color, edad, serviciomilitar, discapacidad o género, a excepción de aquelloscasosdonde la exenciónesapropiada o permitidapor la ley.” Preguntas o quejas al respectodebenserdirigidasVernetta Bridges Director de ServiciosEstudiantilesdel Sistema Escolar Alamance-Burlington, 1712 Vaughn Road, Burlington, NC 27215 (336) 570-6060.

ALAMANCE-BURLINGTON SCHOOL SYSTEM

MISSION STATEMENT/MOTTO

Providing engaging work for our students will enable the Alamance-Burlington School System to educate all students to meet high academic standards and become responsible citizens in a rapidly changing world.

“Successfully engaging students in the teaching and learning process.”

GENERAL INFORMATION

Accessing Information from Home

Please visit our school website, gms.abss.k12.nc.us to see news about our school, information about school supplies, schedules, upcoming events, and many extras. In addition, remember that all teachers, administrators, and student support staff have web pages where you will find information about courses, assignments, projects, upcoming events, and other pertinent information.

Personal Belongings

Please label all personal belongings, especially clothes. This will help identify articles when lost. Always check with office personnel and the lost and found for missing belongings.

Arrival

Parents should plan for students to arrive no earlier than 7:45. Doors will not be opened prior to that time.

After School Pick-up

Staff supervision of students ends at 3:40. Please make arrangements so that your child is able to depart campus by that time.

Tardy Policy

Students should be in homeroom no later than 8:05 a.m. in order to avoid being tardy. Students arriving to homeroom after 8:05 must report to the tardy check-in station for an admit slip to class. Students receiving tardies within a 9-week period will have the following consequences. Exceptions may be made by the principal with proper documentation.

●1st and 2ndtardies-verbal warning

●3rd tardy-verbal and written warning to student and family

●4th tardy- ASD (after school detention/before school detention) (student and parent will receive verbal and written notice)

●5th tardy- ASD (after school detention/before school detention to be served 2 consecutive days) and follow-up conference (parent and student) with Student Services Team (SST)*

●6th tardy or repeated tardies within a 9-week period may result in In-School Suspension

* Failure to serve ASD will automatically result in an ALC placement for the student.

School Visitors

Parents are welcome to visit the school for the purpose of communication with the principal or teachers, serving as volunteers, and or other legitimate business within the scope of school and home relations. Please enter the building through the front doors only. For the protection of the students and security in the school, all visitors must report directly to the school office, sign in and wear a visitor’s badge. Teacher or room visitations may be arranged either by directly contacting the teacher or by requesting an appointment through the principal’s office. It is extremely important that classroom activities be interrupted as seldom as possible!

Students Dismissed Early During the School Day

Any time a student needs to leave school early for a doctor’s appointment, funeral, etc., he/she must have a signed note from a parent or guardian stating the time and reason for leaving. After clearing this with the homeroom teacher, the note should be turned in at the office where the person picking a student up must sign him/her out before leaving.

If a student leaves and returns in the same day, he/she should be signed back in at the office by a parent or guardian.

Students will not be called up for dismissal until the parent/guardian arrives. If students are leaving with someone other than parent/guardian, they must have a note signed by the parent/guardian.Also no student may be signed out after 3:00 unless it is a medical excuse.

Attendance

Regular attendance by every student is mandatory. (G.S. 115-C-378) Attendance records are kept by the school for every student.

All absences require a written excuse signed by a parent/guardian and must be given to your homeroom teacher upon your return to school. If an excuse is not turned in within 3 days, the absence will be considered unexcused.

Excused Absences:

●Personal illness or health related appointment

●Illness in the immediate family

●Death in the immediate family

●Quarantine

●Mental, emotional, or physical incapacity

●Court or administrative proceedings

●Religious observance pre-approved by the principal

●Activities that are school related or have educational value prior approval must be requested to the principal in advance.

When an absence is necessary, it is the student’s responsibility to secure assignments and make up his/her work in a reasonable amount of time. According to the Alamance-Burlington Board of Education policy, a student is entitled to “twice the number of days absent to complete all assignments missed due to an excused absence from school or class (maximum of 5 days).” “In cases with unusual circumstances, the time allowed to make up work may be extended with the approval of the principal.

The K-8 policy also specifies that a student with more than twenty (20) absences during the school year may be subject to retention. Parent conferences will be held when a student accumulates an abnormal number of absences. After fifteen (15) absences, a letter will be sent to the parent or guardian to appear before the attendance committee to provide documentation that the absences are legal.

It is the state attendance policy that a student must be present at school ½ of the day to be counted present. If a student comes in after 11:30 a.m., he/she will be marked absent. The ½ day rule means any amount of time that adds up to a ½ day. For example: If you pick up your child prior to 11:30 am and he/she does not return to school that day, he/she will be marked absent. Please remember a child must be present at school to attend extracurricular activities on the day of the event.

Unexcused Absence Procedures:

●Unexcused absences 1 and 2- verbal warning

●When the student accumulates three (3) unexcused absences, the parent, guardian, or custodian shall be notified by letter of the absences, and a referral made to the Student Services Team (SST) for review.

●4th unexcused absence- 1-hour detention before or after school.

●5th unexcused absence- two 1-hour detentions after school or before school (served 2 consecutive days)

●After six (6) unexcused absences the parent, guardian, or custodian shall be notified by mail that he/she may be “in violation of the Compulsory Attendance Law and may be subject to prosecution under the established attendance policies of the state and local boards of education.” Additionally, the SST shall establish a conference with the parent and student to review the attendance record and establish an appropriate plan for improved attendance.

●After ten (10) accumulated unexcused absences , the principal [or designee] “must review any report, or investigation prepared under G.S. 115C-381 and must confer with the student and his/her parent, guardian, custodian to determine whether the parent, guardian, custodian has received notification and made a good faith effort to comply with the law.” This review and parent/student conference shall occur in conjunction with the SST review after ten absences. The SST review team, in conjunction with the principal (or designee), shall develop an appropriate plan to improve attendance, and, “If the principal determines that a parent, guardian, or custodian has not made a good faith effort to comply with the law, the principal shall notify the district attorney and the director of social services of the county (Alamance) where the child resides.”

School Bus Transportation

Transfer students (students who reside outside of the GMS school zone) may not ride yellow school buses to or from school. Bus riders will require a note from a parent to be signed by an administrator in order to be released from school with car riders. Students must have written approval from an administrator in order to ride any school bus other than the bus that takes the student to their own home.

Riding the school bus is a privilege. Improper conduct or failure to comply with established bus guidelines may result in that privilege being denied. Conduct report forms will be used by the bus driver to record any rule infractions or problems, and parents will be notified of further disciplinary action. Students may be suspended from the bus for:

●Delaying the bus schedule.

●Fighting, smoking, using profanity, consuming food/beverages, or refusing to obey instructions of school authorities or a school bus driver while riding on a school bus.

●Tampering with or doing damage to a bus.

●Refusing to meet the bus on time at designated stops.

●Unauthorized leaving the bus when in route from home to school or vice versa.

●Playing, throwing objects, or otherwise distracting the driver’s attention while the bus is in operation.

●Failing to observe established safety rules and regulations required by law or adopted by the Board of Education.

Students will:

●Keep hands, feet, and all other objects to themselves

●Talk only in a soft voice

●Remain seated while the bus is in motion

●Follow all instructions of the drivers

●Help keep the bus clean, neat, and orderly

Violations of any of the above will result in the following:

1st violation - Warning

2nd violation - 3 day suspension from the bus

3rd violation - 5 to 10 day suspension from the bus

4th violation - 10 day to semester long suspension from the bus

5th violation - Year long bus suspension

If an offense is considered serious enough, any of the above may be by-passed and immediate action taken.

STUDENT BEHAVIOR REGULATIONS

All students are expected to show respect for themselves and all others and use appropriate manners at all times. The Alamance-Burlington School System publishes a student code of conduct that outlines behavioral guidelines. A student found to be in violation of the code will receive disciplinary action as outlined in this guide.

Student Code of Behavior

The Alamance Burlington Board of Education has adopted a Student Code of conduct pertaining to all students in the school system. Your child’s teacher has discussed this code with his/her class. All students received a copy of this code. Additional copies of this code may be obtained by parents upon request at the school office. The main points are as follows:

●A student shall not behave in such a way as to intentionally cause a disruption in the function of the school.

●A student shall not physically assault or abuse a student or other person.

●A student shall not possess weapons and/or dangerous instruments. (Violations could result in the student being recommended for long term suspension, 365 day suspension and/or expulsion.)

●A student shall not engage in disorderly, threatening, or highly offensive conduct.

●A student shall not steal, damage, or attempt to damage school property or private property on any school premises.

●A student shall not knowingly possess, use, distribute, or be under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or tobacco products.

The above rules prohibit certain behaviors by students and subject those who violate them to disciplinary actions, including the possibility of suspension or expulsion. In addition, behaviors which are against the law may also lead to legal prosecution.

GMS Student Code of Behavior

●Students are expected to demonstrate respect for themselves and others, as reflected in their dress, behavior, and interactions with school personnel and other students.

●Bullying, hazing, threats/intimidation, and/or the extortion of money or property will not be tolerated. Students who are victims of such acts are instructed to report them immediately to teachers or administrators so that definite disciplinary action can be taken.

●Students are expected to demonstrate responsible citizenship by working cooperatively with the staff to promote a positive climate in the school.

●It is the student’s responsibility to have their lunch money, textbooks, and homework for the day upon arrival.

●During a fire drill, tornado drill, or other emergency situation, all students will follow the teacher’s directions without talking.

●Consumable items such as candy, gum, and soft drinks are not to be brought to school. Fast food items from outside the school building may not be brought into the school or cafeteria. Food is not to be taken from the cafeteria

●Electronic devices such as cell phones and MP3 players are not to be operated or visible while at school. See the ABSS Code of Conduct for specific information regarding this policy. An electronic device will be confiscated and returned only to a parent or guardian if a student is found to be using it during instructional hours. If using electronic devices become a recurring problem, the student will be assigned to ISS and/or OSS.

●Students are not permitted to buy from or sell anything to each other at any time on the school grounds or school buses.

Graham Middle School students are subject to the North Carolina General Statutes, the Alamance-Burlington School Board Policies, and the classroom teacher’s rules.

The Falcon 45

Inspire. Insight. Ignite.

Expectations for Excellence

Respond to an adult with yes ma’am/no sir or yes/no.
Eye contact – Look in the area of the speaker.
If someone in the class wins a classroom contest or does something well, we will congratulate that person.
If you win or do well at something, do not brag. If you lose, do not show anger.
During discussions, respect other students’ comments, opinions, and ideas.
Be an active listener or active participant in a conversation. If you are asked a question in conversation you should respond appropriately.
When you cough, sneeze, or burp, it is appropriate to turn your head away from others, cover your mouth and say “excuse me”.
Do not smack your lips, roll your eyes or show disrespect with gestures.
Always say thank you when you are given something.
When you are given something from someone, never insult that person by making negative comments about the gift or by insinuating that it wasn’t appreciated.
Surprise others by performing random acts of kindness.
Follow the teacher’s instructions or rubrics when grading other students’ papers.
When we read together in class, you must follow along.
Follow all directions the first time they are given and respond accordingly.
If you ask for a reward, a reward will not be given.
When homework is assigned it needs to be turned in each day to the Teacher assigning the homework.
Transitions within the classroom will be swift, quiet and orderly.
You will make every effort to be as organized as possible.
When homework is assigned there will be no moaning or complaining.
While you are with a substitute teacher, you will follow the same rules/expectations that have been established for the classroom.
Follow classroom protocols.
Wait for breaks during the instructional time to ask for an opportunity for restroom or water.
Learn the names of every teacher and staff member in the school. Leave an area as clean or cleaner than when you found it. This includes the classroom, lunchroom and restrooms
When a visitor enters the room, do not stop working on classroom activities unless the teacher instructs you to do so.
Never cut line.
Do not save seats in the cafeteria, during assembly’s, on the bus, etc.
Do not look at a student being disciplined.
No gum allowed on campus.
Use appropriate manners when eating.
Remove bookbags upon entering the room. The classroom teacher will decide on the placement of the book bags once they are removed.
When we ride on a bus, we will always sit facing forward.
In conversation refer to the person you are speaking with by name.
Whenever you are offered food never take more than your fair share.
If someone drops something, pick it up and hand it back to them.
If you approach a door and someone is following you , hold the door.
If someone bumps into you, say “excuse me” even if it is not your fault.
When entering a building or room do so quietly.
On a field trip, compliment the place we are visiting. When returning from a field trip show appreciation to teachers, chaperones, and bus drivers.
During an assembly, do not speak and look around in an attempt get the attention from peers.
Always walk quietly to the right in the hallways, stairwells, escalators, etc.
No matter what the circumstances, always be honest.
Don’t give into peer pressure.
Accept that you are going to make mistakes. Learn from them and move on.
Be positive and enjoy life. Live for today so that you will never have regrets.
Be the best person you can be.

Consequences for NOT choosing Excellence