POTTSGROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL

STUDENT HANDBOOK

2015-2016

Principal: Dr. DavidE. Ramage

Asst. Principal:Mr. Christopher M. Becker

Resource Officer:Officer Larry Hanna

Guidance Staff:Mx. XxxxXxxx

Mrs. Cristina Kleinfelter

1351 North Hanover Street • Pottstown, PA 19464

Voice (610)326-8243 • Fax (610)718-0581

WELCOME

Welcome to Pottsgrove Middle School! The information in this handbook has been carefully prepared and presented in an effort to help you, the student and parent, adjust to, and become an integral part of our school.

In attending to your academic responsibilities, we hope that you will participate in our varied activities during this school year and enjoy your days at the middle school. Remember, your success in this school will be directly proportional to your efforts. Our school welcomes you to its family and we hope that you will always be conscious of its traditions and requirements. Your experience will be whatever you make it! Let us always have the spirit to do the things that make Pottsgrove Middle School outstanding.

COMMUNITY RELATIONS POLICYEQUAL OPPORTUNITY POLICY

The Federal and State governments as well as the State Board of Education have enacted laws and issued directives protecting and granting equal opportunity to students and employees within the Commonwealth.

In like manner, the Board of School Directors of the Pottsgrove School District reaffirms its commitment to a policy of providing equal educational and employment opportunities for all pupils and employees commensurate with their needs, abilities, and diverse cultural backgrounds.

The Board endorses the principle of equal educational and employment opportunities and prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, handicap, race, color, religious creed, national origin or age. Information about rights or grievance procedures, contact the Title IX and Section 504 coordinator, Dr. William Shirk, Pottsgrove School District, 1301 Kauffman Road, Pottstown, PA 19464.

Phone: 610-327-2277

Pottsgrove School Board

Adopted: 1/12/82

School Wide Positive Behavior System (SWPBS) Expectations

All students and staff are to follow the behavior expectations found on the matrix on the previous page. Students will be instructed on expectations during the first week and throughout the year.

Home Of The Falcons

Expectations of Middle School Students

As students approach adulthood, it is important that they assumemore personal and academic responsibility.The following are expectations of all middle school students.Students:

  • Bring their iPad, textbook, notebook, and a writing instrument to class everyday.
  • Use their iPad ornotebook on a consistent basis to record all assignments, projects, tests, etc.
  • Are expected to Be Safe, Responsible, Respectful and Positive at all times.
  • Follow the expectations for being successful at Pottsgrove Middle School.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

It is very important that parents and students understand the expectations for academic honesty. All student work should be the work of that student. No copying or plagiarism is acceptable. If quoting others in academic material, students must cite their sources. Give credit where credit is due. The Language Arts teachers will review the proper way to do this. All students must follow individual teacher test rules for what is allowable.This ensures that a student’s success is based on honesty.

Copying, cheating, plagiarism, or academic dishonesty is a serious violation of school rules.Each student is expected to be responsible for his or her own work.How do we define cheating or academic dishonesty?

-Receiving or providing information during a test or for a test given in an earlier period.

-Using material on tests when the teacher has not given permission to do so.

-Violating the teacher’s testing rules and procedures.

-Using somebody else’s writing (word for word—or almost word for word) and saying it is your own.(Plagiarism). Or using somebody else’s ideas and saying they are your own and not giving credit.

-Using or copying another student’s assignment to turn in as your own work.

-Allowing other students to use your work on assignments with the exception of specific group, lab, or collaborative projects.

(There are other actions that may be considered cheating or dishonesty.The above list contains some of the most common.)

ACTIVITIES

The following activities may be available to middle school students. All students are encouraged to participate in at least one activity per year.

FootballIntramural VolleyballMathCounts Competition

SoccerIntramural Boys BasketballOffice Assistants

Boys Basketball Intramural SoccerGrovesmen

TrackIntramural Street HockeyJunior National Honor Society

Girls BasketballIntramural Girls BasketballIntramural/Flag Football

BaseballOrchestraStage Crew

Cross CountryJazz BandMemory Book

Field HockeyWind EnsembleLibrary Assistants

WrestlingConcert BandSchool Store

SoftballVarsity SingersStudent Government

LacrosseLe Choeur des FillesCheerleading

After-School Participation

In order to attend or participate in an activity/athletic event scheduled after the close of any day, it will be necessary for the student to be in attendance the full day, at both the morning and afternoon session of that particular day, unless the office for exceptionally urgent reasons excuses him/her. If a student wishes to stay after to be a spectator at a sporting event, they must secure a permission form from the first floor office and submit it to the first floor office no later than 9:00 AM on the day of the event. Parent note or phone calls will not be accepted. A student may return with a parent to watch an event provided the parent remains at the school with the student. Students who are staying for an event are not permitted to ride the activity bus and must be picked up from the school by 5:00 PM. While attending an event, students may not leave school grounds.

APPOINTMENTS DURING SCHOOL

Students will be granted permission for medical appointments, religious events, funerals, etc. if they present a written request to the secretary in the 1st floor office by 8:30 AM on the day of the appointment. These appointments should not require missing a full day of school. Verification from the doctor’s office, time of the appointment, duration of the visit, and the reason for the visit will be required upon the students’ return to school.

Students leaving for or arriving from appointments should report to the main office before being picked up or upon checking in. It is necessary that parents “sign-out” their child from school as well as sign them in. Identification will be required by the adult picking up the student. Students will not be permitted to leave the building unless escorted by an adult.

Students who must leave school during school hours will follow this procedure:

  1. Bring a written and signed note including a parent’s daytime telephone number.
  2. Submit the note to the 1st floor office and pick up an early dismissal slip.
  3. Meet your parent in the main office. Your parent will sign-out there.
  4. Report to the office upon your return to school to be signed in and to obtain a re-entry pass.
  5. By law, students signed out for more than ½ of the school day will be considered absent.

ATHLETICS

Interscholastic

Before a student participates in the school’s athletic program, he/she must have filed with the athletic director written permission from parents consenting to his/her participation, and also written proof of having passed a physical examination by a doctor. Interscholastic sports include basketball, baseball, softball, track, soccer, football, field hockey, wrestling, cheerleading, and lacrosse.

Athletic Eligibility

Eligibility is determined each week by Friday at noon and is cumulative from the beginning of the 9-week grading period.

  • Academic Eligibility
  1. If a student is failing any two subjects for the current marking period, that student is ineligible to participate until performance in these subjects has satisfactorily improved, as determined by each teacher.
  2. In cases where a student has failed two subjects in a preceding marking period,that student will be ineligible for the first 15 school days of the current marking period.

•Citizenship Eligibility

  1. A student may also be declared ineligible to participate in interscholastic athletics because of poor citizenship. A poor school citizen is one who consistently disobeys the school’s rules and regulations. For purposes of determining eligibility, poor citizenship is defined as two disciplinary infractions, addressed by referrals, within the week.
  2. A student serving an in-school or out-of-school suspension on a given day is ineligible to participate in interscholastic athletics, including practice, on that day.
  3. Coaches, faculty advisors, or club sponsors of any organization may establish additional rules and procedures for members. They may also establish disciplinary action for a breach in rules and procedures.
  4. Students who are tardy unexcused after 9:00 a.m. must have a doctor’s excuse to be eligible for activities on that day.
  5. Students with ten or more disciplinary infractions, 10 unexcused absences or 10 unexcused tardiness may not be permitted to participate in dances, class trips, athletics, serve on Student Government, or any extra-curricular activity.

Students determined to be ineligible may not attend practices or games (home or away) during their period of ineligibility.

ATTENDANCE

Frequent absences of pupils from regular classroom learning experiences disrupt the continuity of the instructional process. The benefit of regular classroom instruction is lost and cannot be entirely regained, even by extra after school instruction. Consequently, many pupils who miss school frequently experience great difficulty in achieving the maximum benefit of schooling. Indeed, many pupils in these circumstances are able to achieve only mediocre success in their academic program. The school cannot teach pupils who are not present. The entire process of education requires a regular continuity of instruction, classroom participation, learning experiences and study in order to reach the goal of maximum educational benefits for each individual child. The regular contact of the pupils with one another in the classroom and their participation in well-planned instructional activity under the tutelage of a competent teacher are vital to this purpose. This is the well-established principle of education which underlies and gives purpose to the requirement of compulsory schooling in every state in the nation.

Regulations – Absence

  1. Each time a student is absent from school, he/she must present a written excuse signed by the parent or guardian to the homeroom teacher within three school days of his/her return. This written excuse is required even if a parent or guardian has contacted the school regarding the absence. If the student does not bring the excuse within the three school days immediately following the absence, the absence will be recorded as unlawful.
  2. It is essential that the reason for absence be clear and well-defined. Lawful excuses are granted for the following reasons: religious holiday, sickness, quarantine, death in the family, impassable roads, educational trips (when requests have been approved), “exceptional urgent reasons.” Excuses of a doubtful nature will be investigated. Claims of continued or repeated illness justify an administrative request for a doctor’s excuse.
  3. For periods of more than three days, excused absences may only be granted based upon a doctor’s certificate of illness justifying the absence.
  4. After a student is absent for a total of 10 school days for any reason, he/she will be required to present a doctor’s excuse for every absence because of illness.
  5. Any student who is absent from school or the same class twenty or more days (10 days per semester subject) without extenuating reasons jeopardizes his/her opportunity to successfully complete the required instruction and receive credits toward graduation.
  6. Students who are out because of an illness, injury or other extenuating circumstances for over 10school days must request homebound approved on a case by case basis. A doctor’s note should accompany this request. Students receiving homebound instruction may not attend extra curricular activities based on obvious health concerns. If you are out of school for 5 consecutive days, you must present the school with a doctor’s note on the sixth day of absence. Even if the student does not return to school, the parent must submit a doctor’s note on the sixth day absent or the days will be marked as unexcused. Otherwise, the absences will be marked as unexcused.
  7. Take Your Child To Work Day should be treated as an educational trip. Complete the form ahead of the event and send to the main office for consideration.

Failure to provide a written excuse within three (3) days of returning to school will result in the absence being recorded as unlawful/unexcused. Excessive unlawful/unexcused absences will result in Notices and Citation.

3 unlawful absences = 1st Notice

4 unlawful absences = 2nd Notice

5 unlawful absences = 3rd Notice and Citation

Regulations – Tardiness

Tardiness is unexcused lateness to school. Tardiness interferes materially with the orderly and efficient administration of the school program. After the tenth excused tardy, a student must present a Doctor’s note. Tardiness is not excused for missing the bus, oversleeping, car problems, weather conditions, etc. In order to promote punctuality, the following rules apply:

  1. A student coming to school late must report to the office and receive an admit slip. Lunch detention WILL be served on the same school day. Furthermore, any student arriving after 11:45 a.m. will be considered absent for a half day.
  2. Consequences for unexcused & continued tardiness:

4th Tardy1 after school detention

5th2 after school detentions

7th1 Day ISS

10thIneligible to participate in dances, athletics, class trips, field trips, extra-curricular activities for 5 days. Continues for each unexcused tardy.

13thand subsequent offensesOSS, and may result in Alternative Education Placement

  1. Students are expected to attend school on time the day following the activity/athletic event. Students who habitually arrive late the day of or the day after an athletic/activity event or are habitually absent the day after an athletic/activity event will be denied permission to attend future activities or suspended from play. Habitual is defined as 3 occurrences

Bullying/Cyberbullying

No. 249 SECTION: PUPILS

TITLE: BULLYING/CYBERBULLYING

ADOPTED: January 28, 2003

REVISED: December 2, 2008

249. BULLYING/CYBERBULLYING

1. Purpose The Board is committed to providing a safe, positive learning environment for

District students. The Board recognizes that bullying creates an atmosphere of fear

and intimidation, detracts from the safe environment necessary for student learning,

and may lead to more serious violence. Therefore, the Board prohibits bullying by

District students.

2. Definitions

SC 1303.1-Bullying means an intentional electronic, written, verbal or physical act or series of

acts directed at another student or students, which occurs in a school setting that is severe, persistent or pervasive and has the effect of doing any of the following:

1. Substantial interference with a student’s education.

2. Creation of a threatening environment.

3. Substantial disruption of the orderly operation of the school.

Bullying, as defined in this policy, includes cyberbullying.

SC 1303.1-A School setting means in the school, on school grounds, in school vehicles, at a

designated bus stop or at any activity sponsored, supervised or sanctioned by the school.

3. AuthoritySC 1303.1-A

The Board prohibits all forms of bullying by District students.

The Board encourages students who have been bullied to promptly report such

incidents to the building principal or designee.The Board directs that complaints of bullying shall be investigated promptly, and corrective action shall be taken when allegations are verified. Confidentiality of all parties shall be maintained, consistent with the District’s legal and investigative obligations. No reprisals or retaliation shall occur as a result of good faith reports of bullying.

249. BULLYING/CYBERBULLYING -

4. Delegation of Responsibility

Each student shall be responsible to respect the rights of others and to ensure an

atmosphere free from bullying. The Superintendent or designee shall develop administrative regulations to implement this policy.

SC 1303.1-A The Superintendent or designee shall ensure that this policy and administrative

regulations are reviewed annually with students.

SC 1303.1-A SC 1303.1-A

The Superintendent or designee, in cooperation with other appropriate

administrators, shall review this policy every three (3) years and recommend

necessary revisions to the Board. District administration shall annually provide the following information with the Safe School Report:

1. Board’s Bullying Policy.

2. Report of bullying incidents.

3. Information on the development and implementation of any bullying prevention,

intervention or education programs.

5. Guidelines SC 1303.1-ATitle 22 Sec. 12.3 Pol. 218

The Code of Student Conduct, which shall contain this policy, shall be made

available annually to students. This policy shall be accessible in every classroom (by maintaining a student handbook which contains the Code of Conduct in each classroom). The policy shall be posted in a prominent location within each school building and on the District web site.

Education SC 1302-A,1303.1-A Pol. 236

The District may develop and implement bullying prevention and intervention

programs. Such programs shall provide District staff and students with appropriate

training for effectively responding to, intervening in and reporting incidents of bullying.

249. BULLYING/CYBERBULLYING

Consequences For Violations SC 1303.1-A Pol. 218, 233

A student who violates this policy shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action

consistent with the Code of Student Conduct, which may include:

1. Counseling within the school.

2. Parental conference.

3. Loss of school privileges.

4. Exclusion from school-sponsored activities.

5. Detention/Saturday detention.

6. Suspension/In-School suspension.

7. Counseling/Therapy outside of school.

8. Referral to law enforcement officials.

9. Transfer to another school building, classroom or school bus.

References: School Code – 24 P.S. Sec. 1302-A, 1303.1-A

State Board of Education Regulations – 22 PA Code Sec. 12.3

  1. Board Policy – 000, 218, 233, 236, 248

BUS BEHAVIOR

General Rules