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A Community of Caring School |
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School Hours 9:15 a.m. (first bell) – 4:15 p.m. Campus Supervision 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Student Bell Schedule: 9:15 a.m. First bell, go to homeroom 9:25 a.m. TV News, students in class 4:15 p.m. School dismissal 4:25 p.m. Students en-route home
Arrival / Dismissal Students are to arrive on campus after 8:30 a.m. and go directly to the cafeteria for supervision. SMS provides student supervision each school day in the cafeteria from 8:30 – 9:15 a.m. Students are to be off campus and en route home by 4:25 p.m. unless participating in a prearranged activity supervised by an SMS teacher. Any student on school grounds after dismissal is there at his/her own risk. There is no supervision and the school cannot be responsible for the safety of students before/after school hours and on weekends.
Approved Before School Activities 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Media Center Teachers open our Media Center before school each school day, Monday through Friday, from 8:00-9:00 am for the following activities: Select a book, Read, Use a computer, Use reference materials, Do homework or study for a test The Media Center is a quiet zone on campus. Students use hushed voices. All students who arrive early to use the Media Center must go directly there, must follow all Media Center rules, and must stay there until 9:15 a.m., unless students go to the cafeteria for breakfast. Intramurals The PE teachers announce over the morning TV news opportunities for students to sign-up for intramural classes that are held from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. one or more mornings a week. All participating students, grades 6-8, must return a signed parent permission form to participate. In cases of limited enrollment, classes are filled by return date of forms. The Student Agenda Thanks to the generous donation by Gulfcoast Orthopaedic Associates, each SMS student receives a free Student Agenda at the beginning of the year. Students must keep the Agenda with them at all times. The Agenda is the student’s handbook, daily assignment notebook, communication tool with parents, and hall pass. Students who lose or damage their Agenda are expected to immediately purchase a new one in the front office. Students should treat Agendas as textbooks by doing the following:
Should a student’s Agenda be lost, stolen, or damaged (as stated above), students are required to purchase a new one. Students must have an Agenda through the last day of school. Visitors & Security Sarasota Middle School is a safe and secure school. Adult visitors are welcome at SMS. High school students are not allowed at SMS during the middle school day. For the safety of our students,all adult visitors must sign in at the main office, must wear an identifying nametag while on campus, and must sign out in the office. Visitors will be asked to provide a picture ID. SMS has three Campus Security aides, a full-time School Resource Officer (SRO), and active surveillance.
Attendance Florida attendance laws require that students attend school daily. Excused absences may be granted in the case of:
When Your Child is Absent from School
Truancies, when students are absent from school or class without the consent of parents or teachers, are unlawful and are unexcused absences. Disciplinary consequences are imposed for truancies. Tardy students must report to the attendance office and obtain a pass. A parent note is required to excuse a late student due to illness or urgent family matters. Early dismissal requires a passport. Students must take a note signed by their parent to the attendance office BEFORE school to receive a passport to leave school at the appointed time. Parents must meet and sign out their child in the attendance office. Students are permitted to leave school only with authorized persons as identified on the Parent Consent Form. Exceptions to the Parent Consent Form require written documentation from the parent. Prearranged Student Absence A Student Leave Form, signed by the teacher and returned to the attendance office two days in advance, is required when students have prior knowledge of the need to be absent 1 – 3 days for reasons other than illness or religious holidays. An Independent Study Leave Form is required for such leave of 4 – 10 days, must be completed and signed by the teachers and parent, approved by the Principal/designee and returned to the attendance office at least four days in advance. Contact the attendance office for further information. Make-up Work Parents may request make-up work, with a twenty-four (24) hour notice to teachers, for students absent two or more days. Students are allowed time equal to the number of days absent to complete make-up work. Backpacks and Book Bags Backpacks are for transporting school materials back and forth to school. Cafeteria Breakfast is available from 9:00 – 9:20 a.m. for $1.00. School lunch is $2.00 per day. Students may prepay for all food services. Students are expected to:
Remain seated until dismissal. Push chairs under table. Leave quietly and orderly. Fulfill duties as sweeper, wiper. Leave eating area clean! Cellular Phones Cellular phones are to be in backpacks and turned off at all times during the school day. They may not be turned on during the day. Change of Address or Phone Notify the registrar immediately of changes in address, home, or work telephone number. Proof of residence must accompany address changes. Field Trips Students must return the following completed and signed forms to school prior to the field trip day (verbal permission is not acceptable and these exact District forms are required):
The school sets student behavior expectations for field trip participation. Field trip fees are non-refundable. All field trip chaperones must be PALS approved volunteers. Grading Grade reports are issued every nine weeks. Parents sign the tear-off slip and the envelope and return them to the homeroom teacher. Midterm progress reports are issued each quarter at 4 ½ weeks. If you have any questions about your child’s progress at any time, please contact the team teachers for a conference. Sarasota County Grading system: A = 90 – 100 Excellent B = 80 – 89 Above Average C = 70 – 79 Average D = 60 – 69 Below Average F = 59 - 0 Failing Hall Passes Students must have a note in the Agenda signed by a teacher to be out of their assigned team area or PE/Explo class. The note states the student’s destination, time left and time returning to class. Health Room Ill and injured students may go to the health room with a pass from the teacher for a limited period of time or until parents pick them up. All over-the-counter and prescription medication must be taken to the health room by a parent, accompanied by a completed Medication Release Form, signed by a doctor and parent. All medication will be kept in and dispensed through the health room. Students may not have any medication with them in class. This is an Expellable offense. Lockers/Locks Students are required to purchase SMS school locks for their PE locker and, if applicable, their band instrument locker. The cost is $5.00 per lock. Lost and Found Articles found at school are to be turned in to the media where the owners may claim their property with proper identification. At the end of each month, articles not claimed will be donated to benefit others. Media Center
Textbooks and Instructional Materials The school, through taxpayer’s dollars, purchases textbooks and instructional materials for student use. When distributed, these materials are to be used for student learning and are to be returned in the condition in which they were loaned. Students are to put non-stick book covers on ALL textbooks. As per Florida School Law. damage to textbooks and materials is evaluated and a fine is assessed. Each parent and student to whom textbooks and materials have been issued are liable for any loss or destruction. District policy states that the fine will be the replacement cost for textbooks and materials. Damaged books, by law, cannot be given to the parent or student after the fine is paid. Books are checked out for two weeks and may be renewed. All textbooks are checked out through the media center for the year. Students with lost, damaged, or overdue books and textbooks will not be allowed to check out additional materials. Panther Pride The Panther Pride program recognizes and celebrates students who show academic excellence, responsibility, exemplary behavior, effort, improvement, and citizenship. All students are eligible to earn recognition based upon their performance. Criteria for recognition are: GPA Addt’l. Criteria STRAIGHT “A”s 4.0 No referrals * GOLD 3.5 – 4.00 No referrals * SILVER 3.0 – 3.49 No referrals * BRONZE 2.5 – 2.99 No referrals * *Students who receive a referral resulting in ISR, OSS, and bus suspension lose eligibility for Panther Pride recognition. Students earning Panther Pride will receive visible, tangible recognition items that must be worn to participate in celebration activities. Parking Visitor parking is in the East parking lot. No cars are allowed in the bus loop between 8:00 – 10:00 a.m. and 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. Cars in violation may be ticketed or towed. Personal Items Please leave personal items at home. The school is not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged personal items. Physical Education In PE, students must wear PE uniforms and sneakers. Students also may wear a plain white t-shirt and black shorts with no symbols/writing. Uniforms are available for purchase in PE class.
School Advisory Council (SAC) The SAC is a decision making group comprised of parents, students, teachers, administrators, support staff, business and community members. SAC meets monthly and assists in developing, implementing, and evaluating the School Improvement Plan. Meetings are open to the public. Contact the school office for meeting dates and information.
Safe and Orderly Schools SMS takes pride in being a safe and orderly school. Staff have high expectations for student behavior. The philosophy of our behavior management plan is that students and adults have the right and responsibility to:
Student rules and guidelines are based upon the Sarasota County Code of Student Conduct. Students choosing to disobey rules will be assigned consequences.
School Expectations: Students are expected to:
Parents are expected to:
Before School Students are expected to:
Hall Movement Students are expected to:
Classroom Students are expected to:
Use Agenda Book. Ask for help when needed. Technology All SMS students are encouraged to use online resources to increase their access to legitimate and appropriate information for educational purposes. Students who misuse this privilege and engage in unacceptable or illegal use of this resource subject themselves to disciplinary action including possible criminal prosecution. For specific information, please refer to the Technology Policy distributed to all students.
Technology User Policies Students may not: tamper with software install hardware or peripherals, or bring software from home to use on SMS computer use computers, networks, and online systems to access, alter, destroy, reproduce, and steal information belonging to others including teacher made tests, textbooks, teaching materials, non-authored text, other students’ work and overall plagiarism access, send, or distribute malicious, offensive, obscene, inflammatory, or pornographic email threatening, harassing, or injuring the reputation of others copy software or other copyright-protected materials or use the network for any illegal activity, private business purposes, or inappropriate internet sites spread computer viruses, vandalize data, infiltrate/hack systems, or degrade/disrupt computer and/or network performances share or permit others to use their network accounts/passwords School Dances All middle school dances are open to Sarasota Middle School students only. Students must purchase their own ticket and may not purchase a ticket for friends or family members. After School Activities Extracurricular activities are an extension of the school day. SMS students who participate or attend after school activities and events are required to follow all school policies and procedures including the Code of Conduct and Dress Code regulations. Students wishing to attend an athletic or evening event must go home via their regular dismissal routes and then return for the activity. Arrangements for travel home must be made between parent and student, and in advance of the event as there are no late buses. Dismissal Students are expected to:
Not wander campus. Parents are expected to: Code Yellow Evacuation Students are expected to:
Code Red Evacuation Students are expected to:
Key Student Expectations The following is a listing of key student expectations and specific examples of inappropriate behaviors for each. SMS students will:
Examples of inappropriate behaviors for each key expectation include:
No supplies, materials, assignments
A variety of interventions, and informal/formal disciplinary action will be used by school personnel. See the Sarasota County Public Schools Code of Conduct 2004-2005 for detailed information.
Search Policy Florida School Law, 2003, statute 1006.09, subsection (9) states: a student’s locker or other storage area is subject to search upon reasonable suspicion that a prohibited or illegally possessed substance or object is contained within. This subsection allows the use of metal detectors or specially trained animals in the search for illegally possessed substances or objects.
Student Accident Insurance At the beginning of the school year or upon enrollment for any new student, the Sarasota School Board makes available to all families the opportunity to purchase a Student Accident Insurance Plan. The purchase of this insurance is voluntary and the cost of the plan is paid by the parent/guardian. Transportation Bus: Riding the school bus is a privilege. Improper conduct on school buses and at the bus stop will result in the loss of bus riding privileges. Students are to ride their assigned buses. Parents needing students to ride another bus must contact District Transportation at 486-2141 at least two weeks in advance. Temporary bus transfer passes for emergency supervision are issued by SMS administration when a parent sends a written, signed note. The temporary transfer is a one or two day only pass. Bus Rules: All District and school rules are enforced on buses and at bus stops. Students are expected to:
Consequences: Bus or bus stop offenses 1st Bus Misconduct Warning from driver 2nd Bus Misconduct Phone call home from Route Coordinator Referral 1 1 - 3 day bus suspension Referral 2 3 day bus suspension Referral 3 3 - 5 day bus suspension Referral 4 5 - 7 day bus suspension Referral 5 10 day bus suspension or recommendation for bus expulsion. Zero tolerance bus offenses are handled according to the Sarasota County Public Schools Student Code of Conduct 2005-2006.
Bike Riders In Florida, bike riders under 16 years of age must wear a properly fitted helmet, fastened with a strap. Violations of safety and behavior guidelines will result in revoking of bike riding privileges. The school is not responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen bikes. Car Riders: Student drop-off/pick-up Parents may drop off and pick up students only in the designated area east of the school. Students enter/exit cars only in the lane next to the covered walkway. Once your child is out (a.m.) or in (p.m.) the vehicle, pull into the outside lane and exit the area. Parents also may park in the lot and walk to the covered walkway to pick up a student. All students not picked up by 4:30 p.m. are to report to the office. All school rules and guidelines apply to students waiting for parent pick-up. At the student drop-off/pick-up area:
Students are expected to:
Parents are expected to:
Volunteers SMS encourages volunteering. We believe that volunteers are an invaluable asset. All volunteers must sign in and out in the school office each day and must wear an identifying nametag while on campus. Sarasota County volunteer guidelines require that all volunteers who give their time without pay to assist the school must be PALS approved. This requires a yearly PALS on-line application. Every person must apply/reapply each year. You can complete the PALS online application at SMS or at the PALS Office, 1960 Landings Blvd., from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., any school day. This computer application uses an intranet, which is accessible only within the Sarasota County School system. Your personal information does not leave the school system and is not on the internet. Firewalls are in place to ensure security. As further protection, although Florida is a public information state, School Board policy prohibits divulging volunteer form information to any other person, agency or organization. Volunteers assist at SMS in many ways, including participating in PTSO, SAC, chaperoning field trips, tutoring, and helping in the classroom, office and Media Center. SMS VISION Sarasota Middle School places learning at the center of its activities to enable all learners to lead productive, responsible, and healthful lives.
SMS MISSION Sarasota Middle School is a community offering a safe, encouraging environment that celebrates learning and innovation. All learners model and promote integrity, empathy, and responsibility.
THE PLACE TO LEARN The middle school years are a time when students experience many developmental changes that influence how they learn. Young adolescents are at a unique and crucial stage that demands teachers who understand them and know how to teach them in ways that maximize their learning. SMS teachers possess both content knowledge and specialized professional middle school preparation to provide the best learning opportunities for all of our students. At SMS, we establish a balance between the academic, physical, and social needs of middle school students. Our curriculum Is academically challenging and exploratory Is relevant to students’ concerns Holds high expectations for all students to succeed Meets the developmental needs of young adolescents |