Rochelle Middle School Faculty Handbook

ROCHELLE MIDDLE SCHOOL FACULTY HANDBOOK 20010-11Nicholas E. Harvey II, Principal Katrinka Brown, Assistant Principal Patricia Turner, Assistant Principal Lillie Williams, Assistant Principal301 N. Rochelle Blvd. Kinston, NC 28501Phone: (252) 527-4290 Fax; (252) 527-6498 http://www.lenoir.k12.nc.us/rochelle"Be the best that you can be!" TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 MISSION AND BELIEF STATEMENTS OF ROCHELLE MIDDLE SCHOOL...... 5 2.0 MAKING MIDDLE GRADES WORK...... 5 3.0 RMS GOALS and OBJECTIVES...... 6 4.0 THE PRINCIPAL AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF...... 6 5.0 IMPORTANT TEACHER INFORMATION...... 7 5.1 Who to See For What...... 7 5.2 Attendance...... 9 5.3 Events Before or After School Hours...... 9 5.4 PTSA...... 10 5.5 Absences – Annual or Professional...... 10 5.6 Annual Leave Policy...... 10 5.7 Professional Leave...... 10 5.8 Certification of Teachers...... 10 5.9 Professional Literature...... 11 5.10 Staff Development...... 11 5.11 Faculty Meetings for RMS...... 11 5.12 Fourth Monday Staff Development...... 11 5.13 Team Meetings...... 11 5.14 Collaborative Planning...... 12 5.15 Classified Staff Meetings...... 12 5.16 Spirit of Cooperation...... 12 5.17 Classroom Visitation by Parents...... 12 5.18 Classroom Maintenance...... 13 5.19 Professional Dress...... 13 5.20 Teacher Liability...... 13 5.27 Computer Usage...... 14 5.28 Copier/Duplicator Usage...... 15 5.29 Laptops...... 15 5.30 Using NCWISE to Take Attendance...... 15 6.0 CLASS SCHEDULES...... 15 6.1 Bell Schedules...... 15 6.2 Class Schedules for Late Start Days...... 17 7.0 INSTRUCTION...... 16 7.1 Teacher Planning...... 16 7.2 Schedule Changes...... 171 7.3 RMS No Excuses Policy...... 18 7.4 PRIDE...... 19 7.5 Academic Honor Code for Secondary Students...... 19 7.6 Writing Skills Policy...... 19 7.7 Communication with Parents...... 20 7.8 Departmental Leadership...... 21 7.9 Department Chairs for 2009-10...... 21 7.10 Team Leaders...... 22 7.11 Student Intervention Team...... 23 8.0 SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES...... 24 8.1 Students with Disabilities...... 24 8.2 The Referral Process...... 26 8.3 Adapting Your Classroom for Slow Learners, Learning Disabled Students, and Students with ADD/ADHD...... 26 9.0 STATE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM...... 29 9.1 Introduction...... 29 9.2 Teacher Responsibility...... 29 9.3 End of Course Tests in Algebra I...... 30 10.0 GRADING SYSTEM...... 30 10.1 Uniform Grading Policy...... 30 10.2 Other Notes About Grading...... 30 10.3 Promotion and Retention...... 30 10.4 Report Cards...... 31 10.5 Standard Grade Report Comments...... 32 10.6 Interim Reports...... 32 10.7 9-Weeks Tests...... 32 10.8 Homework...... 33 11.0 MEDIA CENTER...... 33 12.0 GUIDANCE...... 33 13.0 PROCEDURES...... 37 14.0 DISCIPLINE PLAN...... 38 14.1 VIKING Pride Code of Conduct...... 39 15.0 AGENDAS...... 39 16.0 ARRIVAL AT AND DISMISSAL FROM SCHOOL...... 39 17.0 TARDY POLICY...... 39 18.0 STUDENT DRESS CODE...... 402 19.0 SCHOOL ATTENDANCE...... 44 19.1 Regulations...... 44 19.2 School Activity Absences...... 45 19.3 Student Leaving Classroom...... 45 20.0 ASSEMBLY PROGRAMS...... 45 21.0 DUTY ASSIGNMENTS...... 45 21.1 Morning Duty Before School - 7:40 a.m. until 8:05 a.m...... 45 21.2 Class Changes...... Error! Bookmark not defined. 21.3 Lunch/Recess...... 46 21.4 Restrooms...... Error! Bookmark not defined. 21.5 After School Duty...... Error! Bookmark not defined. 22.0 SCHOOL SAFTEY...... 47 23.1 Teacher Emergency Folder...... Error! Bookmark not defined. 23.2 Drills...... 47 23.3 RMS School Emergency Procedures for Teachers...... 47 23.0 TEXTBOOKS...... 50 24.1 Receiving Textbooks...... Error! Bookmark not defined. 24.2 Issuing Textbooks...... Error! Bookmark not defined. 24.3 Guidelines for Fines on Damaged Books...... 50 24.4 Textbook Return...... Error! Bookmark not defined. 24.0 FIELD TRIP POLICY...... 51 25.1 Supervision of Field Trips...... Error! Bookmark not defined. 25.2 Certificated Employee’s Responsibilities...... Error! Bookmark not defined. 25.3 Parent/Guardian Consent...... 52 25.4 Field Trip Request and Procedures for State Owned School Buses...... 53 25.5 Cost Factors Sheet...... Error! Bookmark not defined. 25.0 RMS ACCOUNTING PROCEDURES...... 53 25.1 ...... Error! Bookmark not defined. 25.2 Purchasing Procedures...... Error! Bookmark not defined. 25.3 Issuing Receipts...... 53 25.4 Fund Raising Projects...... 54 25.5 Professional Leave – Approved Travel...... 54 26.0 ATHLETICS...... 54 27.0 FIRST AID/SCHOOL NURSE...... 55 28.0 LOCKERS...... 55 29.0 TRANSPORTATION...... 563 30.0 TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES...... 56 31.0 TELEPHONES...... 61 32.0 ENERGY CONSERVATION GUIDELINES...... 61 33.0 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION...... 61 34.0 FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL...... 634 1.0 MISSION AND BELIEF STATEMENTS OF ROCHELLE MIDDLE SCHOOLRochelle Middle School’s Mission The academic program at Rochelle Middle School focuses on fulfilling the need of the whole child - socially, emotionally, intellectually, and physically. Our school environment encompasses a diverse curriculum which will allow for individual growth and success. Rochelle Middle School’s Beliefs Student’s learning needs should be the primary focus of all decisions impacting the work of the school. Students learn best when they are actively engaged in the learning process. The family, school, and community working together are crucial to the development and well being of the student. Mutual respect, responsibility, and caring create the best learning environment for students. All individuals are accountable for the choices they make and for understanding that with each choice come responsibilities and consequences. High expectations, quality teaching, and positive attitudes promote higher levels of achievement. Learning in the 21st Century is a life-long process which promotes and improves the quality of life and is essential for continuous growth.2.0 MAKING ROCHELLE THE BEST IN THE STATE MAKING ROCHELLE GREAT – 10 Key Practices  An academic core that is aligned to what students must know, understand and be able to do to succeed in college-preparatory English, mathematics, science and social studies – All students in the middle grades need an academic core curriculum that accelerates their learning, challenges them and appeals to their interest. o In mathematics, all students satisfactorily complete Algebra I or pass a pre- algebra test of proficiency and use algebra concepts to reason and solve problems. o In science, all students use laboratory and technology experiences to learn scientific concepts in physical, life and earth/space sciences. o Reading instruction is incorporated into all content areas in the academic core curriculum through grade eight. o The language arts curriculum requires students – before they leave eighth grade – to use language correctly and effectively to find, organize and communicate information.5 o The social studies curriculum requires students – before they leave eighth grade – to describe their heritage, their government, their world and economic principles through key issues of the past, present and future.  A belief that all students matter – Each student needs to have a personal relationship with an adult who takes an interest in his/her successful learning, goal-setting, educational planning and personal growth.  High expectations and a system of extra help and time – Students learn in different ways and at different rates. Middle grade students need enough time and help to meet more rigorous, consistent standards for all eighth-graders. The middle grades curriculum should accelerate achievement for all students.  Classroom practices that engage students in their learning – Young adolescents need varied learning activities linked to challenging academic content and opportunities to use new skills and concepts in real-world applications.  Teachers working together – All teachers need time to plan together, to develop and coordinate learning activities, and to share student work that meets proficiency standards.  Support from parents – Parents must understand clearly and must support the higher standards for performance in the middle grades.  Qualified teachers – Middle grade teachers must know academic content and how to teach young adolescents.  Use of data – States, districts and schools continuously must use data on student, school and teacher performance to review and revise school and classroom practices as needed. We will use the ClassScape system to drive our instruction at RMS  Use of technology for learning – Middle grade students and teachers must have opportunities to explore and use technology to improve knowledge and skills in English/language arts, reading, mathematics, science and social studies.  Strong leadership – Middle grade schools need strong, effective principals who encourage teachers and participate with them in planning and implementing research-based improvements.3.0 Goals and Objectives 20010-11 Rochelle is a welcoming community where education ranks as a high priority. With the community, we collaboratively tackle our challenges of building the foundation for increased academic and extracurricular accomplishments. In 2007-08, we accomplished High Academic Growth according to the ABC testing standards set by the NC Department of Public Instruction. In 2009-10 RMS again met the High Academic Growth standard according to the ABC growth model. RMS also met 16 of 17 goals according the No Child Left Behind AYP standard. .6 Our primary goal at RMS is to improve student achievement – at the end of 20010-2011, we want 80 percent of students to score “Proficient” and above. Our second goal is to increase parent involvement through improved home/school communication and by providing increased opportunities for parent participation in school-sponsored programs. Our third goal will be to successfully implement the first phase of the A+ Schools Reform Program. We will continuously work to improve the climate of RMS by promoting student safety, appropriate discipline and good attendance. To meet these goals, we are using many effective research-based strategies. To overcome our barrier of not consistently reaching yearly achievement goals, we are providing challenging academic instruction based on state standards. RMS teachers establish classroom climates that accommodate the needs of each individual student through differentiated instructional strategies. We incorporate the latest technology to support instruction in all of our classrooms. We will implement the “No Excuses” class work/homework policy and to integrate character education across the curriculum and in extracurricular activities. Our school-wide plan of positive behavior support is designed to decrease barriers to learning and to make all students feel safe and supported. Our guidance program not only provides individual emotional support, but it also offers academic and career guidance through planned classroom programs, assemblies, small groups and evening programs. We want all our students to be successful. Our counselors help them cultivate personal and social integrity and lifelong learning skills.4.0 THE PRINCIPAL AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF The principal is ultimately responsible for all activities that occur within the school. The principal’s duty is to administer and execute the policies established by the School Board of this district. As a rule, the principal or an assistant principal will be in or around the building from 7:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. There is no bar to the door of the principal’s office other than that dictated by the rules of common courtesy. Requests and suggestions for change are welcome and will receive careful attention. The principal is ultimately responsible for the upkeep of buildings and materials in the school under his supervision. However, effective results in this effort can be obtained only through the help of the teachers, students, and the custodial staff. Each teacher is responsible for the care of his/her classroom and its contents. The principal and assistant principals are available to teachers, students and parents to be of whatever help they can in any area that they can (curriculum, discipline, etc.). The principal, assistant principals, and teachers who have been trained in the evaluation of teacher, will observe the classroom work of teachers. There is only one motive for this practice – the improvement of instruction. The principal and assistant principals will help teachers to maintain order and discipline in the operation of the school. Obviously, this is more of an exception and not the rule. The teacher 7 will have to use his/her judgment to prevent an overwhelming amount of “trivia” from entering the office. The teacher has the responsibility and authority to handle the majority of these cases.AP Duties The principal will assign duties to the assistant principals. As a general rule, Mrs. Williams will deal with the areas of 8th grade discipline and attendance, school safety, supervision duties, and general administration. As a general rule Patricia Turner will deal with areas of 6th grade discipline and attendance, IGP’s, observations, books (ordering, storage, and accounting), and general administration. Ms. Brown will serve RMS as the Curriculum Facilitator including the observation process. These areas of course overlap, and either AP is available to assist in any way possible. The principal will oversee the duties of all AP’s and is the person you should go to if there is a problem that cannot be resolved by the appropriate assistant principal.5.0 IMPORTANT TEACHER INFORMATION5.1 Who to See For What AC/Heat Nate Speight, Lerah Murrell Front Office Academic assistance Mr. Harvey, Ms. K. Brown Office Attendance Records/NCWISE Nadine Grady Front Office Usage (grades/report card/ progress report) Absence excuses Nadine Grady Front Office Budget Requests Nicholas E. Harvey II Office Buses Hubert Quinerly Ex. 326 Cafeteria Dorothea Artis Cafeteria Certification issues Sharron Bizzell Central Office- 527-1109 Child abuse/neglect Guidance Front Office Class/office supplies Lerah Murrell Front Office Classroom Guidance Denderant Burney/G. Savon Office Williams Class needs (desks, repairs, Nate Speight etc.)8 CLAssSCAPE Ms. K. Brown/Ms. T. Brown Office Collaborative Planning Ms. K. Brown Office Computer hardware problems Nicole Anderson Media Center Crimes on school property Administration, Levi Front Office Simmons Discipline Issues Refer to PBS Matrix- Offices Administration Emergency Plan Nicholas Harvey Office Enrollment of students Denderant Burney/Tammy Front Office McCoon Field trip requests Nicholas Harvey Office Field trip transportation Hubert Quinerly Office IGP Patricia Turner Office Video Request Form Nicole Anderson Media Center Leave days Mildred Starkey Office Leave requests Mildred Starkey Office Lesson plans Katrina Brown Office Battle of the Books Nicole Anderson Media Center Locker questions Patricia Turner Office Media Center Nicole Anderson Media Center Medical issues Elizabeth Hartford Room Permanent records Tammy McCoon Front OfficeProblems unresolved by APs Nicholas Harvey Office Promotion/Retention Nicholas Harvey Office Requests for counseling for Guidance Office students Sexual Harassment Males report to Nicholas Offices Harvey Females report to Patricia Turner Special Education Records Sharon Baker/Mary Dail Room 9 Special Education Meetings Sharon Baker Room Substitutes Mildred Starkey Office Technology integration in the Nicole Anderson Media Center classroom Textbooks and teacher Patricia Turner Office editions Transfer requests Nicholas Harvey Office Transportation Changes Tammy McCoon/Hubert Front Office Quinerly5.2 Attendance All staff members are expected to be present at work. We each play a very important role in providing for a quality instructional program. When any of us is absent, our children do not receive our highest quality service. ALL TEACHERS ARE EXPECTED TO BE AT SCHOOL NO LATER THAN 15 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE START OF CLASS. ALL CORE TEACHERS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN AT SCHOOL UNTIL AT LEAST 3:30+ AND TO SUPERVISE THEIR RESPECTIVE HALL AREAS UNTIL STUDENTS HAVE DEPARTED. ANY EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE WILL BE CLEARED WITH THE PRINCIPAL IN ADVANCE. AFTER YOU RECEIVE APPROVAL TO LEAVE EARLY, PLEASE SIGN OUT IN THE MAIN OFFICE. THANKS FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE IN MAINTAINING ACCOUNTABILITY.5.3 Events Before or After School Hours We expect everyone to be a part of the school community, to participate in after school programs and attend extracurricular activities. Sponsorship of some club or activity is necessary for many staff members in our school. If you are interested in helping sponsor an activity, coach, or start a club/organization, see the principal. All teachers are expected to attend at least 2 activities, Fine Arts programs, athletic events, or PTSA student events such as dances etc. during the school year. It is suggested you choose events in which your students participate. List at least two activities on your professional staff development log, which will be turned in with the IGP materials at the end of the school year.5.4 PTSA Teachers are encouraged to join PTSA and attend PTSA meetings during the year. Please look at the school calendar and plan accordingly.10 5.5 Absences – Annual or Professional In case of illness, request for leave must be made no later than 6:00 a.m. on the day of the absence. The earlier the leave is reported, the better the chances are for Mrs. Starkey to locate a substitute. Prearranged Annual or Professional Leave: Teachers are responsible for arranging for annual or professional leave at least one week in advance. The forms requesting annual or professional leave are available in the main office or from Mrs. Starkey. The completed forms are returned to the principal for approval (or disapproval). Please check prior to your prearranged leave to be sure your request has been approved and arrangements have been made for a substitute. Emergency Absences: Do not leave lesson plans on voice mail. Contact your department chair or another teacher to send updated lesson plans. Leave forms must be completed on your FIRST day returning to work. If a teacher does not sign-in each morning, it will signal Mrs. Starkey who keeps up with the staff attendance/leave that the teacher is absent. She will place a leave form in the teacher’s box. The teacher MUST complete it and return it to the main office. (It is VERY IMPORTANT that you sign in. Otherwise you may receive a leave form erroneously.) If the absence is for medical reasons, an excuse from your doctor is recommended. Lesson Plans During Absences: Teachers should prepare lesson plans suitable for use by subs of varying abilities. In addition, teachers should prepare a folder with class and school information. The sub coordinator will give you detailed information on what to include. Each teacher is also required to prepare a minimum of 3 days for emergency lesson plans that may be generic to any day of teaching that particular grade level or subject area. These plans will be used in the event that daily plans are not available due to an emergency. These plans must be turned in to Lynn Heath. They will then be stored in the Front Office. If emergency plans are used, they must then be updated so that 3 days of plans are always available. 5.6 Annual Leave Policy Refer to the Employee Handbook.5.7 Professional Leave Refer to Employee Handbook.5.8 Certification of Teachers It is the responsibility of each certified staff member to keep his/her teaching certificate up to date. Please study your Professional Certificate Renewal Guidelines Manual carefully and use it to keep all of your certification information until you are ready to send it in. Always keep copies for your file. Ms. Sharron Bizzell serves as the district office-based contact for re-certification. She is available to help with questions, forms, and referrals to appropriate experts. 527-1109 Transcripts Colleges do not send transcripts automatically. The individual employee must request the transcript. Request an official college transcript immediately after completing course work. Request that the transcription go to:11 Lenoir County Public Schools Attention: Sharron Bizzell 2017 W. Vernon Ave. Kinston, NC 28501 Each teacher is totally responsible for seeing to it that his/her certificate is in order and up-to- date. If there is any doubt whatsoever, contact Lenoir County Public Schools Human Resources or the Certification Division of the State Department of Education: www.dpi.state.nc.us5.9 Professional Literature A collection of professional literature is maintained at RMS in the Media Center. Each teacher is encouraged to use these materials. If a teacher has books to share with others, they may be given to the media coordinator.5.10 Staff Development Staff development activities are planned to meet the objectives of the school and district. A calendar of school-based staff development sessions will be provided throughout the year. Activities can be found on the SEA System. Personal documentation of participation in sessions on a Professional Development Log will be required of all certified staff members throughout the year.5.11 Faculty Meetings for RMS Each Wednesday afternoon is reserved for meetings, however grade level meetings will be held the Wednesday after the monthly district board meeting. All staff members are expected to attend these meetings. Please do not schedule appointments on Wednesday afternoons. Please do not bring children to faculty meetings. Classified staff members are invited to attend faculty meetings but are not required to. For activities other than regular faculty meetings, advance notice will be given.5.12 Team Meetings All core teachers have an individual planning period and a team planning period. These meetings will be facilitated by team leader. A schedule will be established week one. 5.13 Collaborative Planning The purpose of collaborative planning is to provide time for teachers to collaborate with one another to:  Determine specific instructional needs of their students  Identify differentiated instructional strategies to meet those needs  Develop common assessments to ensure progress in student achievement  Evaluate effectiveness of actions taken12 5.14 Classified Staff Meetings Regularly scheduled meetings will be held for classified staff throughout the year. All staff is expected to attend these meetings. A classified representative should be selected to represent the classified staff in all full faculty meetings.5.15 Spirit of Cooperation Teamwork and effective communication are essential to the operation of this school. Grade levels and departments are expected to function cooperatively by arriving at consensus decisions after all ideas and opinions have been discussed. The administration openly invites staff members to discuss ways to improve the operation of the school at any time. All staff members are responsible for maintaining a positive environment and for presenting a positive image of our school in the community and to stakeholders. “BRANDING”5.16 Classroom Visitation by Parents It is the policy of Lenoir County Public Schools to encourage parents to visit classrooms. It is felt that parents can, in this way better than any other, learn what the school is actually doing. We encourage you to invite parents to visit your classroom. Suggestion: Include this invitation in your beginning of term letter and each time you have any verbal or written communication with parents. Parents must fill out a class visitation form to visit a classroom except when invited by the teacher. Visitation forms are available in the Front Office. All visitors must report to the office for a visitor’s pass.5.17 Classroom Maintenance Many people view the appearance of the classroom as a strong indication of the effectiveness of the teacher. Before a teacher leaves their room at the end of the day, s/he should turn off the lights, lock the door and make sure windows are locked. Please have students pick up after themselves at the end of every class. Requests for repairs should be made to Mrs. Lerah Murrell/Nate Speight. If your requests are not taken care of in a reasonable time or if your room is not being cleaned regularly or thoroughly, please let an administrator know.5.18 Professional Dress All staff members are expected to dress in an appropriate and professional manner at all times. Gentlemen should wear shirts with collars and should keep their shirttails tucked in with khakis or dress pants. Ladies should wear dresses, skirts, or dress pants. P.E. teachers may wear appropriate shorts and shirts for their activities. Office staff is to dress professionally (no jeans).13 On spirit days (we will announce and post them on the school calendar), staff members may wear school or college t-shirts or sweatshirts with khakis or appropriately fitting jeans. Staff members may wear school t-shirts and shorts of an appropriate length on their field day only. On Fridays staff may wear their RMS shirts with jeans or khakis.5.19 Teacher Liability The following are a few important points to protect you.  Do not leave your class room unattended. If you must leave, get another teacher to cover your class. Even if it is for a short trip to the copy machine or the restroom, leaving students by themselves is a substantial risk.  Perform your duties. As boring and unnecessary as it may seem, if you have an assigned duty (restroom, hall, bus, etc.), do it. The day you miss will be the day something happens. If your name is on the schedule, you are responsible for serving the duty or getting someone else to cover it.  Post your classroom/lab rules and regulations in a conspicuous place. Students should have easy access to information regarding the behavior teachers expect in their classes/labs. Also, give the students a personal copy of the rules and have them and their parents sign an acknowledgement form.  Post fire/tornado drill information in a conspicuous place. In an emergency, students and adults tend to forget critical information.  Provide appropriate instruction. Teacher and practice classroom procedures. Review them often. If you have lab equipment (tools, machines, test equipment, etc.) in your classroom/lab, provide students with appropriate instruction as to proper, safe use. Document in your lesson plans when you provided this instruction. Do not allow any students to operate any equipment if they have not been given proper instruction. Test students in the proper use of equipment and check them off as they demonstrate their knowledge.  Keep private information private. Do not discuss an individual student’s performance with another student or anyone who is not a direct family member. Student performance should only be discussed with a student’s parent or legal guardian.  Follow school discipline codes, don’t create your own. (NOTE: FOR THE STUDENT’S SAFETY AND YOURS, PLEASE DO NOT SEND STUDENTS TO THE HALL, OFFICE, OR TO ANY OTHER AREA WITHOUT SUPERVISION.)  Maintain your classroom/lab. Make certain all tools and equipment is maintained properly.  Be above reproach. Exercise great care in touching students in any fashion, especially students of the opposite sex. In today’s society, it is an unfortunate reality that well-meant 14 gestures may be misconstrued. Do not be alone with individual students. Report any potential problems immediately.5.20 Computer Usage Each classroom has a computer for teachers to use for management purposes during planning periods. Teachers should ensure that students do not have access to the computer. Lenoir County Public Schools uses the GroupWise e-mail system. To access GroupWise, teachers must log-on to the school Novell network using their assigned login names and passwords. The Weekly Message and all work related correspondence are sent via e-mail. E- mail can be checked at home. You can also click on the mailbox icon on the district’s website: www.lenoir.k12.nc.us . You must have set a GroupWise at your school computer before you can check your e-mail at home. Set a password by going to “Tools” and “Options” in GroupWise. Teachers may call Charles White at the district office for assistance. Remember to follow the Internet agreement that you signed at the beginning of the school year. The agreement includes the following statement: “Users will not originate or knowingly forward e-mails containing jokes, chain letters, greeting cards for personal purposes, virus notifications, screen savers and other non-educational file attachments.” Lab Use Computer labs should be used for educational purposes-not as a "reward" or "fun time." With limited computer resources, it is vital that the labs be left open for projects, research, online lessons, CLASSCAPE, etc. Substitutes using Labs? Substitutes are not to use computers; therefore, they should not take students to Computer Labs. They are not trained to use the labs with students. Please watch students and don't let them download files and/or load AOL instant messenger, Yahoo instant messenger, etc. They MUST refrain from changing settings on the computer (e.g. screen savers, backgrounds, etc.). If a screensaver or desktop background is different on one or two computers, and it was not like that when you brought your class in, then YOUR student(s) changed it. Please deal with this issue. Turning Off Computers The last class of the day should turn off the computers. Make sure ALL computers shut down before you leave.5.21 Copier/Duplicator Usage Copiers are available in the main office, and in the 8th grade hall workroom. Students are not to use any of the school copiers. We have two types of copiers. One is the duplicators which use masters and ink and the others are copiers that use toner. Supplies for all copiers/duplicators will be kept in the same area as the copiers. If you see that supplies are running low, please let Mrs. Lerah Murrell know ASAP.15 If repairs are needed, please contact Mrs. Lerah Murrell by letting her know the machine’s ID number along with a description of the problem. Please put the repair sign on top after you notify Lerah.5.22 Laptops Proper care of each laptop is essential; please treat it in the same manner you would treat your own equipment. Please see Ms. Anderson in the media center to check out a laptop if available. It is expected that this equipment will be used in your classroom to enhance the learning environment by use of the appropriate technology available to each subject area. (e.g. United Streaming videos, multimedia software, etc.)5.23 Using NCWISE to Take Attendance Homeroom teachers will personally keep the attendance record for their homeroom in NCWISE. Teachers are to enter absences, not tardies. Teachers should enter attendance at the beginning of the homeroom period. Please take daily attendance for each period on paper as well. 6.0 CLASS SCHEDULES6.1 6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade 8:15-9:15 Core 1 8:15-9:15 Core 1 8:15-9:15 Core 1 9:15-10:00 PRIDE 9:15-10:00 PRIDE 9:15-10:10 PRIDE 10:00-11:00 Core 2 10:00-11:30 Exploratory 10:00-11:00 Core 2 11:00-12:00 Core 3 11:40-12:10 Lunch 11:05-11:40 Lunch 12:05-12:35 Lunch 12:15-1:15 Core 2 11:40-1:10 Exploratory 12:40-1:40 Core 4 1:15-2:15 Core 3 1:15-2:15 Class 3 1:45-3:15 Exploratory 2:15-3:15 Core 4 2:15-3:15 Class 46.2 Class Schedules for Early Dismissal Days (11:15am) 6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade 8:15-9:15 Core 1 8:15-9:15 Core 1 8:15-9:15 Core 1 9:15-10:15 Core 2 9:15-10:15 Core 2 9:15-10:15 Core 2 10:10- Report to Cafeteria 10:25-Report to Cafeteria 10:40-Report to Cafeteria Return to classroom to eat Return to classroom to eat Return to classroom to eat16  We will to adhere to the exploratory and lunch times  Bells will not ring, so please watch the clock.  Core class times may be changed on your team. This may be a good day to do some creative scheduling on your team for special labs, activities, etc.7.0 INSTRUCTION7.1 Teacher Planning Bell-to-bell Instruction Plan thoroughly to teach bell-to-bell daily. This will maximize learning and minimize disruptions. All teachers will post class schedules outside their classroom doors. Classroom rules will be posted in a manner that is visible to all students. Each teacher will post the indicator from state standards (or learning objectives) for each lesson in a manner visible to all students throughout the class period. The agenda (order of events) for each lesson will be posted in a manner which is clearly visible to all students. Long Range Planning Long-range planning is a necessary component to ensure effective instructional delivery. At the beginning of the school year, all teachers are expected to study the achievement profiles of their students based on the most current standardized test data, note pertinent demographic information, schedule effective pacing for differentiated instruction and assessment of all state standards matched to address individual student needs, plan for effective communication, and define classroom academic and non-academic routines. It is expected that all Rochelle Middle School teachers complete this process in a timely manner at the beginning of each school year. The evidence of teachers’ long-range planning should be obvious through teacher conferences with administrators, collaborative teacher meetings, syllabi for courses, utilization of district pacing guides and state support documents, etc. Notes: Teachers are always expected to communicate expectations, course or subject information, grading guidelines, classroom procedures, etc. to students and parents. At the secondary level, this usually is in the form of a class syllabus.17 Lesson Plans Teachers will be provided a lesson plan notebook to be maintained and carried to all planning meetings. This notebook is to be kept up to date and accessible to administrators daily.7.2 Schedule Changes Once registration for a new school year occurs and teacher assignments have been announced, the administration of Rochelle Middle School has a very strict policy regarding any changes in teacher assignments. The only legitimate reasons for requesting a change in a teacher assignment are:  If there are academic issues that may indicate that a child is misplaced based on their abilities; or  If prior experience with a teacher led to extenuating circumstances that should be considered by the principal. If such circumstances exist, a parent should put a request for change in teacher in writing and provide it the principal. The principal will consider the request and notify the parent of any changes. Parents may be asked to attend a conference to discuss alternatives, if that is deemed necessary by the administration. The number of children already placed in other classrooms will be a deciding factor in what alternatives may be available. At no time should “hearsay” about a particular teacher be a basis for a change in placement. Once school has started, parents are expected to conference with teachers about concerns that may exist about a child’s placement. If concerns continue, an administrator will schedule a conference with the parents and the teacher to discuss how to make the child’s experience more successful. A plan of action for improvement will be formulated. Only after these actions have taken place will the administration consider a change in placement.7.3 RMS No Excuses Policy The following broad guidelines are to be used in carrying out our “NO EXCUSES” policy. Teachers may publish more detailed guidelines for their students and parents. Keep in mind that the purpose of this policy is to set high standards for students and to create a school climate in which students understand that failure to turn in work or turning in work of clearly inferior quality will not be tolerated. We want students to understand that we BELIEVE that they can do quality work and therefore we will hold them accountable to do so. We realize that teachers, students, and parents must believe in this policy for it to work. Grading  Teachers will not assign a grade of “A” for work turned in late.18  Work not turned in will be recorded as “NHI” (not handed in) so that grade reports will compute the grade as a zero until handed in. This will allow students and parents to see what the grade will be if work is not completed.  Teachers may count off as much as 10 points per day for late work.  Work that is turned in and is of good quality will not be assigned a grade lower than a “70.”Consequence for Not Turning in Work or for Not Turning in Work of Acceptable Quality As needed:  Make up or re-do work during PRIDE  Contact parent by agenda, phone, or in person.  Refer to guidance or an administrator for counseling.  Report to coach, director, or other activity sponsor. Cut off Points  After a reasonable amount of time teachers may record a zero for assignments not turned in.  Grades may be recorded as a zero at the interim and at the 9-weeks if not turned in.  Students understand that some assignments cannot be made up due to the nature of the assignment or the fact that the assignment is corrected in class on the due date. Teachers MAY give partial credit for completion in class or assign alternate work.  Students may not receive a grade lower than 60 on the report card Make Up Time The following may be used by teams. They may create other times that do not interfere with normal instruction for other students.  During PRIDE  Before school at teachers scheduled time.  After school at teachers scheduled time.19 7.4 Academic Honor Code Rochelle Middle School students are encouraged to maintain high standards of academic integrity and honesty. In an effort to clarify expectations, the following list provides examples of unacceptable acts of cheating:  Looking on another student’s paper during a quiz, test or exam.  Revealing items to a student who has not yet taken a quiz, test, or exam.  Copying other students’ assignments designated as independent work (homework, worksheets, essays, research papers, test answers and lab reports).  Referring to unauthorized notes and materials during a quiz, test or exam.  Positioning your paper so that another student can see it during a quiz, test or exam.  Using unauthorized technological devices to complete or disseminate answers during a quiz, test or exam.  Using technological devices to secure work from another student’s project.  Obtaining an unauthorized copy of a quiz, test or exam.  Plagiarizing a paper or using a paper written by another person (citation errors are handled during the writing process by classroom teachers) and/or plagiarizing work from another student’s project. Teachers and administrators will treat cheating as a very serious matter. Teachers will review the evidence of any misconduct with the appropriate administrator. All substantiated infractions will result in the grade being affected. Parents will be notified. A zero will be recorded for the assignment, and there will be no opportunity for make-up work.7.5 Writing Skills Policy In order to coordinate a more effective total educational program and underscore every teacher’s responsibility for stressing writing skills, Rochelle Middle School adheres to the following policy:  Each teacher will require written work of each student in his/her subject area per nine weeks. Math, foreign language, and physical education classes are included. Each major test should include test items that require the students to write. These items may be only one complete sentence or the item may require a paragraph or a group of paragraphs. The items may be tested before the nine weeks tests and exams if grading presents a problem in terms of time. The work selected may consist of any form of written expression that reflects the student’s use of the thinking process at his/her level of growth and development. The selections, however, should be course-oriented.20  Criteria for Correction/Rating Scale/Rubric: It is important to provide students with expectations about what will be assessed as well as the standard that needs to be met. Using a rating scale or rubric increases consistency in assessing student writing. Students are given specific information about what the finished writing should include for each letter grade on the scale. Students are able to self assess their writing in order to determine where they are and where they want to be with regard to their grade. Having a scale of this kind gives direction to the rough draft/rewriting process.  Minimum Required Writing Assignments: Every teacher will assign at least one writing assignment each month to be graded with the school-wide writing rubric. All ELA teachers will assign a minimum of two writing assignments each nine weeks to be graded with the writing rubric. 7.6 Communication with Parents Communication with parents is essential. It should be done often to communicate both positive and negative issues regarding the child’s progress. Both written and verbal communication should be utilized. This should include AT A MINIMUM:  Beginning of the year written communication sent home to parents  Interim reports  Report cards  Positive contact with each parent at least once a nine weeks  Contact about behavior or grade problems as needed The following tips are offered:  Remember…Each parent sends the best child they have to school.  Treat parents with respect and LISTEN to them. Sometimes that is all it takes.  Work to develop partnerships with parents.  When involved in difficult conferences, remain professional and polite.  When “the deal is closed,” Be Quiet! Honesty and diplomatic frankness are essential. Staff members should remain as positive as possible without giving false hopes. A teacher should never reflect negatives on a prior teacher either directly or indirectly. All parent communication should be documented on the RMS Parent Contact Form.21 7.7 Departmental Leadership The department chairperson serves teachers and students by creating and maintaining superior standards of teaching and learning. The chairperson assists in coordinating the instructional program within the department and serves as a resource person for departmental teachers. The educational leadership of the department chairperson should help the members of the department grow and develop as professionals and encourage students to be successful learners. The department chairperson:  Conducts regularly scheduled departmental meetings and supplementary meetings as necessary. A summary of each meeting will be submitted to Mrs. Lynn Heath the day after the meeting.  Attends department chairperson meetings with administration as regularly scheduled.  Organizes the departmental requests for teaching equipment and materials by maintaining a prioritized list of needs.  Makes classroom observations and provides feedback.  Assists teachers in obtaining required instructional materials (teacher editions, resource materials, curriculum standards and pacing guides).  Provides training, instruction, and guidance to department members.  Maintains current information regarding district adopted textbook and resource materials for each departmental course.  Provides administration with information regarding staff development needs.  Assists teachers in handling student/teacher problems.  Supervises and provides feedback on lesson plans  Assures that pacing guides are followed to obtain consistent delivery of curriculum.  Models and encourages professionalism and collegiality.  Provides for substitute assistance and monitoring.  Promotes professional development.7.8 Department Chairs for 2010-11 Language Arts – Tracie Dixon Math – Teedra Brown Science – Jacinta Allah Social Studies – Rhondra Fleming22 Special Education – Sharon Baker Exploratory – Brian Corey7.9 Team Leaders 6th grade – Allah/Chapman 7th grade – T. Dixon/Lewis 8th grade – A. Sutton/Neal 7.10 Student Success Team A Student Intervention Team (SST) is a school based problem-solving team whose purpose is to provide a vehicle for discussion of issues related to the specific needs of teachers, students or administrators as well as to offer consultation and follow-up assistance to staff. State and Federal guidelines clearly state the need for “documentation of consistently applied interventions and results aimed at remediating the specific educational deficits” of every child. The SST Team will meet the third Wednesday at 3:25 in Room 125. Mrs. Lillie Williams will serve as SST Chairperson for the 2010-11 school year. The goals of a SST are to:  Maximize a student’s potential for school success  Accommodate for the heterogeneous nature of the general education classroom  Provide for support for a teacher(s), parent(s), and/or administrator(s)  Elicit and increase the use of collective expertise and collaboration among school personnel  Improve services (both regular and special education) to students with learning and/or behavioral problems  Implement and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions  Consider referral for students with disabilities under Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act and develop Individual Accommodations Plans (504 Plans), if deemed appropriate  Determine the need for referral under IDEA for comprehensive psychological, educational, audio logical, vision and/or medical evaluations to determine eligibility for special education and related services  Assist in making appropriate placements into Special Education programs  Provide opportunities for systems intervention, such as developing in-service programs to meet the needs of frequently occurring SST referral concerns A SST may occur for regular education students:23  To determine if a referral for evaluation should be made  Prior to an expulsion hearing  When a student has been suspended for 5 or more days  Regular education teachers have an important responsibility to refer students who appear to need special help or intervention and in developing the written intervention plan.8.0 SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES8.1 Students with Disabilities All students with disabilities and special needs are provided services through Lexington District One. These services may include a 504 Accommodation Plan and/or Special Education Services. The service delivery models available at Rochelle Middle School include Itinerant, Resource, Self-Contained, and Homebound. The following information provides an overview of the responsibilities of the regular education teacher for students with special needs. Teachers must be knowledgeable of ALL students with special needs and they must provide the services stated in the 504 Plan or IEP (including Behavior Intervention Plans). SECTION 504 OF THE REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973:  Prohibits discrimination against persons with a handicap in any program receiving federal financial assistance (public schools)  Defines a person with a handicap as anyone who has a mental or physical impairment, which substantially limits one or more major life activities, one of which is learning according to recent interpretation of the act  Is enforced by the Office of Civil Rights  Requires a 504 Accommodation Plan designed for each student based on individual need  Provides no additional funding  Addresses students who have: o Communicable diseases o Chronic medical conditions (sickle cell anemia, asthma, seizure disorders) o Temporary medical conditions due to illness or accident o Attention Deficit Disorder o Behavioral Disorders (depression, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, anxiety disorders, etc.)24 o Drug/Alcohol Addiction o Other conditions as deemed appropriate  Regular education teachers provide accommodations for students with 504’s in regular classroom settings. Should these accommodations not meet the student’s needs, the regular classroom teacher should refer this to the guidance counselor and/or SIT.  504s will be reviewed near the beginning of the year and at the end of the year. The Guidance Department oversees 504s. SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES AND THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT (IDEA): IDEA was designed to provide additional educational and related services to students WITH DISABILITIES so that they may progress in the least restrictive environment. IDEA requires:  Specially designed instruction (as deemed appropriate) and an Individual Education Plan (IEP)  Provides funding through the state to ensure adequate and appropriate services for disabled students.  Serves all school-aged children up to age 21 who fall within one or more specific categories of qualifying conditions. These categories include: Speech/Language Impaired, Learning Disability, Emotional Disability, Other Health Impaired, Visual Impairment, Hearing Impaired, Mental Disability, Orthopedically Impaired, Preschool Child with a Disability (Developmentally Delayed), Autism, Traumatic Brain Injury, Deaf, Blindness and Multiple Disabilities.  Requires a full comprehensive evaluation and reevaluation every three years  Requires an annual review each year  Has due process procedures  Is monitored by the State Department of Education The IEP:  Is a written document of goals, objectives, and accommodations for each individual child  An IEP meeting must be held to discuss, change, or amend the IEP in any way. This includes change of placement, reevaluation, determination of need (designed an appropriate reevaluation), changing hours, or addition of or modification to a Behavioral Intervention Plan.  An IEP meeting must include the following members: special education teacher, regular education teacher (someone who teaches the child), a local education agent (usually an 25 administrator or designee), related service provider, if applicable (speech therapist, physical therapist, etc.), student (if age 24 or older), and psychologist (for ED students, students with behavior intervention plans, reevaluation determination of need, review of test results, interim IEP, placement meetings, change of placement meeting, and others as requested).  All teachers should be thoroughly knowledgeable about the contents of the IEP for students with disabilities. It is suggested that teachers keep a copy of all students’ IEP accommodations, Behavior Intervention Plans, etc. in their classroom for referral. This can also serve as a monitoring device. Regular education teacher input is valuable in designed appropriate accommodations and writing goals/objectives.  It is important to remember that a student’s IEP is a legal contract that the school district has made with the parents and which is the responsibility of both regular and special education teachers. ALL teachers (regular and special education) are required to attend IEP meetings and implement the IEP as written. If general education teachers have concerns about an IEP, he/she should contact the special education teacher with those concerns.8.2 The Referral Process This referral process is to be followed after interventions have been tried and the student is still experiencing problems in the classroom (*See SST information). Step One: Teacher makes appropriate referral to SIT where interventions are reviewed and additional recommendations may be made. If referral to Special Education for a comprehensive evaluation is made, additional interventions may still be recommended. Step Two: If testing is recommended:  Obtain, complete and return referral packet in a timely manner. Referral packets can be obtained and returned to the clerical assistant who will check it for completeness. It is the responsibility of the team leader to ensure that the packet is completed in a timely fashion.  When information is received, the clerical assistant will send letter and Permission for testing home to parents to sign and return.  Referral packet with permission is forwarded to the appropriate personnel.  Testing is scheduled. The psychologist will send home a notification of evaluation schedule.  School psychologist completes the test battery (within 45 days after receiving signed parent permission). Report is written and sent home.  A follow-up meeting is held to determine eligibility and placement, if appropriate. If eligible, an IEP is written and placement should begin within 30 days of completion of testing.26  If the student does not quality, meeting is still held and the student should be referred back to the SIT for additional recommendations and/or strategies.8.3 Adapting Your Classroom for Slow Learners, Learning Disabled Students, and Students with ADD/ADHD A REGULAR EDUCATION TEACHER has the following resources in his/her classroom that can be adapted for students with special needs: Time Allow the student(s) to work at an assignment for short periods of time followed by a different type of activity.  Break assignments into smaller, more manageable parts. For example, cover all but section one for them to complete, tear a worksheet into sections. Some children find large amounts of work overwhelming and will shut down. In addition, some students need more assistance in breaking down activities than others.  Adjust assignments and work time. Shortening assignments is good when the whole class is going to move on to a new topic. Circle the most crucial items for practice and allow the student to complete those. This will enable the student to move on with the class. For lengthy assignments, which cannot be shortened such as writing assignments and book reports, provide additional time at a different point during the day. Remember, some students require more structure than others.  Set up a consistent schedule/routine in the classroom. Forewarn students, in advance, of changes, which may occur.  To improve attention and motivation, alternate quiet and active items. Learning Style Auditory  Give verbal as well as written directions  Give oral rather than written tests (at times)  Allow students to learn new information from a tape recorder (good for auditory learners or poor readers)  Allow the student to read important information aloud to himself/herself or to another student Visual  Use flashcards printed in bright colors  Use graphic organizers to TEACH students new concepts and information. This helps them to visualize the information and organize it cognitively. Many slow learners, learning 27 disabled and attention-disordered students are described as disorganized. This applies not only to their workspace, but their ability to organize information in their brain.  Provide visual cues throughout the classroom for verbal directions  Minimize the amount of extraneous information on walls and chalkboards. This can limit a student’s ability to independently find cues in his/her environment  Have students study/write using the cover/write method of flashcards  Pair visual learners with auditory learners. The visual learner can read to the auditory learner.  Allow written reports or projects in lieu of oral presentations Kinesthetic Style  Use classroom demonstrations whenever possible  Allow the student to build models, make charts, etc., in lieu of writing reports  Use role-play or situations to encourage learning (particularly in social sciences and social skills)  Teach the student to take notes (use graphic organizers, see above)  Allow the student to doodle or draw while listening. Some students require the movement to enhance concentration. Call on the student frequently to ensure attention and comprehension. Learning Environment  Provide a work area free from distractions such as pencil sharpener, high traffic areas, a window, etc.  Play classical music quietly in the classroom. Some students need the extra input to allow them to concentrate. Seat students who might find this distracting away from the music. Music can also serve as a calming device for active students.  Place the student close to you for immediate help and increased monitoring. Teachers can also use proximity control by walking around the room frequently rather remaining in one place. Materials  Allow the use of manipulatives in math as long as needed. This could include using calculators to teacher higher order math skills to students who have not mastered/memorized basic facts. Many slow learners, learning disabled, and attention disordered students have difficulties with memory, making memorization of math facts difficult.28  Select special materials based on the student’s reading level. For example, assign an independent reading assignment prior to teaching a new concept to familiarize them with the concept. An additional reading can be assigned after teaching the skills to reinforce the concept.  Tape stories and lessons for students to check out and listen to as a review.  Help students organize materials through color coding, increased monitoring, use of dividers, dating papers, checking agenda books, etc. Some students may require more monitoring for a greater length of time than others. Use peer helpers when appropriate. Presentation  Give both oral and written directions.  Check student’s understanding by having them repeat directions.  Make note-taking adjustments. Use graphic organizers and structured note-taking strategies such as outlines, Q & A formats, etc. to increase independence in note taking. In addition, some students may need extra time, copies of notes, etc.  Print or type (12 point font or higher) materials for students to read. Reading cursive handwriting is a difficult challenge for some students.  Allow for plenty of “white” space in worksheets. For some students, reading small words that take up every inch of space on a paper can appear cluttered and disorganized making it difficult for them to locate importation information. Evaluation  Alternate response styles. Give tests orally and/or accept oral responses. Special education teachers and instructional assistants can provide assistance in these areas.  Some students may benefit from a follow-up oral review of test responses to check for student understanding.  Before report cards are sent home, provide the student with a specific list of what must be done to bring up a grade. If it is a lengthy list, break it into smaller parts with deadlines for each part.  In science and social studies, grade for ideas and content and not for grammar, spelling and punctuation.29 9.0 STATE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM9.1 Introduction The North Carolina Department of Pubic Instruction Education has established an accountability system for public education, which focuses on improving teaching and learning so that students are equipped with a strong academic foundation. The North Carolina Curriculum Standards form the basis of classroom instruction. All North Carolina students in grades 3-8 are required to take the North Carolina End-of-Grade Tests in reading and math. Students in grades 5-8 are also required to take the Science EOG.9.2 Teacher Responsibility A good educational system provides many tools that help students learn, including curriculum standards. Curriculum standards outline what is to be taught. Teachers must learn the standards for the course they teach and provide instruction related to the standards to ensure student success in the state-testing program. Teachers are provided standards checklists and pacing guides to document instruction on the standards. Teachers will be called upon to administer all designated tests. Teachers will be given test data as soon as it is available. All teachers must be able to identify the students who score in the “Not Proficient” range for the purpose of providing instruction to improve their deficiencies. Students in 6th through 8th grade who score “Not Proficient” will receive special instruction in academic assistance reading and math classes scheduled during the remediation period. After the remediation period, students will be given a re-test. 9.3 End of Course Tests in Algebra I End of course tests for Algebra I are given in the spring. Rochelle Middle achieved a 100% Proficiency rating in Algebra I for the fifth consecutive year. 10.0 GRADING SYSTEM10.1 Uniform Grading Policy In order to comply with the Lenoir County Public Schools Uniform Grading Policy, Rochelle Middle School uses number grades on report cards for all students. Number grades will be used on all report cards based on the following scale: 93-100 A 85-92 B 77-84 C 70-76 D30 0-69 F10.2 Other Notes about Grading If appropriate, a “Possible Retention” should be marked the second nine weeks. A “Probable Retention’ should be marked the third nine weeks. These comments must be handwritten on the report card. In order to receive a grade for a nine weeks period, a student must complete required work and fulfill state attendance requirements. Transfer students must have attended at least one-half of the days of the marking period (22 ½ days). Teachers must keep nine weeks grades recorded in their grade books or in electronic grade book format. A grade distribution sheet should be completed each nine weeks and turned in to the Curriculum Administrator (Lynn Heath). Anytime a child’s progress drops significantly, the teacher is expected to be proactive and discuss the drop with the parent prior to the parent receiving the report.10.3 Promotion and Retention A student shall be promoted to the next grade level if his/her educational growth is satisfactory for his/her ability level. Promotion may be denied if the teacher and the principal feel that the student has not made adequate progress. It must be expected that the retention will benefit the child. Parental contact must be made regarding retention no later than the 2nd nine weeks and documented on the 2nd progress report. The child should be referred to the School Intervention Team at the end of the 2nd nine weeks. A specific retention conference must be held and documented on the Retention Conference Form no later than Parent Conference Day of each year. A comment should be made on the form stating, “If sufficient progress is not made, retention may be possible.” If the parent does not respond to your request for a conference, send them a copy of the conference form by certified mail. Give a copy of the form to the CA (Lynn Heath). At the end of the 3rd nine weeks, if a student still has not shown improvement then retention is “Probable.” As statement should be placed on the 3rd Progress Report stating, “Unless sufficient progress is made, the potential for retention is possible.” Teams should meet with an administrator to finalize retention and a second retention conference must be held and documented on a Retention Conference Form no later than May 5 to determine the final decision. If the parent does not respond to the request for a conference, send a copy of the Retention Form by certified mail. Give Mr. Harvey a copy of the final retention form along with a completed team list of retainee(s).31 When it is necessary to deal with the question of promotion or retention, the decision should be based primarily on whether it appears the individual’s total development will be enhanced more by retention or promotion. In making this judgment, some of the considerations should be:  The student’s achievement level  The student’s academic aptitude  The student’s physical, social, and emotional development  The student’s attitude and that of his/her parents toward the issue of retention versus promotion  The student’s achievement results10.4 Report Cards At the end of each grading period a computerized report card that lists all subjects will be distributed to students. Grades will be recorded for each nine weeks, the semester, and end of the year. Report cards go home on November 6, February 1, April 16, and June 10. Instructions for Entering Grades and Checking Verifications  NCWISE will be the centralized location for grading data  Never enter grades while students are in the classroom  Keep guidelines for entering grades in a secure location o Use numerical grades between 0 and 100. The lowest grade that may be recorded on a district report card for nine weeks or semester grades is “60.” o Rounding. Mathematical rounding to the nearest whole should be used in every instance of averaging grades. (Example: 92.4 rounds to 92) or (92.5 rounds to 93). After you enter grades and comments, you will receive verifications to double-check and sign. All corrections must be made in NCWISE and on the verification form. Make corrections if necessary. It is extremely important for NCWISE grades to be accurate. If grades have to be changed, the changes must be done in NCWISE. Turn in verifications to Nadine Grady. Administration will then verify all report cards prior to distribution to students.10.5 Standard Grade Report Comments Obtain list from Mrs. Nadine Grady10.6 Interim Reports The regular interim report will be issued to all students using the report generated by teachers using NCWISE. The interim reports will be issued to all students on September 28, December 7,32 February 28, and May11. Teachers should require the student to return the interim with parent signature. Teachers are encouraged to use a special progress report frequently to communication both positive and negative changes in student achievement.10.7 9-Weeks Tests All students should be given a test on the days stated in the Test/Examination schedule. To allow students maximum time to study for these tests, no other test or homework should be required during these testing periods. The 9-weeks test should count for only 10% of the 9-weeks grade. Teams should coordinate such that students have no more than 2 major tests on any given day.2nd 9 Weeks First Semester Exam Dates Periods Tested Grades Tested TBA ELA and SS 6,7,8 TBA Math and Science 6,7,8 TBA CTE 6,7,8 3rd 9 Weeks Test Dates Periods Tested TBA ELA and SS TBA Math and Science TBA CTE 4th 9 Weeks End-of-Grade Tests10.8 Homework The purpose of homework is to reinforce skills taught at school and to develop responsibility. At no time should homework be assigned that a child can not do independently. All assignments should be checked for accuracy in a timely fashion. Each grade level should determine how homework grades will be calculated. HOMEWORK GRADES MAY NOT AFFECT THE FINAL GRADE BY MORE THAN ONE LETTER GRADE. Teachers should coordinate with each other to insure that excessive amounts of homework are not assigned on any given day. As a general rule, the following time frames should be followed: Grade 6 – 60 minutes Grade 7-8 – 90 minutes A RMS Student Agenda has been purchased for all students to assist them with organizing homework assignments. All teachers should remind students to write assignments in their agenda, and sign the agenda for the parents. See the Mr. Goodall for replacement of agendas ($10).33 11.0 MEDIA CENTER The Media Center hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. on any school day. Students may check out two books at a time from the Media Center. The loan period is two weeks. Books may be renewed for an additional two-week period by bringing the books into the Media Center and asking for a renewal. Books may only be renewed once. Books not retuned by the due date will become overdue and incur a $.05 a day fine until they are returned. Students will receive overdue and fine notices prior to each interim and report card date via their homeroom teacher.12.0 GUIDANCE The Guidance Department of Rochelle Middle School is an integral component of the total school curriculum. Through individual counseling, group and classroom guidance, and consultation with parents, staff, and community support agencies, the guidance staff provides students with opportunities for social, personal, educational, and career development. Objectives:  Students will develop an understanding of the relationship between educational achievement and career planning.  Students will develop skills in career planning.  Students will become more aware of the importance of personal responsibility and good work habits.  Students will improve their skills in interpersonal relations  Students will develop an enhanced awareness of themselves. The guidance program is developmental and comprehensive in nature. The program provides sequential activities designed to address the needs of all students by helping them to acquire competencies in career planning and exploration, knowledge of self and others, and academic development. Denderant Burney is the Director of Guidance at RMS. Mrs. Burney will also serve as counselor for 8th grade along with 7th grade students according by last names. G. Savon Williams, RMS guidance counselor and serves as counselor for 6th grade along with 7th grade students according to their last names. Tammy McCoon will have dual roles this school year. She will serve as the guidance secretary and one of her roles is maintaining permanent record information. She will request information for students who transfer/withdraw during the school year and provide grades and academic information for new students enrolling. The Guidance Office is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mrs. McCoon will also serve as the media assistant this school year. Classroom Guidance: Large group guidance sessions offer the best opportunity to provide guidance to the largest number of students in our school. Counselors first work with students in 34 large groups because it is the most efficient use of time. Counselors develop and present special guidance sessions which give attention to particular development issues or areas of special concern for the students in our school. Small Group Counseling: Small group counseling involves the counselor working with two or more students together. Group size generally ranges from five to eight members. Groups may be growth centered, where general topics are related to personal or academic development, or problem centered, where attention is given to particular concerns or problems. Individual Guidance Services: Individual counseling is a personal and private interaction between counselor and student in which they work on a problem or topic of interest. A face-to- face meeting with the counselor provides the student maximum privacy in which to freely explore ideas, feelings, and behaviors. Counselors establish trust and build a helping relationship with their students. Students are encouraged to visit the Guidance Office during lunch or before and after school. Students needing assistance during class time should have a pass from their teacher indicating permission to come to guidance. Referrals for Guidance Services: The student can be referred for guidance services by parents, teachers, and administrators, or through self-referral. Referrals can pertain to concerns about the student’s personal/social needs, academic needs, or career planning concerns. Consultation: The counselors also serve as consultants to assist people in working more effectively with others. Consultation helps individuals think through problems and concerns, acquire more knowledge and skill, and become more objective and self-confident. Consultation can take place on individual basis, in groups, or through staff-development activities. Career Planning Conferences: All eighth grade students and their parents are invited to attend individual career planning conferences. These conferences are designed to review the student’s academic performance and career plans. An Individual Graduation Plan (IGP) is developed during this conference. Weekly Guidance Announcements: Guidance activities and special programs are listed on the weekly agenda. Announcements will also be made via the morning announcements. 504 Accommodation Plan: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a Federal civil rights law protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities. A 504 Accommodation Plan indicates the student’s medical/psychological disability and how the disability impacts major life activities. From this information a Student Intervention Team (SIT) determines appropriate services/accommodations to meet the student’s educational needs. The services/accommodations are listed on the students 504 Accommodation Plan. Each teacher receives a copy of the student’s plan and must make the required accommodations to be in compliance with the federal law. The counselors or school psychologist can assist in answering questions regarding implementing the plan in the classroom. Supervision of the Guidance Program The principal will serve as the overall supervisor of the entire guidance program.ER-Emergency Response Consultation Request35 Teacher/Staff work with students on a daily basis and may be the first person to notice a change in the student’s behavior. Early Warning Signs:  Social withdrawal  Excessive feelings of isolation and being alone  Excessive feelings of rejection  Being a victim of violence  Feelings of being picked on and persecuted  Low school interest and poor academic performance  Expression of violence in writings and drawings  Uncontrolled anger  Patterns of impulsive and chronic hitting, intimidating, and bullying behaviors  History of discipline problems  Past history of violent and aggressive behavior  Intolerance for differences and prejudicial attitudes  Drug use and alcohol use  Affiliation with gangs  Inappropriate access to, possession if, and use of firearms  Serious threats of violence None of these signs alone predict aggression and violence. A good rule of thumb is to assume that these warning signs, when presented in combination, indicate a need for further investigation. It is important to avoid inappropriately labeling or stigmatizing individual students because they appear to fit a specific profile or set of early-warning indicators. The warning signs are offered as an aid in identifying and referring children who may need help. Threats – An Important Warning Sign Of the students who perpetrated School place Violence, 93% made some type of threat before acting. All threats should be taken seriously, even if they sound ridiculous. If an individual continues to make threats after being warned to stop, there is a stronger case for that person’s intent on committing violence unless there are enough impediments in the way.36 Threats can either be verbal or written, or fall into three categories: Direct, Conditional, and Veiled. If there is incongruence between a student’s verbal and nonverbal signals, the nonverbal communication is always more reflective of the person’s emotional state. DIRECT THREAT: A statement of clear intent to do harm to someone. There is no ambiguity or doubt (e.g. “I’m going to kill you” or “I’m going to blow them away.”) A direct threat is punishable by law and authorities should be contacted. Those who make detailed threats are more likely to become violent than those who make vague threats. CONDITIONAL: A conditional threat is made contingent on certain set of circumstances. They contain the work “if,” and/or the word “or.” These are designed to manipulate or intimidate the target into compliance. Examples include “You better do this or you’re dead,” and “If you don’t give me what I want, you will pay.” If these are not met with resistance or clear intolerance, they are likely to increase. VEILED: This is hardest to address because it is usually vague and subject to interpretation. It is easily minimized by the perpetrator, as they refute how the receiver interpreted the threat. They may state the recipient was blowing the situation out of proportion or they only intended the threat as a joke. Examples include, “I can see how something like the Jonesboro incident can happen. I’m surprised more kids don’t go off the edge,” or “I’m going to do something crazy tomorrow.” These are the most difficult to detect due to vagueness and multiple interpretations.13.0 PROCEDURES Teach in every homeroom class for the first week. Review as needed. Present in grade level assemblies.A.M. Prior to 7:40 – In the cafeteria 7:40-8:05- 6th, 7th, and 8th graders to assigned areas First Period All 1st period teachers check attendance Lead students in listening to the morning announcements/pledgeDress Code Review the SMOD Policy with your class Send violators to the office regardless of the time of day. (The office opens at 7:45. We all miss things and there is room for interpretation.)37 We will record the violations and call home for a change of clothes if needed or send to ISS if no one can come.Agenda Make notes and call parents as needed. All first period teachers should lead students in listening to the morning announcements/pledge.Cafeteria All 6th 7th and 8th grade core teachers escort students to the lunch line. Teams should stagger arrival. Teachers are to stay in the cafeteria during lunch and monitor tables. All students eating regular meals or combos, or getting snacks need to line up and go through the line one time only. Students not eating cafeteria food should report to their seats right away. Students in all grade levels must be seated by class. Students should remain seated and use “conversational tone.” Students must ask permission to leave the table. Students will be dismissed by table to dump trays and to check out their table. Check for trash, mess, etc. No cafeteria food is to leave the cafeteria unless directed by the teacher/principal. The cafeteria is a point of emphasis this year. We should see marked improvement in cafeteria behavior and cleanliness. Routes A.M. Car riders enter the main doors at the front of the school. Bus riders enter the double doors at the breezeway on the bus lot side. Before 7:40 all proceed through the breezeway to the cafeteria. After 7:40, proceed to designated areas. Class Changes and Lunch ALL TEACHERS SHOULD BE VISIBLE AND MONITORING HALLS AND RESTROOMS DURING CLASS CHANGES. DO NOT STAY IN YOUR ROOM BEHIND YOUR DESK. Routes – End of the Day Dismiss by Bell All teachers out in the halls Duty teachers report to areasHall Behavior Use agendas for all passes. Walk.38 Keep it quiet (conversational tone). Keep your hands to yourself. Teachers in the halls during changes (Exploratory teachers step out to greet, escort grade 6 and 7 back to grade level hallway. Core teachers escorting and greeting.)14.0 DISCIPLINE PLAN Our discipline is focused on several key concepts.  Clear rules and consequences  Well thought out class and school procedures  Non-confrontational techniques  Parent contacts (more positive than negative). You must write at least 1 positive referral for each discipline referral you write.  Positive referrals  Accountability  Administrative support14.1 Viking Pride Positive Behavior Support Matrix Be Prepared Respect Others “I” Maintain Order Display Respect for Property Ensure Safety 15.0 AGENDASEach student has been issued an agenda, which should be kept all year. Students should record assignments in the agenda and parents and teachers can communicate using the agenda as needed. Students must also use the hallway passport for passes throughout the building. In addition, tardies are recorded in the students’ agendas.16.0 ARRIVAL AT AND DISMISSAL FROM SCHOOL The school building opens at 7:40 for all students. Students should report directly to the cafeteria/auditorium and be seated until directed to report to their hall. Car riders should enter at 39 the main doors at the front of the building. Bus riders enter at the double doors under the breezeway by the bus circle. Students eating breakfast should report to their areas as soon as they finish eating. Dismissal from School Students must stay on school grounds from the time they arrive, even if the first period has not started, until dismissal, or until the bus or parent picks them up. If a student must leave during school hours, it is mandatory for a parent or guardian to come to the Front Office and sign a ledger to excuse the student. Transportation changes should be submitted in writing to the Main Office as soon as possible during the day. If this change requires a bus, written notification must be provided to Mr. Goodall as well. At the end of the day, car riders should report to the designated areas outside the main entrance. Cars should enter and exit in the same direction as they did in the morning. Bus riders should report to the green or gold bus stations await directions to board buses. 17.0 TARDY POLICY LATE TO SCHOOL Due to late bus: If not eating breakfast, the student will go by the Front Office for a pass. . After a pass is obtained, the student will go directly to class. Parents bring student to school: Parents must come into the Front Office and sign the student in. Office personnel will then issue the student a pass to go to class. If late sign-ins become chronic, the teacher should contact an administrator. Arrival prior to teacher submitting roll: The student should remain in class. The student should be counted as tardy unless s/he produces a legitimate excuse by the next morning. Arrival after the teacher submits the roll: The student will be sent to the Front Office to obtain a pass (excused or unexcused).LATE TO CLASS The teacher will decide whether the tardy is excused or unexcused. Tardies accumulate all day and start over at the new 9 weeks. Tardies will be recorded in the student’s agenda. If the student does not have their agenda with them, they will be referred to the office for the tardy. Tardies 1-4 – Teacher records and warns the student40 Tardy 5 – Referral to administrator. Detention assigned. Tardy 6 – Referral to administrator. Detention assigned. Tardy 7 – Referral to administrator. ISS assigned. Tardy 8 + - Referral to administrator. ISS or OSS assigned.18.0 STUDENT DRESS CODE Board Policy Each school’s administration will make the final judgment on the appropriateness of any student’s clothing.Rochelle Middle School’s Standard Mode of Dress (SMOD) 20010-11 SMOD (SHIRTS ONLY) Dress Code SMOD (PANTS ONLY) Dress Code Colors ColorsThe following colors apply to shirts, The following colors apply to pants, shorts, turtlenecks, oxford shirts, and capri pants, skorts, and skirts only: sweatshirts only:WHITE TAN KHAKI YELLOW BLACK KHAKI FORREST GREEN BLUE KHAKIShirts - must be tucked in at all times with the exception of sweaters and sweatshirts; no logos or imprinting; t-shirts can not be worn as the primary shirt or over any other shirt, sweater, or41 sweatshirt; can only be worn as under clothing if it matches the dress code colors, and writing or graphics must not show through the top garment. Polo/Golf Style Shirt Short or long sleeved Must have 2 to 4 buttons Must be within shirt dress code colors (see above); NO DENIM/JEAN Turtleneck/mock turtleneck shirt Plain; no buttons Must be within shirt dress code colors (see above) Front-buttoned Solid Oxford Dress Shirt No Denim Sleeves must have the wrist buttoned Short or long sleeved with a collar Must be within shirt dress code colors (see above); NO DENIM/JEAN Sweater/sweatshirt- not hooded Can not hang past straddle of pants (not baggy) Must be worn over an approved dress code shirt May have a round or v-neck, or it may be a button-front cardigan style Must be within shirt dress code colors (see above) Pants and Shorts - Must be worn at the waist at all times; no logos or graphics Pants - dress type made of twill; must fit to size (not baggy/skin tight) Must be straight-legged (no bell or flared bottoms) hemmed, cannot drag on floor Limited to no more than two front, two rear and two side pockets Cannot be tucked into socks 42 Form fitting spandex material, nylon, denim, corduroy and sweat pants are not allowed. Capri pants are allowed but cannot be hip huggers, cannot be skin tight and the manufactured slit at the bottom of the Capri pant cannot be above the knee. Must be within the dress code colors (see above); NO DENIM/JEAN Shorts or Skorts - Walking style Should be worn at the knee cap level If worn with slouch socks, the socks must be within the dress code colors Limited to no more than two front and two rear pockets Forms fitting spandex material, nylon, denim, corduroy and sweat pants are not allowed. Must be within the dress code colors (see above); NO DENIM/JEAN Skirts Should be worn at the knee cap level If worn with slouch socks, the socks must be within the dress code colors Limited to no more than two front and two rear pockets Forms fitting spandex material, nylon, denim, corduroy and sweat pants are not allowed Splits or slits are not allowed Must be within the dress code colors (see above); NO DENIM/JEAN Outerwear Any outerwear (jackets, coats, zip-up sweatshirts and etc.) can be worn to school Any outerwear (jackets, coats, zip-up sweatshirts and etc.) worn inside the school building must be within the dress code colors (see above); NO DENIM/JEAN 43 Any outerwear (jackets, coats, zip-up sweatshirts and etc.) worn inside the school building can not be hooded Accessories Students must wear a belt if garment/clothing was manufactured with belt loops BROWN, or BLACK belts or belts that match the color of the pants, skirts, skorts, capri, shorts Graphics or labels are unacceptable on all belts and belt buckles Name buckles or large face are not allowed Belts must be an appropriate length and not hang below the straddle Suspenders are not permitted No rubber flips flops of any kind No hats or other headgear can be worn inside the school building during or after school No net slides No bedroom slippers No backless shoes No Beaded NecklacesSlouch socks may be worn, but must be within the SHIRT dress code colors (see above) Jewelry should NOT drape over SMOD attireMiscellaneous Students who fail to wear the approved SMOD will be sent to the office so that a parent may bring proper clothing and/or accessories. Repeat offenders will be dealt with at the discretion of the principal. SMOD information, the dress code policy and vendor list will be provided for parents, before the new school year begins, when a student enrolls or when revisions are made to the dress code. Any item that is worn to school must not undermine the integrity of the dress code, serve as a disruption to the educational process or present a health hazard to an individual or their peers.44 Number of Offense(s) and Consequence(s)  1st Violation: Student conference held. Student changes attire. (Parents must bring clothes if the student has no other appropriate clothing.)  2nd Violation: Parent conference held. Student changes attire. Student receives After School Detention.  3rd Violation: Parent conference held. Student changes attire. Student receives ISS.  Additional Violations: Parent conference held. Student changes attire. Student receives ISS or OSS.19.0 SCHOOL ATTENDANCE19.1 Regulations Everything must be done to encourage regular pupil attendance. Good attendance is generally an index to good school work. Student Excuses After a student has been absent, the parent/guardian must provide a written excuse. This needs to be done within three (3) days after the student returns to school according to Lenoir County Public Schools Board Policy. The excuse must be signed by a parent/guardian, physician, or other appropriate person. Excuses should be submitted to the Main Office prior to the beginning of first period. All excuse notes should include these facts:  Date the excuse was written  Date(s) of the absence  Reason for the absence  Telephone number where the parent/guardian/doctor can be reached during the day  Signature of the parent/guardian/doctor/appropriate person Teachers and Teams are encouraged to call parents when students begin to accumulate excessive absences. While the social worker works hard to keep up with attendance problems, teachers still need to notify an administrator as appropriate. An administrator will meet with the student’s parents for an attendance conference to write an intervention plan after 5 unexcused absences.45 19.2 School Activity Absences When any group of students is to leave school for any reason whatsoever the teacher in charge will submit a list of the students, the destination, and the time that they will be away. Teachers who take their classes on field trips during the school day will file with the principal information detailed in the section of this handbook “Procedures for Field Trips.” Names of students who go on field trips must be provided to the attendance secretary.19.3 Student Leaving Classroom Any student who leaves his assigned area at any time must have in his/her possession their agenda with the hallway passport signed. There are very few reasons why a student should leave class.20.0 ASSEMBLY PROGRAMS Assembly programs will be held during the year to expose children to special presentations and to teach the etiquette involved in being a good audience. All teachers are to attend school assembly programs unless the principal has granted permission to do otherwise. Each class will have seating assignments and will be expected to sit in the designated area.21.0 DUTY ASSIGNMENTS Our goal is to create a safe and orderly environment as efficiently as possible. Please take time to teach and practice rules, consequences, and behaviors to your students. Time invested early will payoff throughout the year. Due to liability reasons, please be at all duty stations. If you have a conflict and cannot be at your assigned station on any given day, please arrange to have someone substitute for you. If an emergency arises and you cannot get your duty covered, let an administrator know. Please indicate assigned duties on your substitute lesson plans.21.1 Morning Duty before School - 7:40 a.m. until 8:05 a.m. EXPLORATORY, TEACHER AND TEACHER ASSISTANTS Cafeteria – Ms. F. Kittrell, Ms. Sawyer, Mr. Nelson Bus Check-In –Ms. Wagner Student Drop-Off – Ms. Lofton, Cafeteria Hall (and assist in cafeteria as needed) – Coach Quinerly Auditorium – Ms. J. Kittrell, Mr. Corey, Ms. R. Smith, Mrs. Headen HALL/STUDENT AREA DUTY, 8:05-8:15 Teams decide on number of teachers needed and rotate. Make sure the area is covered. 6th Grade Hall – 6th Grade Teachers 7th Grade Halls – 7th Grade Teachers 8th Grade Hall - 8th Grade Teachers 46 21.2 Class Changes All exploratory teachers should step outside their classes during class changes to monitor and greet students.21.3 Lunch Schedule:  Grade 8 : 11:05-11:35  Grade 7 : 11:40 – 12:10  Grade 6 : 12:15 – 12:45 Entrance and Seating: Students will line up in the cafeteria hall or inside in the cafeteria by the wall and be supervised by teachers. Grade levels should plan to stagger reporting to ease congestion. Students will be seated by class. Teachers will dismiss students by table, only when the table is checked for cleanliness. Duties: All teachers are to escort their students to lunch. 21.4 Restrooms Teachers/Teams please monitor restrooms when you take your classes. Also, teachers in rooms near restrooms, please pop in occasionally to check on conditions and behavior. 21.5 After School Duty Everyone please monitor the hall or outside area near your room until students are at the buses or car rider area. Green Bus Station – 6th grade Teachers (Rear Lobby Exit) Student pick-up – 8th Grade Teachers (Front Lobby) Gold Bus Station – 7th Grade Teachers (Gym Lobby Exit) Teachers: Please make every effort to be at the bus stations immediately after the bell rings and space yourselves along the sidewalk with one person near the outside covered walkway (Gold Station). Students should stay on or behind the sidewalk until directed to load the buses. Administration will direct the loading and departing of the buses.22.0 SCHOOL SAFTEY Schools have an awesome responsibility in providing for the safety and well being of the children under their supervision. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the school to have a plan of action in the event of some unusual or extraordinary emergency. 22.1 Teacher Emergency Folder47 Each teacher/classroom will be issued an emergency plan packet. The contents of this folder will be covered during our August in-service and reviewed and updated as necessary throughout the year. Teachers should post this folder near the exit door of the classroom. This folder shall be readily available and take it with you for all drills and emergencies.22.2 Drills We will conduct fire drills monthly and tornado/severe weather drills each semester. 22.3 RMS School Emergency Procedures for Teachers Bomb Threat  If you receive a call, Call the office ASAP.  If you see anything suspicious, report it to an administrator or the SRO. DO NOT TOUCH IT!  If we evacuate the building, use the same procedures as for the fire evacuation. On your way out, do a visual check of your room and areas you pass through. Report anything suspicious.  Complete accountability procedures. Bomb Explosion  Shelter in place and give aid and comfort.  If the administration decides to evacuate the building, use normal evacuation routes if possible.  Complete accountability procedures Fire/Fire Drill  Evacuate the building in a quiet orderly fashion.  Turn off your room light and close and lock the door.  Assemble in your area and take roll.  If you have no missing students/staff, extra students/staff, or special problems to report, raise your green card.  If you have information to report, raise your red card.  Do not reenter the building until signaled to do so, even if the alarm stops sounding. Intruder/Weapon on Campus48  If you see anyone on campus that is not employed by the RMS or \without a visitor’s pass, ask him or her to report to the Front Office please. If they seem suspicious, report them to the Front Office.  If you see an intruder or other dangerous situation, contact administration.  If we suspect an intruder or a weapon on campus, we will announce, “Mr. Smith is Here!”  Check and yell for students in the hall or area outside your door. Gather them into your room.  Check on any subs on your team.  If you are a sub and cannot lock your door, move to the nearest room that can be locked.  Lock your door, turn off the lights, close blinds (except as needed to show red/green card) and move students away from the door and windows and have them sit on the floor quietly.  DO NOT respond to a knock on the door.  If the fire alarm sounds, STAY PUT unless an administrator or a voice you know on the intercom calls for evacuation. Administration will check the board for the location and type of alarm and act accordingly.  Remain calm and help students do the same.  Use your red or green card to signal. Slide it under the door or tape it to the door glass depending on your room. Also post one on an exterior window.  Fill out an accountability form if needed.  Classes outside already should remain outside. Remain until you receive further guidance.  Office staff, custodial staff, and any other non-teaching staff members should report to the nearest lockable area and report to the supervisor, teacher, or administrator on duty there to be accounted for. Serious Injury, Health Problem, or Death  Stay with the student/staff member and send for help.  If alone, go for help or call 911 if you have a phone.  Render first aid/CPR if trained.  Help move students away and maintain calm.49  Attempt to avoid exposure to blood and fluids. If you or a student has an exposure incident, report it to an administrator or school nurse as soon as possible. Severe Weather  If you see or hear severe weather or warnings, report the information to the office.  During drills, or a real situation, move students to their assigned area in the hall and close your classroom door.  Take roll and fill out accountability forms if needed. Signal with your red or green card. Utility or Hazardous Materials Procedure  Move students away from the hazard  Report hazard to the office Drills or Emergencies During Class Change, Lunch, Etc.  For lock-downs, gather students in your area and lock them in your room. Fill out accountability form. General Procedures  During evacuations, turn off your light and close and lock your door when students leave. This makes it easier for those checking the halls to know that your room is empty.  Use your telephone to send for help if you do not have a call button (most do not). Please use only in emergencies. One of us will come immediately. Of course use your judgment whether it is safe to send a student out of your class.  If you are supposed to report for any emergency duty, take care of your accountability and your students’ needs first, and then turn them over to your buddy teacher (or your teaching assistant).  In all cases, use common sense. Have a plan, but be prepared to improvise.  Pick a buddy teacher. Mine is ______.  With your buddy teacher, plan alternate evacuation routes.  In all cases, take your roll book, take roll, and report any missing or extra students/staff on the accountability form.  Use your red/greed card to signal all clear or a problem.  Err on the side of caution. Better safe than sorry.  Remember that our first duty is the safety of our students.50 23.0 TEXTBOOKS If you need text materials including teacher editions, please let Mrs. Turner know. We will strive to get all the materials you need. Also, please keep accurate records so that we can maintain our inventory. Money not spent for lost or damaged books can be used to order other material available from the state textbook depository. 23.1 Receiving Textbooks Textbooks will be placed in the classrooms before school begins. Teachers should count books to be sure that the textbook record form you receive is accurate. At the end of the year, textbooks will be collected and returned to the bookroom. Teachers will complete the End of Year Textbook Return Form at that time. Students will be given fine notices for textbooks damaged/lost. 23.2 Issuing Textbooks You will find each free book stamped with space provided on the inside front cover. Please write the following information in its proper place:  Student name  Year used  Condition issued/returned: New (N), Good (G), Fair (F), Poor (P)  Also enter a book number next to the book quality letter. FOR EXAMPLE: Bart Simpson 20010-11 N-13 When students withdraw and lockers are cleaned out, whatever textbooks are collected will be returned to the teacher. This information affects the end of the year count, so teachers should make note of withdrawals of this type. We will also return to you books collected from expelled students. If a student loses a book, a replacement cannot be issued until the book is paid for. When the student shows the receipt of payment, the teacher may issue a new book. At the end of the year, books will be returned and checked against the issuing form used at beginning of the year as previously explained. If books are abused, require the student to pay the appropriate charge. Students who have abused books beyond use should be charged the cost of the book based on the schedule of charges for books lost. If free books are lost, missing or abused beyond use, a fine notice should be issued and the student’s report card held until payment is made.23.3 Guidelines for Fines on Damaged Books  The teacher is to use his/her judgment in charging fines for damaged books. Listed below are some general guidelines.  If you have questions, feel free to talk to Mrs. Turner.51  Make sure you do not charge more than the replacement cost of the book.  If you see a workmanship problem with a whole series/title, please let me know.  Please use the following guide for damaged textbooks: Writing on outer pages (edges) $10.00+ Writing on inside pages $5.00+ Writing on covers $10.00+ Torn Binding $10.00+ Torn Pages $5.00+ Do NOT accept books abused so badly they cannot be issued again. Students must pay for these books which then become the students’ property. 23.4 Textbook Return When collecting state owned textbooks, check numbers to be sure that students return the book that they were issued. 24.0 FIELD TRIP POLICY All field trips must first have the approval of the principal. A written request to take a field trip must be submitted to the principal. This request must include a proposed trip itinerary; estimated cost and method of payment, and most importantly the trip’s educational value (complete the field study request) This request will be sent to central office to obtain approval from Dr. Terry Cline. 24.1 Supervision of Field Trips Each field trip will be under the direct supervision of a school-certified employee. The employee may ask parents/guardians to serve as chaperones. All chaperones must be at least 21 years of age and approved by the Principal. The employee will brief chaperones before each trip as to their responsibilities. The number of chaperones must be adequate for the type of group and the nature of the activity.  In addition to the certified employee there will be at least one chaperone for each 10 students.52  For all overnight trips that include both male and female students, both male and female chaperones are required.  For day trips in grades 6 and up which include both male and female students, both male and female chaperones are required.  A minimum of one adult will ride in each vehicle.  Trips that are long, overnight, or have an unusual nature may require more than the usual number of chaperones. The principal will determine this number. 24.2 Certified Employee’s Responsibilities The certified employee will do the following:  Be thoroughly familiar with the policies and administrative rules governing field trips.  Plan and discuss with the principal, well in advance, his/her interest in providing a field trip.  Submit the formal request for a trip to the principal on the proper form and with sufficient time for study and discussion.  After the principal approves the request, make a list of all participants and their parents’/guardians’ telephone numbers.  Communicate to faculty dates and times students will be away from school.  Submit completed permission forms and a copy of the list of participants to the principal who will file them for a reasonable time.  Be sure that a student who does not participate (whether by parent/guardian or school decision) has appropriate activities and supervision at school during the absence of the group from school.  Be sure students participating in trip make arrangements to complete assignments for classes missed.  If a substitute certified employee is required, submit a professional leave form.  Provide supervision to ensure proper conduct and safety of the students.  Provide meaningful follow-up discussions and activities after the trip.  In the event of any unusual circumstances occurring on the trip, submit to the principal a written report stating all pertinent facts as soon as possible.53 24.3 Parent/Guardian Consent Sponsors of field trips must obtain final approval for a field trip prior to the distribution of parental/guardian consent forms for the field trip. Each student making the field trip will be required to present a parental/guardian consent form. 24.4 Field Trip Request and Procedures for State Owned School Buses  Complete and submit field trip request form to the Principal for approval. This form is available online on the district website. This should be turned in ASAP, but no later than 3 weeks prior to the trip. This will allow transportation time to schedule. Keep in mind that there are many trips planned and that athletic events take precedence.  The Transportation Office will process requests and a written confirmation will be sent to the schools. The field trip clerk will also call the school one (1) day prior to field trip to confirm arrangements.  ONLY STATE AND CDL CERTIFIED BUS DRIVERS MAY OPERATE ANY BUS.  Field trips will in no way interfere with regular bus routes.  The board encourages groups to use district buses or state-owned vehicles when possible. If not possible, groups should use commercial carriers. Groups must not use private vehicles without special permission.25.0 RMS ACCOUNTING PROCEDURES Accounting and supplies go hand in hand. To start off, construction paper is available in the mailroom in the cabinets for all teachers to use. Basic supplies such as staples, staplers, tape, paper, printer cartridges, etc. can be obtained from Mrs. Murrell if such items are available on the premises. Please note that each teacher is allotted two printer cartridges a year. If you anticipate that you will need to use more than two printer cartridges in a school year, then please keep this in mind when using the money allocated from the school. In order to make purchases, there are some important things to remember before placing an order with a vendor.  The principal must first approve all requests for purchase.  Everything we buy is ordered through the district with a purchase order.  Only in an emergency can a school check be written to pay for any item when funds are taken out of a pupil activity account (school fees, clubs, etc.).  Documentation for a district issued check has to be to Mrs. Starkey by noon on the Tuesday the week before the check is needed.54 25.1 Issuing Receipts When collecting money for school sponsored activities, you must turn this money in prior to the activity along with making out a receipt. Examples of school sponsored activities are yearbook, Athletic T-Shirts, Field Trips, etc. Receipts must equal the amount of money receipted. See Mrs. Starkey with questions. All money and receipts (if applicable) are to be turned in daily by 2:00. If you have not had time to verify receipts matching your money, then go ahead and turn in the money so that it can be secured during the night and then pick the money back up when you are able to complete the paper. When you have the money and receipts completed, turn them in the items so that the Mrs. Starkey can verify that the money amount matches what is indicated on forms. DO NOT KEEP MONEY IN YOUR ROOM. 25.2 Fund Raising Projects All fund raising projects such as the soliciting of ads from local businesses, sale of magazines, etc. at school must be approved by the principal. Funds collected from these projects will be handled through the office. As soon as a fund raising project is complete, the sponsor must complete a fund raising summary using the form following this section. These reports will become a permanent record of the district. A receipt will be given to each person from whom funds are collected. The receipt will show the name of the person who remits the amount, show the amount and state the purpose. The receipt will be made in triplicate. The original to the payee, second copy attached to the accounting form that gets submitted to the bookkeeper and the last copy is to be maintained with the teacher for their records. NO MONEY SHOULD BE LEFT IN YOUR ROOM.25.3 Professional Leave – Approved Travel  Approval to take professional leave has to be first approved by the principal.  Upon the principal approving the travel, please let the bookkeeper be aware of the travel so that money can be set aside for this expense.  Please see Mrs. Starkey for questions26.0 ATHLETICSRMS sponsors football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, softball, and cheerleading teams. Students in 7th and 8th grade may try out for athletic teams. All members of the athletic teams will travel to and from contests under supervision of the coaches. Students will be closely supervised at all times and coaches will position themselves on the bus so that they can observe students during transit. No student will be permitted to return from the place of the contest with anyone other than the coaches or his/her parents. Rhondra Fleming as Athletic Director will approve all schedules for athletic contests. It is the school’s 55 policy to hold to a minimum the number of times a student will be required to leave school to participate in athletic contests. Coaches who need to dismiss students early need to send an e-mail to all RMS users the day before the early dismissal. In athletics, all coaches are directly responsible to the athletic director and ultimately responsible to the administration. This policy is pertinent in any athletic pursuit and in any activities pertaining thereto (dressing rooms, trips, schedules, discipline, practice sessions, etc.). The athletic director and coaches prior to the season will work out the matter of practice on weekends and holidays.27.0 FIRST AID/SCHOOL NURSE School Nurses The school nurse is a member of the school faculty and serves under the direction of the principal. Their nursing skills, combined with a background in both health and education, gives her a direct approach to health and health related problems. Mrs. Hartford will assist teachers in adapting the School Health Program to meet the individual needs of all students. She will carry out appraisal activities to assess the health status of students and discover their health needs and problems, to include screening for vision, hearing, blood pressure, and scoliosis for specific grades and all new students. The school nurse will work with the administrator, the teacher and guidance counselor in providing health guidance and counseling to pupils, parents, and school personnel in regards to recognition and solution to physical, mental, emotional, social, and environmental health problems. She will protect students’ health by providing emergency care for injury and illness occurring in school and while the student is under jurisdiction of the school. She will not give medication unless ordered by a physician and sent to the school properly labeled. She will not medically diagnose or prescribe. She is not a First Aid Station for accidents that occur at home. The name of each student and type of treatment he receives will be recorded. Teachers are asked not to send students to the nurse’s office for any type of oral medication that has not been sent from home with a note from the parents.28.0 LOCKERS A locker will be assigned to each student. The locker number and lock combination information will be provided in homerooms for students to place in their agendas. Lockers are the property of the school and each student is assigned a locker. Students should remember not to share their lockers or to give the combination of the lock to a friend. Locks will be rented to students for a fee of $2.00. Any lost or destroyed locks will carry a $5.00 replacement fee. Each team will decide on appropriate locker use times for their students. Teachers will provide instructions to students on when and how to use their lockers prior to student use of lockers to avoid student confusion. Because of cases of violence in the United States, the State Legislature has given school administrators certain powers in an effort to make schools safer. An administrator, by law, may 56 search a student, locker, car, book bag, or any other personal belongings, without probable cause. (We only need “reasonable suspension.”) If we have a report that a student has something illegal or dangerous on the campus, the student will be searched. This will help assure us that Rochelle Middle School remains a safe place to go to school. Periodic locker searches may be held. The school does not assume responsibility for items missing from lockers if students are sharing lockers or if they don’t report locker malfunctions to Mrs. Turner. Students who have forgotten their combination can come by Mrs. Turner’s office before school, during lunch and after school. No passes will be given to a student for locker problems unless Mrs. Turner sent for the student. No combinations will be given out during class changes.29.0 TRANSPORTATION The district transportation office (527-7092) is in charge of transportation for the Lenoir County Public Schools. They will be responsible for the following:  Supervising the selection of bus drivers  Arranging school bus routes and bus stops  Instructing drivers concerning their duties and responsibilities in driving the buses, in parking the buses, in school bus safety, in care of the buses, and in handling behavior problems on buses  Disciplining bus drivers  Arranging for substitute drivers  Checking buses regularly for cleanliness and for evidences of marring and defacing of buses  Handling other matters concerning transportation assigned by the principal  Administrators will deal with discipline referrals from the buses  If a student wants to report an irregularity on the bus, he/she must first report the trouble to the bus driver as soon as possible (teachers, please emphasize). Bus drivers will report the irregularities to Mrs. Turner or the transportation office.30.0 TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES Technology Resources Policy Technology is a vital part of Lexington County School District One’s curriculum and instructional programs. The school district’s technology has specific educational purposes, which include use for classroom activities, professional or career development, and administrative functions.57 The faculty will thoughtfully integrate the use of technology throughout the curriculum and will provide guidance and instruction to students in its use.Use of Technology is a Privilege The district provides students, staff and any other user’s access to the district’s technologies. However, this use is a privilege and is not intended to be a public forum. Users should not think that their files on the school district’s system are private. If routine maintenance and monitoring of the district’s system show that a user has violated this policy, another school district policy, or the law, school district officials will conduct an individual investigation or search – if they have reasonable suspicion that the search will uncover a violation of law or district policy. The district cooperates fully with local, state and federal authorities in any investigation concerning or related to any illegal activities or activities not in compliance with district policy. Every user must read the district’s Technology Resources policy and sign an Internet Use Agreement form each school year before they will be allowed to use the district’s system. This form is kept at the school or other office. Depending on the nature and degree of the violation and the number of previous violations, unacceptable use of the school district system or the Internet may result in one or more the following consequences:  Suspension or cancellation of use of access privileges  Payments for damages and repairs  Discipline under other appropriate school district policies, including suspension, expulsion, exclusion or termination of employment  Civil or criminal liability under other applicable lawsInternet Use Navigation of the Internet by Students in Intermediate, Middle, and High Schools The district does permit students in the intermediate, middle, and high schools to navigate the Internet during school hours if access time is available and if the school has written approval from the student’s parents/guardians. Students can only access news groups or chat rooms while supervised by a teacher and only for defined educational activities. School personnel will be in the immediate vicinity while students use the Internet and will intermittently monitor student use. Email Accounts58 E-mail in intermediate, middle, and high schools will be used by students for educational purposes only. Unacceptable Uses Users will not use the district’s system to access, review, upload, download, store, print, post, or distribute:  Pornographic, obscene or sexually explicit material;  Language or images that are inappropriate to the educational setting or disruptive to the educational process;  Language or images that advocate violence; or  Hate or discriminatory material. If any user inadvertently accesses unacceptable materials or an unacceptable Internet site, that student must report it to his/her teacher or principal immediately. Users will not use the district’s system to:  Transmit or receive obscene, abusive, profane, lewd, vulgar, rude, inflammatory, threatening, disrespectful or sexually explicit language;  Knowingly or recklessly post false or defamatory information about a person or organization, or to harass another person, or to engage in personal attacks, including prejudicial or discriminatory attacks;  Engage in any illegal act or violate any local, state or federal statute or law;  Vandalize, damage or disable the property of the district, another person, or organization;  Disrupt equipment, software or system performance by spreading computer viruses or by any other means;  Gain unauthorized access to information resources or to access another person’s materials, information or files without the implied or direct permission of that person;  Post private identifying information about another person including, but not limited to, home, school, work addresses and telephone numbers, identification numbers, full names, account numbers, access codes or passwords without that person’s consent;  Log in through another account, access codes or network identification other than those assigned to the user;  Violate copyright laws or usage licensing agreements, including pirating software or copying software to or from any school computer;  Plagiarize works;59  Maintain a personal business, for unauthorized commercial purposes or for financial gain;  Provide goods or services for product advertisement or for product or personal gain; or  Purchase goods or services for personal use. Users will not tamper with, modify or change the district’s system software, hardware or wiring. Users will not violate any district security systems. Users will not respond to e-mail requests for sensitive information without verifying the requesting party’s e-mail address and identify. Users will not originate or knowingly forward e-mails containing jokes, chain letters, greeting cards for personal purposes, virus notifications, screen savers and other non-educational file attachments. Consistency with Other School Policies Use of school district computer system and use of the Internet will be consistent with school district policies and the mission of the school district. No Expectation of Privacy By authorizing use of the school district system, the school district does not relinquish control over materials on the system or contained in files on the system. Users should not expect privacy in the contents of personal files on the school district system. Routine maintenance and monitoring of the school district system may lead to a discovery that a user has violated this policy, another school district policy, or the law. Limitation on School District Liability Use of the school district system is at the user’s own risk. The system is provided on an “as is, as available” basis. The school district will not be responsible for any damages users may suffer, including, not limited to, loss, damage or unavailability of data stored on school district diskettes, tapes, hard drives or servers, or for delays or changes in or interruptions of service or miss- deliveries or non-deliveries of information or materials regardless of the cause. The school district will not be responsible for the accuracy or quality of any advice or information obtained through or stored on the school district system. The school district will not be responsible for financial obligations arising through unauthorized use of the school district system or the Internet. District Web Site Lenoir County Public Schools has established a web site and will develop web pages that present information about the district. The Coordinator of School/Community Relations (or her appointee) will be designated the Webmaster, responsible for maintaining the district Web site. Web page publishing guidelines will help to assist school and classes to develop, establish and maintain Web pages. Implementation and Policy Review The administration will revise the student and parent notifications, if necessary, to reflect the adoption of these guidelines and procedures.60 The school district’s Internet policies and procedures will be available for review by all parents, guardians, staff and members of the community at every school’s library and the district office. Because of the rapid changes in the development of the Internet, the Technology Review and Planning Committee will conduct an annual review of this policy. The internet provides many exciting opportunities to extend and enrich the educational opportunities of the students at Rochelle Middle School. Unfortunately, there are internet sites that are not appropriate for students. A screening or blocking device has been provided on the RMS computers. In order to be able to use this excellent resource, a letter and form have been developed which acquires parent permission for students to use the internet, student assurances regarding appropriate use, and explanation of disciplinary action as a result of inappropriate use.61 31.0 TELEPHONES TEACHERS Phones are available in each classroom. All Lenoir County exchanges are not long distance, but are reached by dialing #9 +the phone number. You do not need to dial the area code. All personal long distance calls must be made on cell phones. Do not call parents of students while the class is present. While this might be effective for some students we need to respect parents’ and students’ privacy.EMERGENCY (as in need assistance in the classroom right away): Teachers dial 221 and this will ring in various offices for assistance.Classroom phones are not to be forwarded from one classroom to another. STUDENTS Only in an emergency situation should a student request to use the phone in the office.32.0 ENERGY CONSERVATION GUIDELINES All Energy Management systems are maintained by the District Maintenance Department. All windows should be closed to insure energy efficiency. Doors should be closed when AC/heat systems are on. Classroom lights should be turned off when unoccupied. All lights should be turned off in cafeterias as soon as reasonably possible after lunch periods.33.0 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION Announcements Announcements will be made on the morning news and at the end of the day. We will also utilize the sign in book to communicate daily about concerns, announcements, or celebrations. If the announcement relates to staff only, please utilize the sign in book or e-mail instead of the announcements. For all announcements, please be careful to preserve instructional time. Character Education Lenoir County Public Schools encourages the development of respect and responsibility toward self, others, and the world through the teaching and modeling of the following character traits: courage, civility, humility, cooperation, integrity, self-discipline, patience, and citizenship. Classroom mini-lessons, modeling by staff and students, and school-wide monthly themes help to comprise the character education program.62 Service Learning In an effort to help students develop into productive, responsible citizens, service-learning opportunities will be sponsored during the year to benefit the school and the community. Publicity Publicity is a vital link between the school and community and the school uses a variety of media to tell the story of the school. Activities worthy of publication occur almost daily in the school and we often do not take the time to tell of our accomplishments. The following are some modifications in our process and some key items that must be followed. Parents are required to sign the Student Publicity Release Form prior to RMS allowing the student to appear in pictures/video footage/web page, and/or printing of information/comments from the child. The school will provide a list of these forms and this list will ALWAYS be reviewed prior to publishing any information regarding a student. Notify Lenoir County Public Schools, Lidia Guzman, to publicize school activities and events. A school newsletter will be sent home on a regular basis. Please submit any accomplishments, exciting events or announcements to the media coordinator, Nicole Anderson. Parking Areas The parking areas for employees are the spaces in the parking lot next to the cafeteria, the area beside the band room, and spaces near the main entrance. Student Visitation Students are not to bring siblings or friends to school. No visitor passes will be issued. KHS students may not come to “visit.” Outside Speakers for Clubs, Assemblies, Etc. Please consult with an administrator before inviting an outside speaker or group, etc. Reporting Unsafe Conditions and Maintenance Requests You should contact an administrator immediately in person if an unsafe condition exists. Please follow up the personal reference with a written report with all the details that you are aware of. Does not assume that someone else has reported unsafe conditions and always assume that you may be held liable if you fail to report unsafe conditions. This is just a good insurance policy for you. Other ordinary maintenance requests should be reported to the custodians. If requests are not addressed in a reasonable time frame, or if the condition becomes a hazard, please let Mr. Goodall know. Requesting Heat/AC Override for Evening Events See a Custodian or Mrs. Murrell.34.0 FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL Day One – All teachers should be at school by 7:40 a.m.63 Teachers with assigned duties should report to their areas. Teachers with a first period class, but not a duty, should report to their room area. Help cover for teachers with duty. All teachers with first period planning are needed to help assist parents and students to the proper areas. Locations we need covered:  Main Entrance  Bus Stop door  Rear Lobby  Library Lobby  Auditorium  Media Center  Cafeteria (assigned duty people +)  Roaming (anyone else available) Direct students to the following areas:  Students who did not pick up their schedule – to the media center  Students who have lost schedules – to their grade level areas (teachers will direct from there)  6th through 8th graders to the cafeteria/auditorium until 8:05 and then to their hall areasResponsibilities for homeroom teachers include:  Explain class schedules, lunch and where classrooms are located.  Take attendance. For the first 10 days of school, please do a manual count of the number of students in your class during first period and keep this documentation in your role books. Also be sure to take attendance in NCWISE. Regular every day attendance is to be taken in NCWISE by 8:30.  Inform students of breakfast and lunch programs and regulations.  Teach/practice school procedures every day for the first week and as needed.  Explain use of the student agenda including the school discipline plan, hallway passport, etc.64  Hand out publicity release forms. Responsibilities for all teachers: Teachers should explain class and grade level rules and procedures. Practice and review these frequently. During the first week of school teachers should issue textbooks and explain to students all regulations regarding textbooks. Teachers will send home a letter to students and parents. Let your department chair your letter before you send it. The letter to students and parents should include the following information:  Course outline that includes the general order of topics and standards to be taught  Overview of the testing schedule  Policy for end-of-course exams Algebra I (T. Brown)  Grading procedures  Attendance requirements  Classroom discipline plan  Your planning/team periods  Additional times you can be reached for a conference  Your school e-mail address  Student responsibility for textbooks A statement included in the letter should read: Students have been issued a textbook costing $_____ at no charge. Should the book not be returned at the end of the course, the student is responsible for the replacement cost of the book(s). (This is true for all students including those receiving free/reduced meals.) Invite parents to visit the classroom Please provide the following information about yourself in your letter to comply with No Child Left Behind regulations. NCLB regulations state that parents may request and receive information on the qualifications of their child’s teacher.  The college(s) you attended (city and state)  The degree(s) both graduate and undergraduate  Your current certification areas according to your teaching credentials65 Other areas of interest: Are you nationally board certified? Do you have areas of expertise? Have you received any honors? Are you AIG trained? Are you a mentor teacher or department head? Are you on any major committees?THIS WILL BE A FANTASTIC YEAR!66 APPENDIX EDISTRICT PHONE NUMBERS School Main # Fax # Banks Elem 527-9470 522-9714 Contentnea/Savannah 527-8591 527-9014 Frink Middle 566-3326 566-4027 Kinston High 527-8067 527-4090 La Grange Elem 566-4036 566-9055 L.C. Early College High 233-6870 233-6888 Moss Hill Elem 569-5071 569-1405 NL High 527-9184 527-8672 Northeast Elem 527-4166 527-4571 Northwest Elem 527-5143 527-9375 Pink Hill Elem 568-4176 568-6144 Rochelle Middle 527-4290 527-6498 Sampson Alternative 527-4264 527-7631 SL High School 568-6161 568-6015 Southeast Elem 527-4210 527-5965 Southwood Elem 527-9081 527-6417 Woodington Middle 527-9570 527-3883D-1

Rochelle Middle School Faculty Handbook

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