École Intermédiaire

Formal and informal attendance is taken throughout the day by classroom teachers. All unaccounted absences are checked by our secretary. Your cooperation in telephoning the school before 8:15 AM to report any student absence would be appreciated. There is an answering machine available for your convenience which is on outside regular office hours. Regular participation with classmates in school work is the best way we know for a child to learn and be prepared for the next levels of learning.

Academic Intervention is an extension of the school day in a supervised “study hall” atmosphere in which students receive support to demonstrate learning, complete work, organize binders, review learning and prepare for learning activities.

Advisory is a key component of an exemplary middle school. We believe the more significant the relationship between the teacher and the student, the more significant the learning. For this year Advisory will be with the Core teacher. We will have monthly grade-wide themes for 2009/10.

We prefer arrangements to be made for students to take any medications at home. However, if your child requires medication at school, please complete the “Request for Administration of Medication at School” form, which is available in the office. Have the form completed by your doctor, sign it yourself and return it to the school as soon as possible. This refers to medication taken on a regular or emergency basis.

Bikes must be walked upon arrival at school and parked in the bike racks which are located outside room 122 between the school and the portables. Bike locks are recommended at all times. Skateboards and scooters must be carried upon arrival on school grounds and stored in lockers during the school day.

The Core subjects include language arts, social studies, science, math, second language, physical education, and health and careers. The Explorations subjects include home economics, technology (wood), art, music, and information technology (computers). Students in grade seven take band and students in grade eight may also take band.

Shuswap Middle School is a closed campus for all students. This means that only students who attend Shuswap Middle School are to be on the school grounds during the school day. It also means that once students arrive at school they must remain on the school grounds for the rest of the school day. Periodically a student may be given permission from their parent to go home for lunch. Students should not be given permission to go to restaurants or stores at lunch. Students being picked up must be signed out at the school office by their parent/guardian’s or by an adult with their parent/guardians permission. We ask students to wait in the office for safety reasons before departing.

At Shuswap Middle students are expected to be safe, demonstrate ownership of actions and be respectful at all times. Part of our code of conduct is: S.O.A.R. – Safety, Ownership, Actions, and Respect. A copy of this is available on our school website at: www.sms.sd83.bc.ca

Students have access to the internet as a support for their academic enrichment. This service is for educational purposes only. In order to access the school internet, all students are required to successfully complete the computer quiz. Students, who use the computer for any educationally inappropriate reason such as threatening e-mail, plagiarism or pirating software, will be referred to the administration and have their privileges suspended immediately. Students are directed not to share their password or user ID with anyone. Students who log on using another student’s ID will have their privileges suspended.

Students are expected to present their own work in their own words. The substitution of work copied or taken from other students or from other sources such as the internet, and presented as their own, is not acceptable and will result in appropriate consequences. See plagiarism policy and consequences in this planner.

The progressive process starts in the classroom with an individual conversation or correction by the classroom teacher. If the behaviour continues, the classroom teacher will contact home and discuss the situation with the parent. Having tried the above procedures for behaviour management, the student will be referred to the school administration (please see the Shuswap Middle School Code of Conduct @ www.sms.sd83.bc.ca – click on School Policies).

The North Okanagan-Shuswap School District expects all students to dress in a respectful manner which is appropriate and conducive to a positive as well as safe learning environment. Appropriate dress is considered to be that which:

Students will be asked to cover up or will be given alternate clothes to wear should these guidelines be violated in the judgment of a school administrator.

Students are discouraged from bringing valuables including I-pods, cell phones, digital cameras, expensive shoes and clothing articles to school. Electronic items should be in the student’s locker during the school day including nutrition break and lunch time. In particular, do not bring large sums of money to school and never leave money or valuables in the PE change rooms.

Gym strip and proper gym shoes are necessary for students to participate in gym classes in a safe and appropriate way. Students need to change into a Shuswap Middle school shirt and shorts for P.E. classes unless notified by teachers. In cases of financial hardship, a Shuswap PE shirt will be provided by the school.

Homework shall be monitored by individual teachers as well as teams of teachers. Work done at home can be an important part of learning. It is an expectation of all students to have homework completed and all assignments handed in on time. Teams may have a homework club available at lunch or after school to assist students needing some extra support.

Reinforcement of learning at home is a valuable part of the partnership necessary to ensure academic success for your child. A proven strategy is to establish the habit of “6 R’s” and setting a block of time every evening Sunday through Thursday to:

It is our expectation that students in grades 6-8 spend the necessary time, without it being a hardship, on homework each night. We need to keep in mind that although an evening school activity is important, students need time to be children too. There must be a balance between work and play. If parents believe an excessive amount of homework is being done by their child, please contact your child’s teacher.

Our school expectation is that students are to, “be where they are supposed to be and be on time”. Students are expected to be in class when the bell sounds. To insure optimal learning conditions prompt attendance is necessary. Therefore, when a consistent pattern of late behaviour is observed the student shall be referred to the office. Students who can’t meet this expectation will be supported through logical responses.

Lockers are the property of the school and the school administration reserves the right to open and search lockers for issues relating to school safety and security. It is a privilege to have a locker, and hopefully everyone will have his or her own locker. It is the students’ responsibility to take care of their locker and to ensure that their lock combination is kept secret. No writing or stickers are permitted. Everything you put on your locker must be removable and show no marks. All decorations must be in good taste. Please do not switch lockers to be closer to a friend. Anything that is unsafe or could be dangerous to others should never come to school and must never be put in a school locker.

At time of printing, the lunch break is 45 minutes long and includes an eating period of 20 minutes. All students will eat in their classrooms to start the school year. We may have a cafeteria service available on certain days; watch for a notice home on this.

During lunch break the school provides paid supervisory care for all students. When the students are eating their lunch in the classroom, we expect them to remain seated, talk quietly, treat each other and their school with respect, and clean up after themselves. Students are expected to keep classrooms, hallways and grounds clean, and free of litter.

There will be a formal nutrition break of 10 minutes between 10:15 and 10:25 AM in which a core teacher will be supervising the students. Break is the time to use the washroom, eat a snack and go to your locker to gather materials for the third period of the day.

Parents are asked to drop off and pick up their children following the designated traffic flow procedure. Please yield to school buses and respect the 10 km/h speed limit. Students are expected to use the sidewalks, and stay out of the driveway and parking lots.

Your school planner has been designed to help you manage your time and plan your day so that you can take an active part in controlling your school life. Your planner should travel with you to every class. Shuswap Middle School requires all students to keep their planner up to date throughout the year. It is a valuable communication tool. If you lose your planner, you will be expected to buy a new one for $10.00.

Three formal reports will be sent home that will detail students’ progress and level of achievement at school. Please take the time to review your child’s report card with them and set personal academic goals for the following term or school year. Reporting dates are set for December, March and June. There will also be two informal reporting periods in October and February. Informal reports can take many forms.

Good health is necessary for effective learning. Students who become ill during the day are to go directly to their teacher. Our policy is to get students, who are sick, home as soon as possible. Our practice will be to call parents and ask that the students be picked up. As such, it is important that parents keep work and emergency phone numbers current.

Any time you are late, you must sign in at the office, and have your planner stamped. If you need to leave early for an appointment, you must sign out at the office and sign back in again when you return. A note or a phone call to accompany this is mandatory. Students may not leave the school grounds without parent permission.

School doors open at 7:40 AM. Students should not arrive prior to this time as they will not be supervised. A warning bell will ring at 8:10 AM. At this time, students should gather study materials needed for the first two periods of the day. All personal belongings such as backpacks, jackets and any electronics are to be left in their locker. Students are expected to be ready for learning in their class by 8:15 AM.

Students are expected to arrive on time for school each day. However, if you are late for school, please go straight to the office to sign-in and have your planner signed. This is how we do business.

There is a student phone in the school lobby. This phone is not to be used during class time. Students are expected to notify their parents whenever they are delayed or expect to be late in arriving home. In an emergency, please speak to the secretary.

Textbooks and other educational resources are the property of the school and school district. Students are issued textbooks at the start of the year. Students are responsible for returning the same textbook they were originally issued when they are collected or when teachers conduct their periodic “textbook check”. Students will be charged for lost or damaged text-books.

Shuswap provides a number of vending machines for student use. All food provided will comply with Ministry of Education Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales in BC Schools. Vending machines are not to be used during class time.

To help us maintain the security of the building and safety of the students, all visitors (including parents) are expected to check in at the school office reception window immediately upon entering the school.

Parents dropping off lunches, homework, planners, etc. for their child are asked to leave it at the office, and we will page your child during the break.