Middle School Policies

Proverbs 22:6 : “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

It is the goal of St. Mary School faculty members to provide a comprehensive academic education which includes  helping your child to develop good note-taking, organizational, and technological skills as well as proficiency in physical education, language, and the arts to help them be successful, well-rounded learners. The classroom is designed to be a place of mutual respect for the teacher and students where individuals feel comfortable and are encouraged to give their best academic performance. Faculty strive to cultivate an atmosphere of Christian charity in the classroom which is supportive of these goals. These policies are enforced to promote achievement of these goals.

Develop good study skills.

• Spend time each night reviewing notes. Put notes on quizlet.

• Review teacher resources given in class and on-line to study. 

• Complete study guides to prepare for Unit tests. 

• Work hard and give your best effort to  all assignments given. Extra credit and bonus points will not be given on quizzes and tests. 

Being Prepared for the School Day

Parents we appreciate your efforts to want to bring forgotten homework, classwork, projects, or chromebooks to school, however, for health reasons and  in helping your child to learn to be responsible, we will not accept these items once the 7:50 am bell has rung. 

Homework

• Students must copy their homework into their homework planner.  This is important to help them learn good organizational skills.

• Parents may find their child’s homework, tests, quizzes, and project assignments on Google Calendar. 

• Please note students may have multiple quizzes in one day but NO MORE than 2 TESTS in one day, with the exception of spelling tests.

• Students are responsible for completing all homework, which is to be written down in their homework planner.

• Students may earn a 100 by turning in high quality work which is  graded for completion NOT accuracy. Completion includes the following:

  • The work is done on time.

  • The work is done neatly, thoroughly, and according to directions.

  • If the teacher requested a printed copy of the work that has been done on the chromebook and does not have it, the child will have 5 points deducted from his/her grade.

  • If the child did not print the assignment and cannot show the work was done on the chromebook, he/she will be marked late for the assignment.

• Incomplete homework will be accepted the next day only to earn a partial grade of a 70, and if not, the student will earn a 0.

  • Parents will be notified if the student misses three homework assignments in one marking period and possible disciplinary actions may be taken.

Use of the Printer for Classwork, Homework, Projects

• Students may use the school printer during morning activity to print homework BUT they must have an email or written note from their parent stating that they had a printer problem. 

  • Homework may not be printed during class time as it is an interruption of instruction 

  • time and affects their learning.

Academic Integrity

St. Mary School expects that its students will take pride and ownership of their own school work.  While online learning is an environment that allows students to have open notebooks, the internet, and access to all class materials, we expect that students will adhere to the expectations that St. Mary School has set forth in its policies for academic integrity.  This means that students who share answers or use resources without giving proper credit or citations will face academic and disciplinary consequences which may include academic probation for a minimum of one marking period and affect your participation in school activities.

Plagiarism : If a student chooses to turn in someone else’s work, the highest grade the student may earn is an 80 and he/she will serve an after school detention in addition to other academic consequences.

Expectations for Schoolwork:

• Students are to write neatly in cursive, unless given instruction by the teacher to print. 

• Sensitivity to new students who do not know cursive will be considered.

• Include the school heading as seen below on all work, handwritten or typed:

                JMJ

Name: ________________                                           Date:_______

St. Mary School                                                                        Grade _____

                                                                 Subject

Technology Etiquette 

Think before you type. The chat feature will be utilized in the physical and remote classroom. Choose your words carefully. Use appropriate spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar to communicate with your teacher. Stay on topic. Don’t use sarcasm or humor that could be misunderstood. Don’t type in all caps. That is considered shouting. Students may use the private chat feature in google classroom when physically present and in the remote classroom to ask a teacher a question. 

Use of the chat feature to talk to other students is prohibited. It is the same as talking to each other in the physical classroom. 

Be careful about using sarcasm and humor to communicate. Without face-to-face communication, jokes and comments may be misinterpreted. When being humorous, consider using an emoticon to express humor. 

Absence: Make-up Work  

• 5th-8th Grade: Assignments will be recorded on an Absent Assignment Sheet and posted daily in his/her Google Homeroom Classroom.

• If students  miss tests or quizzes, they need to address it with their teacher to schedule the make-up. 

• Students  are given one day for every day they  are absent to make up the work. 

• Students  are accountable to be independent and turn in missed work to the teacher. It is not the responsibility of the teacher to ask the child for the work.

Vacations

• Parents, we appreciate your efforts to not schedule vacations during the school year, especially at the end of a marking period.

• Students  may access missed classwork in their Google Homeroom Classroom.

Parent Notification of Graded Assessments

• Teachers will send home tests, quizzes, and projects or return them electronically for parents to review with their child. 

• All grades will be posted on RENWEB when these assessments are sent home.

• Parents are welcome to contact their child’s teacher if they have any concerns about their academic progress.

Chromebooks

• It is important that students not be distracted during class. If students are found to be using their chromebook to be on sites other than those directed by the teacher:

• The student will receive an after school detention.

• If the student has three violations, the student will have a conference with the principal and the appropriate disciplinary actions will be taken.

• At home, the expectation is that students will use their chromebooks to complete schoolwork only. They must use their personal computers for any non-related school activities.

• Chromebooks should be securely placed in their protective covers and safely stored in their backpack or securely carried during arrival and dismissal.

• If this is not demonstrated, students will receive a verbal warning for a 1st offense and subsequent offenses will result in disciplinary action.

• Students should NOT TOUCH OR USE OTHER STUDENT’S CHROMEBOOKS.

• If a student touches or uses another student’s chromebook, resulting in damage to it, even if it is an accident, he/she will be responsible for payment to repair or replacement.

Grading Policies

English, Math, Reading, Science, Social Studies

Religion

Spelling/Vocabulary

Tests/Projects/ Performance Assessments: 50%

Quizzes: 35%

Homework/Classwork: 15%

Homework/Classwork: 15%

Projects/Performance Assessments: 35%

Tests: 50%

Homework/Classwork: 25%

Tests: 75%

Cell Phones, Smart Watches,  and All other Technology Devices

• Students MUST PLACE their cell phone/smart watch/ electronic device in the assigned collection container in their Homeroom IMMEDIATELY UPON ARRIVAL in the classroom. 

• Teachers will return cell phones/smart watches/ electronic devices at dismissal and  they must be IMMEDIATELY placed in  their backpack- not their pockets.

• Cell Phones/Smart Watches/Electronic devices  may only be used during the school day if a teacher has given permission to use it for classwork.

• Consequences to unauthorized use of a cell phone, smart watch or device:

  • It will be given to the principal.

  • Parents MUST COME TO SCHOOL to retrieve it.

  • The student will serve an after school detention

Eligibility to Participate in Extra-curricular Activities:

Sports, Theater, Music Ministry, Clubs

• Students must not be on academic probation and must maintain a C average (77 or above) in all subject areas and a Satisfactory, Good, or Excellent in Special Subjects and Conduct.

Communication with Faculty

• Faculty always welcome a phone call, note, or email from a parent.

• Phone calls may be returned after school hours or during a teacher’s prep period. We may not take phone calls during the school day while students are being supervised or during class time.

• Emails received after the end of the school day from a parent  may potentially  not be addressed until the following school day.