GRADES 7-8

Athletic Participation Information

At Dallastown, all athletes must abide by the Athletic Code of Conduct, in conjunction with school policy. Please read through the below document and submit to your respective coaches. 

CLICK HERE FOR 2022-2023 CODE OF CONDUCT

Athletic Eligibility 

Breakfast and lunch should be consumed in the cafeteria. Snacks may be consumed in the classroom at the teacher's discretion. Water may be consumed throughout the school day; permitted beverages other than water (juice, milk, etc.) may only be consumed in the cafeteria. Glass bottles are prohibited. 

Secondary Campus Code of Conduct

In order to provide you with accurate, relevant, and timely information, please follow these guidelines:

• Questions or concerns regarding course work, assignments, teacher actions, and matters specific to a classroom, contact the specific teacher. Questions or concerns regarding team procedures, events, and activities, contact the team leader.

• Questions or concerns regarding academic standing, social-emotional issues, or family matters that may be impacting a student’s academics or school behavior, contact a school counselor.

• Questions or concerns regarding a student’s physical health, contact the school nurse.

• Questions or concerns regarding school wide policies, procedures, curriculum, standardized testing, and school safety, contact an administrator.

ATTENDANCE (DASD Cyber 7-8)

• A full-time cyber student that is taking four (4) courses is expected to invest 24 hours of time per week.  Of the 24 hours, a minimum of 12 hours must be DOCUMENTED ACTIVE ONLINE TIME.

• Time towards daily attendance must come from active online time (144 minutes per day, per five day week).  For attendance purposes, 144 minutes = 1 day; students will be marked absent if they do not meet the 144 minute per day requirement.

• For the purposes of a DASD cyber student, a week is considered Monday at 12:01 AM through Sunday at 11:59 PM.  Attendance for the previous week will be calculated each Monday morning.

• Cyber students and their families, like brick and mortar students, must use Skyward to report daily absences.  

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Mrs. Stephanie Veiss: Grade 7 -8 Teacher - stephanie.veiss@dallastown.net

• Dr. Barbara Terroso: Administrator - barbara.terroso@dallastown.net 

EXPECTATIONS

• DASD cyber students are expected to be actively engaged online 720 minutes per week, or 144 minutes per school day.  

• Students are expected to keep pace with their assignments and progress in each course as outlined by their cyber teacher.

• Students are expected to reach out and seek help from their teacher, school counselor, or other DASD staff when needed.

• Students are expected to communicate effectively with school staff by checking their email correspondence daily and responding in a timely manner to teacher and staff requests.

STATE AND LOCAL ASSESSMENTS

Students are required to participate in all state and local school-mandated assessments including the Keystone Exams. Students and parents will be contacted by Dallastown Area Cyber Academy administration well in advance of any testing with the dates/times/locations of the testing sessions. All testing must occur on-site and in person. 

Click HERE to access the DASD Cyber Academy Website.

Lunch Detention

Eating and socializing in the cafeteria is a privilege. Students may be removed from the cafeteria for a period of time determined by an administrator or one who is acting on behalf of administration as a result of poor behavioral choices during lunch.

Detention

Detention may be given for the following reasons:

• Tardiness to school or to class.

• Violations of school rules as determined by the administration or one who is acting on behalf of administration.

• Students and parents will be given either written or verbal notification before they are assigned a detention date.

In addition to DASD School Board Policy #221 and 221-AR-1, Dallastown Area Middle School adheres to the following:

• No Hats and/or sweatshirt hoods up

• No midriffs showing

• No winter coats on in class

Grading System

The following grading system is used to determine grade averages for each trimester and for the year.  Grade averages for the core subjects of English-Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies as well as World Language courses should be calculated in this manner:

A = 90-100%

B = 80-89%

C = 70-79%

D = 60-69%

E = Below 60%

Grade averages for Unified Arts subject areas follow the procedures below:

Outstanding (O) = 85-100%

Satisfactory (S) = 70-84%

Needs Improvement (N) = 60-69%

Unsatisfactory (U) = Below 60%

Honor Roll Criteria

Honor Roll: Student must have all A's or B's in major content areas and O or S in Specials (ex: Art, Music, STEM) 

Distinguished Honor Roll: Student must have all A's in major content areas and O or S in Specials 

Make-up work

When students are absent from school, they should contact their teachers and check Google Classrooms to stay current on the learning and activities taking place in their classes. Students will have two days to make up missed assignments for each day of absence. 

Cheating / Plagiarism

Cheating occurs when a student has taken another person’s thoughts, writing or work and submits this work as his/her own.

Examples of cheating include:

·         Citing published works of Internet sites without giving credit to the author or source (this is referred to as plagiarism.)

·         Copying another student’s answers on a test

·         Using written answers prepared before the test

·         Passing answers to other students on a test in progress or previously taken

·         Talking during a test without permission

·         Stealing tests or using tests stolen by another individual

·         Copying other students’ homework, with or without their consent

·         Making work available for someone else to copy and claim as their own

·         Changing answers on work being corrected without permission

The consequence for cheating may result in a partial or total loss of points for the task or assessment and/or administrative disciplinary action.

Health Services                             

School Nurse 717-244-4021 x 2508

The middle school nurse’s office is staffed full-time by a certified school nurse.  When feeling ill or sustaining an injury, students must get a pass and report to the nurse’s office only. It is important that students do not leave the building or contact parent/guardian to go home without first reporting to the main office or the nurse. Students are not permitted to contact a parent for an illness without first seeing the nurse. Students may not use their cell phones to call or text a parent to pick them up. Medication orders and parental consents must be renewed at the beginning of each school year. Proper immunization status is required for school attendance. Please have emergency contact numbers up to date to ensure efficient notification of parent/ guardian in the event of a student emergency or illness. 

All students will have the following screenings completed during the school year:

• Height/Weight/BMI

• Vision

• All seventh-grade students are required to submit a dental exam to the school nurse and will also be screened for hearing and scoliosis. 

  • • Parents/guardians may opt out of the scoliosis screening by contacting the school nurse.

HEALTH SERVICES BOARD POLICIES

210. Medications

210.1. Possession/Administration of Asthma Inhalers/Epinephrine Auto-Injectors 

210.2. Accommodating Students With Diabetes

823. Naloxone  

Note: The school nurse may administer Tylenol, Ibuprofen, or Mylanta according to our school physician’s standing orders. If you prefer that your child does not receive any or all these medications, you should submit a written request to your child’s school nurse. Upon receipt of such a request, the district will take all reasonable efforts to comply. The request will remain in effect until the district has been otherwise informed in writing.

We believe it is very important for our students to connect to something at the school. One of the ways for students to connect is to participate in our after-school intramural program.  There are many activities available to students, and we encourage every student to join at least one intramural per year. 

The intramural program at Dallastown Area Middle School was established more than 30 years ago. It has grown over the years to include more than 25 sports, clubs, and activities. Intramural activities provide students with opportunities to interact with peers, work together in groups, and to develop physical and social skills. 

Intramurals typically last for one trimester, so keep checking back for the updated listings of activities. For information about current intramural offerings and the online permission form, please visit: MS Intramural Program

Students may request an assigned locker for daily use. Lockers will only be used to store items such as what is needed for an after-school activity (equipment, uniform, etc.).  Lockers should be kept clean and organized at all times. Lockers are school property and may be searched by the administration with reasonable suspicion.

Note: The school and school district are not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged personal property.

• Students are allowed to use personal electronic devices (such as phones, smart watches, tablets, iPods, and games) on the bus to listen to school-appropriate music with headphones or play school-appropriate games. Devices may not be used to take photos or videos nor to communicate with peers. 

• Personal electronic devices must be turned off and put away (in locker or backpack) between 7:35-2:50.

• Smart watches should be in “school mode” or “airplane mode” between 7:35-2:50.  Students may only use smart watches as a watch during that time.

• Students may not use personal electronic devices or headphones in the hallway, cafeteria, bathroom, or locker room.

• Occasionally, teachers may give students permission to use personal electronic devices during class for an educational purpose.

• Headphones may be used in the classroom with permission from the teacher.  Teachers may confiscate headphones until the end of the class period if a student misuses them.

• At teacher discretion, students may listen to music during class on their Chromebooks.  Students are not permitted to listen to music on personal electronic devices during the school day.

• Any student who uses a personal electronic device in an unauthorized area and/or without explicit teacher permission will have the device confiscated until 2:50.  Repeat offenses will result in device confiscation and after-school detention.

Note: The school and school district are not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged personal property. 

Every middle school student will participate in physical education class.  When a student cannot take part in physical education classes, a doctor’s excuse must be submitted. The PE department, school, and school district are not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged personal belongings.

School clothing may not be worn in physical education class; students are required to change. 

PE Guidelines:

1. There is no specific uniform. Students should dress in school-appropriate athletic gear. 

2. Students must wear sneakers.

3. No jewelry may be worn. 

4. Long hair must be pulled back from eyes and shoulders.

5. Recommended items: towel, deodorant, lock

The Wildcat Way is Dallastown Area Middle School’s positive behavior, interventions, and supports (PBIS) system.  Plainly stated, The Wildcat Way is a set of building-wide expectations built on our district's foundational principles of CARES (Compassionate, Accountable, Respectful, Ethical, Service-Minded).  Our school-wide program is designed to stress the importance of these core values, teach the students what each one of those values looks like in our building, and acknowledge, incentivize, and celebrate students who are rising to meet those standards every day in our building.  This program is designed to improve school culture, climate, and academic success.

The Wildcat Way Matrix

At the foundation of The Wildcat Way is the CARES matrix. The matrix identifies expected behaviors relating to CARES. At the beginning of the school year and several times during the year, the information on the matrix is taught, retaught, and reinforced. Our CARES matrix can also be found hanging in hallways, classrooms, and other locations throughout our building. 

Positive Paws

One of the foundational building blocks of The Wildcat Way is our Positive Paw system.  Positive Paws are tokens of appreciation that staff complete and give to students when they witness them doing something that demonstrates any of the CARES qualities.  It could be something as simple as holding a door for a classmate or something far more complex, but the act of acknowledging the behavior and the conversation that occurs between the student and staff member can be a powerful moment that builds bonds and community within the school.  There are weekly, monthly, and annual “paw drawings” that give students who have received a paw an opportunity to win a prize.

Wildcat Way Days

Throughout the school year, we will hold several Wildcat Way Days. These events are planned by our PBIS committee to recognize students who consistently demonstrate the Wildcat Way and follow our CARES Matrix. Each Wildcat Way Day will feature fun, school-day activities designed to help students connect with one another, enjoy themselves, and allow staff to express appreciation for their efforts. To participate, students must meet established eligibility criteria. These criteria are communicated multiple times during the school year so students understand what they need to work toward.

To be eligible:

• Students must be passing all courses.

• Students may have no more than one minor discipline event.

• Students may have no major discipline events.

Discipline definitions:

• A minor discipline event is an office referral that results in lunch detention or after-school detention.

• A major discipline event is an office referral that results in either in-school suspension (ISS) or out-of-school suspension (OSS).

After each Wildcat Way Day, all students start with a clean slate and a fresh opportunity to meet the criteria for the next celebration.