Welcome to Lipscomb Academy's Middle Grades!

The next four years will be exciting ones as students grow and change in many ways. Students will become more independent and begin thinking in more complex ways.

Students in 6th grade will be issued a Chromebook and students in grades 7-8 use a personal iPad as an instructional tool for school. Teachers will spend time with students providing an introduction and orientation as students enter into middle grade technology and device usage. Learning how to use technology appropriately is only part of the focus. Responsible use is paramount, and we work to make this an essential part of technology integration.

As it is with most anything, balance is vital. We want the opportunities that technology affords and also want our students prepared when technology is not available. We believe technology and traditional methods of teaching and learning both have a place in our environment. Technology is a piece of 21st-century learning for our students!

Acceptable Use Policy Grades 6-12

Students in 6th - 8th

• Students in grade 6 will have school issued Chromebooks to use in the classroom. Students in grades 7-8 will have personally owned iPads. Some in 8th may choose a personally owned MacBook.

• Devices can enhance learning by keeping students engaged and motivated. Technology can encourage learning in a way that is exciting through activities designed by their teachers.

• Our online learning management system, Schoology, keeps students organized in a way through which parents have access to support their students. We have fewer issues with student organization due to this system.

• With the Chromebook, iPad, or MacBook, we use fewer textbooks, and students feel they have more ownership of learning because the discussions that occur online are exceptional. The teacher can comment and enhance the conversation. Online discussion gives all students (even those reluctant to speak up in class) a chance to improve the quality of the conversation.

What about cell phones in middle school?

Our recommendation is to wait until at least 8th grade before allowing your child to have a cell phone. To date, cell phones are the most significant source of problems in school due to the inability to cope with the pressures of texting, Instagram, and Snapchat - among others. Middle grades students are not usually developmentally prepared for 24/7 social media contact. It is not just a distraction but can cause issues due to conflict among students. Parents are encouraged to think through the challenges that come from allowing their child to have a phone and social media accounts.

Keep in mind, your child may not have their own cell phone, but they still have the ability to interact with cell phones, whether it be yours or someone else's device. We recommend having a conversation now of your expectations for appropriate cell phone use, even before purchasing.

Cell Phones and Mobile Devices

To help our students manage their technology use, we will continue to provide, update and enhance our age-appropriate education regarding digital citizenship and healthy ways to use technology in daily life. Students in grades 5-8 are not allowed to use cell phones during the school day. Students are not allowed to send or receive texts or messages via cell phone, iMessage, or any other app during the school day on any device.

1. Students are not allowed to use cell phones without teacher permission. Therefore, do not text your child during school hours (7:45-3:00) because cell phones use by students is prohibited. You may leave a message for your child by calling our office at 615-966-1785. Please know that if a student is caught checking messages on his or her phone during the school day, disciplinary action will be taken regardless of who the student is communicating with. Cell phones will be sent to the office, and only a parent may retrieve them after 3:00 if students are seen with their phone for any reason. Phones should be in a backpack during the school day.

2. Students will be disciplined at school for inappropriate use of technology. Students are Lipscomb students 24 hours a day. The discipline ranges from demerits to suspension of the student, technology, or both.

3. Students using Social Media platforms (including but not limited to Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, etc.), gaming apps, or anything not school approved during the school day will automatically receive consequences. Subsequent violations may result in punishment such as in-school suspension, out of school suspension, or expulsion.

What about the misuse of technology?

Examples of misuse would include a student texting, taking a picture of a classmate without permission, etc. Younger students rarely misuse technology, and if for some reason they do, then the teacher will partner with parents to work on a solution that is best for the student.

As students enter 5th grade, teachers are intentional about the appropriate use of technology. Teachers keep careful watch over the students in addition to having high expectations for proper use.

Lipscomb Academy employs multiple strategies to prepare students for the online world and to practice responsible digital citizenship. We are intentional at limiting each student's digital footprint and helping them understand the ramifications of it.

• Students will use single sign-on for apps such as Schoology, Flipgrid, and other educational applications to limit the times a student has to create their own account.

• Teachers will limit the number of sites/apps requiring students to create a log-in.

What about iMessage?

Teachers do not use or encourage iMessage as part of classroom instruction and collaboration. There will never be a need to enable iMessage inside Lipscomb Academy, so disabling iMessage is a requirement during school hours for middle grades. Each family makes the decision how this is monitored outside of school hours.

Guidelines for Parents

Lipscomb Academy uses technology for educational purposes. School is not the place for playing games, texting, or using other forms of social media. Parents should take these guidelines seriously and support the philosophy of keeping all forms of inappropriate use out of the school day. Please understand that allowing your child to have access to certain apps, games and other programs are a temptation for students during the school day. Parents are encouraged to limit these temptations!

Read Carefully:

1. Students in the middle grades are not allowed to use cellphones without teacher permission. Therefore, do not text your child during school hours, 7:45-3:00 because cell phones are off limits to students. You may leave a message for your child by calling our office at 615-966-1785. Please know that if a student is caught checking messages on his or her phone during the school day, disciplinary action will be taken regardless of who the student is communicating with.

2. Students will be disciplined at school for inappropriate use of technology. Students are Lipscomb students 24 hours a day. This ranges from demerits to suspension of the student, technology, or both.

3. Students using Snapchat, Instagram or other social media platforms during the school day will automatically receive 10 demerits, which constitutes Afternoon School. Subsequent violations may result in punishment such as in school suspension, out of school suspension, or expulsion.

Lipscomb Academy reserves the right to suspend technology from school if a student does not follow the rules as they are expressly written and set forth.

Do we require parents to place a monitoring system on their child's device?

No, there is no requirement for third party monitoring systems, but there are requirements for grade 5 and 6 for restrictions parents should use to help students have success in school. We have recommendations and resources to share. Refer to the 5-6th grade link on this website.