Student Agenda - Whitefish Bay Schools

Student Agenda

Why Do We Issue an Agenda at WFBMS?
Your Agenda is designed to help you manage your time and plan your day so you can take an active role in your success throughout the school year. Not only will this Agenda serve as your academic organizer and planner, it will also be your hall pass. You are required to have this agenda with you in all of your classes at all times. Replacement cost is $6.

Successful use of the Agenda will require you to record assignments and other course-related information on a daily basis. Your STAR teacher, classroom teacher and parents will be requested to periodically review your Agenda and help you to maximize your planning and organization skills. Your Agenda may be used to relay messages between home and school.

This Agenda also serves as our student handbook. Our school expectations are simple: come to school on time ready to learn, treat all with respect and make the most of the gifts and talents you have. The first place to start
being a successful WFBMS student is to read the material in your student handbook. Your STAR teacher will spend the first week of STAR going over the student handbook and school expectations.

Road to Success at WFBMS

As a student at White-fish Bay Middle School, you have the right to be educated in a safe and orderly environment. You have the right to feel safe. You also have the challenge of acting responsibly and building healthy, positive relationships. You need to come to school on time ready to learn. You have the responsibility to behave in a manner that allows others to learn, grow and feel safe.

Our school virtues of RESPECT, COOPERATION, FRIENDLINESS, HELPFULNESS, KINDNESS, CONSIDERATION, HONESTY and TOLERANCE are our guiding principles. We expect each member of the Whitefish Bay learning community to act in a manner that is consistent with these virtues. Consequences result when poor choices are made that violate the spirit of our school virtues. You can avoid disciplinary action by:

Coming to school on time ready to learn
Using your class time wisely, following all school rules and being respectful of your teachers and fellow students
Saying and writing only kind words
Keeping your hands, feet and property to yourself and not taking things that don't belong to you
Playing cooperatively at recess by sharing and getting others involved
Being respectful of others in hallways and locker bays by speaking quietly and moving directly to your destination
Treating your locker, books and school-related materials with respect
Keeping your locker locked and not sharing your combination with others
Having an Agenda pass filled out and signed by your teacher, if you need to leave your class
Taking responsibility for your actions and choices by disciplining yourself, so someone else does not need to

ALL WFBMS staff members are responsible for teaching and modeling how to behave appropriately and by making you aware of the consequences for failing to do so. Our staff is charged with enforcing the rules that make our school a safe and positive place to learn for every student. You will not be permitted to obstruct the learning of others.

Process for addressing inappropriate behavior

The student will discuss with his/her teacher the specifics of how a virtue or rule was violated. The teacher may issue a consequence, such as after school or lunch detention and the student's parent may be contacted.
If the problem is not resolved, or an undesirable behavior pattern continues, the teacher will contact the student's parent or guardian.
A teacher referral will be made to the office for repeated school virtue violations or for incidents
that cause disrespect or harm to self, others or property. Upon receiving a referral, the admin-istration will meet with the student involved and ensure that parent contact is made. The following consequences may apply: make amends, detention, in school suspension, out of school suspension, police referral, alternative educational placement or recommendation for expulsion.
Included in your Agenda are several outstanding learning materials on how to resolve conflicts peacefully. Each STAR group will be asked to continuously review the materials in your Agenda and create opportunities to discuss issues related to our school virtues.

The School District of Whitefish Bay has several Board Policies that protect the specific rights of students and staff. One policy of particular concern with schools across the nation is harassment (Board Policy 411) All of these policies have been included in our Parent/Student School Handbook and can be accessed on our Website at www.wfbschools.com

No student shall be subject to harassment on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, creed, pregnancy, age, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, arrest or conviction record, physical, mental or emotional disability, or any other basis protected by state or federal law.
Students who believe they are being subjected to harassment should register complaints with the middle school administration. This reporting may be done directly, or through parents or a member of the middle school staff.
In the case of a student harassing another student, the discipline to the student may range from a warning to expulsion from school, depending on the facts.
In the case of other violations of the policy, appropriate action will be determined following a formal investigation.

STAR / Activity Days

You will begin the school day in your STAR group. This learning environ-ment is designed to help middle school students with many issues including self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, self-management, and decision-making. Your STAR teacher will serve as your adult advocate. At the end of each quarter each STAR group participates in a grade level Activity Day. Activity days are incorporated into the school year to help students develop social skills and to provide community-service opportunities. Activity Days help to create a positive attitude toward school and classmates and allow experience outside of the regular curriculum. All students are required to participate in STAR activities, yet this privilege may be revoked for academic or behavioral reasons. Each grade level, in advance of the quarterly Activity Day, will communicate the requirements for participation to parents and students.

Medication

All medications (including over-the-counter medication) must be stored in the clinic along with the necessary signed authorization form. Under no circumstances are you to have medication in your lockers, on your persons nor is any medication to be shared with other students. The medication must have your FULL name on the original container along with the name of the drug, dosage, time to be given and name of physician. ALL medication will be taken under the supervision of our health aides. Any questions related to medication or request for forms should be directed to the health aides.

Absence Procedure

If you are going to be absent from school for an unplanned reason, a parent/guardian must call the school clinic at 963-6818 as soon as possible. The clinic has voice mail, so you can leave a message any time during the day or at night.
If you have an appointment or a need to leave during the school day, you will need to bring a note to the main office at the beginning of the day to get a permit to leave campus. Upon returning to school, check in at the clinic for your pass to return to class.
If you become ill or injured during the day you need to go to the clinic with permission from your class-room teacher. The health aide on duty, either Mrs. McManus or Mrs. Marx, will assess your situation and make the determination for the need and level of services you might require. Your parents will be notified of any injury, or emergency, or if you are too ill to remain in school.
If you have been out and missed work it is your responsibility to contact your teacher(s) and to make arrangements to make up any work you may have missed. Students are granted the number of days absent, plus one, to turn in make up work. Grade level homework is also posted daily after 3pm on the school website at www.wfbschools.com

Attendance (School Board Policy 431)

You need to be here to learn! In fact, there is a state law requiring children between the ages of 6-18 to attend school on a fulltime basis unless you have a legal excuse such as illness, religious observance, family emergency, medical appointments or family business. Bottom line is that for you to be successful at school you must be in school and ON TIME! All of these policies have been included in your Parent/Student School Handbook and can be accessed on our Website at www.wfbschools.com

What to Wear?

Please come to school on time ready to learn and dressed APPROPRIATELY! We will not tolerate student dress that is offensive to others, too revealing, that disrupts the learning environment or is determined by staff to be inappropriate. We ask that you carefully consider what you wear prior to coming to school. If your clothing is found to be an issue, you will be asked to wear a school issued article or to call home for replacement clothing. PLEASE DISCIPLINE YOURSELF SO WE DON'T NEED TO!

Messages and Telephone use

The proper use of this AGENDA will prevent some unnecessary trips to school by your parents to drop off things you forgot! You should write in your AGENDA what you need for school each day and review that prior to leaving for school. If there are situations that require a message from the outside a note will be placed on your locker. If you should need to call home please ask your classroom teacher to call from their phone instead of leaving class.

School Closing Information

Occasionally it is necessary to close schools due to a snowstorm or other emergency. The policy of the WhitefishBaySchool District is to close schools when the weather conditions present a serious threat to the health and safety of children and staff. When a storm occurs during the night and the Whitefish Bay Schools are to be closed, a repeated announcement will be made over the following local radio stations beginning at approximately 6:00am: WISN (1130 AM); WOKY (920 AM); WMIL (106AM); WMYX (99 FM); WTMJ (620AM); and WEMP (1250 AM).

If the schools are dismissed early, the closing announcement will be made over the same radio stations. If you suspect the schools will close, Please listen to one of these stations for information rather than calling the school or the radio station. When stormy weather or extreme cold is forecast, please do the following for your child: (1) Make arrangements with friends or neighbors to shelter your child in the event you are not home when he/she arrives home and instruct your child accordingly; (2) Dress your child warmly and encourage him/her to go directly to school and to come directly home from school. In addition to the above considerations, parents of children with exceptional needs who attend schools in a neighboring school district should send your child only if you know that his/her district is open and that the regular transportation system is operating, or that your child can be driven to and picked up from school by you or a friend.

Lockers

You will be assigned a locker and required to purchase a lock from school. You are required to keep your locker locked at all times and are not to share your combination with anyone! While our theft rate is very low, each year we have several students experience a theft from their locker. We recommend that you do not bring anything of significant value to school. During school hours your lockers will be home to your backpack, purse, jacket, personal electronic devices, cell phone and variety of school supplies. Please keep your locker neat and clean! The locker you are assigned remains school property and can be searched by administration at anytime. (See Board Policy 446.1) All of these policies have been included in your Parent/Student-School Handbook and can be accessed on our Website at www.wfbschools.com

Non-Athletic Extra-Curricular Activities

To encourage participation, WhitefishBayMiddle School's clubs provide an opportunity for students to engage in a variety of non-athletic activities

Forensics (Grades 6, 7 & 8)

If you love to speak, read, act, demonstrate a skill or persuade others to your point of view, then Forensics might be for you. Informational meetings are held in November with practices beginning in December. Most meets take place during the third quarter of the school year on Saturdays. A $50.00 fee is required.

Drama/Musical (Grades 7 & 8)

The Middle School's annual musical provides those students with an interest in theater an outlet for their creative expression. Student participation ranges from acting to supporting stage crew. Auditions and practices begin early in the school year. The culminating event is three performances in late fall.

Jazz Band (Grades 7 & 8)

Jazz Band meets Friday mornings, before school, for interested band students.

Variety Show (Grades 6, 7 & 8)

The Variety Show is an opportunity to share your musical, theatrical, dance or other performance talent. Informational meetings are held early in the school year leading up to a performance later in the year.

Service Club (Grades 6, 7 & 8)

Students in Service Club provide help to teachers, community organizations and programs at WhitefishBayMiddle School. Activities may include assisting at Special Olympics activities, homeless shelters and with nursing home residents.

Student Council (Grades 6, 7 & 8)

Throughout the school year, the Student Council works to plan and run programs for students, the staff and the community. Organization meetings begin in early September. Members are not elected so all students are encouraged to participate.

Athletic Extra-Curricular Activities

Philosophy - WhitefishBayMiddle School offers a wide variety of interscholastic sports. We provide an opportunity for students to participate in athletics, whose background, talents and potential may differ. The fundamental goal of our program is to teach students the basic skills and strategies of a sport.

The philosophy of the Middle School stresses participation and skill development above winning. We lead students toward a better understanding of themselves and others through experiences on and off the playing field. We believe academics is the first priority with athletics being a reinforcing privilege. All eligible players should participate in each game.

Student Participation Eligibility

All 7^th and 8^th grade students are eligible to participate in interscholastic sports. Due to resource limits, 6th grade students are only allowed to participate in Co-Ed Cross-Country and Wrestling.

Students are required to have a current physical form on file in the school office before they are allowed to participate. Prior to the first game, all students must have paid the participation fee of $50.00 per sport ($150 maximum). Fees are required of any extra-curricular activity that requires bus transportation and competition against other schools.

Practice and Game Times

In general, practices begin as soon as 3:00 pm and conclude no later than 5:00 pm. Games generally start at 4:00 pm and conclude by 5:15 pm. However, wrestling and track meets
tend to conclude around 6:00 pm.

Uniforms

All sports have athletic competition apparel available. Students are responsible for the care of the assigned apparel during the season. Students will be charged for missing or damaged items.

Transportation

Transportation is provided to all away events for team members only. Students must ride the team bus unless the coach has granted permission to release a student to ride with his or her parent. For liability reasons, no exceptions will be considered.

Students are required to leave the building or arrange for transportation immediately after practices and home games.

Athletic Seasons

Co-Ed Cross-Country - September through October

Girls Soccer - September through October

Girls Basketball - November through December

Boys Basketball - December through February

Wrestling - February through March

Boys Volleyball - February through March

Girls Volleyball -February through March

Co-Ed Track - April through May

Co-Ed Tennis - April through May

Girls Softball - April through May

Contact Mr. Chuck Orvold at 963-6800 if you have any questions regarding Middle School athletics.

Academic Expectations

Expectations for learning are high at WhitefishBayMiddle School. There is also an extensive support system in place to help you succeed. Should you begin to struggle at any time during the school year, there are several ways you can help yourself.

The first step is taking the responsibility to ask for help. Once a staff member is made aware of your need they will work with you on creating a workable plan. Everybody struggles at some time. Those who are successful, seek out opportunities to overcome obstacles.

Your teachers will go the distance to help you become the best you can be. They may require more of you than what you think is possible. Trust that they have your best interest in mind and know that they take their responsibility of helping you learn very seriously. Teachers work with students during their lunch hours, prep hours, and before and after school. Students have the opportunity to receive additional help through a variety of small support groups in math, reading and study skills.

Make the most of what you have within you and take advantage of the resources available at WFBMS. Remember you have the choice to be who you want to be. Think carefully about the habits you are creating and how they are shaping your life now and for the future.