Policies and Other Important Information
Cell Phone Policy: Students are allowed to bring their cell phones to school. Once students enter the school building, students are expected to keep their cell phones off and out-of-sight the duration of the school day. Cell phones are not to be used in the hallways, classrooms, cafeteria, playground, restrooms, or locker rooms. Students may access their cell phones at the end of the school day once they exit the building. Students that violate the cell phone policy will be expected to turn their cell phone in at the main office for the day, and the device will be returned to the student at the end of the day. Parents that need to get ahold of their student during the school are expected to call the main office at (517) 925-5680.
Dress Code Policy: Students are expected to dress in a fashion that promotes a positive, safe, and focused learning environment. Students and parents are expected to use discretion to ensure that student clothing is appropriate for school. Pursuant to school board policy, clothing that contains religious or racially intimidating symbols (e.g. swastika, Confederate flag, etc.) or messages that are disruptive to the learning environment are not permitted. Sexually suggestive messages, clothing that promotes drug and/or alcohol use, or violence are not permitted. For health and safety reasons, students are required to wear shoes or footwear with soles. Final decisions regarding dress code are exclusively up to administrative discretion.
Passes: Students will be provided three passes per class, per trimester with the exception of Check and Connect (CNC). Passes will be provided to students on colored paper at the beginning of each trimester. Unused passes can be turned in as Comet PRIDE tickets to earn prizes at the end of the trimester. Students that have documented, specific accommodations or medical needs will be provided a break card to meet their dynamic needs if necessary.
Passing Time: There is five-minute passing time between all classes. Students are expected to be in their class when the bell rings to be considered on-time to class. While we do have and enforce a tardy policy here at Beagle Middle, we also understand that the first few days of school is going to be a learning curve for many students, and we will be flexible and supportive in helping students find their classes.
Tardy Policy: Once students have become acclimated to the routine of middle school after the first few weeks, we will begin to mark and track tardies on an hourly basis, including first hour. Students are able to be tardy for each class up to three times per trimester. After the third tardy, Mrs. Swagart, ISS coordinator, will have a warning conversation in a one-on-one, private fashion. If a fourth tardy happens for the same class within the trimester, a one-hour, after school detention will be assigned, and Mrs. Swagart will arrange that with parents.
Locker Use: We strongly encourage students to use their lockers throughout the school day; however, we do not force students to use their locker. We encourage students to use their lockers throughout the day as this helps to free up more space for interactive classroom activities; essentially, this prevents students and staff from tripping over backpacks, etc.
Lunches: Please see the email that was sent by Mr. John Ellsworth if your student qualifies for free and reduced lunch. This year, free lunch and breakfast will be provided to all students. Free school lunches will contain specific items, which will be explained to students during the first few days of school. Free lunches will not include cookies, bottles of water, chips, etc. Students will have to pay for those ala carte choices. Please note that beginning this year, our food service will not be able to make change when items are purchased; the change will be applied to their lunch account.
PBIS: As many are aware, Grand Ledge is a PBIS district. PBIS stands for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. Here at Beagle Middle, our staff engages in PBIS strategies to support the social, emotional, and behavioral growth of our students, which ultimately positively impacts academic growth and success. At Beagle, we model and reinforce Comet PRIDE in all that we do together on a consistent basis. This means that we are/show/have:
- Positive
- Respectful
- Integrity
- Determination
- Effort
Staff recognize positive behaviors using the PBIS model, and students earn Comet PRIDE tickets for demonstrating the aforementioned behaviors we model and reinforce on a daily basis. Students can use their PRIDE tickets to earn prizes. Comet PRIDE pride drawings happen weekly in Check and Connect class and at the end of each trimester.
Check and Connect (CNC) Class: Check and Connect (CNC) is a twenty-five minute, end-of-the-day class that is multifaceted. The goal of our CNC class is to provide our students with an opportunity to build a stronger relationship with a smaller group of students and one staff member for the duration of the year. Throughout the week, activities and expectations vary depending upon the day. On Mondays, our staff engage students in social skills lessons, which are designed to help students develop social and emotional skills; these lessons focus on building positive relationships, goal setting, and managing emotions. Mondays are also used to present our school-wide PBIS lessons. Tuesdays and Thursdays are designed to provide students with the opportunity to complete homework assignments and prepare for assessments that they may have during the week. On Wednesdays, students will utilize the IXL program to work on both Math and English Language Arts skills that are tailored to their needs based on screeners within the IXL platform. Fridays are Comet PRIDE drawing opportunities where students may submit their Comet PRIDE tickets for positive behaviors to obtain prizes, and then students engage in fun activities that promote team building skills. We also utilize CNC class for NWEA assessments throughout the year.
