TEXTBOOKS, MATERIALS & SUPPLIES
All textbooks and some material and supplies will be provided; however, students will be required to provide or pay for material used in some classes such as Life Skills, Industrial Tech and Art. Also, students are expected to have paper and pencil on hand. Students will also be held responsible for lost or damaged textbooks, materials and equipment.
The Middle School has a counselor who may be seen by appointment or on an emergency basis. If something is interfering with your success in school, then it is important to talk to the counselor.
The counselor will not only help with problems, but will also visit with students about career plans. A career center has been set up in the library for group and individual exploration of the world of work.
Parents, students and staff should use the counselor as a valuable person.
All Middle School students will be given the Stanford Achievement test in the spring. Students at the 7th and 8th grade level will also be given the Missouri Assessment Program. Should questions concerning the test arise, please feel free to contact the school.
Grade cards are issued four times a year at the close of each nine-week session. Grades are recorded as A, B, C, D, and F or Incomplete. An incomplete is given when a student has been unavoidably absent at the close of the nine-week period. Arrangements may be made with the teacher and principal for making up this work within a certain length of time. Otherwise, the grade will convert to an F.
Progress reports are sent out by the teacher after the 5th week of the quarter to inform the parents of their student’s failure to perform and achieve up to expectations. This report is only an indication of the grade at the end of 5 weeks and it is not part of the permanent record; however, it should be noted that a student might possibly receive failing grades in the last four weeks of a quarter and; therefore, receive an “F” without the parents having received a progress report. In most cases, a student receiving a progress report is able, with effort, to bring the grade up before the grading period ends.
Academic Probation occurs when a student receives a combination of three or more D’s or F’s at midterm or at the quarter’s end. When a student is placed on Academic Probation they are not allowed to leave early for any school related activity such as band trips, athletic trips, etc. Students will remain on Academic Probation until the next quarter’s grades or midterm grades come out. At that time if it is determined that your child is making a C- or better in at least five classes they will be removed from Academic Probation. Parents will be notified by mail when their child is placed on Academic Probation.
Most class periods will have time for supervised study in order that the students may begin his/her homework while the teacher is available for answering questions about the assignment; however, most class assignments do require some study time at home to complete the work. We find that partially completed work is one of the main reasons student’s grades are low.
Teachers are encouraged to contact parents anytime during the school year when the need arises. Parents are also encouraged to initiate communications if they feel the need.
Successful reading is fundamental to education. To promote reading success for the students of the Iva E. Wells Middle School, all students and teachers will participate in the AR program. The AR program is implemented throughout the Iva E. Wells Middle School during the first 15 minutes of 5th hour. Students are to bring an AR book and their reading logs to class each day. Students will receive a grade for AR based on the following:
v Reaching their AR goal
v Behavior in class
v Attitude in class
v Participation in class
Students are also required to carry their AR reading books with them to all classes. Throughout the day students are encouraged to read if they complete assignments in class before dismissal.
When the need arises for a student to be taken out of school early a parent/guardian must come into the office and sign the check out sheet before the student can be removed from the building. This is mainly for the safety and well-being of the students, but also aids in keeping record of their absences and tardies.
When a student must be kept home due to illness or other necessary reasons and makeup homework is needed a parent/guardian should call the office before 9:00AM. This allows time to contact the teachers between classes or through the daily bulletin. You should not expect it to be ready until after 2:00PM. If you know of a planned absence ahead of time, you should have the student check with his/her teachers so it may be prepared in advance.
The library is open daily to students from 7:45am until 4:30pm; Monday through Thursday. The purposes for the library are to research an assignment, to check in or check out a book, to take an AR test or to serve as a quiet place to read. No student will be allowed to visit the library unnecessarily.
A book may be checked out for two weeks only. More than one book may be checked out at a time. No one will be allowed to check out a book if they already have an overdue book checked out. A fine of 10 cents will be charged for every day that an overdue book not returned. Lost books must be paid for in full before another book can be checked out. Students are responsible for the care of library materials. Charges for damaged books will be assessed and the amount charged will be determined by the extent of the damage. Never loan your book to someone else. If the book is checked out in your name, you will be responsible for it.
Magazines may be checked out for one day only. Newspapers may not be checked out, but may be photocopied. Reference books, such as author references of encyclopedias may not be checked out.
There are many Accelerated Reader books in the library. These are labeled with a blue dot on the spine of the book. The top number on the dot is the grade reading level of the book. The bottom number on the dot is the number of points that the book is worth. Every book labeled with a dot has an Accelerated Reader test that may be taken to earn points.
No one will be allowed to use a computer in the library until an acceptable computer system use policy agreement has been filled out and signed by the student’s parent/guardian as well as the student. This agreement can be found in each student’s planner. All computer usage rules will apply. There will be no food, drink or gum chewing allowed in the library.