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Miller Mustang |
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Student Handbook |
(408) 252-3755 Fax (408) 255-5269
www.teacherweb.com/CA/MillerMiddleSchool/MillerMustang
ABSENCE REPORTING LINE: (408) 252-3755, ext.
6
OFFICE HOURS: 7:30 A.M. TO 4:00 P.M.
Map/Directions:
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MILLER TOP TEN RULES
Before, During, & After School
1.
Be
polite and respectful at all times
2.
Keep
your hands and feet to yourself
3.
No
running
4.
Use
appropriate language / No swearing
5.
No
“wheels” on campus (except roller backpacks)
6.
No
spitting
7.
No
gum on campus
8.
Stay
within school boundaries
9.
Dress
appropriately
10.
No
cutting in lines
August 21, 2008 Students Return
to School (First quarter begins)
September 1, 2008 Labor Day
September 19, 2008 Staff
Learning Day (No School)
October 27, 2008 Staff Learning
Day (No School)
October 27, 2008 Second Quarter
Begins
November 10, 2008 No student day (No
school)
November 11, 2008 Veterans Day
November 26, 27, 28, 2008 Thanksgiving
Recess
December 22, 2008-Jan. 2, 2009 Winter Recess
January 19, 2009 Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 20, 2009 Third Quarter Begins
February 16 – 20, 2009 Mid-Year Recess
March 16, 2009 Staff Learning Day (No
School)
March 30, 2009 Fourth Quarter Begins
April 13 - 17, 2009 Spring
Recess
May 22, 2009 Staff
Learning Day (No School)
May 25, 2009 Memorial Day
June 12, 2009 Last
Day of School; 8th grade graduation
The mission of the
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Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8:38 – 3:00 Period 0 7:45 – 8:35 Period 1 8:38 – 9:30 Period 2 9:33 – 10:30 Brunch 10:30
– 10:50 Period 3 10:50 – 11:42 Period 4 11:45 – 12:37 Lunch 12:37 – 1:08 Period 5 1:13 – 2:05 Period 6 2:08 – 3:00 |
Late Start Wednesday 9:48 – 10:28 Period 0 9:05 – 9:45 Period 1 9:48 – 10:28 Period 2 10:31 – 11:18 Brunch 11:18
– 11:38 Period 3 11:38 – 12:18 Period 4 12:21 – 1:01 Lunch 1:01 – 1:32 Period 5 1:37 – 2:17 Period 6 2:20 – 3:00 |
Because supervision is not available,
students who start school first period are not allowed on campus until 8:30
A.M. (MTThF) or 9:40 A.M. (Wednesday) and are required to wait at the front
gate (near office) until the passing bell rings. Students arriving for zero
period should not arrive before 7:30 a.m. (MTThF) or 8:50 (Wednesday). All students are required to exit the
campus by 3:15 P.M., unless they have official business (Example: QST, club
meeting, detention, or school athletics).
Since this is a neighborhood school, we encourage students to safely walk
or ride their bike to school to minimize traffic congestion.
ATTENDANCE
TARDIES: Students who are
not in their seats and ready to work when the final bell rings are tardy.
Tardies for zero and first periods are excused only for illness and medical
appointments.
Consequences For Tardies Are As Follows:
1st/2nd Tardy: Teacher
warning to student; student should be aware of consequences involved
with a third
tardy
3rd Tardy: Classroom
Behavior Report, Citizenship Grade is "N"
4th Tardy: Classroom
Behavior Report, Citizenship Grade is "U",
Meeting
with Assistant Principal, Phone Call Home
5th Tardy: Discipline Report,
ABSENCES: All absences are classified as either excused or unexcused. Excused absences are those related to:
illness, injury, quarantine, funerals, or necessary visits to physicians,
dentists, or optometrists. All other
absences are legally defined as unexcused.
Each day a student is absent, please call the Miller Absence Reporting Line at: (408) 252-3755, ext. 6 before 9 am. This is a 24-hour telephone number. Please use the following format when calling
in: “I
am calling in with a (full-day/partial-day) absence for (FIRST and LAST NAME of
student), the correct spelling is (spell name), he/she is in grade (6, 7,
8). The date(s) of absence(s) is/are ( ). The
reason for the absence is (illness, medical, family emergency, or other). I am the student’s (parent/guardian). I can be reached at (daytime phone number) if
there are any questions regarding this absence.” If a student arrives late
or leaves early, for any reason, parents must bring the student to the office
and sign the student in, or send a note with the student. Students who are absent excessively may be
referred to the School Attendance Review Board.
Students must attend the first day of school and the last day of school
to be guaranteed a place at Miller.
Students who are absent for more than ten (10) consecutive days will be
dropped from the roster of the school.
The district policy for attendance is published in a district booklet
that goes home at the start of the school and is clearly outlined on the
following web page; please check carefully if any unusual attendance is planned
for your student: http://teacherweb.com/CA/MillerMiddleSchool/MillerMustang/HTMLPage4.stm
HOMEWORK
FOR ABSENTEES: Students are expected to make up all work missed during their
absence. Students absent for one or two days should check their teachers’
websites for assignments and/or see their teachers when they return to school.
Students absent for more than two days should request homework through the
school office on the third day or later. Students who will be absent for five
or more days for reasons other than excused absences are to see the office for
an Independent Study Contract two weeks prior to leaving.
TRUANCY: Parents will be notified when a student has
missed a class or classes without an acceptable excuse. Students who cut class
will be assigned to
STUDENT ACTIVITIES
Students are encouraged to participate
in school activities such as assemblies, band trips, dances, field trips,
reward activities and graduation. To be
eligible students must maintain the necessary grades and exhibit good
citizenship. Academic requirements may
be different according to the activity.
Students may not be allowed to participate for the following reasons:
· suspension from
school
· disciplinary
action by an administrator
· two or more
“U’s” in citizenship in a quarter
· truancy
· habitual
tardiness
· two or more
discipline reports in a quarter.
Students who forfeit eligibility will be
excluded from school activities for at least one quarter. A student may regain eligibility if behavior
improves.
STUDENT
BODY CARDS: All students are members of the Miller School
Student Body Association. Student body
cards will be distributed after school pictures arrive. The card serves as identification and is
required identification for school dances and library use.
STUDENT
COUNCIL: The student council is the student governing body of the
school. The council consists of all
student body officers and of representatives elected by homerooms. Alternate representatives are also elected by
homerooms and will attend meetings in the absence of the regular
representative. All council members are expected to attend meetings
regularly. Student Body Officer
semester-long positions include: President, Vice-President, Treasurer,
Secretary, Sergeant-at-Arms, and Social Chair.
The year-long positions include sixth, seventh and eighth grade School
Site Council representatives. Students
are ineligible to run for office or may be removed from office if they receive
an “F” in a course or a “U” in citizenship.
WEB: “We all belong.” WEB is a service organization that helps
build school community spirit. Eighth
grade students serve as WEB leaders and guide a group of sixth graders through orientation
before school starts. They also provide
activities throughout the school year and an end of the year picnic. WEB leaders serve as ushers and guides for
school events and participate in service projects. Teachers nominate potential WEB leaders in
seventh grade by their teachers or they may self-nominate. Candidates submit an essay, participate in a
group discussion with current WEB leaders, and are interviewed before the final
fifty to sixty leaders are chosen. WEB
leaders must be available to participate in the sixth grade orientation in
August.
DANCES & CORRALS: Seventh and eighth grade students may
attend Miller dances. Students may not
arrive more than a half hour after the dance begins nor leave early unless
prior arrangements have been made with the assistant principal. Parents must provide transportation. Dances are only for Miller students, and all
school rules for behavior and dress apply at dances. At least twice a year, the Student Council
sponsors a Mustang Corral after school with a dance and activities. All students are invited to the Mustang
Corral.
PEER
MEDIATION: Miller’s Peer Mediation
Program is designed to empower students to resolve problems through
communication. Peer Mediators are sixth,
seventh, and eighth graders who are chosen by their fellow students. Peer Mediation will provide a confidential
and safe space for students to seek resolution to difficulties that they may
not feel comfortable sharing with adults.
The support and guidance of the trained Peer Mediators will help
students through challenges and, in the process, improve communication skills
and the school climate.
ATHLETIC ELIGIBILITY: A
student is eligible for after-school sports if, at the end of a quarter, he or
she has earned a 2.0 or higher grade point average (G.P.A.) on a 4-point scale. Students earning less than a 2.0 G.P.A. will
remain ineligible until the next report card period in which they earn a 2.0
G.P.A. or higher. Students who are
unable to participate in physical education class for medical reasons may be
ineligible to participate in after school sports. A student may also become ineligible due to
administrative disciplinary action.
ACADEMICS
REQUIRED
COURSES: Language arts, math,
social science, science, physical education, and one elective are required for
students each year. In addition, 7th and
8th grade students may choose to take an additional elective class.
HOMEWORK
GUIDELINES: Homework is a valuable and important part of the
instructional program at Miller. Typically, Miller students are assigned no
more than two hours of homework per night.
Advanced math classes require additional homework, as do some electives
including band and foreign language.
Other factors affecting the amount of time students spend on homework
include the pace at which students work, the desire of students to extend their
learning beyond the scope of assignments, and the scheduling of work on
projects. The amount of homework in each
class varies and is not necessarily indicative of the quality of the
program.
Our teachers have identified the following
purposes for homework:
·
to prepare for classroom
activities, including projects, tests, and quizzes.
·
to develop personal and academic
responsibility.
·
to apply and integrate learning
while deepening understanding through projects.
Student responsibilities regarding homework include:
·
to write down assignments and due dates immediately in planners.
·
to ask questions and seek help if you do not understand the assignment.
·
to complete work honestly and on time.
·
to make a good effort. Let your
teacher know ahead if you are having problems.
·
to set up reasonable timelines to
complete projects, and stick to them.
Teacher responsibilities regarding homework include:
·
to provide students an opportunity to record assignments in planners.
·
to explain objective of the assignment and give clear directions.
·
to assign work that, in their judgment, is relevant, necessary, and
appropriate.
·
to make sure students know how much the assignment counts.
·
to coordinate with other teachers to avoid too many tests and major
projects assigned at the same time as much as possible.
·
to validate the importance of the work with written comments,
discussion, or other feedback.
Parent responsibilities regarding homework include:
·
to provide an appropriate, quiet, and well-lit space to do homework.
·
to monitor or supervise the environment, especially television,
computer, and/or telephone use, to minimize distractions.
·
to monitor or supervise the homework beyond, “Is your homework done?”
·
to communicate with teachers regarding student progress and
difficulties.
·
to check the teachers’ websites and the student’s planner.
·
to allow and encourage students to be physically active.
·
to not over-schedule your child and be sure he/she gets enough sleep.
·
to allow the child to be an independent learner.
*****Check
out the Miller website which contains links to teachers’ websites as well as
school news.
*****Go
to: www.teacherweb.com/CA/MillerMiddleSchool/MillerMustang ****
*****Use http://parentconnect.cupertino.k12.ca.us to access current student grades and attendance records. A personal family password is required. ****
HONOR
ROLL: The honor roll system at
The
In order to graduate, students must receive a total
of at least 8 points in all year long courses, and at least 4 points in all
semester long electives, in the four quarters of a year’s course work. Here’s an example of how the policy works: John earned a “F” in the first quarter in
English, a “D” in the second quarter, and a “D-“ in the third quarter. So far, he has 4 points. He must get at least a “B” (4 points) the
fourth quarter in order to graduate.
Students are required to attend classes at least 85%
of the school days from the first day of school, or the date of enrollment (if
the students arrived in the middle of the year). In the absence of extenuating
circumstances, failure to meet this requirement will result in exclusion from
the graduation ceremony. This 85%
attendance means that students may not miss more than 27 days in the school
year. Parents should note that there is
no distinction made between excused or unexcused absences. If these two
requirements are not met, the student will not be able to participate in the
graduation ceremony. Please note that
not participating in the graduation ceremony does not mean that the student
will be retained.
Graduation
Dance/Party:
In
most cases, all students who meet the requirements to participate in graduation
will be able to attend the party/dance following the ceremony. However, any student who has been suspended
three or more times during the school year will be subject to review by the
administration. Please note any serious discipline issue may result in
exclusion from the graduation party, and is at the administrators’ discretion.
PROMOTION/RETENTION: Grades 6, 7, and 8
Students in grades six, seven, and eight who do not
meet the standards in two of the four following categories will be designated
as at risk of retention in reading, language arts, and/or mathematics:
1.
2.
Grade Points: A student must earn at
least eight (8) points (quarter schools) or six (6) points (trimester schools)
in each course by the end of the year to be promoted to the next grade. The point value for each report card grade is
based on the following scale: A=5 points, B=4 points, C=3 points, D=2 points,
F= 0 point.
3.
Failed Courses: Students who fail three or
more of the following courses during the academic year are ineligible to attend
extended school year (summer school) and must repeat the grade:
· Language Arts · Social Studies · Math · Science · Physical Education
GRADES
PROGRESS
REPORTS: Progress Reports are issued at the mid-point
of each quarter to alert students and parents to potentially low grades. In
general, only those students with grades below a “C” receives a progress
report. Progress Reports are mailed
mid-quarter. See the monthly Mustang
newsletter or Miller website for specific dates.
REPORT
CARDS: The report card is the one
reporting device, which is used regularly for all students. Its major purpose
is to inform the student and his/her parents of the student’s progress in
school. The letter system of grading is used in relation to achievement in the
various subject areas. An “A” indicates excellent achievement, “B” above average, “C” average, “D” below
average, and an “F” indicates
unsatisfactory achievement. A second
grade is given in each subject for work habits or effort put forth by the
student: “O’ is outstanding, “S” is satisfactory, “N” is needs to improve, and
“U” indicates unsatisfactory- definitely capable of doing better work. The same
“O”,“S”, “N” and “U” grades are used to indicate citizenship, which includes:
following classroom rules, acceptance of responsibility, sportsmanship, and
respecting the rights of others. A
temporary grade of “Incomplete” is
issued whenever a student needs time to make up work, following an extended
absence near the end of a quarter. A
permanent grade is issued 10 days after report cards are distributed.
Report cards will be issued each quarter
and will be mailed home. See the monthly
Mustang newsletter or Miller Website (www.teacherweb.com/CA/MillerMiddleSchool/MillerMustang
) for specific dates.
PARENTCONNECT: On ParentConnect you can
see attendance (absences and tardies), the current percent grade for each
class, a list of graded assignments and scores for each class, past report
cards and past progress reports. Use http://parentconnect.cupertino.k12.ca.us
and your family password to access ParentConnect. You may also see our school website for
further information about ParentConnect. (www.teacherweb.com/CA/MillerMiddleSchool/MillerMustang)
WEBSITES for Miller
teachers who have them are hot-linked to the school website through the staff
directory page.
MILLER HEADING
The Miller heading should be used on all written work in all
classes.
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MILLER
HONOR CODE
Cheating is:
Obtaining information or material for the
purpose of claiming credit or grades dishonestly.
Examples of this type of cheating are:
·
Obtaining oral or written answers from other students
unless permitted by the teacher
·
Obtaining answers from other sources such as cheat sheets,
class notes, books, notes on desk, etc., unless permitted by teacher
·
Filling in answers when the teacher is going over the
answers with the class - unless the teacher has asked that it be done
·
Obtaining test questions or answers from students who have
already taken the test
·
Copying homework or receiving answers over the telephone
·
Copying or handing in someone else’s work as one’s own
(plagiarism)
·
Claiming credit for work not actually done
Giving information or
material for the purpose of helping another student claim credit or claim
grades dishonestly.
Examples of this type of cheating are:
·
Allowing someone to look at one’s answers during a test or
giving the answers in any other way
·
Filling in answers on a classmate's paper while you are
correcting it
·
Giving test questions or answers to students who haven't
yet had the test
·
Allowing a student to copy one’s homework or giving answers
over the telephone
·
Allowing others to copy one’s work or reports
·
Helping another student claim credit for class work that he
or she has not read or done
Help outside the classroom: Students will
not take unfair advantage of parents, of friends, or of classmates by asking
them for help in obtaining a grade dishonestly.
Consequences: "F"
grade on that particular assignment and "U" in citizenship for that
particular quarter. Parent(s) will be
contacted.
If you are in doubt about any of the above,
check with your teacher.
DISCIPLINE
Miller students are expected to
behave and conduct themselves in a manner that enhances the normal educational
process as they continue to grow in maturity and responsibility. Students need to assume an active role in
their educational program in order to make it a meaningful experience. Students are expected to (1) exercise self-control;
(2) recognize and respect the rights of others; (3) respect school property and
the property of others; (4) learn and demonstrate appropriate social behavior;
and (5) follow each teacher's classroom standards.
Each teacher at Miller has
developed a set of standards for his/her classroom so that every student has
the opportunity to learn in a safe and orderly environment. Since different subjects allow for different
behavior (e.g. PE, lab, lecture), each teacher is free to set his/her own
classroom standards. Classroom standards
are developed with and communicated to the students and parents during the
first week of school and are posted in the classroom throughout the school
year.
Teachers use Classroom Behavior Reports and phone calls to communicate with
parents if problems occur. If a problem is chronic or very serious, students
will receive a Discipline Report and
speak to the Assistant Principal. Parents are frequently contacted by phone or
by mail for support and assistance in dealing with the problem. Students who
receive two or more Discipline Reports
or receive more than 2 "U's," may lose the privilege of participating
in school activities.
The following behaviors are unacceptable at Miller
and students can expect serious disciplinary action should such behaviors occur
before, during, or after regular school hours on school grounds.
1.
Blatantly refusing to obey (defiance) will result in a
Discipline Report to the assistant principal or principal, who will keep a
record of the incident. Suspension may occur if warranted, or parent(s) may be
asked to accompany the student to a conference.
2.
Failing to report to an assigned detention when given a
24-hour notice will result in a Discipline Report to the assistant principal or
principal. The administrator will confer
with the student and
3.
Harassing, threatening, or demonstrating rude behavior to
any teacher, regular or substitute, will result in a Discipline Report to the
assistant principal or principal, who will keep a record of the incident. An administrator will notify parent(s) of the
incident, and suspension may occur, depending on the severity of the offense.
Harassment
policy
Harassment is any act that is severe
enough to create an intimidating educational environment or negatively affect a
student's school adjustment. Such
behavior includes Verbal and Visual
Harassment which includes offensive posters, cards, cartoons, graffiti,
drawing, objects, gestures, profanity, foul language, religious, racial,
ethnic, and sexual slurs or innuendoes. Physical
Harassment includes unwelcome or offensive touching or impeding or blocking
movement. A student who feels he or she is being harassed should contact a
teacher, the principal, or the assistant principal immediately. Harassment may result in suspension.
Zero Tolerance
The Education Code of California
enumerates specific offenses serious enough to warrant suspension and/or the
recommendation for expulsion. These (Zero Tolerance) offenses include:
Other offenses for which students may be
suspended or expelled include:
1. Stealing or attempting to steal school
property or private property
CONSEQUENCES
When students
break a rule, they will be subject to various consequences. Certain consequences may be at the discretion
of a Miller staff member. This may
include one or more of the following consequences:
1.
Conference with student
2.
Confiscation of item
3.
Trash Duty
4.
Classroom Behavior Report
5.
Parent Contact/Conference
6.
Suspension from class
If the incident
is more severe, a Discipline Report to the school administration will be made,
and one or more of the following disciplinary consequences will result. In cases like these, there may be degrees of
severity, and the administrator will use his/her discretion in determining the
consequences to be assigned.
1.
Conference with student
2.
Parent contact/conference
3.
Confiscation of item(s)
4.
Trash duty
5.
After school detention
6.
Saturday school
7.
Removal from extracurricular activities
(dances, assemblies, field trips, end of year activities, graduation)
8.
Suspension from 1 to 5 days
9.
