Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I register my student to start school at BMS?
2. Which guidance counselor should I talk to regarding my child?
3. My child wants to drop a class. How do I do this?
4. My child is struggling with homework. Any after school homework sessions?
5. Are there after school activities for students to get involved with?
6. How do suspensions work?

How do I register my student to start school at BMS?

Please call the Guidance office at 282-6400 to set up an 
appointment with a guidance counselor. There are many papers to 
fill out as part of the registration packet. Please also bring 
with you documentation that shows you have proof of custody of 
your child, as well as documentation that shows proof of 
residency saying you do live in Biddeford (lease agreement, 
electric bill, etc.).

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Which guidance counselor should I talk to regarding my child?

The guidance counselors split the caseload of students in the 
school. For teams Goose Rocks, Fortune's Rocks (last name A-M), 
Acadia or Sugarloaf, please contact Ms. Fenney. For teams Hills 
Beach, Fortune's Rocks (last name N-Z), Baxter or Katahdin, 
please contact Mrs.(Fiandaca) Avery. Your child may see any of 
the other Support Team members regardless of which team s/he is 
on.

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My child wants to drop a class. How do I do this?

This question comes up frequently! If there is an extenuating 
circumstance that affects the learning of your child or another 
in a particular class, please call your student's guidance 
counselor to discuss the problem and hopefully come up with a 
solution. If the reason behind your child wanting to change the 
class is simply out of lack of interest for a particular subject 
matter, we cannot accommodate that change. We have a variety of 
wonderful classes, particularly the Unified Arts classes, that we 
know students will enjoy once they are enrolled in the class and 
its activities. We also have only as many UA classes as there are 
blocks to fill, so if a student skips a particular class she will 
not have enough to cover her schedule later in the year. All 
questions and concerns should be directed to your student's 
guidance counselors.

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My child is struggling with homework. Any after school homework sessions?

Homework can be a really difficult issue with students in the 
middle school! It has something to do with this stage in 
adolescence that involves not being tremendously organized! 
Teachers are here to help. Please contact either your child's 
school guidance counselor or her/his team of teachers to ask 
about an after school homework club. Many teams provide 
supervised homework help one day a week after school or during 
lunch or advisory periods.

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Are there after school activities for students to get involved with?

YES!!! We have proven through data research that our students who 
receive the highest grades are also those who are involved in the 
most activities after school. We encourage our students to stay 
active! We have many things to offer from sports for every season 
to cooking club, art club, newspaper, yearbook, Civil Rights 
Team, Student Council and so many more! Encourage your child to 
check out the Activities Bulletin Board outside the Guidance 
office. It's full of ideas for how to get involved in school!

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How do suspensions work?

We have a great program at BMS called the Rise Room. Students 
serve office detentions and In-School Suspensions (ISS) in this 
room with our teacher Ms. Harriman. We find that ISS works for 
major offenses so that students are still in school and able to 
complete some work despite that they are serving a consequence. 
These students stay in the Rise Room for the entire day for 
their ISS. They do not talk and focus on their school work. 
Outside of School Suspensions (OSS) are for serious consequences 
and they are held outside of school where the students stay home 
to serve their OSS.

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