- How long is the school day for UVMS students?
- Is homeroom separate of 1st period?
- Will my child remain with the same TEAM of students for all 3 years?
- Are teams created based on student academic ability?
- Can 6th graders play interscholastic sports?
- What happens on a two hour delay?
- What is an after school activity bus?
- How do I pick my child up early from school for say a doctor's appointment?
- What happens when my child goes on a family vacation when school is in?
- Who is my child's guidance counselor?
- How does OPEN HOUSE work?
How long is the school day for UVMS students?
The student day starts with a five minute "homeroom" at 7:32 a.m.and ends at
the conclusion of p.m. announcements which start at 2:12 p.m. Our 2:15 p.m.
dismissal buses are usually leaving campus sometime between 2:20 p.m. and
2:22 p.m. We follow a nine (9) period school day. Each period is forty-one
(41) minutes in duration. There is three minutes between periods and four
minutes between periods 3-4 and 6-7. An extra minute is added at these times
to offer an additional opportunity for students who have either an early or
late lunch to visit their hallway locker if needed.
Is homeroom separate of 1st period?
Students report to "homeroom" which is actually their 1st period class.
Morning announcements are made during the five minute homeroom time. In
short, homeroom and 1st period are in the same place with the same teacher.
Homeroom starts at 7:32 a.m.
Will my child remain with the same TEAM of students for all 3 years?
No, at the start of each school year students are re-scheduled,
heterogeneously, into different teams therefore changing the student
chemistry of the team each school year.
Are teams created based on student academic ability?
No, teams are balanced, as best as possible. Each team maintains sections
for each level of ability regarding reading and mathematics. All other
subjects are heterogeneous.
Can 6th graders play interscholastic sports?
No, eligibility to play interscholastic sports begins in the 7th grade.
Middle School interscholastic sports play modified programs specified under
New York State education and athletic guidelines.
What happens on a two hour delay?
When the school district calls for a two (2) hour delay all schools will
start their school day exactly two hours later. For example, Union Vale
Middle School's regular starting time for students' first period/homeroom
class is 7:32 a.m. On a two hour delay it will be 9:32 a.m. SCHOOL IS
DISMISSED AT OUR REGULAR 2:12-2:15 P.M. DISMISSAL TIME WHEN WE HAVE A DELAY.
All nine periods of class meet on a two hour delay but the period time is
shortened. A listing of the exact times is listed in our student
planner/handbook.
What is an after school activity bus?
The Arlington Central School District provides it's secondary schools after
school (for sports and school sponsored activities, clubs etc.) bus
transportation home. PLEASE NOTE, THE ACTIVITY BUS ROUTE HOME IS DIFFERENT
THAN THE REGULAR PM DISMISSAL RUN AND DROP-OFF LOCATION. AFTER SCHOOL
ACTIVITY BUSES FOLLOW MAIN ROAD ROUTES AND WILL DROP OFF STUDENTS
ACCORDINGLY. The after school activity bus route schedules are posted in the
UVMS main office. Parents may also call ACSD transportation office at 486-
4955 for assistance. THERE ARE ACTIVITY BUSES LEAVING UVMS AT 3:45 PM AND
ALSO AT 4:15 PM. BOTH THE 3:45 PM AND 4:15 PM ACTIVITY BUS RUN ROUTES ARE
IDENTICAL THIS SCHOOL YEAR.
How do I pick my child up early from school for say a doctor's appointment?
First, ALL VISITORS to the school are to report to either the main lobby desk
or main office when entering the building. Once there you will sign-in and
then be directed to the attendance office. The attendance office secretary
will contact your child and direct he/she to the attendance office for
release to you. PARENTS or GUARDIANS MUST SHOW PICTURE IDENTIFICATION - so
please have your driver's license handy!
What happens when my child goes on a family vacation when school is in?
Parents who schedule vacations during the regular school year calendar
jeopardize the academic success of their youngster. The State Education
Department labels a student's absence from school because of a "vacation"
as "unlawful detention." Technically, the school (teacher) is not
responsible to provide work ahead of time, or extra time before or after
school to "plan ahead" or "catch-up" due to the time missed because of the
vacation. Of course, our teachers will help any student upon their return,
as best they can, but the best solution is for the student to be in school
when school is in session.
Who is my child's guidance counselor?
We currently have three guidance counselors serving over 1,000 students. The
guidance counselors are assigned by grade and will follow "their" students
into the next grade level until the end of 8th grade. At the end of 8th
grade, the 8th grade guidance counselor picks up the new 6th grade class
coming in September thus becoming the 6th grade guidance counselor for that
particular school year. Then the guidance counselor moves with the students
as they move from 6th to 7th and then from 7th to 8th as the years go by.
How does OPEN HOUSE work?
Our OPEN HOUSE program is usually scheduled the third week of September. We
run two identical two hour programs. The first starts at 12 noon to 2:01 pm
and the second identical program at 7:00 pm to 9:01 pm. The program allows
for a parent or guardian to follow or mirror their middle school youngster's
nine period schedule. (We always follow an "A DAY" schedule for the open
house program.) Parents are to arrive to the school on time (if you want to
park close to the building get here early!)because the program will start
promptly at 12 noon and/or 7:00 pm. Once here, parents are to report to
their son or daughter's "A DAY" 1ST PERIOD HOMEROOM/CLASS. (IT REALLY HELPS
IF YOU HAVE YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER EXPLAIN TO YOU THE LOCATION OF THAT 1ST
PERIOD CLASS SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO WONDER THE BUILDING TRYING TO FIND IT.)The
first period teacher will have a copy of your youngster's schedule for you to
follow. the Principal of the school will make a PA announcement and then
each "class" will run 8 minutes. We usually allow five minutes between
classes so teachers are not rushed to wrap up and parents are not rushed to
get to the next class. The teachers will be focusing on their academic
expectations and curriculum perimeters. Open House is not the place for a one-
to-one conference to occur. It's not fair to the other parents and there
really isn't enough time. Specific questions or concerns regarding your
child should be made through an appointment, or phone call, with the teacher,
guidance counselor, team meeting, and/or an administrator anytime during the
regular school day.