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Parent Handbook » Student Expectations

Student Expectations

 

Student behavior

 

*Students are expected to be respectful, caring and responsible.

*Students are expected to follow school rules.

 

Lost or damaged school property, vandalism

 

Students who lose or damage school property will be expected to make restitution to the District.  Except for unique circumstances, it is expected that full replacement value will be received.  In the case of vandalism, the police will be notified.

 

 

Student appearance

 

Students are expected to exercise reasonable care, neatness, and common sense in regard to dress and appearance. Any form of dress which is considered contrary to good hygiene or is distractive or disruptive in appearance and detrimental to the purpose of conduct of the school will not be permitted. For example, shirts containing inappropriate/suggestive language and/or graphics, halter tops, over-sized muscle shirts, skirts or shorts that do not meet fingertips when arms are down at student’s side are not allowed.  Safety of the students should also be considered at all times.  Platform shoes or any type of sandal and flip flops are discouraged due to these safety concerns.  Students arriving at school with inappropriate dress will be asked to call their parents for a change of clothes.

 

Prohibited items

 

Students should bring to school only those items necessary for the educational process.  Please refrain from sending in electronics of any kind, toys, trading cards, or any item that would constitute a weapon, such as jack-knives, Swiss army knives, lighters, Leathermen, or toy guns.  For safety reasons, skates, scooters, and skateboards must not to be brought to school.

 

Physical education

 

Students may be excused from participation upon receipt of a notice from a duly licensed physician.  Temporary excuses from physical education participation, upon written request from the parent, may be granted by the principal/designee on a daily basis.

 

Elevator Use

 

Elevator use is permitted on a case by case basis for students in need.  Students may gain access to elevator use upon receipt of a notice from a duly licensed physician and/or upon approval by the principal/designee.

 

Recess

Recess is a part of the elementary school program. It is an important time for children to meet friends, relax and play. Most of the time, the children go outside for all or a portion of their recess for fresh air and exercise. During the winter months, outside temperature, wind chill, and playground conditions are factors we consider before making a decision for outdoor recess. We urge that children be dressed appropriately in order to cope with the weather. Any child who is not well enough to go out to recess should remain at home unless we have a request from the physician that the child remains indoors.

 

Occasionally, teachers may find it necessary to keep students in at recess to finish work or to receive special help.

 

Telephone use

 

We encourage parents to make a note of days when sneakers are needed for physical education classes, instruments for lessons, and when homework assignments are due. These are the most frequent requests by children for making telephone calls. Students are expected to be responsible for these items rather than leave class to call parents at home or at work. Long distance calls will be allowed only in emergency situations. Students are not allowed to use classroom phones or cell phones. They will be allowed to use office phones when necessary.

 

Cellphone use

 

Students are not allowed to use cell phones during the school day.  Students using cell phones during the day will be sent to the office.  

 

First offense:  Parents will be notified and the phone will be kept in the office and returned to the student at the end of the day.

 

Future offenses:  Parents will be notified and will need to retrieve the phone from the office.

 

Photography and/or Videotaping

Students are prohibited from taking pictures or video clips using any personal device on the bus or during the school day.

First offense:  Parents will be notified and the phone will be kept in the office and returned to the student at the end of the day.

Future offenses:  Parents will be notified and will need to retrieve the phone from the office.

Movies Shown in School

The showing of movies must be limited to a specific educational purpose.  G-rated movies and videos may be shown at the teacher’s discretion.   PG-rated movies may be shown with administrator approval and parent permission.

At least (5) days prior to the showing, the teacher shall submit to the assistant principal, in writing, the following information:

  • Title and a brief description
  • Purpose for showing the movie/video
  • Connection to course objectives
  • Proposed date(s) of viewing
  • Copy of parent permission slip

 

If a PG movie is being shown a permission slip will be sent home to the parents.  Parents may opt-out of having their child watch the movie.  Should this happen, an alternative activity will be prepared by the teacher for the student(s) in question allowing for a similar exposure to the curriculum content being addressed by the movie.

 

School Issued Electronic Devices (Chromebooks)


Students at Heron Pond are issued personal electronic devices for use at both school and home. Chromebooks are the current device of choice due to their ease of use and ability for the school district to control and monitor their use. Families are responsible for the devices and are encouraged to purchase the insurance to protect against accidental damage to the device. Here are the current costs for damages to the Chromebooks: (Prices subject to change)


● Entire Chromebook - $230.00
● Motherboard - $100.00
● Keyboard and Touchpad - $50.00 (or $25.00 for each separately)
● Screen - $40.00
● Charger - $20.00
● Battery - $38.00

Chromebooks are by no means a replacement for quality curriculum and instruction. They are a tool to be used by teachers and students to enhance the learning experience offered at Heron Pond. Teachers will often build Chromebook use into their lesson plans so it is important for students to bring their device to school each day and to ensure that it is fully charged for the day. A fully charged Chromebook should last for the entire school day. Heron Pond cannot guarantee that extra chargers or devices will be available should a student’s device run out of power or if the device is forgotten at home.

Computer and Internet use

 

Under Policy #2295, the Milford School District offers students access to school computer systems and the Internet as an educational resource.  The use of computer technology and Internet access is an integral part of the mission of the Milford School District.  Users are expected to follow all guidelines as well as those given verbally by the staff or administration, and to demonstrate ethical behavior that is of the highest order in using the network facilities.  Users are also expected to realize that the opportunity to use the network goes “hand in hand” with the responsibility to use the computers and the Internet properly.  Access is a privilege, not a right, and that access requires responsibility.

 

During school, teachers will guide students toward appropriate materials.  Teachers and staff will monitor the use of computers and the Internet to the best of their abilities.  Administrators, or their designees, may review files and communications (including electronic mail) to ensure that users are using the system responsible.  Users should not expect that files stored on servers or disks will always be private.  Within the guidelines of the Children’s Internet Protection Act, freedom of speech and access to information will be honored.

 

The District uses a content filtering package prescribed by and compliant with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) to block obscenity, porn, and other sites deemed harmful to minors.

 

Any actions that might harm the computer equipment, software, data, another user, or the Internet, or that show disregard for the proper procedures set up for network access WILL NOT be tolerated.  The Milford School District reserves the right to refuse access to the Internet to anyone when it deems it necessary in the public interest.  Violation of this policy will result in a temporary or permanent ban on computer or Internet use.  When applicable, police or local authorities may be involved.  Further, any users of the School District’s computer systems or networks who intentionally violate the District’s policy and who intentionally damage the computer system or network shall assume legal and financial liability for such damage.

 

Google Drive Information

Students at Heron Pond will be using Google Drive, an online learning platform where teachers and students can collaborate, share content, and use educational apps to augment in –classroom learning.  Within this private learning environment that is managed by the school district, students will only interact with others in our school.  Google Drive provides a safe and easy way to connect and support learning beyond the classroom.

Google Drive provides cloud storage as well as collaborative documentation tools that will enhance learning experiences and help students develop important online skills.  

On Google Drive, students will be able to:

  • Complete classroom assignments like reports, presentations, and spreadsheets.
  • Participate in class or group projects that share documents with other students and teachers.
  • Store all of their digital school work.
  • Log in at home to show parents their work.

 

Heron Pond students will have individual accounts assigned to them to “login” with passwords however they will not be given access to Gmail.  It is our belief that these technologies will be very useful for both students and staffs alike as we proceed to make sure our students are prepared for life beyond high school.

Plagiarism guidelines

 

Plagiarism is defined as taking someone else’s words or ideas and pretending they are your own.  Plagiarism applies to words, illustrations, music, video or ideas created by someone else.

 

            -  If students copy someone else’s words, they must put the words in quotation

               marks and give credit to the person who said or wrote them.  This applies

               to words in books, on the Internet, or from sources such as CDs.

 

  - If students use other types of media in a product, they must give credit to the author      or artist  who originally created.

 

 

Bus discipline

 

Students exhibiting unsafe or inappropriate behavior on the bus will be subject to disciplinary action including possible suspension from the bus and/or school.  Parents will be notified of all suspensions.

 

To insure the maximum level of safety for all bus students, skis and large band instruments (those which cannot be held on one’s lap) are not permitted to be taken on the school bus.