Important news for Middle School students
August 22, 2013
By Principal David Miles II
Boundary County Middle School

Dear Students/Parents/Guardians:

I hope that you have been enjoying your summer break. Even though it is still summer, there are some important dates that I wanted to alert you of regarding pre-registration for the 2013-2014 school year.

Boundary County Middle School will have pre-registration days to help students, parents/guardians, and staff have a smoother first day of school. These pre-registration days will allow parents/guardians to register their students if they are new to the district and for students who registered last spring, to pick up their class schedule, locker and combination and pay fees, in a more relaxed atmosphere.

Students can locate their lockers, practice the combination and become acquainted with their school.

It is our hope that this will make the transition easier and the first day of school more educationally productive.

The dates for pre-registration are Tuesday, August 27, and Wednesday, August 28, from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

The first day for classes is Tuesday, September 3.

Practices for football, volleyball, cross country and cheerleading will start on Thursday, September 5. Students must have the proper athletic forms, including a physical for any participant who did not have one last year, completed before they may begin practice. Forms are available at the BCMS office.

Transition Day for incoming sixth graders will be held on Thursday August 29 from 8 a.m. to noon, where incoming sixth graders will have the opportunity to become acquainted with their school prior to the first day of school.

During this program, students and parents/guardians will have the opportunity to meet the sixth grade staff, and participate in activities to make the transition to middle school easier.

Also, on Thursday, August 29, BCMS will be hosting a Back to School Night for all 6th, 7th, and 8th grade student and parents/guardians.

The evening will start at 5 p.m. with a general meeting in the gymnasium and then a mini schedule where parent/guardians will have an opportunity to meet each of the teachers and learn about the classes and the expectations of the teachers.

It is our hope that by meeting with teachers before school starts that parent/guardians will have a better understanding of the classes their child will be taking during the 2013-2014 school year.

There are two areas that we would like parents/guardians to visit with their children about before school starts on Tuesday, September 3. First is the need for students to not bring cash or items of significant value to school.

Items such as iPods, iPads, video readers, portable DVD players, laptops, cell phones, or any item that students’ value should be left at home or turned into the office for security during the school day to ensure their safety.

The school cannot guarantee that these items will not be stolen or broken if students leave them unattended during the school day.

The second area of concern is cell phones. We realize that cell phones have become an important link in communication between students and parent/guardians and want to continue to support this link, but last year it became obvious that cell phones were being used inappropriately at school.

The policy we have adopted states that cell phones may be used before school, at lunch or after school. Unless given specific permission by the office, cell phones are never to be used during class time, in between classes or by anyone besides the owner of the phone.

Phones should be kept in the students’ lockers and turned off during these unauthorized times. If the phone rings during unauthorized times or a school employee sees the phone it will be taken from the student, turned in to the office, and kept until the end of the school day.

If parents/guardians need to contact their student during the day, please call the office and the message will be given to the student.

First offense of the cell phone policy results in the phone being taken from the student and returned to the student at the end of the school day. On the second offense the phone is confiscated and a parent/guardian must come in and pick up the phone. A third offense results in the student receiving an in-school suspension and a parent/guardian having to come in and pick up the phone.

Also, taking pictures is not allowed at school unless permission has been granted by the teacher or principal; sending illegal pictures or having inappropriate pictures on a student’s phone will result in confiscation of the phone and appropriate school and or law enforcement penalties.

Please visit with your children about the importance of appropriate use of cell phones; it will help avoid any problems during the upcoming school year.

Fees for the upcoming year include ASB Card: required for participation in activities and covers admission to all sporting events (required for band members). $20 for the student $45 for a family; Student Planner: includes the school handbook. $5; Art Fees: for those students taking Art II $20.00

Lunch fees are paid directly to the kitchen staff. Free and reduced lunch forms will be available during pre-registration. Please make checks out to BCMS, except for lunches, which need to be paid to the kitchen.

The staff at Boundary County Middle School looks forward to seeing you at pre-registration and welcomes any questions that you may have regarding the upcoming school year.

Please come in to say hello, discuss concerns, and/or share ideas with me. Together we can make this year a wonderful educational experience for the students and a school year that they will look back on with pride.