Middle School Policy

Middle School Team

Since our upper grade students at Saint Ann School have the opportunity to learn with different teachers throughout the school day, the middle school teachers have adapted the concept of “teaming.”  All teachers who teach grades fifth through eighth, plus the school principal, make up the middle school team.  Each student in grades fifth through eighth are also an important part of the team. Teaming allows the teachers to communicate on a regular basis with each other about classroom happenings that occur each day.  This benefits our students greatly in that the teachers can work as a team to reinforce positive actions, address specific difficulties, and deal with inappropriate behaviors in a unified way.  

One of the team goals is to instill the concept of responsibility for positive and negative actions in our students.  As middle school students, it is vital that we emphasize that their every action has a consequence. We have developed ways to reinforce this for both positive and inappropriate actions.

Another of our team goals is to guide our students away from inappropriate actions, such as disrespect to self or others, disruptive behavior, or violations outlined in the following Team Discipline Policy and the Discipline Policy section of the Saint Ann School Parent-Student Handbook. The best way to guide our students away from these actions is by setting a good example.  Unfortunately, sometimes this example is not followed.  Just as there is a need for positive consequences for positive actions, there is also a need for disciplinary consequences for inappropriate actions.  Often, the action is dealt with by the teacher in the classroom in a manner that reinforces the expected positive behavior.  Sometimes, however, the teacher will need to use the Team Discipline Policy.

Team Discipline Policy

This discipline policy operates in stages of progressive consequences.  Some actions may require skipping one or more of these stages.  Again, we are confident that these consequences will reinforce the value of positive actions and deter inappropriate actions from disrupting the Christ-centered learning environment of St. Ann School.  A Middle School Team representative will make every effort to contact you when a discipline action has been taken.

    Offenses

    The following general types of offenses or infractions are inappropriate and unacceptable.

·         Offenses against students – this includes any form of interference (physical, written, or spoken) with or endangering another student’s safety, health, or welfare in the school, on school property, at a school-sponsored event, traveling to and from school, or on the internet.

·         Offenses against school personnel – for example, disrespectful behavior toward a teacher or staff member.

·         Disruptive behavior.

·         Tardiness – a student who accumulates four tardies in a trimester will receive detention.

·         Offenses against property.

·         Offenses against self.

·         Offenses against school.

·         Substance abuse.

·         Weapons offense.

    Consequences

·         1^st offense - written warning will be sent home for parent’s signature.

·         2^nd offense – after school detention from 2:30pm – 3:30pm to be served the following week on Wednesday.  Parents are required to provide transportation.  If the afterschool program must be used after detention is over, the parents are responsible for any charges that occur.  Students will only be excused from detention with a doctor’s note and the detention must be served the following week.

·         3^rd offense – after school detention with a required parent conference.

·         4^th offense - in-school suspension.