Eagle Peak Middle School
Student and Family Handbook
Welcome to Eagle Peak Middle School! We are very happy to have you with us and we hope you will enjoy your time here while you prepare for high school. We have a lot of wonderful and meaningful experiences to offer you, and we believe this handbook will help you be successful at Eagle Peak. Please call (472.5250) or email me ([email protected]) if I can be of assistance in any way.
Eagle Peak Middle School began its first year of operation in the fall of 1997. It is one of two middle schools in the Ukiah Unified School District and is located in a northern rural section of the Ukiah Valley in the community of Redwood Valley. The design of the campus is characterized by two-story classrooms, a gymnasium, an after school program building, and a cafeteria/performing arts building, all encircling the administration/library complex. In the 2010-2011 school year, Eagle Peak was proud to welcome 5th graders to its campus due to the closure of Redwood Valley Middle School. The student population for grades five through eight is approximately 425 students. Approximately forty staff work at Eagle Peak. Eagle Peak’s school mascot is the Eagle and the school colors are burgundy and silver.
Eagle Peak Middle School seeks to provide a safe and equal learning opportunity for each of its students, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, handicapping condition, sexual orientation, gender identity, or social and family background. Our staff is committed to providing students with the understanding and skills necessary to cope with their own changes from childhood to adolescence, and to teaching the academic skills and knowledge necessary for continued success in high school and beyond. Our school is a great place to learn and a great place to make friends.
Keeping families informed about their student and about school news and information is a top priority for Eagle Peak Middle School. Our regular school office hours are 7 am until 3:30 pm. When you call our number 707.472.5250 you will be greeted by a live person rather than a phone tree. The following are the different ways in which communicate with you:
Please notify school personnel if your family is moving out of town or out of the school’s attendance area, and please notify us if you have a change in phone numbers.
It is extremely important for students to attend school every day in order to keep up with school work and receive the best education possible. Although teachers will give students a chance to make up work when absent, students may not receive the full explanation of the assignment when missing a class.
Another reason to attend every day possible is based on the way our school receives money to buy instructional materials for student use. California public schools are funded based on the number of students actually attending school each day. Whether absences are excused or unexcused makes no difference to the funding. An absence of any kind means a loss of funding for that day and less money to spend on our students.
When absent from school, students should bring a note (signed and dated) from their parents excusing the absence, or make sure that the parent calls the school to excuse the absence. Parents: please call the school as soon as you know your student will be absent. Students have a right to receive make up work from their teachers after the absences have been adequately explained.
Students should be on time for classes and remain on campus once they have arrived at school. When tardy for class without a valid excuse or when leaving campus without permission, students will be given an after school detention. Students who are tardy for school in the morning should bring a note from their parent or ask the parent to call the secretary in order to get the tardy excused.
If there is a need to schedule an appointment with a doctor or a dentist, please try to schedule it after school hours. Wednesday is a good day to schedule appointments since school is out early that day (1:15 pm).
Parents may request independent study for students if they are planning an out of town trip or other activity, but the school must be given at least a week’s notice so that the teachers have enough time to put together assignments. Maximum time for independent study is two weeks. In our information packet we send to you in August, we will include the school district calendar.
A Ukiah Unified School district nurse or health technician is on campus every day. The nurse or health technician is available to administer minor first aid or to phone for medical assistance. Please contact the school nurse or health tech. to arrange for any medication to be administered. Students are not allowed to give themselves medication. Also, please make sure that your home and emergency numbers, and your parent/guardian information in the office are up to date.
Any student participating in any school sponsored athletic program must have a physical examination completed prior to participation in any practice activity or inter-scholastic competition. The cost of such physical examination shall be the responsibility of the parent or guardian and shall be performed by a qualified medical practitioner who shall certify in writing that the student is medically fit to participate in the athletic programs offered by the school. A physical examination form can be picked up in the school office, and is part of a sports packet that contains information about Eagle Peak’s athletics program.
For a small fee, breakfast will be available in the cafeteria speed line before school or during morning recess/break. Lunches are served during the school day; 5th graders have their own lunch time, while 6th, 7th and 8th graders have a combined lunch. Lunch is served in the cafeteria speed line and the cost is minimal. Parents must pay for meals in advance. Families can request meal financial assistance by applying to the free and reduced lunch program. Applications for the program are available in the school office or cafeteria.
Vending machines are available for student use before school in the morning, during morning break, at noon lunch, and after school. The machines are not to be used during class time and students should not bring food or drinks of any kind into classrooms.
Students are required to eat in the designated eating areas only. These areas include the cafeteria, the vending machine area, and the open area between the library and the cafeteria. No food or drinks should be taken into other areas, including the basketball courts and athletic fields behind the gym.
The purpose of the school academic program and the personnel who support the program in any way is to provide for the maximum personal and educational development of each and every student at Eagle Peak Middle School.
Students have the educational right to:
Students have the responsibility to:
For purposes of evaluating student progress, the school year is divided into four quarters for 6-8th grade and three trimesters for 5th grade. Students will receive a report card at the end of each quarter or trimester. Students will also receive written communication from the school if the student is failing or near failing, or not meeting standards. For any additional information regarding student progress, parents should leave a message for a specific teacher to phone or email them. 6-8th grade students and families have access to Edline, which has all student grades available online.
For 6-8th grade students, the student’s grade-point average (g.p.a) is stated on the report card along with the letter grades. In calculating this average, an A is given a value of 4.0, a B is given the value of 3.0, a C a value of 2.0, a D a value of 1.0, and an F a value of 0.0. The g.p.a. is based on the average of all grades.
6-8th grade students may not move on to the next grade if they have earned 5 or more F grades in the school year. Make-up classes for failing grades are available through the after school program. 8th graders who have five or more F’s will not graduate from Eagle Peak, and will not participate in the graduation ceremony.
Homework is assigned in different ways. Some teachers will give an assignment every night (usually giving students some class time to begin their assignment), while other teachers may tend to assign more project type homework in which students need to do some work each night to finish by the due date. Some teachers assign both types of homework. The amount of homework increases with each grade, i.e. 8th grade students will naturally have more homework than 5th grade students. Students who are absent need to make up their assignments. Upon returning to school after an absence, it is the student’s responsibility to check with the teacher to see what work he/she needs to make up.
Since our school does not have lockers (other than PE lockers for 6-8th graders), it is important that students have good backpacks in which to carry books and class materials. Some classes have enough books to allow students to keep a book at home for their homework and to use a classroom book at school for classwork. Because of the expense, all classes may not enjoy that situation, yet it is our goal that they will. Eagle Peak teachers have agreed to require a minimal amount of textbook work at home in order to keep the backpack weight down, although math teachers will need to assign textbook work regularly.
There are several ways students can make their backpack carrying easier:
Textbooks and library books are school property and are paid for by the taxpayers. Books should be cared for in a way that will keep them useful for several years. Students should make sure they write their names in their textbooks so that no one else will take them and so that they will be returned if lost. Students who move from Eagle Peak should make sure they turn in all school books and property before leaving to avoid fines following them to the next school of attendance.
Books may be checked out of the library for student reading. Care should be taken to keep these books in good condition too. They should be returned by the due date in order to avoid late fines.
Participation in physical education classes is required. 6-8th grade students must dress down and participate in the P.E. activities to receive full credit for the class. A doctor’s note is required in order to be excused from P.E. for other than very short periods of time.
6-8th graders are required to wear school P.E. uniforms. Students may purchase Eagle Peak uniform shorts and t-shirt (and sweats if desired) at school. If financing is a problem, let the P.E. teacher know and other arrangements will be made. Socks and gym shoes should be purchased elsewhere. 6-8th grade students will have their own P.E. lockers and should store their P.E. clothes in them. Students should not give combinations to anyone else, even to friends. Students should not allow other students to use their lockers for storage.
Eagle Peak has a number of extra-curricular activities available to students, including:
School dances are for Eagle Peak students only. Visiting friends or relatives will not be permitted entry. At the end of dances, parents should be at the school waiting for their child. Students who are suspended from school are not allowed at the dances or any other school activities during their suspensions. In order to participate in an extra-curricular activity, students must attend school on the day of that activity.
Students at Eagle Peak are expected to behave in a responsible and respectful manner. Overall our school has an outstanding history of positive student culture and behavior. Many parents appreciate our “family atmosphere” and we want to keep things that way.
A system of positive rewards and privileges is in place for students who choose to follow schools rules. A system of progressive disciplinary consequences is in place for those who do not. Students are responsible for understanding and adhering to our behavior rules and policies. Parents are responsible for helping students understand and follow these rules, and for recognizing that unacceptable behavior will be subject to disciplinary action. School personnel are responsible for being aware of the specifics of the rules and to apply them appropriately and fairly. The school administration is responsible for communicating school rules and policies to students and parents. Let’s work together to maintain a safe, educational and positive campus!
CLASSROOM BEHAVIORS: WE ARE HERE TO LEARN!
CAMPUS BOUNDARIES AND BEHAVIORS: WE WILL TAKE CARE OF OUR CAMPUS!
Assemblies and rallies and sporting events are created to promote a sense of school
spirit and unity, as well as celebrate the academic, artistic and athletic accomplishments of our students. To ensure everyone’s right to enjoy these experiences in a respectful atmosphere, the following rules have been established:
Respect for the dignity of others is a cornerstone of civil society and our school climate. Bullying creates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation, robs a person of their dignity, detracts from the safe environment necessary to promote student learning, and will not be tolerated at Eagle Peak. Students who bully another person will be held accountable for their actions, whether they occur on the school grounds, off school grounds at a school sponsored or approved function, activity or event; or going to or from school or a school activity in a school vehicle or school bus; or at designated school bus stops.
Definition: Bullying is any pattern of behavior by a student, or a group of students, that is intended to harass, intimidate, ridicule, humiliate, or instill fear in another child or group of children. Bullying behavior can be a threat of or actual physical harm, or it can be verbal abuse. Bullying is a series of recurring actions committed over a period of time directed toward one student, or successive, separate actions directed against multiple students.
Examples of bullying might include--but are not limited to--a pattern of behavior involving one or more of the following:
Students are encouraged to report behavior they consider to be bullying--including a single action which if allowed to continue would constitute bullying--to their teacher or any adult staff member. The report may be made anonymously. Teachers and other school employees who have witnessed, or are reliably informed that, a student has been a victim of behavior they consider to be bullying--including a single action, which if allowed to continue would constitute bullying--shall report the incident(s) to the dean or principal. Parents or legal guardians may submit written reports of incidents they feel constitute bullying--or if allowed to continue would constitute bullying--to the dean or principal. The principal shall be responsible for investigating the incident(s) to determine if disciplinary action is warranted.
The person or persons reporting behavior they consider to be bullying shall not be subject to retaliation or reprisal in any form.
Students who bully others will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion. Mr. Stearns has a zero tolerance policy for bullying and his number one priority for student safety on campus is to make sure that bullying does not happen.
Smaller and first time infractions of school rules (i.e. talking while the teacher is teaching, goofing off in class) will often be handled by the teacher. More serious and repeated offences will result in a discipline referral to school administration, either to the campus supervisors, school dean, or principal. Consequences include warnings, after school and lunch detentions, campus clean-up, periods of ICE, suspension from school, or expulsion from the school district.
The following behaviors have been designated as offences leading to expulsion, according to the education code of the State of California: