Sharpstown Middle School
Magnet School for Architectural and Graphic Design
MISSION
To connect with children and instill a love for learning that will last a lifetime.
ACADEMICS
Sharpstown Middle School is a community of learners. SMS teachers are always striving for new ways to teach the students by using relevant, real-world learning experiences. Our standard is high and we are expecting our students to rise to meet the challenge.
REACHING EVERY STUDENT EVERYDAY
Our school is structured into 3 small learning communities to give students and teachers a greater chance of knowing each other. Each community has it's own Community Principal who will deal with all disciplinary infractions that cannot be resolved within the classroom or between the classroom teacher and the family. Each House Principal will also monitor the instruction occurring for all students in each house. The 3 House Principal's will convey messages and information from the school principal to the teachers and students ensuring a clear channel of communication. If you have any issues with your child's educational program at Sharpstown, contact your teacher first, then the house principal.
Every student is assigned a Family Advocate, who is a member of the staff. Students and their Advocate meet on a weekly basis. The Advocate works with the student's family to communicate all information regarding the student and ensure academic and behavioral success.
EXPECTATIONS
In order to be successful, students must be
Students will hear these
3 terms through out the day and year. Be respectful, responsible,
and relentless!
ALL STUDENTS are EXPECTED to bring their planner home daily with their homework
assignments initialed or stamped by their classroom teacher.
GRADES
Grades are our way of knowing if a student is being successful in the learning process. This helps us know how to better help him or her, and it helps you know how to support us at home. Students with support form both school and home are usually successful in school. Grades should be a reflection of the level of mastery each child has achieved over the standards established by the Texas Education Agency.
Grading System:
Criteria for grading academic subjects:
90-100 Excellent work quality; subject mastery.
80-89 Good work quality; consistent effort.
75-79 Satisfactory work, average achievement.
70-74 Work quality below expectations.
69- Failing
Criteria for citizenship traits:
E Excellent behavior
S Satisfactory behavior; cooperates
P Poor behavior; below average
U Unsatisfactory behavior
HOMEWORK, or "PRACTICE"
Homework, practice, is an important part of a student's education. Students are expected to complete homework assignments of a 30 to 40 minutes a night. Teachers assign homework to help students practice and review skills and concepts introduced in the class. Students must read a minimum of 20 minutes a night to improve their reading comprehension and fulfill Accelerated Reader (AR) requirements for their Language Arts teacher. Parents can help support the school's efforts by checking the student planner each evening for homework assignments.
PROGESS REPORTS AND REPORT CARDS
Progress reports are issued between report card periods during 4th or 5th week
of each grading cycle in order to inform parents of the student’s progress. This
year, we have an early dismissal date at progress report time so that we can
meet with the parents of students who are struggling. Two of these will be in
the afternoons and two will be in the early evenings to give more parents the
opportunity to come and visit with the classroom teacher
Report cards are sent home every nine weeks. Parents must sign and return each
Progress Report and Report Card. Promotion Standards are set by the state and
school district. Information and notification of a student's status is provided
for parents in the Spring.
ATTENDANCE
A student must be present to learn. It is also a state law. A student must be present at 9:30 to be counted present for the day and must also attend at least 4 hours of school during the day in order to receive full credit for that day's attendance. When a student is absent, a parent or guardian may call the Attendance Office (713)778-3445 before 9:45 a.m. with the following information: student's name, grade and community name. When the student returns to school, he/she must have a written excuse from the parent/guardian stating the reason for the absence.
Excused absences include personal illness, death of an immediate family member, participation in pre-approved school activities, or emergency situations. Unexcused absences include oversleeping, taking care of a sibling or missing the bus. For religious holidays, students are not counted absent, but it is strongly recommended that a written note from the parent is received before the holiday.
When a student must leave during the school day, he/she must bring a note from a parent stating the reason, the time to be picked up, and the telephone for verification. The student must bring the note to the Attendance Office before the school day begins, and he/she will be given a permit to meet the stating the designated pick-up time. Students will not be allowed to walk home.
Recognition and rewards are given to encourage good attendance. Students who miss more than ten (10) school days in an academic year, may fail to meet promotion standards and be retained for the following school year. Excessive absences require a letter of explanation and must be given to the Attendance Committee for review in May.
BUSES
The HISD Transportation Department establishes bus routes and rider eligibility each year. Students interested in riding a bus must complete a 2-mile Eligibility Form (provided by the school transportation coordinator) or contact the Magnet Coordinator, if the student is in the Magnet Program. Transportation is considered an auxiliary service. Riding the bus is a privilege and requires students to act in a responsible and safe manner. The HISD Code of Student Conduct applies both at school and on the school bus. Therefore, transportation service may be revoked at any time. Students arriving late at school, due to an HISD bus, should repot to the Attendance or Main Office for a Late Bus Permit.
CAFETERIA RULES
The Cafeteria is place to practice good social skills. Students ID badges are required. Students may purchase food from the snack bar, go through the lunch line, or bring a sack lunch from home. Cafeteria rules are enforced at breakfast and at lunch for health and safety reasons.
1. Every student must enter the cafeteria as soon as lunch begins or immediately after purchasing food from the snack bar line.
2. Remain seated while eating or drinking.
3. Talk quietly with class mates and friends. No running or shouting.
4. Pick up all trash from the table and surrounding area and raise hand for permission to be excused from table. All students are to remain in the cafeteria for the entire lunch period.
5. Place all food, paper, beverages, etc. in the trash cans provided.
6. Make breakfast / lunch time a responsible and enjoyable experience.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS
Change of address and/or telephone numbers during the school year must be reported to the Attendance Office. If the student is in the Magnet Program, information must also be reported to the Magnet Coordinator.
DAILY SCHEDULE
The academic day is designed to maximize learning, provide small, personalized communities, and meet students' individual needs. The faculty and staff provide instruction and guidance, while students accept responsibly and self-discipline.
Breakfast: 7:20 - 7:40 a.m.
1st Bell: 7:35 a.m.
Classes begin: 7:45 a.m.
Classes alternate between green days (Period 1 - 4) and gold days (Period 5 - 8)
The school day ends: 3:15 p.m.
SCHOOL RULES
Sharpstown Middle School has three overarching rules:
1. Be Ready
2. Be responsible
3. Be relentless
It is understood that from these 3 rules that the following rules will be followed:
Safety - engaging in any behavior that could be possibly result in physical harm to the student or others. Behaviors include, but are not limited to, running, hitting, pushing, pulling, jumping, tripping or throwing.
Dress Code - inappropriate clothing and/or shoes.
School Supplies - failing to bring to class binder, notebook paper, pencil, and blue or black pen.
Chewing gum, eating candy, and consuming food and drinks (other than water) is not allowed in the classroom.
Littering - throwing food wrappers, papers, etc. anywhere other than in the provided trash cans.
Vandalism - destruction of school property, which includes graffiti.
Profanity - speaking or writing any word that is considered obscene (in English or in any other language), and the use of racial or sexual slurs.
Electronic devices such as Gameboys and MP3 players should not be brought to school; if these devices are stolen, the school is not responsible.
Violation of Code of Student Conduct.
DRESS CODE
Students are required to follow SMS Dress Code beginning the first day of school. Students violating dress code will be disciplined following the code of student conduct.
New students will be given a loaner shirt for a week to give them time to get the proper uniform.
TOPS:
SMS green polo shirt purchased from the school PTO. A long sleeve dark green SMS t-shirt and a "VIKINGS" sweatshirt purchased at the school are also permissible.
No tops purchased outside of SMS will be allowed. A yellow or green t-shirt may be worn under the polo shirt. No other color will be permitted.
White t-shirts are not allowed at Sharpstown Middle School.
BOTTOMS:
100% khaki pants, skirts, or shorts that fir at the waist/hip area. For boys - not to hang below the hips.
For girls - not form-fitting, and longer than the student's fingertips when the student is standing with arms extended straight down.
The school administration is the final word on what "fits" or is appropriate to wear to school.
SHOES:
Athletic styled, rubber-soled tennis or walking shoes. No boots, flp-flops, sandals, slippers, slide-ons will be allowed.
HALLWAYS
Students are not permitted in the hallways during class time without a teacher / staff issued pink hall pass. Hall passes are used for emergency or administrative purposes, tardiness, dress code violations, library, nurse or content mastery. Students are required to pass quickly and quietly, without running through the hall between classes, as well as before and after school. Students should stay on the right side of hallways when passing to the next class.
HEALTH SERVICES
The nurse's office is located in the main office area. Office hours are 8:00 to 3:45 p.m. Students must obtain a pass from the classroom teacher before reporting to the nurse. This applies to all students except in emergency situations. The nurse can administer only medicine ordered by physician and with parental consent for the treatment of chronic, long-term medical conditions. HISD Medical form 40.3740 must be on the file before the medication is administered.
Students receive the HISD Code of Student Conduct at the beginning of the school year and must return the Parent/Guardian signature page as acknowledgment of receipt.
HISD CODE OF STUDENT CONDUCT
Students receive the HISD Code of Student Conduct at the beginning of the school year and must return the Parent/Guardian signature page as acknowledgment of receipt.
ID BADGES
Students will be issued ID Badges at the beginning of the school year free of charge. Badges must be visible and worn at all times. If a student loses his I.D., a temporary may be obtained in the cafeteria before 8:00 a.m.
INTERNET AND E-MAIL
Internet is available for students who, with their parent, sign the Parent Permission and User Agreement Form, and abide by the Houston ISD rules and guidelines. Students are carefully monitored and forbidden to visit improper sites. If the Rules of Appropriate Use are violated, Internet privileges will be revoked for the remainder of the school year.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
Student success depends upon being prepared to learn, the following supplies are required for each and every student. A list of additional items that may be needed will be supplied by each individual community. Disciplinary action will be taken for any student who comes to school and class without necessary supplies.
Required Supplies:
SUPERVISION
Supervision is not provided before 7:45 a.m. or after 5:00 p.m. unless the student is involved in a school-sponsored activity. Students who are on campus after 4:00 p.m. will be escorted to the Late- Pick Up classroom where they are safe and supervised by a teacher until 5:00 p.m. Parents must come into the school to sign the roster for the student to be released from this classroom. For the safety and security of all SMS students, staff and school property, parents are asked to make arrangements to bring and pick up their child with these times in mind. In addition, students are not allowed to leave school after arrival for any reason without permission of the parents or guardians. This includes walking to the stores across the street from the school before and/ or after school.
TELEPHONES
SMS request that parents and students take care of personal business before they separate for the school day. The school telephones are for school business, not for personal use of students. Emergency messages will be delivered to students during the instructional day. Students with cell phones must turn them off upon arriving on campus and may turn them on upon leaving. Students’ cell phones should not be visible during the school day. Students who have cell phones visible, or turned on (this includes receiving a call) during the day will receive a warning. If offence occurs more than once, the phone will be taken up and will return to the parent for a charge of $15 as established by HISD Board Policy.
Students will not be allowed to use the phone every day to say they are ready to be picked up from school, practice, etc. Please make these arrangements before coming to school.
TEXTBOOKS
Textbooks are provided for students use during the school year. Students must care for books and return then in the same condition in which they were issued. Although bar codes are used to track book ownership, it is recommended that students write their name and year in the appropriate area inside the book. Textbooks are the property of the State of Texas and SMS is held accountable for each and every book. Lost, damaged, or stolen books, must be paid for the students to whom they are issued. Parents can help students keep track of textbooks and reduce the risk of needing to pay for a lost book while helping to teach their children responsibility.
TARDY POLICY
Students have six (6) minutes to go from one class to another. If students are not in class, consequences for their lateness will be assigned by their teacher and community. This includes school wide detention.
TRUANCY
Also known as "skipping school”, truancy is a crime. It is a class C misdemeanor for a minor child to be in public place without the company of parent or permission of the school during school hours. (Houston City Code 28-172(a)).Violation of this ordinance may result in criminal charges against the parent. A student absent from school without parental or school permission is truant.
LOCKERS
Hall lockers will be issued to each student. These lockers are brand new and we expect that they will be in like-new condition at the end of the year. It is our expectation that students treat lockers with respect. Students will be charged for vandalism if graffiti is detected on the lockers. Appropriate backpacks may be used for carrying books and supplies to and from school, but must be left in the student’s locker during the day. Gym lockers are assigned by the Physical Education Department and students will need a combination lock. Valuable items and large sums of money are not to be brought to school.
PARENT INVOLVEMENT
Parents are a child’s first teacher. The impact and importance that a parent or guardian has a student’s attitude towards school and the value on learning is significant. A parent can make a difference by reading with their child, assisting with homework, meeting with teachers, monitoring bedtime hours, making sure their children leave home with all supplies and materials, follow dress code and wear their ID. A daily check of your child’s planner will help you know what your child is doing and help him or her remember to get all their homework back to school.