Expectations:
Behave respectfully and appropriately, conducting themselves with integrity.

1. Put forth their best effort every day.
2. Follow directions.
3. Do not interrupt or disrupt the learning of others.
4. Listen and participate fully.
5. Students arrive to class prepared and ready to learn.
6. Treat everyone with respect and kindness

The rules that we have in place are meant to support these expectations.  Below you will find information about some specific expectations that all Upper School teachers have for our students.  Please read them carefully.

Academic Dishonesty/Cheating/Plagiarism

• The Kilmer School maintains high performance standards for all students.  The grading and evaluation of student work is an integral part of the educational process.  Student performance must reflect student learning.  Any student caught cheating or plagiarizing materials will not receive credit for the assignment and will face disciplinary consequences. 
• If a student is caught copying another student’s homework, both students will receive no credit and face disciplinary consequences. 
• Giving your work to another student so she or he can copy it is considered cheating.  

 
Attendance/ Tardiness

• School begins at 9:20AM each day.  At this time, students should be in their classroom with all their materials.  If a student arrives after 9:30  she or he will be marked TARDY. 
• Students may enter the building at 9:10AM to begin preparing for their day. Students who eat breakfast at school should file directly to the cafeteria to eat.  Conversations should be minimal so that all students will be on time for class.  Students not eating breakfast will file directly to their classroom.
• If a student is tardy three times, she or he will not earn flex/recess time for a day. For each tardy after that, she or he will not earn one day of flex/recess time.
• A parent or guardian must send a note explaining the reason for an absence.  If the homeroom teacher does not receive this note, the absence will be recorded as UNEXCUSED.  Students in grades four and five receive report cards three times per year.  If a student in grades four or five has more than four unexcused absences in a marking term, she or he  will not receive grades for that term.  In grades six and above, students receive report cards four times per year.  In grades six and above, if a student has more than three unexcused absences in a quarter, she or he will not receive credit for any classes that quarter.  The report card will list NC instead of any grades.  For more information, see the BPS Policy Guide. 

Backpacks/ School Bags

• Each student should have a backpack or bag.  We prefer that students do not use bags with wheels as they are a safety hazard on stairs.
• Students will not need to carry backpacks from class to class and all bags or backpacks must be kept in the closet throughout the day. 

Bathrooms

• Each teacher will set a policy for bathroom use. In general, classes will have set times.  However, in an emergency, students will be given a pass to leave the classroom to use the bathroom, but every effort should be made to avoid this.
• If a student finds a mess in the bathroom or graffiti on the walls, it is important that  she or he reports it immediately.  Similarly, if a student sees another student acting inappropriately in the bathroom, the student should try to discourage the behavior and/or report it to a teacher if it continues.

 
Books/ Instruments

• Students are given books to use during the year.  It is the student’s responsibility to take good care of all books and to keep track of them.  Students will need to replace or pay for lost, stolen, misplaced or damaged books.  Some of the books cost as much as $50. 
• Many classrooms have classroom libraries of books that are available for students to borrow.  These books are meant for the reading pleasure of students for years to come.  Students are expected to sign out any book that they take out of a classroom library and return it in good condition.  Students will be charged for books that are not returned or are damaged.

 
Bullying/Intimidation/Threats

• In order to create a safe learning environment, the Kilmer School will not tolerate bullying or intimidation of any kind.  

 
Buses 

• Riding the bus is a privilege and not a right. 

• Students who are unable to follow bus rules will be suspended from the bus and will need to be picked up from school by a parent or guardian.
• Students are expected to maintain safety on the bus. 
• Students should stay seated and keep their hands to themselves.

 
Classroom Behavior

• Students are expected to spend class time actively engaged in learning.  Behavior such as talking out of turn, throwing objects, wandering around the classroom at inappropriate times, not following the classroom routines, or disrupting others will not be tolerated.  These behaviors interfere with the learning process for other students.

 
Nurse

• If a student does not feel well or has an injury, a classroom teacher will send the student to the Nurse’s office during times she is scheduled for the Upper School.  If the nurse is not in her office, the student should report to the main office.  The secretary will then either call home or tell the child to wait for the nurse’s return.
• If a student has health-related questions and wants some medical information, she or he is encouraged to write a note to the nurse so that the nurse can get back to the student or set up an appointment to answer the questions.

Cutting Class or Skipping Assigned Detention

• Students are expected to attend all of their classes every day in order to benefit fully from classroom instruction. 
• Students assigned detention are expected to report on the day and time assigned.  If a student misses detention, she or he will be assigned additional detentions and may require a parent meeting.

Detention

• If a student continually interferes with the learning of others or breaks school/classroom rules, she r he may be assigned detention. Detentions are served after school.  Parents are responsible for transportation home from a detention.
•  Parent/guardian contact is always required when a student has to serve a detention.  Students will be given a notice that must be signed by a parent/guardian.  This form is due the next day to the teacher who assigned the detention.  There will be additional consequences if this form is not returned. 
• During detention, students are NOT allowed to do homework.  They are given a task by the teacher who is on duty.  Whenever possible, the task is connected to the reason the student is serving the detention. 
• Students who are late to detention or who talk during detention will receive additional consequences.

 
Dress Code

• Students should come to school dressed for the important work of education.  Our goal as a school community is to ensure that all children reach their full potential academically, socially and emotionally. Our dress code will help us to do that by enabling students to be safe and free from distractions.  This Dress Code applies to all students at the Joyce Kilmer K-8 School.
• Students should be neat and clean at all times.
• No hats or head coverings should be worn in the school building. Head coverings worn for religious reasons are allowed.
• No flip-flops, platform shoes, heelies, or sandals without heel straps should be worn to school. They pose a serious safety risk as groups of children go up and down stairs.
•  No tank tops, muscle shirts, or spaghetti straps. No low-cut clothing.
•  Any clothing that is violent, sexual, related to alcohol, tobacco, or firearms, or is insulting to others is strictly prohibited. No “joke” shirts. 
•  All midriffs -- front and back -- need to be covered at all times.
• No undergarments should be visible at any time, including recess.
• No writing on pants, particularly across the backside of pants.
• Pants should be worn at the waist.
• All shorts and skirts must fall below mid-thigh. No running shorts.
• The hem on pants should not fall noticeably below the heel of the student.
• No ripped or torn clothing.

 
Students who do not follow the dress code will be given appropriate clothing to wear while at school, which must be returned to the office.

Electronic Devices 

• Electronics (including cell phones, pagers, IPods, Discmans, Game Boys, PSPs, etc.) are not allowed in school.  If a student is found with one of these items, the item will be confiscated and must be picked up by a parent/guardian. 
• If the office has a parent/guardian’s letter on file stating that the student must carry a cell phone to/from school, the phone must be turned off during the school day and stored in the student’s backpack.

Fighting/ Inciting a Fight

• Kilmer students are expected to use appropriate methods of conflict resolution.  The school environment must be safe for all students.  Neither verbal nor physical fighting will be tolerated.  Severe fights may be treated as assault and may result in legal action.

• Kilmer students are expected to focus their energy on schoolwork and community building.  Students who start rumors or get in the middle of arguments add to problems.  Instigating or initiating arguments distracts everyone from the learning process, and will therefore be treated as a disciplinary issue.
• The Kilmer is a community where everyone must be supported and safe.  Therefore, bullying, intimidating, harassing and threatening will be taken very seriously.  Students will have severe consequences if they do anything that makes anyone at the Kilmer feel unsafe. 

 
Food and Drink

• Nutritious food and drink should be consumed during school meals. 
• Food and drink may not be taken into classrooms unless it is part of the lesson.  The only exception is plain water.
• Food is never allowed in the hallways. 

 
Forgery

• Notices sent home to families are an important means of communication between the school and home.  Parents/guardians are expected to sign mid-term notices, report cards, field trip permission slips, etc.  Students are not allowed to sign anyone else’s name. 

Gum

• Gum is not allowed at school because it leads to classroom disruptions, messes and/or property damage.  It also interferes with students’ ability to communicate orally.  

 
Hallway Behavior

• Students will transition from one class to another in a calm orderly fashion.  Students will file silently and in a single file in the hallways. 
• Any time a student is in the hallway during class time,  she or he must have a pass.

 
Littering

• Kilmer students are encouraged to develop a sense of respect for their environment.  Students must dispose of trash in the appropriate place. 

 
Lunchroom/ Cafeteria

• Students should file to lunch in an orderly fashion.  Upon arrival, all students must be seated immediately.
• Students will be called by table to pick up their lunches. 
• During lunch, students are to remain seated and speak quietly. 
• Students are responsible for cleaning the area where they eat.  No students will be dismissed for recess until all the tables are clean.

 
Name Calling

• There are many nicknames that friends use to refer to one another.  Sometimes these are funny or refer to something that happened in the past.  Usually this is a way to show closeness.  The type of name calling that is friendly and kind is fine. 
• Name calling that is derogatory toward a group of people (i.e. a race, culture or sexual orientation) or that is intended to hurt a person is not acceptable. 

 
Off-site Trips

• When students leave the building for field trips, to play at Hynes Field, or any other destination, they are representing the Kilmer School.  Outstanding behavior is expected from all students.  Students who are unable to demonstrate respectful and appropriate behavior in school may be excluded from trips outside of school.

 
Prepared for Class

• Responsibility is an important part of becoming a good student and citizen.  Students must be responsible for arriving to class prepared and ready to learn.  This includes bringing completed homework, books, pen/pencil, student planner, and any other materials that are necessary to fully participate in each class.

 
Public Displays of Affection

• Kilmer students are expected to maintain the professional environment of the school and to respect the personal boundaries of others. 

 
Recess/ School Yard

• The school will provide equipment for students to use at recess/flex time.
• All students are encouraged to engage in some type of activity during recess/flex time.
• Appropriate behavior and language is expected at this time of the day.
• When recess is over students need to file immediately to class.   If it takes students a long time to get to class, recess will have to be shortened.

Student Planners

• Planners have been purchased for all students at the Kilmer to aid in organization and time management.  We ask each family to contribute three dollars to help defray the cost of the homework logs.  They are a great place for students to record upcoming deadlines and events, or to remind themselves to bring in a permission slip or note from an absence.
• Students are expected to have their planners with them at every academic class every day so they can record the night’s homework.  The planners should be taken home every afternoon. 

• If a student loses or misplaces his or her planner, she or he will need to purchase a new one.

Vandalism

• Students must learn to respect their environment and the property of others.  Vandalism includes writing on books, desks, walls, ripping signs in the hallway, damaging an instrument, and writing on posted student work, etc.  Any student caught vandalizing school property or the belongings of others will be asked to repair or replace the item and will face disciplinary consequences. 

Zero Tolerance Policy

• The Kilmer School strives to maintain a safe, productive learning environment.  Drugs, alcohol and weapons of any kind are not permitted at school or on school busses.  Any student who brings such items to school will be suspended, pending expulsion according to the BPS Zero Tolerance Policy. 

Consequences:  
The purposes for both rules/expectations and consequences are to assist students in learning and applying appropriate behaviors and to ensure that our school is a calm and peaceful place that is conducive to learning.  The teachers, teacher-leaders and principal are all involved in discipline.  We work with students to ensure that they know what is expected and to assist them in making appropriate decisions regarding their behavior.  When a student does not make appropriate choices, we will engage the support of the student’s family.  In addition, all behaviors have consequences.  The following are the range of consequences for inappropriate behaviors that have gone beyond reminding the student of the appropriate behavior:

• Seating change
• “Time out” in another classroom for a brief period of time
•  Parent contact – phone call or note form teacher
• Parent contact- student writes to parent and returns note signed by parent 
• Discipline notice sent home to be signed by parent 
• Change of clothing for dress code violations
• Confiscation of inappropriate items
• Detention 
• Restitution for property loss
• In-school or out of school suspension
• Suspension of bus privilege (1-5 days) 
• Suspension of lunch and recess privileges (1-5 days) 
• Behavior contract
• Community service project
• A logical consequence that fits the infraction

 
Kilmer teachers and staff will work with all students and families to ensure the greatest degree of personal growth for all students and to ensure the best possible school climate.

Again, our hope is that through a clear set of expectations and consistency in implementing them, our Upper School will be a place focused on learning and high achievement and will be a place marked by respect and kindness.
This list of rules was included in documents sent home to all Upper School families during the first few weeks of school.  Students and parents are required to sign a form indicating that they understand and commit to these rules.  This form is returned to school.

 

 

 

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