Within this Handbook you will find information about:

SCHOOL HOURS
First Bell 8:25 am
Tardy Bell 8:30 am
Dismissal 3:00

All students are expected to arrive at school no more than 10 minutes before school begins, unless prior arrangements for a special activity have been made. There is no outside student supervision before or after school. Students should go directly home after school at 3:00, unless prior arrangements have been made for special activities after school. If a child is to be detained for more than 15 minutes following school dismissal, parents will be notified.

ATTENDANCE
Excessive absences/tardies can seriously affect your child's success at school. We want all our students to be successful at Harbor Middle. Regular attendance contributes to this success. If a problem exists that may cause your student to have excessive absences or tardies, please discuss the matter with the attendance secretary or the principal.
Excused absences must be called in prior to or on the morning of the absence by parent or guardian of the student. Our attendance line is available 24 hours - 982-0720#1. Even if you notified the classroom teacher of the absence, the attendance line needs to be called.
An unexcused absence is recorded if a call is not received by the morning of the absence. Tardiness: Any student arriving after the final bell or any student not in their classroom seat at the final bell (8:30 AM) is considered tardy. Teachers will have consequences for students arriving late. Anything over 2 tardies a trimester is considered excessive.
Make-up work - Students may be assigned make-up work upon their return from an absence. If the absence is for 3 or more days, please call to make arrangements for make-up work.
 

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BICYCLES

Once on school grounds, a student should walk the bike to the bike cage. The bike cage gate is locked during school hours, but students should also chain their bikes to the rack for additional protection. We cannot guarantee the safety of the bicycles parked in the fenced cage area during the day, and particularly if parked overnight or over a weekend.

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BREAKFAST-  Each and every student is invited to join us for a daily breakfast at 7:00 am! NO ADDITIONAL FEES.

CARING COMMUNITY - Vandalism to the school costs us doubly, as tax payers and as members of the Harbor Middle community. Please report suspicious activity or vandalism on school property to the Arvada Police Department by calling 911. back to top

COMMUNICATIONS
At the first of every month, the Harbor Middle PTA will send home a monthly newsletter, the Manatee Times. This newsletter will keep you informed of upcoming events, meetings, and other information important to your child's education.

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CONFERENCES
Parent and teacher conferences will be scheduled during the school year. Teachers often share students' progress with parents through notes and letters, phone calls, Friday Folders, etc. If you believe an additional conference with a teacher might be indicated, please phone the office so that the teacher with whom you wish the conference can return the call and schedule a conference time. If you have questions or concerns regarding your son or daughter, or about any school related issue, please do the following:
If it is a classroom issue:

1. Speak with the teacher involved either in person, by email, or by phone. Often it is advisable for the teacher, parent, and child to meet together. Most questions/problems can be resolved with this first meeting.

2. If a personal conference with the teacher does not resolve the issue, let the teacher know, and if you wish to pursue the issue, contact the principal.

3. If necessary, the parent, teacher, student, and principal will meet to resolve the issue.

If it is a school wide or district issue you wish to discuss, please call or email the principal directly.

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CROSSING GUARDS
The adult volunteer crossing guards are positioned at strategic student street crossings. The adult crossing guards assist students in looking for safe times to cross, reinforce safe procedures, and generally help our students get to and from school and home safely.
We appreciate the crossing guard program and the dedicated volunteers who are at their positions during hot and sticky afternoons. Please reinforce safe walking routes and procedures with your child. Please discuss the respect and cooperation due our crossing guards. Students who are uncooperative or disrespectful will meet with the principal to discuss the matter and will discuss the same with their parents.

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DARE
Harbor Middle Elementary, in conjunction with the Arvada Police Department, is again offering the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program at Harbor Middle. The primary emphasis of the program is to assist students in recognizing and resisting the pressures that influence them to experiment with drugs.
The DARE program is a semester long series of classes for the 6th grade students. DARE is presented by a uniformed Arvada police officer and will cover such topics as how to say no to peers, building self-esteem, assertiveness, social influences involved in the abuse of drugs, and alternatives to drug use.

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DISCIPLINE
Each year the District publishes a comprehensive document called the "Conduct Code". It is a guide for parents and students to explain the policies and procedures regarding maintaining a safe and productive learning environment at all grade levels. A confidential discipline file is maintained for all students and will be part of that student's permanent school records.

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DRESS EXPECTATIONS
Students are expected to dress appropriately for school in warm weather as well as wet and cold conditions. If the day is warm, short pants may be worn. "Short" shorts, halter tops, bathing suits, half shirts, or obscene and derogatory slogans are not appropriate dress for the school day. Clothing or student appearance, which is considered inappropriate for school, will be brought to the attention of the parent.

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EMERGENCY CARDS
This card provides essential information in the case of illness or injury. Please inform us immediately if there is any change in, or additional, information (such as a change in phone numbers, day care, employment, allergies, etc.) that needs to be entered. A delay in reaching you in the event of an emergency could result in a delay of your child receiving necessary medical attention.

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ENTERING/LEAVING SCHOOL
Unless we have an "Inside Day" (see "Inclement Weather") all students will remain outside by their classroom door until the first bell rings. At the conclusion of the school day, students will be dismissed through the same outside door. If students are staying after for one of the many after school activities, they are to go around the outside of the building to the appropriate room. This prevents congestion of the hallways before and after school.

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FIELD TRIPS
Field trips are an integral part of the Harbor Middle School Curriculum, and they are an important learning experience for our children. The purpose of these trips is to provide students additional enrichment experiences that may not be duplicated in the classroom. For most trips, the students will be charged a fee. This money is collected in advance for fares, entrance fees, and other additional expenses. Signed parental permission is required in advance for all participating students. Parents are often invited to accompany a class on a field trip and act as chaperon.

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HAZARDOUS OBJECTS
Students are not permitted to bring hazardous or dangerous objects to school. These objects include, but are not limited to, such things as: knives, darts, guns, ammunition, fireworks, caps, matches, and arrows. If such an item is taken from a student, it will not be returned to the student, and the legal guardian will be notified. State law requires the expulsion of any student bringing a dangerous weapon to school.

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HEALTH
Please keep the school notified of any serious or infectious diseases involving our students. Children suspected of having strep throat should remain at home until the results of the throat culture are known; if positive, they need to remain at home for 24 hours after they have started taking medication. Please keep your child at home if he/she is experiencing a fever, excessive or uncomfortable coughing, stomachaches, nausea, rash, sore throat, or other symptoms of illness, unless your physician has directed otherwise. Such symptoms can cause rapid spread of illness through a classroom. Children should be symptom-free before returning to school.

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INCLEMENT WEATHER
In the event of inclement weather, children should dress appropriately. This may include warm coats, hats, scarves, gloves, and rain gear. We all know how quickly Front Range weather can change. What may start as a sunny, warm morning can end in an electric Thunderstorm. Students may still go outside for recess in cold or snowy weather. However, if prevailing conditions are unsafe or unhealthy for students, recess will be held indoors.
If weather conditions are such that you question whether school will be held, such as times before or after a hurricane, tune in to one of the local radio or television stations for information on school closure. The decision to close schools is made at the District level. In the event of severe weather at the 3:00 PM close of school (hail, tornado warnings, etc.), we will not release children from classes until we believe the threat has passed.

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INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
Harbor Middle  has an instrumental music program for students in all grades. Instruction is given is small groups for band and orchestra. Classes meet twice a week during the school day. No previous musical experience is required. Some instruments are owned by the District and can be loaned to students for a fee. Please call the office if you are interested in your student beginning lessons.

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INTERNET ACCESS
All classrooms and our Library are connected to the Internet by high-speed data lines. Students will use this valuable instructional tool for research and relevant classroom assignments. Students are to use the Internet only for assigned projects and school related activities.

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KEEPING STUDENTS AFTER SCHOOL
School District policy allows a teacher to keep a student 15 minutes after regular school dismissal for instructional or disciplinary reasons. Legal guardians will be notified in advance.

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LOST AND FOUND
Please clearly mark clothing items, lunch boxes and school supplies. It is amazing how much clothing and other expensive items are lost and not reclaimed each year. A "Lost and Found" area is maintained in the hallway adjacent to the cafeteria. Those items left for a considerable time are donated to charity.

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MEDICATION
Written permission from a legal guardian must be on file before a student can be administered medication. This includes prescription as well as non-prescription drugs and health aides, such as Tylenol, cough drops, vitamins, mouthwash, etc. This procedure is Jefferson County School District policy. This policy is in place to protect your child, you, and the school. Please assist us by reading, understanding, and complying with the following policy.
Medication will be given to students only under the following conditions:

1. Requests for medication to be administered at school must be on the appropriate form and signed by a parent. These forms are available in the office.

2. All medication must be in the original container, labeled with the prescription number, name of student, doctor's name and dosage clearly marked.

3. All medication must be stored in the school clinic. The school cannot assume the responsibility for administering medication, but will assist the parent and student to follow the physician's directions.

4. It is the individual student's responsibility to come to the office at the time necessary for taking medication.

5. If the medication is a liquid, please send a measuring spoon with it.

6. It is the responsibility of the parent to pick up any medication from the clinic that is not consumed by the student.

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NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION - The Jefferson County School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, or disability in its programs and activities.

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LEGAL GUARDIAN INVOLVEMENT
We encourage parent involvement at Harbor Middle Elementary.
    PTA - Harbor Middle Elementary has an active Parent Teacher Association. There are a number of opportunities to help with committees and activities. Please call a PTA officer and let him/her know that you are available.
    HMAC - The Harbor Middle Accountability Committee is an advisory committee made up of parents and Harbor Middle staff that serves as a representative group on the committee. The goal of the committee is to improve the educational experience for students at Harbor Middle. If a parent or community member is interested in serving on this committee, he/she should notify the committee chairperson or the principal, or attend one of the regularly scheduled meetings as listed on the school newsletter.

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PARKING, DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP
Please do not park in (nor use for drop-off or pick-up of students) the FIRE LANE immediately in front of school. This area is crowded with school buses and students both before and after school. Congestion sometimes results in confusion, and confusion can lead to accidents. The special education buses use this lane for handicapped students, and school buses pick up and drop off the students in this lane for field trips during school hours.
We ask that you use the access parking lot or along the west side of Pierce Street for student pick-up and drop-off. It is strongly recommended that parents not use the east side of Pierce Street to either pick up or drop off students, since students then cross in between cars at a very busy time on Harbor Street.

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PERSONAL ITEMS
The school and teachers cannot be responsible for personal items brought to school by students. Personal sports equipment brought to school should be clearly marked and used properly during recess periods. Such items as skates, skateboards, roller blades, toys, radios, tape recorders, electronic games, and other such items of value need to be left at home.

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    ELECTRONICS AT SCHOOL - Pagers, email walkie-talkies, hand held video games, cel-phones, hand-held video games, personal computers, walkmans, and any other PERSONAL electronics are not allowed to be used during school hours. We understand the need for communication with your student; however, there are an abundant amount of phone lines. Each class has a line, as well as email capabilities. Please phone through the office to get through to your student. Students bringing electronics to school are expected to leave them in their lockers and keep them powered off.

We will confiscate and hold all items in the office if students are using such items during school hours.

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PHONE MESSAGES
The Harbor Middle staff requests that parents discuss after school plans with their students before they leave for school in the morning. Teachers find it a serious disruption to themselves and to the students to have the classroom interrupted for messages. If there is a message of family urgency, the office will take a message for the student. In an emergency, please ask for the principal or secretary. Emailing a teacher is an easy form of alternative communication. Please remember to follow up important communication with a phone call or a conference.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Students should wear tennis shoes for physical education classes. If tennis shoes are not available for indoor PE activities, students will be required, for safety reasons, to remove street shoes and socks. Turf shoes and black soled shoes are not permitted on the gym floor as they will leave marks. .

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READING PLUS PROGRAM -
The Harbor Middle PTA has a special program called READING PLUS, which is designed to help Harbor Middle students with their reading skills. This is an after school program which meets for an hour twice a week. The tutors in the READING PLUS program are local education students from colleges in the area. The size of the group averages 5 students. The Harbor Middle hopes that by offering this extra help to these students now that their educational needs will be better served through their entire school career.

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TEACHER INSERVICE
During the school year there will be scheduled "Teacher Inservice Days". These days are important to improve the quality of instruction and to enhance student learning. The school calendar lists these "no school" days.

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TEACHER ASSIGNMENTS
Class placements at Harbor Middle for the following school year are done each spring by mid-May. This is a very careful process. Factors such as student learning styles, boy to girl ratios, academic record, peer relationships, behavior concerns, special education needs, teacher characteristics, as well as other considerations, are taken into account in making thses placements. Balanced classes are essential for the benefit of all of our students and their educational progress.

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VISITORS
Parents are invited to visit the school at any time. Please make arrangements with the teacher(s) in advance so that the time of your visit does not conflict with testing, a field trip, or other such activity. We ask that you limit your visit to 30 minutes, or a time agreed upon with the teacher. Please do not bring preschool-aged children when you visit. Check in at the main office.