Betty Gilbert Middle School
26845 27th Ave., Aldergrove, B.C.
V4W 3E6
(604) 856-8178 fax (604) 856-7831
www.sd35.bc.ca/bettygilbert
Mr. Tim Everson,
Principal
Mr. Kevan Reeve
Vice-Principal
Mrs. Deb Waters
Administrative Assistant
About Our School
Welcome to Betty Gilbert Middle School. BGMS is a brand new middle school, having just been converted from an elementary school this summer. This year we open with grade 5, 6 and 7, but for 2010 / 2011 we move to grade 6, 7 and 8; a format we will continue with after that.
This will be a year of firsts. We will be writing our school mission statement, determining exactly who we are and what we stand for. We will be making important decisions regarding school events, and establishing new traditions. One thing we do know; we will be holding ourselves to the highest standards of behaviour and academic and athletic performance.
Betty Gilbert will be a school that encourages participation. Parents, staff, students and community members will find that we welcome their ideas and their energy. The community of Aldergrove was clear that they wanted this school. By working together, we will ensure that it is successful.
Our close ties to Aldergrove Community Secondary School will be a source of strength for us. Their teachers and facilities will provide our students with the opportunities our students need in order to discover their hidden talents. Have a great year!
Block Schedule
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8
8:35 – 9:55 A A B B C C D D
Break 9:55 – 10:05
10:10 –11:26 B B A A D D C C
Lunch 11:26 – 12:02
12:07-1:23 C C D D A A B B
Break 1:23 – 1:28
1:28-2:45 D D C C B B A A
Breakfast Program
A breakfast program will run every morning from 7:45 to 8:30 for students who wish to participate. There will be no charge for the simple meal consisting of milk or juice, toast and some fruit. A Special Education Assistant will be there to assist students who perhaps don’t need breakfast, but simply a place to complete homework.
SCHOOL DISTRICT #35 (LANGLEY) - 2009/10 SCHOOL CALENDAR
Betty Gilbert Middle, Parkside Elementary, Shortreed Elementary
Month Dates Variation
Sept. Sept 7 (M) Labour Day
Sept 8 (Tu) Schools Open
Sept 23 (W) Collaborative Time (early dismissal, 1:15)
Oct. Oct 12 (M) Thanksgiving
Oct 15 (Th) Pro D Day
Oct 16 (F) Preliminary Reports
Oct 21-22 (W&Th) 1 hr early dismissal Parent/Teacher Interviews 1:45
Oct 23 (F) Pro D Day (Provincial)
Oct 28 (W) Collaborative Time (early dismissal, 1:15)
Nov. Nov 11 (W) Remembrance Day
Nov 20 (F) Design Assessment/Report Card Prep (Parkside & Shortreed)
Nov 20 (F) 1/2 day Report Card Prep (Betty Gilbert only, dismissal 11:26)
Nov 25 (W) Collaborative Time (early dismissal, 1:15)
Dec. Dec 11 (F) 1st Formal Report Card
Dec 18 (F) Last day prior to Christmas Vacation
Jan. Jan 4 (M) Schools Re-open
Jan 20 (W) Collaborative Time (early dismissal, 1:15)
Feb. Feb 17 (W) Collaborative Time (early dismissal, 1:15)
Feb 19 (F) Pro D Day (District wide)
Feb 22 (M) Design Assessment/Report Card Prep (Parkside & Shortreed)
Feb 22 (M) 1/2 day Report Card Prep (Betty Gilbert only, dismissal, 11:26)
March Mar 5 (F) 2nd Formal Report Card/Last day prior to Spring Vacation
Mar 15 (M) Schools Re-open
Mar 17-18 (W&Th) 1 hr early dismissal Parent/Teacher Interviews (Parkside & Shortreed)
Mar 18-19 (Th-F) 1 hr early dismissal Parent/Teacher Interviews 1:45 (Betty Gilbert)
April Apr 2 (F) Good Friday
Apr 5 Easter Monday
Apr 14 (W) Collaborative Time (early dismissal, 1:15, Betty Gilbert only)
May May 19 (W) Collaborative Time (early dismissal, 1:15, Betty Gilbert only)
May 24 (M) Victoria Day
June June 29 (T) Final Report Card & last day for students prior to Summer Vacation
June 30 (W) Administrative Day
Code of Conduct
At Betty Gilbert Middle we expect the best. We want our students to be able to empathize with others, desire to make Betty Gilbert a positive, safe place for all, and have the moral courage to make the right decisions. We are confident our parents will partner with us in using Effective Behavioural Support, where all adults in our school community establish and reinforce clear expectations.
If any students:
a) bully, disrespect, interfere with, or endanger other students
b) are disrespectful toward school buildings, property, and the property of others
c) are disrespectful towards adults or peers
d) refuse to comply with a directive from any adult staff member at a school (including teachers and teaching assistants, parents acting as chaperones or coaches, noon hour supervisors, etc.),
then they will be held accountable, and are subject to disciplinary consequences for their behaviour.
Langley School District policy lists “progressive discipline” (gradually increasing in severity) procedures for teachers and administrators to use, commencing with detentions. A teacher may detain a student during recess or lunch, or for 25 minutes after school, so the students can make restitution for poor behaviour, for lateness, or incomplete class assignments and projects. The student will be provided with access to a phone in order to inform parents/guardians.
Administrators may apply recess or lunch-hour restrictions, detentions, in-school suspensions, out-of-school suspensions, and referrals to the School District Office. Under the School Act, the school principal is given the authority to suspend students. Parents may appeal a principal’s disciplinary decision to the Board, but the Board will always review student behaviour data with the school principal.
In those cases where children make poor choices, break rules, harm school property or damage the respectful relationship between themselves and their peers, or between themselves and the adults in the school, Betty Gilbert staff will work to help the student:
a) realize the harm their choice has done
b) do every bit of work that is needed to make restitution for the harm they have done
c) understand the disciplinary consequences of their actions
Bullying and Harassment
Bullying or harassment in any form will result in students being held accountable for their actions and words, and being subject to school discipline. These two terms are defined as:
Bullying: is any single act of intimidation, threatening, put downs, making fun of another person or persons. It is also defined as an individual imposing his/her will on another person through intimidation or violence. It consists of an individual or group acting or speaking aggressively or disrespectfully towards another individual or group due to a perceived imbalance of power.
Harassment: is repeated incidents of bullying. Reports on school-occurring bullying or harassment should IMMEDIATELY come to administrators from students, eye-witnesses, parents or staff members. School District Policy #7200 provides forms and a process for victims or witnesses to report on the harassment, and put this report into a documented official complaint for investigation.
Closed Campus
BGMS will be a closed campus; that is no one will be allowed to leave the school premises after arriving in the morning unless they have a note from a parent. Also, no high school students will be allowed on site unless first going to the office to identify themselves.
Clothing
School is a place of business and clothing must reflect this. Therefore:
1. Tops must meet pants
2. No underwear may show
3. Clothing displaying language that is racially offensive, profane, contains sexual innuendo, or promotes any form of violence or harassment will not be allowed
4. Clothing must not promote the use of products that are illegal such as tobacco, drugs or alcohol
5. Shorts and skirts should reach at least mid-thigh
6. Necklines must be appropriate (no spaghetti straps of halter tops)
If staff deem a student’s clothing to be inappropriate, students will be immediately drawn aside for a private conversation. Staff will insist that students comply with this dress code. If students cannot provide proper clothing, they will be given clean clothes to wear from the office.
Gum
Individual classroom teachers will determine if gum chewing is allowed in their classroom. Gum chewing will not be allowed in common areas such as hallways, the library, gym, multipurpose or music rooms.
Hats
Hats will not be worn indoors at Betty Gilbert Middle except on special spirit days. Individual classroom teachers at ACSS will determine whether hats are allowed during exploration classes at ACSS.
Language
Students will be expected to use proper language for a school, both inside the building and outside. Therefore swearing, disrespectful or racist language, either verbal or written, will not be tolerated at any time. Students may expect immediate consequences for use of improper language.
Lunchtime
We will not have a cafeteria, so students will eat lunch in their classroom, sitting at their desks. Students will eat before going outside. Inside behaviour will be expected, and insisted upon at all times. After the eating period there will be intramurals organized each day in the gym.
Personal Technology
All personal technology such as cell phones and iPods are to remain in the student’s lockers from the time they arrive at school to the time they leave. This means they will not be taken out at recess or lunchtime. Any student using any such device during school time will be asked to bring it to the office for safekeeping until the end of the day
Physical Contact
‘Hands and feet to yourself’ will govern our behaviour. This means no tackle football, rough play or play fighting. A simple hug when greeting someone is acceptable, but displays of affection such as kissing or extended hugging are not.
Snowballs
Snowballs may only be thrown in designated areas, at designated times, and under supervision.
Signatures required on next page.
I have read and agree to follow the BGMS Code of Conduct:
Student’s Signature: ______________________________
I have read and discussed the BGMS Code of Conduct with my child:
Parents’ Signature: _______________________________
Communication
Good communication between home and school is a critical factor in student success. We encourage parents to read the weekly newsletters which will keep you informed of what is happening – especially important in our first year of existence. Parents can also phone the school at any time (604 856 8178), or make an appointment to see a staff member. We welcome your involvement, and your suggestions.
Daily Schedule
Betty Gilbert and ACSS will have the same timetable.
• Start time 8:35
• Block 1 8:35 – 9:55
• Recess 9:55 – 10:10
• Block 2 10:10 – 11:26
• Lunch 11:26 – 12:07
• Block 3 12:07 – 1:23
• Nutrition break 1:23 – 1:28
• Block 4 1:28 – 2:45
• Dismissal 2:45
Explorations
Explorations Grade 6
• Occurs every other day in D block on even numbered days
• Each exploration subject lasts for approximately 20 classes
• Each grade 6 child will take:
o Industrial Arts
o Textiles
o Art
o Technology
o Band (both clarinet and trumpet)
Explorations Grade 7
• Occurs every other day in D block, on odd numbered days
• Each exploration subject lasts for approximately 20 classes
• Each grade 7 child will take:
o Industrial Arts
o Foods
o Drama
o Technology
o PE with specialist (i.e. weight training)
o Band will be offered outside the timetable, on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school (2:45 – 3:35)
Explorations Grade 8
• Next year we will not have Grade 8 students, however, in the following year (2010), Gr. 8 students will choose 2 of these explorations.
Harmful Items
Students must not bring any kind of harmful items to school. This includes lighters, any kind of household knife, laser pointers, chemical substances, or any object that may be harmful to others, or could be considered a weapon. If a student accidentally brings any object like this to school, they must tell a staff member immediately. Parents may pick up the item later at the office.
Homework
Each day a Homework Club will operate at lunchtime. Students who need to catch up on work, or need extra help are encouraged to make use of this opportunity. Teachers may assign students to come to the club.
In general students will be asked to do up to 30 minutes of homework a night; most of this work will be simply completing work that wasn’t finished that day in class. Work and projects done at home will generally not be considered for evaluation as there is no way to ensure the student has done the work in the manner intended.
Illness / Absense
BGMS has a phone back program where we contact the home of every student who is absent to make sure they are safe at home. You can help our wonderful secretary Mrs. Waters, by phoning the school and letting us know your son or daughter will be absent. This not saves Mrs. Waters from making an unnecessary call, but if there are students out there who need our help, it helps us identify them that much faster.
Newsletter
Parents will receive a school newsletter every Thursday, except the last Thursday of the month when they will receive a calendar of events for the following month. The newsletters will also be available on the school website, and an email list will be established of parents who would like to receive an electronic copy.
Out Days
Almost all days are out days; that is, students will go outside for recess and lunch play periods. Students must therefore come dressed for the weather that day. In addition students must remember that they will be traveling outside to ACSS every other day for explorations.
Philosophy
A whole school full of 11 to 13 year olds is bound to be an exciting place. We know that we must tailor our school to fit the unique needs of this age group. Therefore we need to keep the following things in mind:
• BG Middle will be child-focused (like elementary), not subject-focused (like high school)
• Adolescents:
o T – Talk, and are in Transition - physically, socially, intellectually
o E – Eat and like to Explore – they are curious about people, how things work and how they themselves fit into the world
o A – Active – these students like to move, they learn better by doing
As teachers we will:
• Encourage self discovery
• Provide guidance
• Focus on Literacy
• Respond to the needs of Aldergrove students and get kids connected with education
Staffing
We are fortunate as all three Aldergrove schools have contributed teachers and SEA’s for our new staff.
Teachers SEA’s, Support Staff
Miss Baillie – Resource Mrs. Blake, Library tech
Mrs. Ballantyne – Gr. 6 Mrs. Brake – SEA/Breakfast
Mrs. Cowland – library Mrs. Braun – SEA/Computer
Mrs. Crockett – Gr. 5 Mr. Costello – SEA
Mrs. Eckert – Music Mrs. Drager - SEA
Mr. Frank – Gr. 5 Mrs. Sandhu – Family Support
Miss Friesen – Gr. 7 (until May) Ms. Solvey - SEA
Miss Springer - Custodian
Mr. Frisse – Gr. 6
Mrs. Sword - SEA
Miss Hendry – Gr. 6 FI Mrs. Waters - Secretary
Mrs. Hughes – Gr. 6
Mrs. Lapierre – Gr. 6
Mrs. Larouche – Resource
Mrs. Paton – Gr. 7
Mrs. Perry – Counselor
Mr. Punnett – Gr. 7
Mrs. Stewart - Gr. 7 FI
Miss Tredgett – Resource
Mrs. Waddell – Gr. 7 (starting May 14th, 2010)
Support for Students
• School Library:
Betty Gilbert has a superb library with a large collection of print and non-print materials. In addition to library skills the librarian cooperatively plans and teaches units with classroom teachers. Mrs. Cowland also coordinates the Langley Book of the Year activities and Reading Records. She and Mrs. Blake, the library technician, manage the library, the internet and word-processing computers, provide lunch hour and school access, and hold book exchanges with class divisions.
• School Counselor:
Our school counselor, Mrs. Perry, is with us 3 days per week, Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Students and parents are encouraged to call or leave a note requesting to see the counselor in order to address social and emotional needs of the children.
• School Based Team (SBT):
6 – 8 times yearly, the Resource / Learning Assistance teacher chairs a meeting of teachers and an administrator, plus school District support people listed below. Meetings are scheduled to discuss the needs of individual students, referred by teachers, and to brainstorm suggestions for their support.
• English as a Second Language (ESL):
Mrs. Mui, an ESL support teacher, is provided to Betty Gilbert approximately to work with students for whom English is their second language.
• First Nations Support Worker:
An Aboriginal support worker, Mrs. Matthews, provides Aboriginal students with academic and cultural support.
• Special Education Teacher Assistants:
These paraprofessionals work with teachers and students to support learning in the classrooms. As part of the integrated model of serving learning disabled and other special needs students, SEA’s work together with teachers to implement the Individual Education Plans of particular students.
• School Learning Assistance / Resource Centre:
The Resource or Learning Assistance Teacher consults with classroom teachers regarding implementation of Individual Education Plans. They and the SEA’s then work on a regular basis with severely challenged learners.
• District Speech and Language Pathologist, District Hearing Resource teacher, District Resource Teacher, District Psychologist: These are specialists called in to assist the school in meeting the needs of students and families, often by providing expertise in assessment and programming.
• Homework Club
Homework Club operates each lunchtime under the supervision of a
Special Education Assistant.
• Home Support Worker
Mrs. Sandhu will assist both students and families with ways of coping with and correcting negative behaviours, making friends and acting positively.