"BISD, an equal opportunity employer, does not discriminate on basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, or disability in employment or provision of services, programs or activities".

"BISD no discrimina a base de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo, religión, edad o discapacidad en el empleo en la provisión de servicios o actividades."

Faculty & Handbook

2011-2012

Table of Contents

School Personnel Organization

Administration and Support Staff

Faculty

Administrative Duties

PDAS Appraisal Assignments

Department Chairs

Personnel Responsibilities/Procedures

Employee Code of Ethics

Workday Hours

PDAS

PDAS Schedule

Teacher Self-Report

Teacher Portfolio Guidelines

Faculty Attendance

Sign-In/Sign-Out

Attendance

Tardies

Procedures for the Substitute Employee Management System

Staff Development

Dress Code

Classroom and Personnel Security

School Procedures

B.I.S.D. School Calendar

Bell Schedule

Attendance

Procedures for Identifying “No Shows”

Reporting Excessive Absences/Truancy

Re-entries

Grading Procedures

Quick Reference/Grading

Middle School Curriculum

M.S. Course Listings

M.S. Curriculum Frameworks/Scope and Sequence

Lesson Plans

Lesson Plan Due Dates

Discipline

Referral Process

Discipline of Special Ed Students

Instructional Time

Textbooks

Cooperative Planning

Fire Evacuation Routes

Safety Meetings

Accidents/Injuries

Accident/Injury Forms

Requisition Process

Fixed Assets

Classroom Inventory Form

Facilities Request Form

School Services

Email/Announcements

Technology

Library

Charging Books-Students

Fines

Internet Use

Charging Library Resources Equipment-Faculty

Content Mastery

Counseling Department

Nurse

Cafeteria Department

Bookkeeper
Parent Center

Administrative Staff /Support Staff

Principal	Maria Solis 698-1003
Assistant Principals	Marisol A. Treviño 698-1031
Assistant Principals	Dr. J. A Puga 698-1005
Dean of Instruction	Gracie Luna-Zarate 698-1022
21st Century Coordinator	Dora F. Marquez 698-1041
Secretary	Pat Martinez
Secretary	Linda Avalos
Data Entry Clerk	Ana Sanodval
Attendance Clerk	Otila Castillo
Bilingual Clerk	Heriberto Rivera
Life Skills Unit	Paula Fuentes
BI Unit	Martina Rubio
Counselors	6^th-8^th Grade
6^th Grade	Raquel Lopez
7^th Grade	Patricia Abete
8^th Grade	Susan Collentine
Nurse	Rosa Pones
Migrant Clerk	Maribel Castillo
Communities In Schools	Abraham Alaniz
ISS	Omar Polanco
Special Education Supervisor	Yolanda Rodriguez
Diagnostician	Janie Ramos
Librarian	Connie Garcia
Parent Liaison	Jesus Gomez
Records Clerk	Mari Pena

Code of Ethics and Standard Practices for Texas Educators

The guidelines and expectations for Texas Educators can be accessed by clicking on the above link. All teachers and personnel are encouraged to review the Code of Ethics and other board policy.

Workday Hours

Teachers	7:20-3:05
Counselor	7:20-3:35
Nurse	7:30-3:00
Data Entry Clerk	7:00-3:30
Principal’s Secretary	7:00-3:30
Secretary	6:15-3:15
Parent Liaison	6:45-3:45
*Paraprofessionals	7:30-4:00
*Times may vary.

It is the responsibility of all school faculty and staff to be present on campus during work hours. Parents, students and even fellow colleagues may need your assistance throughout the workday. Please make yourself available. Paraprofessionals should clock in and out accordingly everyday.

Professional Development and Appraisal System

Click here to access the PDAS Handbook

Teachers are evaluated using the Professional Development and Appraisal System (PDAS). This system is designed to help teachers achieve higher levels of professional practice and to provide immediate feedback. Teachers please be aware of the PDAS Calendar and designated deadlines.

Teacher Self-Report

Section 1 of the teacher self-report will be due three weeks from the date of completion of the Professional Development and Appraisal Orientation as per PDAS provisions.

The form can be accessed by clicking on this link. TSRP

Teacher Portfolio Guidelines

Teachers are encouraged to maintain a portfolio for PDAS documentation. This documentation will be used when considering a rating of Exceeds Expectations. following are examples that can be included in a Teacher Portfolio but are not limited to the following list:

-letters to parents

-failure notices

-Telephone log

-Attendance interventions

-Course syllabus

-At-risk Student Interventions

-In-service Activity Record (other than district required)

-Classroom Activities

-Student Work

Faculty and Staff Attendance

Sign-in, out

All faculty and staff are required to sign-in and out using the bio-screen system daily.

Sign-in time for all faculty is 7:20 a.m. sign out time is 3:05 p.m.
The bio-screen utility will be monitored.

Attendance

Faculty and staff are encouraged to be present to school daily. The teacher’s presence in the classroom with the students is vital to their academic success. Emergencies and situations may arise, if so, please contact Mrs. Solis as soon as possible and advise her that you may be out for part of the day, an entire day or several days.

Teachers must log on to the Substitute Employee Management System (SEMS) in order to report the absence. Substitutes must be requested through the SEMS system before 6:00 a.m. in order to allow time to find a substitute.

With the exception of lunch, faculty and staff are to remain on campus during the entire school work day.

Tardies/Leaving Campus

Teachers should not leave campus early or arrive late. In the case of an emergency, faculty and staff must speak to Mrs. Solis if they are to leave campus or are going to be late. Teachers who are allowed to leave campus must sign out and have an administrators signature authorizing them to leave. This will allow us to cover your class if necessary. Once Mrs. Solis has been advised, it is important to log on to the Substitute Employee Management System (SEMS) in order to report an absence.

Procedures for the Substitute Employee Management System

In order to record an absence faculty and staff are required to log on to the Substitute Employee Management System at https://sems.bisd.us/logOnInitAction.do and use their employee Id and pin number to enter the system. The system will issue a job number. The job number should be recorded for future reference. If a substitute is needed make sure to include any and all directions. It is very important that teachers leave a substitute folder with the classroom rules and procedures, seating chart, assignment instructions, and emergency directions for the substitute.

For staff development absence, Mrs. Linda Avalos will handle absence and substitute.
"BISD, an equal opportunity employer, does not discriminate on basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, or disability in employment or provision of services, programs or activities".

"BISD no discrimina a base de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo, religión, edad o discapacidad en el empleo en la provisión de servicios o actividades."

Faculty and Staff Dress Code

All personnel are expected to dress in a professional manner. All dress attire that is questionable should not be worn. The following attire is unacceptable:

-denim

-tops with a low front or back

-off the shoulder tops

-leggings, tights worn as pants or stirrup pants

-shorts or short skirts (only exception-P.E. personnel)

-midriffs

-sheer, see-through fabrics

-tank tops

-undershirts worn as shirts

-slip-on sandals.

Classroom and Personal Security

Money and other personal valuables should not be left alone in the classroom at any time.

Students should never be left unattended in your classroom at any time for any reason.

Always secure all school equipment and resources. Sponsors of school organizations should turn in all school monies to the office to the bookkeeper with the appropriate forms. The bookkeeper will then issue a receipt.

BISD School Calendar
To view the academic calendar click on the above tool bar.

You will need Adobe Reader. If you do not have adobe reader click here ADOBE to download it free of charge.

2011-2012 Stillman Middle School Bell Schedule

Attendance Procedures

Monitoring attendance is very important. Therefore, please make sure to record the correct information on the attendance sheets and grade speed for the first two weeks of school and on grade speed thereafter. Teachers must sign and record attendance sheets using a black pen only. It is imperative not to use white out, highlighters, pencils or markers and must follow the following instructions:

First Day of School:

If students are present, mark them with “1” code and if students are not present, mark them with “NS”

Sample for the 1^st day of school

Student	Code	Present	1	NS
Abrahamsson, Alfreda	First Day	○	◙	○
Arviragus, Cordelia	No Show	○	○	◙
Asandwich, Bryshaun	First Day	○	◙	○
Banzir, Aragorn	First Day	○	◙	○
Bernardssen, Benedikta	First Day	○	◙	○

Second Day of School:

The “ABS” and the “PRE” can only be used for those students marked with a “1” on the first day and if a student was marked with a “NS” on the 1^st day of school but he/she is present on the second day of school then a “1” must be entered. However, if student is marked with a “NS” on the first day and he/she is not present in the classroom again, a “NS” must be entered again for the second day. Repeat the same process thereafter until all students report or until we delete all “NS”s

If you have any questions and/or concerns ask the attendance office or assigned administrator for assistance.

*If you have any questions, please ask the attendance office or administration for assistance.

Reporting Excessive Absences/Truancy

Teachers it is very important to call home when a student has been absent. Any student who is absent for more than two days in a row should be reported to Mrs. Otila Castillo, the attendance clerk. Teachers must also inform Mr. Jesus Gomez the parent liaison so that he may conduct a home visit.

Please follow-up on any persistently absent students.

Re-entries

Students who are absent must bring an excuse from home or the doctor. Teachers will allow students into class only if they have a reentry issued from the office.

Grading Procedures

The Grading Procedures for Middle Schools can be found clicking on the link Middle School Grading Procedures.

It is very important that this document be reviewed periodically.

Quick Reference/Grading

1. For every Six Weeks Grading Period teachers must have a minimum of three major assessments and 5 minor assessments.

2. Major assessments (Tests/Quizzes/Projects) are worth 50%. Minor assessments (daily work, homework) are also worth 50%.

3. Teachers must give a retest to any student who fails a major assessment within ten working days. The maximum grade a student can receive on a retest is a 70.

4. For the First and Fourth Six Week marking periods a grade no lower than a 50 can be recorded. For all other Six Weeks periods, the actual grade should be recorded.

5. At the end of the first three weeks for all marking periods, progress reports will be sent home for any student who has a grade lower than a 74 or is in danger of failing.

Gradebook/Gradespeed

Stillman Middle School utilizes an online program called Gradespeed to record grades. Gradespeed can be accessed at http://gradespeed2.bisd.us/gs/. Gradespeed records and averages students grades. Teachers are able to post or access grades from home. This program also allows parents the ability to access grades online daily. Teachers who have not been trained using Gradespeed will be given the appropriate training. Teachers have a username and password as a security code to access Gradespeed.

Posting Grades

As per BISD Grading Procedures Policy, “school personnel will exert maximum effort to maintain effective communication between the campus and parent/guardian” in regards to posting grades. Teachers are responsible for posting grades weekly that reflect a students progress in their class.

Please note the following important procedures and directives:

-teachers must post grades weekly

-grades must be posted by 3:00pm the last day of every Six Weeks Marking Period

-incompletes given should be changed to a numerical grade by the end of the next

marking period (gradechange forms can be accessed by clicking on Grade Change Form

-grade changes should also be completed by the end of the following marking period

-grade changes and incompletes for the Third Three Weeks of the First Semester should

be completed by the end of the Fourth Marking Period.

Non-compliance with the above directives will warrant a verbal warning on the first infraction. The second infraction will warrant a written reprimand. A third infraction will warrant a written reprimand on a Teacher’s Permanent Record.

BROWNSVILLE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

3WEEK PROGRESS CALENDAR

2011-2012

Period	Beginning Date	Ending Date	Number of Weeks
First Semester (Term)	August 22, 2011	January 13, 2012	18
First 6 Weeks	August 22, 2011	September 30, 2011	6 *
3 week Progress	August 22, 2011	September 09, 2011**	3
Second 6 Weeks	October 3, 2011	November 11, 2011	6 *
3 week Progress	October 3, 2011	October 21, 2011**	3
Third 6 Weeks	November 14, 2011	January 13, 2012	6 *
3 week Progress	November 14, 2011	December 09, 2011**	3
Second Semester (Term)	January 16, 2012	May 31, 2012	20
Fourth 6 Weeks	January 16, 2012	March 2, 2012	6 *
3 week Progress	January 16, 2012	February 2, 2012**	3
Fifth 6 Weeks	March 5, 2012	April 20, 2012	7 *
3 week Progress	March 5, 2012	March 30, 2012**	3
Sixth 6 weeks	April 23, 2012	May 31, 2012	7 *
3 week Progress	April 23, 2012	May 11, 2012**	3

* Number of weeks for Attendance Sheets

** End of Mid 6wks for Progress Letters

Teachers if you would like a copy of the 3 week Progress Letter please click on the links below.

3 Week Pr

3 Week Progress Letter Span "BISD, an equal opportunity employer, does not discriminate on basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, or disability in employment or provision of services, programs or activities".

"BISD no discrimina a base de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo, religión, edad o discapacidad en el empleo en la provisión de servicios o actividades."

Middle School Curriculum

Course Listing

Teachers may access the 2011-2012 Course Listing for Middle Schools by clicking on the link below.

2011-2012 Middle School Course Listings

Curriculum Frameworks/Scope and Sequence

The Curriculum Framework and Scope and Sequence can be accessed from

http://www.bisd.us/Curriculum/middle_school2.htm.

Lesson Plans

Teachers are required to keep lesson plans. Make sure to document all required documentation such as special education modifications. Lessons should reflect how instructional time is being used. Teachers to acccess the template click on Lesson Plan Template

Lesson Plan Due Dates

Lesson Plans are due via e-mail by 3:00 P.M. on the due date covering the lessons that will be taught until the following due date. When lesson plans have been checked for proper documentation, a Lesson Plan Checklist Form will be returned to the teacher.

Lesson Plan Due Dates

Discipline

Teachers it is very important that discipline problems be prevented. Good discipline management will allow 100% of instructional time to be used wisely. All teachers should display classroom rules in their classroom where all students can see them on a daily basis. Parents or guardians should be notified immediately of any academic or behavioral problems. It is very important to address these concerns with parents on the first violation. If problems persist students may, be sent to the office to see an administrator or a counselor.

Referral Process

Before issuing a referral, make sure you have imposed various discipline or behavioral interventions.
Interventions are listed at the top of referral.
When issuing a referral, the referral must be completely filled out.
Referral must document a series of interventions.
Feel free to add an attachment of all your documentation
Referrals must be legible.
No student should be sent to the office without a referral.
Administration will make every effort to address your concerns.

Discipline of Special Ed Students

Teachers make sure to review the IEP of all special ed students. Be aware of any special ed student whose behavior is related to their disability. Teachers you are encouraged to speak to the students holding folder teacher. The special ed teacher will be able to assist you in any questions or concerns you may have. If a student is on a Behavioral Point Sheet (BIP), make sure you are utilizing it in the classroom.

Instructional Time

Teachers all class time should be used for instruction. Students need to remain on-task for the entire period. Free-time is not allowed. Students who finish their work should have another activity to complete. Electronic games, and/or mobile phones are not permitted on campus.

Food or Drinks

No food is allowed in the classroom during instructional time. Students and teachers are allowed to bring water and or any other non-carbonated drink to the classroom. These containers must be disposed off properly. Please do not send students to the cafeteria or teacher’s lounge to obtain any food or drinks.

Classroom Celebrations

There is only one party allowed during the school year. Teachers are allowed to have a celebration before Christmas Vacation. No other parties are permitted.

Textbooks

All textbooks issued to the classroom teacher will be their responsibility. If a textbook is lost or misplaced, it will be the responsibility of the teacher for the replacement. Make sure that you check each and every textbook number against your Textbook Requisition Form. Textbook inventory sheets will go out at the end of each 6 weeks for your verification of the count of textbooks. All textbooks must be covered at all times. If additional book covers are needed during the course of the school year, please inform Dr. J.A. Puga. Secure your textbooks in your cabinets at the end of each day. Students who wish to acquire a set of books for home use should have their parents/guardian come in to the office and fill out a request form for those books.

Textbook Requisition Form
(Sample Only)

STILLMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL

TEXTBOOK REQUISITION

2010 -2011

Teacher’s Name: _______________________________________ Room #: __________

Subject: __________ Grade Level: ______ Book Title: ________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Student Textbooks: _________ TE: ______ Resource Box: _________ CDs: _______ Workbooks: _____ Study Guides: _____ Other: ________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

TE -

1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30

Teacher Signature: _______________________________________ Date: ___________

Teachers will fill out a Supply List Form when they are requesting supplies from the office. Supplies will be distributed upon availability.

Cooperative Planning Time

Team Planning	Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Department Planning	Tuesday, Thursday

Duty/Monitoring

Faculty and staff should monitor students throughout the day. In order to ensure a safe and productive environment, everyone must supervise students at all times. Teachers should stand at their door between periods in order to get students promptly to class and to monitor behavior. Teachers will be given advance notice of any duties that will be required of them. Morning Duty rosters will be emailed via the weekly newsletter, for that week and the next, to everyone and a copy will be posted in the office.

Duty Monitoring time: 7:15 - 7:35 a.m. (until the first bell rings)

Open House

All teachers must be present at designated Open House functions from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

Movie Approval

Teachers who have planned to view a movie in their class and have documented this activity in their lesson plans must also have the Movie Approval Form signed by Mrs. Luna-Zarate, Dean of Instruction. The form should be completely filled out. The Movie Approval Form can be accessed by clicking on the "movie approval" link above. Please turn in the Movie Approval Form 48 hours in advance.

Emergency Procedures

Teachers please make sure you are familiar with the Stillman Crisis Plan in order to be able to inform students of all emergency procedures.

This plan addresses many complex contingencies and contains a step-by-step procedure to use when a specific crisis occurs. The following is a checklist of items that were checked and are provided in this Campus Crisis Plan:

	Assess life/safety issues immediately
	Provide immediate emergency medical care
	Call 911 and notify police/rescue first and notify campus administrator as soon as possible
	Convene the crisis response team and assess the situation and implement the crisis procedures
	Evaluate available and needed resources
	Alert pertinent school staff to the situation/crisis
	Activate the crisis communication procedure and system verification
	Secure all areas
	Implement evacuation and other procedures to protect students and staff from harm and avoid dismissing students to unknown care
	Adjust the bell schedule to ensure safety during crisis
	Alert persons in charge of information systems to prevent confusion and misinformation
	Notify parents as needed
	Contact appropriate community agencies and the school’s district public information office, if appropriate
	Implement post-crisis procedure
	Meet with crisis response team at end of the day for debriefing

Accidents/Injuries

Accidents must be reported immediately. Accident reports need to be submitted within a 24 hour period. Most important, always practice safety. As always, report anything that is a safety hazard.

Requisition Process

The district is now processing requisitions on-line. Teachers no longer have to type requisitions. Please adhere to the following instructions when ordering materials through a Purchase Order Request:

-pick up a blank requisition form at the office or click here to download one onto your computer Requisition Forms

-use the hard copy to complete your request information

-hard copy requisitions may be written in pen or pencil or typed on computer and emailed to pamartinez@bisd.us

-if written by hand, handwriting must be legible

-requisition information must be specific and accurate

-provide all information

- for purchase orders provide the item’s full description.

-include the appropriate account number (requisitions with no account number will be returned to the originator and not processed

-Follow up on status of requisition

When completed, please submit requisition to Pat Martinez, Linda Avalos, or Veronica Cruz. They will type the information of the order on-line and submit to Ms. Zarate for approval.

Fixed Assests

Computers, monitors, televisions all items that have a BISD tag on them can not be removed from the rooms without clearance from Mr. Guillermo Gonzalez. Please fill out the Classroom Inventory Sheet and return it to Mrs. M.Ayala-Treviño.

Classroom Inventory Form

Facilities Request

Make sure that a facilities request form is filled out and approved by Mrs.Solis. Please submit these requests at least two weeks in advance or more if possible.

Event/ Facilities Request Form

Email/Announcements/Newsletter

Any announcements or information related to the organization of the school will be distributed via email. A weekly newsletter is distributed to all teachers on Monday morning or on the first day of the week. The newsletter is used to inform faculty and staff of school business for the week. It will include important instructions and information from administration, highlight student academic and athletic achievement, distribute any forms or lists from faculty and staff that everyone needs to have and any other pertinent information needed for that week. Teachers are advised to check their email three times a day, morning, mid-day, and before the end of the school day. Teachers are not to access their email during instructional time.

Library

LIBRARY HOURS: 7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

LIBRARIAN: Concepcion Garcia ASSISTANT: Ms. Betancourt

CHARGING BOOKS – STUDENTS

All students enrolled at Stillman MS may borrow books from the library.

Regular books have a two week loan period and may be renewed if necessary. Overnight books(books on reserve) may only be checked out after school at 2:45 or later and must be returned the next morning before the bell rings. The student is fully responsible for any lost, damaged or overdue library books and should be clear in the library to continue borrowing books.

Fines

Regular books: 5 cents per day after the due date. Overnight books: 50 cents per day. Except for overnight books, no fines are charged for weekends and holidays.

The number of books a student may check out will depend on students’ demand

for books. As a rule a student may keep out two books.

Internet use

Internet use for class work requires that a student have, on file in the library, a

copy of the BISD “Student Agreement for Acceptable Use of Electronic Communication Systems” form signed by a parent or guardian.

CHARGING LIBRARY RESOURCES/EQUIPMENT – FACULTY

Faculty and staff may borrow most of the library’s resources – class sets, encyclopedia

sets, reference books and regular books.

Software: Videos may be checked out for instructional purposes.

Equipment: Video cassette players, overheads, and cassette recorder/players are also available.

At least one day’s notice is requested for checking out library resources and equipment.

SCHEDULING CLASSES

Scheduling your classes well in advance will enable you to use the library when you

need it. The assignment might require teacher/librarian planning, some preparation

and collection of library materials, orientation, and training of on-line databases.

The Accelerated Reader is available through the reading classes.

Counseling Department

The counseling department is available to assist students and teachers daily from 7:30 am to 3:00pm. The appropriate grade counselor should be notified if a student is having academic problems in the classroom. The grade counselor should also be advised of any other problems that a student may be experiencing that are impeding his or her success in the classroom. Teachers and administration can fill out a Counselor Referral Form if they would like for a counselor to have a conference with a student. Click on the Counseling Department link above to view the Counselors Webpage.

Nurse

The nurse will be on campus from 7:30am to 3:00pm. Students should leave their medications in the nurse’s office. No student should take medication without the supervision of the school nurse. Students should not be carrying any medication. Please pick up and turn in any medication students are found carrying into the office. Students sent to the nurse’s office should be sent with a Referral Pass. Please complete the Referral Pass with the appropriate information in order for the nurse to best serve the student.

(Click here to visit the Nurse Website)

Cafeteria Services

Students will have the opportunity to eat breakfast in their classroom at 7:35 a.m. Breakfast in a bag will be provided to all students via their 1st period teacher.

There are three designated lunch periods for each grade level. Students will be dismissed to the cafeteria and enter the cafeteria only when they have been allowed to enter.

Bookkeeper

The bookkeeper will be on campus on designated times. Any faculty and staff member involved in a fundraiser should turn in all monies immediately to the bookkeeper. Monies should never be stored in the classroom. The bookkeeper will issue a receipt for documentation.

D.J.'s & photographers hired for dances and functions will have to report to the office to be finger printed.

Parent Center

The Parent Center is an organization of parent volunteers headed by Mr. Jesus Gomez, parent liaison. Parent Center volunteers have turned in the appropriate documentations to BISD and have been cleared to be on campus. The parent center aids in a variety of activities for both students and teachers.