top of page

M.S. 419's School Polices & Procedures for Families

M.S. 419 is committed to partnering with community organizations and families in order to provide a safe, inclusive, culturally-responsive, and supportive environment for all stakeholders to be invested in the success of our students.  With a family oriented approach, we will work together to remove barriers, provide opportunities, and enhance the middle school experience for future generations to come. Together we will collaborate on decision making through open and meaningful dialogue to ensure we’re co-creators in the evolution of our school.  In order to ensure a successful exchange of information, it is important that all parties follow a few key principles.

 

Security:

The safety of our building is of top priority. All parents and guests enter through the main entrance. All visitors must sign in with a valid picture ID with the security agent when entering an leaving the building. When you sign in, the School Safety Agent will give you a sticker pass, which you must wear while you are in the school building. The sticker must be worn so that children and staff may recognize it and be assured you are identified as a visitor. Once you leave the building, you must exit through the main entrance and return your visitor's sticker. 

School Nurse: 

Parents need to inform the school nurse and teach-ers of any special illness, allergies, or conditions their child may have. In order for medication (long term only) to be administered at school, a 504 form must be completed by a physician and parent and returned to school.

Communication Protocols:

  • Communication channels include:  Face-to-face communication – one-on-one meetings, School Council meetings, Parent-Student Teacher conferences, Student-led Conferences, Student Council Meetings, Faculty Committees, Translated Telephone conversations, Translated Hard copy, written communication – letters sent home from the school, paper school newsletters, and monthly calendar.  Electronic communication – email, electronic newsletters, websites, social media.

    • Social media platforms may work well for:  Sharing snippets of good news stories and celebrations, Sending reminders of key dates, Providing links to more detailed information or sharing resources. Please follow us on twitter.

    • A calendar will be sent home prior to the first day of each month outlining events that are taking place in the school. School notices are sent home via back pack. Please check-in with your child daily and return all forms promptly. The School Messenger phone system is used for announcements.  MS 419's  website: www.ms419q.com will also feature a lot of information for you to keep up to date. 

  • Addressing Concerns Directly: If parents/guardians have a concern about something at school or in the classroom, they are encouraged to bring the concern forward in a timely manner directly to the appropriate person by using the proper chain of communication protocol. The communication protocol helps to promote direct, open, and respectful interactions so that problems and concerns can be resolved quickly and effectively. Communication should begin with the staff member closest to the situation, as that person will usually have the most information. At times, additional personnel are required to resolve specific situations.

1. Discuss the concern with the classroom teacher to determine if the issue can be resolved at the classroom level. 

2. If this issue cannot be resolved at the classroom level, bring it forward for discussion with the principal.

3. All requests for scheduling a meeting with the principal should be directed to their secretary. 

  • Confidentiality: In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), please recognize that confidentiality may limit information that can be shared from school to parents, including consequences for other students’ behaviors.

  • Time to Respond to Communications: Teachers will make every effort to respond as soon as possible to parent communications, with the understanding that the teaching day sometimes precludes immediate responses. Teachers and staff may need some time to collect needed information before responding. Please give us a minimum of 24 hours to respond. 

  • Equitable Family Engagement Opportunities: We will host engagement opportunities during the morning, evening and organize school functions that realistically reflect the schedules and cultures of families, and offer other structures to listen to families.

Emergency Contact Cards:

It is imperative that the blue emergency card is returned to school with numbers that are in service. If you need to up-date the card, please come into the office and we will give you a new card an/or email the school.

bottom of page