The Baker Blast

Baker Families,

As we approach the first day of school, please take note of the information included in this week's edition the Baker Blast. It includes important information and insight into our upcoming orientation week and beginning of the school year events. This week our dedicated staff has been hard at work engaging in professional learning, preparing lessons plans, setting up their classrooms, and creating a safe environment where your students can thrive academically and socially. We can't wait to see familiar faces and welcome new families into our school community!

There are a few things that you can do to help your student get their school year off to a great start. Please consider the following activities.

Engage in Open Communication

Talk to teachers and staff about your student’s needs and strengths. Building a relationship based on communication helps ensure that everyone is on the same page regarding your child's education.

Establish a Routine

Begin transitioning to a school schedule and encourage down time away from electronic devices at night. Set regular bedtimes and wake-up times to help your student adjust to the new rhythm.

Set Goals

Encourage your student to set academic and personal goals for the school year. This can help them feel motivated and focused as they return to school.

Know the Class Schedule

If possible, go over the class schedule with your student. Discuss their subjects in sequence and identify their teacher's names and the room numbers. Also engage in discussion about the extracurricular activities they might want to join. Later in the year we will publish a club guidebook outlining what is available.

Encourage Social Connections

Teach your children the importance of inclusivity by encouraging them to make friends with classmates from diverse backgrounds and stand up against bullying.

By taking these steps, you can provide essential support to your student, helping them start the school year with confidence and enthusiasm. Thank you for entrusting us with your student's education. Together, let’s make this school year a wonderful experience filled with learning, friendship, and growth.

Warmest regards,

Jonathan Cross

Principal

Baker Middle School

Most parent communications will be included in the Baker Blast. The Baker Blast is our bi-weekly newsletter that is sent out using School Messenger and (X) formerly known as Twitter. If you were subscribed to School Messenger last year (either at Baker or your student’s elementary school), then you are all set for this school year and don’t need to do anything. If you need to sign up for School Messenger, please contact the main office for more information 248-823-4600. You can follow us on (X) aka Twitter @jdcross76 and @BakerMiddle.

THIS PROGRAM IS FOR 6TH GRADERS ONLY!

• We are excited to host our 6th grade WEB day on Monday, August 26th from 9 am to 1 pm. During the WEB day, 6th graders will join us for a fun filled day of introductions, mentorship, and bonding.

• 8th grade WEB students are partnered with our incoming 6th graders with the goal of mentoring them throughout the school year and helping them feel more comfortable at Baker.
  

• 6th graders will also have a chance to walk their schedule, tour the building, visit their locker, and so much more. Transportation is provided to students that normally receive bussing. Pick up times are 40 minutes later than what is posted in PowerSchool. Lunch is provided.
  

Baker families thank you for driving safely and following our Drop-Off and Pick-Up Procedures. As we return to another amazing school year, I would like to remind our returning families and inform our new families of our Drop-Off and Pick-Up Procedures. Please follow these guidelines at all times and keep in mind the safety of our staff and students.

DROP-OFF & PICK-UP PROCEDURES

• Student may be dropped off at the main entrance starting at 7:30 am.
• Students must wait in the main entrance foyer outside the main office.
• Students will be allowed to enter the interior of the building at 7:45 am.
• Parents dropping off are asked to use the main entrance drop off loop.
• Please pull as far forward as possible.
• Adults should stay in the car.
• Please encourage students to exit your car quickly and safely (from the right side of the car only).
• Please stay behind the car in front of you and wait patiently.
• Please do NOT park in the staff parking spaces
• Parents are NOT allowed to use the bus loop to drop off or pick up students.
• Students are dismissed at 3:05 pm.
• If you are picking up your student before 3:05 pm, please call ahead or go into the main office to sign them out.

All bus routes are now available in PowerSchool!

Please log into your parent portal using the following link and click on the school bus icon to view your student's bus stop location, pick-up and drop-off times. If you have any issues, please reach out to transportation.

PowerSchool Parent Portal Link

TSD Transportation Link

If your student was unable to have their picture taken during schedule pick-up, they will have access to our photographers during Picture Make-Up Day on September 6th.

• Please fill out the form below to order pictures for your student. All students will take a picture and receive a school ID. These pictures will be used in our yearbook and Powerschool data base.

• Picture Retakes are scheduled for Tuesday, October 29th
  

ATTENDANCE HOTLINE (248) 823-4601

Research shows that there is a strong relationship between regular school attendance and academic performance. Students who attend their classes daily and arrive on time increase their opportunities to maximize their learning potential. If your student is going to be absent or arriving late, please notify the school using our attendance hotline (248) 823-4601. If your student is out with an illness and you have a doctor's note, please bring it to school and give it to our attendance secretary. This will allow us to update our records and accurately document excused absences.

TSD ATTENDANCE POLICY

Tardiness – Students are expected to arrive on time to all classes. Students who arrive within five minutes after the start of class will be marked tardy to the class. Students who arrive more than five minutes late must report to the main office and will receive an unexcused tardy. Students are afforded 3 tardies per class per secondary marking period without penalty. Subsequent tardies in any will prompt the assignment of a detention. Ongoing tardiness shall cause additional disciplinary action.

Absences – Students are expected to attend class on a regular basis. Excused absences include mandatory court appearance, chronic/serious illness, religious observances, family bereavement, school-sponsored field trip/activity, school suspension, or other reasons approved by a building administrator. For an absence to be excused, a parent must call the attendance office to notify the school of the absence within 24 hours of the absence.

If an absence is unexcused, students may not be permitted to make up the work missed or due during that period (this includes missed assessments/tests, labs, presentations, or other assignments). Any absence that is not excused within 24 hours of the absence, it will remain an unexcused absence.

Long-term absences, more than 5 days, must be prearranged and approved one week in advance through the submission of an Extended Absence form available in each school’s main office.

Long-term absences and chronic absences have a negative impact on student achievement. Many classroom experiences are not able to be recreated (discussions, lab work, group assignments) and can negatively impact a student’s grade.

Baker Families we need your assistance!

We can’t deny the fact that we now live in a Digital Age where students have access to cellphones and they pretty much never put them down. Of course, we understand how comforting and convenient it is to have a cell phone at school. However, we have seen negative impacts to the learning environment when students bring them to class and violate the cell phone policy.

The enforcement of the cell phone policy is necessary to maintain positive outcomes within our school setting. Cell phones should be stored in lockers or out of sight. Use of cell phones during the school day is a violation of the TSD Code of Conduct. Please speak with your student about complying with our policy.

TSD MIDDLE SCHOOL CELL PHONE POLICY

In order to build a positive learning environment and reduce distractions for all students, we are committed to the following:

• Cell phones, air pods, and other electronic devices are permitted in the building but must be put away before the school day begins.
• In order to reduce distractions throughout the day, cell phones should be stored in a student’s locker or in their backpack throughout the school day and remain out of sight.
• Phones should not be visible throughout the school day.
• Phone use is not permitted during the school day; this includes passing time and during lunch.
• If students need to use technology within the classroom, they will use district issued iPads.
• Students are permitted to use the school phone or their own phone in the main office.
• If families need to contact students during the school day, they should call the main office; messages can be delivered, or students can be called out of class when needed.

Violations of the Cell Phone Policy will result in the following:

• 1st offense: Phone is taken to the main office; student may pick up phone at the end of the day from office
• 2nd offense: Phone call home & parent must pick up phone from office
• 3rd offense: Parent pickup & further disciplinary actions

Baker Families, as you are aware, the state is providing FREE lunches to all students. If you and your student decide to opt out of the free lunch program, please be sure to send their alternative food with them in the morning. We DO NOT allow food deliveries to come to the Main Office. If there is an emergency or an issue related to a medical or diabetic need, please contact the main office (248) 823-4600.

Lunch is only 25 minutes long and it is a transition time for our office staff, as they take their scheduled lunches. There is not the capacity to facilitate individual food deliveries to the cafeteria in a timely manner. Thank you for your assistance in helping us manage the regular assigned tasks for the office administrative assistant team.

• They will report to Baker, put their stuff in their lockers, and head to the cafeteria.
  
• If you are planning on keeping your student home during first hour and dropping your student off at Baker during 2nd hour, please note that it starts at 8:54. Provide time for them to check-in. They will need to be in their class at 8:54.

Attending Athens on traditional school days

• Your student will need to be dropped off at the Athens (See the green X on map above) by 7:10 am. They will need to be in their classroom by 7:20 am.
• When dropping off your student at Athens, you can use the front (East) Parking lot (Teacher / Visitor Parking). See the green X above.
• You can NOT park or drop off in the bus loop on the South side of the building, or in the student lot in the back of the building
• Students will take their backpacks and belongings with them to class.
• Class is from 7:20-8:18 am.
• After Class the students will go to the “Shuttle” pick up area by the flagpole near the front doors. The Shuttle will be there by 8:21.

• There ARE shuttles for Exam Days, times TBD.
  
• The shuttle will run on ALL full days of school.
  • It will bring the students back to Baker and they will take all of their belongings (backpack, coat, etc. to the cafeteria). During this time, they can study, complete homework, or read.
  • They will be dismissed at 9:15 am to go to their lockers and then to 2nd hour.

The New Family Parent Orientation Meeting is on Monday, September 9th from 5:00-6:00 pm in our media center. This is for any new family moving into the Baker community. If you attended the 6th Grade Family Information Night program last spring, there is no need to attend. We will cover the same information.

All students in grades 7 - 12 who plan to play a school sport are required to get a sports physical for the 2024 -2025 school year. Prior to getting a physical, please do the following:

1. Update/verify all information in Final Forms

2. Print the physical form, populated with your child’s information right from Final Forms

3. Take the physical form with you to the physical exam

4. Once the physical exam is completed and the form is signed by a doctor, either upload the completed physical form directly into Final Forms or turn in the hard copy to your coach/school.

PARENTS NEW TO FINAL FORMS: The Parent Playbook provides information on registering. If you require any support during this process, scroll to the bottom and click “Use Support”.

The 24-25 Annual iPad Insurance window is open. Please be sure to opt in at the beginning of the school year. The form and ability to opt-in for insurance will close on October 31st.

This year, insurance coverage has been upgraded to offer more to our district families, and we are excited to announce that it will be free to those families that are approved for Free and Reduced Lunch.

Each student in grades 2-12 who wishes to participate in the Troy School District 1:1 Device Insurance Program will be required to pay an annual insurance premium of $25 per student, not to exceed $100 per family. Kindergarten and 1st grade students have classroom sets of iPads that are shared in the classroom and not brought home, thus, no personal insurance is needed.

The iPad Responsibility form no longer needs to be signed/submitted, as it is covered under the Student Technology Acceptable Use Policy.

iPad Insurance Information Link

TSD expects that all students will dress in a way that is appropriate for the school day or for any school sponsored event. Student dress choices should respect the District’s intent to sustain a community that is inclusive of a diverse range of identities. The primary responsibility for a student’s attire resides with the student and their parent(s) or guardian(s). The school district is responsible for seeing that student attire does not interfere with the health or safety of any student.

1. Basic Principle/Students Must Wear:

• A Shirt (with opaque fabric – not see through material - in the front, back, and on the sides under the arms as well as some form of shoulder strap) AND
  
• Bottoms (made of opaque material) including pants/jeans or the equivalent (ie. skirt, sweatpants, leggings, dress, shorts) AND
  
• Shoes
  

*Courses that include attire as part of the curriculum (for example, professionalism, public speaking, and job readiness) may include assignment-specific dress but should not focus on covering bodies in a particular way or promoting culturally-specific attire. Activity-specific or course-specific shoes requirements are permitted (i.e. athletic shoes for physical education or recess, closed toe shoes for science, labs, industrial arts, etc.).

2. Students May Wear, as long as these items do not violate above:

• Hats, hooded sweatshirts, and other head coverings: must allow the student’s face to be visible to staff and not interfere with the line of sight of any student or staff
  
• Fitted pants
  
• Ripped jeans
  
• Tank tops (including spaghetti straps, halter tops, etc)
  
• Athletic attire
  
• Visible waistbands on undergarments or visible straps on undergarments worn under other clothing
  

3. Students Cannot Wear:

• Violent language or images
  
• Images or language depicting/suggesting drugs, alcohol, vaping or paraphernalia (or any illegal item or activity)
  
• Body armor, tactical gear, or facsimile
  
• Hate speech, profanity, pornography
  
• Any clothing that reveals visible undergarments (visible waistbands and visible straps are allowed)
  
• Swimsuits (except as required in class or athletic practice)
  
• Accessories that could be considered dangerous, are replicas of weapons, or could be used as a weapon (ie. Chains, handcuffs, or other metal accessories that might be dangerous)
• Any item that obscures the face (except as a religious observance or as personal protective equipment (PPE) (ie. medical face masks); hats, hooded sweatshirts, and other head coverings are permitted but must allow the student’s face to be visible to staff and not interfere with the line of sight of any student or staff