A Message from the Principal
Dear Highland Families,
Our goal at Highland this year is to create a focused learning environment for all students. By doing this we hope to see improvements in student behavior, academic performance, social connection, mental health, student engagement, narrowing the opportunity gap, and college-workplace readiness.
The current BSD Policy on Cell Phones has been in place since 2012 and we follow that to the best of our ability. We will continue to follow this policy while providing an extra level of support for students in the form of Yondr pouches. As the current policy indicates, phones will be turned on and operated ONLY before and after the regular school day and during the student's lunch break.
The goal is for phones to be off and away during class time and in the hallways, as stipulated in policy. Phones should not be seen during these times. If phones are in pouches and in backpacks, it alleviates the temptation for students to be check them.
Pouches will be assigned to all students and are able to be locked simply by closing them. They may be unlocked at a station in the cafeteria during lunch or at one of the exits right after school. Should your student choose not to utilize the pouch, they are still expected to follow our rule of being kept in backpacks (not pockets) and turned off.
We know there are a number of concerns regarding parents being able to reach students during the day, particularly in cases of emergency. We hear your concerns and understand. All classroom spaces have phones that call out. The school will always send communication to our parent community about school-wide safety incidents after safety issues are addressed and stabilized by school personnel.
Why are we doing this? We are doing this because we care about our students. Students are increasingly distracted from learning, and their mental health is often negatively impacted by the use of texting, chat groups, and social media. Early adolescents are still developing self-awareness and self-regulation skills which means that the use of their phones at school too often end up negatively impacting themselves, others, and the school environment.
We thank you for your feedback and look forward to your partnership.
Sincerely,
Susan Thomas
Principal
Yondr - Frequently Asked Questions
What if I want to reach my child during the school day?
We want our students to be engaged in their learning. If you need to contact your child during the school day, contact the main office at (425) 456-6400.
What if there is a school emergency?
In case of a school emergency, we direct our students to safety first, following our school emergency preparedness protocol.
Will my student’s phone be safe?
Students are in possession of their phone - in their Yondr pouch - for the entire school day. We will advise students to store the pouch in their backpacks where it is completely safe.
What if the Yondr pouch gets damaged?
The Yondr pouch is property of Highland Middle School. If a student damages their Pouch or is caught on their phone, Administration will collect the phone/Pouch and contact home. A replacement fee of $20 may be assigned.
Will my student get in trouble if they don't use the pouch or they are on their phone in class or the hallway?
Your student will be held to the schoolwide expectation of no phones in classrooms or hallways. If they do not follow the expectations, they will be asked to turn their phone into the office, to be returned at the end of the day. Parents will be contacted. If this happens more than once administration will work with the family to create a plan for the student and their phone, such as the phone will be kept in the office for a week (or longer).
Highland Student Phone Expectations & Guidelines
From BSD Policy 3245 (in student-friendly language)
· Phones, Smartwatches, and Earbuds: You can only use phones, smartwatches, and earbuds before and after school or during lunch. The only exception is if there’s an emergency or if a school staff member gives you permission.
· Respectful Use: Don’t use your phone, smartwatch, or earbuds in ways that could mess with your learning or someone else's privacy.
· Inappropriate Content: Don’t send, share, or look at inappropriate pictures or messages (like anything sexual) on your phone or any other device while you’re at school, on a school bus, or at a school event.
· When Your Device Can Be Taken: If a school official has a good reason to believe you’re using your device to break the rules, they can take it away. It will only be given back to your parent/guardian or the police if necessary.
· Search of Devices: If you bring a phone or other device to school or a school event, you and your parent/guardian agree that it can be searched if there’s a good reason to think you’ve broken a rule. The search will only focus on the specific rule you may have broken. Anything illegal found on the device will be reported to the police.
· Responsibility for Devices: You are responsible for keeping your device safe at school. The school won’t be held responsible if your device gets lost, stolen, or broken.
· Follow School Rules: Make sure to follow any other rules your school has about using phones or other devices.
· Consequences: If you break these rules, you could face consequences, including being suspended or even expelled from school.
Daily Process
At 7:40 (first bell) students will:
- Put phone and/or smartwatch on Do Not Disturb
- Place phone, smartwatch, and earbuds inside pouch and close it at 7:40AM.
- Store pouch in backpack for the day.
If student chooses to unlock pouch at lunch:
- Get food, sit down, and eat.
- Find unlocking station and open pouch
- Place phone, smartwatch, and earbuds inside pouch and close it before entering next class.
At the end of the day, students will unlock pouch, remove phone, smartwatch, and earbuds and put pouch in backpack. Students must bring their pouch to school with them each day.
Students arriving late or leaving early will pouch/unpouch phones, smartwatches, and earbuds in the Main Office.
Violations
If a student damages their pouch or is caught using their phone, administration will collect the student’s pouch/phone and contact home. Any further offenses will result in loss of phone privileges at school for a specific amount of time (1 week, 1 month, 1 semester, etc.) and conference with parents.
There will be a $20 fee for a replacement pouch that has been lost or damaged.
We will be going over these expectations and guidelines with students in the near future.
Student Portrait Retakes
Yuen Lui Studio will photograph makeup and retake portraits at Highland Middle School on Wednesday, October 23
- Makeup portraits: students who missed the September picture day should plan on getting a portrait taken on Wednesday, October 23. Families can preorder makeup portraits via the October 2024 gallery:
- Order School Photos — Yuen Lui School & Sports Photography (yuenluischools.com)
- Key Word = Highland
- Enter an email address
- Retake portraits: students who preordered picture day packets for the September picture day can return their package to the photographer in exchange for a retake - a new package of the retake image for all returned packages will be issued at no charge.
- View and order portraits: families can view images online and order portraits from the September picture day via the September 2024 gallery using the link below. October portraits will also be available for viewing via the same link about one-two weeks after makeup/retake day.
- Key Word = Highland
- Online Code = Student's school ID number
- Enter an email address
Highland Middle School
Email: thomass@bsd405.org
Website: https://highland.bsd405.org/
Location: 15027 NE Bel-Red Rd
Phone: (425) 456-6400