Bessie Coleman CHANGE Agent Info
This is our Weekly One Stop Shop on All Things BCMS.
Parents, please pay careful attention to the information below. We need your support to ensure that we have a secure and safe environment. Please review all of the information provided.
Arrival
Please find the details regarding arrival and dismissal. LINK
Start and end times: The building will open up at 8:15 am.
Please review the LINK for detailed directions for our scholars regarding morning expectations.
Videos for arrival and dismissal
General Arrival Reminder
The front of the building has been assigned bus and daycare transportation only. At 8:00 a.m., the front entrance will be shut down and we will only allow buses and daycare to drop off. All walkers should report to door 14 and all car riders will report to door 14. We also ask that we do not drop off prior to 8:15 a.m.
We do not provide supervision before 8:15 a.m. and it is imperative that all scholars are properly supervised at all times. If any incident transpires on campus grounds during those times, we will adhere strictly to the student code of conduct. Please ensure that we have proper supervision at all times.
Dismissal Process
As a response to teacher and parent feedback, we have made a slight adjustment to our dismissal procedure. We have implemented the new adjustment this week and have found it to be very successful. We will continue to make minor adjustments until we maximize our efficiency.
All scholars will be dismissed from their classrooms and released at the sound of the bell.
Early Pick up Cut of time
Our campus times for scholar early pick-up are 3:45 p.m. All scholars will need to be picked up before 3:45 p.m. for early dismissal. If you arrive at the school for early dismissal after 3:45 p.m., we will ask that you wait until dismissal to pick up your scholar. Your cooperation is appreciated.
If we are running a pep rally schedule, that time for early dismissal will be 2:45 pm.
Dress Code
Our CHISD dress code is as follows:
Red, white, or black collared shirts, and black or khaki pants. Jeans cannot be worn Monday - Thursday.
On Fridays, we are allowed to wear jeans with either a spirit shirt, school uniform shirt, or College Shirt. Please visit the CHISD website for detailed information regarding the dress code. https://www.chisd.net/domain/1557
We understand certain individualized circumstances, however, Bessie Coleman's top priority is to educate the whole child. We will keep that focus this year as we make intentional changes toward full compliance.
District guidelines LINK. Campus guidelines LINK
Bookbags
As a reminder, our district has implemented a bookbag policy to enhance campus safety. Effective August 19th, any bookbag that does not comply with district guidelines will be confiscated and returned to a parent or guardian only.
For specific details regarding our safety and security procedures, please refer to the student code of conduct.
IDs and Temporary IDs
It is our campus expectation that IDs are around the scholar's necks. This implies that we must have our IDs on at all times during the instructional day. Identification truly helps us properly identify our scholars during the day. The ID policy will be strictly enforced on September 5th. We have a process to ensure that every scholar has an ID (or temporary ID) at all times. After 2nd period, all scholars will be expected to have their IDs on and visible. Temporary IDs will be available for purchase through 2nd period. Temporary IDs will cost $1. If a scholar is caught without an ID after 2nd period, they can face disciplinary consequences for being out of compliance. Please speak with your child about keeping their IDs out and around their necks. Many of our scholars want to keep their IDs in their pockets, in their book bags, or under their hoodies. All staff have been directed to request that all IDs be properly displayed.
Fees for IDs are listed below.
Temp ID - $1 each
Lanyard - $1 each
ID Case - $1 each
Badge Replacement/Lost - $5
Bell Schedule
The 2024-2025 bell schedule can be viewed here. Scholars will be responsible for arriving at all classes on time. We have a 4-minute passing period and have the expectation that all scholars arrive to class on time daily. Please ensure that you have spoken with your scholars on the importance of walking efficiently through the hallways.
Electronic devices
Any scholar using their electronic devices will be addressed and the device confiscated. The cost associated with retrieving that device is $15 and the parent or guardian must come to the school to sign for the device. The time window for picking up all electronic devices is 4:15 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. A different time can be arranged by the administration team for those who have circumstances that might prevent them from picking up during those times. That decision is determined by a committee and is case by case with final approval from the principal. Parents, please speak with your child about the importance of focused time in school and being fully present.
Communications
Bessie Coleman MS uses School Messenger in Skyward to send information (email messages) to Bessie Coleman students, parents, and staff- including a link to our weekly newsletter. Additionally, we use Blackboard (text messages and the CHISD APP) as an additional layer of communication. We conduct callouts, text messages, and CHISD APP updates through Blackboard as well. As the school year begins, CHISD opts all parents and guardians back into the system so that you will receive the most current information from both Bessie Coleman and CHISD. Anyone can opt out of the service at any time. Opting out will prevent you from receiving messages from the campus and CHISD.
We are also very aware that our transition back to a structured environment is going to be a process. We will fully implement all disciplinary consequences for non-compliance on August 19, 2024.
Scholar Behaviors
We’ve initiated discussions about creating a positive school culture, and student behavior emerged as a key focus. We’ve outlined expectations for hallways, classrooms, the lunchroom, and overall campus conduct.
To simplify our approach, we’ve identified two core rules aligned with our Longhorn Essentials:
LE #1 Respond appropriately to adults.
LE #6 Follow campus protocols, even with substitute teachers.
Our students have demonstrated a strong understanding of these expectations through class discussions. Together, we will create and sign social contracts that will be prominently displayed throughout the school.
We believe that by setting clear expectations and holding ourselves accountable, we can transform our school into an exceptional learning environment.
Parent Visitation During school operating hours
We are committed to strengthening the partnership between home and school. To that end, we aim to increase parental involvement beyond traditional events like athletic contests, performances, and instructional nights.
We are excited to announce that we will be opening our school doors to parents during the school day. To ensure a smooth transition, we will finalize internal procedures by the end of the first marking period. Once established, we will invite parents to join us for culture walks, classroom observations, and lunchroom visits.
To facilitate your involvement, we encourage you to sign up for our VOLY system. Please remember to adhere to district visitor guidelines. We look forward to collaborating with you to create a thriving school community.
Absences
We will adhere to the district and Texas' policy for absences. Truancy prevention measures will be in full effect this year. Good attendance has a direct correlation to positive academic outcomes. Although there are many contributing factors to successful academic outcomes, being at school is the true foundation for that. It is difficult to pour into scholars academically and socially/emotionally when they are present. We will do our very best to ensure that we have a safe, orderly, and welcoming environment filled with fun activities to balance the academic rigor this school year. And we look forward to your collaboration in the process.
Tardy Policy
We will begin issuing tardies the week of September 2nd. It is imperative that we arrive at every class on time. This building is rather large but we have demonstrated that we can move from the furthest locations within a three-minute time period. Please reinforce with our children to "walk and talk" with their friends. We know that school is made to be social but we are a learning establishment. Arriving at class on time is vital to increasing academic outcomes.
One of our campus-wide routines is related to hallway expectations. It is a requirement that all of our teachers should stand at the entry door to their classrooms to greet scholars during passing periods.
Once the passing period has expired:
Teachers will close and lock entry doors.
Scholars will report to their designated tardy station location.
An administrator or designee will issue the scholar a tardy pass.
Scholars will report individually to the designated period listed on the tardy pass.
Consequences
- Tardy Pass (by period and our tardy station will be tracking this daily)
- Parent Email and Phone Calls
- Conference with Admin
- After School detention - 30-60 minutes
- Detention entered into Skyward
- Saturday Detention
- In School Suspension
- Behavior Contract
- *Scholars tardy count will be reset at the end of every six weeks
Bessie Coleman Middle School
Website: www.chisd.net/bessiecoleman
Location: 1208 East Pleasant Run Road, Cedar Hill, TX, USA
Phone: 9722934505
Twitter: @bessiecolemanMS