WESTERN MENNONITE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION In-Service Week 2015 While there have been some Administrative changes recently, we wanted to take a moment to share some areas of expectation and clarification as we approach a new year. Please read over these points of emphasis prior to in-service: Office personnel and work space changes – You may have already noticed if you’ve been on campus that many office staff have moved this summer. This overall project was prioritized to provide better work space for the various people and to improve our ability to deliver services. Thanks to everyone involved for their servanthood and support this summer to accomplish these changes. Accessibility – As Administration, we want to be accessible to support all faculty and staff. Dora will have our daily schedule, so see her if we are unavailable. Public Relations – As a reminder, we as faculty and staff are the key to a positive perception of Western Mennonite School. Communication is critical in this area. Be in contact with parents and students often. Keep the advancement office informed of significant experiences and events in your department. School social events, visitor days, and extracurricular events are an excellent opportunity to visit and get to know parents. Remember, we all have a direct impact on admissions. We will be sharing more on this theme throughout the year. Faculty/Staff Dress – Faculty and office staff are expected to dress professionally. To us this means staying well above the dress code expectations for our students. We have allowed jeans to be worn by faculty and office staff on Friday’s. However, we expect the overall appearance on these days to be professional and well above student standard. Support staff may dress appropriate to your tasks. Sign Out at the Administrative Reception Office – Whenever you leave campus during the day. It is a courtesy to the office staff who work hard at tracking us down, and can spare the school embarrassment. We will also be implementing a new “Request for Time Off“ form during in-service week. Library Usage – Sending students to the library should be prearranged and passes should accompany them. Teachers and staff should make prior arrangements with Dottie before bringing classes or student groups to the library. Expectations for Faculty/Staff Chapel Attendance – Tuesday and Thursday grades 6-12 have corporate chapel and on Wednesday small groups will meet. All faculty and staff who work during the day are expected to attend chapel regularly for our own spiritual nurture and as part of our faith community. Faculty/Staff Meetings on Monday are also a priority for sharing, information, and professional development. These will start at 7:30am and continue through the student led chapel on Monday mornings. Faculty/Staff Devotion Schedule – According to first names, we will begin with the F/S roster sheet. You should be notified on Friday in addition to the weekly ‘Post’ sheet that you will be providing devotions at the F/S meeting the following Monday.
Maintenance Requests – Routine requests should be made in writing and put in Howard McBride’s mailbox. Forms are available in the main office. If an emergency exists, contact the nearest administrator. Campus Rentals – If you would like to borrow anything from campus (table, chairs, trailer, vehicle, etc.) you will need to go through Robby for this. We will be creating a process as many things have gone missing throughout this past year. We want to benefit our employees with access to things within reason, but also need to keep in mind wear/tear as well as overall usage. Work Space and Cleanliness – Please do not allow students to bring food and drinks to classrooms except with special permission by the Administration. Please make clean-up a part of your daily routine. All food should be disposed of in hallway or outside garbage’s as they get emptied more regularly. Custodial Requests – At least one custodian will be on campus from 6:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. This is subject to change based on workloads and times of year. Lyubov Miroshnichenko will be responsible for cleaning the Administration building (offices, classrooms, and bathrooms), the chapel, and the Library. The remainder of the campus will be cleaned by Morgan McBride. We will be going over a basic cleaning schedule during in-service so you know what to expect with the rate at which your area will be cleaned. Don’t forget to thank these people for all they do for us! Remember that we need to do our part. Clubs are needed! – For those not involved in other extracurricular activities we need more student activities. Please come to Rich with some ideas for the enrichment of our students and their overall social experience here at WMS. School Board meetings – Board Meetings are monthly. As an Administration, we will make every effort to keep you informed. If you have concerns or want to present an issue please schedule a time to meet with one of us. If the concern is regarding Administration, please feel free to contact a School Board member. Their e-mails may be found in the school directory or on the school’s website. FACULTY INFORMATION Classroom Management Plan – Have a classroom management plan and discuss it with your students the first day of each semester. Revisit it as needed. Fire, Lockdown and Earthquake Procedures – please go over the instructions that are in your resource notebook in each class on Wednesday, the first week of school. Teachers should ensure that a laminated copy of the Fire Drill Procedure is posted in each classroom. The Safety Committee will be in charge of fire drills in compliance with fire marshal orders. Emergency procedures are to be reviewed each semester. Classroom Observation – Expect regular informal visits of 5-10 minutes. If you feel you need more attention or help, don’t be afraid to ask. Formal observations will be scheduled in the spring. Please have lesson plans open and visible. All teachers should save a copy of each course syllabus to Teacher Share > Syllabi 2015-2016 before August 31st.
Lesson Plans - Lesson plans should be located in the teacher’s work area. Lesson plans will be checked periodically during observation visits. Keep your Lesson Plans in an easily accessible area in case you are unexpectedly absent. It would be helpful to share where you keep your Lesson Plans with a neighboring teacher and Dora so they can help your substitute. A substitute folder should include any relevant information for the substitute and emergency lesson plans for all of your classes. Tardy Bell – Once the tardy bell rings teachers should close their doors. Students may not enter the classroom after this time without a Student Tardy Slip. If a student does not have a Student Tardy Slip please direct them to Sheila in the Student Services Office. Once the tardy bell rings all students are expected to stay in your classroom until the ending bell rings. If a student needs to leave your classroom to use the bathroom, go to the office or their locker they may do so only with a hall pass. Only one student may leave your classroom at a time. If a student is gone for a time that seems inconsistent with how long you think they should be gone please call Sheila at x110 and let her know you have a student that went MIA. If you finish your lesson and students are waiting for the ending bell to sound do not allow them to stand in the hallway just outside of your room. They must stay in your room. Late Work - Students are expected to turn work in on time. Late assignments will receive the following deductions: Middle School: Middle School students who turn in late assignments will receive 10% off the assignment for the first day past the assigned due date. An assignment turned in more than one day late will receive 20% off of the assignment. Students may turn in missing assignments up to the end of the 9 week grading period. High School: High School students who turn in late assignments will receive 10% off of the assignment per day it is late, up to 50% off the assignment, as long as it is turned in before the end of the 9 week grading period. Advanced Placement/College Credit Now/Honors classes: Students who enroll in these classes will receive no credit for a late assignment as students are expected to function at a high college level of academic responsibility. IEP/Accommodation plans: Students with an IEP or an Accommodation Plan may have a different late work policy as individually determined by the plan. Parents requesting that their student be given an accommodation may need to have their student tested to determine if the student has learning needs. Absences: Students who miss homework because of an excused absence will receive the opportunity to make up missed work. Students are given one school day for each day absent plus one extra day to turn in their work. It’s the student’s responsibility to find out all assigned work for a class they miss due to illness or absence. Lunch Dismissal – Students must be kept in classrooms until the bell rings; there are no early dismissals. Teachers who are on supervisory duty in the cafeteria may move to the front of the line. Teachers are assigned to monitor the line at the top of the stairway until the line is completely served. Students who run or push will be detained for a time deemed sufficient by the monitor.
Contracted Time – Full-time instructors should be on campus by 7:30 a.m., with school beginning at 8:00am. Period 8 (2:55-3:30) is for academic, class, and club related meetings/activities; teachers are expected to be available in your classrooms to meet with students or parents. Extracurricular practices will not begin before 4:00pm without Administrative approval. Substitute Requests - See substitute request procedure in F/S Resource Notebook.
Departments: Advancement Team – Rich, Caleb, Rory, Charlene International/Dorm Staff – Rory, Josiah, Deb, Aaron, Shannon, Anna Facilities – Howard, Rick, Will, Alan, Morgan, Lyubov Kitchen – Rory, Laura, Dora V., Eileen, Lydia Finance – Doug (A/P), Reneé (A/R) Administrative Support – Dora, Sheila Please see the updated school committees below. Every Faculty member is expected to serve on at least one committee per the Faculty/Staff handbook. Standing committees: Curriculum – Dottie (Chair), Chad, Ray, Sandi, Darlene, Susan Admissions – Rich (Chair), Paul, Chad, Robby, Rory, Diana A.P. – Darlene (Chair), Susan, Allison, Geoffrey, Denise, Liz, Rachel Enrichment – Rich (Chair), Reneé, Geoffrey, Liz, Dave P, Rory Safety – Dave C (Chair), Robby, Howard, Josiah, Rory, Mike H, Steve, Erica, Gary Technology – Sean (Chair), Dave C, Dottie, Denise, Ray Spiritual Life – Jim (Chair), Rich, Mike B, Chris, Caroline, Rachel, Emily S.I.P. – Diana (Chair), Chad, Darlene, Allison, Sean, Dave C *Our expectation is that these committees meet once per month.