Bailey Bear Happenings - August 12th Edition - Back to School

August 12th Edition

Important information from the Principal

Hello Bailey Families!

Welcome to the 2022-23 school year! We are so excited to get the year started. Teachers have spent this week in professional development preparing to receive your children. The following information will help us all get the school year started on the right foot.

Arrival and Drop-off & Pick up procedures

The first days of school can be chaotic. Plan ahead. Leave extra early if your are dropping your student at school because the drop-off line can be long and slow. It will get better, I promise. Please be patient. Safety first! The school doors open at 7:55AM daily. We do not recommend dropping students off earlier than 7:30AM if possible. To control non-student traffic inside our buildings, AISD now requires that parents leave students at the front doors on the first day of school. Only parents who have specific business in the front office (ex: registration, dropping shot records, etc.) will be allowed inside.

Morning Drop-off is in the right, curbside lane only in the front driveway (where the flagpole and marquee are located). CURBSIDE DROP-OFF ONLY! Please do not drop off children in the left lane. That is not safe. The left lane can be used to pass other cars that are dropping off. Please use caution when passing. Go Slow - stay safe! NO PARKING in either lane, please. Have your student ready with their belonging so they can exit your car quickly. This helps keep the line moving. Don't be the car that holds up the entire line! Watch for students in the crosswalk next to the flagpole.

There is NO DROP-OFF OR PICK UP IN THE BUS LOOP located on the left (west) side of the school. This is reserved for BUSES ONLY!

Afternoon Pick up in the afternoon happens in the front driveway only. Be patient, we will move the line as quickly as we can. Please remember, pick up is in the right, curbside lane only.

Class Schedules

Students will receive their class schedules first thing Monday morning in specialized advisory classes we call Alpha Advisory. Students are divided alphabetically by last name, and sent to specific classrooms to pick up their schedules. Once all schedules are distributed, students will be released to their 1^st period class. The entire process takes about 15 minutes. Student Schedules should be available to view this Sunday, late afternoon/evening, via the AISD parent portal. There will be plenty of staff available to assist our new 6^th graders with this process.

Food Services

Breakfast and lunch will be served in our cafeteria every day, however, those meals are no longer free for everyone. Only students who qualify for Free or Reduced lunch services will receive free or reduced-price lunches. All other students will have to pay for the lunches served in the cafeteria. Prices are: Breakfast $1:50 Reduced breakfast $0.30 Lunch $3.25 Reduced lunch $0.40 Free & Reduced lunch applications are available online at www.SchoolCafe.com. Students are also welcome to bring their lunch from home.

Backpacks and Lockers

We will once again assign lockers to students starting on the first day of school. The academic lockers come with combination locks provided by the school. Students will be given their own, private combinations on Monday during advisory. They will use their lockers to store their backpacks and any items not needed for the next class. Please monitor your child's backpack for any unnecessary items. They don't need to carry much and they will not carry backpacks from class to class.

Chromebooks

Students should come to school every day with a fully charged Chromebook. They will use their Chromebook on a daily basis so their Chromebook should be charged overnight, every night. Chromebook care is critical, and we need parent help to make sure students understand that their Chromebook is their learning tool, and they need to care for it responsibly.

Cell Phones and Wireless Ear Buds

Cell phones continue to be a huge distraction at school, therefore we will continue our policy of requiring students to turn off and put away their cell phones as they enter the building in the morning. Cell phones will remain off and out of sight throughout the school day (including lunch and advisory). If a student is found using their cell phone anytime during the school day a staff member will confiscate their phone and turn it into the office where it will be locked away safely until dismissal. If the phone is confiscated a second time, we will hold it in the office until a parent picks it up. If it is confiscated a third time, a district authorized $15 fee will be charged before the phone is released to the parent. They may use their phone once again when they exit the building after dismissal.

Wireless ear buds (ex: AirPods, etc.) are also not allowed to be in use during the school day. If a student is wearing their ear buds during the school day, the ear buds will be confiscated and held in the office with the same return policy as with cell phones.

Please speak with your child about this policy. We don't want them distracted from learning because they are texting, looking at social media, or talking to someone while instruction is underway. Please do not call your child during the day. This may get their phone taken away. If you need to get a message to your child, please call the main office - we will get the message to them.

Hallway Movement

This year we will use a "Hall Pass" system to control movement in our hallways while classes are in session. Students will soon receive Student Logbooks that will have sign out sheets that teachers will sign when a student leaves the classroom for any reason. Students will carry a Hall Pass on a lanyard signaling they have permission to be moving in the hallway. When they are done, they return the pass to their teacher, and they will get their logbook back. Students will carry their logbook with them to all classes, same as their Chromebook. (The logbooks will be printed soon and distributed as soon as they arrive.) The use of the hall passes will begin immediately. Please encourage your student to use the bathroom before classes begin in the morning, or during their lunch break. This will decrease the need to leave class to go to the bathroom.

Immunizations and Medications

If your child has outstanding immunizations, please complete those immunizations by Friday September 2nd. If your shot records are not updated by that date your child will be excluded from school until the shot records are updated and turned into the Bailey nurse. This is critical. Please complete your child's immunizations as soon as possible.

Any prescription medications must be turned into the nurse where she will keep them safely locked away, and will administer them per Dr. orders. Students are never allowed to carry any medications on their person (prescription or over-the-counter) unless it is emergency related and the student must have it with them at all times.

I hope this information answers some of your burning questions. We will send more information soon with more details about some of the items described above. Please note, our Back-To-School Night is scheduled for Tuesday, September 6th. It will be here at Bailey beginning at 6:00PM.

John Rocha, Principal

Bailey Athletes

Parents of athletes: please visit the Bailey Athletics Website for important information and dates. Paperwork drop off, tryout dates, and schedules will be posted as the summer progresses. If you have any questions, please contact Coach Brown at lara.brown@austinisd.org.

New Medication Policies

For this school year, any medication being brought to health room has to have a doctor's orders along with the parent authorization. If your child self-carries Asthma inhaler or Epi-Pen, then doctors orders with parent authorization are needed for self-carry. No other medication may be carried by the student. Feel free to call or email me with any questions. My email is teri.grossman@austinisd.org.

Bailey Athletic Booster Club Information

The Bailey Athletics Booster Club is a volunteer-led nonprofit that supports the students and coaches at Bailey Middle School. Each year the Booster Club supplies spirit gear, purchases equipment, provides supplemental stipends to coaches, and organizes events like the Homecoming Dance. To do this, the Booster Club needs your support. We're asking families of student athletes to purchase a membership or become a business sponsor. All funds raised go toward the Bailey Athletics program. Visit https://qrco.de/bdEKLn to sign up.

For news about Bailey athletics, follow the Booster Club on Facebook at facebook.com/baileymiddleschoolathleticsboosterclub.

Campus Health and Safety

Click HERE to learn more about our Health and Safety Protocols. It includes information about:

Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
Face Coverings
Health Screenings
Visitors on Campus
Outdoor Learning Environments
Protocols for Cleaning and Disinfecting
Physical Environment and Safety Protocols
Transitions

Need Device Tech Support?

Family Support Line - Parents can call 512-414-9187 or send a text to 512-866-6434 Monday - Friday 7am-5pm.
Students can report an issue via this form: https://www.austinisd.org/technology/help/student-support
Student Support Line - call 512-414-4357

Upcoming Events

August

15 - "A" Day
16 - "B" Day
17 - "A" Day
18 - "B" Day
19 - "A" Day

* Check Bailey Athletic Site for time and site for games at http://baileyathletics.wixsite.com/bears

Visit our website: bailey.austinschools.org

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