Bedford Junior High School students attend classes in compliance with Michigan School Law. Students who are unable to attend regularly scheduled classes are required to have an of! cial excuse. Parents or legal guardians must call the Junior High School attendance office at 850-6210 on the day of the absence, preferably between 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. Students are responsible for all work missed while absent from school.

The basic guidelines for absences are: personal illness or illness in the immediate family, funerals, and religious instruction. Any other absence will be handled on an individual basis. Students who will be absent for a number of consecutive days for either medical or personal reasons, must have their parents contact the Principal at 734/850-6201 prior to their absences so that arrangements may be made for parents to pick up homework assignments following at least two days of absence. Students may have the number of days to complete and return work that are equal to the number of days that the student was ill. This number will include holidays and weekends so that the student does not fall further behind in class preparation.

Our teachers encourage parents to request class work while a student is absent. However, if a student is out for a long period of time, additional work will be assigned only after the initial assignments are completed, turnedin, and graded. If, during the student’s absence, the gathered work is not picked up from the of! ce, it will be kept for the student upon his/her return to school. Teachers will not be asked to re-assign the same work or assign new work until the initial assignments have been completed. If a student is absent due to illness for more than two weeks, parents should contact the Principal (850-6201) and request that home bound teaching services begin.

Report to the attendance counselor before school with a parent or guardian-signed excuse stating that the student is returning from absence or suspension.

Should a student forget to bring a note, it remains necessary to report to the attendance counselor
for an admittance pass to class. Students must bring a note on the following day, so that
the absence can be veri! ed. No absence may be excused without a note/call from a parent

NOTE: Truancy (being absent from school or class without permission) for any number of periods during the day will result in one or more Friday evening detentions. Depending upon the circumstances, a student’s second truancy will result in suspension from school.

Students leaving school during the school day must present a valid note signed by their parent or guardian to an administrator or their designee. In return, the student will be issued a pink pass that will be presented to the classroom teacher at the scheduled time of departure. This pass will negate the need to call the student from the classroom. In the event that a parent-signed-note is not sent with a student, parents will be asked for a picture identification in order to meet with or retrieve the studentor guardian.

Students leaving school for an unscheduled vacation period must bring a parent or guardian’s explanatory note to the Principal well in advance of the vacation period. This note should request that our teachers prepare work-to-be-done during the vacation period. All work must be made up while a student is taking part in an unscheduled vacation. All make-up work must be turned in to the classroom teachers on the day of the student’s
return to school, or at the discretion of the individual teacher(s).

Absences due to illness, vacation, or family emergency will be handled on a case-by-case basis regarding the "excused" or "not-excused" status of an absence. During an excused absence a student will receive due credit for all class work made up and turned in on time. Teachers are not required to give, accept, or grade work completed during an unexcused absence. The final decision regarding the status of an absence remains with the Principal. Absences due to family vacation will not be excused over final exam days or those days devoted to MEAP state pro! ciency testing.

Students must never leave the building without a permission slip and without being signed out in the office. Students violating this policy will receive a three-day suspension from school. Students are not permitted to remain in the school building after the normal school day unless they are present for an activity organized and supervised by a sponsoring adult. All students must go home on the bus unless picked up by a family member or other party, as designated on the student’s school health card.

Guidance Services- Both group and individual guidance services are available. The guidance program is a total school concern and both teachers and professional counselors are involved.

Home-Based Teacher- Each seventh grade student has at least one teacher who knows him/her personally.

Social Experience- Sophisticated social activities that emulate high school programs are discouraged. Seventh and eighth grades are able to participate in both intramural and interscholastic sports.

Personal Values and Standards- Our program provides opportunities for helping children to formulate personal values and standards through our curriculum, counseling services, and overall guidance in daily social skills.

Gradual Transition- Experiences are provided that assist early adolescents in continuing their development from dependence to gradual independence through a program that articulates well with the elementary and the high school programs.

Exploratory and Enrichment Studies- Our program provides opportunities for children to explore their individual interests via a combination of required and elective courses.

Basic Skill Development and Extension- The curriculum provides opportunities for students to receive clinical help in learning basic skills, including skills of continued learning.

Creative Experiences- Our program includes opportunities for students to express themselves creatively. Studentcentered,
student-directed, and student-developed activities are encouraged.

Physical and Health Education- These activities are based solely on the needs of students. Participation rather than spectatorship is encouraged in a wide variety of intramural activities. A strong health program is included to help students understand, care for, and develop wellness skills.

Community Relations- Community partnerships with businesses, clubs, and other groups are provided for students to understand the people and places with whom they live, and to develop an attitude of environmental improvement. Community resources are utilized and the school facilities are often used by approved area groups.

Parent Involvement- Bedford Junior High School encourages parent involvement through the Parent, Teacher, Student Association (PTSA), teacher conferences, daily teacher conference hours, open houses, Quest parenting classes, volunteer aides, and club advisors.

Multi-Media Approach- The Junior High School, through an instructional multimedia approach, offers a comprehensive program involving the use of a variety of easily accessible learning materials.

Flexible Schedules- Blocked time for basic subjects, exploratory, and special interest classes allows for individualized and personalized instruction.

Individual/Personalized Instruction- This approach goes hand-in-hand with continuous progress and considers the varying intellectual growth rates of students.

Team Teaching- Our program allows students to interact with a variety of teachers in a wide range of subject areas. Interdisciplinary team teaching is encouraged in order to provide a comprehensive curriculum, student understanding of the in" uence of one area of study upon another, and topics that provide a broader base in which to bring about critical thinking.

Evaluation- Evaluation of the students work strives to be positive, nonthreatening, and individualized. Rubrics provide a means of student self-evaluation.

Diversity in Teaching Certification- Our middle-level teachers have diverse background and are fully qualified under No Child Left Behind . While some are elementary certified, others have their secondary teaching certificates. All of our teachers employ developmentally appropriate classroom strategies that address visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles.

Auxiliary Staffing- Our Junior High School utilizes personnel such as volunteer parents, teacher aides, clerical aides, and other support staff.