Students
should be at school by 8:05, when the first bell rings.
They will enter school and go to either the Auditorium (Grade
6);
the Gym (Grade 7) or the Cafeteria (Grade 8).
At 8:10, students will proceed to their lockers and then to homeroom.
The late
bell rings at 8:15.
Any student not in their homeroom by the late bell is considered
tardy.
During homeroom, teachers take attendance and the morning
announcements are given by the Main Office.
Dismissal is at 2:50 p.m.
Each school day is assigned a letter, and students will follow
"their schedules according to the "Letter Day."
Click on "School-Year Calendar & Letter Day Schedule"
at the top of this page.
Click
on "School Hours and Special Schedules" for class period
times.
The school staff officially
enters the building at 7:30 a.m.
Parents often drop their children off early in the morning,
sometime before 7:00 a.m.
We cannot
guarantee the safety of your child if you
leave him/her outside the building before the staff gets in.
The school day officially ends at 3:05 p.m.
When after school programs are in session,
they end at 3:50 p.m.
Again, we cannot guarantee the safety of your child if
he or she is waiting outside alone.
Please make arrangements for your child to go home directly
after school, or at the end of any after school activity.
Any student not enrolled in an after-school program
who is in the building or on the school grounds after 2:50 p.m
will be considered trespassing.
Every parent must provide
us with phone numbers in case of an emergency.
Every parent/guardian received a Pink Emergency Form in their
summer mailing,
or when you registered your child in the Guidance Office.
Please make
sure that ALL parts of the form are filled out completely.
We will contact you if anything is left off.
Most importantly - please provide us with current phone numbers,
including cell phone numbers.
If you change your phone numbers, change your home address or
work numbers,
or have a change in your secondary emergency contacts,
please let us know immediately.
Students entering 6th grade must have had a physical in the months
leading up to the new school year.
Sixth graders must have had a physical within the last 12 months,
ending September 30, 2008.
Seventh graders must have had either the Chicken Pox,
or the vaccination for it - Varicella Vaccine.
They should also have begun their three immunizations for Hepatitis
B by 7th Grade.
All Blue Health Forms are due by September 28, 2008.
If a child does not have a current Blue Heath Form in file by
that date,
they will not be allowed back to school until he/she has had
a physical.
This is a state law.
Any questions, please call Mrs. Hankins, School Nurse at 899-2910
x1412.
Lunch is served every school day.
Students may bring their own lunch to school,
or purchase it in the Cafeteria.
Options & Offerings
Hot Lunch
There are two options when purchasing lunch - Hot Lunch or Deli
Lunch.
Hot Lunch is a basic offering which changes daily.
It consists of a main entree, a side salad or vegetable, fruit
and milk or water.
Health pizza is also available.
Weekly menus are available on the Norwalk Public Schools website
-
www.norwalkpublicschools.org
- click on "Lunch Menus."
Hot Lunch
costs $2.00 per day; $1.00 per day for those
who receive Reduced Lunch prices and free for those who qualify.
If you experience any financial difficulty
and cannot provide lunch for your child,
please contact Mrs. Pogany in the Main Office (x1420)
to receive a State of Connecticut form for Reduced or Free Lunch.
Forms are also available by clicking on the link at the top of
this page -
"Forms for Parents."
You must fill out the form and submit it to Ms. Lissette Santiago,
Lunch Program Coordinator at Central Office - 854-4204.
The form will be submitted to the State.
The State, not Nathan Hale, makes the final decision.
You
must provide lunch for your child every day until you get
the official acceptance letter from the State
allowing your child to participate in the program.
Deli Selections
Deli sandwiches are available and are made to order.
Prices vary according to what the child orders. Items such as
sandwiches,
healthy versions of pizza and hamburgers and wrap sandwiches
are available daily.
Deli prices
range from $2.50 - $3.50.
Side items such as healthy chips, various drinks and
fruit and bagels are also available.
If your child wants something from the deli, you should estimate
$4.00 a day.
Free and Reduced Lunch students cannot participate in the deli
selections.
Breakfast
Breakfast is also served daily. Students who choose breakfast
as an option will
go directly to the Auditorium when they enter the building in
the morning.
Parents who get free or reduced lunch -
your child is entitled to a nutritious breakfast
each and every day. Please make sure your child is ready for
the day,
encourage them to come to he Cafeteria to eat breakfast.
Breakfast
costs $1.00 per day.
Depositing Money Into
Your Child's Account
Every child in the Norwalk Public Schools has been assigned an
account.
It works much like and ATM - You may deposit money into your
child's account.
When your child comes in and makes a purchase, he or she uses
their PIN number
to pay for the item, which is deducted from the balance in his
or her account.
You may add to the account whenever you like.
Please
make checks payable to the Nathan Hale Cafeteria Fund.
Please come in and see Mrs. Margaret Rapisarda, Kitchen Manager,
to make a payment.
Any questions, please contact her at 899-2910 x17245.
Lost Lunches and Lunch Money
Sorry, we are not able to give out passes to your child if he/she
forgot their lunch
per Whitson's Catering, the company that supplies our food services.
Your child may call you to drop off a lunch or lunch money.
Nathan Hale Middle School holds many school dances
throughout the school year. They always take place on a Friday
from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. A DJ provides music and refreshments are
served.
Teachers serve as chaperones.
Decorations are provided and created by the Student Council,
under the direction of Mr. David Gibson.
Tickets may be purchased a few days prior to the dance,
before school in the lobby.
Tickets are $5.00, and cannot be purchased at the door.
All students
must be picked up by 9:15 p.m
or will not be able to attend another event.
Any student who owes a financial obligation to the school - either
main office,
library or for any other item, cannot attend dances until it
is paid.
Any students who was suspended during that quarter, either in-school
or
out of school suspension, may not attend until the next quarter,
with a clean record. |
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Bus passes are required
for all students who ride the school bus
to and from school.
The Transportation Department at Central Office
determines eligibility for the bus.
Generally, you must live 1.5 miles from your property line
to the school property line.
(Car odometers are not considered an accurate measurement.)
Some areas that are within the "walking" limits to
the school
are considered hazardous, because of main roads or traffic patterns,
and a bus is assigned.
Students riding the bus must remain seated at all times,
and not to cause a distraction to the driver.
Bad behavior on the bus will not be tolerated.
Riding the bus is a privilege that may be revoked by the Administration
due to bad behavior, fighting, or causing a disturbance.
School Bus Routes
For bus routes and times are available on this website.
Click on "School Bus and Wheels Bus Info."
at the top of this page.
If you have any questions regarding transportation, please contact
Mrs. Pogany in the Main Office, x17202, or,
Mrs. Garcia,
Coordinator of Transportation
at Central Office - 854-4074.
Courtesy Passes
Students who are considered living within walking distance of
the school,
but are close to a bus stop may apply for the Courtesy Pass Lottery.
The number of Courtesy Passes are determined after all bus seats
are assigned
to those students eligible for a bus.
Any leftover seats are then made available for the Bus Lottery.
Courtesy Passes are good for one year only.
The Lottery
closes on October 1, 2008.
All 6th grade families received a Lottery Application in their
summer mailing.
Students in 7th and 8th grade who have had a Courtesy Pass last
year
received a lottery application directly from Mrs. Garcia
in the mail this summer.
If you need an application, please contact her directly, not
the school.
Lost Passes
If your child loses their bus pass, another one can be made
for you.
Replacement passes are $1.00. Please see Mrs.Pogany in the Main
Office
early in the day for a replacement. Requests at the end of the
day cannot be honored.
Taking a Friend's Bus
Occasionally, we will allow a student to take a different bus
home to see a friend.
In order
for us to allow your child to take a bus,
we must have your request in writing.
Your child should bring in a note to Mrs. Pogany first thing
in the morning.
Verbal requests will not be honored.
Please note - we cannot allow this on a regular basis.
The school is directly on a Wheels Bus Route - the city bus service.
We do
not sell or provide Wheel's bus tokens for students.
Please do not send your child
to the Office in search of a token.
The only students who are eligible for a bus token
provided by the school are students who are enrolled in
a Nathan Hale After School Program.
Children who are staying after for detention
are not given a token.
You must provide transportation for your child.
We cannot
allow your child to take the Wheels Bus unless we have
your written permission on your child's Pink Emergency Form.
Lockers are assigned to all students in the building.
The combination to the locks changes each year.
Students must not give out their combination to anyone!
If they do, their lockers could be broken into, and items stolen.
If that happens, your child will be obligated to pay for the
losses.
Please impress upon your child the importance of not sharing
their combination.
All locker issues should be directed to Mrs. Pogany in the Main
Office, x17202.
All of the schools in Norwalk have a dress code that serves as
a
guideline for parents and students to follow.
The administration has the right
to call a student down to the office to discuss any clothing
issues.
Please do not allow your child
to come to school wearing
the following:
Tank tops or bare midriff tops, spaghetti straps.
Super short shorts or mini-skirts.
Revealing low-rider pants or shorts.
Baggy pants worn below the waist or at the thighs.
Flip-flops - frequently cause tripping in the hallways.
Any clothing depicting drugs, explicit slogans
or images of a sexual nature.
Wallet chains, studded belts and bracelets.
Torn or otherwise revealing clothing.
At the beginning
of the year, the weather will still be warm,
and therefore, the school will be even warmer,
especially those who have classrooms on the second floor,
which is all of the 7th and 8th grade classes.
Dressing in light clothing will be important during
August, September and even the beginning of October.
In winter,
the building can vary in temperature greatly.
As the process of construction continues, more windows will be
replaced.
But until the job is completed at the end of summer 2008,
please urge your child to wear layers.
Some rooms may be very cold or drafty while others
can be hot if it is a window-less room.
Dressing in layers is key to everyone being comfortable.
Remember, outdoor winter coats may not be worn in class.
If your child has forgotten his/her lunch, homework,
musical instrument or gym clothes,
you may drop them off in the office.
We get dozens of items dropped off each day -
Please help
us out by writing your child's name in the item for us.
We will call your child down to the office to pick it up.
If they called you, please let them know when you are dropping
it off,
so they know to automatically come to pick it up.
We cannot
call your child out of class for a phone call from you.
We will take a message and call your child down to the Office
between classes or during Afternoon Announcements.
We make every effort to contact your child.
But on occasion, certain students will not come when called.
We can only do our best.
Cell phones cannot be used in school. They may remain inside
back packs,
turned off and safely in their locker. Any phones taken out and
used in school
will be confiscated and a parent must come to school to claim
it.
The school is not responsible for lost or stolen cell phones,
iPods or any mp3 players,
digital cameras or GameBoys.
These expensive items should be left home at all times.
Frequently, students will lose textbooks and library books,
damage book bindings, damage musical instruments or gym equipment.
Parents and guardians are responsible for the cost
of the item damaged or lost.
Payments
may be made by cash, check or money order,
and are payable to Nathan Hale Middle School.
If a check is returned to us for insufficient funds,
the bounced check, plus the bank fee of $9.00
must be paid in cash immediately.
We will not accept any further checks from anyone
who has bounced a check, for the rest of the school year.
If a financial obligation goes unpaid,
we will withhold your child's report card until it is paid.
The Main Office always sends letters home to alert
parents to the outstanding obligation.
Parents who
did not take care of financial obligations at the end
of last year did not receive their child's final report card.
That debt will carry over to this school year.
Any debts not paid by the end of 8th grade will result in your
child not participating in Promotion Exercises in June.
Contact Mrs. Pogany or Ms. Gamcsik in the Main Office
to check if your child owes any money to the school.
At the beginning of the year, your child will bring home
an Accident Insurance Form.
This is an easy way for you to purchase accident/health insurance
for your child.
Please return the form to the school as soon as possible.
Attention Parents Who Purchased Insurance:
If you need to contact the company for any reason -
call the Bob McClosky Insurance Company at
800-445-3126.
Bob McClosky Insurance
P.O. Box 511
Matawan, NJ 07747
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