ATTENDANCE

Frost Middle School is committed to providing our students with a high-quality education. Academic success relies upon excellent school attendance. Children who come to school on time every day are building critical life skills they will use the rest of their lives.  Like strengthening a muscle, building positive attendance habits early on makes a difference for our children today and for our adults of tomorrow.  Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school and themselves.   Per the Student Rights and Responsibilities, students are fully responsible for completing any missed assignments. Teachers may assist the student and parent or guardian in identifying missed work but are not obligated to provide make-up assignments for unexcused absences. The best way to keep your child up-to-date is through your Schoology account. Below are important updates to the FCPS and Frost attendance policies:

• When a student accumulates five unexcused days of absence in a school year the school will contact the parents and a plan will be developed.
• If the student continues to have unexcused absences in the same school year, and accrues a total of ten unexcused absences, a conference will be scheduled, and the attendance officer will be notified.
• If the student is non-responsive to interventions, or the parent is intentionally disregarding compulsory attendance laws, the attendance officer may file a complaint with the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.

Please remember to call the attendance line at (703) 426-5702 to report all absences. If the school is not notified of the reason for the absence within three (3) days, it will automatically be recorded as an unexcused absence. When contacting the school, please include the child’s name and specific reason for the absence. Justifiable absences include those due to illness of the student, death in the family, medical or dental appointment, personal religious obligations, or other reasons acceptable to the principal. Family trips must be pre-arranged through the office.  

When instruction is in person, missing the bus is not considered an excused absence.  Early dismissals require that students bring a note signed by their parents to the office at the beginning of the day and that they meet their parents in the office at the assigned time.  Students who become ill during the day will check out through the health room. Isolation Room--  Students need to have a teacher pass to enter the health room.  Parents will need to come into the school building to sign out their child, and parents must show photo identification to school staff.

FROST TARDY POLICY

School begins at 7:30 a.m. Students are expected to arrive on time for the start of school and all classes, including first period. School bus transportation is provided for all students who live across Route 236/Little River Turnpike and Olley Lane.  Students are either assigned to a bus or designated as walkers.  It is important to note that the Kiss and Ride experiences heavy traffic that may result in delays. With Frost MS currently being under renovation, we anticipate greater delays. Students assigned to a bus are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the bus transportation provided. Tardies due to missed bus or Kiss and Ride congestion will not be considered “excused”.

A student is on-time if he or she is in the classroom when the bell rings. When a student is unable to make it to class on time and does not have a pass excusing their tardiness, their attendance will be marked as unexcused tardy (UNT) in SIS. 

To ensure student safety, we monitor full day and period attendance. The current tardy policy* is as follows:

• 1st tardy  – Verbal reminder and warning of next steps by teacher
• 2nd tardy – Student and teacher problem-solving conversation
• 3rd tardy – Intervention and assigned consequence by teacher, Parent/guardian contact providing information of next steps by teacher
• 4th or more – Verbal reminder and discipline referral submitted to administrator

*Monitoring of on-time attendance by class period restarts each quarter

 

HALL PASSES

Students should use their student planner as their pass to leave class with teacher permission and signature.  It is the student’s responsibility to have the planner with them every day and in all classes.  Students may purchase a new planner if the one provided at the beginning of the school year is lost.  Replacement planners can be purchased in the main office for $5.00.

 

COMMUNICATION: School to Home

At Frost Middle School, we believe that communication is key to our relationships with families and are committed to providing parents with regular news and information to support student learning and promote family involvement.  Frost uses many communication tools to connect with parents/guardians, such as:

1. Student Information System (SIS)- You are able to access the ParentVUE of SIS, which shows information about your child's attendance, class performance, demographic data, and link to Schoology. It provides an additional conduit for communication with Frost MS and your child’s teachers.
2. Schoology- You can also stay informed on your student’s progress by using https://www.fcps.edu/schoology/parents. Schoology will help you find all your student’s assignments, resources, and announcements for their  classes and groups. You can also use Schoology to communicate with teachers.
3. E-Notify- This  is part of the FCPS crisis communication service. Emergency, attendance and essential outreach messages are distributed via email, telephone and text. It is an automatic enrollment service for parents of FCPS students and employees of the system. It draws contact information from the student information system and the employee databases.  FCPS central offices and schools use E-Notify for three types of messages: emergency, attendance, and outreach. It is important that parents keep their child’s emergency contact information up to date with the school. You may update this information online through [email protected] 
4. News You Choose- This delivers information of a non-essential nature and is sent from the Frost Middle School office or PTA. Its delivery is similar to E-Notify, but parents have the ability to opt in or out of these communications. A variety of topics are offered such as school system news, budget information, and the latest information from designated schools. Please sign up for News You Choose and get all the up-to-date happenings at Frost Middle School.  Go to fcps.edu, cursor down until you see the yellow banner that says “News You Choose” and sign up using this link:  https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/VAEDUFCPS/subscriber/new?qsp=VAEDUFCPS_1.
5. Social Media- Follow us on Twitter: @FrostMSVA and @FrostPrincipal
6. Parent Liaison. Parent liaisons are available to help parents better understand the school system and advocate for their children’s education. Bilingual Community Liaisons are also available.

COMMUNICATION: Home to Your Child's Teacher

At Frost Middle School, we value parent-teacher communication and believe it necessary for student success. We know that the more our parents/guardians and teachers share relevant information with each other, the better equipped both will be to help students achieve academically and support their social-emotional needs.  To assist parents in contacting staff, all of our teachers have access to email and a voice messaging system. You can find email addresses by clicking the staff directory link on the Frost Middle School website and can leave a voicemail by calling the main office (703-426-5700) who will connect you to the system.

Although technology makes home/school communication more convenient and immediate, our staff is limited in the amount of unencumbered time that they have to plan for instruction and respond to calls or emails. We appreciate your patience as you await a teacher’s response. They will make every effort to get back to you within 48 hours. We would love to promise an “instant” response, but the time demands during the school day make that an impossible.  Again, we thank you for your capacity to understand this as a limitation. 

Please know that we share a common goal: success for your child. If you have not received reciprocal communication from your child’s teacher within the reasonable amount of time defined above, we encourage you to contact either their counselor or grade level administrator.

•  If your concern is related to a safety matter, an incident that could result in disciplinary action for your student or another through the SR&R, or a concern about a staff member please contact your child’s administrator. 
• For mental health concerns or questions about classes, schedules, etc…, please contact your child’s counselor.  Their name can be found on your child’s schedule next to their team name.

FORGOTTEN ITEMS FROM HOME

If your child has forgotten something at home, please consider whether or not they require it to have a successful day at school or if it can wait until they come home before dropping it off.  Lunches, school supplies, and other student items may be left at the main office (enter through Door 1).   To ensure that there is minimal disruption to instruction, students will not be called from class to pick up items. They will be called from Falcon Focus or during lunch to retrieve items. Students may also come in between classes to pick up their items.  

CONTACTING YOUR CHILD’S TEACHER(S)

All Frost teachers have access to e-mail. Faculty e-mail addresses are posted on the Frost Middle School website. You can find the e-mail addresses by clicking the staff directory link on our website.

Although technology makes home/school communication easier, it does not change the fact that teachers have only one 50-minute planning period per day.  Your child’s teachers will make every effort to respond to e-mails and phone calls within 48 hours.  We would like to promise “instant” responses, but the time demands during the teaching day make that impossible.  Please know that we share a common goal: success for your child. Please use Schoology at lms.fcps.edu to access homework and classroom assignments and to view additional class information.  

DRESS CODE

This dress code is outlined in Regulation 2601.31P.

 

FINANCIAL MATTERS

Class fee collection begins the first week of school. Preferred fee payment method is online through MySchoolBucks at www.myschooolbucks.com. Fees should be available for payment by the end of the first week of school. If online payment is not possible, then checks may be made payable to Frost Middle School. A separate check is needed for each fee. Please write your child’s first and last name, as well as the class name on the memo line of each check (John Smith, Art Fee).

 

MEALS

A debit system similar to the one used at automated teller machines is available for meal purchase.  Most Frost students use this system, eliminating the need to carry cash.  Students will use the same lunch ID number that they have used in previous FCPS school buildings. Applications for free or reduced lunch fees are available in Student Services.  Free and reduced-price meals are available for those families that qualify.  Applications are online at FCPS.edu.  Put “free and reduced-price meals” in the search engine and select the first link. In addition, families may be eligible to receive financial support for class fees by completing the “Consent to Share” information section on the free and reduced-price meals form. *Students are not allowed to order lunch deliveries from any restaurant that delivers or provides a delivery services like Uber Eats, GrubHub, DoorDash etc.   FCPS will continue to provide “grab-and-go” meals during the upcoming school year. Our goal is to provide every FCPS student daily access to a healthy breakfast and lunch during this pandemic. Visit our Food Resources for Families page for more information

 

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL GAMES

Late buses are provided for after school activities including academic assistance. Students are asked to notify their parents in advance if they plan to take the late bus home. Late buses run on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.  Late buses leave Frost at approximately 4:45 P.M. Please note that the Wednesday late bus is shared with Woodson High School, potentially resulting in later drop-off times. *Students are not permitted to leave the school grounds and return to ride a late bus.

*21-22: In-person after school programming and late bus availability may not be in effect.

 

LOST & FOUND 

Items can be found on the shelves in the cafeteria (books, coats, binders, etc.) or in the main office (phones, glasses, keys, or other valuable items).  Items left in the cafeteria are donated to a local by the PTA at midyear and at the end of the year.

MEDICATIONS

Children who need to take medication during school hours must have a signed authorization on file. Prescription medications require the signatures of both the parent and the physician. Inhalers and epi-pens require separate authorization.  All medical forms can be accessed on the internet.  Forms are also available in the health room.

Over-the-counter (OTC) medications are drugs that can be purchased without a doctor’s prescription and are used for relief of symptoms on a temporary basis.  With parent and physician authorization, OTC medication may be given on an “as needed” basis throughout the school year.  Example: antihistamines for allergic reactions.  In all other cases, OTC medications may be given for up to ten consecutive days with parent authorization.  Examples: medications for cough and cold relief.

ALL medications must be kept in the health room and taken under adult supervision. Middle school children are not permitted to carry medication, including OTC medications.  However, middle school children may carry prescription inhalers or epi-pens with the permission of their parents and the authorization of their physician. 

Leslie Grottle, our School Health Aide, will be available during the New Student Orientation “Walk Around Frost” on August 22 from 1:00- 3:00 pm; during 8^th grade Schedule Pick-Up from 7:00 – 9:00 am; and for Back-to-School Night on September 5.  You will be able to ask any questions or drop off forms and medications at that time. 

 

MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES | 24/7 EMERGENCY NUMBERS

If you are in crisis, text NEEDHELP to 85511, call 1-800-273-TALK, or dial 911; TTY dial 711.  CrisisLink Regional Hotline: 703-527-4077 (CrisisLink is a hotline for individuals in crisis or family/friends seeking guidance for how to help a loved one).

SAFETY

The safety of our students and community is the top priority for our school.  Please encourage your child to walk to and from the bus stop/school building with friends. Students should report any suspicious people or unusual activity to their parents and to the school.   Students must be under the direct supervision of a staff member if participating in after school activities or if remaining after school for academic assistance.  

To create a safe environment, Frost is committed to creating a positive school community for all. Frost’s Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports (PBIS) program teaches students the positive behavior expectations in our school community and celebrates their efforts when those are met.

Digital Citizenship

Frost students will use technology as described in the FCPS Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) when using school resources.  Students will use technology in a safe and respectful manner and approach their use of technology with empathy, ethics, and a sense of individual, social, and civic responsibility.  Additionally, these guidelines apply to the use of student owned devices while on FCPS property.  

Students are expected to treat school provided laptops or other technology with care and respect.  

SCHOOL PICTURES

School pictures will be taken on October 13.  Make-up pictures will be taken on October 21. 

TRANSPORTATION

 

School bus transportation is provided for all students who live across Route 236/Little River Turnpike and Olley Lane. Students are to ride the school bus assigned to them, from the closest bus stop in proximity to their home address, as designated by transportation. Students are either assigned to a bus or designated as walkers.  It is important to note that Kiss and Ride experiences heavy traffic that may result in delays.  With Frost MS currently being under renovation, we anticipate greater delays. Students assigned to a bus are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the bus transportation provided.

Students may be granted permission to ride a different bus when a note is received by the school from the parents/guardians of all children involved in the special request. The form can be obtained from the front office.

 

LATE BUS TRANSPORTATION

Late buses are provided for after school activities including academic assistance. Students are asked to notify their parents in advance if they plan to take the late bus home. Late buses run on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.  Late buses leave Frost at approximately 4:45 P.M. Please note that the Wednesday late bus is shared with Woodson High School, potentially resulting in later drop-off times. *Students are not permitted to leave the school grounds and return to ride a late bus.

*21-22: In-person after school programming and late bus availability may not be in effect.

FCPS GRADING SCALE

Grade	Percentage Points	Definition
A A-	93-100 90-92	Designates the status of a student who consistently demonstrates accurate and complete knowledge of content and skills specified in the FCPS Program of Studies (POS) and applies that knowledge to solve problems in a variety of settings.
B+          B B-	87-89 83-86 80-82	Designates the status of a student who demonstrates knowledge of content and skills specified in the FCPS POS, with some improvement needed in accuracy and/or consistency in performance, applying that knowledge to solve problems in a variety of settings.
C+          C C-	77-79 73-76 70-72	Designates the status of a student who demonstrates knowledge of basic content and skills specified in the FCPS POS, but requires additional practice and instructional experiences to acquire skills necessary to solve problems.
D+          D	67-69 64-66	Designates the status of a student who needs significant practice and instructional experiences to acquire the knowledge of basic content and skills specified in the FCPS POS necessary to solve problems. As a final mark, it is not necessarily sufficient to meet the prerequisite requirements
F	Below 64	Designates the status of a student who has not demonstrated the basic knowledge of content and/or skills specified in the FCPS POS and requires additional practice and instructional experiences in order to succeed.

 

POSITIVITY PROJECT

Frost Middle School has partnered with the Positivity Project to empower students to build positive relationships and become their best selves.