School Policies and Regulations

All of our actions at M.S. 577 are governed by the DOE’s Chancellor’s Regulations. Visit the Department of Education website to view all of the Chancellor’s Regulations in detail.

All of our policies and regulations can be found in our Family Handbook.

K-8  Students are not permitted to use electronic devices at any time during the school day.

  1. Students will keep cell phones turned off and out of sight in their lockers. 9-12 only  in designated areas listed above  during lunch. 

  2. Headphones and earpods may not be used at anytime unless specified by an IEP or 504 plan

  3. Students are never allowed to use cell phones or electronic devices in locker rooms, bathrooms, staircases, the auditorium or outside of classrooms. 

  4. Cell phones, computing devices, portable music and entertainment systems may not be turned on or used during school fire drills or other emergency preparedness exercises. K-8 students are not permitted to use any of these devices at any time during the school day. 

  5. Students may not record, film, photograph, stream or broadcast anywhere in the building using cell  phones or other electronic devices without permission from an administrator or teacher.

  6. Use of cell phones or electronic devices for bullying, harassment or academic dishonesty (including  cheating, plagiarism or unauthorized collaboration) may result in disciplinary action as specified by the school's Academic Honesty Policy and the New York City Department of Education Discipline Code. 

  7. Cell phones and electronic devices used in violation of these policies will be confiscated.   

  • For the first offense students will be given a warning. (first week of school only).

    1. For a second offense, the device will be confiscated and parents will be contacted; confiscated devices will be returned to students at the end of the day.

    2. For a third and repeated offenses, a parent or guardian must come to school to retrieve confiscated devices. Cell phones can be picked up in the main office. 

  1. Refusal to comply with the confiscation of any device is considered insubordination and will result in further disciplinary action, including possible suspension.  

  2. 9-12 students may use personal laptops when appropriate during class time. If students are using non approved programs or websites they will no longer be allowed to use their personal laptops in school. K-8 students are strongly encouraged to leave all personal computing/ gaming devices at home. 

  3. Students are responsible for maintaining the safety and security of their electronic devices while at  school.

Electronic devices include: Cell phones, smart watches, video gaming devices, digital communication devices, headphones, earpods, bluetooth speakers, bluetooth devices, iPads, laptops.

ACADEMIC POLICIES

Promotional Criteria 

In accordance with the New York City Department of Education, M.S. 577 strictly adheres to the following promotional criteria. Each student is evaluated using a holistic approach. The ELA and Math portfolio include writing samples with Rubric Assessment, I-Ready Diagnostic Assessment, Teacher Observation, Unit Assessments, Written and Oral Projects and MAP Growth Assessment.  During our Parent Curriculum Meetings  in September, each department outlines their subject expectations and school-wide grading policy. Our academic grading policy is also listed on our website. **Subject to change  

Sixth Grade: ELA Portfolio assessment and MUST PASS ELA. Math Portfolio assessment and MUST PASS MATH.

Seventh Grade: ELA Portfolio assessment and MUST PASS ELA. Math Portfolio assessment and MUST PASS MATH.

8th Grade**: MUST PASS ALL 4 MAJOR SUBBJECTS as well as complete ELA, MATH, SCIENCE, and SOCIAL STUDIES Portfolio assessments,

**ALL 8th GRADE STUDENTS must pass ALL major subjects with a 65 average for the year and complete Exit projects in (English, Science, and Social Studies) to graduate. The students who do not pass all major subject areas will not be invited to attend the senior prom or graduation. The students will attend summer school, and if they fulfill all requirements they will attend the summer graduation ceremony. 

MS 577 Grading Policy

All subjects will use the uniform grading policy to determine your child’s grades. The grading policy is as follows: 45% assessments/labs/projects, 20% Quizzes, 20% homework and 15% class work/participation/effort. All students’ grades will have documentation in their google classroom. All writing pieces will be assessed through a common rubric and then converted into a numerical grade for averaging purposes. Please review your child’s google classroom and jupiter grades  to see your child’s performance throughout the year. We will be hosting virtual student-led conferences two times for this upcoming year, however your child MUST be able to explain the grading system to you.  

Homework Policy

It is imperative that students complete their daily homework assignments. Each child has all their assignments in their Google Classroom. The middle school years can be the most difficult years for your child, so please continue to check your child’s homework and speak to them about school. Please check Jupiter Grades to ensure your child is completing their homework, and to see the grades your child is receiving in school.  Our teachers assign homework as a follow up to class work. If your child is having difficulty completing the homework, he/she needs to inform the teacher the next day. If you have a shy/timid child, please feel free to contact Ms. Locascio to notify the teacher or you can call the school and speak with the teacher if he/she is available. If the teacher is not available, you may leave a message. You may also email any teacher with your questions or concerns. Many of our teachers have tutoring sessions during lunchtime. We ask that you encourage your child to attend the sessions, so he/she can become masters of the standards. We offer tutoring to ALL students, so please let your child contact his/her teacher to join. Any student failing a course MUST attend the tutoring sessions in any subject area. Your child MUST reach out to their teacher to join the tutoring program at lunch. All students will get lunch before tutoring. 

  • All homework MUST be completed on time. As we continue to build responsible young adults, we must emphasize the importance of completing tasks on time. If your child does not submit an assignment on time, and has not emailed their teacher, please expect your child to receive a zero for that assignment. We do understand that there are times that your child may be late in submitting an assignment, but it is YOUR child responsibility to communicate with their teacher. There is NO BETTER time than to prepare our students to use their voices THAN NOW! It is school policy that homework is given in every academic subject. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT YOUR CHILD MAY NOT HAVE A SPECIFIC CLASS THE NEXT DAY. THEREFORE,  THE HOMEWORK IS DUE THE NEXT TIME YOUR CHILD HAS THE CLASS. PLEASE CHECK YOUR CHILD’S SCHEDULE.

  • Homework will account for 20% of your child’s grade in all major subject areas.

  • All parents are expected to be part of the homework process by asking their child what homework they have and making sure all assignments are completed. All our staff members are available through email, Jupiter Grades, or phone call. If an issue arises, please contact them immediately.

  •  If your child is absent, he/she will be responsible to make up the homework he/she misses within a reasonable amount of time. An absence is not an excuse to not complete your daily assignments or your homework. If your child does not complete the homework, or communicate with his/her teacher about completing the homework, he/she will be given a zero for that assignment. Our Jupiter Grades website has all the homework assignments listed daily by subject area then by teacher’s name.

  • If you do not have internet access, please contact Ms. LoCascio to compile your child’s homework for the duration of their absence. If you are picking up homework, you must notify Ms. Locascio by 9:00AM and pick up assignments after 12:00 PM and before 2:00 PM. Please be understanding that we are offering many different options for you to retrieve your child’s assignments, therefore, he/she will be given a zero for any assignment not completed or made up.

FERPA LAW

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and New York State Education Law 2-d, and local regulations, such as Chancellor’s Regulation A-820 protect students’ “personally identifiable information” (PII). These laws also place responsibilities on the DOE and outside parties that are given access to children’s PII, including the requirement for the DOE and schools to provide families with the following annual notices: