School Policy Guide

O’Keeffe Middle School has a culture that promotes social, emotional and physical safety where bullying is not tolerated. We encourage our students to contribute to this culture by reporting all bullying and supporting classmates who are bullied. Students, parents or guardians are asked to make a verbal or written report of bullying to teachers, Student Services staff or Administration. Reporting forms are available in the office and can also be found on the MMSD website.

MSCR (Madison School & Community Recreation) provides after-school recreational and enrichment opportunities for students by making available a wide variety of offerings in which a student may participate. Watch the announcements for further information and starting dates. Some club offerings may include:

• Art
• Band
• Basketball
• Battle of the Books
• Chess
• Computers
• Cooking
• Dance Troop
• Drama
• Dungeons & Dragons
• Flag Football
• Girls on Track
• GSA
• Horseback Riding
• Jazz Band
• Jump Rope
• Literary Magazine
• Photography
• Rock Climbing
• Skateboard
• Ski Club
• Student Ambassadors
• Student Council
• Pop Choir
• Tennis
• Track
• Wrestling
• Volleyball
• Yearbook
• Soccer
• Softball
• Yoga

Programs are held immediately after school and last until 4:15, when a bus departs from the school. Note: The schedule of programs may vary week to week.

Generally, students may dress in any style they desire as long as their chosen attire does not cause a disruption or distraction in the school environment, reveal intimate body parts or pose a safety risk to the student or others. The following examples are intended to represent these limitations:

• Students may not wear multi-fingered rings, large metal chains or other jewelry that may be used as a weapon.
• Students must wear their pants at a level that does not expose undergarments. Boxers, thong underwear and athletic shorts may not show over the waist band.
• Students may not wear clothing with vulgar or obscene statements or statements or pictures promoting illegal drugs, alcohol, sex, violence or gang activities.
• Students may not wear clothing with words, pictures or caricatures based on negative stereotypes of a specific gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation or disability. Students may not wear shirts, hats or other attire with Native American team names, logos or mascots that depict negative stereotypes. A list of team names, logos and mascots prohibited under this provision is available at all schools and on the District website.
• Students may not wear skirts or shorts that expose undergarments or the buttocks.
• See-through clothing items are not permitted. Tops should be sufficient so as not to expose a student’s bra.
• Students must wear shoes or footwear.
• Students who are dressed in a manner that does not fit within these guidelines may be asked by school staff to change their clothing or address the dress code violation. Students are expected to follow staff direction regarding dress code violations.

Electronic devices must remain out of sight. Ideally, devices should remain in lockers. Devices that are seen may be confiscated. On the first infraction, the device may be confiscated and returned at the end of the day. On the second and beyond, the device may be confiscated and will require a family visit to retrieve the device.

Electronic devices include: cellular phones, iPods, MP3 players, Bluetooth speakers, Bluetooth earbuds and Airpods.

We value strong partnerships with our families. Please consider the many volunteer opportunities available at O’Keeffe. If you are interested in volunteering, please register through our Volunteer Tracking System (App-Garden). To get started visit:
https://appgarden6.app-garden.com/VolTrackWI3269.nsf

In addition, we welcome your participation in our Parent-Teacher Group (PTG). O’Keeffe PTG meetings are the second Wednesday of every month from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. in the LMC, unless otherwise noted.
We have a bilingual resource specialist, Magda Coll-Palombi, who can assist families who have a Spanish language preference. She can be reached at (608) 345-6672.
We publish a newsletter monthly that is available online at: okeeffe.madison.k12.wi.us.

We welcome your participation in our Parent-Teacher Group (PTG). O’Keeffe PTG meetings are the second Wednesday of every month from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. in the LMC, unless otherwise noted.

Please attempt to schedule appointments at times other than during school hours.

Help us avoid unnecessary office and classroom interruptions by sending a note to school when your child has to leave school early for an appointment. They should bring the note to the office first thing in the morning, allowing office staff to issue a pass slip. This will allow your child to leave class and the building at the designated time and means you do not need to come to the office to sign them out! However, your child should still stop by the office before leaving school so they can be checked out by office staff.

If your child has a pass to leave for an appointment and you are picking them up, please arrange beforehand where and when you will meet them. Students returning to school after an appointment need to check back in with the office. A parent does not need to accompany their child to the office when they return.

If you did not send a note to school with your child on the day they need to leave for an appointment, you will be required to come to the office to sign your child out.

Students who become ill during the day MUST be sent to the health office with a pass from a staff member. Students should not be communicating directly with a parent or guardian in case of illness without going through the health office. If the health office deems it necessary for the student to go home, they will contact the parent/guardian to come and collect their child from school. Parents/Guardians should go to the main office upon arrival to sign-out their child. Office staff will call the health office to have your child come to the office.

To report your student’s absence or late arrival, please call the Attendance/Safe Arrival line at
(608) 204-6821. Even if you’ve talked to the classroom teacher, you must still call the Attendance Line to notify the office. You must contact the school every day that your child will not be in school. You can also report absences online at mmsd.org/attendance. Planned Absence from School: If you are planning an absence of three or more school days, you will need to submit a Planned Absence request to the Principal. Forms are available online at okeeffe.mmsd.org. Go to the section ‘For Families' and select ‘Attendance’.

Families play a key role in school safety. You can read about school-specific resources for helping keep students safe. You’ll find more information on district safety and security, including how we communicate with you in an emergency, at madison.k12.wi.us/safety.

Emergency situation procedures

The District has a comprehensive crisis plan, and district administrators coordinate closely with city emergency management officials and law enforcement representatives to monitor and update plans on a regular basis. In addition, Jefferson has well-established security measures to ensure the wellbeing of students and staff. These include: visitor check-in procedures, locked exterior doors during the school day, surveillance cameras and a school resource/security guard.