Classes such as Art, PLTW and Band may collect a fee if a student wishes to keep a project that is done in class.  The individual teachers will give each student such information, if applicable.  

When field trips are taken, each school collects ticket fees, entrance fees, bus fees and/or permission slips from each student.  If a family needs financial assistance, support will be provided.

After-school sports and some clubs that meet after school may require a fee.  This fee may be waived in the case of financial need.  If a student is in need of financial assistance, please contact the Dean, Athletic Director at the High School or the Principal.

Arrival: Please do not have students arrive earlier than 7:15am unless the student is at school to work with a teacher or is attending a meeting for a school event.  If a student arrives late, they must check in with the Main Office or greeter before going to class and present their student ID upon check in.

Departure: The last bell rings at 2:25pm.  Students are required to leave the building by 2:40pm unless they are under the direct supervision of a teacher or involved in an after-school activity.  Repeated non-compliance may result in a property exclusion (trespassing) filed with the Shakopee Police Department. 

All athletics and activities offered at each middle school are listed on ShakopeeSabers.com. Various high school sports are offered to middle school students and each school has specific clubs and activities. Activities and sports not available at the middle school level may be offered by Shakopee Community Education and/or local youth associations.

The Shakopee Middle School Activities Program is open to all Shakopee students.  There are a variety of athletic and non-athletic opportunities during the school year. Most athletic seasons consist of a seven-week season with 8-10 competitions. Competitions will be both home and away with bussing provided to all away contests.

ATHLETICS:

Fall ( Fall athletics will start the week before school starts)

• Volleyball (7-8^th)
• Boys/ Girls Soccer (7-8^th)
• Girls Tennis (6-8^th)
• Boys/ Girls Cross Country (7-12^th*)
• Girls Swim & Dive (7-12^th*)
• Performance Dance (7-12^th*)
• Adapted Soccer (7-12^th*)

Winter

• Wrestling (6-8^th)
• Girls Hockey (8-12^th*)
• Boys Swim & Dive (7-12^th*)
• Competitive Dance (7-12^th*)

Spring

• Softball (7-8^th)
• Baseball (7-8^th)
• Boys/ Girls Track & Field (7-8^th)
• Boys/ Girls Golf (6-8^th*)
• Boys Tennis (6-8^th)
• Girls Lacrosse (7-12^th*)
• Adapted Softball (7-12^th*)

*Middle School students are incorporated with and compete with the 9-12^th grade levels.

ACTIVITIES:  

• National Junior Honor Society Science Olympiad
• Yearbook Band/ Jazz Band Mountain Bike Club
• Student Council Choir Knowledge Bowl
• Middle School Musical Saber Squad

REGISTRATION:

Registration is completed online through the Activities Department webpage.  Registration must be completed BEFORE an individual may begin participating in any sports team. Registration must be done for every sport, every season. There are three parts to the registration process:

1.  ONLINE REGISTRATION: All registrations must be completed online. Please go to www.shakopeesabers.com, then under the “Registration” tab, click “Registration Link” in the drop down menu. A Sports Engine account must be created if one does not exist already. All starred questions must be answered in order for the registration to be completed. 

2. FEE PAYMENT: Fees are paid online at the end of the registration process. No student will be excluded from any activity based on the inability to pay the fee.  The student or parent should call or email the Activities Office with financial assistance inquiries. Managers in a given sport shall not pay fees but do need to register (no physical required).  Refunds will be made to those students who drop from an activity during the first two weeks of the activity.  All athletic equipment must be turned in before any refund is made.

6^th—8^th GRADE SPORT PARTICIPANTS - $100 per sport season

3. PHYSICAL EXAM: All athletes must have an MSHSL Sports Qualifying Physical Examination Form filled out by their physician and on file with the school.  Once completed, the physical is good for 3 years.  Forms are available on the website and in the school offices.  Many local physicians have them in their offices as well. PHYSICAL FORMS MUST BE TURNED INTO THE ACTIVITIES OFFICE BEFORE PARTICIPATION IS ALLOWED.  A well- child check does not always include a sports physical. Please make sure a sports physical is completed before forms are turned in. 

POLICIES ON ATTENDANCE & ACTIVITY PARTICIPATION:

Student activity participation on the day of an absence is governed by the following rules:

• Students may participate with an excused absence, except those students who are ill and do not arrive before the start of third period.  Parents/guardians are encouraged to keep students at home when they are ill and to forgo activity in the best interest of the student and the health of other students participating in the activity.
• Students may not participate or attend activities on the days that they are suspended.  Students may also be held out of activities for inappropriate school behavior.
• Students are ineligible if they violate school policies on chemical use or harassment.
• Students may be denied early release from school for games if their teacher feels they are not making progress in the classroom.
• Students may not participate if they have an unexcused absence during the day.

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Attendance at Events

Shakopee students can attend all athletic home events with free admission with a student ID. All middle school students must have an adult, 18 years of age or older, as a chaperone (adult must purchase a ticket).

Students will be issued a student ID at the beginning of the school year, but until the current school year IDs come in, students may still get into games by using an ID from the previous year. If no ID is present, the student ticket fee is $5. It is expected that students move to the bleacher area once the game begins.  

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Spectator Conduct

Sportsmanship and all that it entails is a primary goal of all district athletics and activities. The safety of participants and spectators is also of the utmost importance. Demonstrations and displays at contests that communicate anything other than positive support for the team may be disruptive, obtrusive or misinterpreted and have the potential to lead to verbal or physical confrontation. The SSC and Shakopee Public Schools will enforce the expectation that all spectators will refrain from any and all such displays/ demonstrations at any contest. 

Basic Fundamentals of Sportsmanship and Good Conduct:

• Show respect for the officials, players and fans regardless of school affiliation.
• Do not engage in discriminatory or harassing conduct, including conduct based on any characteristic protected by the Minnesota Human Rights Act.
• Maintain self control at all times.
• Remain in appropriate spectator areas.
• Signs, banners, flags and placards must be positive and in support of your team only.

Acts of Misconduct:

• Use of artificial noisemakers (examples: megaphones, compressed air horns, duck calls, whistles, cowbells, firecrackers, etc.).
• Display of signs, banners and/or placards that are negative in nature or call out the opponent in any way.
• Throwing of objects (examples: silly string, beach balls, confetti makers, baby powder, flour, coins, pop bottles, folded papers, etc.).
• Use of obscene or abusive language that seeks to offend, intimidate or show prejudice toward a player, cheerleader, official or spectator, including the derogatory use of the names or numbers of opponents. 
• Being on the premises of a contest while under the influence, in possession of alcohol/ chemicals or in violation of the school’s tobacco free policy.
• Unauthorized entry into any scheduled contest or playing surface.
• Violation of the student discipline policy.

All parents/guardians should report an absence as soon as possible by submitting a request in Infinite Campus or contacting the school's attendance line. If the school is unable to reach the family or does not hear back about an absence, the absence/tardy will automatically be marked as unexcused. 

The classroom teacher reports attendance information and all absences and tardiness are recorded in the school office. Please refer to Policy 503 Student Attendance for additional information.

THE IMPORTANCE OF REGULAR ATTENDANCE

Regular and punctual attendance in class is of prime importance if the maximum benefits of schooling are to be achieved.  The entire process of education requires continuity of instruction, classroom participation and study in order to achieve the goal of maximum educational benefits for each individual student.  It is expected that all students will be in attendance in class on those days that school is in session.  Parents/guardians are responsible for making sure their child attends school every day.

Daily Automated Attendance Calls

Parents/guardians will receive a computer-automated phone call that day when their student has an unexcused absence from one or more block classes during the school day.  If a student and/or parent/guardian feels that the attendance was marked inaccurately, they should contact the teacher and/or the Dean of Students.

LEAVING DURING THE SCHOOL DAY

If a student is leaving for any reason during the day, parents/guardians must call the office as much in advance as possible.  Please indicate the student’s name, grade, reason for leaving, the time they will be picked up and who will be picking them up.  Students will not be permitted to leave with anyone other than a parent/guardian unless indicated by the primary guardian.  

PRE-ARRANGED FAMILY TRIPS

If a family trip is planned during school time, the parents/guardians should call the attendance line well in advance to inform them of the date(s) the student(s) will be absent.  The parent/guardian may request homework be collected in advance of the departure date so their student(s) can work on it during their absence to help stay caught up.  Family trips are excused absences as defined above, as long as a call is made to the school.  If the parent/guardian fails to contact the office, the absence will be considered unexcused.

Please refer to district policy for truancy, unverified absences, tardiness and unexcused reasons.

ATHLETIC BAGS: Each middle school will provide a storage area for athletic gear – please see the main office for the specific location. 

BACKPACKS: Students are encouraged to have a backpack, drawstring bag, etc. to carry materials throughout the school day. Students will be allowed to carry backpacks during the school day to classes. Backpacks will not be allowed in the cafeteria during lunches.

If students demonstrate inappropriate behavior at school, an adult will seek to understand what happened, support the child in reflecting on their behavior and provide opportunities for restoring relationships, as applicable. 

In addition, specific consequences may be applied; parents/guardians may be contacted, depending on the nature of the behavior, frequency of the behavior and severity of the specific incident.            

Please refer to the  500 Student Policy series for additional discipline and bullying prohibition elements.

Clothing may not include words or visuals which are lewd, obscene, disruptive, abusive or discriminatory, or which create a safety hazard, or which promote products or activities that are illegal for minors. Dress or grooming which is substantially disruptive to the classroom or school atmosphere is not allowed. Shoes must be worn at all times for health and safety reasons.

Please refer to Policy 504 for Student Dress and Appearance for additional directions.

Students may only sell items for school-approved fundraisers. Students may not sell items during class.  The school cannot be responsible for any money students may have collected. Students should not keep money in their locker.

 

Each middle school team values the time students are in classrooms learning. Students must have a hall pass when they are not in the classroom.

If a student displaces an item, they are encouraged to check the Lost and Found immediately and claim the item(s).  Small items such as electronics, jewelry, keys and eyewear are kept in each main office. 

It is the student's responsibility to check for lost items.  All items that are not claimed by the end of the school year will be donated to charity.  Lost iPads should be reported to the Learning Commons immediately.

Fines may be assessed for lost or damaged school property (e.g. books, equipment, materials, etc.).  The administration team will work with families if a situation of damage arises. 

Each student is assigned their own locker at the beginning of the year. 

Using the assigned locker is the best way to ensure the security of personal items.  Thus, sharing lockers or locker combinations is strongly discouraged.  

If a student has a problem with their locker, office staff will assist.

Under Minnesota law, school lockers are school district property. At no time does the school district relinquish its exclusive control of lockers provided for students’ convenience. School officials may inspect the interior of lockers for any reason at any time, without notice, without student consent, and without a search warrant.

Students’ personal possessions within a school locker may be searched only when school officials have a reasonable suspicion that the search will uncover evidence of a violation of law or school rules. As soon as practicable after the search of a student’s personal possessions, the school officials will provide notice of the search to students whose lockers were searched, unless disclosure would impede an ongoing investigation by police or school officials.

Each middle school is part of a neighborhood. Such neighbors have every right to expect that their property (house, yard, cars, business, etc.) will be treated with respect. Therefore, students should not trespass on neighborhood businesses or private property.

Personal Items

Each middle school is committed to providing an environment free from distraction and focused on learning.  Often times, trendy items/toys become significant distractions, get stolen or become the primary focus of students over the intended attention to learning. Such items are better suited for home use.  When improperly used in school, these items may be confiscated to be picked up later by a parent/guardian.  This is not to be confused with fidgets identified as accommodations for students as approved by case managers.

Additionally, the personal possessions of students and/or a student’s person may be searched when school officials have reasonable suspicion that the search will uncover a violation of law or school rules. The search will be reasonable in its scope and intrusiveness. 

Electronics

Students receive a district issued device for academic use. Personal electronic devices are prohibited for use in classrooms. Students may use their personal electronic devices during passing times and while at lunch only.

Independent texting, gaming, streaming services and participation in social media in class are strictly prohibited. Violations will be addressed.

Personal electronic device examples include, but are not limited to: iPad, Laptop, cell phones, eBooks, tablets, headphones, microphones, earbuds, air pods or smart watches. 

Electronic devices are strictly prohibited in locker rooms and bathrooms at any time. If an electronic device becomes a distraction in any school environment, it may be confiscated and school policies will be enforced.