Question 1

About BRMS

Accepted Answer

Barker Road Middle School was formerly Pittsford Middle School, Barker Road Elementary and Barker Road Junior High School.
BRMS houses grades 6-8 and has an approximate enrollment of 700 students. BRMS feeds into Mendon High School.

Question 2

Are students divided into teams?

Accepted Answer

Yes. "Teaming" at the middle school is a philosophy centered on creating a smaller, connected environment for students. Moving from an elementary school setting to middle school can be overwhelming for students; the teams help by creating a personality and identity with the students as well as a "home-base" of sorts. Students are thoughtfully and carefully assigned to teams so that there is a diverse and balanced student population on each team. Teams are not a method of "tracking" our students based on their needs or strengths, so there is not one team that is only for honors-level courses, for example.
At each middle school grade level, teachers of the 4 core subjects (math, science, English, social studies) are grouped into teams. This allows the teachers to collaborate and provide interdisciplinary learning opportunities for our students. BRMS students are placed on one of the 2 or 3 teams in their grade level.
 
Team 6 - Green
Team 6 - Purple
Team 7 - Red
Team 7 - Yellow
Team 7/8 - Orange
Team 8 - Blue
Team 8 - Maroon
 
Students may worry that they will not see their friends who are on other teams... but this should not be a concern! There are 9 periods during the school day, and only 4 periods are team-specific. Therefore, students will be in classes with other non-team members for their non-core classes: foreign languages, art, music, gym, home and careers, technology, health, orchestra, band, chorus, and lunch.

Question 3

What is school dress code?

Accepted Answer

All students are expected to give proper attention to personal cleanliness and to dress appropriately for school and school functions. A student's clothing should not disrupt the educational process. Students should follow the CRMS Dress Code Policy (listed in the student agenda) or s/he will be asked to change. Dress code specifics include:
clothing may not include items that violate the protections specified in the following categories:
race
color
weight
national origin
ethnic group
religion
religious practices
disability
sexual orientation
gender
outer clothing must completely cover underwear and private body parts
footwear must be worn at all times
no hats (sports team "psych day" attire - coach must have administrative permission)
shorts and skirts must be a reasonable length, covering undergarments and private body parts
no drug or alcohol references or logos

Question 4

Is there an Open House

Accepted Answer

Yes. It is held annually in September. The purpose of Open House is for parents to meet their child's teachers and BRMS staff and to learn about the program and curriculum that students will be involved with during the year.
Please note that Open House is intended for parents/guardians ONLY (your children should not attend with you).Parents will follow their child's Day 1 schedule, in a condensed format, allowing approximately 10 minutes in each period. Parents should report to their child's 1st period class by 6:00pm and will end the evening at 8:00pm in their child's 9th period class. The Commons will be open at 5:00pm, and information from PCSD, Pittsford PTSA, and Pittsford Youth Services will be available. More information will be sent home to parents prior to this evening.

Question 5

When is 6th grade orientation?

Accepted Answer

Sixth grade orientation is held in late-August. Incoming 6th grade students are invited to attend from 8:00am - 12:00pm. They will participate in an interactive, social team building event led by teachers and older students. Parents are invited to attend a parent orientation from 11:00am - 12:00pm in the Auditorium. Check the district calendar for the date.

Question 6

Do students have their own lockers?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Parents will receive a mailing in late-August informing them of their child's homeroom and locker assignments. Students may set up their locker before the first day or school, but only during hours specified in the letter.

Question 7

Attendance issues, permission slips and bus passes"

Accepted Answer

Each and every day that a student is going to be absent or tardy, it is necessary to place a telephone call before 9:00am to the automated Attendance Line. The BRMS Attendance Line phone number is 267-1809.
If a student is absent for two or more days, the parent may request homework when calling the Attendance Line. The student's teachers will send work home through the Counseling Office, and that homework can be picked up after 3:30pm.
If a student needs to be picked up early, a note from a parent/guardian stating the reason for an early dismissal should be turned into the homeroom teacher during homeroom time or the parent/guardian may call the Attendance Line before 9:00am at 267-1809.
All students tardy to school, dismissed early, or returning from an appointment, must have their parent sign them in or out of school in the Main Office.
Bus passes are issued to students who would like to take a another bus or get off at another stop. A parental note is required. The student must give the note to the Main Office before homeroom or to their homeroom teacher.

Question 8

Student drop-off/pick up

Accepted Answer

Please utilize the parent loop if you drop off your child at the beginning of the school day or pick up your child at the end of the school day. Students should not be dropped off in the parking lot. Traffic, especially in the morning, can become extremely congested. Please obey stop signs and the speed limit. Let’s keep our kids (and staff) safe!
Please note that if a student is arriving late to school or being picked up early a parent must sign him/her in or out of school in the Main Office (see “Attendance issues” section above).

Question 9

Is there a late bus?

Accepted Answer

There is a "late bus" run that leaves BRMS at 3:20pm each day for those students who remain after school for a club, activity, or extra help. Please note that students MUST be supervised after school. Students should get a late bus pass from the teacher who supervised the club/activity and report to the Commons for last bus dismissal. Check with the school's main office for additional information about late bus runs. If your child takes the late bus, s/he can expect to arrive home around 4:15-4:30pm.

Question 10

Are there parent-teacher conferences in middle school?

Accepted Answer

There are no specific dates pre-scheduled for parent/teacher conferences at the middle school level. However, teachers welcome the opportunity to meet with parents. Please call the BRMS Counseling Center secretary at 267-1860. The secretary will be happy to provide you with a schedule of when your child's team is free for a conference.

Question 11

Breakfast and Lunch

Accepted Answer

Breakfast and lunch are available to students every day. Menus for all PCSD schools are uploaded each month.
Grab-and-go breakfast is available before school for $2.00. Lunch can be purchased for $3.00. Lunch includes a main entrée and 2 sides (milk, juice, vegetables, fruits). Gourmet salads and items from the deli/wrap bar can be purchased for $3.75. A la carte entrées, chips, fruit, yogurt, cookies, etc are also available for purchase.
Students may pay with cash or use a debit account.
6th graders eat lunch during an extended 5th period: either 5A (10:30-11:00) or 5B (11:03-11:33)
7th and 8th graders eat lunch during an extended 7th period: either 7A (11:55-12:25) or 7B (12:28-12:58)

Question 12

Teacher webpages

Accepted Answer

Teachers maintain their own webpages on the school website. Visit the BRMS website for more information.

Question 13

Can parents volunteer at the middle school?

Accepted Answer

There are several opportunities to volunteer at middle school activitiies and events. Visit the Volunteer page for more information.

Question 14

Where can I find out what is going on at BRMS?

Accepted Answer

It is highly recommended that you sign up for e-news to stay up to date on school happenings. Register for:
 
BRMS PTSA E-News (known as the Weekly Bark
District PTSA E-news (emailed every other Tuesday)
Principal Updates (emailed 1-2 times/month)
BRMS Morning Announcements (emailed daily)
Subscribe to PTSA eNews
 
Principal updates and daily emails of the Barker Road Morning Announcements are sent to the email address you have on file in Infinite Campus.
 
This BRMS PTSA website and the Pittsford Central School District website are maintained independently, although they share ideas and link to each other.
 
The PTSA website is maintained by Pittsford PTSA volunteers.
 
The school district's website is maintained by District employees and focuses on PCSD information.
These websites are important for you to check periodically. As we become more electronically focused, most of the information you need to know will appear on these webpages.
Websites:
District PTSA
BRMS PTSA
Pittsford School District
BRMS School Site

Question 15

What competitive sports teams are available for middle school students?

Accepted Answer

Students in grades 7-12 may try out for Pittsford Schools athletic teams. Visit the PCSD sports section for a list of sports available to students or visit individual team webpages. 
Sports Tryout and Start Dates are available on each sport's webpage here. Please note that tryouts for Fall teams may begin in August or September, before the first day of school.
A Sports Clearance Form must be submitted for each athlete prior to the start of the season. Typically, the form is due in July for Fall sports teams, in October for Winter teams and in February for Spring teams. Refer to the Athletic Registration System on the PCSD Athletics webpage for more information.
Schedules for all of our PCSD sports teams may be accessed online via the Monroe County Public School Athletic Conference website. Click on "Pittsford Sutherland" to view both BRMS (Mod B) and SHS (Varsity and JV) sports schedules. You can view all athletic events for a given date, or you can select a specific team under "View Schedules". For example, click the box next to "Cross Country Coed Mod B" to see the schedule for the BRMS XC team. Please note that this site lists events within our conference, so non-league events (such as tournaments or invitationals) may not be listed here.

Barker Road Middle School

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