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SMS Student Handbook

Attendance

Punctual and regular attendance is required for every student by GCPS Board of Education policy and is essential to a student’s success. A good attendance record has a direct effect on grades and attitude toward school. Excessive absences will necessitate contact with a parent or guardian by school personnel. See the GCPS Student/Parent Handbook for more detailed information.

For more information, visit Gwinnett County Public Schools' Attendance Policies & Procedures.

Arrival & Dismissal

Students should not arrive at school before 8:50
a.m. unless they have an appointment and a written pass by a teacher. Students should enter the building at the designated door for their grade level, get breakfast, and report directly to their homerooms. Students needing to go to other areas of the building must have their agenda or a pass signed by the homeroom teacher. Homeroom teachers will be in their rooms at 8:50 a.m., available for supervision and guidance of their students. 
Students cannot “hang out” in the halls, sidewalks, courtyards, bathrooms, or other unsupervised areas. If this occurs, students are considered Absent Without Leave (AWOL), and an administrative consequence will be given.

Students must indicate whether they are car riders, walkers, or bus riders. Students cannot change their designation without prior written notice from their parents.

Car riders and walkers will be dismissed at 4:00 p.m. and must be picked up by 4:20. Walkers are expected to leave campus immediately. Car riders should proceed directly to the car rider lane for pickup at the designated location. Bus riders must remain in their last-period class until their bus is called. Students who do not follow these procedures will be AWOL and face administrative consequences.
 

Parents may not check out students after 3:30 p.m.

BUS NOTES

According to the guidance from the GCPS Transportation Department, students are not permitted to ride a bus home with another student unless it is an emergency. In such cases, the student must submit a note signed by a parent or guardian, including a phone number for confirmation, to the grade level office by 10:00 a.m.

LATE ARRIVALS

Punctuality is a part of the attendance record. A student is considered tardy if he/she does not arrive at school by the time homeroom ends at 9:20 a.m.
When a student arrives at school after homeroom ends, a pass to class will be completed and signed in the front office before the student reports to his teacher.

DROP OFF / PICK UP

BEFORE SCHOOL

  • Students arriving by car will be dropped off in a single file line in the lower parking lot.
  • To ensure the safety of all students, parents should not pass other vehicles or park to let their children out of the car.
  • To facilitate bus arrivals, cars should not enter the front driveway between 8:30 and 9:25 a.m. or between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m.

AFTER SCHOOL

  • Walkers must cross Pate Road only at the crossing guard location at the end of the sidewalk.
  • Students being picked up by car should be met in the lower parking lot. After the buses leave, students still waiting for car pickup will be relocated to the front office. Parents must come inside and sign out their students.
  • Parents should be prompt in picking up their students at the designated area. Students who are picked up after 4:30 more than three times will be required to ride the bus. Parents will be notified by the principal regarding required changes in transportation.

EARLY CHECKOUT

Only individuals authorized on a student's enrollment form will be permitted to check the student out. If a student needs to leave during the school day for any reason, the authorized individual must sign the student out at the front office. A photo ID will be required to check out the student. Office personnel will only locate the student after the photo ID has been presented in person. When checking out students, parents should park in the front parking lot.

ATHLETIC ACTIVITIES

A student participating in interscholastic competition outside of school hours in a school-sponsored activity must meet certain eligibility requirements. All participants in interscholastic competitive athletics in grades 6-8 are required to have an annual physical examination that indicates their approval for participation. This examination must be signed by a licensed physician before taking part in any tryouts, practices, or conditioning. The physical examination form should include the date (month, day, year) and the student's name. Parents are encouraged to promptly pick up their students at the designated area after any extracurricular activities, including basketball games.