Montgomery Upper Middle School

Montgomery Upper Middle School FAQ’s for Parents

What Every Parent Should Know

  General Questions

 1. Where do I drop off something my child has forgotten? What information needs to be on the item?

 Items should be dropped off at the Main Office with your child’s name and grade clearly marked.

2. Where do I park when I come to UMS?

Parking is available in the front of the building in the main lot. All visitors must ring the doorbell and check in with the main office staff.  

3. Where do I drop my child off in the morning?

4. What do I do if my child is having difficulty with a teacher or a class?

 Step 1 – Contact the teacher, Step 2 – Contact the department Supervisor, Step 3 – Contact the Principal

5. How do I schedule a conference with a teacher?

 Contact your child’s teacher via e-mail or telephone to request a conference.

6. How can my child get extra help after school?

Teachers are required to stay for extra help 1 day per week (Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday). However, many faculty members will stay when students request the need for extra help.  Please refer to the link on the web page for teacher’s scheduled days.

If the student is in need of extra help they should attend the session with their teacher and then proceed to their activity. Students will not be penalized for arriving late as long as they have notified their coach or advisor in advance.

8. Where do I locate the summer reading assignments for each class?

 Summer reading assignments can be found on the website under the Language Arts department link.

9. What expenses should we anticipate for each year?

* No UMS student will be left out of an activity due to financial hardship.  Families can contact the principal or counselor for financial assistance.

10. Is there a PTO at the Upper Middle School? How do I get involved?

Montgomery Middle School has an active PTO. There are numerous ways to get involved on any level. Please refer to the PTO link on the web page for more information and contact numbers.

Students are not advised to bring personal electronic devices to school as we do not generally permit their use during the day.  Teachers will occasionally invite students to bring and use devices in class to compliment a lesson and, in this instance, it is acceptable.  Cell phones and other devices that are brought to school should remain safely stored in lockers from 8:20am to 3:05pm.  The school is not responsible for lost or broken devices.

Report cards for all marking periods will not be mailed home unless requested.  Instead, they will be made available for viewing on Genesis via the parent resource portal on our website.  Please refer to the calendar on our webpage for marking period end dates.

13. What is FLEX time?

Students are granted a 30 minute Flex period each day.  This “flexible” time is allocated for a variety of student-centered activities including recreation, academic support, study hall, seminars and assemblies.

Attendance, Tardiness and Absence-related Information

For more detailed information, please refer to the student handbook.

1. What is the attendance policy (excused vs. unexcused absences, how many days, etc)?

Attendance  (Policy 5200) 

The Montgomery Township Board of Education recognizes its responsibility to provide a thorough and efficient education for every student within the district in keeping with the prevailing laws of the State of New Jersey. In order for administrators and teachers to successfully fulfill their responsibilities to students, it is essential that all students accept their responsibility to attend school as scheduled, and that parents/guardians support and reinforce their child’s regular attendance.   

To conform to state regulations requiring school districts to define “excused” and “unexcused” absences:   

a. “An unexcused absence that counts toward truancy” is a student’s absence from school for a full or a portion of a day for any reason that is not an “excused absence” as defined below.

b. “An excused absence” is a student’s absence from school for a full day or a portion of a day for any absence for the reasons listed below. Although an absence may be excused, it may count against a student’s 90% attendance requirement and thus cause diminished success and/or academic loss.

1. The student’s required attendance in court; 

2. Where appropriate, when consistent with Individualized Education Programs, the Individuals with Disabilities Act, accommodation plans under 29 U.S.C. §§ 794 and 705(20), and individualized health care plans; 

3. The student’s suspension from school; 

4. College visits, up to three days per school year, for students in grades 11 and 12; 

5. Interviews with an admissions officer of an institution of higher education; 

6. Examination for a driver's license; 

7. Necessary and unavoidable medical or dental appointments that cannot be scheduled at a time other than the school day with documentation from the doctor’s office; 

8. Take Our Children to Work Day; 

9. Religious observance, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:36-14 through 16;

10. Participation in observance of Veterans Day, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:36-13.2;

11. Participation in district board of election membership activities, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:36-33;

12. Closure of a busing school district that prevents a student from having transportation to the receiving school;

13. An absence considered excused by the Commissioner of Education and/or a New Jersey Department of Education rule.

14. An absence for a reason not listed above, not to exceed two days, but deemed excused by the principal upon a written request by the student's parent stating the reason for the absence and requesting permission for the absence to be an excused absence.

For necessary and unavoidable medical or dental appointments that cannot be scheduled at a time other than the school day, documentation from the doctor’s office must be on an official office script pad or stationery and must include the duration of absences to be excused and the date of appointment. * All doctor’s notes will be subject to the school’s validation of the appointment date. 

An “unexcused absence” is a student’s absence for all or part of a school day for any reason other than those listed above. Though a student may be absent with parental approval for reasons other than those listed above, the absence will be defined as verified but unexcused.