School Days
What does my student need to wear for PE? Students may wear what they prefer for PE. It is preferable that students wear sweatpants, leggings or shorts and athletic shoes for PE. If access to these items is a challenge, please speak to your PE teacher or counselor.
Will my student have a locker for PE? Each student has access to a PE locker. The student will need to provide their own lock as it is recommended to lock up your possessions.
What does school lunch cost? For 2023-24, school lunch is $2.85. Pizza is sold for $3. Several ala carte and boxed items are available at a separate or additional cost. Instructions to apply for Free and Reduced lunch can be found on the Nutrition Services page. Students who have not qualified for free or reduced lunch will not be denied a standard school lunch.
How do I avoid a lunch account overdraft? You may set up an auto-refill on your student's lunch. Visit Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Choose Food Service in the left hand menu. Choose My Accounts on right hand side of screen. Then choose Recurring Payments. Make sure the correct child is selected in top right corner. You can then select all the parameters for your automatic refill on your student's lunch account. If you have multiple students, you will need to do this process for each.
If something happened in my child’s classroom about which I have questions or that concerns me, who do I contact? It is always best to start with the teacher for clarification. If the incident/discussion involve other students, teachers and administrators will not discuss the other student by name or personal information, but focus on your/your student’s concern. Find staff contact information here.
I’m concerned about something that happened outside of a classroom (hallway, lunchroom, etc.) regarding my student, who do I contact? To hopefully streamline communication and response, please reach out to the following administrator if your student is a 6th grader, Allison Holland. If your student is a 7th grader, Dave Kietzman. If your student is an 8th grader, Justin Galbraith. If your student is in special education or has a 504 plan, Tamara Chelf. If the situation falls outside of this, please contact Alan Hartley. You may also leave a voicemail for any of these contacts by calling BMS at 563-359-3686.
My concern is about an interaction with a teacher that I don’t feel comfortable addressing directly with the teacher, who do I contact? Please use the same guidelines listed above regarding concerns outside the classroom for contacting an administrator if your concern is regarding a teacher interaction.
How does my student get involved with clubs and extra-curriculars? A list of potential activities can be found here: Activities | Bettendorf Middle School. Sign ups for club will be available at Back to School Night. Daily announcements will also include information about upcoming meetings for clubs as different activities begin at different parts of the year. Information on our athletic seasons can be found Athletics | Bettendorf Middle School. If you student plans to participate in a sport, please sign up through Arbiter Registration (arbitersports.com) and identify or add the sports in which they want to participate. A Sports Physical is required each school year. Please plan in advance of the beginning of your student's first athletic season.
How/when we will my student interact with their counselor? Each grade level is assigned a counselor who will stay with that grade level during their years at BMS. To find your students counselor, visit here. Students will interact with counselors in classrooms, throughout the day in common spaces, and as needed on a 1:1 basis.
How are students recognized for good deeds, good work, etc? BMS staff continue to add and modify opportunities for recognition in our school. Some examples include recognition of students going above and beyond by a student and shared in our weekly newsletter. There are quarterly Breakfast of Champion where students displaying responsibility, caring, respect, and community receive the Wayne Cheramy award. The Bettendorf Optimist Club also recognizes students (as nominated by teachers) for Optimist Awards. Students may also be randomly drawn to receive a prize/recognition for maintaining a referral free record.
Courses & Curriculum
How does foreign language work at BMS? Currently, French, Spanish and German are available to 8th graders at BMS. Based on schedule availability and preference, many 7th graders will be able to take "World Culture" which allows them to examine each language opportunity for part of the quarter of enrollment. Taking language in 8th grade is a jump start on filling this requirement in high school.
How does Early Bird PE work? Early Bird PE is an option to complete PE requirement before the school day. This option is available for students who have a full school day. It is often utilized by students who participate in multiple electives in the music department. Students should be given the option to opt in or out of Early Bird PE.
Should my student be in Honors Math or Honors English? A presentation on how Honors courses differ will be available at 5th grade Parent Night and Back to School Night. Parents can view the presentation here. Honors classes more quickly than traditional Math and English classes and are able to cover more content. View the honors presentation here.
Where can I see my child’s grades, schedule, or teachers listed? Visit Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Choose Grades and Schedule in left hand drop down menu to see this information.
How do I know what electives will be available to my student? BMS is currently adding more elective classes with the goal to expand student opportunities and prepare them for more specific pathways available in high school. Students and parents will be given the opportunity to rank their preferred electives. Elective assignments will be relative to class popularity, availability of instruction and other student schedule preferences. Course preference selection will occur in February and March. View this presentation relative to 2024-25 elective offerings for more information.
What I feel my student is not receiving the support they need and an assessment or evaluation is needed? Please visit this link to complete a Request for Assistance. As always you can contact your grade level administrator listed above.
New Students
How do new students (and parents) get introduce to BMS? A 5th grade parent night is held in February. In August, a 6th and new parent and student night will be held prior to Back to School Night to review the earlier presentation and provide access to school. Incoming new students have the opportunity to enroll in a weeklong class called Moving to Middle. Back to School Night is focused on meeting teachers, accessing lockers, etc. Look for registration info at 5th grade parent night, on social media, and in newsletters. Students can expect teachers to be more flexible at the beginning of the school year as students first navigate their schedules.
Parent Link
What are my donations used for? Parent Link supports parents, students and staff in a variety of ways. You can view all of the ways we provide support here.
How is Parent Link organized? In 2023, Parent Link became a 501c3 in the state of Iowa. The executive board of Parent Link consists of a President, Volunteer Coordinator, Treasurer and Secretary. A BMS administrator also joins the executive board.
How do I join Parent Link? By being a parent/caregiver of a current BMS student, you are already a member. We are a Parent Teacher Organization and no membership fee is required. To receive information about Parent Link happenings, join our email list and follow our Facebook page.
Who may attend Parent Link meeting? Parent Link meetings are designed for parent education and information on BMS happenings within an hour long format. Our meetings are open to all parent/caregivers of BMS students and parents with students will be soon be BMS students to grow in familiarity with BMS.
Other
Should I go to my child’s teacher conferences? Teachers will send out a request to meet to parents/caregivers when they feel it is important to meet over your student. All other parents should feel welcome to attend conferences of any of your student's teachers. Parents may also want to send an email if you do not have any concerns to provide the opportunity for teachers to confirm if they are in agreement. If your student's grade has substantially changed or if having trouble completing work, a conference is an opportunity to make a plan and find out more.
School Safety is an ongoing concern, how can I help keep our schools safe for my student? Bettendorf Community School District has ongoing and extensive plans to keep our students safe through prevention and intervention efforts as well as response plans for concerns/threats to that safety. As parents, there are few steps we can take:
1. Teach your student about "Safe + Sound Iowa" anonymous tip reporting and options to report to a trusted staff member
2. Keep your Infinite Campus contact information updated. Choose Settings in the right side drop down menu. Go to Contact Preferences and update your information as well as updating Message Preferences on this same page. In case of emergency, you will want to have your email and text setting active.
3. When registering your child for school, add as many Emergency Contacts as possible to assure a trusted adult can be available to your child.
How does Late start work for classes - bell schedule? Please always check the BMS Facebook page and look out for email communication, but here are example late start schedules for 2024.
Where can I buy BMS apparel? BMS specific apparel is typically offered for sale one or two times per year (back to school and holiday time). This information will be published in the weekly newsletter, on our social media and announced at school.
I have a question that is not represented here. Please send us an email at [email protected] anytime or feel free to post on our Facebook page.
What does my student need to wear for PE? Students may wear what they prefer for PE. It is preferable that students wear sweatpants, leggings or shorts and athletic shoes for PE. If access to these items is a challenge, please speak to your PE teacher or counselor.
Will my student have a locker for PE? Each student has access to a PE locker. The student will need to provide their own lock as it is recommended to lock up your possessions.
What does school lunch cost? For 2023-24, school lunch is $2.85. Pizza is sold for $3. Several ala carte and boxed items are available at a separate or additional cost. Instructions to apply for Free and Reduced lunch can be found on the Nutrition Services page. Students who have not qualified for free or reduced lunch will not be denied a standard school lunch.
How do I avoid a lunch account overdraft? You may set up an auto-refill on your student's lunch. Visit Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Choose Food Service in the left hand menu. Choose My Accounts on right hand side of screen. Then choose Recurring Payments. Make sure the correct child is selected in top right corner. You can then select all the parameters for your automatic refill on your student's lunch account. If you have multiple students, you will need to do this process for each.
If something happened in my child’s classroom about which I have questions or that concerns me, who do I contact? It is always best to start with the teacher for clarification. If the incident/discussion involve other students, teachers and administrators will not discuss the other student by name or personal information, but focus on your/your student’s concern. Find staff contact information here.
I’m concerned about something that happened outside of a classroom (hallway, lunchroom, etc.) regarding my student, who do I contact? To hopefully streamline communication and response, please reach out to the following administrator if your student is a 6th grader, Allison Holland. If your student is a 7th grader, Dave Kietzman. If your student is an 8th grader, Justin Galbraith. If your student is in special education or has a 504 plan, Tamara Chelf. If the situation falls outside of this, please contact Alan Hartley. You may also leave a voicemail for any of these contacts by calling BMS at 563-359-3686.
My concern is about an interaction with a teacher that I don’t feel comfortable addressing directly with the teacher, who do I contact? Please use the same guidelines listed above regarding concerns outside the classroom for contacting an administrator if your concern is regarding a teacher interaction.
How does my student get involved with clubs and extra-curriculars? A list of potential activities can be found here: Activities | Bettendorf Middle School. Sign ups for club will be available at Back to School Night. Daily announcements will also include information about upcoming meetings for clubs as different activities begin at different parts of the year. Information on our athletic seasons can be found Athletics | Bettendorf Middle School. If you student plans to participate in a sport, please sign up through Arbiter Registration (arbitersports.com) and identify or add the sports in which they want to participate. A Sports Physical is required each school year. Please plan in advance of the beginning of your student's first athletic season.
How/when we will my student interact with their counselor? Each grade level is assigned a counselor who will stay with that grade level during their years at BMS. To find your students counselor, visit here. Students will interact with counselors in classrooms, throughout the day in common spaces, and as needed on a 1:1 basis.
How are students recognized for good deeds, good work, etc? BMS staff continue to add and modify opportunities for recognition in our school. Some examples include recognition of students going above and beyond by a student and shared in our weekly newsletter. There are quarterly Breakfast of Champion where students displaying responsibility, caring, respect, and community receive the Wayne Cheramy award. The Bettendorf Optimist Club also recognizes students (as nominated by teachers) for Optimist Awards. Students may also be randomly drawn to receive a prize/recognition for maintaining a referral free record.
Courses & Curriculum
How does foreign language work at BMS? Currently, French, Spanish and German are available to 8th graders at BMS. Based on schedule availability and preference, many 7th graders will be able to take "World Culture" which allows them to examine each language opportunity for part of the quarter of enrollment. Taking language in 8th grade is a jump start on filling this requirement in high school.
How does Early Bird PE work? Early Bird PE is an option to complete PE requirement before the school day. This option is available for students who have a full school day. It is often utilized by students who participate in multiple electives in the music department. Students should be given the option to opt in or out of Early Bird PE.
Should my student be in Honors Math or Honors English? A presentation on how Honors courses differ will be available at 5th grade Parent Night and Back to School Night. Parents can view the presentation here. Honors classes more quickly than traditional Math and English classes and are able to cover more content. View the honors presentation here.
Where can I see my child’s grades, schedule, or teachers listed? Visit Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Choose Grades and Schedule in left hand drop down menu to see this information.
How do I know what electives will be available to my student? BMS is currently adding more elective classes with the goal to expand student opportunities and prepare them for more specific pathways available in high school. Students and parents will be given the opportunity to rank their preferred electives. Elective assignments will be relative to class popularity, availability of instruction and other student schedule preferences. Course preference selection will occur in February and March. View this presentation relative to 2024-25 elective offerings for more information.
What I feel my student is not receiving the support they need and an assessment or evaluation is needed? Please visit this link to complete a Request for Assistance. As always you can contact your grade level administrator listed above.
New Students
How do new students (and parents) get introduce to BMS? A 5th grade parent night is held in February. In August, a 6th and new parent and student night will be held prior to Back to School Night to review the earlier presentation and provide access to school. Incoming new students have the opportunity to enroll in a weeklong class called Moving to Middle. Back to School Night is focused on meeting teachers, accessing lockers, etc. Look for registration info at 5th grade parent night, on social media, and in newsletters. Students can expect teachers to be more flexible at the beginning of the school year as students first navigate their schedules.
Parent Link
What are my donations used for? Parent Link supports parents, students and staff in a variety of ways. You can view all of the ways we provide support here.
How is Parent Link organized? In 2023, Parent Link became a 501c3 in the state of Iowa. The executive board of Parent Link consists of a President, Volunteer Coordinator, Treasurer and Secretary. A BMS administrator also joins the executive board.
How do I join Parent Link? By being a parent/caregiver of a current BMS student, you are already a member. We are a Parent Teacher Organization and no membership fee is required. To receive information about Parent Link happenings, join our email list and follow our Facebook page.
Who may attend Parent Link meeting? Parent Link meetings are designed for parent education and information on BMS happenings within an hour long format. Our meetings are open to all parent/caregivers of BMS students and parents with students will be soon be BMS students to grow in familiarity with BMS.
Other
Should I go to my child’s teacher conferences? Teachers will send out a request to meet to parents/caregivers when they feel it is important to meet over your student. All other parents should feel welcome to attend conferences of any of your student's teachers. Parents may also want to send an email if you do not have any concerns to provide the opportunity for teachers to confirm if they are in agreement. If your student's grade has substantially changed or if having trouble completing work, a conference is an opportunity to make a plan and find out more.
School Safety is an ongoing concern, how can I help keep our schools safe for my student? Bettendorf Community School District has ongoing and extensive plans to keep our students safe through prevention and intervention efforts as well as response plans for concerns/threats to that safety. As parents, there are few steps we can take:
1. Teach your student about "Safe + Sound Iowa" anonymous tip reporting and options to report to a trusted staff member
2. Keep your Infinite Campus contact information updated. Choose Settings in the right side drop down menu. Go to Contact Preferences and update your information as well as updating Message Preferences on this same page. In case of emergency, you will want to have your email and text setting active.
3. When registering your child for school, add as many Emergency Contacts as possible to assure a trusted adult can be available to your child.
How does Late start work for classes - bell schedule? Please always check the BMS Facebook page and look out for email communication, but here are example late start schedules for 2024.
Where can I buy BMS apparel? BMS specific apparel is typically offered for sale one or two times per year (back to school and holiday time). This information will be published in the weekly newsletter, on our social media and announced at school.
I have a question that is not represented here. Please send us an email at [email protected] anytime or feel free to post on our Facebook page.