Family Information

  DRESS CODE

Student attitudes are sometimes affected by the clothing they wear. Barger’s dress code will be enforced in order to maintain a strong focus on learning. Administration reserves the right to determine if any attire is felt to be distracting, disruptive, and/or inappropriate for the learning environment. Parents may be called and students required to change in this event. Please be sure your child is dressed appropriately for school as well as suitably for weather conditions.

If a student violates the dress code, the following process will take place.

1. Warning: A warning letter will be sent home on the first violation and should be returned to school signed.
2. Warning and Phone Call: A warning letter will be sent home in addition to a parent phone call requesting the parent to bring dress code appropriate clothing to the school on the second violation.
3. Minor referral: On the third violation, the student will receive a minor referral, the parent will be contacted by the administration, and appropriate clothes must be brought to the school.

The Barger Academy of Fine Arts Dress Code requires students to wear ONLY solid colored polo or button-down collared shirts with Navy, Khaki, or Gray solid colored bottoms (no denim of any color) with closed toe gym type shoes (for safety). No Crocs type shoes may be worn. A belt is highly recommended as shirts must be tucked in. If needed, solid colored (no stripes or patterns) HOODLESS sweatshirts, sweaters, and/or jackets may be worn inside the building. Barger Academy t-shirts are permitted on Fridays only.

What does it mean to be a Magnet Family at Barger?

Thank you for choosing Barger Academy for your child’s education! By enrolling as a Magnet Family, there are certain commitments and guidelines set by HCDE.

If you would like to donate items to your child’s classroom, please check with their teacher. We are also accepting donations of hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes (Clorox wipes), disposable gloves, disposable masks, facial tissue (Kleenex), ziploc bags, and single use water bottles (cases of both the small 8 oz. and large 16.9 oz bottles). 

When are parent teacher conferences held and what happens if I am unable to attend both conferences?

Parent/Teacher Conferences are held in the spring and fall in the two weeks after report cards are sent home. Hamilton County Department of Education guidelines for Magnet Families require parents to attend BOTH Parent/Teacher conferences to maintain your magnet status and continue at the magnet school of your choice the following year. If families miss a scheduled conference, teachers will reach out to parents to reschedule. If rescheduled attempts are also missed, the conference is marked as a “unattended” and the chance to attend Barger Academy the following year MAY be in jeopardy.

How do I complete the 18 hours of Volunteer Service?

Several paths exist to help you complete your Volunteer Service Hours. Joining PTA, signing up to help at an event, and committing to an ongoing yearlong program such as After School Studios, Lunch Duty, or Snack Packs, are only some of the paths to easily completing 18 hours during the school year. Families are encouraged to complete NINE hours before the end of 1st semester in December.

When I arrive at school to volunteer, where do I go?

All visitors and volunteers must sign in at the front office computer before entering the school. Everyone must bring drivers license/photo ID upon entering the building the first time and using the new RAPTOR sign in system. This is for the safety of your children and everyone in the building. The computer in the front office DOES NOT record your volunteer time. You must have a “Record of Magnet School Parent Service Hours” signed by the parent volunteer coordinator or other faculty to be awarded hours. If attending an event or field trip, there will be a sign in sheet to record your hours. After you sign in, please check with the parent volunteer coordinator in the parent work room directly across from the library.

I work Monday through Friday during school hours. How can I earn Volunteer Hours?

Each semester a Saturday Parent Work Day is held to help complete projects hard to accomplish while students are in the building. These project days may include such things as decorating the school for the holidays in the fall and winter, planting flowers and improving the grounds and working in the sculpture garden in the spring. Events held at night, including PTA meetings, and even before school, such as Donuts for Dads, also offer a chance for you to earn volunteer hours.

I have another child at another Magnet School. How many hours do I need to complete at each school?

Volunteer Service Hours MUST be split equally between each school your children attend. If you have two children at two different Magnet Schools, you must complete a total of NINE hours at each school. Of those NINE volunteer hours, ⅓ may be in donation and ½ may be in field trips at each school.

Can I donate items to earn my Volunteer Service Hours?

Magnet Families may donate up to ⅓ of your Volunteer Service Hours, or SIX hours,  to your child’s school. Volunteer Service Hours CANNOT be bought; cash money is NEVER to be turned in towards Volunteer Service Hours. Donation requests are listed each month in the school newsletter.. Any time items are purchased, the receipt MUST be attached to receive credit for Volunteer Service Hours.

I work a full time job, may my child’s grandparent help chaperone a field trip to earn Volunteer Service Hours?

Parents, grandparents, and legal guardians may all sign up to earn Volunteer Service Hours. Other family members may be approved on a case by case basis by the Parent Volunteer Coordinator. ALL volunteers for school field trips MUST be pre-approved by the child’s teacher before signing up to chaperone and attend field trips as not all field trips need chaperones and not all field trips have space on site to accommodate extra participants.

What happens if my child is absent more than 8 days or if we are tardy more than 10 times in a school year?

Eight unexcused absences or ten unexcused tardies is considered to be excessive absences/tardies. This WILL jeopardize your child’s magnet seat at our school and the possibility of being accepted to any other magnet school for the following school year. Early dismissals must also be kept to a minimum. NO early dismissals are permitted after 3:15 pm without a doctor’s note. Parents that bring their children to school should arrive no earlier than 8:30 am and pick up their children in the afternoon by 4:15 pm.

If I have a question, how do I reach the Parent Volunteer Coordinator at Barger Academy?

Ms. Trishonda Ballard is the parent volunteer coordinator at Barger Academy of Fine Arts. You may reach her by calling the school at 493-0348 extension 30606 or by email at ballard_trishonda@hcde.org.

How will I know how many hours I have completed during the year?

With each report card, you will receive a Completed Volunteer Hours report. It is very important that you indicate on the report if you have ANY other students at other magnet schools. Please check the reported hours to make sure they match the total from your signed volunteer slips. If you find an error, simply note the error and return the form to Mrs. Bishop to be verified. A final report of completed hours will be sent home TWO WEEKS before the April 30th deadline.

Magnet Requirements & FAQ’s

• Perform 18 service hours (per family) to the magnet school that your child attends. If you have children in different magnet schools, the hours must be split equally between the schools.
• Families are highly encouraged to have HALF of their magnet volunteer hours completed every year by the end of the first semester of school in December.
• All volunteer hours MUST be completed by April 30th every year without exception.
• All volunteer hours MUST be recorded on “Record of Volunteer Hours” slip. Parents retain the yellow copy for their records and the white copy is turned into the Parent Volunteer Coordinator. Field trips and other school events are used when groups of parents volunteer for the same activity (such as a PTA meeting.)
• Make sure your child has good attendance.
• Make sure your child follows the discipline policy as outlined in the Code of Acceptable Behavior published by the Hamilton County Department of Education.
• Attend 2 parent conferences per year.
• Once registered at the magnet school, you must stay for the remainder of that school year. No transfer to another Hamilton County School will be allowed.
• Parents, guardians, and grandparents should complete volunteer hours. Extended family is approved on a case-by-case basis. All volunteers must be 18 years of age.
• If a family completes their 18 hours of volunteer service before April 30th, any extra hours may not be “gifted” to other families or rolled over to the following school year.
  • Volunteer hours completed after April 30th may count towards the following school year’s hour requirement at Barger Academy, but may not be carried over to magnet middle schools for exiting 5th graders.

If any of the above conditions are NOT met, the child may lose his/her magnet seat and will be expected to attend his/her zone school.

What qualifies for Parent Involvement Time?

Time that assists the school, teachers, and classes qualifies to earn parent involvement hours. These items include:

• Completing tasks in a teacher/parent workroom
• Completing assigned tasks at home with specific instructions, depending on availability
• Assisting a teacher in the classroom
• Acting as a monitor in hallways, cafeteria, car line, etc.
• Chaperoning field trips (limit of 9 hours at each school per family)
• Attending parent classes
• Serving on the PTA board
• Working on PTA events
• Working athletic events
• Saturday/Sunday workdays
• Organizing special events (performances, auctions, candy sales, etc.)
• Working to improve school building and grounds
• Bringing food or drink for events (limit of 1/3 of total hours at each school)

What does not qualify as involvement time?

Time that is spent with only your child, at school or away from school, is good parenting time and not considered involvement time for the school. These items will not satisfy the parent involvement commitment:

• reading with your child
• helping your child with homework
• visiting your child for lunch
• watching your child in a performance
• volunteering with groups like Girl Scouts
• attending parent/teacher conferences
• visiting your child’s classroom

The Magnet Lottery will be held every year in the Spring, after January 31st. Results will be posted on www.hcde.org.