We hope you'll think of yourself as part of a school family, a family striving for growth in every experience. It's a family where expectations are high, and support for each other is strong.

Getting to know and appreciate new people, meeting and mastering new challenges, rising to new demands — all of these will give you no choice but to grow. Sometimes your growth will come easily, sometimes it may be hard, but your Principia family will be there to help.

You will be expected to meet intellectual, social, physical, moral and spiritual demands, and you will have an incredible support system to help you do so.
At Principia, spiritual growth is our foundation. As we learn more about how to listen to God and respond, we become stronger. We welcome challenges and take great joy in overcoming them. And we seek opportunities to help others do the same - we grow up together.

I hope you can join us - you'll have a great year if you do!

Sincerely,

Marilyn Wallace
Head of School

We cordially welcome you to Principia Middle School. Beginning the first day and continuing throughout the year, unity is a key idea emphasized in the Middle School. Unity — between staff and students, between students and students, and most importantly between God and His idea, man, — is constantly taught, learned, and practiced.

As the Bible says, we all have “… diversity of gifts, but the same spirit.” At the Middle School, students are encouraged and challenged to grow academically, socially, physically, morally, and spiritually by applying the principles of Christian Science that they have learned through their daily thinking, decision making, and actions. Shakespeare said, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” And Mrs. Eddy wrote, “The time for thinkers has come.…” We bid you to come in the same spirit and share your diverse gifts.

So, arrive ready to think, ready to share, ready to express your highest ideas of good, God. We will be here ready to encourage you, support you, help you find answers to your questions, and direct and guide you toward a joyous, responsible, fruitful, principled, and loving adulthood. We look forward to welcoming you and sharing with you the Principia experience in the classrooms, on the playing fields, in the halls, and, for some, in the dorms.

See you here!

Alyssa Ragnow
Middle School Director

When you applied to be a member of the Principia Middle School student body, you were asked to sign the following Student Pledge indicating your understanding of and willingness to strive to live by the expectations and standards of the school:

“The primary purpose of The Principia is to serve the Cause of Christian Science. This pledge is my promise to serve the Cause of Christian Science by striving to live in accord with God’s law — thereby blessing myself, the Principia community, and the world.

“As a student at The Principia, I commit to serve God and humanity through the study and healing practice of Christian Science, expressed in principled thought and action, unselfed love, and moral courage.

“I agree to support the school’s purpose by:

“I recognize and understand that by signing this pledge, I am making a commitment to maintain these standards, on and off campus, during the time I am enrolled at The Principia.”

School Traditions

School Motto
“As the sowing, the reaping.”

School Mascot
Panther.

Sportsmanship
Support our teams! Applaud good performances. Don’t boo or yell at what you think is a poor call by an official or a poor performance by our team or another team.

School Colors
Gold and Blue.

“Principia Hymn”

This is sung at formal occasions. Everyone stands during the singing of this hymn.

Principia, we sing thy praise,
Home of our happy student days.
Here in the light of wisdom’s ways
We strive and watch and wait.
And so all through the coming years,
In times of laughter or of tears,
Our love for thee shall quell all fears,
And never shall abate.

Here ’neath thy classic shades we find
The joys of learning, ties that bind.
A charity to all mankind
Shows us the truer life.
And by thy torch which burneth bright
We’re led into the glorious light,
Sustained by love, the only right,
We’re free from worldly strife.

Then when to thee we bid adieu,
Departing hence to scenes anew,
Principia, may we be true,
Thy precepts let us keep.
So as the years do onward flow,
In character may we all grow,
And by our lives to others show
That as we sow we reap.

This is sung at some sports events and annual meetings of the whole student body. We stand for the singing of this song.

Now all together, voices ringing clear;
Here’s to our colors, give a rousing cheer (Rah! Rah! Rah!).
Gold stands for purity, blue for courage true.
Then be ever loyal to the Gold and Blue.

At the beginning of the school day each Monday morning, a member of the Christian Science community presents an inspirational message to the student body. This takes place in the Middle School Center, and parents are invited to attend these chapels. Throughout the rest of the week, at the beginning of your first period class, you and your classmates will share and discuss readings and questions that pertain to that week’s inspirational focus.

You may arrive as early as 8:00 a.m., and it is important that you arrive at school by 8:15 a.m. If there is a special need for you to arrive earlier than 8:00, your parent may communicate that need to the Middle School director to determine if the school can accommodate you. If you need early morning conferences with teachers on an occasional basis, you may make arrival time arrangements directly with those teachers.

You are encouraged to stay in the academic building until 40 minutes after the school day ends to attend after-school conferences or study hall. If you have no conferences or study hall to attend, you may socialize with your friends or be picked up by your parents.

As an independent college prep school, Principia Middle School is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States. The Middle School academic program is a college preparatory program that encourages you to be an active, independent thinker and learner. You will be shown how to study, and you are expected to complete the nightly assignments (usually taking 2 to 2 1/2 hours) when they are assigned. In addition to the regular homework assignments, the English Department has an annual requirement for outside reading, which you must complete by the end of the year.

Mary Kimball Morgan, Principia’s founder, stated, “Education is not an accumulation of facts but an unfoldment of ideas.” One of Principia’s policies states, “The Principia shall dedicate its service to the task of training its students to think — and to think clearly, vigorously, fearlessly, tolerantly, unselfishly.” These ideas are embodied in the work the Middle School faculty does with the students. The faculty expects you to study your assignments and prepare for exams in a thorough manner, to take part thoughtfully in class discussions, to communicate your thoughts effectively in both written and oral form, and to work with the teachers at conference times if you feel the need for extra help in any area.

Returning students complete a course registration form in the spring, and new students complete the form as part of the admissions process upon acceptance. This form describes the required and elective courses available in the Middle School. It should be completed and returned to the Middle School director as soon as possible after you receive it. Your courses will be finalized in August, and you will receive the course schedule during the Middle School registration day held prior to the beginning of the school year. Also, textbooks are purchased from the Panther Bookstore on registration day and on the first day of school after the Unity Trip.

As a member of the student body, you will take math, English, science, and social studies each year. If you attend the Middle School in both seventh and eighth grades, you will probably take a foreign language too. Eighth-graders who are new to Principia and who have had a solid year of instruction in Spanish or French in their previous middle school may be able to take advantage of this program as well. You will also participate in the exploratory course program, which offers Youth Chorale, Concert and Jazz Bands, music appreciation and art, as well as classes that help develop personal skills such as reading, keyboarding, decision-making, and communication. Finally, you will participate in physical education classes, and you will have the opportunity to try out for interscholastic sports teams.

One of the strengths of Principia’s Middle School program is the availability of teachers during an after-school conference period each day. If you are needing help in a subject area, you may attend the conferences between 3:20 and 4:00. If you are asked by a teacher to attend a conference, you are responsible for showing up on time. These conferences provide “free tutoring” to help you clarify concepts, complete assignments, and review for tests. In special cases, free tutoring will be available daily until 4:30.

After the end of each term, a student whose overall grade point average is C (2.0) or above but whose core GPA is below a C (2.0) is placed on “Academic Watch.” A student who has both core and overall GPAs below a C (2.0) will be put on “Academic Probation.” These designations are designed to encourage the student to work more closely and with greater effort with his or her parents and teachers to improve academic performance. Students on academic probation or academic watch may lose the privilege of being on a sports team if the staff feels more time and effort are needed for academic pursuits. Also, in order to continue at Principia from year to year without condition, a C average or higher must be maintained. Should a student receive a failing grade for the year in one or more subjects, that student’s promotion to the next grade level could be in question.

Character education at Principia goes on in many different ways. It takes place when a teacher corrects a student in a loving, firm manner. It takes place through all-school chapels, individual classroom chapels, and classroom discussions that focus on making good decisions and taking correct actions. It occurs when the school and the family work together in support of students’ progress. It also occurs as students take advantage of leadership opportunities and strive to work with and help their classmates.

At Principia it is recognized that your character growth is a direct result of your spiritual growth. You will be expected to attend Sunday School regularly in order to learn important lessons that will bless your daily experience. You are also expected to read the Christian Science Lesson-Sermon daily. As you grow in your understanding of your relation to God, you will be better prepared to handle academic, social, physical, and moral challenges. In so doing you will realize a primary goal of The Principia: To educate the “whole man.”

At the beginning of the school year, the Middle School Homework and Discipline Policies will be provided to you and your family. These explain that when a Middle School student chooses not to follow the school’s rules and policies, the school issues a homework or conduct alert to the student, and a copy is sent to the parents. A copy also goes in a student file and to the appropriate houseparent if the student is a boarder. Often the alert will notify the student that he or she must come in for an after-school detention with the teacher or an administrator. The detention provides the opportunity for setting some goals and doing some problem solving. If the student doesn’t demonstrate a willingness to solve the problem, a conference may be scheduled with the student and his or her parents. If the student continues to make wrong decisions, he or she will eventually meet with a disciplinary committee, which will consider what steps should be taken with the individual, including possible removal from a sports team, probation, suspension, or expulsion.

Serious acts of misconduct include leaving a school event without permission, cheating, plagiarism, dishonesty, continual disregard or disrespect for the school’s rules or personnel, fighting, pranks that cause property damage or discomfort to others, stealing, smoking, sexual misconduct, possession of prohibited items (such as cigarettes or lighters, alcohol, tobacco, drugs or drug-related items, weapons on campus — including knives of any size or any kinds of guns), leaving the dorm after hours, or any other acts which are considered serious, dangerous, or unsupportive of Principia’s purpose and policies. Students engaging in such acts of misconduct on or off campus will be referred to an administrator or a disciplinary committee for disciplinary action, which could include a suspension or dismissal from school.

The school will communicate with your parents through administrative letters, newsletters, academic and disciplinary alerts, commendation notices, calendars, and parent meetings. If you or your parents ever have a question, concern, or idea, we hope you will feel free to contact the individual teacher(s) if it applies to specific subject areas, or the Middle School administration if it applies to the program as a whole.

Parent/teacher conferences are held in the fall each year. At any other time during the year, your parent may contact the Middle School Office (314-275-3595 or 314-275-3596) or the individual teacher or teachers to schedule a conference. If your parent wishes to visit your classes, arrangements should be made through the Middle School Office at least one day in advance so that the office has time to communicate with the teachers.

Grade reports are supplied six times through the year — three mid-term reports and three end-of-term reports.

It is important that you and your parents understand the following attendance policy:

Absence from class for any reason has the same effect. It can be disruptive to the students, the teacher, and the learning process. Principia discourages any unnecessary plans by students or parents which take students out of regularly scheduled classes.

In the Middle School, there are three types of absences. The policy concerning each type is explained below.

This classification includes all absences for reasons beyond the control of you or your family, such as illness, appointments, or a death in the family. In rare instances, it may also include an absence which has the approval of both the home and school because of the value gained or the educational nature of the absence.

It is your parent’s responsibility to contact the school by 8:45 a.m. with an explanation of why you will be absent from school. If you will be missing school for a family need, your parent may request homework in advance. If you are absent because of an illness but are still capable of doing homework, your parent (or houseparent) may request homework for that day. All homework requests must be made by 8:45 a.m., and the assignments will be available to be picked up from the Middle School Office between 3:15 and 4:15. When the teachers give homework, it is expected that it will be completed and submitted upon your return unless your parent sends a note indicating that it couldn’t be completed.

If you are not able to get or complete work from the teachers to do while you are away from school, it is expected that the work will be made up within a period of time no longer than the time missed from school. During that period, it is our hope that you will be able to keep up with the daily work being assigned. Teachers will determine when missed exams are to be made up.

If you do not participate at school in at least four of the eight periods on any given day, you will not be eligible to participate in any interscholastic athletic competition that day.

An unexcused absence is defined as an absence from class or school without proper authority from home or the Home Department and the school. The academic penalty for an unexcused absence will be a daily grade of “0” in every class missed, with no makeup privilege. Additional consequences may result in accordance with the Middle School Disciplinary Policy

Your parents must contact the Middle School Office in writing one week in advance if they are planning to take you out of school for extended holidays, trips, or any other activity that does not meet the “excused absence” criteria outlined above. The school strongly discourages such absences.

If your parents decide to take you out of school for such reasons, it may affect your grade. It will be your responsibility to communicate with individual teachers about assignments and work that will be missed, and your parent’s and your responsibility to have the assignments completed by the time you return to school. If assignments or work cannot be given in advance, you need to consult with the teacher to determine when it will be due. Any work not completed by the due date will be given the grade of “0” and will still need to be completed so that you don’t have gaps in your education. Graded in-class activities that are missed and cannot be made up will need to be discussed with the teacher(s) and may also result in the grade of “0.” Makeup work that may result in additional work on the part of the teacher is not to be expected.

The chapel held at 8:20 each morning is a very important part of the school day. You should arrive at school by 8:15 a.m. so that you can be in your first period room by 8:20. If you are tardy, a note should be brought from your parent indicating the reason for the tardiness. This note should be given to the Lower/Middle School secretary. If a note is not brought, the tardiness is considered unexcused.

You are also expected to be on time to your other classes. If there is a valid reason why you will be late to a class, you need to get an excused tardy slip from the staff member who caused or allowed the tardiness.

The student activities offered each year depend on the interests of the student body.

You may want to be involved in the Middle School Student Council. Student Council Commissioners will be elected twice each year and will plan most extracurricular activities. Those students elected by the student body represent the other students at the council meetings. The council will consist of both 7th- and 8th-graders.

You are encouraged to become involved in community service activities on your own. When you turn in a signed service card indicating the nature of the service project and the number of hours involved, the school gives an acknowledgment of your community service efforts on your end-of-term report card

A calendar of planned social activities is sent to each home at the beginning of the year. Usually there are two social activities each month. Some social activities are required for students either because the activity is part of the Middle School educational program or because the activity needs the full support of the student body. Required activities include dance instruction, formal dances, and concerts. Optional activities include casual dances, movies, sports nights, picnics, and an annual trip to Six Flags. Boarding students attend most social activities, since that is part of the boarding program.

If a family’s need interferes with your being able to attend a required social activity, your parents should contact the Middle School administration as far in advance as possible to explain why you will not be able to attend the activity. Participating in a local sports competition is not considered a sufficient reason to miss a required activity. Dance cards for the formal dance take several weeks to prepare, so your parents need to be especially alert to communicate with the school several weeks in advance if you will not be at the spring dance. If an emergency comes up the day of a required social activity, your parent should call the Middle School administration to explain the situation.

Principia’s special care facility, Campus House, is conveniently located near the headmaster’s home in between the two dormitories. It provides the quiet, healing atmosphere and loving, wise care that students need when working out problems metaphysically. It is a haven for rest and study.

If you ever need special care, your parents will be notified of the nature and extent of the problem by phone. All phone conversations with parents are intended to inform, interpret, encourage, support, and motivate. Observation of you while you are working out your problem is in no way meant to label you with that problem; it simply keeps your family informed of your needs so that they can support you. A diagnosis is never made by a Christian Science nurse. Under circumstances where medical attention may be requested by the parent, it may become necessary for the student to leave Principia during the recuperation period. Each case will be reviewed by the school administration.

Principia’s care department appreciates working closely with you and your parents in caring for your special needs. If your parents have any questions, they are asked to call the Principia nurse on duty at 314-434-0732 or 314-275-3590.

When needed, a practitioner listed in The Christian Science Journal is called. It’s convenient to work with practitioners in the St. Louis area, but if you prefer, you may call one outside the area. If there is a need for you to spend the night in Campus House, we’ll notify your parents and ask that you call a Journal-listed practitioner to support you. The Middle School General Permission Form in the Admissions packet asks for the name of a Christian Science practitioner you would like to try calling first if there is a need.

Being “in” is a term unique to Principia. In teaching people to pray, Jesus said (Matt. 6:6): “Enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” To us, then, being “in” means prayerfully addressing and healing the problem.

If you feel you must leave classes on a given day, you should report to the Lower/Middle School Office. The secretary will assist you in going to the quiet room, contacting a Christian Science practitioner, and/or calling your parents. If it is clear that you need to leave school, the secretary will inform an administrator and your parents or houseparents.

Please be sure that your parents read this section and the next, and are familiar with them.

Missouri has a law requiring young people attending public, private, parochial, or parish schools in the state to be immunized against a prescribed list of seemingly communicable diseases. Schools are held responsible for keeping records on each student concerning this matter.

Principia is grateful that the law also states: This act “... shall not apply to any child if one parent or guardian objects in writing to his school administrator against the immunization of the child.” However, it should be noted that in the case of a potential communicable disease outbreak, the health authorities have the right to exclude students who cannot prove medical immunity.

In order for Principia to enroll you, each year we must receive from your parents, by the opening day of school, the required “Immunization Exemption Form.” This form (which will be included with your enrollment packet) gives you the option of either submitting a record of all the required immunizations or requesting exemption from immunization.

In making this objection, it is wise that we all — school, student, and parents — prayerfully support the stand on which our objection is based, acknowledging God’s unceasing protection of His children from discord of every sort. We know that this kind of daily metaphysical support has been our students’ protection in a wonderful way for many years and will continue to be so.

Principia’s Policy on the Disposition of Cases of Diseases Considered Communicable According to State Health Authorities

Any Principia student exhibiting such a problem is required to leave school and be under the care and responsibility of parents (in the case of a day student) or of Principia’s nurses (in the case of a boarding student), until the healing is complete. Principia acknowledges the power of divine healing without limitation and, in so acknowledging, must assume the responsibility for requiring that a complete healing be evidenced before the student can return to school.

A student who has been absent with a suspected contagious disease may return to classes when all symptoms and signs of disease are no longer in evidence and when there is every indication of complete healing. No student may return to school as long as there are physical symptoms or signs of the disease. If parents request that their son or daughter who still shows signs of the contagious belief be allowed to return, Principia will consider approving the return only if the family wishes to obtain a physician’s approval.

Athletics, including physical education (PE), are an important part of Principia’s total educational program.

Boys’ sports:

Fall
Football
Soccer*
Volleyball

Winter
Basketball*
Floor hockey
Racquetball

Spring
Baseball*
Tennis
Track & field

Girls’ sports:

Fall
Field Hockey*
Flag football
Volleyball*

Winter
Basketball*
Swimming
Roller Skating
Floor hockey

Spring
Soccer*
Softball
Tennis
Track & Field

*includes interscholastic competition for those with advanced skill levels.

Students have the opportunity to try out for interscholastic teams. Interscholastic teams practice during PE times, but their games are usually held after school. A student’s eligibility to play on a sports team may be revoked because of academic or citizenship needs.

Students who are not on sports teams participate in PE classes. These classes provide instruction in the team sports as well as opportunities for students to learn recreational athletic skills and activities. By providing instruction in a wide variety of individual and team sports, our coaches can offer every girl and boy an opportunity to participate and to achieve a measure of success. More than just a gym class, this program helps our students learn the value of team spirit and good sportsmanship. There are periods of time throughout the year when all Middle School students are in the PE classes.

Being a boarding student in the Middle School is like being in a big family. There can be as many as 12 girls and 12 boys living in the Middle School wings of the girls’ or boys’ dormitory. Each dorm has resident houseparents who lovingly support, encourage, and guide students. Both dorms have Upper School students living with them who model academic, athletic, social, and metaphysical leadership for the Middle School students and help the houseparents with their duties.

The secret of living harmoniously with fellow students is simple: The Golden Rule. It calls on you, as it does on everyone, to respect the privacy of others and consider their wishes and needs as you would your own. Each student has the opportunity to express self-discipline, responsibility, unselfishness, and independence while learning to follow the guidelines that are set for the good of all. These guidelines and dorm rules may be a bit different from the ones you have at home, but the dormitory is a different kind of living experience, and it cannot exactly duplicate the home from which each student comes.

Because of its size, however, the Middle School dorm does have a homelike atmosphere.

Quiet Time is a half hour set aside every morning for the study of the Christian Science Lesson-Sermon. Do bring your own copies of the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Christian Science Quarterly, and markers. Also bring marking chalk and an eraser. Students mark their books until Christmas break, and then they have the choice to use the full text. However, they should have the current issue prior to the last Sunday of each month, and they should still have Lesson-marking materials with them.

Sunday School is attended weekly at area Christian Science churches. Principia transports students by bus on Sundays. Wednesday evening testimony meetings are also often attended at area churches. The Middle School houseparents take students by minibus. When homework is assigned on Wednesdays, an early study hall is held right after school.

Your dorm room is your home away from home. Each room is supplied with a four-drawer dresser, a bed, a closet, a three-drawer desk for each student, and a telephone. Bring your favorite appropriate posters, family pictures, stereo or radio, tennis racket, skates, or other items (except pets and TVs) to make your room homey. Do remember, however, that you will probably be sharing a room, so don’t overdo it. A desk lamp, wastebasket, clothes hamper, and clothes hangers are essential items to bring or purchase at Prin. The Panther Bookstore and local stores carry other necessary items such as bar soap, toiletries, laundry products, and paper supplies. Room changes take place every six to seven weeks.

Do not bring sunlamps, halogen lamps, cooking appliances, fireworks, incense, candles, matches, and — needless to say! — BB guns, weapons, or any potentially dangerous items. Publications, CDs, or cassette tapes with foul language, immoral or violent themes, or those rated “parental advisory” should not be brought to the dorm.

Each dorm has a living room and a large bathroom. A computer with Concord and copies of Prose Works, concordances, and the Christian Science periodicals are available for your use.

Principia supplies sheets, towels, and pillows; fresh linens are provided weekly. Be sure to bring your own blankets (an electric one, if you like) and any special bedspread. You may want to bring your own pillows or sheets (the size of the mattress is the Twin Tall Boy).

A washer, dryer, iron, and ironing board are available for your use in the dorm. It’s helpful to have some instruction in laundering procedures before leaving home.

Study hall time is provided in the dorms. There are usually two hours set aside for quiet, uninterrupted studying, Sunday through Thursday. If there is a need for more study time, students may start earlier or ask for late study permission.

Meals are served three times a day. Sunday breakfasts are served in the dorm. All other meals are served in the dining room. Principia offers the very best variety of foods, which are prepared in a variety of ways. A salad bar is available at lunch and dinner. In making your food selections, you are expected to eat a nutritious, well balanced meal and take only what you can and will eat there in the dining room.

Allowances are established between your parents and the Business Office. Your allowance is used for Sunday School contributions, incidental expenses, and spending money for some weekend activities.

You are sometimes able to invite day student friends to stay overnight. Be sure to let your friends know, by your own actions, that the dorm is a home and that you, your fellow boarders, and the dorm should be given the same respect that day students and their homes deserve. Boarding students may be invited overnight to day students’ homes, but the parent(s) of the day students must communicate directly with the houseparents when such an invitation is made and must responsibly chaperone the students.

If you’re a day student planning on visiting a friend at the dorm, be sure to call the houseparent first and then check in with the houseparent when you arrive. You’re asked to observe the same campus and dorm rules that boarders are asked to live by. These visits are welcomed until dinnertime on weekdays and during various hours on weekends. Day students may not visit the dorms on the houseparents’ days off.

If there is a need, arrangements may be made for day students to stay at the dorm overnight or to have a meal in the school dining room. Please contact the houseparents in advance (several days for overnights) to determine the possibility of such an arrangement. Charges will be billed to your account.

Many social activities offered by the Middle School program are required for the boarding students. Additional social activities for the boarders are scheduled by the houseparents. They vary depending on the seasons — outdoor activities in the fall and spring, sledding in the winter, movies at theaters, videos in the dorms, go-carting, batting cages, miniature golf, bowling, swimming, biking, barbecues, professional sports events, and visits to the science museum, art museum, zoo, botanical gardens, and local parks, etc.

There are opportunities for you to go to local shopping malls, and you will have access to a small shopping area close to the school, which has a grocery store, Christian Science Reading Room, barber, florist, and other conveniences.

If you need to get off campus for a necessary appointment, paid chaperones (school-approved adults) can be called on to drive you when other means of transportation are not available. Dental work should be completed, if possible, before you leave home. If you’re having work done that won’t be completed by the opening of school, you might ask your dentist or orthodontist to recommend someone here in West County St. Louis.

The houseparents and students need to work together to promote good judgment about dress and grooming. A minimum of well-chosen, well-fitting clothing kept clean and fresh should see you through all the varied activities. In selecting clothes to bring, please refer to the Middle School Dress Guidelines in the enrollment package. Be sure to pack your favorite blue jeans and tennis shoes for after-school and weekend activities! Also, St. Louis winters can be cold. Bring a medium-weight jacket and a warm coat, gloves, and a hat. You are also encouraged to have boots for snowy weather.

In planning vacation transportation, a local travel agent works with Principia staff to help families make travel plans. It is helpful to Principia to have all student travel arrangements made in this way, but it is not required. The advantage is that when changes are necessary, they can be made promptly.

Students are expected to be in class each school day according to the published yearly calendar. We ask your parents to make every attempt to adhere to the school schedule and not to extend vacation periods. If any exception to regular attendance becomes necessary, please refer to the Attendance Policy on this site and contact the houseparents.

If at any time you or your parents have questions about the boarding program, please call the houseparents. The Middle School boys’ dorm phone number is (314) 275-3549. The Middle School girls’ dorm phone number is (314) 275-3533

As a member of Principia’s student body, you are expected to attend Sunday School on a regular basis. We believe Sunday School instruction is extremely important to your spiritual growth, and it provides one of the foundations for your Principia experience.

There are a number of “no-assignment Wednesdays” through the school year when you are expected to attend church with your real or dorm family.

Finally, you are asked to set aside time every day (preferably in the morning) to study the weekly Lesson-Sermon. If everyone at the Middle School is sincere about doing this, each member of the faculty and student body will share a strong spiritual foundation daily.

Please dial the school information hotline directly 314.514.3000 to get up-to-the-minute information regarding school closings and start times. You can also get this same information by dialing the switchboard before it opens or after it closes at 314.434.2100 and choosing option #9.

OR tune into one of the following radio and television stations for confirmation of closing:

KMOX (1120 AM) 5:30 am & 6:30 am
KSDK-TV (channel 5) 5:30 am - 8 am
KMOV TV (channel 4) 5:30 am - 8 am

In addition, you can access the Principia web page (www.prin.edu/hotline) and find the link to current information regarding school closings.

LATE STARTS - A late start usually means that school will open at 9:30 am. The radio and television stations will state whether Principia is closed or will have a late start. This information will also be posted on the web and hotline.

EARLY DISMISSAL - During the school day, if severe weather (ice/snow) occurs, you will be notified about early dismissal in time to pick up your child. Please consider that our students travel from a very wide geographical area, where weather may be inclement in one area and not in another. Also, the safety of children traveling on the Elsah buses is of primary importance.

Every car driven and parked regularly on campus must be registered with the Dean of Students’ Office, and the identification decal issued to each one must be affixed as requested. Members of your family who drive on campus are asked to be familiar with campus driving regulations and to observe the posted speed limits. Please do not park along the fire lane curbs, in handicapped zones, and on grassy areas.

Please make all after-school arrangements with your parents before coming to school so that the school phones are available for important business. If your parents do need to reach you with a message, they should call the Middle School secretary at (314) 275-3195 or the director at (314) 275-3596.

Each student has a locker in the Middle School hallway. When extra lockers are available, they are assigned to groups of students as coat lockers. It has been a long-standing tradition at Principia not to have locks on these academic lockers. This tradition is based on the standard that we will all treat each other honestly and respect each other’s privacy and property. The student body works hard to maintain this standard and protect this tradition.

Principia makes two food service programs available to day students for lunch — the full hot-lunch program or the beverage-only program (ideal for those who bring their lunches). You may take advantage of these programs, or you may choose to bring your own beverage with your sack lunch. If you are not on the full-lunch program, you may occasionally buy a full lunch or items à la carte. These may be paid for in cash or charged to the student’s account.

Middle School students are expected to eat well-balanced meals. If you normally bring a sack lunch to school and forget it one day, you will be expected to purchase a school lunch.

Students who are not on the full-lunch program but who take some of the school’s food — either from the serving area or from a student who has bought a school meal — could be charged for a whole meal.

Mail is delivered to the dorms and day student boxes Monday through Friday. There is also Saturday mail delivery to the dorms. Personal mail for boarding students should be addressed to the individual at The Principia, 13201 Clayton Road, St. Louis, MO 63131-1099.

Owned and operated by Principia, the Panther Bookstore provides services to students, parents, faculty, staff, and visitors. It is really a small department store, selling textbooks, school supplies, PE clothing, sportswear, gifts, snacks, film, stationery, books, and more. It also provides film processing. You may pay in cash or withdraw from your student cash account. The bookstore also accepts VISA, MasterCard, and Discover.

Your parents have the option of limiting your student cash account purchases to required supplies such as textbooks and limited classroom supplies.

In an effort to help you learn about personal finances, Principia has established for each Middle School student a student cash account. This account is for buying things in the Panther Bookstore (other than required textbooks), for costs associated with off-campus social activities, and for getting your allowance (if your parents arrange for an allowance). The account operates very much like a bank account. If there is no money in the account, then no purchases or withdrawals can be made! Money for this account is provided by your parents.

Boarders may draw out a cash allowance of up to $40 every two weeks — depending on the level of spending you and your parents have decided is appropriate. Please remember that this needs to cover your Sunday School contributions and other incidental expenses.

Principia provides a short time at the beginning of the school year when school supplies such as pencils, paper, notebooks, etc., along with required textbooks, will all be charged to the parent’s master account. After that time, only required textbooks may be charged, and all other items must be purchased through your student cash account.

Deposits to the student cash account may be made at any time. You and your parents will each receive a monthly statement of the account showing details of every deposit, purchase, and cash withdrawal.

At the beginning of the year, you will receive a special flyer outlining in more detail the procedures for obtaining your allowances, using your student cash account through the Panther Bookstore, and checking on your accounts through our automated teller.

Is there anything else you want to know about Middle School?

We have attempted to make this site as complete as possible. If you have any questions, however, please contact the Middle School administration, office, or the Admissions Office to get your questions answered. We are glad you are going to be a part of the Middle School student body, and we are looking forward to getting to know you better during this upcoming school year.