Eldred Junior/Senior High School
Staff Handbook
2014-2015 2
Eldred Central School District
Board of Education Mr. Douglas Reiser, President Mr. Amador Laput, Vice President Mrs. Linda Bohs Mrs. Carol Bliefernich Mr. James Burns
Central Administration Robert Dufour, Superintendent of Schools
Business Office Cheryl Gross – Business Manager
Eldred Central School Administrators Scott Krebs, Junior-Senior High School Principal Virginia Keegan, Mackenzie Elementary School Principal
Guidance Staff Kim Gueren Michelle Gallo
Clinical Staff Denise Farragher, School Nurse
Clerical Bonnie Robertson – District Clerk Wendy Julkerski – High School/Guidance Lia Martucci – Clerical
Plant Operations
2 3 Jim Dorcas Ron VanDerEems Troy Green Paul Foster James Laffin Tammy Wells
District Phone Number
(845) 456-1100
General Information
The Junior/Senior High School
Eldred Junior/Senior High School serves approximately 303 students in grades 7- 12. Students in our district reside in the Towns of Highland, Lumberland, Tusten and Deerpark.
Support Services to/for the Administration include: The Eldred Teachers' Association is the recognized bargaining agent for the professional staff of teachers.
The PTSO (Parent, Teacher, and Student Organization) represents parental/school community interests.
Substitute Teacher Information
To arrange for a substitute to cover classes for you either in an emergency or planned absence, please call Bonnie Robertson. For emergency absences: (845)557-3432 between the hours of 5:30-6:45 a.m. and from 4-9 p.m. Between 7 a.m and 3 p.m., call (845)456-1100 x 5128.
For planned absences in the future: Call Ext. 5128 or email [email protected]
If you enter information in MLP for a day off, you still MUST call Bonnie Robertson at one of the numbers listed above.
3 4 When you are absent, you are responsible for lesson plans for the substitute with instructions as to location of attendance sheets, seating charts, and other teaching materials. Lesson plans must be updated periodically so that they contain current information. Detailed Substitute plans must be on file in the Principal's Office.
All teachers are to submit a substitute teaching folder to the Principal's office by Friday, September 26, 2014. This folder should contain a set of emergency lesson plans, seating charts, emergency and medical information (where appropriate), class rules, attendance information and whatever else is essential for running class
Student Information
No student shall receive less than 50% on the first quarter mark.
Lunch Periods
All students will eat in the cafeteria during their assigned lunch period. Students may not leave school grounds during their lunch period or school day. Students are to clean up their lunch area. Food is not to be taken out of the cafeteria without permission. Students are not to be in any other areas without a pre-signed pass. Students are to use the bathrooms in the cafeteria area only. Bathrooms in the academic wings are off limits during the lunch periods.
Students will be attending lunch with their grade levels (for the most part) for approximately 20 minutes. The remainder of the time will be spent in an assigned study hall/ skills classes.
Period 5 10th grade students eat first half, 9th grade students eat the 2nd half. On opposite ½ periods the students will be in an assigned study hall class. Period 6 12th grade students eat first half, 11th grade students eat the 2nd half. On opposite ½ periods the students will be in an assigned study hall class.
Period 7 8th grade students eat first half, 7th grade students eat the 2nd half. On opposite ½ periods the students will be in an assigned study skills class.
FOOD IS NOT TO BE TAKEN OUT OF THE CAFETERIA AT ANY TIME THERE IS TO BE NO FOOD IN THE HALLWAYS!
Teacher Day Related Matters
• Everyone must enter their time of arrival and departure time along with their initials on the daily attendance sheet located in the main/attendance office.
• The teacher day begins at 7:15 AM and ends at 3:00 PM, except on Monday and Friday when the day ends at 2:15 PM and days when there are building commitments (i.e. faculty meetings, mentor meetings, CSE meetings, curriculum meetings). • Teachers should check their mailboxes, email, and voice mail daily.
Period by Period Attendance
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Teachers will be taking period by period attendance on a daily basis. The attendance will be taken at the start of each period electronically via SchoolTool.
Teacher Supervision of Students and Facilities
• Teachers should monitor the behavior of students at all times.
• Teachers should insist that students keep classrooms in a clean and orderly condition, scanning desktops to be sure students have not written on them, and verifying that students keep chairs/desks in a line and away from radiators and walls.
• Teachers should keep their own desks clear and switch off lights and lock doors when leaving classrooms. Windows will be closed and locked by the last teacher using the room at the end of the day.
• Students should be released from class on time, not before the end of a class period. Students who are permitted to leave class during class periods must use the agenda book as a place for passes to be written. Students without these should not be allowed to leave the classroom. Passes should be limited in number to the greatest extent possible.
• The condition of all rooms, furniture and equipment should be observed, and any damage or deficiencies should be reported to the Principal's office immediately.
RESTRICTIONS
This is a smoke free building and campus Faculty must limit the usage of cell phones to their lunch period in the school day. If staff should bring cell phones to school they should be turned off and kept out of sight and reach of students!
Policy and Procedure for Reporting Incidents of suspected Child Abuse and Maltreatment.
The Board of Education of the Eldred Central School District establishes the following policy and procedure, pursuant to the provisions in the social Services Law, Chapter 1039, Laws of 1973, Title 6. The purpose of child abuse and maltreatment policy is to protect children whose health or welfare is threatened through non-accidental injury by parents, guardians, and caretakers. In reporting an incident of child abuse or maltreatment, the school will cooperate with other agencies and professions in identification, treatment, and prevention programs.
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Procedures for Reporting
• 1. All school personnel who have reasonable cause to suspect a child is being abused or maltreated is required to report the incident immediately to the New York State Child Abuse and Maltreatment Registry through its toll free number, 1-800-635-1522.
• 2. The school principal, or if not available, superintendent, or guidance counselor should be notified of the call being made or if it has been made.
• 3. If it is felt that the child should be taken into protective custody, this should be requested when the oral report is made to the State Central Registry in order that immediate action could be initiated. In those cases where the Child Protective Services worker has determined that the child is in imminent danger, the worker may take the child into protective custody without the consent of the child's parent or guardian.
• 4. School district personnel should assist the staff of Child Protective Services to fulfill their responsibilities by allowing the child to be interviewed on school property. If a child Protective Services worker requests to interview a student at school, the principal will make sure that follow-up occurs.
• 5. The school may disclose information from educational records to Child Protective Services in child abuse and maltreatment situations providing the information is utilized to protect the health, safety and welfare of the student.
• 6. When a report has been determined to be unfounded, all identifying data in the State Central Registry is automatically expunged. The school must also destroy its records. Child Protective Services will notify all mandated reporters that the DSS- 221A form can be destroyed.
Students Suspected of Being At-Risk for Suicide: Procedures for Reporting
The Eldred Central School District recognizes that at times the district must deal with students who are suspected of being at-risk for suicide. The following procedures must be followed by all personnel:
Procedures:
• 1. All school personnel who have reasonable cause to suspect a child is at-risk for suicide are required to report the incident to the administrator in charge immediately.
• 2. If school personnel believe the student is in imminent danger, a staff member will remain with the student until proper additional help is obtained.
• 3. If the student has already hurt himself or herself, the school nurse will be immediately notified.
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• 4. Parents/guardians will be contacted in order to make recommendations and/or referrals. • It is the responsibility of the parents to arrange for the appropriate assessment and treatment of their child. • The district psychologist may assist the parents in obtaining community support services. • Feedback will be provided to appropriate school personnel.
Clarification of students who are suspected of being at-risk for suicide:
In order to insure prompt attention to any student who falls into the category of at- risk for suicide as it is described below, the following procedures must be followed by all personnel.
1. Who is at-risk? Any students who says or writes or otherwise indicates in the presence of a staff member that he or she is contemplating suicide, is at-risk.
Please Note: It is never the duty of the staff member to determine whether the student's verbal or written statement is a serious statement. That assessment must be made by those staff members whose training provides them with the necessary expertise to make such determinations.
2. Procedures to follow:
If any staff member should suspect that a student is at-risk for suicide, he/she must report that information to the psychologist, counselors, or building principal at once. Those individuals will take immediate and appropriate action.
3. If you have any questions regarding these procedures, please refer them to the building principal. ------
Library/Media Specialist
The librarian can help teachers obtain materials from the school library and from other libraries in the region, and is available on sufficient notice to instruct classes in the use of the library.
If a teacher wishes to have library materials placed on overnight reserve, one day's advanced notice is necessary.
Transportation for Field Trips
7 8 Forms for requests for bus transportation for field trips are obtained from the Principal's office. The filled-in forms, initialed by the Principal, are forwarded to the appropriate individual, who authorizes the bus garage to provide transportation.
Field trip advisors are responsible for having all pertinent student information with them on student trips including but not limited to: emergency phone numbers, emergency contacts and medical releases.
Duplication of Materials/Use of Copy Machines
Copy machines are located on the first floor in the lab, 2nd floor faculty room or on the 3rd floor. Each of these can have the print material send via computer.
Fax Machine
There is a fax machine located in the Main Office which may be used for school related business. The fax number is 557-0690.
Mentoring
The Eldred Central School district has a mentoring program for new teachers to the district. In this program a new employee is teamed with a mentor for the school year. Depending on needs, etc. the hours of contact time will vary. See the mentoring program outline for specific details.
Telephones
A telephone is available in each teacher’s classroom. Cell phone usage by teachers/staff is limited during the school day to lunch periods. Students are not permitted to utilize the school telephones except for those emergencies requiring immediate contact with parents. Office staff has the authority to grant students permission to use the telephones in the main office. Reserving Rooms
If a teacher wishes to use an unassigned room for an activity, the teacher should request the room in advance through the Principal's Office.
Forms and Information: Insurance, Payroll Matters, Retirement, Sick Days, Personal Leave Days etc.
A first stop for all these matters is the Principal's Office. Most forms are maintained there and/or the District Office. Most standard requests can be addressed there or downloaded from the district website.
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Class Advisors and Homeroom Responsibilities
The first period/homeroom teachers will be responsible for attendance. They will have five minutes every morning to take attendance, read/hear announcements and collect excuses. The class advisors are responsible for fund raising events for their class. This person must meet with the Principal at least one month before an event to discuss the fund raising event. It is also the responsibility of the class advisor to take charge of any special events that a class might have in a given year (the prom, graduation announcements, rings etc.). The class advisors for the 2013-14 school year are: 7th Grade - Michelle Gallo 8th Grade - Roxanne Kehrley 9th Grade – Jonell Killmer 10th Grade - Bonnie Padua 11th Grade - Corinne Tonkin 12th Grade - Mary Ellen Sutherland
Senior Class Advisors
It is necessary to get an early start relative to attaining a keynote speaker for graduation. Please discuss recommendations with the Principal prior to discussing this with the senior class. Educational Field Trips
Emphasis should be placed on the word educational. The trip should be developed from classroom activities and have evaluated procedures within the classroom after the trip has taken place.
• No student may go on a trip unless the parent/guardian's consent forms have been completed and returned to the teacher. • No student may go on a trip unless the teacher has all emergency numbers for that student and unless that student has filled out a medical release form signed by the parent allowing the student to be treated in a hospital should the student become injured. • Chaperones must be secured by the teacher. The teacher has authority over the complete trip under the direction of the Principal. • Student behavior on the trip must be exemplary at all times. • All students are to be returned to the school. No individual stops are to be made on the return trip. • Appropriate dress should be worn on all trips. This point should be fully discussed with the students as the trip is being planned. • Any money that is collected by the teacher for field trip expenses, etc., should be kept in the safe.
9 10 • Upon leaving the bus, it is the responsibility of the teacher to see that students leave the bus clean and orderly.
Students need to be eligible to attend
Money, Checks, Valuable Items
Money, checks or valuable items are absolutely not to be stored in classrooms. If any such items are stored and come up as missing or stolen, the school will not be responsible for them. The Principal will hold any staff member responsible for the money, check, or valuable item that comes up as missing if this procedure is not followed.
Supplies
All supplies should be ordered the requisition or by submitting them on School Specialty.
Teacher's Conferences
Forms for conference attendance are available from the website or through Mylearningplan.com. Teachers should maintain receipts for all out of-pocket expenses, in order to submit claim forms for reimbursement.
Thefts
All cases of theft, from lockers and elsewhere, are to be referred to the Principal's Office.
Homeroom
Homeroom is incorporated into the first period time slot. The actual time for homeroom activities to take place is the first four or five minutes of the period. Teachers are responsible for having students do the Pledge of Allegiance.
Assemblies
Teachers are required to escort their students to assemblies and sit with them in the section reserved for their grade level. Teachers should take attendance and maintain control of their students.
Hall Supervision
All teachers should work as a team in the general supervision of students in the hallway during the school day, and particularly before school and between periods.
10 11 Teachers should, meet and greet students as they enter the classroom and be in the doorway to assist with hallway supervision during passing periods.
Lunch Supervision
The teacher assigned to lunch time supervision maintain supervisory control over the cafeteria, cafeteria hallway and bathroom areas adjacent to the cafeteria. During lunch periods, students are expected to behave in a safe, courteous and orderly manner; to clean up after themselves; and to follow the direction of the cafeteria supervisors.
No student is to take food out of the cafeteria. The only exception is if a staff member has given a student(s) permission to bring lunch to a classroom for a specified reason.
Classroom Parties
Permission from the Principal is necessary. Parties are to be avoided to the greatest extent possible. If a party is pertinent to a classroom lesson and does not interfere with instruction, it may be considered.
Detention Supervision
After school administrative detention will take place in an assigned location. Detention will be either one or two hours in length. The Detention Supervisor will get list from SchoolTool of detention students from the Principal's office before 2:05 PM. The Detention Supervisor will take attendance noting the times of late arrivals, if any. Students are to be silent during detention and will spend this time working on homework or reading. Detention is over at 3:10 for students serving a one hour detention and 4:05 for those students serving a two hour detention. The detention supervisor should prepare late bus passes for those students who are taking the 4:05 late bus home. Students who are serving a one hour detention must have a transportation arrangement to leave the school building at 3:10 or they will be required to remain in the detention room/homework hall until 4:05. Students are not permitted to roam the building while they wait for a ride.
11 12 Teacher Detention Teachers may assign students to their own detentions for failure to comply with classroom rules and regulations. Teachers will give 24 hour notice for after- school detention. Teachers who assign detention to students are responsible for those students. Teachers are responsible for their going home directly after their detention is over or escorting them to homework hall to do work and wait for the 4:30 late bus.
Students Sent to the Principal's Office
Send students to the office with a pass. The teacher has the responsibility of following up, by discipline referral or otherwise, on all students that have been sent to the office.
Sending students to the office on their own should be a rare occurrence. If a student has raised himself or herself to the level where they are no longer welcome in the classroom because of their insubordinate behavior they should not be sent to the office unescorted, they should be removed by the Principal or a staff member in an administrator's absence or unavailability. Teachers are to refer to the Code of Conduct relative to removing students from the classroom.
Letters to Parents or Members of the School Community
All letters to and from parents and/or the school community concerning students, or complaints must be copied. A copy must be sent to the Principal. If a staff member receives a letter of complaint about any aspect of the teacher's job, or some type of request that is out of the ordinary, the staff member is strongly urged to meet with the principal before submitting a response. It is possible that in meeting with the principal the response may be even more successful than if it was handled alone. Remember, what is said cannot be unsaid. Any written reply from any staff member can, at some point in time, come up again.
Students on School Grounds After School
No unsupervised student may be in the building after school hours. The objective is to minimize the number of students who loiter in our hallways for no reason after school hours. In the past students have been in the hallways after school due to detentions and staying for extra help. In many of those instances students waited for the 4:30 to go home. If a teacher plans to keep a student after school the teacher should work out how the student is getting home directly after the teacher releases the student. Teachers cannot directly assign students to administrative school detention. Students can only be assigned detention with 24-hour notice. Students are not to be given permission to play in the gym after school if they are not going to be directly supervised. There are no exceptions to this rule.
Lateness to Class
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Teachers are to accept all students who come to class regardless of how late they are. The teacher is to note the time of the lateness in order to address the issue at a convenient time. If a student comes in just after the bell or within a "couple" of minutes of the bell, the teacher is to note that. When a student has accumulated 3 lates the teacher is to write a referral noting the dates of the lateness. Chronic lateness will be handled by the teacher as outlined in the student handbook.
Teachers need to work as a team in not overlooking student lateness. This can become habit-forming with some students. Most importantly, we do not want to send students mixed messages. Mixed messages have a tendency to inadvertently undermine the integrity of teachers who support and enforce the rules of the school.
Maintenance Request
All requests for maintenance are to be reported with a Maintenance Assist Ticket which may be found on the website. Please complete this and submit.
Daily Attendance (Homeroom Attendance)
Teachers are to submit their daily attendance at the start of every period.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Teachers should meet parents in the main office conference room or their classrooms. Faculty lounges should not be used for this purpose.
If a parent makes a conference appointment with a teacher, the teacher should inform the main office so that the parent will be expected.
If a conference becomes unpleasant, the teacher should terminate it as politely as possible and should inform the Principal promptly. If the teacher suspects, prior to the conference, that there may be a potential problem, the teacher should notify the Principal. The principal may opt to either sit in on the meeting or have the meeting take place in the Principal's office.
If a parent is late in arriving to a conference, the teacher should let the main office know where he or she can be reached when the parent(s) does arrive.
In many instances the purpose of a parent-teacher conference can be served through a telephone call.
Supervision of After School Functions
13 14 A teacher or coach supervising an after-school function should maintain control over the entire area of the affair (including hallways and bathrooms), and should be aware of any special problems that may arise (especially with respect to use of alcohol or controlled substances). The students are under the supervision of this individual from the time school ends until the time the student either leaves on the late bus, with a parent, or goes to another event. With regard to bus supervision, teachers, coaches, and/or advisors must accompany students on all bus trips or provide administration-approved adult supervision when personal supervision of a bus trip is not possible.
Teachers should check with the Principal several days in advance of a scheduled supervisory assignment in case there may be special instructions.
Club/Class Advising - Finances
Advisers should check closely on club/class finances. The school extra-curricular accounts is overseen by Stephanie Zub and all individuals will need to follow rules and directions provided.
First Aid
All illness and injuries are to be reported to the school nurse or to the Principal's Office if the nurse is not available. Accident reports must be made out for all injuries.
No medication is ever to be administered to a student except by the school nurse, with a doctor's note/prescription, under the Principal's direction. The school nurse will address medicinal concerns for students attending class/field trips along with the event advisor and parents/guardians.
In case of serious injury or illness, the child's parents must be contacted and further care should be arranged. ------
Evacuation Drill Regulations
Eldred Central School District will fulfill stated education requirements of maintaining a minimum of 12 evacuation drills a year, eight of which will be held between September 1st and December 1st of each year and the final four during the spring semester.
Evacuation drill direction cards will be posted in all rooms adjacent to the door.
Teachers will familiarize themselves and students in all classes with appropriate exits to use and safety precautions to follow. The warning signal for a fire and/or evacuation drill will be the ringing of the fire alarm. The first two people out of the exit doors will hold the doors open for the remainder of the group.
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Students will walk swiftly, calmly and quietly to the outside area.
The teacher shall be the last person to leave the room, ascertaining that all windows and all classroom doors are closed, and removing the attendance register from the building. Teachers are to take class attendance once students have exited the building and have reached an area of safety.
Upon leaving the building, groups will remain together and proceed to a safe distance from the building (at least 150 feet from the building). Groups will also stay off of the fire lanes so that fire trucks can easily access any part of the building.
Students using the exits leading to driveways will walk free of these driveways to permit fire fighting equipment operators to take positions and to prevent anyone from being struck or run down by vehicles.
The principal or administrator in charge will issue instructions if needed.
All school personnel will familiarize themselves with the location of fire extinguishers and local alarm boxes.
Emergency Evacuation of Handicapped Students
A list of handicapped students attending the Junior/Senior High School will be maintained by the nurse.
For each student, two members of the professional staff will be assigned to the supervision of the student's emergency evacuation. A written plan for such evacuation will be in the hands of these staff members, the guidance counselor, the administration, the student and the student's parents. This plan is to be written by each student's Special Education Teacher and the school nurse.
School Safety Plans
Disaster may strike schools at any time causing interruption of programs and jeopardizing the health and safety of students and staff. The effects of disasters can be mitigated through prompt emergency response which is based upon plans developed prior to the onset of disasters or other emergencies. The Eldred Central School District has School Safety Plans in place. Eldred will conduct stay-put, sheltering, lockdown and other drills throughout the school year to stay prepared and understand what procedures for each should be followed.
Course Changes
Students may drop a course within the first 2 weeks of school. Students who are permitted to drop a course after the specified time will receive a W (withdrawn) and will
15 16 automatically be eliminated from the honor roll. There will be no course changes without final approval of the High School Principal. The High School Principal will consider extenuating circumstances on a case by case basis. Dropping a course within the specified time does not affect the honor roll. Students who make the honor roll for the first 3 consecutive marking periods will be invited to attend the Honor Roll Ceremony held in May. Students who achieve Principal’s List, 3 out of 4 marking periods may be given a plaque by the Faculty Association. Students who achieve honors 3 out of 4 marking periods may receive a certificate by the school district.
Transferred Academic Grades
If a student transfers to our school after attending elsewhere during the school year, the principal shall evaluate the records and indicate whether the student has had equivalent instruction in various courses. The principal shall also report grades from other schools to teachers for use in computing school averages.
Challenging Exams
Only students who will benefit academically and have a proven record of possibly passing with a mark of 85 would be allowed consideration. Students may satisfy course requirements in a subject by passing Regents Examinations with a mark of 85 or higher and complete an oral or written (or both) report to the teacher and principal. Prior approval of the teacher and the principal is required. Students may challenge exams for a total of 6 1/2 credits towards graduation requirements for a Regents Diploma.
Retention-Grades 7 and 8
In retaining any student in grades 7 or 8, the classroom teacher in conjunction with the guidance counselor and the principal shall review the student's work for the year. Any student in grades 7 or 8 who has failed 2 major subjects may be retained.
Summer School
Students in grade 7-12 may attend the Liberty Summer School free of charge, if offered. Transportation will not be provided to summer school or exams.
Parent Conferences
A parent conference held in November gives parents an opportunity to meet face- to-face with their child’s teacher. Parents are strongly urged to attend. Report cards will be sent home prior to the conferences so parents have an opportunity to review grades. Notice will be given to parents and students, prior to the conference.
Independent Study
Students may be placed in independent study with the approval of the Principal and the teacher. Students in independent study will be supervised by a teacher.
16 17 Discussion with the teacher and the guidance counselor is the first step in this process. Course content, specific requirements, time allocation, marking system, etc. must be established prior to the Principal's consideration of this request.
Homework
Homework provides excellent opportunities for developing good study habits, provides for individual differences and abilities and encourages self-initiative on the part of the student. At the discretion of the teacher, students may be assigned homework for each class each night. Homework assignments count towards each student's marking period grade.
Make-up Work
A student, who has missed work due to absences or suspensions from school for a certain number of days, should be allowed to make up the work missed. For example, if a student has been absent for three days that student should be allowed three days to make up the missed work. This work can as assigned by the teacher. Work not made up should be graded as failing. See the attendance policy for additional information.
Progress Reports
The staff at Eldred Junior/Senior High School realizes the importance of keeping both students and parents informed of students' progress. For this reason, progress reports will be sent home on a mid-marking period (5 weeks) basis. Parents are urged to contact the school at any time to arrange for a conference if they have any questions about their child's progress. Communication plus teamwork equals success!
Grading Policy
Marking System
All marks are in terms of number grades (0-100, 65 is minimum for passing). Regents examinations are also numerically recorded.
Full year course: 4 marking periods + final exam/5 Semester course: 2 marking periods + final exam/3
No student should receive a final grade of 63 or 64 unless parental contacts have been made by the teacher during the last week of school. This contact should include a verbal understanding by the parent of the failure and guidance and the principal should be notified that this has occurred.
Final Exams
Local finals will be given in all non-Regents courses. No students are exempt from a local final exam. In a Regents course, the Regents exam may be the final exam.
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Any incomplete grade on a report card will be changed to F if work has not been completed by three weeks into the next marking period. Extenuating circumstances may be considered by the Principal.
No student shall receive less than 50% on the first quarter marks if he or she is taking a full year course or a half year course.
The Principal is to receive a copy of all final examinations 2 weeks prior to the final examination date.
TESTING PROCEDURES
End of the Year Procedures
One copy of all final exams to be given (one for each prep) plus answer keys are due to the principal by the end of the school day on May 30, 2014.
All exams are to be typed or word processed.
Teachers with local exams are asked to get all grades in to the guidance office before Regents Week or at the very beginning of Regents week.
All exams (local and Regents) are to be bundled (using string) alphabetically with failing papers on the bottom of each bundle.
Each bundle must have a cover sheet with each student's name and grade on it. Failing marks are to be written in red ink.
During Regents week, the Principal will collect all exams and will distribute them to the teachers grading them along with answer keys from the principal's office at the appropriate times. The principal will check each set of exams for accurate attendance, signed declarations etc.
Any teacher who has special testing considerations that I should be aware of should contact me immediately.
Test Taking Procedures
The following procedures are in place to insure the security and integrity of the New York State Assessments and examinations.
All New York State Assessments, Regents Examinations and Proficiency Examinations will be graded on site in the Junior-Senior High School. At no time may any faculty or staff member take any assessment or examination out of the building. Additionally, during the
18 19 administration of any state assessment or examination, the guidance counselor, the high school principal or the superintendent of schools will collect all papers. The test papers and answer keys will be given to the raters at the grading site only. All extra examinations and answer keys will be collected and distributed to staff members after the school year has officially ended.
All assessments and examinations will be graded in one test site (generally, the library). Every examination will be graded by a minimum of two teachers, sitting together.
Grade Books
Grade books should contain indications of what each grade is for and whether specials weights are attached to specific grades. Grade books are collected at the end of each school year.
PASSES • Under no circumstances is a student to be out of an assigned room without a signed pass from a staff member. Pass distribution should be limited.
No Food and Drink in the Hallways and Classrooms
Students are not to eat and drink in the hallways and classrooms.
19 20 GENERAL INFORMATION FOR TEACHERS
Finding Classes
• Students in grades 7-12 are to report directly to their first period class.
• Teachers who do not have a homeroom are asked to assist during the first week of school to get students settled in their appropriate rooms. Teachers are asked to extend this courtesy throughout the school day in hallways to help students along to their classes.
• Homeroom lists will be maintained in the main office. If students need assistance, please check those lists.
Homeroom Activities • Pledge to the Flag • Take attendance • Assign seats • Assign lockers and lock combinations. The school provides locks for students. If a student loses a lock, he/she will have to pay for the price of a replacement lock which is $5.00. Please tell students that they may only use school issued locks on their lockers and that all other locks will be cut off of lockers immediately. Please stress to students that effective immediately, lockers and locker combinations are not to be shared. Master lists will be kept on file in the Principal's office. • Distribute free and reduced lunch forms to students. • Go over student schedules and address student concerns. Students will be able to meet with Ms. Gueren or Ms. Gallo by appointment to address scheduling concerns/changes etc. • Do not send students to guidance during the homeroom period unless the student does not have a schedule. • Go over time schedules with students • 7th and 8th grade teachers will have to take some extra time to acquaint students with the building as it affects their schedules. • New teachers should make sure that they understand the student schedules, if you have any questions please see any available staff member of stop by the guidance office. • Tell students to expect fire drills and bus drills as a matter of course • Teachers should distribute their class rules and regulations to the students and go over them point by point.
Students on Free and Reduced Lunch Students who were previously on free and reduced lunch will remain so for the month of September. Families must reapply as soon as possible.
Classes
20 21 If you have more or less than 6 assigned instructional periods and this has not been determined in advance with the principal, or you may be submitting for extra pay based on your teacher contract, you must bring this to the attention of the principal immediately. Errors may occur the first few days of school and without this notice we cannot make timely changes to student or staff schedules. • Keep class record of attendance every day for every class. • By the end of the second full week of school, we should be updated. • Any no-shows? Please send their names to the guidance office. • Be familiar with specific student schedules, especially for students who may not be in your class every day. • Expect the best behavior from students and show by example. Be consistent in your requirements. • See that students understand school rules and insist that they be followed at all times. • Teachers should know all standard operating procedures for the school building. Teachers should be familiar with the content of the faculty and students handbooks and they should carry out all procedures. • Teachers should exhibit proper dress and grooming habits. • Punctual reporting, record keeping, filing, report card information etc., is absolutely necessary and required. • Seniors - Keep the Principal and the guidance department apprised of all seniors who are failing. • Interim Reports – All students at the 5 week period must have an interim report filled out. Teachers need not wait 5 weeks to initiate parent contact when they have concerns! Teachers should keep in regular and frequent contact with parents whenever there is a problem. Keeping parents apprised of student academic success is of high importance. • Computerized Attendance - Teachers are responsible for daily class attendance. The effective use of the computer depends upon accuracy. Please follow carefully all information pertaining to daily attendance/computer register. • Classroom Supplies - Classroom supplies are to be requested via a requisition form or by using school speciality. • Confidential Material - Any material that is confidential must be put into a large envelope and marked confidential. Material sent confidentially will be returned confidentially. • Purchasing - Staff members may not purchase anything without prior approval from the Principal. Often we get books and materials for a "free" trial and then decide to purchase them. If this is a request, please make the Principal aware of your intention by completing a purchase order. • Keep classroom doors locked at all times when the room is not being used. • First 3 Days of School - Keep a temporary class/homeroom list.
21 22 Student Handbooks
The Study Hall/Skills teachers will meet with grade levels, throughout the first few weeks of school to: 1. Acquaint students with the 2014-2015 student handbook 2. To allow class advisors time to meet with their students. 3. To allow Miss Gueren and Mrs. Gallo, Guidance Counselors, an opportunity to meet with students to discuss the counseling offerings at the Junior-Senior High School
Additional Information Cafeteria/Hall Duty - There will be at least one teacher during the lunch period and depending on the teacher schedules we will have an opportunity for a hall duty.
All teachers must sign-in the main/attendance office every morning. Teachers must also sign-out whenever they leave the building (for emergency contact purposes).
Teachers should check their mailboxes, email and voice mail daily (more than once). If you receive a call that is a non-emergency, the message will be directed to your voice mailbox. Should you receive an emergency phone call you will be contacted immediately.
In School Education (ISE)
Students may be assigned to the student correction education center for a variety of behavioral infractions. Students will be notified by an administrator of their date to serve in school education. Students will report and do all assigned work. Students lose no academic credit unless their work for that day is not completed. All work will be collected and returned to the teachers. Students will eat lunch in the in school education room and will be escorted to the bathroom. STUDENTS WILL BE UNABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES FOR THAT SCHOOL DAY. Parents will receive written notification that their child was in the ISE. ISE may be limited to 5 single full day assignments. Beyond that, multiple day assignments may begin.
SUSPENSION
Continuous refusal to obey the Eldred Code of Conduct may result in suspension (either out of school or in school) and, if applicable, legal action. Length and type of suspension will be determined by the Principal. Parents/guardians will be notified as per the Code of Conduct.
Teacher Classroom Discipline Responsibilities
1. The teacher, as the authority figure, is responsible for discipline in his or her classroom. 2. Minor discipline infractions will be handled by the classroom teacher whenever possible. Parent contact should be used as much as possible. When the Principal
22 23 receives a referral this indicates that the classroom teacher did everything in his or her power, short of damaging the integrity of the class and/or lesson, prior to sending the referral. As a matter of course, parents and/or guardians are to be contacted prior to a referral being sent to an administrator. The referral form should note that a parent contact has been made. 3. Each teacher is to prepare a list of rules, regulations, expectations, dispositions etc. for distribution to students during the first week of school. 4. The Principal would be happy to work with any teacher (or staff member) relative to establishing and incorporating behavioral strategies into daily lesson plans.
Role as a Mandated Reporter
As a mandated reporter, you must report any suspect abuse, maltreatment or neglect of a child. In addition, if you feel the child is a threat to himself (such as suicide) or is any way in imminent danger that too must be reported. There are penalties for failing to report suspected child abuse or maltreatment. You could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor or subject to criminal penalties. You could also be sued in civil court for failing to make a report. It is always best to err on the side of caution and bring your concerns to the building principal. In his/her absence to the superintendent, elementary principal, or director of pupil personnel. Have a great year!!!
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