West Potomac High School Wolverine Welcome Guide • 2016-­‐2017 The new school year is upon us, and for those new to West Potomac High School, the transition can be a bit intimidating. As the board of your PTSA (Parent-­‐Teacher-­‐Student Association), we’ve attempted to address some of the common issues/questions you may have (the very same that we had when we first arrived), to help ease your way into the Wolverine life. So, in no particular order, please find on the following pages some basic housekeeping information. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate send an email to [email protected]. Thank you. Welcome to West Potomac High School, the World’s Greatest High School Located near the Potomac River between George Washington’s Mount Vernon mansion and the City of Alexandria, West Potomac High School was established in 1985 by combining two former high schools and their communities—Groveton and Fort Hunt. Locally, we’re known as West Po, the World’s Greatest High School. The campus comprises three separate buildings, a brand-­‐new turf field for physical education as well as competitive play for our football, soccer and lacrosse teams, new baseball and softball fields, and a new turf practice field. • On the north end of campus, Gunston houses the gymnasium and conditioning rooms as well as classrooms for health and physical education, and most science and math classes. Our basketball and volleyball teams compete in this facility. • Quander is in the center of the campus and includes the main office, administration offices, health clinic, student services offices, the library and the cafeteria, as well as most history, language arts and foreign language classes. • On the south end is Springbank, home to fine and performing arts as well as our choirs, orchestras, bands and dance teams. Springbank includes two theaters and numerous art, audio-­‐visual production, music and dance studios. Join the WPPTSA The PTSA at West Po is a hard-­‐working group of parents, teachers and students dedicated to the enrichment and improvement of our great school. See more information on our webpage on the school’s website, http://www.fcps.edu/WestPotomacHS/parents/ptsa.html. Please join us! We meet once a month to discuss current school events and new business. Our first meeting of the year will be Monday, September 12, at 6:30 p.m. in the library. Stay Connected with FCPS/WPHS/WPPTSA: Online, Email, Social Media Communication is key to the success of any organization, and all of us at West Po use all the tools available to us to keep everyone in our community, especially our families, in the know. We communicate via email with our News You Choose/e-­‐Notify Communications (formerly known as the KIT, or Keep in Touch). You can sign up to receive notifications at http://www.fcps.edu/kit/. Be sure to like our page on Facebook, West Potomac PTSA, to get all the latest news in your daily feed, and join the PTSA so you can receive all the pertinent information we send out on school events, sporting news, testing dates and opportunities, etc. Bring Your Own Device – BYOD West Po follows the FCPS directive on students and cell phones (any such device that has Wi-­‐Fi capability including smartphones, laptops, netbooks, tablets like iPad, Galaxy, Android, etc., and e-­‐readers). These devices can enhance the instructional program, and WPHS allows students the privilege to use such devices, with teacher permission, in the classroom, in accordance with the Color Code System Usage posted in classrooms and designated areas. Any student not following the appropriate Color Code usage guidelines in the classroom will be subject to device confiscation and loss of privilege. Students are responsible for properly securing any device they choose to bring to school. Teachers and other staff will not store or hold onto devices, and school technology support or teachers will not support, repair or troubleshoot student devices. Students should carry fully charged devices as there are no opportunities or resources to charge them at school. Student participation in BYOD is governed by the Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R) document. Parents and students are required to read, agree to and sign the Acceptable Use Policy for Student Network Access within the SR&R document. Silver and Blue Days West Po operates on a block schedule, with most classes meeting on alternate days: Silver (A) Days and Blue (B) Days. Silver Days include periods 1, 3, WT (see below), 5 and 7. Blue Days include periods 2, 3, WT, 4 and 6. Period 3 meets every day. Bell Schedule Periods 1, 2: 8:10-­‐9:40 Wolverine Time: 9:52-­‐10:20 Period 3: 10:22-­‐11:08 Periods 4, 5 and Lunch: 11:16-­‐1:17 (91 mins plus 30-­‐min lunch) Periods 6, 7: 1:25-­‐2:55 Wolverine Time (WT) Wolverine Time (WT) is West Potomac High School’s dedicated remediation, intervention and enrichment time for students to meet with teachers. WT takes place before 3rd period and lasts 30 minutes. When Wolverine Time concludes, students report to 4th period, 5th period or lunch. A Day B Day 1st period 2nd period 3rd period 3rd period Wolverine Time Wolverine Time 5th period (including lunch) 4th period (including lunch) 7th period 6th period At various times, students may receive a Wolverine Time pass from a teacher, or students can ask a teacher to give them a WT pass. When WT begins, students who have a WT pass for that day will present it to their 3rd period teacher, then leave that classroom to report to the teacher who issued them the pass. While with that teacher in WT, the student may work on remediation (e.g., rewrite a lab report or essay, make up missed work, review a course concept) or enrichment (e.g., a guest speaker or peer presentations). Students will stay with that teacher for the entirety of Wolverine Time that day. Under some circumstances, students will have their Wolverine Time scheduled by West Potomac’s academic intervention team. This occurs when a student receives a “D” or “F” for interim or quarter grades, when a curriculum team refers the student for intervention, or when a student fails to appear for a scheduled Wolverine Time appointment twice in a row. If a student does not have a Wolverine Time pass on a particular day, that student will remain with the 3rd period teacher to work productively on homework, collaborative assignments, reading, etc. Inclement Weather When Fairfax County Public Schools have a schedule change (closing or delay) due to inclement weather or other emergencies, the information is communicated as soon as the decision is made in these ways: • Posted on the Emergency Announcement page on FCPS.edu (http://www.fcps.edu/news/emerg.shtml), Facebook and Twitter. • Posted on TV Channel 21 (Cox Communications, Reston Comcast, and Verizon cable customers only). • Sent via e-­‐mail to parents, employees, and subscribers of Delayed Openings and School Closings through the e-­‐Notify system. • Called in to area radio and television stations. • Sent via text message to News You Choose subscribers who have opted to receive Delayed Openings and School Closings. Note, your student will always seem to find out if school is delayed or closed before you. Attendance Policy; Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Regulation #2232 FCPS expects students to be in school and follow their assigned schedules unless their absence is excused due to illness, a death in the family, a medical or dental appointment, or religious obligations. Parents must give the school a written explanation for any student absence or late arrival. Parents are asked to call or email the school attendance line if their child will be late or miss school. If school officials do not receive notice, parents will get a call and an email through the e-­‐Notify system notifying them that their child has not arrived at school as expected. Absence or tardiness is unexcused if the parent does not inform the school in advance or supply a note when the student returns to school. Students are required to make up missed work. Students who attend school regularly and arrive on time are more likely to perform well academically. Attendance is checked daily for period and all-­‐day absences, and calls and emails are sent at 10 a.m. In addition, attendance is reconciled at 4 p.m. Calls and emails follow at 7 p.m. via an automated attendance system from FCPS. Absences All Day absences must be excused by the parent or guardian by calling the appropriate subschool. See the subschool contact information below to leave a message or in writing with a note or e-­‐mail to the subschool within 48 hours. Prearranged absence form (college visits, family travel, upcoming medical appointments, etc.) MUST be requested in writing at least two days prior to the absence and given to the appropriate subschool office for approval. All calls for attendance purposes must be made by 8:00 am. No early release notes will be accepted after 9:30 am. Subschool Contact Information Student Surname Administrator Attendance # SS 1 (A – Cas) SS 2 (Cat – G) SS 3 (H – Mb) SS 4 (Mc – Rod) SS 5 (Roe – Z) Ms. Statz Mr. Hamlin Ms. Faz Ms. Lyttle Ms. Monroe 703.718.2611 703.718.2509 703.718.2611 703.718.2698 703.718.2516 Email Address Ms. Dooley, Springbank, Rm 539 [email protected] Ms. Miller, Quander, Rm 307 [email protected] Ms. Dooley, Springbank, Rm 539 [email protected] Ms. Guevara, Quander, Rm 307 [email protected] Ms. P. Jones, Gunston, Rm 179 [email protected] Admin. Asst., Location If you receive a call-­‐out message that you believe is incorrect, you or your student must follow up with the classroom teacher for that period to resolve the error. Tardies Please note: FCPS is very strict about tardies. The following will not be excused: oversleeping, power outages, car trouble, traffic, missing the bus. If your student is going to be late to school, the student must bring a note to excuse the tardy, or the parent or guardian must call the appropriate subschool and leave a message notifying West Potomac that your student will be arriving late. If a student arrives late without a note during the first 10 minutes of class, the student reports to the tardy station nearest to their first class. If the student arrives more than 10 minutes late, then s/he will report to the subschool first, receive a pass, and then go to class. Checking Out From School To check out your student from school (doctor’s appointment or other excused absences): Planned Sign Out Send a note with your student to bring to the subschool administrative assistant by 8:10 am. The subschool administrative assistant will write a check-­‐out pass for the student. You can pick your student up at the Kiss and Ride area. (Students who drive to school can leave after signing out in the subschool.) Please note that if your student becomes ill during the day, he/she may ONLY sign out from the Clinic. Unplanned Sign Out If you were unable to send in a note in the morning, a parent/guardian MUST park and come into the school office. Please leave plenty of time to check in at the main office with your driver’s license or other form of identification, and we will send for your student. Please note that if your student is in PE or lunch, or if the class is out of the classroom, this method may take extra time. Student’s Responsibilities for Checking Out From School • Bring the parent note to the subschool before school begins and get the pink check-­‐out pass by 9:30 a.m. • Bring the pass to the subschool office at the sign-­‐out time to get the pass stamped with the check-­‐out time. • At departure time, student presents the pink pass to the teacher, and departs class. • If the student returns to school that day, he/she checks in at the subschool office, signs in, and the pink check-­‐out pass is again stamped so the student may use it to get into class. Note to the Parents and Students: Based on FCPS Regulation 2234.7, absences for family and/or other vacations, child care situations, missed school bus, non-­‐school-­‐related activity, or other reason unacceptable to the principal or his or her designee are unexcused. FCPS encourages family trips during scheduled school vacations and strongly discourages such trips during the school year because these absences interrupt the continuity of learning. Absences for chronic or long-­‐term illness may require doctor's notes. Students with a prearranged absence will be responsible for requesting assignments, completing homework, and preparing for scheduled tests. If the absence is not approved and the student does not attend school, then the absence will be unexcused and teachers are not obligated to provide make-­‐up work or to administer any missed assignments. In the case of an approved prearranged absence during final exams, the administrator will determine if the exam is taken early or deferred to the summer. IMPORTANT: According to state law, any student absent from school for 15 consecutive days, regardless of reason, will be withdrawn from school. Parents will need to reenroll their students on their own. Health Room/Clinic Our goal is to ensure that your student enjoys a healthful, safe school year. Please read the following information carefully and, if you have any questions, feel free to call either your health room aide, Cheryl Langford, at 703.718.2510, or your school public health nurse, Birgit Retson, RN, at 703.718.2511. Health Room services include: • Care of sick and injured students according to school guidelines. • Hearing and vision screening (students in grades K, 3, 7, 10; students new to FCPS; and students referred by teachers and parents). • Administration of care for students with identified problems or conditions during the school day. • Coordination of care for students with identified problems or conditions during the school day. How can you help your school health room provide the best possible care? • Advise the health room aide of any special health concerns. •
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Immediately notify the physical education (PE) teacher if your child has any PE restrictions. Provide current home, work, and alternate telephone numbers for the Emergency Care Information form. Generally, a student may remain in the health room for 15 minutes. After that, if he or she is still feeling ill, parents will be called to take the student home. Keep sick children home. It is difficult for students to concentrate or do school work when not feeling well. Children who have fevers (temperature of 100.0 degrees or higher), vomiting, or diarrhea are not able to stay in school. Please keep children at home for 24 hours after these conditions resolve. When medication must be administered during the school day, please follow the guidelines established in the current version of FCPS Regulation 2102 and be sure to complete and hand in the appropriate forms (see WPHS website). • Provide the school with properly labeled containers (your pharmacist will usually provide an extra container if you request it). • Medications must be transported to and from school by a parent or guardian; except, with parent or guardian approval, a high school student may carry over-­‐the-­‐counter (OTC) medications to and from the school health room. • Medications must be kept in the school health room or other school-­‐approved location. • OTC medications may be given up to ten consecutive school days with the parent’s or guardian’s signature on the FCPS Medication Authorization form before a physician’s authorization is required. • OTC medications that are pain relievers may be given as needed throughout the school year with only the parent’s or guardian’s signature on part I of the FCPS Medication Authorization form. • Cough drops and throat lozenges may be carried and used by students in kindergarten through grade 12 as needed throughout the school year, provided that they are in the original container or packaging. Students must not share cough drops or throat lozenges under any circumstances. Thank you for your cooperation and assistance in helping to make this a safe and healthy school year for all WPHS students. Supply Lists While lists vary from teacher to teacher, here is a basic supply list: • Pens and pencils • Spiral notebooks and lined notebook paper • Binder dividers (6 or more) • Three-­‐ring binders • Highlighters Please check with your teacher for any other supplies needed for each class. For example, math classes may require a specialized calculator. If it is not a school supply, then please do not bring it to school. Personal items (such as electronics) should be kept at home to minimize the chance of these items being lost, damaged, or stolen. See the previous BYOD section for guidelines on cell phones. FCPS is not responsible for personal items students bring to school, so be sure all items are kept safe and secure. Parking Parking on the WPHS campus during normal school hours is by permit only. The VISITOR spaces in front of the school are reserved for persons meeting with counselors, teachers, etc., and are not for overflow parking. Additionally, the bus lanes must be clear of all cars every morning until 30 minutes after the day begins, and again 30 minutes before the day ends until 4:00 p.m. There are a limited number of on-­‐campus parking spots available to senior and junior students. These are available on a first-­‐come, first-­‐served basis, and the permits for these spots cost $200 per school year (with proper documentation, insurance, etc.). A parking permit is a privilege and not a right. There are certain obligations and responsibilities related to students’ parking privilege; these rules can be found on the website, http://www.fcps.edu/WestPotomacHS/students/parking.html. The administration may revoke the parking privilege at any time the student fails to comply with these requirements. Changes to Middle and High School Grading & Reporting Handbooks (2016-­‐17) FCPS has implemented some changes to its grading policies for middle and high school. See the list of these changes below. For full details on grading policies, please visit the FCPS webpage at http://www.fcps.edu/is/news/grade.shtml. Separation of Work Habits and Achievement • All grades entered into the gradebook will relate directly to the standards listed in the Program of Studies or other designated curriculum and should reflect a student’s mastery of content or skills. • Student’s attendance, effort, attitude or other behaviors will be communicated to parents through report comments or other means that do not include grades. • Late work will be accepted to document learning/mastery. Teacher teams must set reasonable guidelines for turning in late work to encourage work completion by their students. If a student misses an assignment, a placeholder (such as M for missed, I for incomplete, etc.) should be entered into the grade book. • Patterns of late work should be reported to parents through email or other means. • Homework for practice or preparation for instruction may account for no more than 10% of a quarter grade. • Class participation may be included in a student’s grade if it is based on the quality of a student response and not the quantity of responses. If a team will include class participation in a student’s grade, guidelines for assessing must be included in the course syllabus. • Students will not be given extra credit or grades for activities such as bringing in classroom materials, providing parent signatures, participating in fundraising/charitable events or participating in non-­‐curricular activities. Maximum/Minimum Weights Grades Can Carry • Collaborative teams are encouraged to set grading design so that no one assignment/assessment counts more than 30% of the quarter grade. Retakes with Associated Guidelines • For major assessments, at least one new opportunity to demonstrate proficiency shall be provided to any student who scores below an 80% and completes corrective action determined by collaborative team. • An opportunity to demonstrate increased proficiency may be provided to students who score at or above 80% at the discretion of the collaborative team. • If not all students are afforded the second opportunity then the highest grade that can be earned is an 80%. • If all students are afforded the second opportunity then the highest grade shall be recorded in the grade book. Limiting or Eliminating Zeros in a 100 Point Scale • If a student has been given multiple opportunities to complete work and has not done so, a 0 may be entered in the gradebook at the end of the quarter. • If a student has made a reasonable attempt to complete work, teams are encouraged to assign a grade no lower than 50. • Schools that have established “no zero” polices in previous years may continue those policies. West Potomac PTSA Executive Board 2016-­‐2017 If you have any questions or concerns, or if you'd like more information or wish to volunteer, please contact us! President Sue Capper [email protected] 1st VP Katie Savage [email protected] 2nd VP Kathleen Thompson [email protected] 3rd VP/Volunteer Coordinator Lisa Johnson [email protected] Treasurer Robyn Zevin [email protected] Corresponding Secretary Susan Fleischman [email protected] Recording Secretary Lynn Taylor [email protected]