Lee County High School

Student Handbook

Excellence for All

2014-2015

“Great schools ‘row as one’; they are quite clearly in the same boat, pulling in the

same direction in unison.”

Thomas Lickond& Matthew Davidson, 2005

LEE COUNTY SCHOOLS MISSION STATEMENT

Lee County Schools will teach each student the social and academic skills needed to become a

responsible and productive citizen.

LEE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL MISSION AND BELIEFS

Our Mission:

It is the mission of Lee County High School, as a comprehensive high school, to provide a quality

education for every student. The combined efforts of our administration, faculty, and staff are

dedicated to acquiring the tools, facilities, support, and cooperative assistance necessary for all

students to reach their potential and maximize their future success.

Our Beliefs:

Teachers, administrators, parents, and the community share the responsibility for helping students learn.

A student’s performance is enhanced by mutual respect among students and staff.

All students in our school need to have an equal opportunity to learn.

A safe and physically comfortable environment promotes student learning.

Curriculum needs to incorporate a variety of learning activities to accommodate differences in student learning.

Students learn best when our staff maintains high expectations for learning.

HIGH SCHOOLS THAT WORK AT LCHS

Lee County High School is committed to the High Schools at Work initiative. High Schools That Work

(HSTW) has identified a set of Key Practices that impact student achievement through development of

multiple programs of study that prepare students for postsecondary studies and careers. These Key

Practices provide direction and meaning to comprehensive school improvement and will work to align

the LCHS school plan with HSTW goals.

Improve school/parent relations and communication

Improve teacher collaboration

Maintain high expectations and differentiate instruction along with providing extra help and support to struggling students

Effectively make use of available data

As an ongoing process, we continue to work towards updating and implementing our site plan

which focuses on the following key practices:

HIGH SCHOOLS THAT WORK-10 KEY PRACTICES

High expectations: Motivate more students to meet higher standards by integrating high expectations

into classroom practices and providing frequent feedback.

Program of study: Require each student to complete an upgraded academic core and a concentration.

Academic studies: Teach more students the essential concepts of the college-preparatory curriculum

by encouraging them to apply academic content and skills to real-world problems and projects.

Career/technical studies: Provide more students access to intellectually challenging career/technical

studies in high-demand fields that emphasize the higher-level academic and problem-solving skills

needed in the workplace and in further education.

Work-based learning: Enable students and their parents to choose from programs that integrate

challenging high school studies and work-based learning and are planned by educators, employers and

students.

Teachers working together: Provide cross-disciplinary teams of teachers time and support to work

together to help students succeed in challenging academic and career/technical studies.

Students actively engaged: Engage students in academic and career/technical classrooms in rigorous

and challenging proficient-level assignments using research-based instructional strategies and

technology.

Guidance: Involve students and their parents in a guidance and advisement system that develops

positive relationships and ensures completion of an accelerated program of study with an academic or

career/technical concentration.

Extra help: Provide a structured system of extra help to assist students in completing accelerated

programs of study with high-level academic and technical content.

Culture of continuous improvement: Use data continually to improve school culture, organization,

management, curriculum and instruction to advance student learning.

Your Administrative Team

Kenna Wilson, Principal

Andrew Keller, Assistant Principal

Frank Thompson, Assistant Principal

Mark West, Assistant Principal

Mari Westforth, Assistant Principal

Jacket Student Nation-

Welcome to the 2014-2015 school year! As we begin the new year, your administrative team, teachers,

and staff want you to know the following:

1. We believe in you.

2. You are important.

3. We are here to help you grow.

4. You have a voice and we are listening.

5. We will hold you to high expectations because you are loved.

6. You are capable.

7. We will have fun.

8. You will succeed.

Respectfully,

Ms. Wilson, Principal

Academics

Bell Schedule

4th Block

Begins @ 1:29 Ends @ 3:00

3rd Block & Lunch

Begins @ 11:17 Ends @ 1:23

2nd Block

Begins @ 9:41 Ends @ 11:11

1st Block

Begins @ 8:00 Ends @ 9:35

First Bell 7:55

Lunch Schedule

A Lunch

11:17 - 11:47

Who's Going to A Lunch?

# Agriculture Building

# Science Classes

# Career Counseling Building

# Construction / ROTC Building

# Industrial Technologies Building

B Lunch

12:02 - 12:32

Who's Going to B Lunch?

# English Classes

# Social Studies Classes

# Business / Marketing Classes

C Lunch

12:53 - 1:23

Who's Going to C Lunch?

# Band / Arts Building

# Music & Theater Arts Classes

# Health & Physical Education Classes

# Math Classes

# Foreign Languages Classes

Attendance

Tardies – Tardies will be excused for the following properly documented reasons for each class:

Medical appointments

Court proceedings

Late Lee County School bus

Being detained by an administrator, teacher, nurse, or counselor for a documented reason

All other tardies are unexcused with the following consequences:

2 tardies – referral for 3 days of lunch detention in ISS or after school detention for 90 minutes

4 tardies– referral for 1 day ISS

6 tardies – referral for 1 day OSS

Early Dismissal – If a student must leave early during the school day, the student should report to the

front office before 8:00 a.m. with a note that requests the early dismissal. The note should contain the

following information:

Student’s name

Time to be dismissed

Method of transportation

Contact information where the parent/guardian can be reached during the day

Parent/guardian signature

Reason for the early dismissal

The school will contact the parent/guardian to verify the student needs to leave school. Early

dismissals are judged to be excused or unexcused based on the same criteria as absences.

If a student becomes ill or has other extenuating circumstances that necessitate leaving campus, the

student must inform the teacher and then report to the front office. Student who are ill will be

referred to the school nurse before being allowed to leave campus.

A student must attend at least 51 percent of a class (46 minutes in a 1 period/90-minute class and 92

minutes of a 2 period/180-minute class) in order to be counted present for that class. If a student

misses 45 minutes or less of a class due to early dismissal, the student will receive a tardy for that class

period. If the early dismissal results in the student missing 46 minutes or more of a class, the student

will be counted absent for that class. Chronic late arrivals and/or early dismissals for a student will

result in a meeting with the student, parent/guardian, and an administrator to determine the nature of

the absences and ensure compliance with attendance policies.

Absences – Attendance requirements must be met to achieve credit in each course. Students that miss

more than 8 periods in a semester-long course or 16 periods in a year-long course may not receive

credit for that class. Partial credit is not given for any course.

Students who miss more than the allowed number of periods are required to attend Saturday School

to make up the absences in order to receive credit for the course. While teachers will support students

in the monitoring of absences, the student is ultimately responsible for ensuring he or she meets the

attendance requirements.

All 1st Semester absences must be made up by the end of the 3rd Quarter, March 25th.

All 2nd Semester absences must be made up by June 30th.

Students who do not make up their absences by the deadline will receive an FF (failure for attendance

reasons) in the courses in which they have over 8 absences.

Saturday School – Students will recover time for absences by attending Saturday School, which will be

held in the LCHS Media Center from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. beginning in October. While at Saturday

School, students will be provided with and expected to complete rigorous coursework for the class in

which they are recovering time.

Each student who attends Saturday School will agree to a contract explaining the academic, social,

attendance, and behavioral expectations while at Saturday School and the consequences for not

meeting those expectations.

Upon completion of required attendance recovery, the student, the student’s teacher, and the

attendance office will each receive a copy of the documentation of completion.

Promotion &Graduation Requirements

On the following pages, there are checklists provided to help chart progress toward graduation. The

first checklist is for students entering high school in the 2009-2010 school year through the 2011-2012

school year. The second checklist is for students entering high school in the 2012-2013 school year and

later. The third checklist is for students enrolled in the occupational course of study.

Grading Scale and Weighted Grades

The State Board of Education enacted a policy which requires all public high schools in North Carolina

to use a standard format for high school transcripts. Part of this policy requires that grade point

average and class rank be calculated by a standard method and that certain specified courses should

carry additional weight in this calculation. The intent of this policy is that it will

reward students for taking more rigorous course work;

provide a fairer, more predictable system for college admission decisions;

encourage better prepared college freshmen who will have taken more rigorous course work.

Students and parents are encouraged to make course selections with this policy and its intent in mind.

The curriculum offerings are intended to meet the needs of students who choose to pursue various

career alternatives upon graduation from high school. Courses which are weighted are those which will

go beyond the standard course of study;

require students to display greater depth of mastery;

have higher teacher expectations for student performance.

The following weighted courses are available at Lee County High School.

English Math Social Studies Fine Arts Honors English I Honors Math II Honors US History Concert Choir Honors English II Honors Math III Honors World History Performance Choir Honors English III Honors Pre Calculus Honors Civics Strings Honors English IV

Wind Ensemble

English Electives Science Foreign Language Art III

Shakespeare Honors Environmental 3rd Year Foreign Language Art IV

Women in Literature Honors Earth Science 4th Year Foreign Language Theatre Arts III

Speech and Debate I Honors Biology 5th Year Foreign Language Theatre Arts IV

Speech and Debate II Honors Chemistry

Honors Anatomy and Physiology

Career Technical Education (CTE) Honors Classes

Horticulture II Drafting-Architecture II e-Commerce I Early Childhood Education

Strategic Marketing Drafting-Architecture III e-Commerce II Medical Science II Network Engineering Drafting-Engineering II Comp. Accounting II

Network Engineering Tech II Drafting-Engineering III Principles of Technology II

Advance Placement (AP) Courses English III European History Calculus AB & BC Earth/Environmental Science English IV World History Statistics French Physics Psychology US History Spanish Biology Chemistry Government/Politics

Report cards indicate grades numerically, 0-100. At the end of each semester, calculations for class

rank and grade point average will be based on the conversion of those numerical grades to a 4-point

scale. Honors courses will be given one additional point, and Advanced Placement (AP) courses will be

given two additional points on the 4-point scale. Students and parents should also be aware that

weighted grade class rank will determine valedictorian, salutatorian, and related academic honors.

The following chart illustrates the conversion from the numerical grade to the 4-point scale for

unweighted as well as weighted courses and indicates the grading scale used by Lee County High

School.

Average Grade Standard Course Honors Course AP Course

100-96 A 4.00 5.00 6.00

95 A 3.88 4.88 5.88

94 A 3.75 4.75 5.75

93 A 3.63 4.63 5.63

92 B 3.50 4.50 5.50

91 B 3.38 4.38 5.38

90 B 3.25 4.25 5.25

89 B 3.13 4.13 5.13

88 B 3.00 4.00 5.00

87 B 2.88 3.88 4.88

86 B 2.75 3.75 4.75

85 B 2.63 3.63 4.63

84 C 2.50 3.50 4.50

83 C 2.38 3.38 4.38

82 C 2.25 3.25 4.25

81 C 2.13 3.13 4.13

80 C 2.00 3.00 4.00

79 C 1.88 2.88 3.88

78 C 1.75 2.75 3.75

77 C 1.63 2.63 3.63

76 D 1.50 2.50 3.50

75 D 1.38 2.38 3.38

74 D 1.25 2.25 3.25

73 D 1.13 2.13 3.13

72-70 D 1.00 2.00 3.00

69-0 F 0.00 0.00 0.00

Missing Work/Redo/Retake Policy

As LCHS strives to adhere to the High Schools That Work (HSTW) Key Practices, students at Lee County High School will be required to complete/redo any work (test, quizzes, assignments, etc.) that does not meet the basic standard of 70%. However, students have the option to redo any assignments on which they have earned over 70% as well, but a redo ticket is required, and should be completed by the student. Everyone is eligible for retakes and redos. Students who achieve at high levels on an assignment are also allowed retakes. When students fail a quiz, test or project, the student will be required to complete a Retake Ticket (see Retake Ticket attached to Handbook.) The Retake Ticket requires that students reflect upon how they prepared for the original assessment, describe how they’ll prepare differently for the retake, and include requirements and due dates for completion. Teachers may require parent signatures on the form or an informal meeting with the student. Each department will provide opportunities for students to complete missing assignments and/or redo assignments during the instructional day throughout each semester (i.e. Performance and Achievement System for Success (PASS.) Steps in Addressing Missing Assignments/Redo/Retakes: Level 1: Student/teacher conference: a discussion will be held when a student misses or fails (scores below 70) an assignment, and a redo ticket will be issued by the teacher. The teacher will set a new due date and arrange for the student to attend PASS with all necessary assignments. *If a student completes the assignment prior to the assigned PASS time-student will not be required to attend assigned redo session.* Level 2: Parent Contact: If the student does not complete the missing assignment or redo ticket assignment by the new due date the teacher contacts the student’s parents or guardians and sets a new due date. Level 3: Student/teacher/counselor, Jacket Sting advisor and any other essential school personnel who are connected to student are invited to conference. (EC, ESL, Academic Enrichment, Curriculum Assistance teacher, Coach, etc.) Purpose of Meeting: to determine why the work is being left undone. Personalized Education Plan may be completed. Contact with grade-level principal will be made. Level 4: Administrator/student/parent/teacher conference is scheduled to create an action plan for completing work. Level 5: Parent/Teacher/Student conference is scheduled-review and adjust plan for completing the work. Contact by email needs to be made with grade-level principal regarding plan for completing work.

Level 6: Crisis Intervention Level -All school personnel involved with the student are included in the meeting, along with the student and parent. Interventions may include consideration for placement at the alternative school for additional support.

AP Course Testing

Students who take AP courses may take the national exam for each course. Colleges and universities

can then grant credit, placement, or both based on exam scores. Students who wish to obtain college

credit through AP courses are advised to look at the college’s AP Policy; score requirements may vary

between colleges. Students who have mastered the content area without being enrolled in an AP

course may also choose to take the AP exam. See the Guidance Office for more information on the

various AP exams that are available.

Progress Reports

Students will receive progress reports detailing academic progress, attendance status, areas of

improvement, and/or teacher comments. Students should discuss progress reports with

parents/guardians, get the report signed, and return them to their teachers. If you have questions or

comments, contact the teacher.

Each teacher will send home progress reports in the middle of each grading period. However, some

teachers may give progress reports more frequently. All progress reports need to be signed by a

guardian and returned to the teacher within three days of distribution.

Jacket STING

Jacket STING (Student-Teacher Interaction Group) is Lee County High School’s student-teacher advisory

program.Every student at Lee County High School is assigned an advisor. Advisors and advisees will

meet approximately every three weeks during the regular school day. During this time, planned lessons

are used to help students with issues facing high school students.

Graduation

Early Graduation – Students who show satisfactory master of high school academic skills and concepts

and have successfully completed all local state high school requirements are eligible for early

graduation. Students must take English through the regular high school program. The parent or legal

guardian of the student must make a written request to the principal, and a committee of school staff

for approval. Requests are then forwarded to the superintendent for consideration. When the student

completes all requirements for early graduation, the principal will notify he student in writing that an

official diploma will be presented at the next regularly scheduled graduation exercise. In order to

participate in athletics or attend the prom, students must meet eligibility requirements.

Participation in Graduation – Students must have completed all requirements prior to the graduation

ceremony in order to participate in the ceremony. The requirements are:

All financial obligations must be paid – including Senior Fee of $35.00

All attendance requirements must be met

All academic requirements must be met

Students who must complete academic or attendance requirements following their senior year are not

allowed to participate in that year’s graduation ceremony.

Valedictorian and Salutatorian – In order for a senior to be considered for valedictorian or

salutatorian, he or she must have:

Successfully completed all graduation requirements

Been enrolled at Lee County High School all four semesters of the junior and senior years

Graduation Marshals – Cumulative grade point average (GPA) through the third quarter of the junior

year determine the selection of marshals. The top students serve as marshals for graduation; the

student with the highest GPA serves as Chief Marshal. Weighted grades on the four-point scale will be

used for this selection.

Discipline

Lee County High School follows the guidelines set forth in the Lee County Schools Student Code of

Conduct.

In Jacket Country…

We celebrate each other’s success.

We create.

We respect each other and ourselves.

We learn from our mistakes.

We try our best.

We are a team.

Student Life

Athletics

Lee County High School is a member of the 3-A Cape Fear Valley Athletic Conference and offers the

following athletic teams:

Fall Winter Spring

Cheerleading Basketball (men & women) Baseball

Cross Country (men & women) Gymnastics Golf (men)

Football Indoor Track (men & women) Track & Field (men & women)

Golf (women) Swimming (men & women) Tennis (men)

Soccer (men) Wrestling Soccer (women)

Tennis (women)

Volleyball

For information about eligibility requirements and tryouts, please visit our school web page. Any

questions about athletics should be directed to Mr. Reggie Peace, Athletic Director.

Clubs

Lee County High School offers a variety of clubs for after-school participation. Not all clubs offered at

LCHS appear on the list below. For information on all clubs, visit the school web page. Students

interested in creating or forming a new club must submit requests to administration for approval.

Art Club Future Teachers (FTA) National Technical Honors Society

Dance Team High IQ Bowl Science Club

DECA Health Occupations (HOSA) Sign of the Fish

Family Careers (FCCLA) International Thespians (ITS) Sixth Man

Fellowship of Christian Athletes Key Club Students Against Violence

Future Business Leaders (FBLA) Math Club Upward Bound

Future Farmers (FFA) National Honor Society Skills USA

SAGA Club Senior Committee

Dances

Dances are held for the students of Lee County High School. Guests may be approved only for the

Junior-Senior prom. Students attending school-sponsored dances must abide by the regular school

rules.

Junior-Senior Prom – The prom is open to Lee County High School juniors and seniors and their

approved guests. For a student to be eligible to attend prom, he or she must pay any fees owed to the

school prior to purchasing a ticket. If a student is serving either an in-school suspension or an out-of-

school suspension on the day of the prom, the student will not be allowed to attend the prom.

Information about ticket sales, guest eligibility, dress, and admission will be made available in the

weeks prior to the prom. Prom tickets are non-refundable.

Driver’s Education

The Driver Education course consists of 30 hours of classroom instruction and six hours of driving time.

Students must be 14 ½ years old to take driver’s education. Students must be enrolled in school and

have passed three out of four classes the previous semester to be eligible to receive a Driving Eligibility

Certificate. Any questions about Driver’s Education should be directed to Mr. Mark West, Assistant

Principal.

Media Center

All students are encouraged to use the LCHS Media Center. Individual students or small groups of

students are welcome throughout the school day. Students must have a pass from their teacher stating

their purpose for using the media center and the time they left the classroom. Ifa student leaves the

media center before the end of the period, he or she will have a pass with the time he or she left the

media center to return to class.

Music and Arts Program

Extracurricular opportunities are available in the following areas:

Marching Band with Guard (Flags)

Winterguard

Youth Orchestra

Community Orchestra

Theater Activities

Stage Band

Chorus

Student Government Association

Student Government Association (SGA) of Lee County High School is the student organized body

charged with formulating systems to improve student life at LCHS. Through the SGA and its elected

representatives, students will be able to express ideas to assist in the administration of the school and

participate in the management of school enterprises.

To be eligible to run for a Student Government office, a student must have a grade point average of 2.0

or higher, and not have committed serious or multiple disciplinary infractions throughout the year. An

officer or representative who commits serious or multiple disciplinary infractions during the year will

be removed from office.

Lee County Schools Insurance for Students

The Lee County School System provides insurance for students at no cost to the parents. The

insurance provides a limited benefit accident insurance plan for all student in grades Pre-K through 12;

and student athletic participants in grades 7 through 12. Details regarding coverage and filing of claims

can be found on the Lee County Schools website (www.lee.k12.nc.us)

The insurance group is the American Advantage Marketing Group, Inc. The address is:

P.O. Box 505

Waynesville, NC 28786

Phone: (828) 452-5437

FAX: (828) 456-7354

Permission to Print Photograph

The Lee County School System reserves the right to photograph a student at school for use in district

publications including, but not limited to, calendars, brochures, district website, promotional materials,

advertisements, instructional materials and flyers, unless contacted in writing. A written objection to

printing a student’s image should include the student’s name, school, grade, teacher, date, and the

printed name and signature of the parent or legal guardian and should be given to the principal no

later than thirty days after the release of the student handbook.

.

Permission to Publish Student Work

The Lee County School System reserves the right to promote academic work of students for use in

district publications including, but not limited to, calendars, brochures, district website, promotional

materials, advertisements, instructional materials and flyers, unless contacted in writing. A written

objection to printing a student’s work should include the student’s name, school, grade, teacher, date,

and the printed name and signature of the parent or legal guardian and should be given to the

principal not later than thirty days after the release of the student handbook.

Release of Directory Information from Student Records

The Lee County Schools releases directory information. It includes a student’s name, address,

telephone listing, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized

activities and sports, weight and height of members athletic teams, dates of attendance, diplomas, and

awards received, the most recent previous school attended, and other similar information. Parent(s)

may object to directory information for their child being released by making a written request to the

principal not later than thirty days after the release of the student handbook.

Notice to Parents/Community regarding Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Control ProgramEach

school year each school will send out a notice regarding the Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Control Program. IPM is a comprehensive approach that combines effective, economic,

environmentally sound, and socially acceptable methods to prevent and solve pest problems. IPM

emphasizes pest prevention and provides a decision-making process for determining if, when and

where pest suppression is needed and what control tactics are appropriate.

Through its IPM program, the school district will strive to do the following:

1. minimize any potential health, environmental and economic risks from pests or from the use of pest

control methods;

2. minimize loss or damage to school structures or property from pests or from the use of pest control

methods;

3. minimize the risk of pests spreading into the community; and

4. enhance the quality of facility use for the school and community.

Pesticide use will not be based solely on a monthly schedule by a contracted pesticide company. School

personnel in charge of pest management will consider how and when pesticides need to be used to

achieve the pest management goals. Each year, the principal or designee will ensure that the student

handbook includes the schedule of anticipated pesticide use on the school property and notice to

parents, guardians and custodians of their right to request notification of nonscheduled pesticide use.

Additionally, the principal or designee shall annually notify school staff of scheduled pesticide use on

school property and of their right to request notice of nonscheduled pesticide use. Notice of

nonscheduled pesticide use should be made at least 72 hours in advance of such use, to the extent

possible.

“Be happy, be bright, be you!”

Redo/Retake Ticket For (Student Name) __________________________________ In order to redo/retake your ________________________________________, you must complete the following steps (all must be turned in): 1. Complete this retake ticket and share with me prior to redoing your assignment/assessment. 2. Complete all required assignments prior to retake. 3. Review and correct the original assignment/assessment. 4. Provide additional evidence of studying (complete study guide, studystack.com, Cornell notes, attend after school session etc.) Please reflect on why you did not meet the standards on this assignment/assessment.

Why were you not prepared for the original assignment/assessment?

Review the original assignment/assessment. What were the specific areas that need improvement? What will you do to prepare for the retake? How do you plan to improve?

Due Date: Student Signature ______________________________ Date ____________

Teacher Signature ______________________________ Date ____________