August 2015 Newsletter
AUGUST 2015 NEWSLETTER
Dear Parents,
The new school year is right
around the corner and I am excited to be a part of the great educational family
at St. Joe
High School. I enjoyed my first full summer here in St.
Joseph, and I am looking forward to my second year as principal at
the best high school in
Michigan! I am truly humbled to be a
part of such a great team here at the high school, and always
impressed with how well our
students do day in and day out in their endeavors both in and out of the
classroom. It is
going to be a wonderful year with
a couple of different changes, like our BYOD initiative. I will keep everyone updated as
the year progresses. Please feel free to ask questions at any
time.
One change for this year is the
first day of school for our students. We
are trying to accomplish a variety of activities that
first morning with students so
that we can eliminate some of the traditional interruptions in the first couple
weeks of
school. This newsletter will give you valuable information
toward the first day of school and the start of the school year.
PLEASE BE SURE TO READ THE
INFORMATION THAT FOLLOWS IN THE NEWSLETTER REGARDING THE FIRST
DAY OF SCHOOL AND WHERE YOUR
CHILD WILL REPORT AT 7:45 A.M. ON SEPTEMBER 8TH.
In the past, you would read about
many of daily happenings here in this monthly newsletter. This will be the only
newsletter you get this year as I
transition into a blog for the remainder of the school year. I will communicate to you how
to find that in the next couple
of weeks and will begin posting important information to that as it
happens. This information
will also be posted to the high
school Twitter account. My goal is to
communicate vital information to you in a timely
fashion and in an easy place for
you to find. I hope that will be the
case, and I always welcome your feedback.
More to
come on this change in our
communication tools.
Our entire secretarial staff
returned to work on August 10th. Our
counselors will return to work on August 26th and will
begin preparing new student
schedules and making final adjustments.
Thank you for your ongoing support of our efforts
to provide quality educational
opportunities and we appreciate the support of the St. Joseph Community.
Kevin Riggs - Principal
Go Bears!
Telephone Contacts
926-3200 Main
Office 926-3205 Attendance
Office
926-3210 Guidance Office 926-3220 Athletic Office
First Day
of School
Parents and students, we will be conducting our first day of school
business quite differently then in the past.
We have established a schedule for the first day that will allow us to
get many of the back to school activities out of the way so that moving forward
we will be able to limit the amount of classroom disruptions. This will provide teachers and students the
ability to have focused instructional time right from the start of the year
with limited disruptions.
With that said, we will utilize the morning of the first day to conduct
school pictures, class meetings for each grade, homerooms, and a Bring Your Own
Device (BYOD) meeting for all students.
So, on the first day of school we will need students to report to the
following locations at 7:45am on Tues. Sept. 8th:
Student
Center – Freshmen (BYOD)
Auditorium
– Sophomores (Class Meetings)
Competition
Gym – Juniors (Pictures)
English
Hallway – Seniors (Homerooms – Eng. Hallway)
· BYOD
Meeting – Overview of Bring Your Own Device which will cover student
expectations, Google Apps, Tips, Troubleshooting, Safety.
· Class
Meeting – Welcome back meeting; Guidance Department information,
Rules/Expectations, Student Senate, and upcoming events.
· School
Pictures – Dress code rules apply!
Picture packets are enclosed in newsletter and should be used to order
school pictures.
· Homerooms
– Student handbooks will be distributed, emergency sheets/info sheet returned,
and any other optional forms you would like on file for your student should be
returned and submitted at this time (Please refer to www.sjschoools.org to get free/reduced
lunch forms, supplemental insurance forms, prescription medication forms, food
allergy action plan forms, and student publications/recruitment opt out forms).
Students will be directed where to go following their first meetings at
7:45am. The entire staff will be here to
assist in the 1st day of school meetings and activities to make sure
all students get to where they need to be and get all the information needed.
St. Joseph High School
Daily Schedule – 1st Day
of School
2015-2016
Meeting 1 7:45 – 8:31 (46)
Exchange 8:31 – 8:36 (5)
Meeting 2 8:36 – 9:21 (45)
Exchange 9:21 – 9:26 (5)
Meeting 3 9:26 – 10:11 (45)
Exchange 10:11 – 10:16 (5)
Meeting 4 10:16 – 11:01 (45)
Exchange 11:01 – 11:06 (5)
A-Lunch (LUNCH ASSIGNMENTS BASED
ON 4th HOUR TEACHER)
Lunch 11:06 – 11:36 (30)
Exchange 11:36 – 11:41 (5)
Class Period
1 11:41 – 12:11 (30)
Exchange 12:11 – 12:16 (5)
B-Lunch (LUNCH ASSIGNMENTS BASED
ON 4th HOUR TEACHER)
Class Period
1 11:06 – 11:36 (30)
Exchange 11:36 – 11:41 (5)
Lunch 11:41 – 12:11 (30)
Exchange 12:11 – 12:16 (5)
Class Period
2 12:16 – 12:42 (26)
Exchange 12:42 – 12:47 (5)
Class Period
3 12:47 – 1:13 (26)
Exchange 1:13 – 1:18 (5)
Class Period
4 1:18 – 1:44 (26)
Exchange 1:44 – 1:49 (5)
Class Period
5 1:49 – 2:15 (26)
Exchange 2:15 – 2:20 (5)
Class Period
6 2:20 – 2:48 (28)
New Student and Freshmen Orientation
On Tuesday, September 1, 2015,
at 6:30 p.m., St. Joseph High School will hold an Orientation night for all
incoming 9th grade students, students new to the district, and
parents of those students. The
Administration and Counseling staff will provide information from 6:30 p.m. to
7:30 p.m. in the High School Auditorium.
Students will be able to pick up schedules at this event, and with
construction now complete, we will have access to all areas of the building for
a walk-through to familiarize students with the different parts of the
school. The teachers will be here to
meet the new students. Senior mentors
will be present to assist as building guides.
Passwords, locker combinations, and PIV information (both student and
parent) will be printed on the schedules.
Parents, please park in the
parking lot adjacent to the football field.
Parent Contact and Information
Parents, it is very important
for us to have updated and current contact information on file for all of our
parents and students so that we can effectively communicate announcements,
schedule changes, important events, etc.
We will be using multiple communication tools to make contact: phone
calls, mailings, email, and text, so please make sure your information is
current and up to date for your student.
If for whatever reason, your address, cell phone number, or email
address changes throughout the year please contact us at the high school so
that we can update your demographics. We
appreciate your assistance with this!!! (This form is enclosed in mailing and must
be returned with parent signature for all students the first day to homeroom
meeting).
Class Schedule
Daily class schedule times,
half-day schedule, exam day schedule, 1-hour and 2-hour delay schedules can all
be accessed at www.sjschools.org.
Schedule Pick Up for 10th – 12th graders
Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors
will be able to pick up schedules on September 2nd, 2015 from 9 a.m.
to 3 p.m. just inside the main entrance of the high school. There will be tables set up in the front
corridor and students will be able to pick up their schedule.
Please note that this is the
only day in which students will be able to pick up their schedules. If you are unable to attend, students will
receive their schedule on the first day of school in homeroom. Efforts will be made to post student schedules
on the Parent Portal on September 3rd and 4th. Keep in mind, this would also be a good time
to take care of any other business that you would like to get out of the way
before school starts (parking passes, athletic participation fees, pay fines
and fees from 2014-15, etc).
Schedule Changes
Once a student is scheduled, the
only acceptable reasons for a change in schedule are as follows:
· Incorrect
placement of the student
· A health
issue
· Lack of
prerequisite
· Failure
of a year-long or semester class
· Teacher
initiated request (with administrative or counselor approval)
Please see the following
guidelines for requesting to meet with counselor.
If one of the conditions above
exists, the student should email his/her counselor to make an appointment with
the counselor. Because of new student
scheduling, it may be after school starts before the counselor will have a
chance to meet with a student. The
student should continue to attend the class that shows on his/her schedule until
a schedule change is officially made.
Telephone Numbers
You may call the school at any
time.
Administrative
Office Kevin
Riggs – Principal 926-3200
Athletic/Facilities
Office Kevin Guzzo – Athletic/Facility Director 926-3220
Katie
Werdann – Athletic/Facility Secretary
Attendance
Office Greg Blomgren – Assistant
Principal 926-3205
Cathy
Siemans – Attendance Secretary
Guidance
Office Jim Berry – Counselor (A-E) 926-3210
Tracy
Wagner – Counselor (F & H-P)
Mitzi
Tompkins – Counselor (G & Q-Z)
Allison
Koch – Guidance Secretary
Elizabeth
Fairchild – School Social Worker
CTE
Director Jim Berry 926-3213
On-Line
Learning Ted
Hendricks 926-3217
Co-op/Work
Experience Ted
Hendricks 926-3217
Staff Changes at SJHS
·
Jessica Sherburn – English Teacher
·
Emily Laukus – Health/PE Teacher
·
Kristi Patterson – Math Teacher
·
Michelle Humes – Media Center Specialist
·
Jamie Culver – Returning to the English classroom
after 2 years as our Media Center Specialist
·
Part-Time Math Position – TBD
Guidance Office
Please take a look at the
following and note by last name which of the guidance counselors your student
will be working with for the 2015-2016 school year.
·
Mr. Jim Berry – Last names A-E
·
Mrs. Tracy Wagner – Last names F and H-P
·
Mrs. Mitzi Tompkins – Last names G and Q-Z
Student Planner/Handbook
Students will receive their
Student Planners on Tuesday, September 8th in homeroom meetings. Both students and parents should read the
Student Handbook section concerning rules, regulations, and penalties. The students will be asked to sign for their
books, indicating their responsibility of reviewing and understanding the
rules/expectations of St. Joseph High School. (Available on school website at www.sjschools.org)
Major Handbook Rules Changes and Items to Review
Each year it is important for us
to review how the building is operating and continue to strive to make it the
best educational environment that we can. We annually update and revise the
handbook to meet MASSP and NEOLA guidelines, revisions were few this year as
many of the major changes were made the previous year. I would encourage all parents to review the
new handbook and discuss with your student.
Students will be receiving the handbooks the first day of school and
will be signing an acknowledgment form indicating they have received the
handbook and will follow the rules and guidelines outlined in the student handbook. Some of the major items to review have been
identified below and the Administrative staff would encourage you to look over
and have a discussion about these with your student (note some of the changes in handbook may
have been edited since the deadlines for publishing handbook).
·
Attendance
Policy – We are continuing to try and simplify this process while keeping
effective, reliable, and timely attendance.
Parents, your timely communication regarding your student’s attendance
is vital in this process. Please review
attendance policy. (Pg. 10-12 in
handbook).
·
Discipline
– Disciplinary infractions and intervention guidelines have
changed. Note that not all disciplinary
infractions or interventions may be listed in handbook but the Administration
reserves the right to address each incident and will work to treat each
situation consistently with previously established rules, regulations, and
consequences for similar incidences.
(Pg. 12-19 in handbook).
·
School
Dress – (Pg. 24 in handbook) Parents and students, please review prior to
returning to school on the 1st day.
We do not want dress to become a distraction to the educational
setting. All staff will be regulating
this very closely over the first couple of weeks, we need to make sure what
students are wearing to school is appropriate for “all”.
The
policy for “school dress” has been included below for your review:
We believe that student
dress is a factor in the establishment of an educational atmosphere and that
clothing should be appropriate for school. Standards of dress which clearly deal
with the health and safety of students will be upheld. Forms of student dress are acceptable as long as they are neat, clean, and not
considered distracting from the educational process, and one’s dress should
comply with applicable school
laws for the State of Michigan. The
Administration reserves the right to determine what is appropriate dress for
the place and situation. Students in non-compliance will be
required to make necessary modifications, serve in-school suspension, or face
suspension from school.
Within this framework, the following guidelines
have been established but are not limited to:
• Footwear is required.
• Profanity,
vulgar suggestion, alcohol, tobacco, or illegal substance logos printed on
clothing is prohibited.
• Hoodies and hats are
not to be worn in the building and must be removed when entering the building
and must remain off until
you have exited the building. Repeat
offenders will lose the privilege of wearing hoodies in the building. Hair accessories
will be allowed.
• Leggings must be
covered with the appropriate length shorts or top that extends to appropriate
length of shorts. Leggings shall
not be ripped or have holes in them.
• Coats may not be worn
to class under ordinary circumstances.
• Shoulders must be
covered with at least a 2-inch width strap. (no spaghetti straps or tube
tops) Neckline shall not permit overexposure. No Tank Tops.
• No exposed midriff
when student extends arms toward floor.
• Skirt and short length
must reach palm of hand length when arms are extended toward floor.
• No exposed
undergarments; or pockets extending out from cut-off shorts.
• Jewelry or apparel
that creates a health or safety hazard is not permitted. This includes spiked necklaces, studded or spiked
bracelets, and hanging chains.
· Student Valuables – Students
are encouraged not to bring items of value to school. Items such as jewelry, expensive clothing,
electronic equipment, large quantities of money, and the like, are tempting
targets for theft. The school cannot be
responsible for their safekeeping and will not be liable for loss or damage to
personal valuables. If a student elects
to bring personal items to school they should be kept locked in their locker(s)
and not left unattended. (Pg. 27 in handbook).
· Technology Acceptable Use Policy (Pg. 32-33
in handbook).
· Video Monitoring Systems (Pg. 26 in
handbook).
School Hours
Students are not permitted inside the school building more than 30 minutes
before the start of their first class (7:15am) without prior approval or
supervision of a teacher. Students are not permitted to remain in the school
building beyond 30 minutes after the completion of their last class (3:20pm),
unless they are involved in an after school-related activity or being
supervised by a teacher. The main entrance to the high school will be the
designated wait area for students waiting for a ride after 3:20pm. Parents
please make arrangements for this daily, we will not be allowing students to
loiter in building after designated times.
Calling In Absences
Parents, when your student is
absent, please contact the Attendance Office either by phone (926-3205) or
email (csiemans@sjschools.org) to excuse.
When a student is absent for any part or all of the day, building
procedure requires that an explanation of the absence be furnished to the
Attendance Secretary. The parent should
notify the school on the day of the
absence. Please
understand that excused absences must be entered by hand into the computer and
may not immediately show on Parent Internet Viewer until the following
day. Requests for change can only be
done through conversation with the Attendance Secretary, Teacher, or
Administrator.
The High School “Back-To-School” Night
Will take place on Tuesday,
September 15, 2015. The evening will begin at 5:30pm, student schedules
may be picked up from 5:30-6:00pm and first hour class will begin at
6:00pm. Announcements for parents will
take place in their child’s first hour class. Parents will then be released for
classroom visitations for the opportunity of meeting their child’s instructors.
We hope to see all parents there for this informative evening.
OK2SAY
Mark your calendars and plan to
stay for a Community Seminar following the HS Back to School night at 7:30pm in
the Auditorium for a new initiative and program to support our Anti-Bullying
policy at SJPS. OK2SAY is an innovative
new program, funded by the State of Michigan that offers students the ability
to confidentially report threats to student safety.
PowerSchool Internet Viewer
The PowerSchool Internet Viewer
(PIV) at the High School has been a great success. The program will once
again be up and running for use by parents and students once the Guidance
Department has solidified all student schedules. Note: parents will use same
passwords as last year, students will also be using the same passwords as last
year, including incoming Freshmen. All
PIV information will be on printed schedules that students will pick up either
at the Freshmen/New student orientation on September 1st, or on September
2nd for 10th-12th grades from 9am-3pm at the main
entrance of the high school or on schedules 1st day of school. After that, information can be provided by
contacting the Guidance office (926-3210).
Food Service Debit Program
All
menus are available on-line.
District
Breakfast Program
Breakfast will be offered
daily in the cafeterias. Please check your school’s calendar for times. Meal
prices are $1.75 for elementary students and $2.00 for secondary students.
Menus are available on-line.
Lunch Program
Student lunches are $2.40 for
elementary, $2.85 for Upton, and $2.90 for HS per day. This includes the entrée
(or alternate choice), vegetable, fruit, bread, and milk. Additional milk may
be purchased for $0.60. Students need to bring lunch money with them on the
first day of school unless they have funds left from last year. Any food
service debts from last year should be settled as soon as possible. Parents do
have the ability to pay online with a debit/credit card, review their student’s
account, and transfer funds between family members by logging in and creating
an account at www.sendmoneytoschool.com. There is a $1.75
processing fee to pay on-line.
Free & Reduced Meals
Applications
for free and reduced price breakfast/lunch are available online at www.sjschools.org, where they can be
printed out and returned, or they can be filled out online at www.lunchapp.com. Only one application
needs to be filled out per family. Breakfast/Lunch must be purchased
until these applications have been received and qualification has been
determined. Parents/Guardians will be notified through mail/email when
their application has been processed. If there are any questions
regarding your application or if assistance is needed in helping to fill out
the form, please call Demrhy Stenger at 926-3127.
School Pictures
Picture Day is the first day of
school, Tuesday September 8th, 2015.
Everyone, including seniors, needs to get a picture taken for I.D.
cards. These cards are used for various
procedures, including lunch and Media Center checkout. Picture packets for ordering student pictures
are included in this mailing which also includes an online ordering option.
There will also be a picture retake day, this usually occurs a couple weeks
after the originally scheduled picture day, TBD.
Senior Pictures
The yearbook staff needs to have
a color picture of each senior by Friday, December 11, 2015. The guidelines for the yearbook photo are as
follows: Wallet-sized, head/shoulder, all color, indoor shot, or it can be
an outdoor shot with no distracting background. The studio should NOT place its name or logo
on the photo. The Picture Day photo will
be used if the senior doesn’t hand in one of his or her choice. Photos can also be emailed to Mark Laukus at mlaukus@sjschols.org. If you have further questions, contact Mark
Laukus at 926-3333 at the High School.
School Year Books
The 2014-2015 School Yearbook, last year’s yearbook, is being
shipped during the first week of September.
Information on pick-up will be provided soon. Yearbooks should be available soon after and
can be picked up at the High School during the school day. A few extras will be available for $65.
Work Experience Students
Students applying for Work
Experience will meet with Mr. Hendricks during their release time on Tuesday,
September 8th and Wednesday, September 9th in room L808.
Please have students bring a pay stub or written verification of current
employment to this meeting. Mr. Hendricks can be reached at 926-3217 if
you have further questions.
Supplemental Insurance
Form
This form is available for your consideration, you can print
form at www.sjschools.org, click on
parents tab and you will see link for form or you may pick up in main office if
you are interested. Our school system
does not make any money from the insurance company. It is simply offered as a service to
you. The school district does not
provide medical coverage for students.
If there is an accident, the bills are the parent’s responsibility. This student insurance plan is an “excess
coverage” plan that pays after the parent’s regular plan pays.
If parents are interested in purchasing the supplemental
insurance, they should complete the form, seal their payment inside and return
to the Principal’s secretary. The
deadline for signing up is September 18, 2015.
Assistance: Access to
needed health services is critical for healthy children and contributes to
successful education. The
MIChild/Healthy Kids is a service that provides insurance coverage to those
Michigan children who may not have health insurance. If interested in more information on this
program, contact Kim Keppler (Medical Social Worker) at the Berrien County
Health Department (269) 927-5693.
Closed Campus
A reminder to parents and students: St. Joseph High School
is a closed campus. This means a student
is not permitted to leave the High School grounds or assigned area without
permission. This includes the lunch
period.
Student Parking
We want to encourage our students to park in the student
lots during the time they are in the building and not on neighboring
streets. We want to do our best to be
good neighbors. For this reason, we are
continuing the window parking sticker system.
Students must register their vehicles in the Attendance Office. Upon properly registering the vehicle,
students will be issued a parking permit.
The permit is to be attached on the passenger side of the front
windshield in a non-obstructive position.
The cost of the parking permit will be $5.00 for the 2015-2016 school
year. If a student previously registered
a car, that permit will remain good for the year. All cars parking on school grounds during the
school day will require the sticker.
A student can register more than one car. These permits provide us the ability to
recognize and communicate easier with car owners. For example, a student leaves their lights
on; we can quickly identify the owner of the car. It also assists us with building security.
Students may stop in the Attendance Office at any time to
get their registration taken care of.
The Attendance Office is open from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. until the
time school starts. Parking Stickers will
be required by September 25th.
Reminders will be announced.
Bus Transportation
It is time for "Back to School" and we
have an important update that we need you to know about. Your child(ren)
are now REQUIRED to register for bus transportation to and from school;
you must be registered to ride the bus. Elementary registrations will be
sent to your homes with your school packet. Middle School registrations
will be done on Thursday, August 27th, 2015 at Upton Start-Up
Day. High School registrations will be done on the bus with the
driver. Registrations will be accepted until Friday, September 18th,
2015. Please return registrations promptly to your school.
If you have any further questions
please call the Transportation Department at 269-926-3900.
Assessment Testing Dates
- M-Step Apr.
11th-June 3rd
- PSAT Oct.
14th 11th Grade, Feb. 23rd 10th
Grade, and Feb. 24th 9th Grade
- SAT Apr.
12th
- AP Testing May 2nd-May
12th
Note:
National Testing Dates for ACT & SAT are listed in the Student Planner.
AP Students Make Great Accomplishments
Congratulations to all the AP class teachers. We have received the scores from the AP
testing last Spring and the scores are outstanding. Keep up the great work and congratulations to
all of the AP students and teachers!!!!
Athletic Information
Fall sports have started. We encourage participation in extra
curricular activities as much as possible for our students. If your son/daughter is interested in playing
a sport and needs information, please contact the Athletic Office at 926-3220.
Ticket
and schedule information, along with Bear Wear is available in the Athletic
Office. Family, student, and season
passes are also available this year.
Tickets can be obtained by stopping by the High School Athletic Office.
Office hours are 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Monday – Friday until the start of
school.
Subscriptions to School Paper (Wind-up) Available
Subscriptions
to the schools news magazine, The Wind-Up,
are available. Students, parents, and
businesses are invited to reserve a copy of each issue. For more information contact Joyce Hunter at jhunter@sjschools.org or at
926-3357.
Student-Parent Driver Drop-off Zone
Lakeview Avenue drop-off: For cars coming to the back of the school for
drop-off, the designated area will be towards the south side of the building. This door will be open until the start of the
school day. This allows parents to drive
forward, giving more room for traffic and making our best effort of not having
cars backed up on the street. Once the
school day starts all students will need to enter through the main entrance of
the high school on circle drive.
Grief
Support Group at SJHS
Lory's Place offers regularly scheduled sessions at
St. Joseph High School throughout the school year. Each session brings students
together who are grieving after the death of a family member or friend. These
sessions are open not only to students who attend sessions at Lory's Place, but
also to students who cannot come to Lory's Place because of transportation
problems, work or schedule conflicts. Lory’s Place professional bereavement
staff members and trained volunteers facilitate the school group sessions.
These peer group sessions are a safe, comfortable place for your child to share
feelings, do grief-healing activities and receive the empathy, advice and hope
needed for the grief journey.
Please see your high school counselor for more
information.
Band and Orchestra Parents (We need YOU!!!)
First, the Band and Orchestra
Parents Organization would like to thank all of the dedicated parents – past
and present – for all that’s been done to bring our instrumental programs to
their current level of achievement.
But, we’re sending out an urgent
plea for more parent participation. As
students have graduated from St. Joseph, so have a large number of parents moved
on from BOP participation. This
organization is critical for our instrumental programs to continue at their
fine tradition of success.
Did you know… The BOP operates a $70,000 annual
budget?
This budget includes:
· Staffing
of Artists In Residence (AIR’s) which give students additional individual
attention beyond what the Directors have time to provide.
· Summer
Music Scholarships
· Awards
and public recognition to deserving students
· Instrument
and equipment purchase/repair
· Tuxedos
and Marching Band Uniforms/Drills
· Many,
many other ways of support too numerous to mention
Can YOU help?
If you are able to help, please
contact one of our fine instrumental music Directors.
Many hands will make for light
work for all – AND – will make for continued success.
Student Illness
During the school year, if a student becomes ill during
the course of the school day, we ask that they report to the Attendance Office,
Mrs. Siemans will contact a parent and we will ask that a parent/guardian come
and pick up the student if they are unable to return to class. We ask that students not exit the building
without checking out first.
School Web Site
If you haven’t already noticed,
the district web page looks drastically different. It looks fantastic and we
hope you find it much easier to navigate than the previous web page. St. Joseph Public Schools provides
information on-line through the website.
It provides a great deal of information including calendars,
announcements, teacher web pages, athletic information, fine arts information
and much, much more. We invite you to
take a look at http://sjschools.org. Future information will be provided to
parents either through email, the principal’s blog page, the high school Twitter
feed, or by going to the HS website for information. Our goal is to become paperless for cost
reasons, while at the same time providing you timely information that you can
find easily in multiple platforms.
Scholarship Opportunities
During the course of the
year, parents of Juniors and Seniors should periodically check our
website. The Guidance Department submits
all scholarship opportunities for consideration. We also place those on our announcements
during the day, but we have found that many times it is the parent’s influence
that gets the job done. A great deal of
money is available out there for students who are willing to fill out the
applications.
National Honor Society Tutoring
NHS Tutors will be available Tuesdays and Thursdays after school in Ms.
Nicholie’s room S106 starting September 24th. For current
NHS members there will be a mandatory meeting on September 15th. If
you need further information please contact Ms. Nicholie at 926-3320 or nnicholie@sjschools.org.
Publications – Annual Opt-Out Notice for Secondary Students
In the St. Joseph Public
School District, students may be photographed or videotaped and their name
and/or work displayed for educational and/or not-for-profit use in the
newsletter articles, school informational publications, building videos, school
news broadcasts, athletic team rosters, club rosters, as well as district,
building, and classroom webpages, etc.
If you do not want your child identified in publications such as above,
please print off form at www.sjschools.org,
click on parents tab, and you will find opt-out form, fill out and submit to
Guidance Secretary, Allison Koch. Requests
must be made every year in order to ensure that the student’s identity will not
be released. Forms are also available in
Guidance Office.
Student Recruitment – Annual Opt-Out Notice for Secondary Students –
Class Lists & Directories
Federal law requires the
School District to provide secondary school students’ names, addresses and
telephone number to recruiters upon request.
A secondary school student or the parent of the student may request the
student’s information not be released.
This can be done by completing and returning the Student Recruitment
Opt-out form. If you do not want your
child’s information made available to recruiters (i.e. military recruiters;
recruiters from post-secondary institutions, including trade schools; private
institution recruiting, such as banks and credit unions; and recruiters from
prospective employers, etc.), The form is available at www.sjschools.org, click on parents tab and
you will find opt-out form. Requests must
be completed and returned to the Guidance secretary, Allison Koch. This request must be made every year in order
to ensure the student’s identity will not be released. Forms are available in the Guidance Office.
We look forward to seeing everyone
soon! Have a great remainder of Summer
Vacation!
St.
Joseph Public Schools
COMPLAINT
PROCEDURES FOR NONDISCRIMINATION
Section I
Any person who believes that s/he has been discriminated
against or denied equal opportunity or access to programs or services may file
a complaint, which may be referred to as a grievance, with the District’s Civil
Rights Coordinator, Director of
State/Federal Programs, 3275 Lincoln Avenue, St. Joseph, MI 49085,
269-926-3100.
Section II
A person who believes s/he has a valid basis for a
complaint, may discuss the matter informally and on an oral basis with the
District’s Civil Rights Coordinator, who will investigate the complaint and
reply with an answer to the complainant.
If the information procedures do not resolve the matter to the
complainant’s satisfaction, or s/he skips the informal process, s/he may
initiate formal procedures according to the following steps:
Step 1
Investigation by the District Civil Rights Coordinator: A person may initiate a formal investigation
by filing a written complaint with the District Civil Rights Coordinator. The complaint must contain the name and
address of the individual or representative filing the complaint, be signed by
the complainant or someone authorized to sign in sufficient detail to inform
the Civil Rights Coordinator of the nature and date of the alleged violation,
and propose a resolution. The complaint
must be filed within thirty (30) calendar days of the circumstances or even
giving rise to the complaint, unless the time for filing is extended by the
Civil Rights Coordinator for good cause.
The Civil Rights Coordinator will conduct an impartial investigation of
the complaint. As part of the
investigation, the Civil Rights Coordinator shall interview any witnesses and
review other evidence provided by the complainant. The investigation shall be completed within
ten (10) business days of the written complaint being filed. The Civil Rights Coordinator will notify the
complainant in writing of his/her decision and will maintain the District’s
files and records relating to the complaint.
Step 2
If the complainant is not satisfied with the Civil Rights
Coordinator’s Step 1 decision, s/he may submit in writing, a signed statement
of appeal to the Superintendent of Schools within five (5) business days after
receipt of the Coordinator’s response.
The Superintendent shall meet with all parties involved, formulate a
conclusion, and respond in writing to the complainant within ten (10) business
days of receiving the written appeal.
Step 3
If the complainant remains unsatisfied, s/he may appeal
through a signed written statement to the Board of Education within five (5)
business days of his/her receipt of the Superintendent’s response in Step
2. In an attempt to resolve the
complaint, the Board shall meet with the concerned parties and their
representative within twenty (20) business days of the receipt of such an
appeal. A copy of the Board’s
disposition of the appeal shall be sent to each concerned party within ten (10)
business days of this meeting.
Section III
PROHIBITION AGAINST
RETALLIATION
The Board will not discriminate against, coerce, intimidate,
threaten or interfere with any individual because the person opposed any act or
practice made unlawful by any Federal civil rights law, or because that
individual made a charge, testified, assisted or participated in any manner in
an investigation, proceeding, or hearing under those laws or because that
individual exercised, enjoyed, aided or encouraged any other person in the
exercise or enjoyment of any right granted or protected by those laws.
The complainant may be represented, at his/her own cost, at
any of the above-described meetings/hearings.
The right of a person to prompt and equitable resolution of
the complaint shall not be impaired by the person’s pursuit of other remedies
such as the filing of a Complaint with the Office of Civil Rights or the filing
of a court case in the appropriate Federal District Court. Use of this internal complaint procedure is
not a prerequisite to the pursuit of other remedies.
Comments
Post a Comment