2011-2012 School Calendar

First Day of Classes for students                             August 19, 2011

Central Office Professional Days                            August 10, 2011 and August 11, 2011

Thanksgiving Holiday                                               November 24 and 25

Christmas Holiday                                                    December 22 to January 4, 2012

Spring Break                                                             April 2 through 6, 2012

Second Semester Begins for students                      January 5, 2012

End of Year                                                               May 24, 2012

K-12 6 week grading periods end:

September 28, 2011                                        November 07, 2011                December 21, 2011

February 17, 2012                                           March 30, 2012                       May 24, 2012

Inclement Weather Make-up Days*

November 5, 2011                  November 19, 2011                            December 3, 2011

December 10, 2011                 December 17, 2011                             December 22, 2011

January 3, 2012                       January 7, 2012                                   January 28, 2012

February 18, 2012                   February 25, 2012                               March 10, 2012

April 2, 2012                           April 3, 2012                                       April 4, 2012

April 5, 2012                           May 25, 2012                                      May 29, 2012

May 30, 2012

*RCS reserves the right to designate any Saturday as a makeup day if inclement weather occurs Monday-Wednesday of the week and/or school has been in session only four or fewer days during the week.

RECHS School Calendar

RECHS has a unique school calendar. We do NOT follow the same calendar as the other RCS high schools. RECHS does not have early release days for students. In addition, we do not have the same teacher workdays, holidays, or exam days as the other traditional high schools. PLEASE SEE THE RECHS CALENDAR POSTED on the RCS website, the school’s website, or request a printed copy form the office. Access the school calendar on the RCS website at this URL:  http://www.rock.k12.nc.us/18051072484757103/lib/18051072484757103/11%20-%2012%20CALENDAR%20RECHS.pdf

When other RCS schools have Teacher Workdays and other days with no school for students, there will be no bus transportation to and from the home for RECHS students who ride buses. Only the shuttle bus to and from RECHS will run. Students must arrange for their own transportation to/from the home school morning and afternoon.

When other RCS schools have Early Release, there will be morning bus transportation only for RECHS students. In the afternoon, the students who ride the shuttle bus will need transportation from their home schools.

Interim Progress Report Dates and Report Card Dates

Progress Reports will be sent home on:

September 9 2011       October 19 2011         December 1 2011

January 26 2012          March 9 2012              April 27 2012

Report Cards will be sent home on:

October 6, 2011          November 21, 2011    January 10, 2012         March 1, 2012             April 17, 2012

Final Report Cards will be mailed home on May 31, 2012

Faculty and Staff

                                                            Room              Building          Ext.                 Position

Diane Hill                                            107                  Owens             2237 / 2605     Principal

Kimberley Thompson-Hairston           112                  Owens             2062                Science

Kyle Hunter                                        208                  Owens             2062                Science

Rob Seltzer                                         114                  Owens             2091                Math

Kayla Christmann                               116                  Owens             2091                Math

Kathy Witt                                                                                          2605                Teacher Assistant

Pete Witty                                           103                  Owens             2605                Secretary / NCWise/

            Bookkeeper

Erica Thompson                                  134-136           Owens             2351                EC / Credit Recovery

                                                                                                                                    Seminar

Jimmy Brafford                                  206                  Humanities      2069                Social Studies

Jessica Barrier                                     209                  Humanities      2069                Social Studies

Kevin Hairston                                    202 F               Humanities      2195                Guidance Counselor

Patrick Hales                                       206 A              Humanities      2372                English

William Smith                                     203                  Humanities      2372                English

Teacher Schedule 2011-2012

*times for lunches to be determined and shared by teachers

Student Information

Academic Lab:  Block 1 =11^th grade; block 2-10^th; and block 3- 9^th.

* Due to each student’s individual schedule, some may not have academic lab time regularly.  Extra help is available before and after school if your student needs it.  Students should make arrangements with teachers for tutoring.

*Academic lab Teacher will be based in Owens 134 and 136, and if needed in a classroom.

*Student schedules will be obtained from guidance counselor.

*Teachers will assist students with setting up study groups.

*Academic lab teacher will check with college liaison for student academic progress.

*Teachers will meet with each group weekly and document work accomplished by group each week.

*Teachers will be monitoring what the students are doing and making them accountable for their work is the only way to make this work.

Books

Textbooks for both college and high school classes are furnished by RECHS. Textbooks are issued at the beginning of each semester, and must be returned at the end of the semester. Students must pay for any lost or damaged textbooks or college library books.

Security and Parking Fee:  During the 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th years, students will pay a $10 per semester fee for security and parking.

Class schedules: Distributed to students at orientation or on the first day of school.

Arrival and Departure of Students

All bus riders will arrive in the Owens parking lot.  Students who arrive and depart in cars should be dropped off and picked up in the first period building parking lot.  Parents should not drop students off in the parking lot that is used for faculty parking.  Parents should pull into a parking space when dropping off and picking up a student.

Students are not to loiter on the Rockingham Community College campus after school unless involved in a school-related activity under the direct supervision of a staff member.  Parents should make sure transportation arrangements are made so their child does not arrive at school before 8:00 and does not remain at school past 2:30. No student should be on the Rockingham Community College campus after 2:30 PM unless he/she is participation in a school activity.  

Student sign in and out:  Students must sign in at the main office if they arrive late—no exceptions! 

Students leaving school during the day must have a note from the parent or guardian.  The note must be presented to the office for permission to leave.  The early dismissal note from the office should be presented to the student’s teacher at the approved dismissal time.  Before leaving the grounds, the parent will sign the student out in the main office.  If the student returns that same day, an admit slip indicating the reason for absence must be obtained from the main office.  Students leaving without parents will only be released once verified by a phone call to the parent or to adults whose names appear on the information sheet for the student.

Daily Attendance and Tardy Policy

If a student is not present at 8:40 they will be marked absent.  If a student arrives at school after 8:40, he/she must sign in at the office in the OWENS building and data manager will change the student from absent to tardy.  Please refer to the RCS Student Handbook for more detailed information about the school system’s attendance policy.

NOTE: All students who are enrolled in Rockingham Community College classes must comply with the instructor’s syllabus/policy regarding attendance. As few as 3 absences may result in a student being dropped from college classes.

Rockingham County Schools Unexcused Tardy Policy for High School (revised May, 2011)

High School: Consequences are per semester

□ 1-4 tardies – Warning / Call Home (AlertNow or Personal)

□ 5-6 tardies – 1 Period of ISS

□ 7-10 tardies – 1 Day of ISS

□ 11th + Tardy – 1 Day OSS

□ Excessive tardiness may result in loss of school privileges to include, but not limited to, the following: driving

Privileges on campus, attendance at athletic and extra-curricular events, club participation, exam exemptions,

lunch detention and after school detention.

Students Staying After School:

If a teacher requests that a student stay after regular school hours for disciplinary or other reasons, it is the teacher’s responsibility to supervise the student.  Students cannot be left in the care of the office staff.  The student’s parent/guardian must be contacted before a student stays after school at the teacher’s request. 

If a student stays after school on their own, it is the student’s responsibility to inform the parent.

Hall Traffic

Teachers will monitor class changes in the hallway.

Pupils should pass as quickly and quietly as possible through the halls.  Traffic should move on the right side of the hall at all times and students should avoid congregating.  It is imperative that teachers be present in the halls at class changes to prevent disruption of RCC classes.  Traffic patterns will be discussed and given to students at the beginning of the year.

Students are not allowed to be out of class during instructional time. Teachers not routinely allow students to leave class to go to the restroom, use the telephone, or get materials. These matters should be addressed between classes. Emergencies happen, and teachers understand this and will work with individuals on these rare occasions. Repeatedly asking to leave class or leaving one or more classes on a regular basis is not an emergency and may result in disciplinary action.

Announcements:

Announcements will be posted on the bulletin board outside room 206 in Humanities and outside room 114 in Owens.  Please encourage students to read the bulletin board for up to date information.

Once it begins for the school year, the “RECHS NEWS SHOW’ will be viewed on Fridays during the 3^rd period class to help keep students informed about RECHS happenings!!! 

“ALERT NOW” messages will be sent out by phone at 6:30 PM on Sunday evenings.

Athletics

RECHS students may participate in athletics at their attendance zone high school.  This means the high school attendance zone where you live is where you will go to participate in sports. Example:  If your house is in Eden, you will participate in sports at Morehead High school. IMPORTANT:  College grades count toward athletic eligibility.

Driver’s License

All classes-high school and college- in which students are enrolled count toward their eligibility to drive.  Students must pass 3 classes per semester in order to maintain their license. Students who are only enrolled in 3 classes must pass ALL 3 to remain eligible for driving privileges.

Guidance Services

RECHS’s guidance counselor is Mr. Kevin Hairston.  He is trained to help students solve many kinds of problems both at home and in school.  The counselor is an integral part of the school team because students often experience problems or changes in their daily lives that affect them emotionally, physically, and academically.  Because we want them to grow and develop in a positive way, finding solutions to students’ problems or helping them to adjust to change is very important.

Referrals to see the counselor can be made by parents, teachers, other school personnel and students themselves.  Our counselor will develop seminar topics for discussion, talk to students individually, in small groups, and through classroom presentations.  Examples of topics frequently dealt with in counseling sessions are making friends, self-awareness, home life, and concerns about grades and school, developing study habits, self-discipline, acceptance of diversity, etc.

In addition to typical counseling duties, Mr. Hairston is the drop out prevention coordinator, testing coordinator for RCS and RCC placement tests, AED representative in Humanities, scheduling coordinator, SSMT/504 referral committee chairperson, and HOUSE instructor.

Fees for 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th year students:

A security and parking fee of $10 per semester is to be paid by each student.  The $10 must be paid before the first day of class for the semester and can be paid in the business office of the administration building on the RCC campus.

Homework

Homework shall be provided to students in consideration of the following objectives:

1.      To promote responsibility and self-discipline.

2.      To serve as reinforcement for previously taught skills/learning.  Students should have proper instruction in a topic prior to being assigned homework.  Good judgment is most important when giving homework. 

a.       Teachers will use team planning time to discuss any major assignments.  Large amounts of homework will burden the child and the family, often resulting in negative home school relations.

b.      Parents are encouraged to be involved in the student’s homework with guidance only.

All assignments for high school and college classes will be posted on MOODLE (online learning application).  Parents can also check by asking your child for their password to the site.  Students will be allowed to use school computers before and after school to complete online assignments if needed.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is taking someone else’s work and calling it your own.  Your teachers will discuss this with you in classes. If you want to use what someone else said, put it in quotation marks and give the person credit for it.  There are very serious consequences for plagiarizing someone’s work. For more information see the college catalog or RCS student handbook for academic dishonesty.

Cafeteria

Breakfast and lunch will be served in OWENS 124. 

Lunch is prepared at Rockingham County Middle School and transported to RCC. Students will sign up each morning for lunch in Owens 124. A hot meal, as well as a variety of a la carte items, will be available for students at lunch.

Students previously approved for free lunch and free breakfast will be given free meals for the first ten days of school only.  A new application for free or reduced-price lunch must be on file after this ten-day period.  Students whose parents receive Aid for Dependent Children do not have to file for free lunch; the information is automatically sent to Child Nutrition.  Other parents need to make certain that the application contains the following information.

(a)                Name of student, grade, school, teacher

(b)               Any sibling of the student attending any other school—only one application per family needs to be completed

(c)                Names of persons living in the home and their ages, social security number, and income

(d)               Home and work telephone number

(e)                Signature and address of parent

(f)                Date of  application

Lunch prices will be $2.25 for full-price lunch and $.40 for reduced lunch.  Adult lunch is $3.00 Food items may also be purchased separately.  Student breakfast price will be $1.10 for full-price breakfast and $.30 for reduced breakfast.  Adults will purchase items a la carte. 

Cafeteria Procedures

1.                  Teachers must bring their students to the Owens in a quiet/orderly fashion.  Students are to remain quiet as they go through the lunch line to enable the cafeteria staff to hear food reports.

2.                  Teachers are responsible for the supervision of their students to, from and during lunch.

3.                  Teachers must follow their scheduled cafeteria time.

4.                  Students should leave their area clean. 

5.                  Students are not to go to Subway, use vending machines on campus, or purchase food/drinks from the book store during breakfast or lunch hours (8-8:40; 10:13-12:30).

6.                  If a parent would like to have lunch with their child, please have the student sign up in the morning for the lunch request. 

Transportation

Students in 9^th and 10^th grade are provided with bus transportation to RECHS. Riding the bus is a privilege, not a right. After the second year (10^th grade) students must have their own transportation to and from RECHS. Transportation is not a school based issue. Policies regarding bus transportation are not determined by the school administration, and cannot be changed or altered by school personnel.

NOTE: When other RCS schools have Teacher Workdays and other days with no school for students, there will be no bus transportation to and from the home for RECHS students who ride buses. Only the shuttle bus to and from RECHS will run. Students must arrange for their own transportation to/from the home school morning and afternoon.

When other RCS schools have Early Release, there will be morning bus transportation only for RECHS students. In the afternoon, the students who ride the shuttle bus will need transportation from their home schools.

Drug Free Schools Policy

Rockingham County Schools believes that the use of illicit drugs and alcohol is harmful, and that drug-free schools lead to drug-free communities.  It is, therefore, board policy to provide age-appropriate, developmentally based drug and alcohol education and prevention programs for all students in all grade levels (K-12)

Visitors

Parents who wish to speak directly to teachers or to the principal must call ahead to the secretary or counselor to set up an appointment. Parents/legal guardians of students are welcome in the school for the purpose of communicating with the principal or teachers, serving as volunteers to the school in the interest of improving the instructional programs, and for other legitimate business within the scope of school-home relations.  Likewise, other members of the general public are welcome in our school when on legitimate business.  Any parent or other member of the general public, who is not an employee of the school system, or a student in the school system must report directly to the main office and state the purpose of being in the school.  Loitering or unauthorized visiting will not be allowed during school hours.  FOR SAFETY and LEGAL REASONS, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, etc., are NOT to visit during school hours.

Personal Electronic Devices

RECHS students must abide by the RCS Student Code of Conduct regarding cell phones, iPods, MP3 devices, tablets, laptops and other personal electronics. NOTE, while high school students may be allowed to use cell phones and other electronic devices during high school classes (as a learning tool) and while at lunch, most college instructors do NOT allow such privileges in college classes. Students MUST abide by the instructors policies during college classes.

Discipline

RECHS teachers, staff, and administrator enforce the Rockingham County Schools Code of Conduct for students (see pages 6-10 in the RCS Student Handbook for 2011-2012).

This includes the RCS Dress Code, approved by the School Board (see page 17 in RCS Student Handbook). While RCC instructors and staff are not expected to enforce the RCS dress code for high school students in college classes, students must be dressed appropriately to attend high school classes. Exceptions will not be made, so please plan accordingly when purchasing clothes for students to wear to school.

RCC officials do not allow RECHS students to be on campus unless they are involved in school related activities or moving to/from classes. Sitting in cars, walking around campus in between classes, and cutting through the wooded areas (off the designated walkways) are not permitted by RCC administration.

INCLEMENT WEATHER—RECHS

***In the event that BOTH Rockingham County Schools and RCC are closed, students will not attend any classes.

***In the event that Rockingham County schools are closed, but RCC is open or operating on a 2 hour delay, RECHS students should make every effort to attend their RCC classes.  IF RCS is closed, buses will not transport students.  Students must have their transportation to/from college classes. If RCC is operating on a 2 hour delay, RCC classes will begin at 10 AM; 8 AM and 9 AM classes would meet for the duration of the class after 10 AM.  If a class is from 9 AM – 10:30 AM the class will be in session from 10 until 10:30.

***RECHS students enrolled in RCC classes will follow the RCC procedures for attendance for all of their the college classes.

If a student is unable to make it to a college class due to inclement weather or for any reason, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor immediately, either by email or phone message

Notice of Nondiscrimination

The Rockingham County School System does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or homelessness in its programs and activities.  If you feel you or your child has been discriminated against in any of these areas, contact your building principal. 

Appeals to the building principal’s decision should be directed to:  Dr. Jean Bullock-Steverson, Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Support Services, Rockingham County Schools, 511 Harrington Highway, Eden, NC  27288.   (336) 627-2688.

Transfer Students (Who previously attended a NC Early College High School)

1. New students will report to the guidance office to be registered and will be assigned by the principal or designee.
2. The guidance counselor or principal will make request for necessary books and supplies.
3. Once the cumulative record is received, be certain it is up-to-date.  It may be necessary to make a new record and/or update immunizations, school name, address, etc.
4. The guidance office will help orient new students to the school.

RECHS Exit Plan

Student Option:

A student has the option to return to the attendance zone high school, based on the residence of the parent or legal guardian, at the completion of the first year at RECHS. 

RECHS Option:

A student will normally return to the attendance zone high school under one of the following conditions.

Academic:

A student will not have the opportunity to earn enough credits to receive a high school diploma with RECHS if:

1.       By the end of the 2^nd year, the student does not pass the pre-requisite reading and writing COMPASS tests.

2.       At any time during the 5 years, students are placed on Academic Suspension from RCC.

Disciplinary:

A student will proceed through proper disciplinary channels as recommended by the RCS Board of Education policies, possibly being assigned to an alternative learning program (SCORE or ALPS). Students may be subject to a disciplinary contract prior to returning to the attendance zone high school if:

3.       A student commits a Level V discipline offense (including but not limited to commission of a felony that may be a danger or threat to students or staff, assault causing serious bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon, homicide/manslaughter, rape, sexual assault, arson, etc) and/or whose behavior indicates the student’s continued presence in school constitutes a clear threat to the safety of other students or staff.

4.       A student violates RCC’s Code of Conduct, which removes him/her from the college campus as a result of either a suspension or expulsion.

COMPASS Test Requirement:

In order to remain at RECHS and to be allowed to take most college courses, students must take the COMPASS Placement test. Students have the first 4 semesters while at RECHS to pass this test and be enrolled in ENG 111 (students must score 81 or higher in reading and 70 or higher in writing). Students who do not meet this requirement by the end of the second year of enrollment at RECHS must return to their attendance zone high school. Students will have the opportunity to test at the end of the first year, the end of their 3^rd semester, and the end of their 4^th semester.

###Academic suspension occurs if a student’s grade point average falls below a 2.0 (or C average) for 3 consecutive semesters.  The first semester the student will be on academic warning, the 2^nd semester on academic probation and the 3^rd academic suspension.  There are many ways to prevent this from happening including help from the following resources:  high school teachers, college instructors, the student success center, the RCC math lab, the RCC writing center, AT3 and RECHS academic lab.

9/28/09                                    RCS Cabinet discussed

10/6/09                                    RCC/RCS Key Leaders approved

10/23/09                                  RCS high school principals

RCC Wireless Network Acceptable Use Policy

Rockingham Community College offers its wireless hotspot as a free, public service for users. Unlimited access will be granted to this wireless network in the designated hotspot as technology and network capacities allow. RCC does not provide personal technical support for users attempting to access its free public wireless network and does not guarantee specific rates of speed or uninterrupted service.

Users are responsible for ensuring they have the appropriate compliant wireless card

(802.11b or g) and are running up-to-date antivirus and antispyware software on their wireless device.

Use of the RCC wireless network and the Internet in general is at the USER’S SOLE RISK.  RCC is not liable for any loss, damage, security infringement or injury which the user may sustain as a result of being allowed access to the wireless network.

The user is responsible for any actions taken from their device, whether intentional or unintentional, that cause damages or otherwise affects other devices or users of the network.  The RCC network, wireless or hardwired, is not to be used for:

            • Commercial use

            • Malicious actions, such as denial of service attacks

            • Harassment of other computer users

            • Distribution of pornographic materials

            • Copyright violations

            • offering of DHCP or Domain Name Services (DNS)

            • File-sharing or other bandwidth intensive applications that may degrade quality 

              of service.

The wireless network is not secure (i.e., it is not encrypted using WEP, WPA, etc.). The level of security of your transactions, files on your hard drive and general web surfing will depend on the level of security precautions you have taken with your computer. Users must be aware that as they connect their devices through the wireless network they expose their devices to: worms, viruses, trojan horses, denial-of-service attacks, intrusions, packet-sniffing and other abuses by third-parties. RCC highly discourages the conducting of confidential transactions (such as online banking, credit card usage) over any wireless network, including our own. It is strongly recommended that you turn off file sharing on your operating system.

If the College receives complaints of improper activity, an immediate cessation of that activity is expected upon notification to the user. Ports may be disabled on an emergency basis to stop violations of acceptable use restrictions. Failure to abide by these policies may result in loss of access to network and computing resources, College disciplinary action and/or other legal action.

MOODLE and Email accounts: RECHS students are issued email accounts and will have access to MOODLE, an online learning system, This email and MOODLE account will be utilized for students to have access to high school and college course material, notes, assignments, and so forth. Students who do not have internet access at home may access their email and MOODLE account from the high school labs before and after school as needed, and during academic lab time each day.

COMPASS Test: In order to remain at RECHS and to be allowed to take most college courses, students must take the COMPASS Placement test. Students have the first 4 semesters while at RECHS to pass this test and be enrolled in ENG 111 (students must score 81 or higher in reading and 70 or higher in writing). Students who do not meet this requirement by the end of the second year of enrollment at RECHS must return to their attendance zone high school. Students will have the opportunity to test at the end of the first year, the end of their 3^rd semester, and the end of their 4^th semester.

College Credit

Students have the potential of earning 2 year college degrees and/or transferable college credits while at RECHS. The principal, guidance counselor and liaison work together to register the students for their courses. Students begin their college transcript with the first college course they take. This transcript stays with them throughout these five years and beyond, so it is imperative that they begin and maintain good grades in their college courses. This could mean the difference in admittance to a four-year institution of their choice, and the awarding of scholarship money. Please note that if a student receives a D in a college course not only does it hurt their GPA (Grade Point Average) but also they will not be awarded transfer credit. If they receive an F in a college course it really hurts their GPA, shows up on the transcript, and they do not receive any credit. Some courses result in dual credit; students will receive credit toward their high school diploma and college credit.

ID Badges

Each RECHS student will have an RCC ID badge made free of charge (once) that they are required to have each day. This badge allows students to check out books from the library and identifies them as an Early College student; therefore, students must bring their ID to school each day. If the ID is lost or damaged, the student will need to pay to have another one made.

Smoke Free Campus

RCC is a smoke free/tobacco free campus. Students, faculty, and staff are not allowed to smoke or use tobacco products on campus at any time. This includes sitting in cars to smoke or use tobacco products, or going across the street (much of the properties across the street are still a part of RCC campus or are owned by Rockingham County Schools, which also has a tobacco free policy).  RECHS students who are caught violating this policy will be consequenced according to the RCS student code of conduct.

Rockingham Community College

Dr. Michael Helmick               President

Dr. Jan Overman                     Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dr. Robert Lowdermilk          Vice President for Student Development

Mr. Steven Woodruff             Vice President for Administrative Services

Dr. Tony Gunn                        Associate Vice President for Administrative Services