Byron Nelson High School

1. Byron Nelson High School Bobcat Camp 2013 Parent Presentation

2. Tonight We want to dedicate this event in memory of Aubrey McNeill.

3. LEARN, SERVE, LEAD Vision The vision of BNHS is to be an exemplary community empowering learners with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary for life long success in an ever-changing society.

4. Campus Mission BNHS, in partnership with students, parents, and community, will ensure a premier education for all learners. Through innovative educational opportunities students will be challenged, engaged, and offered leadership experiences, thereby, creating the Byron Nelson culture.

5. Commitment to Graduate Byron Nelson is a C2G Model School, and we will do all that we can to ensure your student is ready for college & career, the global workplace, and personal success.

6. Introductions Dr. Linda Parker – Principal Teresa (T) Snider – Administrative Assistant Dr. Ron Myers – Associate Principal Jami Wilson – Administrative Assistant (you will meet them later!) Asst. Principals A.P. Assistants Counselors A-C Cheryl Hunt (2nd) Sandra Drake Paige Smith D-G Paige Cantrell (1st) Beth Miller Leah Berry H-LSusan Moore (3rd) Elaine Van Houten Chris Bell M-P Branden Richardson (3rd) Elaine Van Houten Shana Greenwood Q-Z Josh Withers (2nd) Sandra Drake (Q-T) Nedra Simmons (U-Z) Alicia Edwards

7. Support Staff • Barbara Bankston and Dee Rizer – Front Office Staff – 817-698-5600 • Laura Weaver, School Nurse and Kristi McCamie, LVN – 817-698-5703 • Robert Mastropiero– School Resource Office – 817-698-5701

8. Nurse/Medicine Info • Please communicate with Nurse Weaver about any health concerns or issues. • Students cannot carry medication on their person at school. This even includes Tylenol or other OTC meds. • All medicine MUST be checked in with the nurse. • Any student caught with medicine that is not checked in will be subject to the NISD Code of Conduct. Prescriptions are of particular concern.

9. Attendance (A-L) Christine Mitchell 817-698-5695 (M-Z) Kathy Custer 817-698-5612 Attendance Information • We want your student to be successful, and being in class everyday is a necessary part of that success. • Please call in absences by 10:00. Please state in the phone call your student’s first and last name, reason for absence, and ID number (if known). • Send a note the next day. Please make sure you put the first and last name of your child and a phone number where you can be reached. If your child went to the doctor, please get a medical note and send it with your student the following day. • If you email teachers about your student being absent, please include Ms. Mitchell and Ms. Custer on that email.

10. Attendance • Unexcused and excused absences are the same, which means they count against the student for credit and exemptions. Excused simply means we received parent communication as to the absence reason. • If your student is 20 minutes late to class, he or she is ABSENT. • Every class takes attendance. If a student is at school and leaves early, he or she is not considered present for the whole day. • Students can be exempt for their semester exams if their grades and attendance meet certain guidelines. Please stay up with turning in medical notes. • If a student has 9 or more absences in a semester, the student is considered excessive and will be contacted by their AP about making up time to receive credit. (90% in attendance state law) • If a student loses credit due to excessive absences, he or she will not be able to get a VOE (Verification of Enrollment) form for a driver’s license. The student will have to wait until the end of the next semester, provided he or she is in good standing, to get a VOE.

11. Attendance • If you are picking up your student early, please send a note with him or her that morning to drop off in attendance. The student will be given a “permit to leave campus” pass with the time on it to be in the front office for dismissal. If the student is leaving from lunch, athletics, or PE, allow some extra time. • Please check attendance online often. If you have a question, contact the teacher as the attendance office cannot change anything without written notice from the teacher first. • If your student is involved in extracurricular activities, please give the attendance office a day to get those absences coded. If after 24 hours the absence is still showing as unexcused, please contact us. • If you receive the automated phone call in the evening and you have a question, please call us. • We recommend having the system call to your cell phone number.

12. Parent Pick-Up Tips • Send a note with your student the day you will check them out early and have them bring it to the office before school to get a pass. They will show the pass to their teacher and wait for you in the office. • No students will be allowed to check out after 3:00 p.m. without a parent note prior to the check out. This is a closed campus, so please do not check students out for lunch. You may bring lunch up here and eat with them if you check in the office first. • PLEASE DO NOT TAKE STUDENTS OUT DURING TESTING - testing dates will be available on the website.

13. Expectations of BOBCATS! • Be a person of character! • Learn, Serve, Lead • LEARN what it means to be a Byron Nelson Bobcat. • Get involved in school and serve the community. • Respect yourself, each other, the staff, your family, and our school. • “Know who your are and who you represent.”

14. PTSA Parent Teacher Student Association Website – www.ByronPTSA.my-pta.org Joy Harrison - President Rebecca Freed - 1st VP - Membership Rhonda Arthur - 2nd VP - Programs Annette Mallard - Treasurer McKenna Calkin - Secretary Nancy Olson – Parliamentarian Join today for only $10.00

15. Textbooks2013-2014 • Textbooks will be available for checkout during all lunches throughout the first 2 weeks of school… • Save your back and your pocket book!!! The majority of the textbooks are now provided in electronic format. Please ask the teachers. • BNHS does not have lockers.

16. Technology2013-2014 • High school students are receiving new DellLattitude 10 Windows Tablets this year. There are no user fees and there is a one-time insurance fee of $50 to insure these devices for the length of your child’s time at BNHS. • Go to http://www.nisdtx.org/computingdevices for more info on the tablets and payment. • Students are expected to charge them each night and bring them to school every day!!! • Students can bring their own devices; however, NISD software cannot be loaded on personal devices, and the school is not responsible for loss, damage, or theft.

17. Tablet Distribution • Before receiving a device, students must submit a completed Student-Parent Device Use Agreement at http://ws01.nisdtx.org/DeviceInfo/. • Tablets can be picked up these dates and times: • Aug. 22 from 1-7 • Aug. 23 from 1-5 • Aug. 26 from 1-5 • Cases have been ordered for the tablets, but there has been a delay on delivery. If tablets are picked up on these above dates, they may not receive a case. • If unable to pick it up during these times, students will receive their tablet during the first 2 weeks of school.

18. Extracurricular Activities and Clubs • It is one of our goals that every student is connected to an activity. • Extracurricular activities are good for college transcripts, especially ones that do community service. • We have club days once a six weeks.

19. More on Community Service • Community Service connects with our motto of Learn, Serve, Lead: • Link Leaders • Student Council • Class Officers • National Honor Society • Green Cord (100 hours of service per year)

20. NISD Code of ConductDress Code Guidelines • Project positive self image • Does not distract from an educational environment conducive to learning • Does not create a hazard to the student’s safety • One body piercing other than the ears • Must wear shoes or sandals (House shoes are not permitted) • Clothing normally considered pajamas are not acceptable

21. Dress Code Continued • Clothing should not refer (casually or indirectly) to alcohol, drugs, tobacco, profanity, or anything of a sexual nature • Shall not include hats and caps, forehead bands, bandannas, sunglasses, other head coverings, gloves, or distracting accessories when students are inside school buildings. • Pants, shorts, jeans must be worn at the normal waist level and should not reveal under garments. • Dresses, skirts, and tunics/smocks must be at least mid-thigh (halfway between hip and knee). If you can’t wear it without leggings, it is not acceptable to wear with leggings. Tube skirts rarely follow dress code.

22. Dress Code Continued • Jeans must be free of holes from mid-thigh up. • Hair color must be of a natural color. Cannot wear color such as lime green, blue, orange, pink, etc… • Sheer, see-through (mesh) shirts must have an appropriate top underneath. • Tank tops, spaghetti strap tops, or shirts open at the sides are not acceptable.

23. ID’s • ID’s must be visible and on the student’s upper torso. • Not wearing an ID is considered a dress code violation. • If a student must purchase a new ID, a fine of $5 will be assessed on his or her account. • Students are only allowed to “charge” up to 10 IDs. • Unclear record letters will go home quarterly, and there may be a way this year to keep track on fees online (new system!).

24. Tips for Success • Help your student be organized and get into a routine from the beginning. • Get involved in their school and activities. • Encourage your students to be involved in school and to set academic goals. We want all of our students in some type of extracurricular activity. • Start talking about plans for after graduation. Get them to think about their future and how to go after their dreams/goals. • Make sure they have their tablets/tech devices charged, attend school daily, and are in dress code when they leave your house.

25. Counselors A-C Paige Smith D-G Leah Berry H-L Chris Bell M-P Shana Greenwood Q-T Nedra Simmons U-Z Alicia Edwards (Lead Counselor) Diagnosticians – Ann Osmus and Kristen Hildebrand Student Services Facilitator (504s) – Brenda Guillen Melissa Whitfield – Records Manager Ana (Lily) Castaneda and Sheila Polk – Registrars

26. Homework • Must stay on this from the beginning of the year. • Different than middle school • Very difficult year for 9th grade students due to more freedom, but higher expectations. • Please get involved and get in your child’s business!!! • Check students grades and attendance on line frequently. • Find teachers net school pages and/or websites to understand what is going on in the classroom. For school activities, testing dates, news, and upcoming events go to the Byron Nelson Website page

27. HS Credits Credits to determine grade level • 0-5.5 credits for 9th grade • 6-12.5 credits for 10th grade • 13-18.5 credits for 11th grade • 19 and up for 12th grade

28. Discipline • Follow NISD policy on discipline • If a parent is contacted by phone for a referral, we will also mail a copy of the referral home and send one with the student. • Dress Code violations- 1st offense will be considered a warning and the issue will be corrected. 2nd offense – In School Suspension (ISS)

29. Tardies • We want students at school and on time; please help us with this. • 1-3 tardies results in warnings. • 4-6 tardies results in Extended Classroom Opportunity (ECO) 3 hours on Tuesdays or Thursdays after school from 4-7p.m. • 7-8 Saturday School from 8:00 a.m. – noon on Saturday (4 hours) • 9 or more days will result in ISS

30. Link Leaders • All of tonight’s activities were organized by the Link Leaders organization. This group will be helping new students and 9th graders understand Byron Nelson and mentor them through advisory class. • Link Leaders will be wearing their shirts and visiting advisory classrooms. Please encourage your students to ask these student leaders for help anytime. • A special thanks to the Link Leaders and their sponsors for planning this event.

31. Schedules! Schedules! • All students will receive a NEW schedule on the first day of school from their Advisory teacher. • Semester 1 may look different from semester 2. This is normal. • There are 4 lunch periods (3, 4, 5, and 6). • All lunches include all grade levels. • Change of lunch period will be granted for medical reasons only.

32. Reason for a Schedule Change • Missing a class period • Already received credit for the course • Athletic reasons (switched sports, cut, etc.) • Fine Art reasons (wrong level, etc) • Need course to graduate (seniors only) • Did not request course • Change level of course (first 10 days of school or end of each marking period) • Please allow several days for processing a request.

33. How Does a Student Make an Appt with his/her Counselor??? • Go to BNHS webpage to Counselors’ Corner. • There is a link allowing students to send an electronic request with a message. • Students are welcome to stop by before school, at lunch, or after school to see if we are available.

34. Communication is Key!So what is the process? • Encourage your student to be his/her own advocate and communicate with the teacher. • Attend tutorials before school, after school, or at lunch. Teachers will post their tutorial schedules. • Have student make appt with counselor. • Parent makes contact with teacher (email is usually preferred). • Parent may schedule meeting with teacher.

35. Tidbits • School supplies • No lockers • Textbooks for home (available at lunch during first 2 weeks) • Grades Online/Home Access Center • Username and password

36. More Tidbits • Parent University (coming in Sept) • Open House (Sept 16) • Lunch $$$

37. STAAR changes! Get excited! • Reduced from 15 tests to 5 tests! • Algebra 1 • Biology • Eng 1 (Reading and Writing combined) • Eng 2 (Reading and Writing combined) • US History

38. Who is my student’s counselor? • Paige Smith (A-C) • Leah Berry (D-G) • Chris Bell (H-L) • Shana Greenwood (M-P) • Surnedra Simmons (Q-T) • Alicia Edwards (U-Z) – Lead Counselor

39. Upcoming Events • Meet the Bobcats – Thursday, August 22ndat the Byron Nelson Stadium at 7:00 p.m. • Homecoming Week – September 9th through 14th • Open House – Monday, September 16th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. • The school store is open tonight in the Student Union. Please pick up your students at 9:00 p.m. tonight! Welcome to Bobcat Nation! Thank you for coming tonight!