New “ Launch ” Schedule

1. New “Launch” Schedule August 25, 2013

2. Launch • This year we changed JETS time into Launch. • Launch is a program that is designed to reward students for doing their part academically in the classroom while still providing the opportunities for students who need it to get academic support from their teachers.

3. Launch • Students will attend their four academic classes during the first six weeks of school. • On October 10th when the 1st six weeks grades come out any student who has fallen below an 80 in a class will be required to attend a 25 minute academic support session for that class from 8:00-8:25 am.

4. Launch • The Schedule for the academic support sessions will correspond with the block the course is offered. • 1st Block on Monday • 2nd Block on Tuesday • 3rd Block on Wednesday • 4th Block on Thursday • Fridays we will rotate through each block starting with 1st.

5. Launch • Students must attend the academic support sessions for every class they score below an 80 in at the end of the six weeks. • The academic support sessions will only be made up of students who fell below that 80 mark. • Teachers will complete and maintain a form for each student that includes attendance, tardies, class work average, test average, # of missing assignments, and topics yet to be mastered.

6. Launch • Academic support sessions should be purposeful and may include reviewing work or material, preparing for tests, scaffolding new material, filling in holes or missing concepts, breaking material down into more manageable chunks, or helping students understand how to improve their organization or study habits.

7. Launch • Academic support sessions should not be used to complete busy work, do last night’s homework, catch up on sleep or gossip, as a free period, help the teacher make their daily copies, or used as a BSD (Before School Detention).

8. Launch • Students assigned to academic Support sessions that fail to attend their session will receive the following consequences. • 1st time ASD • 2nd time 2 days of ASD • 3rd time OSS

9. Launch • Students who do not have required academic support sessions will not need to report to school until their first block begins at 8:30. • Students who ride a bus or are dropped off before 8:30 but do not have a required session have three holding areas available to them depending on their interest.

10. Launch • Students looking for a social environment should report to the cafeteria where they can hang out and talk with friends as well as access the school wi-fi. Cell phone use will be permitted in this area during this time.

11. Launch • Students looking for a quiet reading or work place should report to the Media Center no later than 8:00 am. • Students looking for a physical activity can report to the gym where we will once again conduct team intramurals focusing on five on five soccer and basketball. Students must report to this location no later than 8:00 am.

12. Launch • The three holding areas will be supervised by those teachers who have planning that day or that do not have any students scoring below the 80 mark.

13. Launch • All students must report to one of these locations upon arriving to campus unless they are scheduled for an academic support session. • Any student who is caught leaving campus after arriving at school will be referred for skipping school.

14. Launch • We hope to be able to continue to offer our students the opportunity to work with the outside community agencies we have established partnerships with during the Launch time rather than pulling them out of instructional time later in the day.

15. Launch • At the end of the second six weeks students will have the ability to earn their way out of academic support sessions by earning grades above 80. • Students may also find themselves dropping below an 80 and therefore needing to attend the academic support sessions. • It is critical that we keep our students informed of their current grades so that they can make any necessary improvements before the end of the six weeks.

16. Launch • It is our hope that this Launch program will serve as a powerful incentive for our students to put their best foot forward. • It is also our hope that through the purposeful use of our teachers’ time they can help move those students below an 80 up over that mark.

17. Launch • Students who fail to make academic progress or continue to disengage or fail to participate in classes will be referred to the Student Services Team which will meet on Wednesdays this year.

18. Launch • I want to thank our incredible School Improvement Team for their leadership in crafting this new program and taking the time to better balance the needs of our students, the challenges of implementation, and the wishes of the faculty into a manageable plan.

19. Launch • Schedule • First 10 days of school (8/27-9/10) • HR 8:00-8:25 • 1ST 8:30-10:00 • 2ND 10:05-11:35 • 3RD 11:40-1:40 • 1st 11:40-12:10 • 2nd 12:25-12:55 • 3rd 1:10-1:40 • 4TH 1:45-3:10

20. Launch • Schedule • Remainder of 1st six weeks (9/11-10/8) • 1ST 8:00-9:35 • Break 9:35-9:50 • 2nd 9:50-11:25 • 3rd 11:30-1:30 • 1st 11:30-12:00 • 2nd 12:15-12:45 • 3rd 1:00-1:30 • 4th 1:35-3:10

21. Launch • Schedule • 2nd and 3rd six weeks (10/9-1/18) • Enrichment 8:00-8:25 • 1ST 8:30-10:00 • 2ND 10:05-11:35 • 3RD 11:40-1:40 • 1st 11:40-12:10 • 2nd 12:25-12:55 • 3rd 1:10-1:40 • 4TH 1:45-3:10

22. Contact me • Email Address mmcdonald@chatham.k12.nc.us • Twitter Martin mcdonald@mcd0718