2019-2020 Student Handbook

1. 2019-2020Student Handbook

2. School Responsibilities Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy will: • Provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment that enables the participating children to meet the State’s student academic achievement standards. • Hold parent-teacher conferences at least annually.   • Provide parents with frequent reports on their children’s progress. • Provide parents reasonable access to staff. • Provide parents opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child’s class, and to observe classroom activities

3. Student Responsibilities We, as students, will share the responsibility to improve our academic achievement and achieve the State’s high standards. Specifically, we will: • Come to school prepared with all the needed materials and positive attitude toward learning. • Do my homework every day, ask for help when I need to and attend after school tutoring or Saturday School when needed. • Monitor my academic progress using the online grading system and data folders. • Read at least 30 minutes every day outside of school time. • Give to my parents or the adult who is responsible for my welfare all notices and information received by me from my school every day. • Follow school rules at all times, represent JSAA in a positive manner at all times, and come to school with the intention to learn.

4. Schedule Changes • Elective classes for ALL students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades go for a full semester (two quarters) in length. • Class schedule changes for the 1st semester are completed during the first full week of classes. • Class schedule change requests for 2nd semester should be submitted to the grade level counselor during the week before winter break so that student schedules will be as accurate as possible the first day of second semester in January. • Students should pick up a schedule change request form (yellow sheet) in the front office, fill it out completely, and return to the front office staff or directly to their grade level counselor. The counselor will review the request, check student’s course selection sheet and the number of students enrolled in specific exploratory classes, then call the student in to discuss request. • Requests for schedule changes that come after established due dates will only be honored if extenuating circumstances apply.

5. Extracurricular Sports • All students who wish to try out for a sport must have a current sport physical and a completed emergency card on file with the school business office. • Physicals are good for one calendar year. No student may participate in any tryout, practice, or competition without a current physical and completed emergency card. • Eligibility for participation in athletics and extracurricular activities involves weekly grade checks. Students must maintain a ‘C’ grade average with no “F” and no more than one “D”; along with a ‘3’ average in citizenship. • Academics and citizenship come first. • Suspension, in-school or out-of- school, disqualifies student athletes from participation for one full week of events. • A second suspension will disqualify the student athlete from finishing the season

6. Clubs and Activities • UCCS Pre-Engineering • Art Club • Leather Club • Orchestra Club • Star Base Academy • GSA • Weight Lifting • Board Game Club • Chess Club • NJHS • Battle of Books • Anime Club • Glee Club • Assembly Crew • Hiking Club • Rowdy Crowd

7. Clubs and Activities Didn’t see a club you want? We are always looking for new clubs for JSAA. If you have a club you want to see at JSAA just talk to your teachers to see if they will sponsor the club!!!

8. Bicycles, Skateboards, and Scooters • Students are responsible for providing a chain and lock for their items. The school has provided an area to store items, but accepts no responsibility for damage or theft. • All bikes must be stored in the bike rack in the main parking lot. • Skateboards, scooters, skates, and shoes with wheels are not to be ridden on school property. • Students who violate these expectations will have their items confiscated. • Confiscated items will be returned to parents. • Students who repeatedly violate expectations may have their items confiscated by administration for the remainder of the school year.

9. Basketballs, Soccer balls, Footballs • Students are responsible for providing a chain and lock for their items. The school has provided an area to store items, but accepts no responsibility for damage or theft. • All sporting equipment must be stored in your locker, the main office, or a trusted teachers’ classroom. • Sport equipment must be retrieved without disrupting class if stored in a classroom. • Sporting equipment that is kicked or thrown on a roof by you or someone else will remain there until our building management team has time to retrieve it. • Students abusing the use of sport equipment before school, after school, or during lunch will lose their privilege for use of the equipment at school. This includes kicking or throwing anything in the direction of students or staff at any time. Accident or not! Play safe and away from crowds.

10. Student Discipline District 11 and JSAA employ a progressive discipline system. All efforts will be made to contact you about the discipline issue. We encourage you to join us in helping to provide a safe classroom and school environment. We want to provide quality education for all students. All students deserve a positive school experience. To create such an environment, we teach and encourage behaviors that help students follow both classroom and school rules. Discipline options include the following: • Lunch detention • After school detention • Saturday school • In school community service/character development • Out of school suspension Our goal is to keep students in the school setting so they miss as little content as possible, while still teaching that a behavior is unacceptable. Our ISC program will require the students to complete community service around campus, work with our severe needs students, complete course work, and do character building activities and assignments. ISC is an alternative to out of school suspension and requires the students to participate in ALL activities planned by the ISC teacher.

11. Electronics and Toys • Electronic equipment such as IPod, MP3 players, radios, pagers, cell phones, video games, etc. and toy items do not belong in the classroom. • Please note that laser pens are considered standard weapons in District 11 and students should leave these at home or face disciplinary consequences. • Items not directly related to the curricula will be confiscated, and school consequences will apply. • If an item is used to disrupt the safe learning environment, disciplinary action will be taken. • If a student chooses to bring mentioned items to school, they are the student’s responsibility if lost or stolen. The school is NOT responsible for finding, repairing, or replacing any items that shouldn’t be at school!

12. Student ID Cards • Students will be issued a photo ID card by the District. The purpose of this card is to allow students to checkout media materials from the library, purchase lunches, serve as ID for riding the school bus (eligible riders only), and provide access to extracurricular school and district activities. • Lost or damaged ID cards must be replaced immediately. The student will be responsible for the $5.00 replacement fee. • Students must have their ID on them at all times. • If you have your ID visible at lunch you will be pushed forward in the lunch line • NO VISIBLE IDs will be moved to the back of the line.

13. Lockers • Students are assigned a locker to keep school-related items, clothing, backpack, and small personal-care items. • Lockers are loaned to students for their use, but can be searched by school officials. Lockers are school property. • Combination numbers must not be given out to anyone, and lockers are not to be shared with others. • Students are strongly urged not to keep valuable possessions or money in their lockers since lockers are not theft-proof. • Students are asked not to share their combination with any other student including “friends”. If a student misuses a locker, he/she may lose the privilege of a locker assignment. • Students will be accountable for any damage or cleaning needs with the locker. • The use of lockers is only allowed during the school day at the following times: Before school, before and after lunch, and after school. • The school is not responsible for items taken from a locker.

14. Make-up Work and Homework • It is the responsibility of the student to request make-up assignments from the teachers. • Failure to complete work missed in the designated time might result in a lower grade for the course. • Students need to follow the guidelines established by the teacher(s) concerning due dates for missed assignments as a result of excused absences. • It is our belief that homework assignments will be used to expand classroom learning and are relevant to the course objectives being taught. Homework assignments are an opportunity to practice standards-based instruction. • According to Board Policy, it is the teacher’s discretion whether to grant credit for missed work as the result of disciplinary action involving suspension from school for misconduct. • Students who fail to meet deadlines for homework will be asked to attend a school tutoring session until work is complete. These sessions are before or after school daily. Saturday school can also be assigned if students have multiple missing assignments or low grades.

15. Medication • If a student has prescription medicine that must be taken during school hours, the medicine should be left in the main office in the original bottle with the prescription information and the doctor’s name on it. • A doctor’s orders form must be signed by a doctor to give the school staff permission to administer the medicine. • If you will be taking medication at school, the doctor’s order and the medication must be left in the main office. • School staff is not allowed to give any other medicines to students, including pain relievers, cold medicines, cough drops, etc.

16. Retention policy • Students will be required to meet district retention/promotion requirements. • Students who do not meet these requirements will be subject to possible retention in their current grade level and/or mandatory attendance in available summer programs. • All effort will be made to notify both the student and parent of possible retention based on district policies. • Failing core classes including Math, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies can result in summer school and possible retention at any grade level!

17. School Technology Resources • Students will be issued laptops/netbooks, district email accounts and passwords for Internet usage. • These are to be used for academic purposes only. • Please familiarize yourself with the Acceptable Use Agreement for students. In addition to disciplinary actions, students may have their email/Internet privileges revoked due to, but not limited to, the following actions; • Using improper language, swearing, vulgarity, ethnic, or racial slurs; • Spreading falsehoods about a person that lowers the affected individual in the eyes of the community; • Pretend to be someone else when sending/receiving messages; • Transmitting obscene, pornographic, or inappropriate messages, pictures or graphics; • Revealing personal information such as addresses or phone numbers of the user or others; • Creating, sending, or forwarding chain letters

18. School Technology Resources • It is the student’s responsibility to inform the teacher immediately if there is an issue with a computer being used that class period. • Students are expected to take appropriate and reasonable care of the computer and maintain the security and components of the computer being used. • Further, students and their families may be financially responsible if any damage, while in the student’s use, is determined to be abuse, misuse, or neglect as determined by the Division of Information Technology staff. The student may be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with the District’s Board of Education policies.

19. Dress Code • Clothing should be worn as designed and should cover private parts of the body. Clothing that inappropriately bares or exposes private parts of a body, including but not limited to the stomach, areas above mid-thigh, buttocks, back and breasts is unacceptable school attire. Keep it classy JSAA!!! • Clothes, paraphernalia, jewelry, or body adornment that contain advertisements, symbols, words, slogans, patches, or pictures that are sexually suggestive; gang-, drug-, or alcohol related; obscene, profane, promote hate, or are disruptive or potentially disruptive to the learning environment are unacceptable school attire.

20. Dress Code • Poor fitting clothing (i.e. clothing that is too tight or too loose) is unacceptable school attire. • Clothing must cover undergarments. Clothing that is worn in such a manner as to expose undergarments (i.e. boxer shorts, bras, underwear) is unacceptable for school. NO SAGGING. • Cut-off t-shirts, half shirts, midriffs, tops with spaghettis straps, tube tops, see through or revealing tops are unacceptable school attire. ALL SHIRTS MUST HAVE SLEEVES!!! ABSOLUTELY NO TANK TOPS!!! • Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy students must wear shirts with sleeves. A sleeve is defined as the part of a garment that wholly or partly covers a person's arm.

21. Dress Code • Pants or shorts that are in the mid-thigh range or longer where the waistband rises to at least the hips are acceptable school attire. NO SHORT SHORTS!!! NO PAJAMA BOTTOMS!!! • Skirts or dresses that are mid-thigh or longer where the waistband rises to at least the hips are acceptable school attire. NO SHORT SKIRTS OR DRESSES!!! • Acceptable footwear is required to be worn at all times. Slippers are considered unacceptable school attire.

22. Dress Code • Items considered sleepwear or lounge pants are considered unacceptable school attire. NO PAJAMAS!!! • Sunglasses and hats are unacceptable school attire.

23. Dress Code Consequences • Any students who come to school without proper attention having been given to their appearance in violation of school policy may be asked to cover the non-complying clothing with JSAA loaner clothing items. • If they refuse this request parents/guardians will be called, the students may be disciplined and may be sent home to be properly prepared for school. • Students will be required to prepare himself or herself for the classroom before re-entering school. • Students who violate this policy in a continuing or flagrant manner may also be recommended for suspension from school.

24. Teacher Protocol for Dress Code • Identify student(s) out of dress code and address them QUIETLY, POLITELY, and in private when possible. • Email the Dean indicating that they have a student out of dress code. • The Dean will address the violation as quick as they can, but THIS MAY NOT BE DURING THIS CLASS PERIOD. • The teacher will continue teaching unless the distraction warrants a referral and removal from class. • STUDENTS ARE NOT SENT OUT OF CLASS UNLESS THEY ARE CAUSING SIGNIFICANT DISRUPTIONS TO THE CLASS!!!

25. Closed Campus • All school District 11 campuses are closed campus systems. • These closed campuses help promote safe learning and working environments for all students, staff and parent/guardians. • Students are to remain on campus throughout the school day and need to follow their schools check-in and check-out procedures if they are leaving school. • Leaving campus for any reason without permission will result in disciplinary actions.

26. Bully Free Schools • In accordance with Colorado Statute 22-33-109.1, and school board policy JICDE, Bullying Prevention and Education, Colorado Springs School District 11 is committed to protecting students and staff from discrimination, bullying and harassing behaviors. • Student should report bullying behaviors immediately to a school staff member, the school principal or principal’s designee, or call Safe2Tell at 1-877-542-SAFE. • Bullying, hazing, intimidation and harassment of any kind will not be tolerated in District 11 schools regardless of how they are communicated (in person, email, social media, etc.) • Any student who commits an act of intimidation, harassment or bullying, is subject to disciplinary action.

27. Weapons on School Grounds • Colorado Springs School District 11 prohibits weapons of any kind on school property, at school events, or off school property where the carrying, bringing, using, or possession of a weapon creates, in the determination of district personnel, a threat to other students or school district personnel. • Any student who brings a weapon onto school property is subject to disciplinary action, including possible suspension and expulsion from school. • Knives, brass knuckles, chemical sprays, sling shots and firearms are among the weapons that are prohibited on School District 11 property. • Additionally, items that shoot projectiles by compressed air or spring, like airsoft and paintball guns, are considered dangerous weapons under district policy. • Using a weapon for self defense will not excuse a student from being disciplined according to District policy. • School administrators will contact law enforcement authorities who have the right to make an arrest for any weapons infraction on school grounds that violates Colorado state statutes.

28. Alcohol and Controlled Substances • Colorado Springs School District 11 has no tolerance for the use, possession, purchase, or distribution of alcohol, controlled substances,* or drug paraphernalia. • Students who are in violation of this policy shall be suspended from school immediately and may receive additional consequences from civil authorities. • Students may also be immediately placed on behavior plans, be referred for drug and alcohol counseling, or referred to the District’s Student Discipline Office for expulsion from school.

29. Tobacco Free Schools • The use or possession of tobacco or other nicotine delivery devices by students while in or on school property or at school-sponsored activities is prohibited. • Any student in possession of tobacco, or other nicotine delivery devices, is subject to disciplinary action, including suspension from school.

30. Academic Honesty and Plagiarism • Academic honesty and integrity in school work is an essential component to student achievement. • Copying another student’s work, plagiarizing the work of another author, or cheating on academic tasks and assessments is prohibited. • Students who commit acts of dishonesty in the academic area are subject to disciplinary action and academic penalty. • Furthermore, the use of District 11’s electronic media to commit academic dishonesty is a violation of District 11’s Acceptable Use Agreement and may lead to the loss of computer privileges, as well as further disciplinary action.

31. Participation in Sports and Activities • School District 11 believes that school sponsored events and extracurricular activities are a privilege and students who participate in these must follow all applicable laws, District 11 Board policies, and school-based behavior guidelines. • District policy continues to make the denial or forfeiture of extracurricular activities and participation in school sponsored events a possible consequence for inappropriate behavior. • Any student who commits a discipline infraction may lose the right to participate in school-sponsored events or extracurricular activities for up to one year. • Any student who is suspended or expelled from school will forfeit their right to participate in extracurricular or school-sponsored events throughout the suspension or expulsion period, including year-end commencement exercises.

32. CELL PHONES • ALL D11 middle schools are CELL PHONE FREE ZONES. • CELL PHONES ARE NOT PERMITTED IN SCHOOL. • If they are brought to school, they MUST remain in your backpack or locker • ALL VISIBLE CELL PHONES CAN AND WILL BE CONFISCATED! • NO EXCEPTION - NO EXCUSES • If you want to keep your cell phone, keep it HIDDEN!!! • Hanging out of your pocket is VISIBLE!!! Keep them in your BACKPACK OR LOCKER!!!

33. CELL PHONES • First Offense– Device will be confiscated, the behavior will be documented in Q, a parent contacted and the phone will be returned to student at the end of the day. • Second Offense- Device will be confiscated, the behavior will be documented in Q and parent will be required to come to school to pick up the phone. • Third Offense - Device will be confiscated, the behavior will be documented in Q, a parent contacted and will be required to come to school to develop a contract for the student which may include the following consequences before the phone is returned. • The cell phone cannot be at school • Cell phone must be checked in to the office prior to the start of school and checked out to student at the end of the day. • The student will not use any other student’s cell phone while at school • Further violations of the cell phone contract will result in a suspension from school

34. Final Words • JSAA will be enforcing the student handbook with fidelity for the 2019-2020 school year. Students that violate any items in this handbook will face consequences that are consistent and fair for the infraction and the students history of infractions. • The staff at JSAA is here to provide you an opportunity to take advantage of a free public education. You’re job as a student is to take advantage of this opportunity. Your education is important for your future! • Help us teach you how to be a successful and productive citizen of our global community!