Chico Country Day School - Middle School Operations Manual

Trustworthiness, Truthfulness, Active Listening, No put-downs, Personal Best, Caring, common sense, cooperation, courage, curiosity, effort, flexibility, friendship, initiative, integrity, organization, patience, perseverance, pride, problem solving, resourcefulness, responsibility, sense of humor

These are the qualities of the kinds of people we would all like to be around. Wouldn't you agree? Imagine a classroom and a school where all of the people involved acted within these guidelines. This is the kind of place and community that we would like CCDS to be. You have a huge role in this. You are now the oldest and largest students at our school. You, like it or not, have a significant amount of influence around here. If you act in a manner that represents the Lifeskills, you'll inevitably make our school a better place. Therefore, ultimately, these are a foundation for our classroom rules. It is very simple, really.

When your instructor prompts you, please use lined paper to answer the following:

1. What are ways in which you will personally use these guidelines to make your school experience the best it can be?

2. What lifeskills do you see being the most important for you to use so that you are successful and you impact our school in the most positive way?

3. Of these things, which do you see as the most important for your teachers to use and why?

We would like you to be consistent when you put your name on a paper. Here's how it needs to be done:

In the top margin, at the right on the top line, sign your first and last name. Underneath that, write down the date. If there is an assignment title, please put that down in the top margin on the top line in the middle of the page, left of your name.

· Why don't you practice? Title it, "The Thousand Word Essay I'm About To Not Write."

Catch the Wave at CCDS

Middle school is a time of great growth and change and learning. It is a time for you to take more responsibility. In our school, you will have many opportunities to use the lifeskills of organization and responsibility. When you are assigned homework, it is your responsibility to write the assignment down, complete the work, and turn it back in when it is due. You will be getting assignments from many teachers. Organization is one of the keys to success. While we won't pile on huge loads, the amount we give will be appropriate and necessary for your success. There are occasions when individuals might need to miss an assignment, but those occasions will be few are far between, and these situations need to be discussed with your instructor. When an assignment is missed, it will be expected to be made up. Please be aware that consistent actions and behavior give you a proven track record. It is important to set the tone that you will get your work done and make every effort to pursue your personal best. If you work, you will find success and you will be creating good habits that will serve you well in all of your future!

When your instructor prompts you, please do the following assignment on lined paper:

1. Write several paragraphs that describe the importance of being consistent with homework and schoolwork in general and how this will benefit you. Make your last paragraph a pledge to yourself, your parents, and your teachers about how you will approach homework/schoolwork this year.

Two things really stand out here: one, you have one chance for a first impression, and two, you are creating a "track record" or a "brand name" for yourself. Think about how you would like these to be? How do you want other people to think of you? Are you reliable, responsible, and have integrity?

Teamwork and Cooperative Learning

It would be an unusual thing in life for you to end up functioning by yourself, whether it is in your home environment or your workplace. In fact, if you think about the great things that have been achieved in our world, they are due to many minds coming together for a common cause. Think about the way NASA functions, or the way a government functions, or even a great sports team. It takes many people coming together, bringing their individual ideas and strengths, sharing them, and creating a system that is bigger than the individuals that form it. Most all successful companies, businesses, and non-profit organizations (like CCDS) are run by a group of people called a Board of Directors. This is a great example of different people bringing different strengths to the table. By working together for a common mission, these people carry on arguments, have brainstorming sessions, and ultimately make decisions and create policy that keeps the company or business moving forward. So, the sooner we all understand that by working together we can create and learn more, the sooner our lives will be enriched by success that would otherwise be unachievable.

Therefore, there will be many times throughout your middle school experience here at CCDS where you will asked to work with others to find success. We ask that you consider that we all are different people and we all bring different strengths and weaknesses to the table. If you are a strong reader for example, by being generous and kind, you could share this skill with your classmates so that everyone benefits. Perhaps, on the other hand, public speaking is a weakness for you, and learning from others who are good at it will give you strategies for improvement. The key concept with all of this is that if we practice tolerance and patience as we work with each other, we can all benefit.

It is not reasonable to think that you will always be working with people that you are happy to work with. This is simply a fact of life. The key here is to make the most of the situation and be a positive, proactive member of the group so that the situation can be the best it can be.

When your instructor prompts you, answer the following questions in a manner that they describe:

Multiple Intelligences

You've heard those words before, right? Maybe you've heard them as "Smarts." There are different styles of learning and different intelligences. We can list several:

It is most likely that each of us has a mixture of these different intelligences, although we might have significant strengths in some. Furthermore, we might have some relative weaknesses in others. This is why it is so critical to work with other people in life. Strengths that you have might complement weaknesses others possess, or vice versa.

Finally, it is important, even critical, for you to have some self-awareness about what intelligences you are strong and weak in. This will allow you to be thoughtful in what ways are best for you to learn. It will take time to make all of this work within in the context of your new learning environment, and in fact it is quite likely that as time goes by in your life you'll see a change in your "smarts."

1. Why would it be important for a person to be aware of their personal intelligences and learning style?

2. Who are the key players in your life that would benefit from knowing your intelligences?

3. What are ways you could become better rounded and build strength in the intelligences that you are weakest in? Think again about your "brandname." People that are trying to get a job use a resume to sell themselves. This is where they would think about and emphasize their intelligences. How could you sell yourself? How about making a magazine cover? How about a poster? Maybe a brochure about your intelligences would be good?

I love working with middle school students! I love your sense of humor, curiosity, and developing sense of independence. This is such a dynamic time in your life. With the independence you are gaining comes more responsibility and a realization that your actions affect more than just yourselves. This gives you the power to make a difference! You have the power to be a positive force in our school, our community, and beyond. Being there to witness all the doors opening for you is the best job I could ever imagine.

Each year I have been teaching, I share with my students a motto that we have for class, "Forward Progress for All." This means that wherever you are right now is a fine place to be, but we are all committing to moving forward. This makes our classroom a safe place to make mistakes and a place where each individual talent is recognized. Most importantly, it is a place where areas of growth are supported by each member of the class, creating a collaborative learning environment where we can all learn from each other. I look forward to the growth we will all experience this year and am excited to be a part of this important time in your life.

Middle school is an exciting and often challenging time. Students at this level are at a critical juncture, with young-adulthood right around the corner. While it is important to maintain the fun and easy-going nature of childhood, it is also important to develop a sense of our responsibility to our community and the world. Having fun while living up to our responsibilities can be very challenging. We have to balance our hard work with a light-hearted love of life so that the learning environment pushes us to achieve more in an exciting and engaging way. As a father, I am constantly striving to find ways to combine joy with learning. Creativity and a sense of humor are traits I strongly encourage in my own family and that definitely carries over into my classroom. In many ways I am a big kid at heart!

Transitions can be some of the most trying times of our lives. With change, however, come new experiences, challenges, responsibilities, and adaptations. Change provides you with new opportunities to succeed and new tools to use as you go through life. As I am transitioning into Chico Country Day School myself, you are transitioning from elementary school to high school and beyond. There will be bumps along our path, but we will work through them together and discover new things about ourselves.

I challenge you to embrace these changes and take in as many learning opportunities as you can. Learning and developing new skills are the best ways to deal with change. As your teacher, I pledge to never stop learning. I am constantly looking for new ways to interest you and make you think. The more open you are to learning, the more you will enjoy your middle school experience. And, if you are persistent, you just might find that success outside of school is well within your grasp.

Middle school students are some of the most interesting people I know. You are in a time of life that allows you to look at the world from both the perspective of a child and of a young adult. This is an exciting place to be…and it can also be confusing and overwhelming. You are lucky to be at a school that is dedicated to helping you figure out who the best YOU is! Throughout the year we will be looking at the world from multiple perspectives, which in turn will expand our own. My job is to help you figure out how to make the most of your strengths, accept and work with your weaknesses, and think critically about situations before you make up your own mind.

Your job is to use the lifeskills to be a productive member of the classroom and society at large. Ultimately the bottom line is respect. If you respect yourself, respect others, and respect our planet you will be successful… and you'll be setting a great example for all CCDS students.

We were kids once too, you know. I remember what it was like. In many ways, I try to keep some of those feelings, ideas, curiosity, and joy in my adult life too. I often ask myself, "What's important for kids to know? How can I get it across to them in a way that makes learning fun, or at least not a drag? How can I make school an institution that is viewed by kids as a positive place to be and something that they will view as a thing that will help them in life? What are key things they need in order to have a bright and successful future and adult life?" Therefore, the keys to my instructional strategies are to work hard for our knowledge, and then play hard to keep the fun factor high. I've always been taught that work comes before pleasure. We all have a purpose and job to do at school, you as much as me. We need to be sure to keep those priorities straight and get the work done. If we work hard and are efficient and work together for success, we'll all make our learning community a success.

Furthermore, middle school students in an elementary school setting have a unique role to fill. You have the great opportunity to set an example for the younger children at our school. This sometimes can put some additional pressure on the way you conduct yourself, but the rewards are great. I'd like to foster this situation as an opportunity for you to be stewards for your school and take on situations that allow you to be leaders for our youngsters around the campus, both behaviorally and academically.

Finally, I can't help but think that a critical ingredient for success is trust. We all need to earn each other's trust. If we think about having integrity in our actions and working for a common goal, we can build trust in each other and this will carry us toward a wonderful experience. Through our hard work together and focus on a common goal of success at school, I'm certain we'll have a great and memorable experience together.

We have some California State Standards that we need to address. Much of these topics that surround our themes for the year revolve around history and science. While we will be diving into these subjects often and in-depth, we have "core curriculum" that we need as our foundation for learning. This means we'll be working very hard at mathematics and language so that we can have a strong foundation for learning. It's interesting, and perhaps you haven't heard this before, but when we are young children, we learn to read, but as we grow older, and especially at your age, we begin to read to learn. So, the better readers we are, the better note takers we are, the better listeners we are, the better mathematicians and analytical thinkers we are, the easier it is to learn all of the other stuff we have to learn.

Take it from us, your CCDS middle school instructors and administrators, that all of learning is much easier if you have a strong foundation in core curricular skills. If you are great at doing research and finding the answers to questions, then taking those answers and creating some way of proving your knowledge and have that information really sink in, you will be very successful, not only in school, but in your future career. Look at each of your instructor's themes, and you'll see the big ideas that we will be addressing this year in science and social studies.

1. We should do something with the above ideas, don't you think? Is it important to read? Is math important for you? Why should we learn about science and history and how to be a good writer?

2. Make a comic strip that addresses this topic. The theme of your comic needs to emphasize how basic fundamental academic skills are important for success in life.

Saluting the Flag and Making a Line

Does it really matter if a group of students make a line in the morning at our flag salute? Well, here's some thoughts on the subject. Life is full of rules and guidelines. Imagine if we didn't have stop signs at intersections. Imagine also if people simply ignored them. Clearly, we need rules to function. Making a really nice line in the morning might not be a formal rule, but it definitely tells a story about the kind of group we are. Great teams work together to build a foundation of behavior. This gives a great team discipline and focus and allows them to count on each other. It's important that a great class of middle school students can show the self-discipline and focus to something so simple as making a good line in the morning. It starts the day off right and tells a story about what and who we are. Then, when it's time to listen to the speaker, namely our Principal, and then salute the flag, we're focused and ready and are getting the job done. Finally if some work needs doing, like taking role, that can be handled efficiently. This also shows the younger kids the right example of how to act in the morning. Therefore, a great line in the morning is a great way to kick off the day and get focused in a positive way for fun and learning.

1. Is there an activity we can do with this? Do you want to practice making a line? Do you want to think or write or make something that compares the pros and cons of lines?

2. Think of a visitor to our school in the morning at flag time. What do you think they might feel or think when they see our school coming together and making nice clean lines?

TEN RULES TO LIVE BY AT

CHICO COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL

1. USE YOUR LIFESKILLS.

2. KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF.

3. HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE.

4. BE RESPECTFUL OF YOURSELF AND OTHERS.

5. LEAVE ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT AT HOME.

6. PICK UP YOUR TRASH - TAKE PRIDE IN YOUR CAMPUS.

7. NO GUM CHEWING.

8. WEAR APPROPRIATE SCHOOL ATTIRE AND REMOVE YOUR HATS INDOORS.

9. BE ON TIME AND DO YOUR HOMEWORK.

10. LEAVE DANGEROUS OBJECTS AT HOME.

APPRECIATION WILL BE SHOWN TO STUDENTS WHO:

1. Practice a constant, positive attitude of courtesy and respect towards peers, staff, and families of CCDS.

2. Are always cooperative and willing to help.

3. Put forth their greatest effort academically.

4. Follow classroom and school rules.

5. Strive to be neat and turn work in on time.

6. Have good attendance and are consistently punctual.

7. Are always prepared.

8. Are willing to take on new academic challenges and risks.

9. Strive to do what is right, not what is popular.

10. Create personal goals and strive to achieve them.

1. Foul language will not be tolerated. School is not the place for this. This includes what you might consider mildly foul language. There are places in life where bad language just is not acceptable; school, church, and a nice restaurant are good examples.

2. Do not engage in "horseplay." Staff members are not mind-readers and cannot determine whether you are "just playing" or not. If it looks like a fight, it will be dealt with like a fight.

3. Electronics are not allowed at school. This includes ipods, cameras, cell phones, and any other devices that are similar. Cell phones can be used outside of school hours while OFF campus, but must be concealed and turned off during the school day. The fence is the boundary. When you walk on school grounds in the morning, all electronics/phones are put away. When you leave at the end of the day, they don't come out until you are outside the fence and on the curb. DO NOT USE CELL PHONES AT ALL WHILE ON SCHOOL GROUNDS. If you are seen with them or they go off in class, they will be taken, given to the principal and your parents will be notified. Further disciplinary action may be taken if there are repeat offenses. Write your name here after reading:

4. Please leave trading cards, etc. at home. We want you playing, running, and exercising.

5. Stay within sight of the yard duty. If you can't see them, they can't see you. This is especially the case around the restrooms and the kindergarten garden.

6. Remove your hats before entering any buildings on campus. (Middle School)

9. Do not play near classrooms that are still in session. Yard duty supervisors will indicate which areas are off-limits.

10. No climbing trees, fences, or other structures that are not designed for climbing. Trees are living things, please do not peel the bark or hang on the branches.

11. No leaving the fenced playground for any reason. If a ball goes over the fence, check with yard duty.

12. No Wheels. This includes and is not limited to: skateboards, scooters, bicycles, wheeled shoes (Heelies), etc.

13. Clean up your trash and put recycling in the recycle bin. Please take pride in our campus and take the initiative to even pick up trash that isn't yours!

14. Public Displays of Affection: students shall refrain from engaging in public displays of affection. Such displays include kissing, hand holding, sitting on students' laps, or other behaviors that appear to be inappropriate.

1. You must use the restrooms by the library unless otherwise instructed by a staff member.

3. Bathrooms are NOT an area to play around! No game playing or hanging out and talking. Do what you need to do and leave.

4. Be courteous to those who are waiting to use the swings. If you are waiting, count 20 swings and the rider will let you have a turn.

1. When dismissed you must either go to your ride or to the After School Program. No playing on the playground or being unsupervised on campus after classes are dismissed.

Issuing consequences will be at the discretion of staff members, depending on the situation and severity, but will generally follow the following continuum for each specific rule violation:

1. First offense: Verbal reprimand. Possible "time out" or removal from activity.

2. Second offense: Behavior Warning Referral. Must be taken home by student and signed by parent/guardian and returned the following day to student's teacher.

3. Third offense: Lunch Detention Referral. Parent/Guardian will be notified through the referral that the student has earned a lunch time detention. Detentions are scheduled in advance one day/week. Student will eat lunch in the detention room and write an age-appropriate explanation of his/her behavior and which Lifeskills were not followed.

4. After the third offense students are placed on a two week "probation". Any subsequent offenses during that two week probationary period will result in suspension. If a student has no offenses during the two week probationary period, then the continuum will revert to step #3 above after the probationary period.

¨ More than 4 detentions in any one academic quarter will result in a suspension.

¨ If a student exhibits unsafe or disrespectful behavior, then he/she may be issued an immediate Behavior Warning Referral and possible detention at the discretion of any CCDS staff member.

Rule violations that may result in an automatic detention include, but are not limited to:

The School Principal has the authority to suspend students immediately for the following behaviors:

Dress code is important to school safety and our dress code is simple. What we define as appropriate attire is that which allows every child to be comfortable and participate fully and that which would not distract students from the learning process. We ask that you support us in the implementation of the following dress code. If a student comes to school in clothing that is considered inappropriate, parents will be contacted and asked to either take the child home or bring a change of clothes for him/her. The student will be provided with an oversize shirt until parents arrive.

· Girls should not show bra straps or belly buttons. No spaghetti strapstops. Tops must have a minimum of a 2" strap. No short-shorts. Shorts should not be shorter than arms length to the pinky fingertip.

· No flip-flop sandals. Shoes that are safe for P.E. and recess are strongly encouraged. High heel shoes are strongly discouraged. No "roller" shoes.

· No jewelry or other extra items that might be considered safety issues or distractions. No long chains. No spiked jewelry (bracelets, armbands, chokers).

· Hat's are not allowed to be worn in the classroom or the MUR during school assemblies.

· Any items not covered on the above list that may seem inappropriate will be left to the discretion of staff members and ultimately, the principal.

FIELD TRIPS

The way we teach at CCDS, by tying our teaching to a theme and trying to connect the stuff you need to learn to some big concepts, really promotes "being there" experiences. Don't you agree that getting out into the real world and applying the stuff you have been learning is the best way to really learn? We do. We'll take you on trips that will really make your work and think. But most importantly, we hope that you will remember our field trips for years to come.

Here's your chance to share your great hopes and ideas with your teachers. What field trips do you hope for this year?

We know that many things in life need skills that go beyond pure academics. Our elective program offers a variety of classes that target real-world skills and scenarios. The electives range from:

We will be breaking up the electives into 3 trimesters. Some of the classes will be offered each trimester and some will be a one-time deal.

This is an excellent time for you to write a persuasive letter to your teachers! What would you like to be sure is offered? What are your concerns and worries? Which of these electives offer you the most skills to take you into adulthood?

When you want to use a computer on campus, you will first need to log in. All of your files will be saved on a server, which means that no matter where on campus you log in, you will always have access to your files. At the login screen, you will need a login name and a password. Your login name is the last two digits of the year of your high school graduation, then your entire first name combined with your entire last name with no capitals or spaces. Your password is your student ID number, commonly referred to as your library number. Your homeroom teacher can give you your ID number if you forget it or don't know it.

1.) Don't give your ID number to anyone else. It is your only password and you cannot change it. If you think someone else knows your password and is getting into your files, let me know immediately.

2.) Always shut down your computer when you are finished with it unless otherwise instructed by your teacher. Also, please wait until your screen goes black before closing the laptop.

5.) Only visit sites authorized by your teacher. At school, everything you do on the internet is tracked! Viewing inappropriate content on the internet can result in suspension and/or loss of computer privileges.

6.) Get permission from your teacher before using CD's, DVD's, flash drives, or other external equipment.

7.) Students are not authorized to use computers without appropriate supervision.

8.) Students may not use another Student's ID# / Password to gain unauthorized access to the internet, network, or drives.

9.) Students may not modify, delete, or copy any programs, applications or operating system files.

10.) Students may use only designated departmental programs on computers. Students may not load, download, or install any application software or program files on computers or networks.

11.) Students may save data to assigned locations only. System space is limited and inappropriately place files may be deleted periodically.

12.) Non-educational games are prohibited at all times (before, during, or after school). If unsure of the definition of "educational", ask your teacher.

13.) Students are expected to show RESPONSIBLE use of internet / network at all times. (additional internet expectations include, but are not limited to the following.)

b. May not use impolite or abusive language or access materials that may be considered inappropriate or offensive.

e. May not download software, plugins, games or other without express permission from the network administrator.

g. May not use email (unless used for transferring assignments as authorized by your teacher).

PRIVACY - Computer storage space may be treated like school lockers. School personnel may review computer content to maintain system integrity and insure that students are using the system responsibly. Each person has the right to expect that his/her own work will be secure and confidential. Violating a person's privacy and copyright is a criminal offense and offenders will be dealt with accordingly.

Be prepared to be held accountable for your actions and the loss of privileges and/or other disciplinary action if these rules are violated. When applicable, law enforcement agencies may be involved.

There are four socials, scheduled throughout the year. Dates for each social can be found in the school's year-long calendar.

Information about each social will be posted on fliers about a week before the social date.

Social tickets go on sale the week of the social. Tickets can be purchased throughout that week in Mrs. SPY's room during lunch, or at the door the night of the social. Tickets at the door are an additional dollar.

If a student gets two referrals prior to any social date, the student will not be allowed to attend that social.

Any student failing any course prior to a social will not be allowed to attend. Middle school teachers will be checking grades the Monday prior to the social. Failing students will be notified.

Attempts to attend after being notified may result in disciplinary action; there will be no refunds for ticket purchases under these circumstances.

No cell phones or cameras are allowed. Chaperones are available to take photographs, and to help with phone calls from the MUR if needed.

Students are expected to remain at the social once they arrive. If someone wants to leave early, they must notify a chaperone, and their parent must pick them up at the door.

Students will be released only to parents/guardians or other adults listed on the student's school emergency card. The student must have a signed note from a parent/guardian in order to walk home from a social or to be released to an adult who is not listed on the emergency card.

CCDS ACADEMIC PROBATION - For middle school students who have failing grades. Students can be placed on academic probation if they have one or more failing grades on a progress report or trimester report card.

a. Parents will contact the student's teacher every Thursday to obtain a report on work completion.

b. Students will be placed in a Study Hall elective Friday mornings, in lieu of the regular elective classes. Student will be expected to keep abreast of current assignments and homework during Study Hall. Students can move in and out of Study Hall based on progress report grades, but a student who fails a class at trimester must remain in Study Hall for the entire subsequent trimester period.

Students on academic probation will be ineligible for CCDS extra-curricular activities, which will include

ii. After-school sports. Two grade checks will occur during a sports season (one at the beginning of the season and another mid-season). Students may not have any failing grades and must maintain a 2.0 minimum grade point average. If a student does not meet the criteria, he/she will be "suspended" from that sport until his/her grades improve to the minimum accepted level. Grade checks will occur weekly.

Middle School Socials: Grade checks will be made on the Monday preceding a Social. If a student has any failing grades on that day, he/she will be ineligible for that subsequent Social.

If a student has not adequately completed work during 1^st trimester Study Hall and/or has more than 1 failing grades by the end of 2^nd trimester, then he/she may be placed in the CCDS Opportunity Class. Failure to complete the terms of the CCDS Opportunity Class will result in a referral to the credit recovery program at CUSD Academy For Change.

If a student ends the school year on academic probation, then he/she will automatically be on academic probation at the beginning of the subsequent year and will be scheduled into Friday Study Hall. An 8^th grader who was on academic probation during his/her 7^th grade year, begins their 8^th grade year on academic probation, then has not adequately improved his/her grades by the end of the first trimester, will be referred to Academy For Change at the start of the 2^nd trimester.

If a student does not satisfactorily complete academic probation during the 3rd trimester and/or has failing grades at the end of the 3rd trimester, that student:

a. If an 8^th grader will be ineligible to participate in promotion ceremonies, including 8th grade promotion and the 8th grade dinner-dance. Student will also be required to complete a summer work packet or attend a summer school program in the District before being promoted to 9^th grade. If no summer program is available and/or the student does not complete the summer work program, then he/she will be referred to CUSD's Academy for Change program.

b. If a 6th or 7th grader, may be required to complete a summer work packet to remediate failing grades, and will be placed on Academic Probation and scheduled into Study hall for the 1^st trimester of the following academic year. Based on teacher recommendation, 6^th or 7^th graders without failing grades, but with a GPA of below 1.5 may also be placed on Academic Probation and scheduled into Study Hall for the 1^st trimester of the following academic year. If a student has more than 1 failing grade and/or a cumulative year-end grade point average of below 1.5, then CCDS may require that student to be retained in their current grade for the following year.

The purpose of this Retention Policy is to have procedures to follow that have been presented and accepted by our parents, teachers and staff. This policy must be board approved. It will be aligned with California's Education Code Section 48070-48070.5.

Chico Country Day School policy regarding the retention of pupils between the following grades: 2 - 8.

The policy will provide the procedure to identify students recommended for retention in their current grade based on the following in accordance with SBE requirements. Students in question must meet one or more of the following 3 criteria.

1. Results from the state mandated CST (California Standards Test) taken by each student every year in grades 2-8. If the student fails to meet the minimal level of proficiency (BASIC) in accordance with SBE (State Board of Education) Section 60648.

2. Students not meeting the basic proficiency standards and having failing grades in Mathematics and/or Reading / Language Arts are subject to retention.

An identified student that is performing below the minimum standard for promotion shall be retained in their current grade unless the student's teacher determines in writing that retention is not the appropriate intervention for the student's academic deficiencies. The teacher's recommendation to promote is contingent upon a detailed plan to correct deficiencies. At Chico Country Day School, the following steps will take place prior to a student being retained:

1. Letter to parents informing the parents that their child is at risk of retention.

2. An after-school intervention program in the subject area(s) in which the student is below standard shall be offered. Parents will be made aware of their students' academic progress through ongoing diagnostic assessments.

3. The teacher's evaluation shall be provided to and discussed with the student's parents or guardian and the principal before any final determination of pupil retention.

4. Upon the acceptance or rejection of the above stated reports by the principal, a letter shall be sent within five school days to formally inform the student's parents or guardian of the principal's decision regarding the retention.

5. The parents or guardians shall have the right to appeal the decision to retain directly to Chico Country Day School's board of directors. This meeting will happen at the next regularly scheduled board meeting or by direction of the board President, the formation of an ad hoc committee to make the final decision and report back to the Chico Country Day School board at the next regularly scheduled meeting.

We must understand that the possibility of retaining any student is a very serious matter and retention should be the last intervention used to improve or enhance student's learning outcomes.

This year brings the next level. It's a time to move forward, to grow, to take the next step of the future. School is a place for you to grow intellectually, emotionally, and physically. Make the decision to catch the wave this year, whatever wave that moves you forward!

Lifeskills

Catch the Wave at CCDS

Teamwork and Cooperative Learning

Multiple Intelligences

Saluting the Flag and Making a Line

FIELD TRIPS