SENIOR SCHOOL STUDENT - PARENT HANDBOOK

FROM THE PRINCIPAL
This handbook contains important and useful information about the procedures
and practices of the senior school and I urge all parents and students to read
through it, especially as this edition has been significantly amended from last
year’s, most notably in the sections on assessment, report cards, conferences,
and homework. This is especially important for students, because “I didn’t know
it was in the handbook” does not constitute an acceptable defense in times of
trouble! We have included the “At a Glance” section on page 9, which provides
some of the most important basic information for parents.
You can find an overview of the senior school on our website, www.isdedu.de. If
you have any suggestions to improve the usefulness of this handbook, please
contact me or Mr. Campbell.
To the parents:
If, while you are here, you hear anything particularly shocking, startling, juicy, or
hard-to-believe about the senior school, it is almost certainly not true. ISD, like
many small communities, has a very active, interesting, but highly inaccurate
rumor mill. Fiction is often more interesting than real life, so sometimes, even
against your better judgment, you may be tempted to heed the rumor mill.
Please resist the temptation, and feel free to speak to me or Mr. Campbell at any
time to check the degree of truth in any rumors you hear.
The students’ education is supported by the tripod of student, school and parent
effort, and it is in the students’ best interests that we all cooperate constructively.
If, during the year, you have questions or problems arise, please follow the
advice given in the “Communications” section two pages further on.
To the students:
Here are some free tips, based on many years of experience, on how to get on
well with your teachers and help to maintain a positive climate in the senior
school:
• Be friendly – say “hello” and smile as you meet them throughout the day.
• Cooperate: you have a common goal – to be successful and happy where
you work.
• Don’t disrupt classes. Disruption amounts to the theft of time and
resources from your classmates.
• Avoid confrontation – if you have something contentious to discuss with a
teacher, arrange to do it privately. That way, neither of you has to play to
the crowd.
• Participate – your classmates learn at least as much from you as they do
from the teacher.
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