Parent & Student Handbook, 2013-2014 - Tandem Friends School

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30 basic level, a mentor is a person with whom a mentee can have a positive, longterm relationship a person to whom one might look for advice and counsel, or simply for companionship. While mentors may assist mentees with their school work and study skills, peer pressure, and typical life issues, they are trained to understand that the mentoring relationship is not a parenting one, and that there are appropriate limits and boundaries to their role in a young person’s life. Through meaningful relationships with older students, seventh graders can learn valuable lessons about being a part of the Tandem Friends community – lessons they can take with them through their own high school years. Prospective mentors must complete a competitive application process, participate in training and demonstrate that they are in good academic standing with the school. If selected, they are matched with a seventh grader and make the commitment to meet at least once a week throughout the school year (Wednesday lunches have been set aside for this purpose). All matches are made by a group of advisors comprised of both Upper and Middle School faculty who take into consideration their knowledge of the students as well as information shared on interest surveys. This Faculty Advisory Group reviews all applications, manages the training and works with mentoring pairs throughout the year to help coach them through any challenges they face in their relationships with one another. College Counseling In keeping with the Tandem Friends philosophy of honoring the individual and his or her unique interests and talents, the Director of College Counseling works intensively with students and their families to ensure that each individual’s needs are met beyond Tandem Friends School. We believe that choosing a college is an opportunity for students to further develop interests, define talents, and to consider their own individual ideas, dreams and values. The college counselor is available for consultation, as needed, beginning in the 9th grade. All Tandem students and families are invited to sign up for the College Counseling Blog* and follow the College Counselor on Twitter (Catherine Gillespie@CvilleCollege). The College Counselor works with faculty advisors in the Upper School to provide grade appropriate programs during advisory sessions throughout the year. During the fall of their sophomore year, students begin to work more closely with the College Counselor as they prepare for the PSAT. A fourweek preparation session is available on a fee basis prior to the test in October (all sophomores are required to take the PSAT at this time). Sophomores are also introduced to the college search process at the end of their sophomore year when the College Counselor teaches three sessions during their English classes in May. Juniors also have the opportunity to take the fourweek preparation class prior to the PSAT in October. In addition, juniors are advised to take the SAT (and the Subject Tests, if necessary for their colleges) or the ACT with Writing in May and/or June. The College Counselor meets with all juniors and their parents as a group in the fall to discuss general expectations. Individual meetings are held with juniors and their parents to discuss student needs and plans. These meetings review the entire admissions process and include a preliminary list of college suggestions, help with senior year course selection, advice about building a standardized test plan and ample opportunity to ask questions about the process as a whole. Many juniors will begin their college visits in the late spring and summer months. All seniors who have not already done so take either the SAT or the ACT in the fall, as faculty members work on student recommendations. The College Counselor meets on a regular basis with seniors to individually review their final college selections, assist with applications, provide general counseling and conduct mock interviews for those wishing to hone their interviewing skills. Seniors begin work on their college essays in English class and continue to visit colleges in the fall. Most regular decision applications are due between December and February, although students who plan to apply through early application programs should generally plan to have their applications completed by November 1. When college decision letters are received, the College Counselor assists students and their parents in making final decisions. "Kindness and Wisdom, with Kindness Always First"
31 * To receive email alerts when College Counseling blogs are posted, simply log into your TFS Portal, go to the College Counseling blog page (a link available to all Upper School families) and then click the "alert" icon to the right of the title to sign up. Learning Resource Center The Learning Resource Center (LRC) is designed to help ensure that all Tandem Friends students succeed in their academic pursuits. A student will be considered for LRC tutoring services if he or she is referred by a teacher or parent. An LRC tutor may work with the child one to four times per week, either individually or in a small group of students. The LRC will also work cooperatively with teachers to plan for the particular needs of the child in class. The LRC program is paid for by the families who use the LRC. Interested families may contact the Director of the LRC for additional information. Parents who choose to hire nonLRC tutors are asked to make offcampus arrangements outside of school hours. Clubs/Activities Tandem currently offers the following extracurricular activities/clubs for those who are interested: ● ● ● ● ● Quaker Notes a community a capella singing group that meets before school one morning each week open to students, faculty, parents, alums, community friends Upper School Drama plays are auditioned, rehearsed and presented during nonschool hours three productions per year Film Club a group that meets after school one day per week to create and analyze digital films Model United Nations an academic, faculty sponsored group for Upper School students interested in government, history and foreign affairs group prepares for and travels to compete in several Model UN events each year students prepare for events outside of regular school time Upper School Writers Guild interested student and faculty writers meet once a week to share their work, plan readings, provide mutual publication support, and compose the Tandem Literary Magazine Studentrun clubs/activities abound at Tandem, based on current student interest level. Students who have an interest they want to share with others are welcome to make announcements of group activities. Recently, the following clubs met regularly either after school or during lunch: ● Art Club ● Photography Club ● Youth United for Habitat for Humanity ● Gay Straight Alliance ● The Tinkerers Club ● A host of groups raising money for worthy causes throughout the year Experiential Education Program Each class in the school participates in a variety of experiential learning trips during the school year. These include outdoor education trips, wilderness experiences, service learning opportunities, and arts/cultural programs, all of which are designed to enrich and enhance the Tandem Friends School educational program. Information about these experiential education programs is distributed in advance of the trips and informational meetings are scheduled to allow parents and students ample time to prepare for the trips. This evolving program changes from year to year. The 201314 program includes trips to Washington DC, South Dakota, Western North Carolina, Philadelphia and several other locations designed to broaden the student experience for all Tandem students. "Kindness and Wisdom, with Kindness Always First"
Page 1 and 2: 1 Parent & Student Handbook 2013‐
Page 3 and 4: 3 Table of Contents Introduction...
Page 5 and 6: 5 Regular Publications.............
Page 7 and 8: 7 Meeting for Worship Our Quaker af
Page 9 and 10: 9 2‐Hour Delay Schedule Monday Tu
Page 11 and 12: 11 Admission and hiring committees
Page 13 and 14: 13 ● Please note that skipping sc
Page 15 and 16: 15 Assignment to Hours for discipli
Page 17 and 18: 17 Disruptive Behavior in Classes,
Page 19 and 20: 19 Free Periods (Upper School) The
Page 21 and 22: 21 Those not participating in the s
Page 23 and 24: 23 School. Simpler disciplinary iss
Page 25 and 26: 25 and foreign languages; course pl
Page 27 and 28: 27 3. The Academic Committee will n
Page 29: 29 Promotion from the 8th grade to
Page 33 and 34: 33 ● A page on the Tandem Friends
Page 35 and 36: 35 The school offers a full suite o
Page 37 and 38: 37 Sale or Distribution of Proscrib
Page 39 and 40: 39 VIII. Safe Conduct and Weapons P
Page 41 and 42: 41 Regular Publications Tandem Frie

Parent & Student Handbook, 2013-2014 - Tandem Friends School

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