Student handbook for 1996-1997 - Southwestern Academy

DRESS QUESTIONS? If you have anyquestions about the dress code, ask a dean,teacher, dorm parent, or student proctor. Theywill be happy to help. In general, remember thatdress should be businesslike and appropriate tothe activity.Words such as “tasteful” and “businesslike” arenot precise, but the campus deans make the finaldecision about what is appropriate.EXAMINATIONS Prepare to do well on examsby keeping up with your work each day. Examsare the most important academic responsibility ofthe term, for assessing your progress and forpreparing to succeed in college. Each quarter - inNovember, April, and at midsummer - the regularclasses for one full week are used for midterms.Semester examinations in February, June,and September are three hours long in eachclass. It is very important for students to be inclass, on time, with correct materials, for exams.If you must miss an exam because of seriousillness you must provide a doctor’s note. You willnot be excused from exams for vacations, doctoror dentist appointments, or for any reason otherthan serious illness. Missed exams must be madeup within one month after a serious illness or thecourse becomes a failure. Missed exams becauseof unexcused absence cannot be made up. Donot make doctor, dentist, or travel plans duringexam times. These are not acceptable excuses.If you have special problems in taking longexaminations, talk with the teacher in advance tomake any special arrangements necessary.GRADING Each teacher gives anacademic grade each quarter for each class.Teachers consider daily work, class participation,homework, special projects, papers, quizzes, andexams for grades. Teachers also give separategrades for classroom conduct and behavior.Our “A” grades are reserved for outstandingachievement. “B” grades are above average, forvery good work. A “C” grade is collegerecommending, our average grade. REVIEWand SKILL classes count for high schoolgraduation, but not for college entrance.Failures are rare and well earned. We do notgrade on a curve. You will not fail if you showappropriate effort and get help when needed.An “I” grade means “Incomplete.” A studenthas a month to complete any missing work forfull credit if excused for sickness. If the work isnot completed in a month, the “I” becomes “F”.The “N” grade is for continuing work. With an“N” grade, the final semester grade will replacethe “N” for double credits.A “PASS” [+] or “FAIL” [-] grade is given forteacher aides and in a few other special cases.A “W” on a report card means “Withdrawal” froma class. This carries no penalty or credit.Report cards are each quarter (November,February, April, June, and August) and eachsemester (February, June, and September).Report cards are shown to students before theyare emailed home on the Friday after exams endif accounts are current. If you have any questionabout your grade or the comments, talk with theteacher immediately so any corrections orchanges can be made before the report is sent.GRADUATION You may receive a collegerecommendingdiploma or high school graduationfrom Southwestern. A student must completefour items to receive a diploma:--earn 240 credits, usually five for eachsemester course, including 40 creditsin physical education or other activities;--meet all ‘a to g’ requirements with acumulative GPA of 2.0 or better;--demonstrate English and math proficiencyand computer literacy (seeproficiency test details on next page.)--complete 100 hours community serviceHigh school graduation, not UC/CSU collegerecommending, is awarded on completion of 240credits, proficiency exams, and communityservice as above, but without meeting the ‘a to g’requirements or the college-recommending GPA.We count all credits earned at other high schoolsin the United States. Up to 60 credits a year forsecondary work completed in other countries oron line may be counted. We evaluate creditsfrom other schools, including on-line courses, tobe sure they are college preparatory coursesbefore we include them for graduationrequirements. Credits earned after leavingSouthwestern cannot be counted for our diploma.If you miss more than five days of classes persemester, ten class days a year, you lose a creditin each class for every ten days missed.7