"Preparing Students for College and the World of Tomorrow."

STUDENT HANDBOOK

2010-2011

Rolando Rivera

Principal

Bill Gladstone,

AP-Instruction

Terri Antigua,

AP-Administration

CONTENTS

Dear Students

Our Goal/Vision

Where do I go to find help?

What are the school procedures?

Fall 2010 Schedules

Graduation Requirements

What should I be doing each year at DHS?

What should I know about college?

September 2010

Dear Students:

This book will save your LIFE -- at least your school life anyway.

Carry this book with you; refer to it constantly, and, when you go to bed at night, keep it under your pillow, so that the process of osmosis may begin.

Imagine how much easier your life would be if you knew all the things that were expected of you before you began your high school career; Imagine that you had the keys to academic success right at your finger tips.

Well, you don't have to imagine!!! The answers are in the pages of this book.

We want you to have a productive, exciting, creative, and academically rigorous experience at Discovery High School, so we are going to let you know a few things: what you can do, what you should do, and what you should never do.

Yours truly,

Principal Rivera

OUR GOAL/VISION:

Vision:

At Discovery, students are prepared for the rigor of college and life after high school. Students learn how to learn, how to think about their own thinking, and how to acquire the necessary skills they will need to be successful in the world of tomorrow. At our school, every student discovers (and explores) his or her potential.

Mission:

At Discovery, teachers teach students to master content, acquire skills, and apply their content mastery and skill acquisition to new and different environments.

The following chart is designed to be helpful in finding where to go and whom to see if you have questions or need information.

Always ask your counselor first. Your counselor is one of your best sources of information.

WHAT ARE THE SCHOOL PROCEDURES?

1. Rules and regulations:

The School Rules Were Created to Help You. No large organization is able to function without basic guidelines and rules. In an attempt to help our school run more efficiently for the safety and well-being of all, basic regulations have been formulated. By understanding and complying with these rules, you will contribute toward making our school a happy community; a community in which you can develop intellectually and socially in an atmosphere free from confusion and disorder.

Gathered in this section are the basic rules for attendance, behavior, regulations governing hallway procedures, classroom and cafeteria and passes. Self-regulation and self-control is the key to creating a learning atmosphere that is engaging, enjoyable, and efficacious.

You should always be informed about regulations. If you do not understand the rules, ask your teacher to explain the reasons for certain regulations. Remember: communication brings understanding.

A. Radios-Ipods-Cell Phones

Students may not bring radios, I-Pods, CD players, or tape recorders to school.

Students may not carry cell phones in school. This applies to all school-sponsored activities as well as the regular school day. Students found in possession of these devices during the school day will be directed to the Dean's office where the item(s) WILL BE CONFISCATED and stored until claimed by a parent or legal guardian. There are no exceptions to this rule whatsoever.

B. Dress Code

Students are not permitted to wear shorts or skirts that are three inches above the knee. Tank tops and cut off shirts that allow the belly button to show are also not permitted. Students will be monitored for appropriate attire before going through scanning.

No headgear including hats, scarves, doo-rags, are to be worn while in the building at any time.

C. Room Passes

You can NOT be in the hall without a pass, period! You can NOT leave your classroom during the first or last 10 minutes of the period. If you are in the hallway without a pass, you will be brought to the Dean's office immediately.

Bathroom passes are only permitted during odd periods: 3, 5, 7, and 9^th. NO STUDENTS ARE ALLOWED IN THE HALLS DURING EVEN PERIODS: 2^nd/4^th/6^th/8^th..

One last thing: create a calendar for the days in which you plan on going to the bathroom: you can only go to the bathroom 3 times a semester per class. Buy a planner so that you can plan your bowel movements accordingly.

D. Elevator Passes

1. Students must bring a doctor's note indicating need for an elevator pass to the Executive Assistant (room 244).

2. Student must show Elevator pass upon request--don't leave home without it.

E. Identification Cards

They

1. Must be shown to enter school.

2. Must be shown to enter the cafeteria, and the library.

3. Must be carried with you at ALL times.

4. Must be shown on request of any High School staff (that is, Discovery or any of the other schools on Walton's Educational Campus).

5. Failure to show I.D. upon request may lead to suspension.

6. To acquire an I.D. card or to purchase a duplicate I.D. card, go to Room 253 B.

F. Emergency Medical Procedures

If you become ill in school

• Inform your teacher or appropriate school official immediately

• Go to the Welcome Center (Room 254)

If you are injured:

• Do not move

• Call for help

• Inform guidance and dean/security personnel

G. Cafeteria Code

You are required to remain in the cafeteria for your entire lunch period. You are NOT permitted to take food out of the cafeteria. All students are expected to stay in the cafeteria (or library) for lunch. Students are not allowed to take any food, snacks, or drinks out of the cafeteria. There is to be no eating on the second floor hallways. Deans and security will be monitoring all periods.

When you have finished lunch, please pick up all papers, dirty dishes and your tray and deposit them in the trash bins provided.

H. Behavior

1. We expect students to act appropriately in all settings.

2. Conflicts must be resolved peacefully. If a problem cannot be resolved, you must see a supervisor, teacher, dean or school counselor immediately to discuss the situation.

3. If you are involved in fights or assaults while attending Discovery, you will be subject to suspension and further disciplinary action may be taken.

I. Cameras

Say Cheese!! There are hidden cameras throughout Walton Campus and in Discovery High School. Your every move is being watched and recorded.

J. Textbooks/Books

Do NOT lose your textbooks. You will have to pay for them. (Some of these textbooks cost fifty to one hundred dollars each!) Do Not write in your textbooks or any other books that you are loaned through Discovery High School. The books/textbooks that you sign for are your responsibility and must be returned in the very same condition in which they were received.

K. Punctuality

In order to do good work and be good citizens, you must attend school each day, arrive on time, be present in all classes, and follow all school regulations.

L. Hallways:

Discovery High School places great importance on instruction and learning. If you are hanging out in the halls during the school day, this interferes with classroom instruction and distracts the overall learning and teaching process. The Deans and Security Staff conduct perpetual patrols to ensure that students are not in the halls. If you are caught in the halls without authorization, you will be subject to immediate (no kidding!) disciplinary action.

M. Absences:

Regular and punctual attendance is of primary importance to academic success. Excessive absences can lead to failure. Absences must be limited to illness and medical care, death in the family, and religious observances with prior notice from your parent.

You must present a note on the day you return from an absence. The note must have a contact number and explanation of absence from school; this is to be shown to all subject teachers. Subject teachers should sign the note. Then, you should take it to the Attendance Office, where it will be filed.

N. Lateness

You are required to report for each assigned period on your program, including lunch, BEFORE the late bell rings. Before the late bell has rung, you should be seated in your classes, with your notebook open, headings on your paper, and be ready for instruction once the teacher has re-entered the room.

Lateness to class is NOT tolerated in Discovery High School. If you are late to class, and hanging out in the hallway, after the late bell has rung, you will be sent to the Dean's office, logged in, and your parent will be called that same day. Consider the following: you should only be in the hallways while walking to class. There is no hanging out in the hallway, no stopping to talk to friends, no leaning on the walls, no--you get the point. . . .

If you are late to class two times, you will receive DETENTION after school. If you don't show up to detention, you will receive double detention (two days of detention) from school.

O. Cutting

If you are found outside the building during your regularly scheduled school day, including lunch, or, if you are found in any other assigned area, you will immediately receive detention after school. Cutting is NOT tolerated in Discovery High School. Records of your cutting activities will also be sent home to your parents and guardians.

P. Summer School

Have you ever been stuck inside an oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit? Your face is dripping with sweat, and it runs down your cheeks; you can taste the salt in your sweat; you feel sticky and icky all over because your clothes stick on your body and your shirt is wet enough to ring water from; you can hardly breathe because there is no air in the room you're in; and while you have all these miserable experiences, you have to be in school tortured for hours on end. All this while your friends are cooling off at the fire hydrant and/or riding Kingdom Ka at Great Adventure. You will know what these harrowing experiences are like--first hand--if you fail any classes at Discovery.

High School is NOT like Middle School; In M.S., you may have failed your courses in the fall, then, passed them in the spring and moved on up to the next grade. In High School, when you fail the fall semester, you MUST take those classes AGAIN.

YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO TAKE THESE CLASSES IN SUMMER SCHOOL OR AFTER SCHOOL AND/OR SATURDAYS. They are not given during school time.

Let's look at an example to illustrate this point:

Imagine: It's the end of the Spring semester of your freshman year (Spring '07). In the Fall, you failed two classes: E1 and H$1 (English and History). You took E2 and H$2 in the spring right and passed both classes with a 70. YOU MUST STILL TAKE E1 and H$2 IN SUMMER OR NIGHT SCHOOL. (Certain provisions and alternatives--such as annualization--do apply; see your guidance counselor for more details.)

The moral of the story is: PASS ALL YOUR CLASSES THE FIRST TIME AROUND!!!

Making up the classes you failed as a junior and/or senior could be a living nightmare.

Q. Weapons/Paraphenalia:

Any student carrying or found in the possession of a weapon of any kind, including box cutters, will be suspended and possibly subject to arrest (at that moment, on the spot). No one is allowed to wear beads, bandanas, or any other gang-related clothing and/or colors of distinction. Leave home without them!

R. Detention Room

The Detention Room is NOT fun. Various infractions will land you in this room. In the detention room, you will do either homework and/or reading. There is ABSOLUTELY no talking in the detention center. Detention is after school.

Please Note: Let your parents know when you are required to serve detention--don't worry them unnecessarily.

S. Suspension Room.

The Suspension Room is even less fun than the detention room. If you receive a Principal's Suspension, you will be placed in this room. In this room, you will spend the entire school day, including your lunch period. (That's period 1 through 9 (for some students) and, perhaps, after school, depending on the infractions.) You are required to complete school assignments, which will be sent from various subject classes, and you will also read material from the classroom libraries in the room. There is absolutely no talking and you cannot lay your head on the desk and you must be doing work the entire time. Depending on the severity of the infraction, you could spend anywhere from one to five days in this room.

T. Trips

Only students who are academically successful will be allowed to go on school trips.

To go on a trip, you must have a Trip Consent Form, which each of your teachers will sign. Once you have received all the signatures you need (which includes a parental signature as well), you will submit this form to the teacher in charge of the trip.

Note: You must sign in for attendance for that day; being with your teacher is not enough. There is an attendance form for students who are going on a trip; if you don't sign this form, you are not present for that day.

All the rules and regulations for Discovery are in effect when you are on trip with a teacher. Inappropriate behavior on a trip could lead to suspension or worse.

U. Fire Drills

Discovery is required by State Law and Chancellor's Regulations to have both fire and shelter drills. There must be a minimum of 8 fire drills conducted before December 1^st and a minimum of 12 for the school year. At least one shelter drill must be conducted during the fall term and at least two during the spring term.

When the alarm for a fire drill is sounded (along with flashing lights and horns), you are to walk quickly with your teacher to the exit listed on the sign in the front of your room. Upon exiting the building, you are to walk away from the building. The Lehman driveway, the walkway near Jerome Avenue and the inner courtyard are to be cleared (in the event of an emergency, the fire department will use these areas). You will be informed by Administrators, Security Officers and Deans when to return to the building.

For the shelter drill, the procedure is as follows: When the bells sound (5-5-5 bells), you will line up with your teacher in the hallway, outside your classroom and away from any windows, which includes the windows on classroom doors.

An announcement will be made on the P.A. system when you may return to class.

V. Portfolioa

A portfolio is a collection of the arts-related work that you have collected from all your classes. This portfolio is a great thing to show your parents all the great work that you are doing in class. It will reflect four years of High School instruction. This portfolio, which can be used as part of an application process for college, is not optional; it is a requirement in Discovery High School.

W. Town Halls

Approximately once a month, there will be a 'Town Hall' These school-wide or grade-wide student meetings are a venue for getting important information out to students--the news could be regarding school events, important notifications, new policies and regulations, or anything else that may be important for you to know. Town Hall is also an opportunity for the school to showcase its talents/performances/works in construction. See Ms. Stutzenstein for more details.

X. Tutoring

Discovery is genuinely dedicated to the academic success of our students. As part of our school-wide plan to help students do well, Discovery offers tutoring for students who need additional help and support in their academic subjects. For those students who are failing/have failed a particular course, or for those students who will take an impending Regents exam, tutoring is mandatory, and considered part of your academic day. Different subjects will have tutoring twice a week.

Y. Homework

Homework is the out-of-class tasks that you will be assigned as an extension of your classroom work. Your teacher will assign homework every night. Don't even think about handing homework in late; late homework can and will have an adverse effect on your grade. Your teacher will notify you of the policies and procedures for homework in his or her classroom.

Z. Grading Policy

We feel at Discovery that all students should know in advance what is expected of them. When you become doctors, lawyers, and other people of prominent positions, you will know what is required of you in your job, in the form of a job description, and you will often be evaluated--people will evaluate how well you are/are not performing your duties. (That's why you are reading this handbook, by the way!)

In terms of your classroom rules and procedures, your teacher will familiarize you with them. The overall school grading policy (for every single class you have) is as follows:

• Class Work (attendance, participation--verbally, on the board, etc., in-class assignments, notebook check, etc.): 25%

• Homework: 25%

• Evaluative Tools :(which includes quizzes, tests, major and minor projects, etc.):50%
  

Consider: As a student, you should be able to approximate your grade before you get your report card.

If you are unclear about the policy in any way, feel free to speak to your teacher, your guidance counselor, or an administrator.

Your teacher will provide you with a syllabus, which is an indication of what to expect, and what you should be studying.

FALL 2010 TIME SCHEDULE(S)

Student Time (for Regular Course Work):

Session 1 7:55am--8:43am

Session 2 8:46--3:36* **

REGULAR TIME SCHEDULE

Warning Bell: 7:55/8:45 a.m.

AFTER-SCHOOL TIME SCHEDULE

*Attendance will be taken every single period

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

WHAT SHOULD I BE DOING EACH YEAR AT DISCOVERY HIGH SCHOOL?

Freshman and Sophomore Year

• Take academic courses

• Continue foreign language and math

• Join school activities

• Do community service

• Maintain good attendance and good grades

• Plan your program with your guidance counselor

• Join the various clubs Discovery offers

• Take the PSAT's (October)

Junior Year

• Keep taking Math and Science

• Take the PSAT's (October)

• Take the SAT's (Spring)

• Visit the college office -- speak to the college advisor

• Look through college bulletins and catalogs

• Visit the guidance office to speak with your guidance counselor

• During vacation, start visiting colleges you may want to attend

• Write the colleges requesting information

• Think about which teachers might write a recommendation for you

• Attend college fairs

Senior Year

• Meet with the college advisor

• Maintain good grades

• Attend college meetings (including financial aid meetings)

• Arrange for recommendations

• Retake the SAT's, if necessary

• Select a few colleges to explore

• Read college office newsletters

• Visit college campuses

• Complete college applications (PAY ATTENTION TO DEADLINES)

• Submit all applications to the college office

• Fill out financial aid applications

• Consider the advantages and disadvantages of each college

• Select a few colleges in order of priority

• Select a college (which has accepted you)

WHAT SHOULD I KNOW ABOUT COLLEGE?

I. What kinds of colleges are there?

1. City College (CUNY): Four year colleges

Two year community colleges

2. State University (SUNY and Out of State):

Four year colleges

Two year Technical Colleges

Two year Community Colleges

3. Private Colleges and Universities

II. What do I need to get into college?

Requirements vary by school. Four year colleges have higher requirements than two year colleges. All colleges ask you to take a challenging academic program which includes English, Social Studies, Math, Science and Foreign Language.

III. Can everyone afford to go to college?

YES! Financial aid is available to students who cannot afford to pay for college themselves.

IV. When should I start thinking about college?

Right now! Think of what type of college you might want to go to and do everything you can to leave your options open. Be nice to your teachers, you're going to need letters of recommendation from them!