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WICHITA

PUBLIC SCHOOLSUSD

259SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL

August 2015
Volume 56, Issue 1

Welcome Back, Families!

Inside this issue:
General School Rules

Classroom Policies and 2

Procedures
Homework and Late
Work Policy

Tardiness

Absenteeism

Suspension and
Exupulsion

Clubs and Organizations

Accessing Student
Grades

South Highs
Mission

The mission of Wichita

South High School is To

A New Year, A New Start!

Titan Families,
We are so excited to
welcome families back
for another great school
year at Wichita High
School South.
Weve got lots of information to relay to you in
this issue including upcoming events, school
policies, important
dates, and a general
guide to help you set
your Titan student up for
success this coming
school year!

The first day of school is

approaching quickly:
Tuesday, August 18th is
the first day of school for

all students! We look

forward to seeing everyone!

South High Red/Blue

Day Schedule:
1st/2nd Hour: 8:009:20 AM
Titan Time: 9:3010:10 AM
3rd/4th Hour: 10:2011:40 AM
Lunch: 11:4012:25 PM
5th/6th Hour: 12:351:45
7th/8th Hour: 1:553:10 PM

Our first month of school

will be an exciting one,
with lots of important
events coming up! To
the right is only a snapshot of the things to
come from South High
this August and September.

they will become responsible, productive citizens who

value differences and succeed in a changing world.

To ensure success,
please keep in mind our
guidelines for success.
Learning
Respect
Responsibility
Relationships

engage students in a challenging curriculum so that

Aug. 19-20:
Auditions for the school
play
Aug. 27:
Titan Change of Command
Aug. 28:
Titan Fest
Sept. 7:
Labor DayNO SCHOOL

Academics First
Too often students fail to place the
proper amount of importance on
academic endeavors until it is too
late. Academics First is designed to
put the emphasis on academic
achievement in its proper place, the
forefront of each students high
school experience.
Each week, a list of all students who
are earning the grades of D or F will
be generated. When a students
name appears on the weekly F
grade list 2 or more times he/she will
not be permitted to attend any extracurricular activity until his/her grades

improve. Extra-curricular activities

include all athletic contests, fine arts
activities, dances (including prom),
and field trips that cause a student
on the list to miss classes where
they are struggling. Once a students
name is placed on this list it will
remain on the list from Monday
through Monday. Students will not
be removed from the list without
Athletic Director and/or administrative approval.
The D/F list is revised and updated
each week giving students the opportunity to devote the proper atten-

tion to their academic work in order

to remove their names from this list.
The athletic director will be in contact
with coaches, teachers and students
to assist in any way to improve
grade status. Coaches have the
ability to raise expectations as they
see fit. Each individual program can
have grade expectations that may
exceed the athletic departments
requirements. Parents and athletes
should be notified before the season
of each individual programs academic policies and expectations for
all athletes.

Page 2

Welcome Back, Families!

General School Rules

At South High, we all play a part! Teacher, staff,
students and families all play a vital role in the
success of a student. Below are the expected
responsibilities of all parties.
Student Responsibilities
Write down daily assignments in the agenda
book., Ask questions about the assignment if
you do not understand what to do. See your
teacher during Titan Time if you need help to
complete your assignment(s) or make-up work.
Attend Pass the Class to get the extra help and
support you need to be successful in class. Set
aside a regular time for studying at home.
Produce quality work on your own. Complete
assignments on time. In the event of an ab-

sence, it is your responsibility to make up the

work in a reasonable amount of time
as determined by
the teacher.
Teacher Responsibilities
Assign relevant,
challenging and
meaningful homework that reinforces classroom learning. Give clear instructions
and make sure students understand the purpose. Give feedback and correct homework in

a timely fashion. Clearly define homework and

late work policy in the course syllabus.
Family Responsibilities
Monitor students assignments in
the agenda book, the schools
website or Parent Assist. Contact
teachers to stay well informed
about your students progress.
Attend Parent/Teacher conferences in the first and third nine
week grading periods.

Classroom Policies and Procedures

All teachers at South High School have the
discretion to set in place whatever classroom policies and procedures they choose.
But listed below are some common policies
that students can expect to follow while in
the classroom at South.

Students will be expected to abide by

the dress code at all times while at
South.

Behavior that disrupts learning will

have consequences.

Tardiness and absenteeism are very

sure ways to hurt a students grade.

The staff and administration at

Please make sure students arrive on

time each day of school.

Students should exhibit appropriate

behavior and language at South.

Cell phones, headphones, ear buds,

CD players, MP3 players and other
electronic devices are not allowed out
during class time. They are subject to
seizure if out during class.

Tobacco products, are prohibited on

school property.

Weapons will result in an expulsion

hearing.

Wichita South believe that all

students have the capacity to
learn and achieve at our school.
We hold our students to high
standards !

Late Work and Homework Policies

Late Work Policy
For each excused absence, students will be given two
additional class periods to make up missed assignments or to turn in assignments that were due during
their absence. Students need to meet with teachers
when multiple days of absence occur to get assignment information and specific deadlines. Any other
assignments that are turned in late will be graded
according to the following guidelines:

Up to 2 Weeks late: 80% of earned grade

After 2 Weeks Late: 50% of earned grade
After Late Work Cut-Off Date: 0%

***You can find a list

of the dates for Late
Work Cut-Off Dates in
the student agenda.
Homework Policy
Homework contributes
toward building selfdiscipline, responsibility and life-long learning. It is a reflection of
the classroom work
which:

Enhances the academic growth of the student;

Prepares the student for subject lessons;
Reinforces concepts and objectives taught in
the classroom;
Develops independent study skills to foster
initiative and self-direction.

Time
The actual time required to complete assignments will
vary with each students study habits, academic skills
and selected course load. More rigorous courses may
necessitate more homework.

Page 3

Tardiness
In order to report a tardy from school,
parents/guardians need to call the attendance clerk at 973-5460.

Students will be allowed two tardies per class per semester. Every
tardy after the two free ones will
result in the student being sent to
the Holding Room. The student is
responsible for finding out what
work was missed while he/she
spent the class period in the Holding Room.
Parents should notify the school if
they know that their student will be
tardy. Students not in possession

of a tardy pass in their agenda will

be sent to the Holding Room.
Students referred to Holding Room
must record their names on the
sign in sheet. If students do not
sign in, they will be considered
truant.

If a parent/guardian comes to the

attendance office to sign a student
in late, the same rules will apply as
stated above.

Students must be in possession of

their agenda at all times.
Students will receive the following consequences for tardiness:
Holding Room
TAC (In-school suspension)
Parent conferences
Youth Court
Community Service
Loss of privileges
Saturday School
Alternate passing periods

Absenteeism
USD 259 Mission:
The mission of the Truancy Program Office is to
assist in providing a unified school and community effort towards quick response to negative school attendance and educational neglect
issues by identifying, developing, and implementing plans and procedures to assure that
all students learn the skills and acquire the
knowledge necessary for success at continuing
stages of their lives.
Board Policy 1460Pupil Attendance:
Regular school attendance is required of all
pupils under Kansas Compulsory Attendance
Statue (KSA 72-111). The Kansas Compulsory
School Attendance Law holds parents responsible for requiring a child under their control or
charge who is between seven (7) and less than

eighteen (18) years of age to attend school on

a continuous basis.
Board Policy 1461:
In compliance with requirements of the Kansas
Compulsory School Attendance Law, reports
shall be filed with appropriate authorities when
a child is not enrolled in a public school or
when a child is enrolled in school and is inexcusably absent. The Board of Education has
set a Substantial Part of the School Day as
being inexcusably absent four (4) hours any
part of the school day.
Note: Students accumulating more than 12
days or 96 hours of illness will be considered
to have excessive absences and will be required to provide a doctors note for all future-

absences OR be recorded as inexcusably absent.

A valid excuse for absence is defined as follows:

Medical or dental treatment, examination

or recuperation;

Death or serious illness in immediate

family;

Approval by school authorities, secured

prior to the absence;

Circumstances or conditions which, in the

opinion of the principal, constitute a valid
excuse.

Suspension and Expulsion

In accordance with the laws of the
State of Kansas and the policies of
the Wichita Board of Education, a
student may be suspended up to ten
(10) days, due to rule, policy and/or
regulation infraction(s). While a student is on suspension, he/she may
not attend school functions or be on
the South campus or any other USD
#259 facility.
In order to assure safe schools, the
Board of Education has adopted

Policy 1462, Assault and

Battery of Staff, Policy
1465, Pupil BehaviorAlcohol, Drugs, Drug Paraphernalia and/or Other
Controlled Substances and
Policy 1466, Possession or
Use of Weapons. In compliance with Kansas State
Bill 470, students found in
possession of a weapon or
drugs will be turned over to

the Department of Motor Vehicles and may

lose their drivers license for up to a year.
These policies place substantial consequences on pupils who bring real guns or
realistic replica guns, sell or traffic illegal
substances at school or on school property
or commit battery upon a staff member. Specifically, the policies state that pupils involved in such activity shall receive a mandatory expulsion from the Wichita Public
Schools for 186 school days, regardless of
age.

Wichita Public Schools

South High School
701 W 33rd Street South
Wichita, KS 67218
Phone: 316-973-5450
Fax: 316-973-5518

The World Walks Our Hallways!

Were on the Web!
www.south.usd259.org

Clubs and Organizations at

South High School
Bible Study/Young Life
Business Professionals of America
Choose Respect
Crimestoppers
DECA
FCCLA
FEA
Film Club
Latino Leaders
International Thespian Society
Kansas BEST Robotics
National Honor Society
National Tech Honor Society
OWLS/Environmental Club
Parents as Teachers
Poetry Club
SkillsUSA
Student Council
Student Leadership
Technology Student Association
Teens Hope
Titans Reach Out

Athletics at South High

School
Fall
Cross Country
Football
Boys Soccer
Girls Tennis
Volleyball
Winter
Boys Basketball
Girls Basketball
Bowling
Swimming
Wrestling
Spring
Baseball
Softball
Girls Soccer
Swimming
Boys Tennis
Track
Other: Cheer and Dance

StudentVue and ParentVue and Accessing Students Grades

Students are encouraged to
monitor their grades regularly
through StudentVue. Parent
Vue is available to parents
and can be downloaded
through the South website at
http://south.usd259.org/.
Passwords can be reset by
the school secretary in the
academic office 973-5491.