FOCUS

“Fundamentals Of Cultivating Universal Success”

Course Description and Guidelines:

There are 3 primary goals for the Focus class offered at OEC.
These goals include:

• Building relationships
• Developing life and academic skills
• Creating a sense of community

Building Relationships: Through the Focus class, students will have an opportunity to develop
relationships with students that are not based solely around required academic curricula. This 30
minute class will offer a consistent home base for students and the teacher will serve as the
facilitator and the mentor for the class. Focus also provides a stronger student-teacher-parent
line of communication, offering more support for student success.

Developing Life Skills: Students are granted credit for the successful completion of Focus each
semester. This credit fulfills a graduation requirement for the Life Skills category. Therefore,
one of the goals of Focus class is to help foster development of skills students need to be
contributing citizens in the future. The development of a personal vita, acquiring letters of
reference, investigating careers, practicing time management, discussing current topics about
student needs and responsibilities, and even participating in community service are many of the
aspects that will be included in the Focus curriculum.

Creating a Sense of Community: The promotion of a sense

of belonging for students has been directly linked to student
needs and student success. (Maslow, 1970) Through the
development of a safe and non-threatening environment,
students can begin to develop a better sense of belonging at
both OEC and OCC through their Focus class. Recognizing
student birthdays, sponsoring student activities, electing
student government representatives, coordinating peer
mentoring, and participating in service projects together are
some of the ways a sense of community can be developed
within the Focus course.

Teacher Responsibilities:
• Supervise students – The teacher is responsible for the
assigned students for the full 30 minute Focus class period
• Share school announcements – The Focus class will be the common source for sharing
school information, important dates, student government activities, etc.
 • Serve as the First Point of Contact – It will be the responsibility of the Focus teacher to
serve as the first point of contact for parents, classroom teachers, students and
administration. This means that, in most cases, parents should first contact the Focus
teacher about their concerns, unless it is an immediate and emergent issue. In addition,
fellow teachers will also make referrals to the Focus teacher for attendance, academic and
non-immediate disciplinary concerns.
• Function as a Student Mentor – As with parents and teachers, the student will also use the
Focus Teacher as a first point of contact with student needs or concerns. It will be the
responsibility of the Focus teacher to guide the student in the appropriate direction for
assistance.
• Monitor college academic progress – With the help of our students’ families, Focus
teachers will monitor students’ academic progress in their college classes, using OEC’s
online academic portfolio or other means as appropriate. Teachers will notify a student’s
Focus teacher for any attendance issues.
• Track attendance and college academic progress – Attendance will be monitored through
the Focus class, or through the 13th year seminar if a student is not enrolled in a Focus
class. Attendance and tardy issues will be addressed by the Focus teacher, and
subsequently the administration based upon the recommendation of the Focus teacher.
• Process Referrals – The Focus teacher will keep a record of any parent contact and/or
teacher contact for each student, and address all concerns. It will be the responsibility of
the Focus teacher to contact the administration with any issues that need to be addressed,
contact parents when needed, and communicate with the student’s other classroom
teachers on a regular basis.
• Facilitate discussions – Focus is an opportunity to help students develop various life
skills, including communication skills, through meaningful discourse facilitated by a
teacher. The topics of these discussions can stem from movies, newspaper or magazine
articles, current events, etc.
• Coordinate Service Projects – Participating in at least one service project per semester is
required for each Focus class. The Focus teacher will assist students in selecting an
appropriate project and coordinate student efforts with the help of the Focus Support
Teacher.
• Initiate Activities – The use of ice-breakers, team-building tasks, and cooperative
learning activities are beneficial in the development of the Focus learning environment.
Resources will be available for teachers if needed.
• Monitor and Record Point System – Students earn credit for fulfilling the requirements of
Focus Class each semester. Points will be earned for attendance and for participation in
activities throughout the semester. A point system has been developed for equity with all
Focus classes. The Focus teacher will be responsible for keeping record of points earned
by each student. Focus is a Credit/No Credit course, and no letter grade will be received.

Student Responsibilities:

• Be a contributing member of the Focus community

• Follow the OEC and OCC Student Code of Conduct
• Attend Focus class daily and Town Meeting every Friday
• Be on time for class every day
• Participate in Focus class discussions and activities
 • Meet the requirements necessary to earn credit in Focus as outline in the Point System
• Contribute time and effort toward a Service Project
• Monitor progress in school and communicate with the Focus teacher on a regular basis
regarding areas of concern

Point System for Earning Credit in Focus:

A total of _(45)__ points must be earned by the end of the semester in order
to receive credit for successfully completing a Focus class.
• One point will be granted per week for attendance. Each tardy will result
in the deduction of 1/10th of a point. Each unexcused absence will result
in the deduction of 2/10th of a point.
• One point will be granted per week for participation during Focus class.
These points are granted at the discretion of the Focus teacher.
• One point is granted for participation in a service project organized by
the Focus class.
• One point will be granted for developing/maintaining a personal vita or
resume.
• One point will be granted for obtaining a letter of recommendation or
reference from an instructor.
• One point will be granted for developing/maintaining an electronic
portfolio, which includes required supplemental instruction.
• One point will be granted for completing a progress report at the
midpoint of the semester.
In addition, a point may be earned for any of the following:
• Peer tutoring with another OEC student
• Participation in an OEC or OCC function
• Serving as a student government representative
• Serving on a student government committee
• Participating in an additional service project or performing community service
• Attending parent-teacher conferences
• Organizing/participating in a student-lead activity

Focus Student Information

Student Name:__________________________________________

Birthday: _____________
Parent/Guardian Names: ______________________________________

______________________________________
Contact Information:

Phone #: ______________________________________________

E-Mail: _______________________________________________

Contact/Referral Record:
Date Who Concern Action Taken