21
Welcome from the Principal
21
Dear Families and Scholars,
On behalf of the Board of Directors/Trustees and staff, we would like to welcome you to Indianapolis Lighthouse Charter School. Our school is part of a national network of Lighthouse Academies charter schools serving over 7,000 students and families. We are a growing community committed to preparing all of our students for college. We are here to make a transformational difference in the lives of the students we teach.
We understand that the choice to send your child to Indianapolis Lighthouse Charter School is an important one that demonstrates your high hopes and expectations of your child, yourselves, and us. We share these high hopes and expectations with you, and we are committed to making them a reality as we work together to prepare your child for college.
Every member of our school community- student, parent, teacher, principal, community partner- has an important role to play in creating a nurturing environment where students can develop the knowledge, skills and values necessary for responsible citizenship and life-long learning.
The Scholar and Family Handbook outlines the responsibilities and expectations that we, as a school community, must honor to ensure your child is well prepared for college.
Do not hesitate to call us if you have any questions about the handbook or any other school issues during the year. We can be reached by phone at 317-351-1534 or by email at (K-6th) or (7th-12th).
Sincerely,
Kim Randall & Rahul Jyoti
Principals
Indianapolis Lighthouse Charter School
21
Lighthouse Academies 2015-16 School Compact
The Lighthouse Academies School Compact outlines how parents/ guardians, the entire school staff, and the students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and parents/ guardians will build a partnership that will help all children succeed.
Lighthouse Academies agrees to:
· Provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive learning environment that enables the participating children to meet the academic achievement standards.
· Expose students to college and develop the competencies/habits students need to succeed in college and beyond.
· Attend to the social/emotional and creative development of students as a foundation for success in their work and interactions with others.
· Maintain a culture of respect where students feel safe to learn and develop as students.
· Hold parent-teacher-student conferences during which this compact will be discussed as it relates to the individual child’s achievement.
· Provide parents with frequent reports on their child’s progress.
· Provide parents reasonable access to staff.
· Provide parents opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child’s class and to observe classroom activities.
Parents/ Guardians agree to:
· Expect their child to work hard, get smart, and graduate from college.
· Support their child’s social/emotional and creative development as a foundation for success in their work and interactions with others.
· Ensure that their child is in uniform, on time, attends school each day, and does excellent work at school and on homework assignments.
· Attend as many school functions as work and family schedules allow.
· Participate in decisions relating to their child’s education.
· Stay informed about their child’s education and communicate with the school by promptly reading all notices brought home by the child or received by mail, and responding, as appropriate.
Students agree to:
· Participate actively as a respectful member of the LHA school community.
· Do excellent work every day and ask for help when needed.
· Problem-solve through challenges and resist distractions.
· Come to school each day in uniform, ready to work hard, get smart, and prepare for success in college.
· Practice appropriate oral, written, and non-verbal communication.
· Give parents/guardians all notices and information received from school every day.
21
Important Contact Information
Telephone
Parents/guardians may leave messages for teachers at the school office. Parents/guardians can expect a return call from a teacher within one school day of leaving a message. The telephone number is: 317-351-1534.
In addition to the general voice mailbox, administrators and teachers may be contacted via email. In most cases, a staff member’s address is his/her first initial and last name @lhacs.org. For example, if a teacher’s name is Isaiah Jones, he could be reached at . To confirm you have the correct email address, you may contact the office.
Contacting School Leadership
Role / Name / Phone / EmailPrincipal (K-6th) / Kim Randall / 317-351-1534 /
Director of Teacher Leadership (K-6th) / Steven Harrison / 317-351-1534 /
Director of Teacher Leadership (K-6th) / Valerie Miller / 317-351-1534 /
School Operations Manager (K-12th) / Patricia Schelling / 317-351-1534 /
School Counselors / K-6th: Tim Grazian, Jenna Petroff
7-12th: Henry Wright, Ashley Elliott / 317-351-1534 /
Principal (7-12th) / Rahul Jyoti / 317-351-1534 /
Assistant Principal (7-8th) / Chelsea Easter-Rose / 317-351-1534 /
Assistant Principal (9-10th) / Chad Taylor / 317-351-1534 /
Assistant Principal (11-12th) / Megan Kinsey / 317-351-1534 /
Director of School Culture (7-12th) / Kevin Butler / 317-351-1534 /
Coordinator of Family & Community Partnerships / Shrenta Johnson / 317-351-1534 /
You may also write to the school administration, Board of Directors/Trustees, or Lighthouse Academies if you have concerns or issues you wish to discuss. Please send your correspondence in care of the school office: Indianapolis Lighthouse, 1780 Sloan Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46203.
Website
The school posts documents on the Lighthouse website:
K-6th Website: http://www.lighthouse-academies.org/schools/indianapolis/
7th – 12th Website: http://www.lighthouse-academies.org/schools/indianapolis-prep/
Board of Directors/Trustees
Board of Director/Trustee meetings are open to the public and are posted on the school’s website: http://www.lighthouse-academies.org/schools/indianapolis/ . There is a public comment section on the agenda.
The Board of Directors/Trustees may be contacted by sending a letter to the Board Chairperson as follows:
Amber Audrain
Indianapolis Lighthouse Charter School
1780 Sloan Avenue, Indianapolis, IN, 46203
Email:
Records Access Officers
The Records Access Officers under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for the school are Patricia Schelling () and Shrenta Johnson () . Please contact either of them at the school should you have such a request.
21
School Calendar
July 2015 / August 2015 / September 2015Su / Mo / Tu / We / Th / Fr / Sa / Su / Mo / Tu / We / Th / Fr / Sa / Su / Mo / Tu / We / Th / Fr / Sa
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 1 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12
12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19
19 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23 / 24 / 25 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23 / 24 / 25 / 26
26 / 27 / 28 / 29 / 30 / 31 / 23 / 24 / 25 / 26 / 27 / 28 / 29 / 27 / 28 / 29 / 30
30 / 31
October 2015 / November 2015 / December 2015
Su / Mo / Tu / We / Th / Fr / Sa / Su / Mo / Tu / We / Th / Fr / Sa / Su / Mo / Tu / We / Th / Fr / Sa
1 / 2 / 3 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12
11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19
18 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23 / 24 / 22 / 23 / 24 / 25 / 26 / 27 / 28 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23 / 24 / 25 / 26
25 / 26 / 27 / 28 / 29 / 30 / 31 / 29 / 30 / 27 / 28 / 29 / 30 / 31
January 2016 / February 2016 / March 2016
Su / Mo / Tu / We / Th / Fr / Sa / Su / Mo / Tu / We / Th / Fr / Sa / Su / Mo / Tu / We / Th / Fr / Sa
1 / 2 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12
10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19
17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23 / 21 / 22 / 23 / 24 / 25 / 26 / 27 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23 / 24 / 25 / 26
24 / 25 / 26 / 27 / 28 / 29 / 30 / 28 / 29 / 27 / 28 / 29 / 30 / 31
31
April 2016 / May 2016 / June 2016
Su / Mo / Tu / We / Th / Fr / Sa / Su / Mo / Tu / We / Th / Fr / Sa / Su / Mo / Tu / We / Th / Fr / Sa
1 / 2 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11
10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18
17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23 / 22 / 23 / 24 / 25 / 26 / 27 / 28 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23 / 24 / 25
24 / 25 / 26 / 27 / 28 / 29 / 30 / 29 / 30 / 31 / 26 / 27 / 28 / 29 / 30
School Day: Monday through Friday, 8:00a.m. – 3:15p.m
½ Day of School / Parent Conferences End of Quarter School Closed / Holidays
Last Day of School / End of Quarter / ½ Day First Day of School PD for Staff
½ Day of School / PD for Staff
Table of Contents
Welcome from the Principal 3
Lighthouse Academies 2015-16 School Compact 4
Important Contact Information 5
School Calendar 7
LHA Scholar Tips for Success 12
School Overview 13
Dismissal 14
Absence 14
Late Arrivals/Early Departures 16
Making up Missed School Work 16
School Closing 17
Other Emergencies 17
Withdrawal from School 17
Home Visits 17
Culture of Achievement 18
Arts Infusion 18
Social Development 18
Community Meetings 19
Portfolios 19
Student Exhibitions 19
Testing and Assessments 20
Advisory Program (Upper Academy & CPA) 20
Homework 20
Parents/Guardians, Student, and Teacher Conferences 20
Report Cards and Mid Term Reports 21
Annual Grade Placement and Graduation Requirements 21
LHA Code of Conduct 22
Preventive and Restorative Practices 22
Lighthouse Academies Intervention Tiers and Consequences 22
Logical Consequences 24
Afterschool Consequences 26
In-school Restoration 27
Interim Alternative Educational Setting 27
Adult Role Models 31
Policies and Procedures 32
Lighthouse Academies Dress Code 32
Academic Integrity Policy 33
Bullying, Harassment and Intimidation Policy 34
Non-Discrimination Policy 35
Technology Acceptable Use Policy 36
Student Telephone/Cell Phone Use Policy 38
Smoke & Tobacco Free Campus Policy 38
Scholar Parking Permits (CPA) 38
Fees or Charges Owed to the School 39
Suspicion of Child Abuse/Neglect 40
Student Records 40
Non-solicitation Policy 43
Non-School Related Items 43
Birthdays, Holidays, and Special Events 44
Complaint Procedure 44
School-Related Programs and Activities 45
After-School Academics 45
Extracurricular Activities 45
Field Trips 45
Awards and Celebrations 45
Summer School 46
Scholar Gateway Program (CPA) 46
Monthly Family Nights 46
School Volunteers 46
In-Class Volunteer Opportunities 47
Out-of-Class Volunteer Opportunities 47
Health and Wellness 48
Food Service 48
Immunization Requirements 49
Vaccination Variances 49
Medication 49
Physicals 49
Safety and Security 50
Emergency Drills & Evacuation 50
Electronic Surveillance 50
Locker Searches 50
Personal Searches 51
Bus Transportation 51
Forms to Return to Your School 54
Appendix 57
21
At Lighthouse Academies we refer to all students as “scholars” because being enrolled in a LHA school means you are on the path for success in college. We have high expectations and big dreams for all of our scholars and are committed to helping you develop the knowledge, skills and values necessary for responsible citizenship and life-long learning.
There are four Core Values that drive the collective efforts of all members of the LHA school community:
Core Value / What does this mean?Work hard. Get smart. Graduate from college. / We put in whatever time it takes to get the job done right. We ask questions to “get smart” about what we don’t know. We aim our efforts at college — not just getting there but graduating and the new opportunities that will be available beyond.
High expectations equal results. / If we expect great things from our students, staff, and community, great things will be achieved. When we make excuses for people’s actions, we lower the bar for everyone.
Nothing less than excellence. / This means we relentlessly pursue excellence. Notokay. Not good enough. Notall right.Excellent!
Today is the day we make it happen. / This means we don’t wait for change. We make change happen each day with all that we do.
As a Lighthouse Academies Scholar, you will be held to high standards for your work and interactions with others. To help you achieve excellence, you will be asked to practice and demonstrate the four Habits of Scholars: