Riverbend International School (RIS)
Student Handbook
2017-2018
Riverbend International School
Dr. Paul Ogle – Head School Master, Principal, and Superintendent
Dr. Jane Bennett- Counselor
Mrs. Ogle – Administrative Secretary
1900 N 2nd St., Atchison KS 66002
913.367.5199
7:30am - 4:30pm
www. http://riverbendinternationalschool.org/
Stop School Violence Anonymous – Toll Free 1.877.626.8203
Kansas School Safety Hotline
Riverbend International School USD 071
Purpose – Vision and Mission
Our Vision is to create a nationally and internationally recognized college preparatory STEM high school.
Our Mission of Riverbend International School is to provide a culturally diverse population of students with a challenging learning environment that emphasizes the interconnections among science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics. Collaborative partnerships, rigorous
curriculum, and discovery will inspire future leaders to achieve greatness.
Our Motto is Magis laborandum est ad assequendum somnia – Work harder to achieve greatness.
This handbook is meant to be an abbreviated version of Riverbend International School's rules and regulations. Should a discrepancy between board policy and any language in this handbook arise, district policy supersedes this handbook.
Academic Probation
Student academic progress will be reviewed every three weeks. Any student with two D’s, one or more F’s, or a GPA that falls under a 2.0 will be placed on either Academic Review, Academic Warning, or Academic Probation.
Academic Support Process
Academic Review is a designation for students whose grades show two D’s, one or more F’s, or a GPA that falls under a 2.0 at the end of a three-week cycle.
Academic Warning is a designation for students whose grades show two D’s, one or more F’s, or a GPA that falls under a 2.0 at the quarter grading periods.
Academic Probation is a designation for students whose grades show two D’s, one or more F’s, or a GPA that falls under a 2.0 at the end of two consecutive quarter grading periods.
Academic Review
Academic Review is a designation for students whose grades show two D’s, one or more F’s, or a GPA that falls under a 2.0 at the end of a three-week cycle.
Students on academic review will be required to meet briefly with their counselor and attend daily Homework Zone sessions from 3:35 pm – 4:15 pm Monday through Thursday until the next review process. Any student who is late for or does not attend Homework Zone sessions will have one after school detention added to the end of their review period.
Academic Warning:
Academic Warning is a designation for students whose grades show two D’s, one or more F’s, or a GPA that falls under a 2.0 at the quarter grading periods. A student does not need to be on Academic Review to be placed on Academic Warning.
Academic Warning requires a student to:
Attend a meeting with parent, counselor, and the principal at the beginning of the probationary term.
Attend Homework Zone after school Monday through Thursday from 3:35 pm – 4:15 pm.
Meet with the counselor regularly to review online grades, discuss current academic standing, and to develop an academic plan for successful improvement.
Schedule appointments with teachers as appropriate.
Academic Warning students may participate in sports and co-curricular activities at the discretion of the Principal.
Academic Probation
Academic Probation is a designation for students whose grades show two D’s, one or more F’s, or a GPA that falls under a 2.0 at the end of two consecutive quarter grading periods. A student does not need to be on Academic Warning to be placed on Academic Probation; any student with two or more F’s is automatically placed on Academic Probation.
A student on Academic Probation must complete the same requirements as Academic Warning as stated above.
Students on Academic Probation may not participate in athletics or co-curricular activities. Any student who wishes to attend a RIS-sponsored dance while on Academic Probation is required to write a letter to the Principal. This letter should include which dance the student is attempting to attend and what progress s/he is making toward improving his/her grades. This letter should be submitted within one week before the activity.
The final decision as to whether a student will be allowed to continue as a RIS student after being placed on Academic Probation for two consecutive quarters will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Parents will be notified of a student’s placement on Academic Review, Academic Warning, or Academic Probation by a letter from the Principal. Our academic probation is not written in stone, it is very flexible and dependent upon the efforts of the student and attitude of the parents.
The Guidance Counselor will meet with students who receive an “F” in any course to devise a plan for making up the course. Remediation of Fs should take place the semester following the grade report as the schedule allows.
If a student receives three or more Fs in any semester, he/she may be asked to withdraw from Riverbend International High School.
Academic Responsibility
Students are obligated to complete all schoolwork assigned to them. Students are also responsible for bringing materials -paper, pencils, and textbooks- to class each day.
Assigned Place for All Students
Students are expected to be in their assigned locations at all times. Students are required to use a hall pass when leaving the classroom if necessary, (i.e., restroom, meeting with an administrator, etc.). If the student leaves without permission, it will be documented as a skipped class.
Athletics: Student in Good Standing
KSHSAA policy states:
“A student that is under penalty of suspension or whose character brings discredit to the school or to the student, as determined by the principal, is not in good standing and is ineligible for a period of time as specified by the principal”.
USD 071 policy states in addition, any student charged with a felony shall be immediately suspended from performance events upon such charge until 1) the charge is dropped, 2) the student is found not guilty, or, 3) in the event of a guilty plea, guilty verdict or “no contest” plea, they have met all requirements of the courts’ decision. The student may continue to practice with the team until reinstatement to performance events.
USD 071 policy also states if a student is charged with a misdemeanor, that student shall be allowed to fully participate until such a time as 1) they are found guilty, 2) they enter a guilty plea or 3) they enter a “no contest” plea. Upon one of the three things happening, they will be suspended from participation in performance events until such a time, as determined by the Administration, the student has shown commitment to completing the courts’ requirements of their case. The student may continue to practice with the team until reinstatement to performance events.
Attendance
A student’s absence from the classroom learning experience disrupts the continuity of the student’s instructional progress. The benefits of classroom instruction include class discussion, teacher presentations, and student participation. Many of the benefits are lost during extended absences and cannot be entirely regained even by after- school instruction. Thus, school attendance is necessary and the school district requires regular attendance in compliance with state law.
1. The State of Kansas expects schools to have an attendance rate above 90%. By Kansas Statute 72-1111, all children between the ages of 7 and 18 are required to attend school on a regular basis. Furthermore, Kansas Statute 72-1113 requires school administrators to report to SRS or the County Attorney students who are inexcusably absent from school for all or a significant part of three consecutive school days, or five school days in a semester, or seven school days in a year, whichever occurs first.
2. In case of a student's absence, a parent should call the school office by 9:30am on the day of the absence. If the office has not received a call by that time, school officials may call to determine the reason for the absence. Your child will remain unexcused until we hear from a parent/guardian.
3. The principal is responsible for determining whether an absence/tardy is excused or unexcused.
4. The following absences may be excused by the principal: illness or injury, doctor appointments (require a doctor’s note), religious reasons, family emergencies or death in the family. Absences will not be excused for shopping trips, babysitting, hair appointments, getting your driver’s license, working part-time jobs, or general absences for personal business, which could be taken care of outside the school day. Doctors' notes must have the time of the appointment documented on the form, any specifications that might be relevant to returning to school, and the day(s) being excused. We will excuse the time that the student was seen by the doctor and any reasonable travel time. In order for a doctor’s appointment to be considered a medical absence, a note from the doctor must be returned to the office within five school days of the student’s return to school. We reserve the right to call and check on any doctor’s note that is given.
5. If a student is absent (excused or unexcused) two hours/periods during a school day, it will be counted as a half-day absence. All absences four or more hours/periods will be considered a full day absence.
6. A student is considered tardy to class when they enter the classroom after the bell has rung. A student will not be considered tardy if they have a pass written by the office or another staff member excusing their late arrival.
7. When a student is absent, it is the student’s responsibility to communicate with each instructor to obtain his/her work and turn in completed assignments; the student will have two days for each day absent to complete the work assigned during the absence. However, when an absence is unexcused, assignments and/or projects that are due that period and/or day missed will be due the next class period. For all absences, the student is responsible for making arrangements for assignments with the teacher(s) prior to being gone.
8. Students may be required to make up time missed for any unexcused absence. In these cases, the parents may be notified and be asked to meet with the principal.
9. Students should understand that attendance in school is a requirement for attendance at or participation in any extra-curricular activity. Students must be in attendance the entire day on the days of participation in a game or performance event. There are exceptions to this rule such as field trips, college visits and doctor/dentist appointments. Students must be in attendance all day on a Friday that a dance occurs (all day Thursday if there is no school Friday). Final approval for eligibility for this policy will be granted by Administration at RIS.
10. Riverbend International School will follow all Kansas Department of Health and Environment guidelines for the purpose of school attendance and activity participation.
Tardies – Renews each semester.4th and each subsequent tardy / Student will serve one (1) hour after school / Student can receive three (3) warnings. For each tardy after three (3), Student will serve one (1) hour of detention after school.
Bullying
The Administration prohibits bullying in any form, including electronic means, on or while using school property, in a school vehicle or at a school-sponsored activity or event. The administration shall propose, and the board shall review and approve a plan to address bullying on school property, in a school vehicle or at a school-sponsored activity or event.
The plan shall include provisions for the training and education of staff members and students and shall include appropriate community involvement as approved by the board. Students who have bullied others in violation of this policy may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including suspension and expulsion. If appropriate, students who violate the bullying prohibition shall be reported to local law enforcement.
Bullying is defined by meeting the following three criteria:
1. It is aggressive behavior or intentional harm.
2. It is carried out repeatedly and over time.
3. It occurs within an imbalance of power.
“Bullying” means:
a) Any intentional gesture or any intentional written, verbal, electronic or physical act or threat that is sufficiently severe, persistent or pervasive that it creates an intimidating, threatening or abusive educational environment for a student or staff member that a reasonable person, under the circumstances, knows or should know will have the effect of:
1. Harming a student or staff member, whether physically or mentally;
2. Damaging a student’s or staff member’s property;
3. Placing a student or staff member in reasonable fear of harm to the student or staff member; or
4. Placing a student or staff member in reasonable fear of damage to the student’s or staff member’s property
b) Any other form of intimidation or harassment prohibited by the board of education of the school district in policies concerning bullying adopted pursuant to this section or subsection (e) of K.S.A. 72-8205, and amendments thereto.
c) Harassment, intimidation or bullying can take many forms including: slurs, rumors, jokes, innuendos, demeaning comments, drawing cartoons, pranks, gestures, physical attacks, threats, or other written, oral or physical actions. “Intentional acts” refers to the individual’s choice to engage in the act rather than the ultimate impact of the action(s).
Cyberbullying
“Cyberbullying” means bullying by use of any electronic communication device through means including, but not limited to, e-mail, instant messaging, text messages, blogs, mobile phones, pagers, online games and websites.
Bus Transportation
Riding the bus to and from school is a privilege. Student conduct while riding a bus must be appropriate in order to provide a safe environment for all riders. Parent/Guardians will be contacted when behaviors are not appropriate and endanger the safety of others. Bus drivers will report misconduct to the Administrator of RIS, they may suspend or revoke the transportation privilege of a student who violates any safety guideline.