Staff Manual:Le Resume 2014-2015

Organizational Chart of Yearbook:

Roles for Each Member:

>Section Editor

  • Brainstorms with staff members to formulate themes, layouts, fonts, etc.
  • Organizes ladder with advisor
  • Attends workshops
  • Motivates staff members
  • Designs folios and theme pages
  • Helps supervise staff members
  • Establishes a system to track deadline progress (completes editor fly bys)
  • Creates positive atmosphere for staff
  • Works with advisor in making decisions
  • Edits stories, captions, headlines, and other elements before sending pages to the plant
  • Oversees assignment for each section
  • Oversees certain spreads
  • Assigns coverageto staff members
  • Attends weekly editor meetings

>Staff Member

  • Is responsible for covering school’s weekly events (one “Spartan Scenes” per week)
  • Is responsible for working on the computer to create assigned spreads
  • Works with editor to create layouts, if necessary
  • Edits stories, captions, headlines, and other elements before handing over to editor and/or advisor (completes the edit checklist)
  • Is responsible for meeting all deadlines
  • Is responsible for editing pages after they have been sent by the plant and proofed by Lamont

>Advisor

  • Tracks progress of editors and staff members to ensure that deadlines are met with accuracy
  • Establishes system of evaluating editors and staff members on assignments
  • Oversees the business side of the yearbook
  • Provides new staff with journalism trends and skills
  • Serves as a liaison between administration, editors, and staff

How the Class is Set Up: Your Responsibility

1. Every week, you will complete a “Spartan Scenes” sheet (aka: SS’s). You will be assigned a topic for coverage during the first 9 weeks of school: Sports, People, Clubs/Academics, or Student Life. These topics will rotate (after this time, you can choose the topic you want to cover each week). We will have a staff meeting every Tuesday to assign topics and to discuss the events of the week. You will then have Tuesday-Monday of the next week to complete your coverage. The SS form is due at the beginning of class on Tuesday for the previous week. This means if you have an event that you covering over the weekend, you need to turn in your photo card to be downloaded no later than the beginning of class on Monday. You need to take pride in your work for every SS. Your SS coverage will only be considered for the yearbook if it is exceptional.

  • Other info about SS’s: If your SS is late, 15 points may be deducted (which means that highest grade you can earn is a C). You have 24 hours to turn in your SS late; after which it may not be accepted and you will earn 0 points.
  1. Then, the editors will get together every Tuesday to review and grade the SS’s. The editors will create the ladder based upon the quality and interest of the SS’s.
  1. If your SS is chosen, you will be called into a meeting on Tuesday or Wednesday with the other staffers whose SS’s were chosen. This meeting will be lead by the editor assigned to the spread. The editor will tell you what spread number you and the other staffers will be working on. She will discuss your deadlines as well. She will hand back your SS, and you will get started on the spread.
  1. When is your package due? You and the other staffers chosen will have one week to complete the spread. Then, you will spend the second week editing your package. We will follow a very rigorous editing process that will ensure the best captions.
  • The deadlines you are given are real, hence the name…DEADLINE (if it’s not done on the date set, you will be dead! Ha!). But seriously, these dates have serious consequences both for your grade and for the production of the book. It is a shared responsibility to get the spreads; meaning, you share the work load.

A Glance at the Week (In-Class):

Monday:

  • Photos all due
  • Finish last week’s assignment & SS
  • Work time

Tuesday:

  • SS’s from previous week due AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS
  • New Assignments—Discuss coverage for the week
  • Editors grade SS’s and plan ladder
  • Spread meetings with chosen staff members
  • Work time

Wednesday and Thursday:

  • Work time

Grading

Since this class is a productions class, the grade book is set up very differently than other academic classes.

The categories in the grade book will include the following:

  1. “Spartan Scenes” Weekly Coverage Logs (Individual Grade- 50 points each)
  2. Skills (Individual Grade-varies)
  3. all of the worksheets, activities, and products that we will work on at the beginning and end of each semester
  4. Editing Checklists and Completion Grades
  5. Deadlines (50 points for each spread deadline)
  6. Final (Individual Grade-50 points)

The total number of points for each package deadline is 50.

Completion Points: 10 or 0

You either have the package/s completed, printed, and edited by the beginning of class on your assigned deadline day, or you don’t. If you make your deadline…hoorah, and congratulations, you have just earned yourself 10 points. There are NO excuses for not having your spread ready to go. Printer/computer issues or feeling ill…THESE DO NOT MATTER!

Quality of the Layout:

15 Points for Pictures

These items will be assessed for the “picture” portion of this grade:

  • Placement of photos
  • Amount of photos
  • Quality of photos
  • Responsibility of naming the persons on the photos

15 Points for Copy

These items will be assessed for the “copy” portion of this grade:

  • Headlines
  • Captions
  • Correct Spelling
  • Correct Punctuation, Grammar, Word Choice, etc.

10Points for the Design

These items will be assessed for the layout design portion of this grade:

  • Colors, sizes, boxes, lines, and fonts are all correct

“No Friend” Policy for Yearbook

To address the issue of equality in the book, we have decided to implement this policy.

The Le Resume MUST include equitable and fair coverage of grade levels, gender, and the student body. Covering you and your friends on your Spartan Scenes coverage is unethical and unfair to all who buy the book. To prevent this from happening, plan your coverage ideas in a reasonable amount of time! After all, this is not YOUR yearbook. This is the SALIDA yearbook.

There are, of course, exceptions for sports and clubs coverage. If you want to cover a friend for your Student Life SS, it must be approved by the Student Life Editor AND Mrs. Lamont.

By signing below, you understand, accept, and will abide by this policy.

X______Date:______

Social Media Picture Policy

You are not allowed, under any circumstances, to copy a photo from any networking site. If you find a photo that you like, you must contact the person who posted the photo and retrieve the original digital file. Failure to get the original file will earn you a ZERO on your SS!

By signing below, you understand, accept, and will abide by this policy.

X ______Date: ______

Parent-Student-Advisor

Yearbook Objective: In order to create the best working environment between all of those involved, it is crucial that we all agree upon a set of given expectations from the beginning. If you don’t already know, the yearbook staff is truly unlike any other class at Salida. Because we have the awesome responsibility of preserving the memories of high school for every student on our campus, we must have a different set of rules. This contract may seem overwhelming, but we are a high-class, award-winning, organization with only the greatest of expectations that wishes to preserve the extraordinary caliber of our yearbook program.

In order for a student to be an active participant as a staff member, he or she must complete this contract along with their parents. Failure to complete this contract will result in the student being dropped from the yearbook program. Please initial in the spaces provided, and sign your name at the end of this contract. If you have any questions, please contact me. Thanks for your cooperation!

ParentStudent

______1. We understand the importance of treating the

publication’s equipment with respect. We understand that the student will be working with specialized and expensive supplies, and if the student breaks or damages any of the publication’s equipment, he or she is responsible for repairing or replacing them (with the exact same item).

______2. We understand that the yearbook is not just a class but an

extracurricular activity. As such, we accept that every student

will be expected to devote time outside of class when the need

arisesbased upon coverage schedules and deadlines. We accept that it is the

responsibility of the student to make sure that all assignments

are completed and that if a student cannot come in on an off hour

or come in after school, due to another commitment, that child will not be excused from his or her yearbook responsibilities.

______3. We understand that there are many reasons for missing

deadlines, but there can be no excuses. We understand that

failing to meet a deadline may result in the school’s yearbook

being shipped late or the yearbook account being assessed

heavy financial penalties. We, therefore, agree to meet every

deadline. If we fail to meet a deadline for ANY reason, we will

accept the consequences without complaint (consequences vary

from a failing grade to being F-dropped from the class).

______4. We understand that the actions of individual staff members

reflect the staff as a whole. Because of this, we agree to behave

appropriately on and off-campus. We understand that should a

child be disciplined for breaking school rules, the student will also

be disciplined in yearbook, whether or not he behavior was

related to yearbook duties. Should a child be suspended from

school for any reason, he or she will be removed from the staff.

______5. We understand that some of the grades involved are group

grades. We accept that as part of a group, a student may

receive a higher or lower grade than he or he may have been

able to earn had he or she been graded individually. We

understand that for the purposes of accountability and teamwork,

group grading is the most effective way of evaluating students for certain assignments.

______6. We understand that producing a yearbook is a business;

therefore, financial obligations to the publishing company must be

met. Your student may be asked to contact photographers, set up

sales campaigns, or be required to sell books, with the help of the editors and advisor.

______7. We have received the staff manual, including grading

guidelines and deadlines, and understand all of the policies for this class.

We have read and discussed all of the points listed above and agree to abide by them.

______

Parent signature and date Student signature and date

As advisor, I understand that staff members have other obligations and commitments, and we will work together as a team in order to meet deadlines; however, it is each student’s ultimate responsibility to complete their portion of the work on time. To ensure this happens, each editor will check in with each student to touch base on the progress being made, and I will do constant checks and one-on-one conferences to assess progress. I want to guarantee that there will be an open line of communication between staffers, editors, parents, and me. Please feel free to contact me (the most effective way is via e-mail) at any time during the year with questions or concerns.

Thanks for your support in making this the best year!

______Kate Clark * * 719-530-5438