I. CORE VALUES

The Oliver Scholars Program believes that successful students demonstrate a commitment to the following tenets:

***SCHOLARSHIP, LEADERSHIP, SERVICE***

We expect each student to follow the guidelines and meet our academic and behavioral expectations. Students, parents, teachers, and the Oliver community will work together to effectively support each student's success.

II. THE PARTNERSHIP

Students – Respect Yourself, Respect Others, And Respect Your Environment:

• Come prepared to class and complete all work by the specified due dates.

• Arrive promptly to all classes with all necessary supplies (books, pens, pencils, notes, etc.)

• Assume responsibility for your environment by picking up after yourself, reminding others to respect the property, and respecting other students’ property.

• Be kind and considerate and settle disagreements respectfully.

• We will not tolerate offensive or abusive language or behavior

• Respect teachers and classmates and the rights of others to learn

• Participate, participate, participate – actively and conscientiously.

Guardians/Parents – Invest, Involve, Inquire:

• Be supportive of the Program, its teachers, and staff.

• Communicate with your child about school life.

• Monitor your child's progress through quizzes, tests, written work, and reports.

• Provide a structured environment for your child to do homework.

• Monitor your child's punctuality, attendance, and appearance.

• Support appropriate student behavior.

• Communicate any concerns to Oliver's staff.

• Encourage your child to participate, participate, participate – actively and conscientiously.

Oliver Teachers and Staff – Educate, Empower, Evolve:

• Provide a safe and nurturing academic environment.

• Treat everyone with respect.

• Be concerned with the progress of each child.

• Communicate with students and parents (in interim reports, final reports, and as needed) regarding academic progress and wellbeing.

• Respond to feedback from students and parents

• Enforce school policies fairly and consistently.

• Encourage academic excellence through excellence in teaching.

• Encourage all students to participate, participate, participate – actively and conscientiously.

III. EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS

Academic Requirements:

Students must complete Fall Saturday Academy and independent school applications

Academic Warning

• A student may be placed on academic warning if a review of mid-semester or semester grades and comments indicate that the student has not earned grades of C- or better in their courses.

• A student will remain on warning until the end of the next marking period. A satisfactory performance and effort improvement will warrant removal from academic warning. The student may return to good standing, but if the student’s performance is still of concern, it will jeopardize the student’s status in the program.

• Students on warning may be required to study in a supervised space during Study Hall at the discretion of the program administrator.

Academic Alert

Academic alert is an intermediate status between an academic warning and good standing. Students on academic alert face requirements determined by the program administrator.

Homework Expectations

Homework assignments should average 60 minutes in preparation for each class. Oliver Scholars assumes that students who enroll in these courses can complete these assignments within the normal homework time.

Late and Incomplete Work

• Students must complete all assignments on time.Students may ask a teacher for an extension until a specified date (determined by the teacher).

• Should a student fail to turn in an assignment when it is due, the teacher will grade the work according to its merits and may deduct a full letter grade for each calendar day or part of a day that it is late.

• Students are expected to complete all work by the end of each semester. If at the end of the course, a student has not submitted assignments valued at more than 30 percent of the semester grade or considered by the teacher to work integral to the course completion, the student will receive a grade of Incomplete.

Attendance

Attendance is mandatory at Oliver Scholars. Unexcused absences may lead to dismissal from the program. The only valid reasons for missing class are health, family emergencies, and admissions-related events such as school visits, interviews, and placement tests. In addition, absence from required placement events will negatively impact a scholar’s application process and can lead to dismissal.

Please note that the Program’s required medical forms must be on file for students to attend programming.

Attendance Procedures for Specific Situations

• Illness and family emergencies: When a student is absent because of illness or family emergency, parents/guardians must call or email Programs Coordinator Karina Eumana at (646) 823-4972 keumana@oliverscholars.org as soon as possible. Parents/guardians must call or email on each day of absence.

• Tardiness: If the student arrives after the academic day has begun, the student must check in with Karina Eumana in the Faculty Lounge Room 203.

• Medical appointments: The Program encourages parents to arrange appointments outside of program hours. If a student has an emergency medical appointment, parents should follow the procedure described above for cases of illness and family emergencies.

• Religious holidays: Students needing to miss school to observe a religious holiday must inform the program administrator Ms. Eumana at keumana@oliverscholars.org. This process ensures that teachers are informed of the impending absence and can make the appropriate accommodations.

Unexcused Absences

• The penalties for unexcused class absences include but are not limited to

  • Discussion with the program administrator

  • Letter home to parents

  • Family meeting

  • Dismissal from the program

• Graded work completed outside of class (e.g., a lab report or a paper) will suffer a full letter grade deduction for each calendar day or part of a day it is late.

  • Announced, graded in-class work will suffer a deduction of one letter grade. The

  • students must normally make up for the missed work by the end of the next school day.

  • Unannounced graded work (e.g., a pop quiz) will receive a grade of fifty (50). The teacher will inform the program administrator in cases where this policy applies. Teachers may only make exceptions to this policy after consultation with the program administrator.

• All students who arrive late must sign in at the office (Room 225) upon their arrival, stating the reason for their lateness. Students who do not sign in will be marked absent for the day.

Dress Guidelines

Oliver recognizes that clothing choice can be a safe way for students to express themselves. With choice comes the responsibility for all members of the Oliver community to dress in appropriate clothing during the academic day. Scholars cannot wear:

• Clothing with messages expressing derogatory references to identity (i.e., race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, class, disability, etc.).

• Clothing with messages advocating violence or drugs.

• Clothing with obscene language.

• Non-religious head covering

• Miniskirts and short shorts.

• Crop tops that reveal the midriff.

• Low-rise jeans that reveal the midriff, undergarments, etc.

• Sleeveless shirts and dresses, including tank tops, camisoles, t-shirts, strapless shirts and dresses, and garments with“spaghetti straps.”

• Excessively baggy pants that hang below the waistline.

• Underwear (boxers, briefs, etc.), bra cups, and bra clasps should be covered with opaque material.

All students must bring their bag lunches to eat in the cafeteria on October 1, 2022. On subsequent Saturdays, students can leave the building for lunch if their parent/guardian signs the off-campus lunch permission form. Otherwise, they must bring their bag lunches to eat in the cafeteria. Students do not have access to a refrigerator or microwave.

Grace Church School is a NUT-FREE AND SHELLFISH-FREE environment. Do not bring foods containing nuts or shellfish to campus. Please read labels to avoid bringing unallowed foods to school. Pay special attention to foods packaged at a nut factory: candy bars containing nuts, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, granola bars, cookies, etc.

Do not consume food and drinks in classrooms or hallways. Water is the only exception. Consume food and beverages in the cafeteria only.

Oliver Scholars will provide students who use public transportation with MetroCards. Keep all Metrocards in a safe place; we cannot replace lost or damaged cards. If a student misplaces or loses their MetroCard, it will be the responsibility of their parent/guardian to provide transportation to and from Grace Church High School.

We allow the use of cell phones in classrooms only with the explicit approval of the teacher. You cannot use cell phones during program assemblies, performances, and other gatherings. Students who misuse their phones or other mobile devices will have their devices confiscated.