FAQ

Daily Schedule

1.   What are the school hours? 

   • Our school runs on a modified block schedule with seven periods. Students attend all seven classes on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. Wednesday and Thursday are block days. Even periods meet on Wednesday and odd periods on Thursday. The school day starts at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 3:10 p.m. every day except Wednesday which has an earlier dismal time of 1:35.

2.   What is a zero-hour class?

   • Zero-hour is an optional class before the traditional 8:00 a.m. start time. 0-hour begins at 7:00 a.m. and ends at 7:55 a.m.  We have a limited number of classes taught during this period. Some students choose to take a zero-hour class because they want to earn additional credits. Others take it to start the school day earlier and leave at the end of the 6th period.

Course Selection

3.   What is the difference between Advanced and Regular classes?

   • Advanced classes cover the same material as on-level classes, they go into greater depth, move faster, and often require more work.

   • There are no prerequisites or applications needed to join an advanced class. It is a good idea to ask the student's current teacher if they believe taking an advanced class is in the student's best interest.

4.   What are Advanced Placement (AP) classes? 

   • AP (advanced placement) is a program of classes developed by the College Board to introduce high school students to college-level classes and gain college credit before graduating high school. These courses are more difficult than the usual high school class and require passing an AP exam at the end of the year to gain college credit.

   • Freshmen can take AP Human Geography. For more information go to the College Board website here: College Board AP classes

5.  If I sign up for an advanced or AP class but have difficulty keeping up, can I transfer to a regular course at any point during the year?

   • Students can transfer to an on-level course within the first quarter of a semester.

6.    Do I need to take a foreign language?

   • You do not need to take a foreign language class to graduate. Some, but not all colleges require it.

7.   Should I take Spanish II if I had some Spanish in middle school?

   •  Students should talk to their current teacher or counselor if they are unsure of the class they belong in.

8.   How do I know which math class I am supposed to be in? 

   • USD 497 has a sequential math pathway.  School counselors have already added the appropriate math class to each student's schedule. 

9.   Do I have to take a class again if I fail it?

   • To meet state and local graduation requirements,  there are a few classes students must repeat if they fail the first time. This includes Health, Government, Modern World History, and United States History.

10.   Can I take a  PE class more than one time and still earn credit?

    • Yes, many students like having an activity break during the day and choose to take PE as one of their elective classes. You can take the same PE class more than one time.

11.   Should I take Health over the summer?

    • A few students take the required Health class during the summer to take more electives during the school year. Lawrence Virtual School (LVS) offers summer classes, you can find out more and enroll using this link:  Summer School LVS

Enrollment Questions:

12.   Where do we find the course catalog?

    • The full course descriptions are linked in this freshmen enrollment website under the 9th-grade courses tab. Course descriptions are also on the PowerSchool page students see when they enroll in PowerSchool Unified Classroom.

    • You can view the full coursebook (not just freshman classes) here: USD 497 Coursebook 24-25 

13.   We attended a private school last year. How do we enroll without a PowerSchool account? 

• First of all, welcome to USD 497! You will have to go to the  USD 497 Enrollment Center and register as a new student in the district.  https://www.usd497.org/NewStudentRegistration

• Our school registrar will contact you to facilitate enrollment.

 School Contact Questions:

14.    What is the best way to contact my student's counselor? 

    • E-mail is the best way to connect with the school counselors. Do not hesitate to reach out, we are here to help you. Contact information can be found under the School Contacts tab on this website.

15. Can I contact my school counselor during the summer?

    • School Counselors are on a 10-month contract just like our teachers, so they have limited availability during summer break. That said, do not hesitate to contact your counselor via email, with the understanding that you will not get an immediate response.  Counselors return to school a week before school starts so there is plenty of time to attend to questions and concerns you might have before the school year begins.

Parental Involvement

16.   How can I check my student's grades in PowerSchool?

    • Go to this link for information on setting up  or getting help with a PowerSchool parent account: PowerSchool Parent Portal

17.  The school does not send out paper report cards. How can I get a copy of my child's grades?

    • High school grades are recorded on a student's transcript. LHS uses an online platform called Parchment to process all transcript requests. To get a personal copy of your student's grades,  go to the website and choose to have a transcript sent to yourself.  You will get a digital copy emailed to you in a day or two. Don't hesitate to contact your school counselor if you have questions.  Parchment Transcripts 

18.   How can I get involved?

    • The LHS PTO is called the Lions Pride   https://www.facebook.com/lawrencehighlionspride/

    • Site Council: information will be sent out at the beginning of the year

Other FAQ

19.    In the past, students were encouraged to work on math packets over the summer. Is that still happening? 

    • No, This was phased out a few years ago.

20.   Is transportation done through First Student?

    • Yes, you can find more information here: USD 497 Transportation

21.  What are dual credit courses?

• There are specific courses juniors and seniors can take to earn high school and college credit. We partner with KU to offer classes through the KU blueprint program. You can find more information here: Jayhawk Blueprint 

Athletics Questions: Please go to the LHS Athletics Website for accurate / up to date  information

1.  Are physicals required before summer conditioning?

2.   Any idea when volleyball camp will be this summer? Trying to plan ahead 😁

   • Looking at the week of June 12 but need to check with other coaches

3.   When does summer conditioning start? And will this information be put on the website or emailed out?

   • Summer conditioning will start the first week of June, always check the LHS athletics website for info.