WELCOME TO LLCS
2008-2009
The staff and
administration of the Long Lake Central School District look forward to the 2008-2009
school year and the return of students on Wednesday,
September 3, 2008. The school is in
great shape thanks to our custodial crew and we all look forward to an
enjoyable and productive school year. As
you know, each September brings a fresh start and new opportunities for all of
us at LLCS. With this in mind it is
important that the entire school community approach the year ahead with a
positive attitude and make it a successful and enjoyable experience.
There are many
components that make up a successful school year. One important element for students and
parents is knowing what to expect by the school staff
and administration. Most of this
information can be found in the student handbook or by consulting with school
personnel. Although the handbook should
be the initial source it does not cover everything and is subject to change as
needed throughout the school year. For
this reason it is necessary for both students and parents to check with a staff
member when in doubt concerning school policy and operating procedures. The following information may be in the
student handbook but is highlighted here for parent notice.
BUS NOTES
If your child is
to be delivered to a place other than his/her home we require a written note from the
parent/guardian. We will accept
long-term notes for a period of one week
only.
BUS SCHEDULE
The bus schedule
will be mailed home to parents with the summer forms mailing.
ANNUAL NOTICE OF
DISABILITY
If you suspect
that your pre-school child has a disability, contact the guidance counselor at
624-5330 for information on evaluations and services available. The guidance counselor is also the
Chairperson for the Committee on Special Education and the Committee on
Pre-School Education.
STUDENT
HANDBOOKS
Student handbooks
will be passed out to all students in grades K-12 during the first week of
school. The student handbook outlines
policies, rules and regulations for LLCS students. It is important to review this handbook with
your child(ren) so that both
of you know “up front” expectations at LLCS.
There are new revisions and additions to the handbook for this year.
If parents have
any questions regarding the student handbook, please call the school.
STUDENT ACCIDENT
POLICY
The District
maintains a Student Accident Policy to cover injuries that occur in
school. In all cases, the school
insurance is supplementary to the
policy carried by the parents. Payments
are made for injuries sustained by students after the parents’ policy limitations have been exhausted and on a
fair and reasonable cost basis. Parents
please note that the school’s insurance policy will not cover injuries that are the result of “horseplay”.
STUDENT ON
CAMPUS PARKING
Students are
allowed to park their registered vehicles (including snowmobiles and other
registered motor vehicles) in the area designated for student parking (adjacent
to the staff parking lot). Students are
not allowed to drive their registered vehicles or park on any other school
ground during school hours. Vehicles are
not to be used for smoking at any time on school grounds.
BUILDING SECURITY
REMINDER
Once classes
begin each morning, the only means of entering the school building will be the
gymnasium entrance adjacent to the main office from 8:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. All other entrance doors will be locked. All visitors are now “buzzed” in from this
entrance. To enter, push the button at the bottom of the speaker located at the
right side of the door. Someone in the
office will then buzz you in. Arranging
building access for participants in after school activities will be the
responsibility of the activity sponsor.
During routine school hours, visitors needing to use the elevator will
be able to use the phone located inside the parking lot entrance lobby to
contact the main office for assistance.
All visitors must sign in and obtain a visitor’s pass and sign out in
the main office.
BUZZ IN
SIGN IN
GET PASS
SIGN OUT
ARRIVAL AND
DEPARTURE SAFETY
Since student
safety is of concern to all of us, please adhere to the guidelines:
1. Walkers
should use the sidewalk and walkways, not the road into the school. Entry/exit to the school should be through
the front (boys’) gym door. Walkers
should never use the main school road to walk to or from the school.
2. Since
no person will be permitted to cross the line of buses while they are in the
parking lot either during arrival or dismissal, parents who must pick up their
child for appointments may either:
- Pick
up their child in the front of the school (using the bank parking area)
with students walking down the pathway.
- Make
arrangements to pick up their child in the parking lot prior to the buses’
arrival at 2:20 p.m.
- Wait
until the buses have departed (2:45 p.m.) to pick up their child in the
parking lot.
At dismissal,
students are not permitted to remain on school grounds unsupervised.
SCHOOL IS
OPEN
DRIVE
SAFELY
STUDENT BUS
BEHAVIOR
The school
district routinely operates two bus routes each morning and afternoon. Bus transportation is also furnished for
after school sport practices and other school related events, away games and
field trips. While
passengers on the bus, students are expected to conduct themselves in an
appropriate, well-behaved manner.
The following rules are posted on each bus and are reproduced here for
your information and review with your child.
1. The
bus driver may assign seats.
2. Be
courteous.
3. Do
not use profanity.
4. Do
not eat or drink on the bus;
keep the
bus clean.
5. Violence
is prohibited.
6. Remain
seated.
7. Keep
your hands and head inside the bus.
8. Do
not destroy property.
9. For
your own safety, do not distract the driver through misbehavior.
Discipline problems on the bus should be
immediately brought to the attention of the bus driver. Consequences of unacceptable behavior may
vary from an initial reprimand from the driver to referral to the
superintendent. This may result in
suspension of bus riding privileges from a few days to permanent
suspension. It is important to remember
that riding the school bus is a privilege and not a right.
ASBESTOS
NOTIFICATION
The Long Lake Central School District is
defined as the Local Education Agency (LEA) when complying with various federal
and state laws. One such law is the
Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), which came into effect in
1987. The law requires LEA’s to identify
asbestos containing building materials (ACBM) present within district buildings
and take appropriate steps to either remove, encapsulate,
or monitor inaccessible or sealed material for change in condition.
The school district’s original inspection
was conducted by Certified Engineering and Testing Company (Certified) in
October 1988. One product of this
inspection was a management plan recommending further actions to ensure
continuing compliance. Two types of
additional inspections also are mandated.
The first, a semi-annual surveillance inspection, and
secondly a triennial inspection.
The surveillance inspections are conducted by district personnel, and
the triennial is conducted by a certified contractor. The last triennial inspection was conducted
by Hygeia of New York in August 2006.
The results from the last surveillance
inspection indicated that all proven or suspected ACBM was encapsulated and in
an undamaged condition.
The LEA management plan and associated
inspection results may be reviewed by contacting the Business Manager at
624-3721.
STUDENT RECORDS
INFORMATION
Each year, we like to remind parents that
they have the following rights according to Section 99.7 of the Family Rights
and Privacy Act of 1974.
1.
The right to inspect and review your child’s
educational records.
2.
The right to exercise limited control over other
people’s access to your child’s educational records.
3.
The right to seek to correct your child’s educational
records, in a hearing, if necessary.
4.
The right to file a complaint with the United States
Department of Education, Washington, DC, if we should fail to comply with the
Family Education Rights and Privacy Act regulations.
A copy of our District Student Records
Policy may be obtained in the Guidance Office of the Long Lake Central School
District.
If you have any questions in reference to
any of the above items, please feel free to contact the guidance office at
624-5330.
LICE PREVENTION &
INFORMATION
Whenever school is in session we need to
be on the lookout for head lice. Parents
need to check their child’s head regularly.
Remind your child not to share combs, brushes, hats, or hair
accessories. Head lice do not jump, but
can be transferred on brushes, hats, etc.
Periodic checks will be done at
school. LLCS has a No Nit Policy in
effect. This means that a child has to
have all nits (eggs) removed from hair to attend school.
Please notify the school if your child has
lice. Your cooperation in notifying the
school is appreciated.
SUBSTITUTE
EMPLOYMENT
The Long Lake Central School District is
continuously accepting applications for substitute employment. Anyone interested in being a substitute for
the District should contact the school at 624-2221 for an application or stop
by the school office. Areas for
substitute work include: teachers, bus drivers, cleaners, library aides and kitchen
help.
GUIDELINES FOR
RECEIVING
MEDICATION
IN SCHOOL
School personnel are prohibited by state
law from dispensing medication to school children without specific written
authorization from the parents and the family doctor.
This law applies to prescription drugs and
to over the counter items such as cough drops, pain reliever, eye drops, etc.
If parents expect a medication to be
dispensed to a child during school hours, the following requirements must be
met in each specific case of treatment.
1.
A written request from the family doctor with
indication of frequency and dosage of prescribed medication must be submitted
to the school healthcare provider.
2.
A written request from the parents to administer the
medication as specified by the doctor must be submitted to the school
healthcare provider.
3.
Parents are responsible for delivery of the medication
to the school healthcare provider in an original container from the pharmacy.
A separate form is needed for each
medication. This authorization does not
carry over from year to year and must be updated each school year.
SCHOOL
PICTURES
School pictures will be taken on Friday,
September 19, 2008 and Picture Re-take day is scheduled for Monday, October 27,
2008 for all students in kindergarten through Grade 12. It is necessary that everyone have their
picture taken at this time whether or not they intend to purchase them. A picture of each student is needed in order
to keep school records up-to-date.
Spring Portraits are scheduled for Wednesday, March 25, 2009.
Each child needs his/her own envelope with
exact money/check and order form on picture day. The school can not make change for you.
Pictures of pre-kindergarten and home
school students will be taken on the stage starting at 1:50 p.m. Parents are asked to bring these children to
school for their pictures, if interested.
Please call 624-2221 if you have any
questions regarding this information.
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AT
LONG LAKE CENTRAL SCHOOL
Student achievement at Long Lake is
broadly defined to insure that we are providing numerous academic and
extracurricular opportunities for our students to succeed, therefore,
developing a broader sense of self.
Encompassed in any working definition of achievement is the belief that
students need to develop a strong work ethic, which motivates them to do their
best on any task and in any situation; a strong sense of self-confidence that
allows them to feel capable, successful and that they are a contributing member
of society; a strong ability to think critically, which allows them to apply
the knowledge and skills that they have developed; and a strong sense of
character, which allows them to be good people and good citizens. Therefore, student achievement is the
measurement of each individual’s ability to meet the beliefs stated above. It is a formative evaluation that is ongoing
from Kindergarten through Grade 12, which includes test scores, teacher
observation, project completion, student participation, and community
involvement. While recent state mandates
in standards and testing take away from the notion of the student as an
individual, we at Long Lake emphasize the individual and the specific needs
that each of them has.
In this sense, test scores must not alone
define student achievement if we are to fulfill our mission of preparing kids
for the life that they will face upon leaving our school. Instead, strong test scores are a by-product
of what we feel is a strong overall educational experience for Long Lake
students.
ORGANIZATION: ADVICE FOR PARENTS
Developing good organizational skills is a
key ingredient for success in school and in life. Although some people by nature are more
organized than others, anyone can put routines and systems in place to help a
child “get it together.” Here’s a list
of strategies that you can use to help your child get – and keep – his life
under control.
1.
Use checklists.
Help
your child get into the habit of keeping a “to-do” list. Use checklists to post assignments, household
chores, and reminders about what materials to bring to class. Your child should keep a small pad or
notebook dedicated to listing homework assignments. Crossing completed items off the list will
give him a sense of accomplishment.
2.
Organize homework assignments.
Before
beginning a homework session, encourage your child to number assignments in the
order in which they should be done. She
should start with one that’s not too long or difficult, but avoid saving the
longest or hardest assignments for last.
3.
Designate a study space.
Your
child should study in the same place every night. This doesn’t have to be a bedroom, but it
should be a quiet place with few distractions.
All school supplies and materials should be nearby. If your young child wants to study with you
nearby, too, you’ll be better able to monitor his progress and encourage good
study habits.
4.
Set a designated study time.
Your
child should know that a certain time every day is reserved for studying and
doing homework. The best time is usually
not right after school – most children benefit from time to unwind first. Include your child in making this decision. Even if she doesn’t have homework, the
reserved time should be used to review the day’s lessons, read for pleasure, or
work on an upcoming project.
5.
Keep organized notebooks.
Help
your child keep track of papers by organizing them in a binder or
notebook. This will help him review the
material for each day’s classes and to organize the material later to prepare
for tests and quizzes. Use dividers to
separate class notes, or color-code notebooks.
Separate “to do” and “done” folders help organize worksheets, notices,
and items to be signed by parents, as well as provide a central place to store
completed assignments.
6.
Conduct a weekly clean-up.
Encourage
your child to sort through book bags and notebooks on a weekly basis. Old tests and papers should be organized and
kept in a separate file at home.
7.
Create a household schedule.
Try
to establish and stick to a regular dinnertime and a regular bedtime. This will help your child fall into a pattern
at home. Children with a regular bedtime
go to school well-rested. Try to limit
television-watching and computer play to specific periods of time during the
day.
8.
Keep a master calendar.
Keep a large, wall-sized calendar for the household that lists the
family’s commitments, schedules for extracurricular activities, days off from
school, and major events at home and at school.
Note dates when your child has big exams or due dates for projects. This will help family members keep track of
each other’s activities and avoid scheduling conflicts.
9.
Prepare for the day ahead.
Before
your child goes to bed, he should pack schoolwork and books in a book bag. The next day’s clothes should be laid out
with shoes, socks, and accessories. This
will cut down on morning confusion and allow your child to prepare quickly for
the day ahead.
10.
Provide needed support while your child is learning to
become more organized.
Help
your child develop organizational skills by photocopying checklists and
schedules and taping them to the refrigerator.
Gently remind her about filling in calendar dates and keeping papers and
materials organized.
STUDENT DRESS CODE
All students are
expected to give proper attention to personal cleanliness and to dress
appropriately for school and school functions.
Students and their parents have the primary responsibility for
acceptable student dress and appearance.
Teachers and all other district personnel should exemplify and reinforce
acceptable student dress and help students develop an understanding of
appropriate appearance in the school setting.
A student’s
dress, grooming and appearance, including hair style/color, jewelry, make-up
and nails, shall:
1. Be
safe, appropriate and not disrupt or interfere with the educational process.
2. Recognize that
extremely brief garments such as tube tops, net tops, halter
tops,
spaghetti straps, plunging necklines (front and/or back), low cut jeans, mid-riff shirts and see-through garments are
not appropriate.
3. Ensure that underwear is completely covered
with outer clothing and no abdomen/stomach area is showing.
4. Include footwear
at all times. Footwear that is a safety
hazard will not beallowed.
5. Not include the
wearing of hats in school during school hours except for a medical or religious
purpose.
6. Not include items
that are vulgar, obscene, libelous or denigrate others
on account of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, gender, sexual
orientation or disability.
7. Not promote and/or
endorse the use of alcohol, tobacco or illegal drugs and/or encourage other
illegal or violent activities.
8. Not include pierced earrings/jewelry during
physical education classes and all sports activities.
9. Not include articles of clothing deemed
sleepwear/loungewear including pajamas, slippers, nightshirts, etc. unless
approved for a designated school function.
10.Not include wearing their coats during the school day
unless room temperatures warrant it.
Each principal or
his or her designee shall be responsible for informing all students and their
parents of the student dress code at the beginning of the school year and any
revisions to the dress code made during the school year.
Students who
violate the student dress code shall be required to modify their appearance by
covering or removing the offending item and, if necessary or practical,
replacing it with an acceptable item.
Any student who refuses to do so shall be subject to discipline, up to
and including in-school suspension for the day.
Any student who repeatedly fails to comply with the dress code shall be
subject to further discipline, up to and including out of school suspension.
NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY SELECTION
Long Lake Central School participates in the National Honor
Society program sponsored by the National Association of High School
Principals. Following is the selection
criteria and procedures followed at LLCS.
1. A
list of students of grades 10, 11, and 12 is generated by the Guidance Office
after the first and third marking period.
The list contains the names of students who have achieved a cumulative
GPA of 85% or better. An Incomplete on a
report card may jeopardize your eligibility for National Honor Society.
2. Eligible
students are asked to complete a questionnaire by a given due date.
3. The
list of eligible students is presented to the faculty, who may individually
comment in writing on any, all or none of the students. These comment sheets are presented to the NHS
Membership Selection Committee.
4. The
Membership Selection Committee consists of five voting faculty members and a
non-voting advisor. Students are rated
in the areas of Character, Service and Leadership. For consistency, the following definitions
are used:
CHARACTER – Meets responsibilities promptly and thoroughly;
demonstrates integrity and reliability; maintains an attitude of friendliness,
stability and a habit of neatness; is cooperative both in classroom and school
functions; sets a good moral tone by his/her own conduct.
SERVICE – Renders service, great or small, willingly and
responsibly, in and out of school; helps create a desirable climate by his/her
own willingness to support leaders; shows courtesy and thoughtfulness in
assisting visitors, students and teachers.
LEADERSHIP – Demonstrates leadership by inspiring others to
contribute positively to any effort in a class, team, organization or school
activity; carries out tasks undertaken effectively and with a minimum of
direction by concerned adults; exemplifies attitudes and qualities which are a
silent influence on others for good.
The Membership Selection Committee discusses and votes on
each candidate based on the input of all faculty. Voting is done on behalf of the faculty, not
solely on the behalf of the committee members.
The tallies are used by the Committee to determine which eligible
candidates are outstanding in meeting the criteria for Honor Society. It should be remembered that selection for
the National Honor Society is a privilege, not a right. There is no process for disagreement with the
committee’s decision provided for in the Constitution and Bylaws of the
NHS. Students or parents interested in
discussing criteria and selection procedures are encouraged to contact the
Advisor, Victoria Snide.