Student Handbook Highlights

Greetings Patriot Family,
I am looking forward to another great year as the principal of Washington High School. At the start of each year, the excitement of meeting new students, seeing how returning students have changed over the summer, getting to know our new staff, and looking forward to learning and growing together occupies the majority of my thoughts. We are returning to “normal” little by little each year, and I can’t wait to experience so many of those things we used to take for granted with all of you; school-wide pep assemblies, the cafeteria salad bar, Homecoming! As more and more students come to school without masks on, we’ll get used to seeing each other’s faces and smiling as we greet each other in passing. Our ninth graders will quickly become high school students, participating in our clubs, sports, and extra-curricular activities while taking advanced courses that will help them decide what they like to do and what they want to be when they grow up. They’ll learn what it means to be part of the Patriot family and what pride in yourself, your school, and your community is all about. Our 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students will continue to build their legacies as they establish themselves as learners, leaders, and agents of positive change. The sky’s the limit this school year, and I can’t wait to get after it with you all.

Sincerely,
Brent Whitemarsh

AP testing is required in all AP courses.

 

ATTENDANCE
Washington High School will accept parent/guardian phone calls for student absences.

Parent(s)/Guardian(s) who contact the school by phone on the day(s) of student’s absence will not be required to submit a note upon student’s return to school.

If parent(s)/guardian(s) writes a note to notify the school of student’s absence(s), this note should be submitted on the day of student’s return to school to have the absence not be classified as unexcused/truant absence.

Notes must contain the date(s) of absence, reason for absence, signature of the parent/guardian and a telephone number where the parent/guardian can be contacted.

REQUEST TO BE ABSENT (SCHOOL SPONSORED EVENTS)
Extra-Curricular Activities: club or after school trips

• Requires Planned Absence Form for each student attending the activity. Forms must be returned to the Attendance Office prior to the event. If forms are not received prior, the absences will not be excused as school related. Please communicate this to the students attending the activity.
• Teacher/advisor will need to provide the Attendance Office with a list of students attending before the trip.

Academic/Athletic Activities

Please check with your teacher/advisor if this is an extra-curricular activity field trip.
You will need to provide the Attendance Office with a list of students attending the event.

PLANNED ABSENCES:
• During the planning for a pre-arranged absence, parents and students should understand that teachers cannot possibly, in all cases, pre-teach the lessons nor provide make-up assignments to cover all the material that will be missed. However, occasions arise where extended absences are necessary. When this occurs, teachers will do their best to provide accommodations.
• Washington High School strongly discourages students taking extended vacations during the semester or leaving school prior to the normal closing date. Students missing class lose essential instruction and place increased demands on classroom teachers in the areas of record keeping and administering make-up work.
• In order that students and parents may not be misled and suffer possible disappointment, it must be clearly understood that:
• A letter of request outlining reasons for the absence, expected duration and departure date, must be written and turned in to the Attendance Office. Official documentation will be required for any absences exceeding three consecutive days.
• A “REQUEST TO BE ABSENT” form will be issued from the Attendance Office to be presented by the student to his/her teachers at least three days before the absence.
• Teachers have been asked to outline to the student possible consequences that could result from the extended absence and alternatives that would help minimize the potential harm to the student’s final grade. An indication of willingness on the part of the teacher to assist the student is not to be construed as a promise that the student will receive full credit. The responsibility for completion of all make-up requirements rests with the student.
• Final clearance must be completed in the office by returning the completed “REQUEST TO BE ABSENT” form to the Attendance Office.
• Pre-arranged absences will be classified as an absence (except for school sponsored events).
• To protect the integrity of cumulative final exams, students may not be allowed to take final exams early.

• The school principal (or designee) has the authority to determine if an absence meets the criteria for an excused absence. (FPSD Policy 3122 and 3122 P).
WAC 392-121-108 states if a student is absent for more than 20 consecutive school days, they must be unenrolled by the school, unless (a) a written agreement between the school and parent/guardian deems the absence will not cause a serious adverse effect upon the student’s educational progress, or (b) the student is receiving home and/or hospital services.

TRUANCY:
Students shall be expected to be in school each day except in the case of personal illness. (See Policy 3122 and Procedure 3122P.) Students are considered truant when they are:
• Absent from school or class without the knowledge and consent of the parent(s) or guardians.
• Absent from the school or class once arriving on the campus without the knowledge and consent of school administrators

EARLY DISMISSAL:
• If a student must leave school prior to the end of the school day, he/she is to check into the Attendance Office before school and get an early dismissal slip.
• The student should bring a note from a parent or guardian stating the reason for the early dismissal. Notes must contain the date, reason for absence, signature of the parent/guardian and a telephone number where the parent/guardian can be contacted. Notes written in pencil will not be accepted because pencil writing fades over time.
• Students are required to check out with the Attendance Office immediately before leaving campus. Failure to do so will automatically convert the absence to unexcused/truant.
• Washington High School is a CLOSED campus: students leaving campus without approval from the Attendance Office will be considered unexcused/truant.

LATE ARRIVAL/EARLY DISMISSAL (PERMANENT):
• Students who are needed by their parents or employer during school hours on a regular basis can apply for a permanent late arrival or early dismissal for the school year.
• This privilege is permitted to those students who are progressing satisfactorily toward graduation and who have a parent permission slip on file in the student’s cumulative records folder located in the counseling center.
• Students requesting a permanent late arrival or early dismissal can get the permission slip from their counselor.
• It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of schedule changes that will change arrival time on campus.
• Students are not to be on campus until their first classes begins and or must leave after their last class.
• Students who abuse this privilege by loitering around campus will have it revoked.

TARDIES:
A student is tardy to class when they arrive to class after the scheduled start time. Students are considered tardy after the final bell rings to start each period and the student is not in the classroom. Teachers will close the door to the classroom at the end of the final bell ringing. Tardy students are to report to the main office or library kiosk or be escorted by teachers/administrators and delivered there. Once a student receives a ticket/pass, students are to return to their class promptly. If a student takes more than four (4) minutes after their tardy is processed to return to class, it is considered an “elopement” from class. All tardies will be monitored by the attendance office and will not be excused without third party documentation (staff member, doctor, or dentist), including first period.

v

*DRESS AND APPEARANCE (Disruptive Conduct)
Students are to observe modesty, appropriateness, and neatness in clothing and personal appearance. Students may express individuality in their dress and grooming within reasonable bounds. Students are not appropriately dressed or groomed if their appearance causes a disruptive influence either to themselves or to others while in the pursuit of the educational process, or if their appearance presents a health or safety problem.

Social or secret clubs and/or gangs are prohibited in Franklin Pierce Schools. In keeping with this policy, students shall not be permitted to wear clothing, insignia or markings that identify them as members of such organizations, or any combination of apparel that law enforcement agencies currently consider to be gang related (which is subject to change).

Students are not permitted to wear clothes, belts, hats, pins, buttons, patches, other insignia, or any other article of clothing that is profane, lewd, or would cause disruption or interference with school operation. Students are not allowed to wear clothing displaying the confederate flag, Nazi swastika, or any symbols or language that may be considered to negatively target other individuals or groups.

Students are not allowed to wear clothes, belts, hats, pins, patches, buttons or any other article of clothing that advertises alcohol, tobacco products, weapons and/or illegal drugs.
Students shall not wear anything that bares or exposes underwear/bra, buttocks, breasts, or other private parts.

Students shall be required to wear shoes, except as specified in certain school activities.
Teachers have the right to establish specific dress expectations during class time (i.e., hats, hoods, sunglasses, etc.).

Students are not allowed to wear or display traditional paisley printed bandanas (of any color) to school or to any school event. Acceptable dress and appearance for students is that which does not endanger their health or safety, is not offensive to others, and is not disruptive or detrimental to the educational process.

Students not complying with the above standards of dress and appearance will be asked to change clothes or remain the in the office for the remainder of the school day or shall be sent home from school until the matter is corrected. School discipline will apply to repeat offenders (see Consequence chart for more details). The decision to send a pupil home for such reasons will be made by the principal, assistant principal, or designee.

Grading Requirements (Credit)

Class of 2023 and 2024

English 4.0	Mathematics     3.0
Social Studies    3.0	Science (2.0 lab science req.)    3.0
Physical Education        1.5	Health    .5
Career & Technical        1.0	Fine Arts 2.0 or 1.0 Fine Arts & 1.0 Personal Pathway
Electives             4.0	World Language or Personal Pathway  2.0
	Total Number of Credits for Graduation = 24.0

Class of 2025

English 4.0	Mathematics     3.0
Social Studies    3.0	Science (2.0 lab science req.)    3.0
Physical Education        1.5	Health    .5
Career & Technical        1.0	Fine Arts 2.0 or 1.0 Fine Arts & 1.0 Personal Pathway
Electives             8.0	World Language or Personal Pathway  2.0
	Total Number of Credits for Graduation = 28.0

Class of 2026 and beyond

English 4.0	Mathematics     3.0
Social Studies    3.0	Science (2.0 lab science req.)    3.0
Physical Education        1.5	Health    .5
Career & Technical        1.0	Fine Arts 2.0 or 1.0 Fine Arts & 1.0 Personal Pathway
Electives             10.0	World Language or Personal Pathway  2.0
	Total Number of Credits for Graduation = 30.0

 

TE*	Skyward Marks
4	Teachers use the FPS TeacherEase-to-Skyward conversion chart to assign a letter grade of C- or higher to the student.
3
2
INC+	An INC+ is defined as an overall course grade of 2.0 or higher in TeacherEase, but with one or two standards below a 2 (approaching standard). Teacher may award credit with a letter grade of C- or higher where gaps contributing to the INC+ grade are not in critical standards or areas impactful to students’ progression in coursework, OR Teacher assigns a NC, signaling the opportunity for the student to participate in Extended Semester opportunities (up to 5 weeks) to demonstrate proficiency by targeting learning of critical standards, important to ongoing progression of learning in the content area.	At the close of Extended Semester (5 weeks), NC mark is converted to an F or a passing letter grade of C- or higher based on student evidence of learning.
INC	Student assigned a grade of F, communicating clearly the student is not earning credit. Students may retake the course or participate in a targeted credit retrieval opportunity, if available.

 

Grading Report:

1st Quarter:       November 4, 2022

1st Semester     January 25, 2023

3rd Quarter       April 7, 2023

2nd Semester   June 22, 2023

Grades and Grade Points:

                A             4.0          B+           3.3          B-            2.7          C             2.0          NC              0.0

                A-            3.7          B             3.0          C+           2.3          C-            1.7         

Grading and Withdrawal from a Class: If a student is earning an "NC" grade and withdraws from a course after the first twelve days of the semester, it will result in a grade of "NC" and will not be calculated into the cumulative GPA. We will also be calculating partial credit for students leaving our school who were passing their classes at the time of their withdrawal.

Grades from off Campus Programs: Grades issued through institutions not on the campus of Washington High School will be included on Washington High School transcripts and calculated into the GPA of students enrolled in these institutions. These institutions include but are not limited to Running Start, high school completion, vocational classes, and correspondence courses.

Online Grades: By going to  https://washington.fpschools.org/ and selecting the “Student Services” tab, students and parents can access our online gradebook TeacherEase.

Retaking a Failed Class: The transcript of a student who retakes and passes a previously failed class will include the "NC" grade as well as the new passing grade. Only the new passing grade will be calculated into the cumulative GPA.

Retaking a Passed Class: A student may choose to retake a class that was passed once before. Both grades will be included in the student's transcript and the second class will be counted as a credit attempted, but not as a credit earned.

Transfer Student Grades: When a student transfers in after the first twelve days of a semester, the counseling center will distribute that student's withdrawal grades to the new teachers as soon as they are available from the previous school.  Students who transfer in with a letter grade and no percentage will be assigned a percentage for the work the student missed in the class prior to enrolling. Percentages will be assigned as follows for withdrawal grades with no percentage:

NC= 50%, D = 65%, C = 75%, B = 85% A = 95%

Mastery/Competency-Based Credits

Students may obtain mastery-based credit in the content areas of the Arts, English Language Arts, Mathematics, Health and Physical Education, Science, Social Studies, and World Language in accordance with Board Policies 2402 – 2409.

AP COURSES/TESTING:

AP testing is required in all AP courses.

 

Contact Jena Lefebvre at (253)298-4750 or by email at jlefebvre@fpschools.org for:

• Login - Password Reset
• New Student – Device/Charger Checkout
• Connectivity (or battery/power) Troubleshooting - Laptop Update (or exchange device) 
• Home Internet Connection Need – Hotspot Request/Fulfillment/Checkout
• Withdrawn Students – Device Returns
• Loaner Laptop for students who left theirs at home

For other tech issues, call the IT Help Desk at 253.98.4647.

We encourage parents and students to take advantage of the many communication methods available to learn about upcoming events.

·         Social Media

·         Translation Options

·         Website

·         Newsletter (posted on website)

·         Skyward Family Access

·         School Messenger (automated phone calls/emails)

·         TeacherEase (Get information from website or direct to website)

Note: If you need to update or add your email to your Skyward account so that you can access TeacherEase, or if you need to update your primary telephone number to receive autodialer messages, etc., please email our registrar, Bonnie Wiklund, at bwiklund@fpschools.org with the following information: your name, the information you wish to update, the names of all your students who attend WHS, and each of their birthdates. Please include a phone number where you can be reached as well, in case Ms. Wiklund has questions or needs additional information.

Staff Contact Information

• The Main Office and Counseling Center hours are 7:00 AM to 2:30 PM, Monday-Friday.
• Only 1 family (max 5 at a time) can enter the counseling center or the main office at a time.
• We will check visitor health (ask if you have a cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, muscle pain,       headache, sore throat, or loss of taste or smell).
• All visitors and students must wear a mask on campus.
• Children under 2 should not wear face coverings.
• Children 2-4 are encouraged to wear face coverings with adult supervision.
• Restrooms are closed to visitors.
• For closure information, please see the 2021-22 Academic Calendar.