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Mitchell uses District 11’s Automated Phone Messaging system as one way to keep parents informed about their students’ attendance, academic performance and special events. These phone messages usually start being sent about 6:00 PM. There are three types of calls:

1. Attendance Calls – Every evening after a school day to the home phone of each student by name with one or more unexcused absences that day. If a household has more than one student with an unexcused absence that day, the household will receive calls for each student by name

2. DF Calls – Most Wednesday evenings to the home phone of each student by name with one or more “D” or “F” in their classes. If a household has more than one student with a “D” or an “F”, the household will receive calls for each student by name.

3. Miscellaneous Calls – As needed to households to inform parents of special events such as Open House, Parent Teacher Conferences, Testing, etc. If a household has more than one Mitchell student, the household should receive only one call.

It is possible for more than one type of call to go out on the same evening. For example, a student may get an Attendance Call and a DF Call on the same Wednesday evening. It may even happen that a Miscellaneous Call would go out on a Wednesday evening, too, but this will be kept to an absolute minimum. So, if a household has multiple students receiving multiple calls, there could be several calls during one evening.

The system will attempt to deliver a complete message for each type of call up to three times. To ensure that your household does not get redundant calls, let the message complete before hanging up. If you use an answering machine, eliminate all pauses in your outgoing message to increase the probability that the entire incoming message will be recorded.

If you have questions or concerns about Automated Phone Messages, call Ken Kenney, Data Processing, (719)328-6620 (kenner@d11.org).

IMPORTANT DATES

First Semester

September 3, 2007	Labor Day --Schools Closed
September14, 2007	Professional Development -No Students
October 1, 2007	Official Student Count Day
October 12, 2007	End of 1st Quarter Teacher Work Day --No Students
October 25-26, 2007	Parent/Teacher Conferences --No Students
November 12, 2007	Veterans Day --Schools Closed
November 21-23, 2007	Thanksgiving Break --Schools Closed
December 21, 2007	End of Quarter 2
December 22-January 6, 2008	Winter Break --Schools Closed

Second Semester

January 7, 2008	Students return from Winter Break
January 21, 2008	Martin Luther King Jr. Day --Schools Closed
February 18, 2008	President's Day --Schools Closed
March 7, 2008	End of Quarter 3 / Professional Day - No Students
March 24-28, 2008	Spring Break --Schools Closed
April 25, 2008	Assessment Day - No students
May 9, 2008	Conference Day --No Students
May 20, 2008	Graduation
May 22, 2008	End of Quarter 4
May 23, 2008	No students Teachers Last Day

Student I.D.s and Planners

I.D.s

Every Mitchell student receives an I.D. card free of charge. It is critical that your child wear this card at all times. For our students' safety, we need to be able to verify that all young people in the building are Mitchell students. Replacement cost for I.D. card is $5.00.

Planners

The Student Planner contains all of our rules. The primary purposes of the planner are to encourage your child to plan and be organized by using the planner pages to keep track of assignments and to serve as a hall pass and hall pass record. Please check your child's planner to see what upcoming work may be due. If you want to know how often your child may be leaving class, look at the "hallway passport" pages. In this way, we hope this planner will help you be better informed about your child's days at Mitchell High School. The cost of a Student Planner is $2.00 and can be purchased in the business office.

Immunizations

Please keep an updated and current immunization record or signed exemption waiver on file at Mitchell High School for your student.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment requires the below listed minimum doses and immunizations for all High School students:

4. Five (5) Diphtheria/Pertussis/Tetanus (DPT) Or Four (4) DPT and One (1) Tetanus/Diphtheria (TD)

Withdrawing Students

Notification from a parent, either by calling or writing, is required before we can withdraw a student from school.

YOUR HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR

A counselor is a person who is trained to help students realize their full potential as unique human beings.

The Counseling Staff

The counseling department at Mitchell High serves one-thousand five-hundred students. Students are assigned to a counselor by grade level and will move with that grade each year so the student has the same counselor.

DRESS CODE FOR STUDENTS

It has long been recognized that parents and school personnel have a common interest in the education and physical and moral development of students. Student dress and appearance, along with student conduct, have a definite influence on class discipline and achievement. Because as a school district we want learning environments that are safe and free from disruptions, the following student dress restrictions will be enforced for all students:

· Jogging shorts/running shorts/"cut-off" shorts (or any shorts or other similar article of clothing shorter than mid-thigh)

· Garments (e.g. "midriffs"; halter tops; backless clothing; "tube" tops; garments made of fishnet, mesh, or similar material; tank tops; "muscle" tops; etc.) that inappropriately bare or expose traditionally private parts of the body including, but not limited to, the stomach, buttocks, back and breasts

· Any clothing, paraphernalia, grooming, jewelry, accessories or body adornments that contain advertisement, symbols, words, slogans, patches, or pictures that are sexually suggestive; that are drug, tobacco, or alcohol related; or that are obscene, profane, vulgar, lewd, indecent, or plainly offensive

· Any clothing, paraphernalia, grooming, jewelry, accessories or body adornments that are disruptive or potentially disruptive to the learning environment; that pose a threat or potential threat to the safety or welfare of the student or any other person; or that are or could be considered to be symbols of gang involvement or activity

· Any other similarly inappropriate clothing, accessory, body adornment, etc., or inappropriate grooming or hygiene.

· Student appearance which is considered by school officials to be vulgar, lewd, obscene, profane, indecent, plainly offensive, or in any way related to gang membership or activities, shall not be allowed in or on school or District property or at school-related functions or activities, regardless of where the activity is held or whether the student's appearance causes a substantial disruption or poses a threat to the safety or welfare of the student or other person.

NOTE: the school principal may grant temporary exceptions to this policy for a limited duration for specially designated days or occasions.

Student achievement is our number one goal, and with your help, we can achieve that goal. Part of your role as parents/guardians is to make sure your student comes to school ready to learn. If you will do that, we will make sure he/she attains the literacy and employability skills he/she needs to be a productive worker and successful citizen.

FEES AND COSTS TO STUDENTS

School Lunches

The regular cafeteria meal is $1.05 for breakfast and $1.95 for lunch. Parents may pre-pay for lunches by writing a check to District 11 Food Services or paying cash in advance. Students on free or reduced lunches and those who have prepaid will have the cost of their lunches automatically deducted by scanning their student I.D. cards.

Activity Ticket/Yearbook

An activity ticket may be purchased for $55. This includes home athletic events and the cost of the Yearbook. Yearbooks may be purchased separately for $50. All money transactions at Mitchell take place through the business office.

Data Processing Fees

Data Processing will be charging reprint fees to those students who have lost or are in need of a 2^nd copy of the following:

Athletic Fees

There is a $65 participation fee for each sport. Before an athlete can practice or participate in an interscholastic sport in School District Number Eleven, he/she must fulfill the following:

B. Reduced fees - This category will continue to use the Federal guidelines for "free" or "reduced" lunches, and must be verified by the Business Office.

NOTE: The full fee will be collected until a copy of the approval letter for the National School Lunch Program qualifying you for the reduced or free lunch fee is given to the Business Office. If an additional copy of the letter is required, you can request it by calling 520-2934 and provide the following information:

The letter will be sent directly to you. It is your responsibility to provide it to the school.

If athletes or parents indicate this payment would create a hardship, the fee could be reduced or waived through the appeals procedure.

· If athlete has previously paid two full fees and participates in a third sport, the athlete pays:

· The total amount of athletic fees a family could pay within one school year because of the number of children in the family is called a Family Cap. (Family Cap. per school is $175.00)

If injured prior to the mid-point of the competitive season and remains with the squad without participating.

Before a refund is given, all equipment must be returned to the coach and the Business Office informed of this fact.

It will be the responsibility of the athlete to initiate the refund with the Business Office within 30 days after completion for the season. No refunds will be authorized after that date.

Supplemental Class Materials

Students will be expected to purchase consumable workbook, computer disks, and other materials for some courses. Teachers will inform their students regarding what is required and what is optional.

Activities and Organizations

Air Force JROTC	Electronics (VICA)
Auto Club	Science
Japanese Club	Engineering Club
Band	Spanish Club
MESA	FBLA
Chess Club	Yearbook
National Honor Society	Forensics
Cheerleaders	Video Production Club
Newspaper (Echelon)	French Club
Choir	Literary Guild
Photography	(Empyrean)
DECA	German Club
Drill Team	Industrial Wood (VICA)
Russian Club

Attendance

ATTENDANCE OFFICE: 328-6613 OR 328-6414

1. Call in excused absences to the Attendance Office as soon as possible but not more than 48 hours after the absence. Please state the reason for the absence. Calls can be taken day or night.

2. If daily attendance phone calls are impossible to make, contact the appropriate assistant principal within 48 hours of the absence to make other arrangements. Absences not cleared within 48 hours will be listed as truancies.

3. Monitor attendance by using Parent Connect, asking for progress reports, contacting counselors with concerns, and being aware of calls from school reporting absences.

4. Parents are to designate a responsible adult guardian to excuse their students while they are out of town.

The following should be remembered and will be enforced by the school should it become necessary:

· Colorado statute 22-33-104-Compulsory School Attendance Law states in part that "children attaining the age of seven and not having attained the age of 16 shall attend school."

· Colorado School Districts, including School District #11, have the duty and responsibility to enforce the Colorado attendance laws wherever it applies.

Consequences include, but are not limited to, detention within and outside of the school day, suspension from school, referral to the Attendance and Discipline Office for referral to El Paso County Court System.

· Students who are temporarily ill or whose absence has been approved by school administration through the school attendance office.

· Students who are absent for an extended period of time due to physical, mental or emotional disabilities.

· Students who have been suspended, expelled, or otherwise been denied admission for a specific offense. If, in fact, a student has been expelled for the remainder of a school year, the parent is responsible for keeping the child in accordance with the compulsory school attendance law.

The following are examples of absences NOT-RECOGNIZED by Mitchell High School:

Prearranged Absences

Parents must notify the school to prearrange an absence of THREE or MORE consecutive days. Make-up for an excused prearranged absence should be done prior to the absence. Requests for prearranged absences must be made in writing at least FIVE DAYS prior to the absence to allow time for assignments to be made and completed. The principal may authorize exceptions in the case of an emergency such as death or severe illness in the family. Students must report to the assistant principal with a written parental request at least FIVE DAYS in advance of the absence. The student must take the form to his/her teachers for their written comments and then return the completed form to the assistant principal at the end of the day. In the event the teacher's comments indicate the absence will place a student's grade in jeopardy, a copy of the completed prearranged absence form will be given to the student for his/her parent/guardian to make a final decision as to the student's missing school.

Please help us to help keep your student in class and on track to successful completion of his/her high school career. The school and parents working together can keep students on the successful path to graduation.

Parent Connect

Parents, stay informed!

District 11 will again be offering the Parent Connect Internet program for this school year. Parents are able to access their student's attendance, grades and assignments via the Internet. This is a valuable tool for parents who wish to monitor their student's school day.

Once you have been assigned your PIN and password, you may log onto Parent Connect from any computer to check on a variety of aspects of your student's education. PIN and passwords do not change from year to year.

If parents do not have access to a computer at home or at work, the following options are available:

· Mitchell has a computer at the school for your use during regular school hours.

· The Holley Branch Library has twelve (12) computers that are FREE for public use.

Instructions

Step 2:Select the "Parent Connect" icon in the lower middle of the CSSD11 home page.

Student Connect

Students can access their school records from any school computer this year in a program called Student Connect. You can find info on school news, your schedule, attendance, progress and report card grades, assignments and your transcript. Incoming freshman will be given instructions and their confidential pin and password at the beginning of the school year.

HOW TO HELP YOUR STUDENT BE SUCCESSFUL IN SCHOOL

General tips:

· Asking questions about classes and activities. Don't accept an "oh, nothing" answer.

2. Realize there are two sides to every story. When you have serious questions or concerns do not hesitate to call the teacher, counselor, or appropriate administrator. If necessary, a conference including all concerned can be set up to resolve the problem.

3. Work with your student and counselor to see that a four-year plan is in place to insure the proper courses are taken which will give plenty of options upon graduation. Mitchell High School has a wide variety of courses and activities available to all students; unfortunately, many students do not take advantage of these opportunities.

4. Insist on daily study outside of school. Even if the student claims to have completed homework in study hall, reviewing, reading, etc., can always help. TV time should be limited and a quiet place provided for study.

SUBSCRIBER SERVICE

FOR GRADES AND ATTENDANCE

We believe communication is one of the keys to student's success. One way Mitchell High School can increase communication with parents is through our Subscriber Service. The Subscriber Service is an additional way to better inform you of your student's progress. For an annual non-refundable fee of $10.00 per family, we will send the following information to your designated address.

Important Phone Numbers

School Office Hours: 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.