CLARKSVILLE ACADEMY EST. 1970
BLUEPRINT 19/20 Student and Parent Handbook
Table of
contents GENERAL TOPICS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Yearly School Calendar School History & Profile Mission, Philosophy & Objectives Governing Bodies Admissions & Re-enrollment Campus Pedestrian/Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations Drop Off & Pick Up Van & Bus Policies Health Services Inclement Weather Procedure Emergency Preparedness Visitors Attendance & Sign Out Procedure Books Homework Lost & Found Parent Volunteers Publications Respect for Property Summer Reading Technology Dress Code
LOWER SCHOOL
INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL/ UPPER SCHOOL
ADDITIONAL TOPICS • • •
Business Office – Tuition Cafeteria Alma Mater & Fight Song
Clarksville Academy 2019-2020 School Calendar *Dates are subject to change August 7-9
Teacher In-Service, Students Do Not Report
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August 12
1st Day of School/Half Day for Pre-K & KDG ONLY
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September 2
Labor Day – No School
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October 11
End of GP1
___________________________________________________________________________________________ October 14-18 Fall Break – No School ___________________________________________________________________________________________
October 25
No School for Lower School Parent/Teacher Conference Day
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November 11
No School in Honor of Veterans Day
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November 27-29
Thanksgiving Break – No School
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December 13
End of GP2
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December 16
Exam Review Day
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December 17-19
Exams (6th – 12th )
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December 18
Lower School Christmas Program*Following Dismissal of 6-12th Grade Students
___________________________________________________________________________________________ December 19 Last Day of Exams – No School for LS Students ___________________________________________________________________________________________
December 20 – January 5
Christmas Break – No School
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January 6
Return to School
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January 17
Half Day for Students/Teacher In-Service
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January 20
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – No School
___________________________________________________________________________________________ February 7
No School for Lower School Parent/Teacher Conference Day ___________________________________________________________________________________________
February 14-17
Winter Break/Presidents’ Day – No School
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March 6
End of GP3
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March 23- March 27
Spring Break – No School
___________________________________________________________________________________________ April 10-13 Easter Break – No School ___________________________________________________________________________________________
May 15
End of GP4
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May 15
Exam Review Day
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May 18-20
Exams (6th – 12th )
___________________________________________________________________________________________ May 20 Last Day for Lower School Students – Half Day ___________________________________________________________________________________________
May 20
Graduation/6:00 P.M. at APSU Dunn Center
SCHOOL HISTORY On November 23, 1969, a group of approximately forty parents met to discuss the possibility of forming an independent school in the Clarksville area. Criteria developed from their discussion included: (1) low teacher-student ratio (2) well-qualified teachers and (3) a Headmaster dedicated to the education and training of children. A second meeting was held on December 2, 1969, at the CEMC auditorium at which time Floyd L. Brown was elected to serve as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. The Charter of Incorporation, dated February 16, 1970, and recorded February 20, 1970, in Official Record Book Volume No. 99, Page 32, was presented at a meeting of the Incorporators of Clarksville Academy on March 3, 1970. At this meeting, the following Incorporators were elected Directors of the Corporation to be known as Trustees of Clarksville Academy: William J. Berry, A.R. Boyd, Floyd L. Brown, Bonnie T. Cain, Ray Darnell, Charles E. Foust, Wade Hadley, Dorothy C. Martin, Elwyn T. Patch, John H. Peay, Marvin M. Provo, Frank J. Runyon, Troy A. Walker, and Robert R. Welch. On May 19, 1970, Mr. K. L. Barton was introduced as the Academy’s first Headmaster. The site chosen for the school was 710 North Second Street. Clarksville Academy opened the doors on August 31, 1970, for classes in grades one through nine, with one additional grade to be added each year until twelve grades were completed. On May 30, 1974, the first class of fifteen seniors graduated, with families and friends gathered in the newly completed Activities Center. In January 1982, the historic old main building suffered major damage. Plans were finalized for the construction of a new building on the site of the old main building. In March of 1983, the new building was completed and occupied. In addition to Mr. Barton, the following have served as Headmasters of Clarksville Academy: 1976-1978 Mr. Wayne Este 1979-1989 Dr. Charles Smith 1989-2000 Mr. Johnny Miller 2000-2003 Mr. Jeffrey Hill 2003-2018 Dr. Kay Drew Current - Mrs. Jennifer Hinote
SCHOOL PROFILE For over five decades, Clarksville Academy has stood on the basis of five core values— scholarship, honor, character, respect, and success. Today the school’s faculty and staff continue the dedication of the founders instilling the virtues of academic excellence, athletic achievement, and civic responsibility into each and every one of her students. Though the depth of vision and character found at Clarksville Academy may be difficult to express in words, it is immediately felt from your first moments on our campus. Walk the wooded grounds and you’ll find the atmosphere here to be more of a university style, almost like a small college campus. The feel is quite reminiscent of a quaint village or a locale out of Dickens! Take in the vibrancy and diversity of our student body. With our close proximity to Austin Peay State University and Fort Campbell, a number of our students come from varied backgrounds, lending to Clarksville Academy’s unique blend of students from all parts of the country. Deciding which school is best for your child is very important to his or her future success because we know a great education can change a life. See for yourself why our challenging, encouraging atmosphere and the safe environment and grounds make Clarksville Academy an excellent choice for you and your college-bound student. Situated near the Cumberland River in downtown Clarksville, 45 minutes northwest of Nashville, Clarksville Academy boasts the most comprehensive college-preparatory program in the Clarksville-Montgomery County area. You will find that Clarksville Academy is not a common single-building school. More of a miniuniversity, the campus is a distinctive mix of nine freestanding structures. In addition to the Main and Administrative Buildings, you will discover Clarksville Academy’s Activities Center, and CA’s academic building adjacent to Cumberland Terrace and facing North Second Street. The Brenda Stone Fine Arts Building is housed in the Emerald Hill Historic Building, and the Pre-K reside in converted homes. Clarksville Academy continues campus updates and renovations to support our growth within our school community. Clarksville Academy is the oldest and largest private school in the Clarksville area to encompass Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade. Clarksville Academy is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In addition, CA holds membership in the Tennessee Association of Independent Schools. Our membership in the TSSAA athletic association means that our student athletes compete in sports programs governed by TSSAA rules, guidelines, and regulations. Over 500 students attend Clarksville Academy. Clarksville Academy’s class size averages 18 students. Every graduating student from the Classes of 2007 through 2019 attained college
acceptance with each one being awarded a scholarship. The Class of 2019 reached over $9.2 million in scholarships. In 2007, Clarksville Academy opened the CA Sports Complex, a multi-field facility for student athletics, outdoor events, and recreation. Settled on 31 acres overlooking the Cumberland River, the ongoing project currently boasts five fields—the Wes Smith Baseball Field, the Simpson Football Field, the Winn Soccer Field, the Burchett Softball Field, and the Marisa Maples Hood Memorial Practice Field. A 2400 square foot indoor pitching and hitting facility, named in memory of Angela Jameson Mace was added in 2011 next to Wes Smith Field. Academics Our broad curriculum combines sound teaching and theory with practical, hands-on experience. All levels of sciences and mathematics are reinforced with labs in which students apply their newly acquired skills. Instead of relying upon tedious lectures and unimaginative reading assignments, our students take their learned knowledge into the lab, thereby increasing their retention of that learned skill. Traditional core courses such as mathematics, English, science, and history take on new dimensions with the addition of critical writing analysis and technology skills essential for the modern student. Recognizing that the world is growing ever smaller, we introduce students to foreign languages from the earliest grades, even in Pre-K. We focus on the interaction between nations and building a strong grasp of the language. Students who are particularly interested may elect to travel to other countries with the Upper School’s world language program. Enrichment classes and electives such as Studio Art, Piano Lab, and Choir broaden students’ range, encouraging them to discover and develop their individual strengths and talents. In addition, students may earn Advanced-Placement and college credits in a wealth of subjects from U.S. History, and Calculus to Anatomy, Animal Science, and Physics. Students may also elect to enroll in dual enrollment classes for college credit in the subjects of English, math, and science. Technology is at the forefront of education at Clarksville Academy. Lower School students utilize iPad minis, while Intermediate School students are issued the most current iPads, and all Upper School students receive a MacBook for use in and out of the classroom. Technology is incorporated in the classroom learning with the use of apps, online research, and digital texts while utilizing Google Classroom, email, and iCal to help students stay organized and on task. Lower School students experience weekly enrichments in art, music, science, and foreign language. Each class is structured to reinforce what is happening in their individual
homerooms. Physical Education is a daily class at Clarksville Academy and one we feel is an important part of the student’s day. Students in grades 2-3 also experience a time with the Head of Lower School during an outside of the box learning in Math Lab. In 2014-2015, Clarksville Academy introduced Focus Upon Student Excellence (FUSE) to 4th and 5th grade students. This program offers students the opportunity to change classes for the following: Social Studies & Writing, Language Arts & Reading, Science & Science Lab, as well as, Math & Math Lab. Students continue to take part in weekly enrichment classes including Art, Music & foreign language. They also continue to have daily Physical Education classes. FUSE is an opportunity for students to learn organization and time management while also finding a passion for their studies. Athletics and the Arts As growing students develop their minds through academic rigors, they must develop physically with challenging and motivating physical pursuits. Activities for children in the Lower School include extracurricular and after-school activities such as junior cheerleading, dance, Art Club, Handwriting, Children's Choir, and our extended care program. As students grow and transition into the Intermediate and Upper Schools, students may elect to participate in team sports including basketball, football, volleyball, and soccer which foster cooperation and the building of leadership skills. More independent sports—such as tennis, golf, and bowling—encourage healthy competition and strengthen self-esteem. Artistic endeavors for students in the Intermediate and Upper Schools include drama, art, dance, and choral music. Additional activities include publications, community service, and membership in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Interact Club, Key Club, and many more. Community Service All of our students participate in community service. We help not only locally, but all across the globe. Many Clarksville Academy clubs and organizations perform community service on a regular basis. This includes both Intermediate School and Upper School. Our Fellowship of Christian Athletes members serve others in helping the homeless, our deployed military units, and local nursing home residents. Our Builders Club helps those less fortunate by sponsoring Salvation Army gift drives and other worthwhile organizations. Annually, our Key Club service projects help with Reading Glasses Drive, Ronald McDonald House, Salvation Army Bell Ringing, Canned Food Drive, and LBL Clean-up.
INTRODUCTION OF S C H O O L S
Through the grade levels at Clarksville Academy, each successive year builds upon the prior one. Students agree that their transition to college feels more like a change of scenery than a vast adjustment to their curriculum and lifestyle. Our attentive faculty strives to discover your child’s unique passion. Like malleable clay, each student has great potential to be molded and groomed. As they are shaped according to their own aspirations, we watch their talents solidify and their confidence rise. As their abilities grow, we then send them off to college in the direction they desire. We understand how students progressively develop through yearly experiences, and we want to nurture their passions helping them to pursue the best college path. Clarksville Academy is committed to cultivating your student mentally, physically, emotionally, and socially through the 14 years from Pre-Kindergarten to 12th grade. Likewise, if you are new to CA, we welcome your child to begin his or her journey with us at any point in between. Pre-Kindergarten Clarksville Academy’s talented and nurturing Pre-K instructors encourage each child to learn at a pace that is appropriate for his or her individual developmental level. Designed to help each child achieve his or her highest potential, the Pre-K program focuses on the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development needed to successfully transition into Kindergarten. We recognize that a student’s initial experience with education is vital to how he or she perceives learning from an early age and throughout high school and beyond. Our program introduces the children to academics, socialization, and the foundations of learning while also recognizing the importance of exposure to arts, languages, technology, health, and nutrition at this early age. Kindergarten The eager young minds of our Kindergarteners feed on an educational diet rich in handson activities and age-appropriate concepts. Science-based topics draw the children in, taking advantage of their natural curiosity about the world. From reading readiness and
mathematics to earth science, technology, and citizenship, our Kindergarten teachers introduce these burgeoning intellectuals to a variety of scholarly concepts all at a level suitable for this significant stage of development. A unique aspect of our Kindergarten program is that we also stress interaction between the young students and exemplary role models among the older students. When the Kindergarten students buddy with the seniors, that relationship can have an immense impact on the life of a 5- or 6-year-old that a traditional classroom setting cannot. Lifelong bonds form early on as the Kindergarteners learn from their Senior Buddies the proper ways of expressing themselves and how to conduct themselves as they grow. Lower School, Grades PK-3 Students in the Lower School learn within the stability of a traditional structure with the fundamentals of reading and mathematics being enhanced by language arts, social studies, science, and health. Specialized educators instruct the students in topics such as art, music, as well as foreign language, physical education, and science and math labs. With an interactive 1:1 technology in every Lower School classroom, students are immersed in technology so that it becomes second nature to them. A teacher can capture a learning moment at the peak of a student’s curiosity. When a child asks a question, the teacher can have the student immediately conduct research on their iPad minis. The students learn to use technology in a safe environment, and they discover that there are more ways to find an answer than in the pages of a traditional book. Physical Education is an important part of a student’s daily lives. Every student in Lower School has an organized Physical Education class daily in grades Kindergarten - fifth. Pre-K students attend Physical Education twice a week. Within this class, students learn fundamentals of many sports, the proper way to exercise and the importance of taking care of both their mind and body. Small class sizes ensure that students receive the individual attention needed to meet their individual needs. These young scholars develop sound study habits, skills, and attitudes as they prepare to advance to the Intermediate School. Annual field trips augment the curriculum by providing off-campus experiences within a solid learning context. Lower School, Grades 4/5 FUSE Focus Upon Student Excellence (FUSE) will provide 4th and 5th grade students the opportunity to experience a taste of Intermediate School while still under the attentive eye of Lower School teachers. Teachers have found that this age group is ready for more responsibility and to experience a rotational class schedule. Teachers have selected areas of study that they are passionate about in order to pass on their excitement to their students. Students will change classes for subjects including Social Studies & Writing, Language Arts & Reading, Science & Science Lab as well as Math & Math Lab. Students will continue to take part in weekly
enrichment classes including Art, Music & Foreign Language. They will continue to have daily Physical Education classes. FUSE is an opportunity for students to learn to organize and manage their time while also finding a passion for their studies. Intermediate School, Grades 6-8 As students enter Grade 6, they continue the same departmentalized structure introduced in the FUSE program. Our Intermediate students enjoy the chance to develop their individual sense of identity, confidence and leadership capabilities within our rigorous, college preparatory curriculum. Our college prep curriculum consists of a blend of innovative core and elective courses and is built to foster learning through active learning experiences and encourages students to become increasingly independent learners. Additionally, our outstanding Intermediate School educators specialize in middle grades education. They are passionate about their content areas and they are experts in supporting students through the ever-changing cognitive, physical, and personal growth that characterizes the Intermediate School years. The core curriculum consists of Math, History, English, Science, Physical Education, and one elective course (6th & 7th grades). The elective course, one per semester, allows a student to experience two of the following: introductory world languages, health, drama, art, musical theatre, choir, digital keyboarding, personal finance, or civics. Beginning in 2012, Intermediate School students received an iPad 3 to utilize as a resource for class assignments and other curricular learning tasks. Many classroom activities and tasks are paperless with assignments often being turned in electronically. Upper School, Grades 9-12 As students advance to the Upper School, they transition to a college-preparatory curriculum within a fully departmentalized framework. All Upper School students are issued a MacBook for use in all their courses. Students regularly use digital resources, electronic assignments, and online research. This is just another step toward preparing them for college and the world beyond. All classes are Honors/AP (advanced placement/dual) courses allowing teachers to accomplish a higher level of instruction and benefitting students by surrounding them with others reaching for the same goals. The teachers are masters in their subjects, which allows them to teach with an even greater degree of expertise. Clarksville Academy’s AP courses include: Language & Composition, Literature & Composition, Calculus, U.S. History, Physics, and Biology. Extra-curricular endeavors include Science, Math, and Foreign Language competitions. 0
Dual Enrollment courses are also available for juniors/seniors in the areas of math, science & English Composition. These courses allow students to meet the needs of both their high school class and receive college credit. Our school community of motivated peers and outstanding mentors promotes self-confidence as we encourage students to live a life of leadership, community service, and character. Counselors maintain contact throughout the year with students beginning with our 8th graders and continue this process throughout their high school career. Our goal is to prepare students for college and that begins long before the senior year. Counselors maintain frequent contact with senior-level students helping them to select colleges, search for scholarships, and navigate the application process. Clarksville Academy has prepared young students for the nation’s top colleges and the world beyond. Faculty Of Clarksville Academy’s faculty members, over 50% hold a Master’s degree or are in the process of earning one. Our campus is filled with instructors who devote themselves to the needs of the students. It is not unusual for a student to have a teacher who is also his or her coach. Our faculty has the ability to influence and assist our students daily. This unique and valuable interaction between students and teachers not only makes students feel more comfortable in the academic setting, but it leads to a deeper level of engagement and learning. Our highly trained educators bolster student participation and confidence by communicating openly and regularly with parents often on a weekly basis. The teachers keep parents informed by utilizing PowerSchool—a website on which parents may log in at any time to review their child’s current grades. Successful Alumni Historically, Clarksville Academy graduates have gone on to college—a fact that has held true since the doors first opened in 1970. In fact, the last few graduating classes have not only had every student go on to college, but every student has received a scholarship! CA graduates have been accepted to numerous institutions including: Yale, Emory, Wake Forest, United States Air Force Academy, West Point Military Academy, Rhodes, Vanderbilt, Baylor, Georgia Tech, Berkeley, The Citadel, and Elon to name a few. Many students are able to fund their foray into higher education by earning academic and leadership scholarships, including the prestigious National Merit Scholarship. The Class of 2019 received scholarships totaling over $9.2 million!
MISSION, PHILOSOPHY, & OBJECTIVES A tradition of excellence... A devotion to students and a love of learning - these characteristics exemplify the CA experience. As you have seen in these pages, everything we do is focused toward helping students to grow and mature into confident, independent young men and women who are civic-minded, family-oriented citizens with deeply held morals and intellectual fortitude. Our hope is that the information provided here has given you a better understanding of how our in-depth curriculum, character-building extracurricular activities, and the deep commitment of our faculty will help prepare your student for his or her collegiate future. We are honored to partner with you and your family to provide a warm, engaging atmosphere where your child can develop his or her own love of learning. Thank you for sharing your child with us and for letting Clarksville Academy offer your child an education that will guide them through their lifelong journey.
Photo Credit: Miles Rinehart (12th)
PHILOSOPHY The philosophy of Clarksville Academy is that of a non-discriminatory school that stresses academic excellence, appropriate discipline, ethical standards, continuous learning, and respect for others and their property. This philosophy encompasses the intellectual, social, emotional, character, and physical development of students. The philosophy of Clarksville Academy has remained basically consistent since its inception and can be summarized by the following statements of belief: • Since education in a democracy should be primarily an individual instead of a mass process, basic understandings, knowledge, skills, and appreciations should be attained by each person to the highest level of his/her potential. • The school should familiarize students with their American heritage in order that they may become more aware of their rights and responsibilities as citizens in a democratic society. • Since every area of human knowledge has significant contributions to make toward each student’s intellectual growth, students should participate in learning activities in areas of the humanities, technology, mathematics, science, the practical and creative arts, health, and physical education. • Individual differences are recognized; each student’s level of achievement is determined and his/her optimum potential dictates his/her academic program in so far as Clarksville Academy’s college preparatory curriculum allows. • Enrollment is open to any student, regardless of race, color, creed, or national origin, provided that such student meets the academic, financial, and behavioral requirements of the school. • Students should be encouraged and given the opportunity to participate in school-related, non-academic learning activities in order to prepare them to be productive citizens. • An important aim of the school is to develop in each student a respect for the opinions of others, respect for public and private property, and recognition that all individuals must accept the results of their own decisions and actions if they are to deal effectively with the complexities of human relationships in the rapidly-changing world of today. • The staff of Clarksville Academy should utilize community, area, and state resources, educational services, and multi-media materials that allow each student and staff member to function to their fullest potential. • Parental involvement in all aspects of school life is considered an asset to the student as well as to the school community.
Photo Credit: Bayleigh Robinson (11th)
OBJECTIVES Consistent with our philosophy of education, which is concerned with meeting the needs of students enrolled in Clarksville Academy, we are committed to the following objectives: • To develop a fundamental command of the basic skills of reading, language arts, technology, and mathematics, while including in our requirements science, social studies, foreign language, fine arts, and health and physical education. • To provide a learning environment encouraging the development of a positive self-concept through individual achievement. • To create opportunities for the growth of all students in the areas of leadership, creativity, initiative, and responsibility. • To place emphasis on student participation in problem-solving, inquiring, critical thinking, research procedures, exchange of ideas, and self-evaluation with technology and without technology. • To build a curriculum providing significant learning experiences. • To provide maximum communication among students, parents, teachers, and staff as students’ educational activities are structured and evaluated. • To provide for all students adequate school counseling based on the combined efforts of school counseling, teachers, and administrators. • To provide learning experiences which aid students in the utilization of computer technology.
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Photo Credit: Kaylea Roberts (10 )
GOVERNING
B O DY
The Board of Trustees oversees the function of Clarksville Academy, ensuring that the core values and purposes are reflected in the operation process. Guidelines with communications with the board: The Board of Trustees has the general authority to manage the affairs and business of the corporation. The board as a whole can receive or purchase properties for Clarksville Academy, sell mortgage or lease property, and approve all annual budgets. The Board of Trustees charges the day-to-day operations of Clarksville Academy to the Head of School. The Board of Trustees offers support to the school through property and business affairs, committee studies and reviews, budget approvals and trustee nominations. Upon request, the board will entertain the review of letters written by patrons for request of contractual release, financial modifications of payment of tuition, or dissatisfaction with educational services if a patron has utilized all contacts of school employees and administrators, and the Head of School. These letters can also be letters of communication for excellence in educational experience, or other things related to school matters.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2019-2020 _______________
Mr. John Crow Mrs. Corinthia Elder Mr. Scott Giles, Vice Chair Dr. Carlette Hardin Ret. Col. Sal Herrera Mr. Lawson Mabry Mr. Clark Nicholson, Immediate Past Chair Mrs. Suzanne Norman, Treasurer Mr. Bryce Powers Mr. Mike Pugh
“The Clarksville Academy Board of Trustees welcomes any compliments, issues, suggestions or complaints. However, they will not be addressed if they are sent anonymously.� -Tim Sawyer, Chairman of the Board
These letters should be emailed, mailed, or hand delivered to the school with attention to the Chairman of the Board. The Chairman will present it to the Executive Committee for review at the next scheduled board meeting. Results will be delivered to the author of the letter by the Head of School following the scheduled board meeting.
Mr. Tim Sawyer, Chairman Mr. Michael Wallace, Secretary Mr. Chris Wofford
Admissions and Re-enrollment Clarksville Academy is a college-preparatory school. Students demonstrating the intellectual potential needed for college studies will be accepted. Clarksville Academy is a co-educational, independent school which supports an open admission policy without regard to race, color, creed, or national origin and does not discriminate on the basis of these characteristics in the administration of educational policies, admission policies, financial aid, athletic programs, or other school administered programs. For admission consideration, each applicant must have an academic record including, but not limited to, a transcript of grades and achievement test scores, which indicates potential success at Clarksville Academy. An interview and entrance test will be required of all applicants for grades Pre-K through twelve. Admission applications may be obtained from Amy Burchett, Director of Admissions. For more information regarding International Admissions or the Interpreter Program, please contact Amy Burchett at 931-647-6311 or aburchett@clarksvilleacademy.com. Students enrolling must present a birth certificate. Students entering Pre-K are four (4) years of age on or before September 30, students entering Kindergarten are five (5) years of age on or before September 30, while those entering first grade are six (6) years of age on or before September 30 of the school year for which they are applying. All students are required to present a Tennessee Child Health Record (obtained from the local health department or physician’s office) to be maintained on file. Clarksville Academy believes in the strength of the collaboration of the parent, student, and teacher. For this reason, all students who are enrolled at Clarksville Academy must reside in the same home as their parent/legal guardian. With the focus of Clarksville Academy preparing young people for college, students who are married or students who are parents or expectant parents may not enroll at Clarksville Academy. Should pregnancy occur while enrolled at Clarksville Academy, for any student involved, enrollment will be terminated.
Returning Students A letter and re-enrollment forms will be sent in February to Clarksville Academy patrons for students who have met or exceeded academic/behavioral criteria to maintain placement for the following school year. Students placed on academic/behavioral probation will not be allowed to re-enroll until the school year is completed and an administrative review has been conducted to review the student’s performance for the remainder of the school year. The re-enrollment contract for the following school year and the non-refundable enrollment fee must be returned by the deadline date indicated on the enrollment contract in order to reserve a place in the class. The student’s schedule of classes will not be determined until all forms and deposits are received by the Business Office and his/or her financial obligations are current. In addition, students who have yet to finalize enrollment, or who may have not been cleared by the business office, may not run for school organization positions or try out for school-related athletic teams. For a complete list of Clarksville Academy’s Tuition and Fees for the 2019-2020 school year, visit https://clarksvilleacademy.com/admissions/tuition-fees/
Photo Credit: Ava Wilson (12th)
CAMPU S PEDESTRIAN/MOTOR VEHICL E S A F E T Y REGULATIONS The purpose of these regulations is to facilitate the orderly and efficient flow of traffic on campus, and to provide a safe atmosphere with regards to both pedestrians and other motor vehicle operators. It is imperative for safety of our children. Please take note of the regulations listed below. 1. MAXIMUM speed limit on campus is 5 MPH - both entering and exiting. 2. Designated crosswalk behind traffic guards only. 3. No students are permitted to leave school to WALK to a parent’s office, etc. Students must be picked up by car or bus, and a note must be sent to the office if someone other than a parent will pick up. 4. No one is to leave a car unattended in the flow of traffic at any time. 5. Drivers will be cited for parking/stopping in unauthorized student drop off locations. 6. Parking spaces closest to campus are to be left open for parents or visitors needing to conduct business on campus, attend events, or meetings, etc. 7. Accidents that occur on campus will be handled through the police department. Please help us keep our children safe and traffic flowing smoothly by adhering to these rules. At morning drop off and dismissal time, you are to enter campus by your designated entrance, either the Cumberland Terrace entrance, or the Anderson Drive entrance. You will exit campus at N 2nd Street. Students are to ONLY be dropped off and picked up at the front of campus. If Intermediate or Upper School students are on campus before 7:30 A.M., they should be seated in the Auxiliary Gym. Assembly report time is 7:40 A.M. with assembly beginning at 7:45 A.M. each day. All van riders will be dismissed from their classrooms at 2:45 P.M. daily and will depart campus by 2:50 P.M. Students with siblings, as well as those who are carpooling, should gather at the youngest child’s pick-up point. Lower School students must bring a note to their teacher if they are to be picked up anywhere other than their designated pick- up point or by someone other than usual driver. All students must be picked up by 3:15 P.M. If Intermediate or Upper School students are on campus after 3:15, they must report to the library. All locker areas should be cleared by students (unless accompanied by a teacher/sponsor) by 3:15 P.M. Van/bus guidelines for registered van/bus riders are available upon request and are also sent by mail to each registered family. No guests are allowed to ride the van/bus. Friends cannot ride home with a registered rider.
Health Services A school nurse is on duty Monday through Friday to provide first-aid and health education. In addition, several over-the-counter medications are available for students who have parental permission in PowerSchool. Emergency information must be updated and available in your child’s PowerSchool account. All information (including student’s regular medications) is required by the first day of school and should be updated with any changes in a student’s health status. If there are any changes, also contact the school nurse informing her of these changes. The school nurse makes telephone calls to parents if child becomes ill at school. 1. The school nurse may send home any student perceived to be a health risk to other students, or 2. The school nurse is responsible for making the final determination for a student to be sent home for health reasons. 3. Once the nurse has notified parent or authorized person that student is ill, 45 minutes is the maximum amount of time that a student may remain at school. 4. If a student has been out due to illness, when returning to school the student must be 24 hours fever free, as well as vomiting and diarrhea free without the aid of medication. Closing of School (i.e Inclement Weather) For earliest notification of school closing, please use the visit our website, www.clarksvilleacademy.com. Closings will also be posted on Facebook and Twitter. In addition, news channels and radio stations will also post closings. Email and text alerts will go out as well. Emergency Preparedness Clarksville Academy employs dedicated security officers (CPD, THP, and/or MCSD) who patrol the campus as well as a Director of Security, Nick Williamson. Supervised crisis drills are held periodically, with each student being informed as to the most effective action to take in an emergency. Clarksville Academy’s office is informed of threatening weather situations by the Clarksville 911 Center. Every drill is followed by an after-action meeting to analyze the event. Visitors All visitors must sign in at the reception desk in the main foyer and obtain a visitor’s pass. Student visitors must acquire permission to be on campus from the direct head of school. Students who are interested in attending Clarksville Academy are welcome to monitor classes, but students who come to visit with friends are not allowed on campus. Such visits disrupt classes and are not in the best interest of our student body. Graduates are welcome to visit campus; however, no social visits during classes are allowed and the above rules for signing in and out must be followed. No students should leave campus with non-students except with verified approval from parent/guardian.
Clarksville Academy Attendance Policy To align with Clarksville Academy’s mission and vision for our students, we can only be successful when students are actively engaged with their instructors in the classroom or in an extension of the classroom for school-related events. When determining the number of school days in our school calendar and determining the number of allowed absences, Clarksville Academy takes into consideration the school’s vision for our students’ well-being and success with the Tennessee Department of Education Policy for School Attendance. Excused absences are those absences: (1) due to a medical appointment, illness, or injury of the student or (2) death in the family or other family emergency or (3) religious holiday or (4) school sanctioned trip or college interview with pre-approval from CA administration or (5) military leave or return from deployment or (6) legal requirement of court order or (7) Pre-approved college visit (with visit request form on file) – this is applicable to juniors (1 day during second semester) and seniors (2 days). A. Original documentation for an excused absence must be turned in to Mrs. Kristi Truitt within one week of the missed day(s). When illness occurs and the student is kept at home without a doctor’s visit, a parent must notify Mrs. Truitt that day to excuse the absence. If the illness keeps a student at home for three or more days, a doctor’s note is required to excuse the absences. B. Parents may utilize three parent-excused absences (EXC-P) during each semester for unavoidable absences away from classes. Upon the 4th absence without documentation that does not fall into the five categories of excused absences above, unexcused absences begin to accrue. C. Should a student need an extended absence due to illness or injury, the parent or guardian must request complete documentation from a duly licensed physician to be sent to our school nurse (nurse@clarksvilleacademy.com). D. If a student misses eight (8) consecutive days (with or without documentation) or ten (10) total days (nonconsecutive), a meeting will be arranged with the Head of School to determine the best course of action for the student, such as homeschooling or enrollment in the school system for homebound services. E. As unexcused absences accrue, students who exceed five (5) unexcused absences (calculated per semester, per class) will be subject to zeroes for classwork and a 10% deduction on quizzes and tests, per day (when consecutive). Other Attendance Policies → Our Upper and Intermediate school day begins with assembly at 7:45 a.m. and Lower School begins at 8:00 a.m. Excessive tardiness and absences from assembly accumulate and can result in morning detention or Saturday School for Intermediate and Upper School. → A student who has an excused absence has the same number of days as the student was absent to make up missed classwork. Whenever possible, make-up tests should be scheduled with the teacher in advance, and other academic work should be submitted prior to the absence. → A student with a planned absence (i.e. a trip) will not be given work prior to departure. Work must be made up within the same number of days absent, excluding weekends. → When a student is suspended from classes the following attendance policies apply: o In-School Suspension: The student reports to school on time and completes work in a location outside of his/her regular classes. The student is marked present for all classes and completes his/her work during the regular school day. The student may not participate in any organization events and athletic practices/games. o Out-of-School Suspension: The student will not report to school for the day(s) he/she is suspended. This also includes suspension from all organization events and athletic practices/games. The student will be required to complete all work missed. No credit will be given for missed classwork and quizzes and tests will incur a 10% deduction (per day). → Students are marked absent when they miss 15 minutes or more of their classes. *Special consideration for individual circumstances will be considered on a needs basis. Explanation of Codes AB – Unexcused Absence EXC – Excused Absence with Documentation EXC-P – Excused Absence with Parent/Guardian Notification SR – School-Related Absence
Sign Out Procedures For Students A student is never to leave campus without properly being dismissed by a parent or pre- designated adult (via Mrs. Turnage/office personnel). The sign-out procedure for Pre-K through 12 is as follows: Pre-Kindergarten – Parents or a pre-designated adult must sign out on the form provided in the Pre-K buildings. Grades Kindergarten-12 – Parents or a pre-designated adult must sign the student out on the form provided in the main foyer. Driving students are an exception for this policy and may be dismissed for a scheduled appointment once a parent has contacted Mrs. Debbie Turnage, school receptionist. Approved dismissals from school would include the following: Medical/Dental Appointment, Funerals, Family Illness, Deployment Returns, or approved events by the immediate Head of School. Non-Approved dismissals would include dismissing a student for a casual lunch off campus at a restaurant, or because a student mentioned completing daily work early **A note from parents should be sent to school with the child to inform the teacher that an early dismissal is necessary. **Any extenuating circumstance for dismissal in the before mentioned requires approval from the appropriate Head of School.
Books/Digital & Hardcopy Clarksville Academy provides all textbooks needed for the students’ courses. When available, students will receive a digital textbook, otherwise a bound copy will be provided. A replacement fee is required for bound books, should one of these items become lost or damaged. Electronic damage is covered under the Acceptable Use Policy for technology. Homework Homework is a Clarksville Academy tradition. Long-term assignments or projects related to a specific unit of study are often assigned. Teachers are aware of school-related activities and try to assign homework accordingly. It is impossible, however, with the many activities that are part of the school, to avoid all conflicts. Studying for quizzes and tests is a priority and a crucial portion of homework. The study time at home is for practice, review, and exploration of ideas presented during the day as well as development of necessary background for new material. Students often study for the next day’s work, forgetting the weekly vocabulary or the paper due a week or two in the future. When asking about homework, ask about both long-term and short-term projects. Homework for Lower School students who are absent due to illness will be sent to the office at the end of the day. Parents may pick up assignments after 3:00 P.M.
Lost and Found Articles of clothing and items such as lunch boxes and backpacks should be placed in the lost and found box located in the gym. Items such as jewelry and textbooks should be given to the main office personnel. The school is not responsible for clothes and other personal property left at school. It will be the student’s responsibility to check the lost and found box for lost items. Monthly, unclaimed items remaining in lost and found will be donated to charity.
Parent Volunteers Parent Volunteers are always welcome at Clarksville Academy. Volunteers may offer assistance to CA in many ways. Volunteer opportunities range from: teacher guided assistance, to CAPA events, to projects, and athletic events. Volunteer classroom assistance is utilized when a teacher identifies a need in his/her classroom. The teacher should either contact Mrs. Turnage, a CAPA officer, or depending on the grade level, a parent, and share with them the need. After receiving prior approval from direct Head of School, a teacher may have a parent volunteer in the classroom during instruction time. If not, the volunteer should work in the teacher workroom, library, or other areas around campus. When a Parent Volunteer arrives on campus, he/she should check in the main building with Mrs. Turnage. She will have the volunteer options available for that day. Please remember that it is the teacher’s professional responsibility and joy to educate their students to their highest potential; therefore, instructional time is of utmost value. Volunteers offer their valuable time and expertise to enhance CA students’ educational experience.
Publications Yearbook - All students will receive a yearbook in the spring. White Columns Magazine is published annually. It is available on campus and is mailed out to all families and alumni.
Respect for Property Emphasis is placed upon respect for property of others and the right of each individual to the free use of his own possessions. Damaging property, whether personal or school, is violating the rights of others.
Students must not sit on tables or desktops, nor lean back in chairs, put feet in chairs, on walls, or other inappropriate places. It is expected that all damage, even though accidental, will be acknowledged by the person(s) involved and amends made insofar as possible. Deliberate damage or theft of school or personal property is a serious offense and will be treated as such. Tampering with school computers is considered vandalism. Students should use computers for assignments only.
Summer Reading Summer reading assignments are required at Clarksville Academy. Instruction and assignments are available online at www.clarksvilleacademy.com for 2nd – 8th grades. All Freshmen Summer Reading is a collaboration assignment through Google Classroom. All 10th – 12th grade AP students only will receive an assignment through email from the instructor. For students placed in honors English, a recommended (but not required) reading list is available for families who desire to keep up with reading over the summer months. This is highly encouraged as well as tech infused activities.
T E C H N O L O G Y G U I D E L I N E S - - - A LL SCHOOLS The 2019-2020 school year begins the 8th year of Clarksville Academy’s 1:1 Technology Initiative. This program gives our students the opportunity to enhance and advance their educational experience. Please read the Responsible Use Policy carefully in regards to the technology equipment that will be issued to your child(ren): ● You must carry MacBook/iPads/iPad minis in school issued messenger bag at all times. The equipment must not be carried in normal school backpacks. ● The only items to be carried in the messenger bag are the MacBook/iPad/iPad mini charger, and earbuds. ● Earbuds are to be worn only for teacher instructed classroom use. Earbuds are not to be worn as you move from class to class. ● Mobile devices are allowed on campus, however CA-provided wireless access is only allowed for CA provided devices. There is a guest account available for those needing wireless on Clarksville Academy’s campus. ● During classes, students are to be connected to the CA Wi-Fi at all times. A hotspot should not be engaged unless the teacher has requested it. ● Misuse of technology (such as, writing or sending inappropriate material, social media use that slanders others or dishonors the school, cyberbullying, hacking or using unauthorized games or programs, etc.) will be deemed a violation of the code of conduct. ● Damage to Clarksville Academy issued equipment should be immediately reported to the Help Desk.
Students’ dress should enhance, not disrupt, the educational process. Clarksville Academy acknowledges that dressing appropriately for school or other events is directly related to success. Below are specifics for any questions of appropriate apparel. When in question of any of the stated guidelines, please consult with your direct head of school. If you are attending a school-sponsored event or game, student conduct and attire should follow same guidelines mentioned in this policy. Classic length and fit styles of pants, jeans, skirts, dresses, and shorts are acceptable. Collared, crew neck, mock and turtleneck shirts, both long sleeve and short sleeve, are acceptable. When in question, always refer back to the beginning statement of neatness, cleanliness, and appropriateness.
Below are further details of acceptable and unacceptable wear: 1. Shorts may be worn during warm weather. Shorts should extend beyond the fingertips. 2. Skirts and dresses are to be conservative in length and style. If the bottom hem does not meet or extend beyond the fingertips, ladies may wear the outfit when paired with leggings. 3. Jeggings/leggings may be worn with tunic style tops only. No athletic leggings are to be worn during the school day. 4. Girls may wear sleeveless shirts and dresses provided the garment has two-inch straps and covers the front, side, and back completely. No open-back or racer-back style garments are permitted. 5. Shirts must cover the midriff at all times during the school day and during school events. Coverage must be maintained while standing, bending, or reaching. 6. Low cut or off the shoulder shirts, blouses, or dresses are not permitted. “Cold shoulder� tops/dresses are permitted as long as the top has at least two-inch straps. 7. No un-hemmed cut offs of any kind are to be worn. Garments made with fringe are allowed. 8. At no time should any undergarment be visible. 9. No see-through clothing is permitted unless a solid shirt is worn under the sheer shirt. However, no undergarments should be visible. 10. Distressed clothing, including jeans with holes, is permitted provided that no skin is visible above fingertip length. 11. During the school day, athletic shorts and other athletic clothing are not allowed. The only exception to this policy is when an entire CA athletic team is wearing warm up/team gear or the athletic wear days that student council will integrate into the schedule. 12. No excessively oversized or excessively tight-fitting clothing is to be worn. 13. Pants must remain in place above the hips at all times. No sagging. 14. Shirts with logos, brands, or any phrasing should be appropriate and not contain
offensive humor, language, or innuendo. 15. No caps or hats are allowed to be worn indoors during the school day. This includes the pulling up of hoods. 16. Shoes must be worn at all times and be appropriate for the events and activities for the day. 17. The administration reserves the right to consult with any student on attire that is deemed inappropriate. A warning will be issued at the time of consultation and inappropriate attire is not to be worn again. 18. When in doubt about a style, do not wear it. Consult your direct head of school. Hair Requirements for All Students: Traditional hairstyles for students are defined as ones that are conservative in color (natural color), length, and style. Hair should be styled neatly throughout the entire school day, during school events, and school athletic practices and games. Hair should be clean, styled, and out of students’ eyes. While modern hairstyles are acceptable, students’ hair should never be colored or styled in a manner that is a distraction to the school community. 1. No sunglasses should be worn indoors without a doctor’s note on file or worn on head. 2. Jewelry should be in good taste and not excessive as to distract from the learning environment. 3. Electronic headsets, earbuds, or other listening devices should not be in use during assembly, during class without teacher permission, or while walking around campus. 4. Facial hair should be kept neat throughout the entire school day, during school events, and school athletic practices and games. If the facial hair appears to be a distraction to other students and the school community, administration will require you to shave it. Dress Code Exception for Lower School Lower school students may wear comfortable clothing to school. Send your child to school in clothes for learning. Please label all clothing with your child’s name. 1. Tennis shoes are required for P.E. 2. Gym shorts are not required for P.E. 3. Dresses, skirts, and shorts should be moderate length. 4. Racer back and spaghetti strap tops or dresses should be worn with a jacket or overtop. 5. Lower school male and female hair should follow the same guidelines as Intermediate and Upper School students. 6. Athletic wear is permitted if it meets the following criteria: *Shirts and shorts are not form fitted, compression or dry fit. *Length should be moderate for boys’ shorts. *Girls’ shorts should be moderate in length and not form fitting. Spandex is not appropriate for school wear. The exception for spandex is when it is used in a leggings style combined with a longer tunic top.
LOWER SCHOOL COUGARS Grades Pre K-5
LO W E R S C H O O L The policies and regulations of Clarksville Academy are designed to support the goals and philosophy of our school. Clarksville Academy welcomes the challenge of educating and directing the social, physical, and academic development of the student. As a college preparatory school, Clarksville Academy stresses academics; however, our school is also concerned with the social, emotional, physical, character, and attitude development of our students. It is our goal that the total behavior, performance, and attitude of each student will be a positive reflection on the student individually, his/her family, our school, and our community. To accomplish these goals, high standards of behavior, including dress (see details in following section), are established. By adhering to our school’s more rigorous standards, students learn important lessons in courtesy, self-discipline, self-direction, and ultimately, independence. The following policies and regulations apply to Lower School: Academics – Pre-Kindergarten Clarksville Academy’s Pre-Kindergarten program appreciates the child’s right to be a child, and to learn at his or her appropriate developmental level. The program is designed to lead each child to realize his or her maximum academic potential in the areas of cognitive, physical, social, and emotional developmental levels. Extracurricular instruction in the PreKindergarten program include: art, music, physical education, foreign language, library skills, and indoor guided play, and outdoor play. Academics – Grades K – 5 Clarksville Academy’s Kindergarten is an educational program with emphasis on both the effective and cognitive development of the pre-k child. A complete program for the young child’s mental, physical, and emotional development is provided. The daily kindergarten schedule includes instruction in language arts, math, science, social studies, technology, foreign language, library skills, health, art, music, physical education, indoor guided play, and outdoor play. Grades Pre-K - 2 of the Lower School operate within a traditional framework. The curriculum is based on traditional fundamental disciplines. Importance is placed on developing sound study-learning habits, skills, and attitudes. Small classes add to the success in meeting individual student needs. Reading and mathematic fundamentals are stressed in every grade. Language arts, social studies, science, and health are included in the regular academic program. In addition, elementary students receive instruction from specialized instructors in art, music, physical education, foreign language, science lab, math lab, and library skills. Field trips and other activities are planned each year for all students. In grade 3, while the majority of the school day incorporates a traditional framework, the teachers compartmentalize for math, science, reading, and social studies. This encouraged the development of transitions into the FUSE program.
Focus Upon Student Excellence (FUSE) will provide 4th and 5th grade students the opportunity to experience a taste of Intermediate School while still under the attentive eye of Lower School teachers. Teachers have found that this age group is ready for more responsibility and to experience a rotational class schedule. Students will change classes for subjects including Social Studies & Writing, Language Arts, Reading, Science, Science Lab as well as Math and Math Lab. Students will continue to take part in weekly enrichment classes including Art, Music, Wellness, Keyboarding, and Foreign Language. They will continue to have daily Physical Education classes. FUSE is an opportunity for students to learn organization and time management while also finding a passion for their studies. DAILY SCHEDULE AND DISMISSAL Pre-K - 8:00 A.M.-2:40 P.M. - Dismiss from the classrooms - Right side of Anderson Drive KDG - 8:00 A.M.-2:40 P.M. - Dismiss in front of the Main Building 1ST - 8:00 A.M.-2:40 P.M. - Dismiss in front of the Main Building 2ND - 8:00 A.M.- 2:50 P.M.- Dismiss in front of the Main Building 3RD - 8:00 A.M.-2:50 P.M. - Dismiss – Fine Arts Porch–Left side of Anderson Drive 4TH - 7:50 A.M.-3:00 P.M. - Dismiss - Fine Arts Porch-Left side of Anderson Drive 5TH - 7:50 A.M.-3:00 P.M. - Dismiss - Pre-K and After Care Building-Right side of Anderson Drive Class Trips/Field Trips The code of conduct of the school, as well as dress code, applies for all school functions, including trips. Class trips and field trips are an extension of our curriculum, and we welcome teachers to include high quality relevant experiences into their lesson plans. Students are expected to ride to and from such functions via the transportation provided by the school and with his/her group. Teachers may ask for parent volunteers to accompany the group, if needed. Supported experiences that are within walking distance from campus are covered by the signed blanket permission form that is given at orientations. Cleanliness/Housekeeping While Clarksville Academy has an exceptional maintenance and janitorial staff, school pride is reflected through students’ care in assisting in keeping our campus clean. The school cafeteria is used by all students in grades Pre-K – 12. Therefore, students are expected to clean tables, and assist in keeping all areas cleaned. For safety reasons, backpacks should be stored in grade appropriate areas. Students are not allowed to leave backpacks in hallways or outside classrooms.
Communication Teacher newsletters are sent home weekly via email. Hard copies are also available. In August, during parent-teacher orientation, additional information will be given regarding communication. Curriculum Enhancement and Special Events (**activities and dates subject to revision)
Christmas Musical – December / Pre-K – 5 Literacy Event - December / Pre-K - 5 Grandparents’ Day Program – Spring / Pre-K – 5 Nashville Children’s Theater/TPAC – as scheduled Land Between the Lakes - Fall / Overnight field trip / grade 5 Discovery Park – Grade 4 Roxy Theater – as scheduled Pizza Hut Reading Program – grades PK – 5 Spring Literacy Event - Pre-K - 5 4-H – Grades 4-5 Grading Scale and Progress Reports All progress reports are online in PowerSchool for grades 1 -5. Conferences will be held during the first grading period in grades Pre-Kindergarten - 5. Additional conferences will be held if needed. Grading Scale: Grades 1-5 92-100 A 82-91 B 72-81 C 62-71 D 0-61 F
Grading Scale: KDG E Excellent S Satisfactory N Needs Improvement U Unsatisfactory
Lunch with Parents or Visitors Parents are welcome to join their child for lunch. A table will be provided for you and your child to enjoy a quality lunch. If weather permits, please feel free to eat outdoors. Parties – Birthday If you desire, you may provide simple refreshments for the class on your child’s birthday, but not gifts or favors. Food in the classroom is discouraged so these treats will be served in the cafeteria at lunch. Invitations to private parties should not be distributed at school.
Parties – Special Occasion Three parties are planned for Lower School students during the school year. These parties are planned to help celebrate Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day. A room parent will be responsible for organizing committees of parents to plan these parties at the classroom teacher’s discretion. Student Support Status Students in grades 1-5 may be placed on student support status. This status may be the result of entrance evaluation, evaluation of progress in the previous year at Clarksville Academy, or evaluation of progress after a grading period at Clarksville Academy. Parents will be notified by conference. Each student’s progress will be carefully evaluated each grading period. Failure to demonstrate satisfactory progress may result in dismissal, if significant improvement is not made. Technology With an interactive 1:1 technology in every Lower School classroom, students are immersed in technology so that it becomes second nature to them. The students learn to use technology in a safe environment and they discover that there are more ways to find an answer than in the pages of a traditional book. Testing Services National tests are administered throughout a student’s educational experience at Clarksville Academy. The following tests are administered during the Lower School years: 1. Brigance – Pre-K/Kindergarten Entrance Exam 2. Otis-Lennon Critical Thinking and Reasoning Test – Entrance Exam grades 1-5 3. Test of Kindergarten / First Grade Readiness Skills – A test given to students at the conclusion of the kindergarten year 4. ACT Aspire Assessment - This test is administered in the spring of each year to students in grades 3-8 Extended Care Program In 2012, Clarksville Academy started a new Extended Care Program to better serve our patrons and their children. Extended Care is available Monday through Friday, on either a part time or full time basis. Morning care begins at 6:30 A.M. until 8:00 A.M. and After School care begins at 2:45 P.M. until 5:45 P.M. This option is available for students in Pre-K through 5th Grade. Our structured program will keep your child engaged through many fun and exciting activities. These activities will include: special focus activities, crafts, a variety of entertainment, homework/tutorial time and snack time. If there are dietary concerns, team leaders will be glad to accommodate your child with a snack that you provide from home. For early morning arrivers, a nutritional breakfast from Clarksville Academy’s Cougar Café is available for an additional fee.
The Extended Care team strives to regularly maintain a positive, secure, orderly environment for each child. Discipline guidelines will follow the guidelines printed in this handbook. For pricing and payment options, please see the Business Office section provided at the end of this handbook.
Lower School- DISCIPLINE POLICY Discipline is the responsibility of the student, teacher, and parent. Discipline at Clarksville Academy is a means of correcting student behavior in a way that teaches the child what behavior is acceptable and why that behavior is necessary. The ultimate goal is to help students develop self-discipline based on an understanding of community to contribute and the benefits received. When behavior deviations arise in school, teachers will deal with the problem by following their discipline plan. Consequences in the classroom for misbehavior may include time-out, isolation, parent notification, the use of a partner teacher’s classroom, loss of recess, or whatever consequence the teacher has established at the beginning of the school year. Parents will be notified if the misconduct continues. If the behavior problem continues or if the behavior is severe, students will be referred to the Head of Lower School and/or Head of School. The behavior policies are to focus on training children in appropriate behavior with maximum understanding of consequences when misbehavior occurs. All should understand that mistakes are made, and they can be the basis for learning. Each teacher will establish a set of classroom rules and rewards to assure a positive and orderly classroom climate. However, three things must happen in order for policies to work. First, parents must work with the school to ensure that their child understands the expected behavior and support the school in carrying out/supporting the consequences of misbehavior. Second, each student must understand that it is his/her obligation to learn and conform to the rules and procedures for safe and productive behavior that ensures a climate in which all can learn. Third, that school staff will consistently maintain and fairly administer the discipline policy including behavioral consequences. After all policies have been exhausted in the classroom, the following consequences may be used: Once teacher consequences are no longer effective, phone calls, e-mails, conferences will be held with the parents and teacher. Guidance counselor will counsel student. Parents will be notified when counseling occurs. First Office Referral: The first referral to an administrator will result in a conference with the student and a written notice and/or telephone call to the parent. Consequences such as time away from the classroom, isolation, denial of special privileges may occur. Second Office Referral: The second office referral will result in a conference with the student, teacher, and parents. The school counselor may be included and a behavior contract may be written.
Third Office Referral: The third office referral will result in loss of privileges or school events and may result in a modified program or behavioral contract. If additional referrals occur, consequences may involve seeking outside medical referrals, suspension, or expulsion.
INTERMEDIATE/ UPPER SCHOOL COUGARS Grades 6-12
INTERMEDIATE/UPPER SCHOOL Academics Grades six, seven and eight, although departmentalized, will generally only interact academically with their grade level. This gives the student the benefit of exposure to several teachers while allowing necessary maturity time for this level student. The curriculum for grades six, seven, and eight includes Math, History, English, Science, Physical Education, and one period, which incorporates foreign language, art, music, or other enrichment topics. Our academic learning is broad-based and encompasses not only traditional subjects, but encourages extracurricular activities, service learning, and personal growth to develop increasingly independent learners that will be active and thoughtful citizens in their community and world. In the Fall of 2012, Intermediate students began participating in the 1:1 iPad Program to learn to integrate technology into their educational endeavors. The individual use of iPads is a way to empower students to maximize their full potential and to prepare them for college and the workplace. Students immersed in a 1:1 learning environment are more organized and engaged learners, able to increase their knowledge of academics and technology. Each student is provided instruction on proper care and use of the iPad, managing files and saving work, using technology resources, digital citizenship, school responsibilities, and parental responsibilities. A signed Acceptable Use Policy from both parents and students will be collected upon receipt of iPad equipment. Equipment lease and insurance fees are collected by the business office. The Upper School educational structure is a departmentalized approach to education, which allows students the experience of instruction in the various subject areas by teachers in the field of their major certification. The curriculum for grades nine through twelve is college preparatory; therefore, every student is issued a MacBook. We believe this technology is imperative for developing innovative critical thinkers and problem solvers for success in college and today’s society. As a college preparatory school, it is mandatory that all seniors apply and gain acceptance to a college or a university. Traditionally, 100% of Clarksville Academy graduates are admitted to college or a university. Enrollment is limited to students of average or above average academic ability who are seeking a college preparatory curriculum. In this environment, teachers can accomplish quality instruction and encouragement of special interests of students. All juniors are required to take the ACT or SAT prior to the beginning of their senior year.
The school counselors are in frequent contact with students concerning colleges and scholarships. They are aided, not only in college choice and scholarship search, but also in the application process. Students and parents should check their emails frequently for communication from Mrs. Denise Walker, Director of School Counseling. Daily Schedule for Intermediate & Upper Schools 6TH–12TH - 7:45 A.M. until 3:00 P.M. – Dismiss in front of the Main Building Intermediate School Schedule 7:45 – Assembly 8:00 – 8:50 1st period 8:55 – 9:45 2nd period 9:45 – 10:05 BREAK 10:05 – 10:55 3rd period 11:00 – 11:50 4th period 11:55 – 12:50 5th period 12:55 - 1:20 LUNCH 1:25 – 2:15 6th period 2:20 – 3:00 Study Hall Upper School Schedule 7:45 – Assembly 8:00 – 8:50 1st period 8:55 – 9:45 2nd period 9:45 – 10:05 BREAK 10:05 – 10:55 3rd period 11:00 – 11:50 4th period 11:55 – 12:25 LUNCH 12:30 - 1:20 5th period 1:25 – 2:15 6th period 2:20 – 3:00 Study Hall Break/Lunch During break, students are expected to be in the auxiliary gym, common areas, the blacktop, or in their next classes. During lunch, students are permitted to be in the auxiliary gym and blacktop/outdoor courtyard areas. Students are not allowed to wander, sit in hallways, or visit cars during lunch time or break. Seniors leaving and returning for an off-campus lunch are not to linger in parking lots. Should a student need to retrieve an item from his or her vehicle, permission and monitoring must come from a teacher or Mrs. Walker.
Winterim Winterim provides students in grades 9-12 unique opportunities for experiential learning and service in our community and across the world outside the classroom environment. This curriculum takes place in January after winter break, which is an interim semester between the first and second semesters. Exact dates will be determined by each individual course. The two weeks may also be split, part time on campus preparing and team building, and the second part for the actual trip. The price of Winterim will vary in cost accordance to which course is taken. Class Trips/Field Trips The code of conduct of the school, as well as the dress code, applies for all school functions, including trips. Class trips and field trips are an extension of our curriculum, and we welcome teachers to include high quality relevant experiences into their lesson plans. Students are expected to ride to and from such functions via the transportation provided by the school and with his/her group. Teachers may ask for parent volunteers to accompany the group, if needed. Supported experiences that are within walking distance from campus are covered by the signed blanket permission form that is given at orientations. Courtesy Education In keeping with the value of respect of Clarksville Academy, the philosophy of Clarksville Academy embodies a concept of total education and development of young people. An important part of the social development of young people includes basic courtesy in conversation, especially between young people and adults. Some basic courtesies, which we expect are listed below: 1. A courteous “yes” or “no” is acceptable. 2. A courteous “yes sir”, “no sir” “yes ma’am”, and “no ma’am” are acceptable. 3. Students should never address faculty & staff by their first names. 4. Faculty and Staff should be addressed by: Mr., Ms., or Coach. 5. Appropriate seating is provided for all students; therefore, students should not sit on tables, or backs of chairs, or put feet on tables or chairs. 6. Students should properly replace equipment, books, etc., that they have used and not leave items out of the proper storage places. 7. Messenger bags for laptops or iPads/iPad minis should be hung on the back of chair and/or placed out of walkways during class. 8. Professional courtesy dictates that while on campus, phones should be on silent mode. Students will follow each of their teacher’s classroom guidelines for phone placement (face down on desk, stored in a container or wall pockets, or kept out of sight).
Dances and Parties Students do not have to ask someone to the dance or bring a date. All non-CA guests at our dances must have signed a compliance statement to follow our code of conduct, have a principle of their current school sign a permission form acknowledging good academic/behavioral standing, and provided emergency contact information. When a student leaves a school dance or party, he or she may not return; going out to the cars and returning to the dance or party is not permitted. Clarksville Academy educators and staff members chaperone all dances. Proper conduct is expected at all times. Dropping and Adding Classes During scheduling of classes, every effort is made to place students in courses that are appropriate. Every effort is made to accommodate student requests with priority given to academic classes. However, if a student wishes to alter this schedule, he/she must consult with the Head of Intermediate School or the Head of Upper School. Final schedules will be available at orientation and on PowerSchool. Students will have the opportunity to request changes during the first week of school. Teachers may initiate changes for placement purposes. A student who enrolls in a yearlong class may not drop the class second semester without approval. After the second week of each semester, schedules are set and no changes will be made. Grading Scale and Progress Reports Grades reports are available online in PowerSchool throughout the school year. All classes are figured in the cumulative GPA for it is a school objective to teach the whole child; we believe that all subject areas are important. The cumulative 7-8th grade GPA is used in the nomination to National Junior Honor Society for 8th graders. Grading scale: 93-100 85-92 75-84 70-74 0-69
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Graduation Requirements, Courses & Academic Achievement Clarksville Academy is accredited by the SACS CASI, a division of AdvancED. Membership is held in the National Association of Independent Schools and Tennessee Association of Independent Schools. The quality of education offered to Clarksville Academy students has been evidenced by the fact that graduates have been able, in many instances, to attend the college of their choice.
Graduates of Clarksville Academy have been accepted to such colleges and universities as Yale, Emory, Wake Forest, United States Air Force Academy, West Point Military Academy, Rhodes, Vanderbilt, Baylor, Georgia Tech, Berkeley, The Citadel, Elon, and many other challenging institutions. Many Clarksville Academy graduates have been awarded academic and leadership scholarships, including National Merit Scholarships. Academic achievement opportunities include the following: Advanced placement courses in English Language, English Literature, Calculus, U.S. History, Physics, and Biology. Dual enrollment courses in English, Animal Science, Anatomy and math. High School courses in eighth grade: World Language & Biology Graduation Requirements (Grades 9-12) English Mathematics Social Studies
4 credits 4 credits in grades 3 credits (1 credit of World History, 1 credit of U.S. History, ½ credit of Political Science, ½ credit of Economics) Science 3 credits (Biology, Chemistry, Physics or 1 other Lab Science) Language 2 credits of world languages (Starting with the Class of 2023) Fine Arts 1 credit (Art or Music) Wellness 1 ½ credits (½ credit can be a CA sport or fitness class) Speech or Debate ½ credit Personal Finance ½ credit Electives 4 ½ credits Total 24 Credits (Subject for modification in the future) ***Honors course semester averages may not exceed 103. Advanced Placement Classes Advanced placement (AP) classes allow students to earn college credit while in high school; not all colleges and universities accept advanced placement credit; however, and students should inquire of the colleges they might attend to assure that they will receive credit. Please note that AP course semester averages may not exceed 105. AP classes are fast-paced and intense; the AP exam is given close to the end of the school year, and all who take the class must take the exam. Payment for the test is required before the student can take the class and receive AP credit. Exams are graded by the Advanced Placement Program and grades range from 1 to 5. The scores of 3, 4, and 5 are usually considered passing with a 4 and 5 equaling an A at the college level and a 3 the equivalent of a B on the college level.
Dual Enrollment Classes Dual Enrollment classes allows students to earn high school and college credit during their junior and senior years. Not all colleges and universities accept dual enrollment credit; however, and students should inquire of the colleges they might attend to assure that they will receive credit. Please note that Dual Enrollment course semester averages will follow APSU’s grading scale. College Visits (Juniors and Seniors only) and Admissions Clarksville Academy is a college-preparatory school; therefore, we encourage interaction between students and colleges and universities. College representatives are often asked to attend our school to speak and visit with students regarding college opportunities. Please contact the school counselors for a list of college representatives who will be visiting our campus during the school year. Juniors are encouraged to begin visiting colleges during the summer between their junior and senior years so that they may begin narrowing down their choices before making final application and enrollment decisions. It is mandatory that all seniors have applied to at least three colleges or universities. During their junior year, students are allowed one excused absence from school to visit a college. During their senior year, students are allowed two excused absences from school to visit college campuses. Trips must be approved prior to the trip and upon return the student must bring an official letter from a college admissions counselor documenting the visit. The student may also want to confer with the school counselors for assistance in planning the trip. Honor Roll Intermediate School honor roll is determined after each semester. Students earning all A’s will be recognized on the CA website. Semester Exams As a college preparatory school, we believe very strongly that students need exposure to comprehensive semester exams similar to those they will be required to take at most colleges. Therefore, if a student does not have an exam during a scheduled time period, he/she is not required to be on campus. If a student must be on campus and does not have a scheduled exam, he/she must report to the study hall for that period. Additionally, comprehensive semester exams encourage long-term organization and retention of information and allow teachers to evaluate learning. As a result of our commitment to prepare your student for college, no students are exempt from finals except seniors who have maintained an “A” average in a year-long course. However, we realize your student should have the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of concepts in a course beyond a typical pencil and paper exam.
Therefore, teachers are encouraged to include projects and use various methods to assess student mastery. (The category weight of semester exams are 15% of the semester for 8th – 12th Grades. It is 10% for 6th – 7th Grades.)
Semester I Exam Schedule: December 17 - Periods 1 and 2 December 18 - Periods 3 and 4 December 19 - Periods 5 and 6 ** Make up exams should be coordinated through the Divisional Head of School. **Dismissal will be at 11:15 each day. Semester II Exam Schedule: May 18 - Periods 1 and 2 May 19 - Periods 3 and 4 May 20 - Periods 5 and 6 ** Make up exams should be coordinated through the Divisional Head of School. **Dismissal will be at 11:15 each day.
Upper School Campus Parking Registration Parking lots are off limits except when students leave after being checked out by a parent or for seniors who have senior privileges. The speed limit on campus is five (5) miles per hour. With so many students on campus, the need for safe driving is imperative. Failure to heed the speed limit or the other rules listed here will result in demerits and/or loss of senior privileges and/or immediate loss of driving privileges. A student who wishes to drive a car to school must complete the Student Parking Registration form. Parking spots are assigned by Mrs. Walker. Accidents that occur on campus will be handled through the police department. Senior Privileges If scheduling permits, seniors are allowed one (1) free period during which they can leave campus or study in the library. Seniors must be in good academic and behavioral standing to take advantage of a lunch away from campus and a free period. During this free period, students may not sit in hallways or in cars parked on campus. Seniors may not go to their cars except to leave campus after properly signing out. Senior privileges will be suspended if this rule is broken.
A whole class senior prank/senior celebration day is only approved when planned with the senior class sponsors and plan an approved display of senior pride prior to graduation. A senior skip day is not approved nor sanctioned by the CA Administration. The senior parking lot paint party takes place before the first day of school. Each senior will have the opportunity to paint his or her designated parking space by the supervision of Upper School Divisional Head. Paint design and materials must be approved before use.
Upper School Student Awards A ceremony will be held in May each year to recognize and present awards to Upper School students who have made outstanding achievement in academics, and/or who have exhibited good citizenship in school and community activities. The following awards are among the awards presented: • Valedictorian - presented to a senior boy or girl with the highest numerical average (four years); the recipient must have attended (at minimum) his or her junior and senior years at Clarksville Academy. In addition, he or she must have chosen a stringent course of study to include two AP or dual enrollment courses during both the junior and senior years. • Salutatorian - presented to a senior boy or girl with the second highest numerical average (four years); the same time and course restraints apply as stated for valedictorian. • Top Scholar - presented to the top student with the highest numeric average (for the current academic year) in each grade 9 through 12. In the case of a numeric tie, coscholars will be named. • Head of School Award - chosen by the Head of School and presented to senior student(s). • Mr. & Miss Clarksville Academy – A tradition of Clarksville Academy, Mr. & Miss CA, a young man and young woman from the senior class, is voted on by faculty & staff on the following criteria: Proud student of Clarksville Academy, attended CA for both junior and senior years, friend to students of all ages, strong morals, good student, polite and courteous, and well-rounded. • Edward M. and LaNelle Norman Awards - presented to both a senior girl and boy in recognition of academic excellence, leadership, character, citizenship, and participation in a variety of extracurricular activities. • History Awards - presented to upper school students who excel as history scholars. • Dan Burden Mathematics Award - presented to a senior student who excels in mathematics. • Science Awards - presented to an upper school student (or students) for excellence in the fields of Biology, Chemistry, Anatomy and Physics. • Scholar-Athlete Awards - presented to one senior boy and one senior girl who are athletes and scholars. • D.A.R. Award - presented to a senior student who exemplifies good citizenship from the Daughters of the American Revolution. • Club Service Awards - presented to upper school students who have been very active in their service organizations. • Scott Uffelman Award - given to the junior or senior student/athlete who exhibits in abundance the qualities of determination, cooperation and dedication in two or more sports.
Student Support Status As part of the requirement of Clarksville Academy’s enrollment contract, students must maintain an acceptable level of academic performance to remain enrolled. In some cases, a student may be placed on an additional contract as a result of a combination of academic and/or disciplinary reasons where an improvement in behavior, for example, might lead to academic improvement. A student’s lack of acceptable academic/behavioral performance may result in dismissal from Clarksville Academy. Study Hall Study Hall is a scheduled time of the day as academic classes are and is provided to give students the opportunity to work on homework assignments for the following day. Students should prepare for Study Hall just as they prepare for a regular class. Good preparation includes being on time, arriving with all books, notes and materials needed for the entire time, giving one’s best effort, and using study hall only for school work and independent reading. Grades will be monitored and tutoring will be available during study hall every day. Talking is limited to questions a student needs to ask the proctor. Study Hall is not a time to go to lockers or to study together without special permission • Behavior that distracts from the quiet study atmosphere will not be tolerated. If a student needs to move with another teacher, he/she must get a note from that teacher for his/her study hall monitor. Summer School Credit and Recovery Students are allowed to take approved summer school courses for credit recovery only. Students may not substitute summer school classes for required classes unless the class has been taken through Clarksville Academy first. Only students with administrative approval may substitute credits through summer school during their Upper School career (grades 9-12). All summer school grades average with the previous grades and do not replace prior grades. Food Service/Cougar Café Account Clarksville Academy uses www.PayForIt.net where money can be added for use by the student for items in the Cougar Café for lunch and break, etc. Parents may load funds directly to their student’s account and track purchases. Please note that the lunch period at Clarksville Academy is considered a part of the regular school day and leaving campus is a senior privilege. Students in grades 6-11 are not permitted to leave campus during lunch unless parents notify Mrs. Turnage. Late arrival back to campus is unexcused, and students may not be allowed to make up assignments for credit. In the event of a special occasion lunch with family (such as on a birthday), please notify Mrs. Turnage, Mrs. McQueen, and/or Mrs. Walker in advance. The exception will be granted to only the student and not any accompanying peers. Parents are welcome to obtain a visitor pass and eat lunch with their children; however, no other outside guests will be permitted to attend lunch on campus.
Parent Conferences Frequent communication between parents and teachers is encouraged. Conferences for Intermediate School or Upper School can be scheduled with the appropriate Head of School, School Counselor, or directly with the teacher. If a parent/guardian wishes to speak with a teacher, he/she should call the office and leave a message with a contact number. The office will notify the teacher, and the teacher will return the call. Please understand that most teachers are teaching all periods of the day. Messages may not receive a reply until later in the afternoon. If a conference is needed due to academic or behavioral concerns, the appropriate Head of School will schedule the conference to include parents, the student, and the student’s teachers. Teacher/Parent Communication We encourage open communication between teachers and parents. During the school day, the appropriate means of contacting your child’s teacher(s) is either leaving a message with the front office or emailing the teacher directly. While not prohibited, we do not encourage text or social media communications between parents and teachers. When leaving a message for your child, only messages involving extreme emergencies will be hand delivered to students. Intermediate School Testing Services National tests are administered throughout a student’s educational experience at Clarksville Academy. The following tests are administered: • Otis-Lennon Critical Thinking and Reasoning Test - Entrance Exam • ACT Aspire College and Career Readiness Assessment System - This test is administered in the spring of each year to students in grades 3-10 and assesses student readiness in English, math, reading, science, and writing. Upper School Testing Services National tests are administered throughout a student’s educational experience at Clarksville Academy. The following tests are administered: • Otis-Lennon Critical Thinking and Reasoning Test - Entrance Exam • Pre-ACT College and Career Readiness Assessment System - This test is administered in the spring of each year to students in grades 3-10 and assesses student readiness in English, math, reading, science, and writing. • Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) – An optional test offered to 9th through 11th grade students. It is a prep test for the SAT test and is the basis for selecting Merit Scholars from grade 11. • Scholastic Aptitude test (SAT) - A test which many universities require for admission. The perfect score for this test is a 1600. It is usually taken for the first time in the fall or spring of the junior year. Pre-registration with a fee is required, and the test is administered only at approved test centers. Materials for application may be obtained from the school counselor.
• ACT - A test which many colleges and universities require for entrance. It is usually taken the first time in the fall or spring of the junior year. Pre-registration is required and the test is only administered at approved testing centers. The top score for this test is 36. Application packets are in the office of the school counselor. • Advanced Placement testing – given at the conclusion of the year to those students enrolled in Advanced Placement classes. There is a fee for each test. Co-Curricular Activities An individual’s total education extends beyond the classroom. The purpose of an effective co-curricular program must be to provide each student with opportunities for emotional, cultural, mental, physical, and social growth. This growth can be accomplished through activities that support and advance the curriculum, promote common interests, develop a sense of ownership, and reflect and enhance the goals of the school. The co-curricular program at Clarksville Academy will consist of a combination of athletics, student organizations, and other activities. In order to accomplish this purpose, the co-curricular program should exhibit the following characteristics: 1. High level of participation 2. Equal access for all students 3. Responsiveness to students’ interests/talents 4. Faculty participation/support 5. Interaction with parents’ community 6. Diverse opportunities 7. School community service 8. Development of leadership qualities 9. Enjoyable experiences, positive attitudes 10. Promotion of a curiosity about and an interest in different activities 11. Development, demonstration of students’ talents and skills 12. Management by effective sponsors and coaches Academic Eligibility The primary purpose of Clarksville Academy is to promote academic achievement. Therefore, if you are engaged in any of the co-curricular programs, which make significant demands on your time, you must perform satisfactorily in the classroom to continue participation in that activity. Grades will be closely monitored for students currently involved in co-curricular activities. Any student who is performing below passing in a class may be required to attend tutoring during study hall. However, a coach or sponsor may require a student with a “D” average to also attend tutoring. If the student is not posting improvement within 2 weeks of tutoring, a meeting will be scheduled with the teacher(s), coach/sponsor, and the Head of Intermediate School and/or Head of Upper School to determine an appropriate course of action. Failure to show improvement may result in suspension from game(s) or an activity.
Athletics The Clarksville Academy athletic program is comprehensive and available to students who meet the requirements for specific activities. Coaches are selected for the various sports based upon their knowledge of the game, their ability to work with young people, and their ability to transfer the intrinsic lessons that are to be learned in athletic programs to the participants. Physical activity and development are important factors in the growth of young people. All students are encouraged to participate in vigorous physical activities on a daily basis. The athletic program provides opportunities for interested students to participate as members of interscholastic teams. Once a student begins a varsity sport, he or she is committed to the team. Withdrawal from the team prior to the end of the season should occur only when there is common agreement among the student, parents, and coach. Academic and behavioral progress will also be a determining factor in eligibility to participate. To participate in Clarksville Academy’s Intermediate School athletics, parents and players must read the Player/Parent Expectations checklist and sign that they agree to this contract. This checklist will be provided by the head coach. By signing this contract, your signature will represent your understanding of the procedures and policies set by Clarksville Academy, the TIAA, and/or TSSAA. Intermediate School Seasonal Offerings: FALL- Football, Cheerleading, Cross Country, Dance Team, Soccer (Girls & Boys), Volleyball WINTER- Basketball, Bowling, Cheerleading, Dance Team SPRING- Baseball, Clay Sports, Golf, Softball
Upper School Seasonal Offerings: FALL- Football, Cheerleading, Cross Country, Dance Team, Golf, Soccer (Girls), Volleyball WINTER- Basketball, Bowling, Cheerleading, Dance Team, Wrestling SPRING- Baseball, Clay Target Team, Soccer (Boys), Softball, Tennis, Track & Field
Eligibility A student must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 classes and should have made a passing grade the preceding year in at least 6 full credit subjects to be eligible to participate in athletic contests during any semester. These are rules set by TSSAA. Letter Award Policy High school athletic letters are awarded to students who participate in a varsity sport. Cheerleading & Dance Team In the spring, students will be selected from grades 8 through 11 to be varsity cheerleaders or dance team members for the following year. There will be no restriction set on the number of cheerleaders or dance team members selected from any one grade.
Cheerleaders or dance team members for grades 6, 7, and 8 will be screened and selected in the spring. The date of try-outs will be determined by the sponsor and/or the Head of School. The sponsor will supervise the try-outs. In order to try out for varsity cheerleading or dance team, the student must be preenrolled at Clarksville Academy for the upcoming year. All candidates must have written permission from their parents or guardians in order to try out. Practice time for varsity and middle school cheerleaders is during after-school hours. Gymnasium & Sports Complex Use/Decorum The gym is a place for fun, play, recreation, and learning. The gym, however, presents potential risks and dangers; therefore, the gym and gym equipment (balls, mats, gymnastic equipment, weight machine, etc.) are not to be used at any time without faculty/staff supervision. The following are guidelines for gymnasium use and decorum: 1. Practice good sportsmanship. Be courteous to visitors. “Booing” or uncomplimentary “cheers” directed at officials, players or spectators is prohibited. 2. Students - except those performing official duties such as team member, cheerleader, manager, etc. - are not to be on the floor at any time.* Basket shooting by spectators at half- time or between games is explicitly prohibited. 3. Gym/physical education equipment is not to be used or played on during games. 4. Parents should supervise younger children at all times; children are not allowed to play in the foyer during athletic or other events held in the gym. ● The game officials and the game administrator have the authority to ask whomever they deem in violation of this rule to return back to their seat. Failure to comply will result in removal from the facility. ● If you are attending a school-sponsored event or game, student conduct and attire should follow same guidelines mentioned in this handbook.
Intermediate and Upper School Student Organizations and Activities Students may not try out or sign up for teams or clubs for the upcoming academic year until re-enrollment is complete for the upcoming academic year. **additional clubs and organizations may be established
Builder’s Club (IS) Builder’s Club is a service organization for students in grades 6-8. Its purpose is to develop a sense of caring and an awareness of civic responsibility. The organization seeks to make effective contributions to the school and the community. Chess Club (5th – 8th Grades) The Chess Club for grades 5th – 8th is sponsored by Macy Dublin and Dana Procter. Members of this club will meet with sponsors in the library to exercise their thinking skills. Fellowship of Christian Athletes (IS/US) The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is open to all students, grades 6 through 12. Membership and participation aids in spiritual development. Intermediate School 6-8 and Upper School 9-12 meet separately. Robotics Team (IS) Intermediate School team/club involving inspiration and recognition of science and technology with a competition element utilizing Lego Robotics. Honor Society (NJHS & NHS) Clarksville Academy has both a National Junior Honor Society (Patrick Cain Chapter) and National Honor Society (Floyd Brown Chapter). The NJHS is selected from grades 8 and 9. For NJHS membership, students must maintain the minimum 3.25 GPA as established by the bylaws, and be selected by a faculty council. This council considers the qualities of scholarship, leadership, service, and character and grants or denies membership on that basis. The National Honor Society membership is selected from grades 10, 11, and 12, and the students must meet the GPA requirement at minimum of 3.5 before applying for membership selection. Students also have a teacher evaluation that must be completed during the application process. After the completed applications and teacher evaluations have been reviewed, the faculty council will determine which students will receive formal invitations to join. If a member falls below any of the standards of the societies, he or she will be warned, placed on probation, and given sufficient time to correct the deficiency. In the case of flagrant violation of school rules or civil laws, a warning is not necessary before dismissal. Members who resign or are dismissed are not eligible for reinstatement. Student Council (IS & US) Class and student council officers are selected each spring to serve for the following school year. Representatives sponsor various events (i.e. Homecoming and Field Day) during the year. Regularly scheduled meetings are held to discuss issues and ideas.
Archery Club (IS & US) Archery Club is for students in 7th through 12th grades led by Mr. Boyd. It is a focus on skills development and target practice is emphasized. Math Team (IS) Intermediate team that competes in a variety of online and off-campus mathematics competitions. Students work/practice mathematical topics weekly with the team sponsor. S.A.D.D (Students Against Destructive Decisions/US) This Upper School club is sponsored by Mr. Bob Baker. Its mission is to empower young people to successfully confront the risks and pressures that challenge them throughout their daily lives. S.A.D.D. welcomes all youth who seek support for healthy and safe development. Future Business Leaders of America (US) FBLA is open to any student in Upper School grades 9-12 and includes the mission to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership, career development programs, and scholarship programs. For more information, contact Nicole Hardison at nhardison@clarksvilleacademy.com. Model UN and Youth in Government Programs (US) Upper School students learn international and state politics via the Tennessee YMCA Model United Nations and Youth in Government programs. Model UN is a fall semester program that culminates in a statewide three-day conference in Nashville each November with 500+ students conducting a mock United Nations session. This is a great opportunity to develop research and public speaking skills and a deeper understanding of the current issues facing today’s world. This is a spring semester program and it is the companion program to the fall Model U.N. program. This YMCA sponsored program allows students to learn how our state legislature operates by developing resolutions they present at a mock Tennessee Legislative session. An added interest of the Tennessee Youth Legislature over the Model United Nations program is the site for the four-day spring conference is actually held in the state capitol and the Supreme Court chambers in Nashville. Together the Model UN and Tennessee Youth Legislature programs provide a wonderful and enjoyable way for the students to uncover the mystery of how our political world works on both state and international levels, and by extension, an understanding of the federal political systems as well. For more information, contact Mike Trent at mtrent@clarksvilleacademy.com . Pep Club Our CA Pep Club organizes the activities of the student body during our athletic events to foster strong school spirit and a positive environment to engage the CA crowd and support our Cougars. For more information, contact Paul Mittura at pmittura@clarksvilleacademy.com.
Service Organizations: Interact and Key Clubs Service organizations for students in grades 9 through 12 work to develop a sense of caring and an awareness of civic responsibility. The organizations seek to make effective contributions to the school and the community. Sign up for selection will be announced. In order to remain in the organizations, a student must be an active member, pay annual dues, and abide by established qualifications. Student Council Class and student council officers are selected each spring to serve for the following school year. Representatives sponsor various events (i.e. Homecoming and Field Day) during the year. Regularly scheduled meetings are held to discuss issues and ideas. For more information, contact Corey Boyd at cboyd@clarksvilleacademy.com and Josh Pulley at jpulley@clarksvilleacademy.com.
Intermediate and Upper School Discipline Intermediate School Discipline and Explanation of Consequences Upper School Discipline, Explanation of Consequences, and Demerits Intermediate School Honor System Upper School Honor System
Intermediate School Disciplinary Guidelines Disciplinary guidelines are imposed to encourage proper habits, enabling the student to become self-disciplined. Clear and concise guidelines are presented to the student by the faculty and administration. Students violating school rules inside school or at school activities will be subject to disciplinary action. Disciplinary action for persistent or serious infractions can include, but is not limited to, loss of privileges, detention, Saturday School, suspension, or expulsion. Teachers will establish classroom procedures and school policies with students at the beginning of the school year. A student who does not comply with school or class rules or the teacher’s verbal instructions will be subject to disciplinary action. Teachers may issue and enforce various types of "in-house" consequences within their classrooms for minor inappropriate behaviors. For example, a teacher may assign an essay on respect to a student who consistently talks out of turn. For any behaviors referred to the Head of Intermediate School, the selection of the appropriate punishment is at his or her discretion and parents of the student involved will be informed of serious violations and the disciplinary action taken. On the next page is a list of offenses and explanations. Although no list can be all-inclusive, students must understand they will be subject to disciplinary action any time their behavior is disruptive, illegal, or inconsiderate of others. Intermediate School uses a quarterly behavior mark system for disciplinary infractions. Students may accrue marks for a variety of poor behavioral choices. 3 marks results in consequences such as morning or afternoon detention, Saturday School, or other consequence deemed by Head of Intermediate School. Additional marks results in further consequences. Major infractions will be handled on an individual basis. Academic Integrity -- This violation, in the form of cheating and plagiarism, is a grave breach of trust that must be present between a student and teacher. Course work submitted should be a representation of a student’s own ability and effort and completed honorably. Academic Dishonesty is defined as, but not limited to: ● Any attempt to gain an unfair advantage on an assignment, quiz, or test; ● Copying or duplicating assignments that will each be turned in as one’s own work; ● Exchanging assignments by printout or electronic transfer and then submitting them as originals; ● Exchanging answers (either giving or receiving answers) with others when prohibited; ● Taking, stealing, and/or using an assignment from someone else and submitting it as one’s own work;
● Giving an assignment to someone else for the purpose of submitting it as their own; ● Plagiarism: submitting material written, designed by someone else, without giving proper notation from the original source; ● Not following additional specific guidelines for academic honesty as established by a teacher, class, or department; ● Unauthorized acquisition, use, and/or distribution of test materials or answer sheets; ● Use of a cell phone for any purpose during a test or quiz will result in an automatic zero and is considered a major offense. 07Explanation
of Various Offenses with potential Detention or Saturday School marks/hours listed:
Tardy – Each student can be tardy two times to each class during each quarter without referral. Once a third tardy accumulates, the student will be assigned Detention or Saturday School. After that, each subsequent tardy will result in a consequence. Unprepared for Class – It is very important that each student comes prepared to learn in each class. Supplies include: iPad, appropriate charging device, earbuds, paper and pens/pencils, books, and any other material requested by the teacher (calculator, flashcards, etc.). Additionally, this includes dressing out for PE classes. Instructional time and momentum is lost when students do not have the tools needed to participate in the class activities. (1 m a r k ) Dress Code Violation - Students who are sent to the office for a dress code violation will receive a mark. Students will be sent back to class if appropriate clothing is obtained. Our purpose here is to keep the student in class so as not to miss instructional time. Arrangements can be made on the student's time for parents to bring suitable clothing. (1 mark) Backpack Violation - Backpacks are to be stored in student locker during the school day. (1 mark) Disruptive Behavior - This category covers all minor inappropriate classroom behaviors such as talking out of turn, throwing things, disruptive noises and/or gestures, etc. Any behavior which interferes with instruction is disruptive. (1 mark) After School Hallway Violation - In order to ensure the safety of our school and its students, all Intermediate School students must be supervised at all times. Students who are not involved in an adult-supervised activity after school must go to the library. Students have until 3:15 p.m. to report to the library. Any student still on campus or in the halls will receive Detention or Saturday School once marks have accrued. After 3:15 p.m., parents must come into the building to pick up their child from the library (no later than 4:00). (1 mark)
Public Display of Affection - Other than hand holding, student displays of affection are not acceptable at any location on campus, on the school buses, or at any school event. This is applicable whether or not both parties are Clarksville Academy students. (2 marks) Misuse of Technology – Cell Phones and iPads should be silenced at all times when on campus. Cell phones may only be used during break for Intermediate School. Otherwise, the use of cell phones on campus, during the school day if needed, will be allowed with teacher or administrator permission only. The amount of marks will be determined by violation. Profanity - The use of profanity or vulgarity, including signs or gestures, is not a characteristic of well-educated citizens and will not be tolerated. (1 mark) Being Sent Out of Class by Teacher - This occurs when a teacher feels that a student's presence is disruptive to the learning process to such an extent that he/she must be sent out. The student will be sent out of the class only after the teacher has given sufficient warnings and the consequences of being sent out of the room have been made clear. This does not apply to extreme behaviors that require the immediate removal of a student. Students will be sent to the office and remain there until their next class. Students will receive zeros for all work missed in that class. (1 mark) Insubordination/Disrespect – Students are asked to respond promptly to the directions of staff members and act respectfully at all times. Refusal to do so is considered a serious breach of the Code of Conduct and will result in a consequence such as Detention or Saturday School. Disrespect includes: inappropriate gestures, comments, attitude, and body language. Marks are handled on an individual basis. Skipping/Leaving Campus Without Permission - Leaving campus during the school day is prohibited except in the cases of (1) signed out by a parent or (2) school related activities with a teacher. (3 marks) Dishonesty/Cheating - The following actions are considered cheating at Clarksville Academy and will be treated as major violations: giving or receiving help on tests or quizzes, copying homework or allowing someone to copy yours, using technology (such as Dropbox and e-mail) to exchange assignments, plagiarism, or breaking any additional rules of cheating given by individual teachers. In addition, lying to school officials, forging school forms, altering school forms, or unauthorized possession of school forms is unacceptable. (See Intermediate School Honor Code) Fighting/Horseplay/Intimidation/Harassment - Disputes between students should be resolved through proper channels. Pushing, shoving, wrestling, horseplay, etc. will be considered as fighting regardless of the intent. All students are entitled to attend school free from harassment, threats, or fear. Soliciting, encouraging, aiding, or engaging in hazing is prohibited. Hazing is any intentional or reckless act directed at a student for the purpose of being initiated into any office, organization, or team.
If determined by the Divisional Head of School or the Head of School that a student has made aggressive contact with another student without propagation, the student will be suspended. The length of suspension will be determined by the school leader after all interviews and reports have been filed. Obscene and Libelous Materials - Distribution of material that is obscene or libelous is prohibited in school, on, or adjacent to school property or at school related functions. Obscene material is that which depicts or describes sexual conduct in an offensive way. Libelous material is that which tends to falsely injure the reputation of another. Text messages or any other electronic communications relating to the information listed above is prohibited during school hours, events, or functions or on school property. The school cannot control the use of social media or behaviors outside of school. Any use of social media and/or behavior which is a poor reflection on the quality and caliber of students in our school will be a factor in discipline. The school reserves the right to use such public displays of behavior in punishment or repercussions from the administration. Facebook or any other social media posts are under the supervision of the parents, but should there be any distasteful or inappropriate materials posted, both the parent(s) and student will be conferenced with by administration. Consequences for such actions will be determined by the Divisional Head of School and Head of School and could result in suspension. Alcohol/Drug and Tobacco Violation – Clarksville Academy prohibits underage drinking, alcohol consumption, and tobacco usage on CA property. Clarksville Academy Board of Trustees adopts this policy with the support of its students, faculty, and staff to further our mission. This policy is an extension of our commitment to make every effort to provide a safe and healthy environment for all members of our school community. This policy is intended to articulate, affirm, and maintain standards that support abstinence regarding alcohol, drugs and tobacco. This policy provides an umbrella framework for CA’s approach to prevention and intervention, and defines acceptable and unacceptable behaviors with regard to alcohol, other drugs, and tobacco. CA Administration will enforce any CA student violations of this policy. Security officers will be responsible for enforcing this policy for all other parties. Using, purchasing, possessing, selling, distributing, or being under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs, any controlled substance, or any prescription medication that has not been prescribed for you, on campus or at any school-sponsored activity will not be tolerated. Students who violate this policy are subject to arrest. Students may not be in possession of any paraphernalia associated with illegal drug use while on campus.
Any student suspected of alcohol and/or drug use will be sent with parent/legal guardian for professionally done testing within the hour. A school administrator will make contact with the parent or legal guardian to transport student to testing site. Upon review of test results, a school administrator will advise student and parent/legal guardian of consequences. At minimum, student must undergo counseling with psychologist or psychiatrist, and provide written proof of such. Possession of tobacco in any form by a student on school property at any time is prohibited. Tobacco includes cigarettes, cigars, or tobacco in any form, including smokeless tobacco. Consequences will be determined by the Divisional Head of School and Head of School and could result in expulsion from Clarksville Academy. Vandalism/Theft of Property -Emphasis is placed upon respect for property of others and the right of each individual to the free use of his own possessions. Damaging property, (personal property or school property), is violating the rights of others. Deliberate damage or theft of school or personal property is a serious offense and will be treated as such. Tampering with school computers is considered vandalism. Students should use iPads/ computers for assignments only. The school may dismiss or refuse readmission to any student whose attitude or general deportment is detrimental to the best interest of the student or the school, regardless of the number of offenses acquired. Consequences will be determined by the Divisional Head of School and Head of School and could result in expulsion from Clarksville Academy. Respect for Property -Emphasis is placed upon respect for property of others and the right of each individual to the free use of his own possessions. Damaging property, whether personal or school, is violating the rights of others. Students must not sit on tables or desktops, nor lean back in chairs, put feet in chairs, on walls, or other inappropriate places. It is expected that all damage, even though accidental, will be acknowledged by the person(s) involved and amends made insofar as possible. Students are not to sit on the brick entrance. Students are not to sit on the floor of the hallways or on desktops or tables in the classrooms. Gum Disposal – Chewing gum is permitted on campus. Gum should be properly disposed. Weapons/Firearms - Firearms, knives (including pocket knives), clubs, or any other weapons are not allowed on campus at any time. Consequences will be determined by the Divisional Head of School and Head of School and could result in expulsion from Clarksville Academy. Consequences will increase if student continues to violate the same offenses repeatedly.
Intermediate School - Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying Clarksville Academy takes acts of harassment, intimidation, and bullying very seriously and all accusations of such will be investigated fully. Bullying will not be tolerated and not all acts are considered bullying, as some actions on the part of a student does not rise to the level of bullying. A safe and courteous environment in school is necessary for students to learn and achieve. Harassment, intimidation, or bullying, like other disruptive or violent behavior, is conduct that disrupts both students’ ability to learn and the school’s ability to educate students in a safe and orderly environment. Since students learn by example, administrators, faculty, staff, and volunteers should be positive role models in demonstrating appropriate behavior, treating others with civility and respect, and refusing to tolerate harassment, intimidation, or bullying. Students are expected to demonstrate appropriate behavior, treat others with civility and respect, and refuse to tolerate harassment, intimidation, or bullying. Cyberbullying includes bullying undertaken through an electronic communications device and is also prohibited. Individuals who have been subjected to or witness acts of harassment, intimidation, or bullying or who have reliable information that a student has been subjected to an act of harassment, intimidation, or bullying are encouraged to report the act to their direct teacher(s). Any teacher who is made aware of any of these acts will in turn immediately report to their divisional school head and/or the school counselor. Complaints alleging violations of this policy will be promptly investigated. Appropriate disciplinary action will be directed by the Head of School. If an issue arises, parents are to bring their concerns to the child’s teacher first for a solution, then if unresolved, to the appropriate Head of School. The appropriate steps will be taken through the administrative process. The Head of School, divisional Heads of School, along with the school counselors will determine whether or not bullying has occurred. If bullying is identified, the consequences and appropriate remedial action for the situation will be determined, parents will be notified, and student must complete consequence and/or counseling. Consequence/suspension must be completed for eligibility for any future re-enrollment. Clarksville Academy will contact professional authorities if deemed necessary. Harassment can take many forms including but not limited to the following: • •
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Verbal and/or physical abuse or assault of another student, faculty member, or member of the staff. Verbal or physical bullying, and examples of verbal bullying include, but are not limited to: name calling, threats, offensive joking, and untruthful slander. Examples of physical bullying include but are not limited to: physical threats such as hitting, shoving, kicking, tripping, punching, or spitting. Handling, moving, or otherwise disturbing another students’ personal property without permission.
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Harassment through social media or other publication. This includes, but is not limited to: texting and posting, whether individually or as a group, offensive, demeaning, embarrassing, or threatening comments or images; Creating fake web pages or fake profiles or assuming another's identity in any social media context to create content likely to cause embarrassment or concern; spreading hurtful information/rumors online. Cyber-bullying includes, harassing, denigrating, impersonating, and cyber-stalking and all of these are serious violations of the Code of Conduct.
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Sexual Harassment, which includes unwelcomed sexual innuendos, advances, propositions, or demands; unwelcome physical contact; any type of coerced sexual activity including sexual abuse. This list is not all-inclusive. Other unwelcome acts of an offensive nature may also constitute sexual harassment/bullying.
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Hazing, which is any intentional or reckless act directed at a student for the purpose of being initiated into any office, organization, or team. Any of the offenses listed above is a serious disciplinary violation and may result in the immediate dismissal from Clarksville Academy depending on the severity of the offense. When immediate action must be taken in the event of fighting, all students who made intentional physical contact will be suspended from school for 1-3 days without opportunity to make up work missed. For Upper School, the assigned number of demerits and further disciplinary actions will accurately align with the spectrum of possible infractions or offenses in this category and the circumstances surrounding the event will be taken into careful consideration.
Inappropriate Use of Social Media Clarksville Academy provides training and guidance on appropriate use of technology. While the school disapproves of any inappropriate usage, the school cannot take responsibility for the use of social media or behaviors outside of school. Any use of social media and/or behavior which is a poor reflection on the quality and caliber of students in our school will be a factor in discipline. The school reserves the right to use such public displays of behavior and this behavior could result in punishment or repercussions from the administration. All social media posts are under the supervision of the parents and should there be any distasteful or inappropriate materials posted, both the parent(s) and student will be conferenced with by administration.
Explanation of Consequences: 1. Counseling -We take every inappropriate action seriously and begin steps to correct this behavior with counseling with our School Counselors, Denise Walker and Alicia McQueen, and/or the appropriate Head of School. Immediate notification of the parents is dependent upon the severity of the discipline occurrence. Should the occurrence be deemed severe and in need of parent involvement, parents will be contacted by one or more of the following: School Counselor, Head of School, Divisional Head of School, or the teacher involved (if necessary). 2. Loss of Privileges- Students may lose the privilege of participating in a specific activity such as going on a school-sponsored trip or representing the school at a public function or extra-curricular activity. If serious infractions occur, a student may lose their position of leadership in school activities or membership in National Junior Honor Society or National Honor Society. 3. Morning, Lunch, or After School Detention- Morning detention is held in the morning before Assembly from 7:00-7:30 A.M. Lunch Detention is held in an area other than the cafeteria for the entire lunch period and After School Detention is held from 3:00 -3:30 P.M. 4. Saturday School- Students are assigned Saturday School when a behavior is referred to the Divisional Head of School. Saturday School is an alternative consequence to an Out of School Suspension (OSS) and allows students the opportunity to fulfill disciplinary consequences without missing valuable class time. Saturday School is held from 8:00 A.M. until 12:00 P.M. on a Saturday, and students are assigned from one to four hours. In addition to manual labor, the sole activity allowed at Saturday School is silent schoolwork or the reading of school assigned materials. A parent may reschedule Saturday School one time with the appropriate Head of School with no consequence. Students who are tardy will be assigned additional Saturday School hours. Failure to complete a Saturday School assignment may result in double Saturday School hours or Out of School Suspension. Students receiving a Saturday School Assignment will be notified in writing in advance via email. 5. Out of School Suspension (OSS)- OSS is used in rare situations, either because of the severity of the situation or the frequency of the behavior. If you are suspended from school, you may not be on campus or attend any school function for any reason. Failure to observe this regulation is considered criminal trespassing and may result in prosecution. The student will receive zeros for all work missed, to include quizzes and tests during the time of suspension. Prior to returning to school after suspension, the student and parents MUST meet with the Divisional Head of School and/or the Head of School. Very specific changes in attitudes and actions will be expected prior to being permitted to return to CA. Disciplinary probation may be invoked when a student is suspended from school or has repeat behaviors.
6. Expulsion- In cases of repeated or extreme antisocial or illegal behavior, the Head of School may dismiss a student from Clarksville Academy. Although Intermediate School students adhere to the same rules and consequences as Upper School students, they do not accumulate demerits until they are in 9th grade. However, repeated inappropriate behavior may still result in dismissal at the Intermediate School level if all other remedial attempts have proven ineffectual.
Upper School Disciplinary Code of Conduct Revised during the 2018-19 school year
Honesty, respect, and responsibility form the basic framework for Clarksville Academy’s behavioral expectations. We strive to be a school where students can develop their fullest potential, not only within their academic studies, but also as responsible and caring members of this community. High expectations of conduct enable all members of the school family to live together cooperatively, honestly, harmoniously, and with mutual respect. There are six principles that students are expected to observe at Clarksville Academy in order to preserve our tradition of excellence. By maintaining high personal expectations for success, utilizing open communication with staff and fellow students, and following the Code of Conduct, students both increase opportunities for success and help make Clarksville Academy a unified and excellent school. Scholarship: A CA student actively seeks knowledge, understanding, and encourages that pursuit among classmates. Truth and Honor: A CA student tells the truth, does one’s own work, honors one’s commitments, and respects the property of others and of the school. Accountability: A CA student accepts responsibility for one’s own education, decisions, and actions. Respect: A CA student acts in a kind and respectful way that best represents one’s school, parents, and community and self to promote a safe, healthy environment in which to learn. Involvement: A CA student develops leadership, cooperation, communication, self-discipline, and friendships in activities within and outside of the classroom. Diversity: A CA student respects cultural diversity, individuality, and the choices and rights of others. These six principles form the foundation of the Code of Conduct of Clarksville Academy. If students act in accordance with those principles, they will be within the rules of the school, and more importantly, they will increase the likelihood of experiencing personal success in and satisfaction at Clarksville Academy and beyond. The Demerit System is designed to address a wide range of disciplinary infractions during the school day and school activities in as fair and impartial a manner as possible. The system gives faculty a consistent means to address disciplinary issues, and it gives students a chance to modify behavior before it becomes a significant problem. Demerits will be assigned to students for various disciplinary infractions. Upper School General Classroom Management Protocol Teachers are encouraged to establish their own classroom rules, policies, and procedures. The Upper School teachers have collectively chosen to adopt the following protocol for escalating disciplinary issues within the classroom: 1. The student will receive a warning from the teacher.
2. A parent is notified. 3. After a warning and parent notification, should the behavior continue, a referral is submitted to the Upper School Divisional Head for consequences and demerits as suggested by the Code of Conduct. Once a teacher files a disciplinary referral, demerits will be given to the student and an appropriate and equitable consequence will be assigned according to the Code of Conduct. It is possible that a Disciplinary Committee Meeting will occur with the student if they have accumulated a moderate number of demerits. Each disciplinary offense has a number of demerits that are typically assigned. If violations are repeated, the number of demerits assigned and consequences will necessarily increase. An excessive number of demerits will result in parental notification and may result in a student meeting with the Disciplinary Committee, a meeting with the Head of Upper School, being placed on behavioral probation, or even being suspended or expelled from school. Matters of academic honesty will be referred to the Honor Council. Although no list can be all-inclusive, students must understand they will be subject to disciplinary action any time their behavior is disrespectful, disruptive, a violation of the Code of Conduct, or illegal. A student who accumulates more than 30 demerits in a year may be either immediately dismissed from Clarksville Academy or not offered a re-enrollment contract for the next school year. Tardiness & Absenteeism When a student is dismissed during the school day, a parent must notify Mrs. Turnage and sign out his or her student. Student drivers will be dismissed upon parent notification to Mrs. Turnage. The student must sign out with Mrs. Turnage before departure. Return doctor’s notes within one week of the appointment. Our school day begins with assembly starting at 7:45 a.m. Late arrival to school creates disruption not only for the tardy student, but also for the other members of his or her class. Late arrivals of athletes who participated in games the night before are not excused and assignments missed may not be made up. Students are tardy when they arrive to school after assembly has begun or when they arrive late to class without a note and class has begun. After the third tardy to a class or assembly, the student will receive a warning. Demerits accrue by .5 per tardy. Excessive tardiness constitutes a disciplinary violation. If a student misses work because they are late to class without an excuse, the student may not be permitted to make up that work. Possible Consequences - (.5 demerit for each tardy – calculated per class) 3rd Warning 4th – 5th 1 hour Morning Detention 6th – 7th 2 hours Morning Detention 8th – 9th 3 hours Morning Detention After the 10th tardy to assembly and/or to a class, a Disciplinary Committee Meeting will be held to determine further consequences.
Tardies are calculated for each class and for morning assembly. A tardy is recorded when a student is late; however, if the student misses more than 15 minutes of class the student must take an unexcused absence for that class period. Tardies accumulate per quarter. Students benefit when instruction is sequential and uninterrupted. Students also show respect for teachers and classmates when they arrive at school on time and attend all classes.
Dress Code Violation All dress, under all circumstances, is to reflect the integrity that Clarksville Academy embodies. Students who are sent to the office for a dress code violation will be assigned demerits and disciplinary consequences. Students will be sent back to class if appropriate clothing is obtained so they will not miss instructional time. Arrangements can be made on the student’s time for parents to bring suitable clothing. Possible Consequences: 1st Warning/Parent Notification 2nd Meeting with Head of Upper School 1 demerit 3rd 1 hour Morning Detention 2 demerits 4th 2 hours of Saturday School 3 demerits *After 5th violation a Disciplinary Committee Meeting will be held to determine further consequences. Unprepared for Class or Off Task During Class It is important that each student comes prepared to learn in each class. Supplies include: MacBook/iPad, appropriate charging device, earbuds, paper and pens/pencils, books, and any other material requested by the teacher (calculator, flashcards, etc.). Additionally, this includes dressing out for P.E. and Fitness classes. Instructional time and momentum is lost when students do not have the tools needed to participate in the class activities. Possible Consequences: 1st Warning 2nd Parent Notification 3rd 1 hour Morning Detention 1 demerit 4th 2 hours Morning Detention 2 demerits *After the 5th violation a meeting will be scheduled with the student, parent(s), School Counselor, and Upper School Divisional Head. *After the 6th violation, a Disciplinary Committee Meeting will be held to determine further consequences. Backpack Violation To protect the technology Clarksville Academy students use, laptops must be transported in the CA bags each student is assigned, not his or her backpack. Demerits will be assigned after a warning, should a student store his or her laptop in a backpack or other unprotected bag. Students who must place their computers in their backpacks due to a medical reason must have a doctor’s note on file before transporting the laptop in this manner. Possible Consequences: 1st Warning 2nd Morning Detention 1 hour .5 demerit 3rd Morning Detention 2 hours 1 demerit
4th Morning Detention 4 hours 2 demerits *After 5th violation Disciplinary Committee Meeting will be held to determine further consequences. Public Display of Affection Students should conduct themselves in a respectable manner at all times. Other than hand holding, overt displays of affection are not acceptable at any location on campus, on the school buses, or at any school event. This is applicable whether or not both parties are Clarksville Academy students. Possible Consequences: 1st Warning 2nd Morning Detention 1 hour .5 demerit 3rd Morning Detention 2 hours 1 demerit 4th Saturday School 4 hours 2 demerits *After 5th violation a Disciplinary Committee Meeting will be held to determine further consequences. Food or Uncovered Drink in Classroom To keep the classrooms as clean as possible and our learning environment free from unnecessary distractions, students are expected to not bring food into the classroom or have an uncovered drink. Drinks with lids are acceptable. Possible consequences: 1st Warning 2nd Admin Warning/Parent Notification 1 demerit 3rd 1 hour Morning Detention 2 demerit 4th 2 hours AM or PM Campus Cleanup 3 demerits *After 5th violation a Disciplinary Committee Meeting will be held to determine further consequences. Parking Violations Example of violations include speeding, being in the parking lot during the academic day (other than seniors with senior privileges going to and from campus), and failure to register and/or park properly. Demerits will be given for parking violations. Possible Consequences: 1st Warning 2nd Meeting with the Head of Upper School 1 demerit 3rd Meeting with Security 2 demerits 4th Loss of Parking Privileges for 1 week 4 demerits *After the next violation a Disciplinary Committee Meeting will be held to determine further consequences. Profanity The use of profanity or vulgarity, including signs or gestures, is not acceptable at CA. Demerits will be assigned for the use of profanity. Possible Consequences: 1st Warning 1 demerit 2nd Parent Notification 2 demerits
3rd Saturday School 2 hours 3 demerits 4th Saturday School 4 hours 4 demerits *The next violation will result in a Disciplinary Committee Meeting to determine further consequences. Disruptive or Disrespectful Behavior Behavior that disrupts the classroom or the life of the school violates the principle of respect for others. Misconduct includes inappropriate, disrespectful, and/or hostile comments, attitude, gestures, and body language inside or outside of the classroom when on CA grounds or at a CA event. Students who exhibit a pattern of repeated misconduct will be subject to a Disciplinary Hearing. Classroom misconduct can include but is not limited to: - talking out of turn - cutting up or “clowning”—not taking the class or teacher seriously - unnecessarily challenging or ignoring the teacher’s instruction/directions - sleeping during class - grandstanding—monopolizing class discussion/time - disturbing the work of others - insubordination—unwillingness to carry out a directive from a teacher or administrator - failure to treat peers with respect The assigned demerits and discipline consequences will accurately align with the spectrum of possible infractions or offenses in this category. Disrespect will not be tolerated at Clarksville Academy. Possible Consequences: 1st Warning/Meeting with Administration 1 demerit 2nd Parent Notification/1 hour Morning Detention 2 demerits 3rd Disciplinary Committee Hearing will vary If any of the actions above becomes a repeated pattern of behavior or is extremely disruptive or disrespectful, a Disciplinary Committee Hearing will immediately take place and possible outcomes could include (but are not limited): Written Apology, Morning Detention, Saturday School, and Loss of Privileges. Being Sent Out of Class by Teacher This occurs when a teacher feels that a student's presence is disruptive to the learning process to such an extent that he or she must be sent to the administrative office. The student will be sent out of the class only after the teacher has given sufficient warning and the consequences of being sent out of the room have been made clear. The teacher will also contact parents in an effort to help redirect disruptive behavior. This does not apply to extreme disruptive and disrespectful behaviors that require the immediate removal of a student. Students will be sent to the office, report to the Head of Upper School, and remain there until their next class. Students will receive zeros for all work missed in that class and receive further disciplinary consequences for repetitive behaviors that warrant removal from the class.
1-3 demerits will be given upon the first occurrence. Consequences and demerits for a 2nd occurrence will be commensurate in regard to the specific circumstances surrounding the removal from class. Other possible consequences include: CA Counseling Sessions (determined by Mrs. Walker), Morning Detention, Saturday School, Loss of Privileges, Behavioral Probation, or Suspension. Skipping Class/Out of Area Violation Students are closely accounted for each period of the school day. When a student is missing from class, the teacher will contact Mrs. Turnage and Mrs. Walker to inquire about a dismissal. If a student has not been dismissed yet is missing from class, this is considered skipping. Students may not tell peers to relay their whereabouts to teachers. During break, students are expected to be in the auxiliary gym, common areas, or in their next classes. During lunch, students are permitted to be in the auxiliary gym and/or blacktop/outdoor courtyards. Students may not visit cars during lunch without permission. When seniors are leaving and returning from their off-campus lunches, they are not to loiter in parking lots. Possible Consequences – Out of Area: 1st Warning 2nd 1 hour Morning Detention 1 demerit 3rd 2 hours Morning Detention 2 demerits *Upon the 4th occurrence, a Disciplinary Committee Hearing will establish further consequences commensurate with the circumstances of the repeat violation. Possible Consequences – Skipping: 1st 2 hours of Saturday School 2 demerits 2nd 4 hours of Saturday School 4 demerits *Upon the 3rd occurrence, a Disciplinary Committee Hearing will establish further consequences which may include additional Saturday School hours and demerits, Behavioral Probation, or Suspension. Leaving Campus Without Permission A student’s day begins when he or she arrives on campus and ends after his or her last commitment of the school day. Leaving campus during the school day is prohibited except in cases of (1) senior privileges, (2) signed out by a parent, and (3) school related activities with a teacher. Work that is missed because of skipping school cannot be made up and the student will receive 0% for that day. Possible Consequences: 1st 2 hours of Morning Detention 2 demerits 2nd 4 hours of Saturday School 4 demerits 3rd Disciplinary Hearing will vary The Disciplinary Committee may assign more Morning Detention hours, more Saturday School hours, Loss of Privileges, Behavioral Probation, or Suspension.
Misuse of Technology Clarksville Academy aspires to use technology as an effective and resourceful tool to enhance the student learning process. Technology should aid, not distract from work within the classroom; it is a privilege, not a right. Cell phones may only be used during break for Intermediate School students, and during break and lunch for Upper School students. Otherwise, students must have faculty or administrator permission for accessing cell phones at any other time during the school day. Also, teachers may collect all cell phones at the beginning of class and then return them once class is over. Students who misuse technology in the classroom will be subject to a disciplinary violation. Misuse can include but is not limited to: •
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Any use of technology that disrupts or undermines the learning process. Students are to be connected to the CA Wi-Fi at all times. A hotspot should not be engaged unless the teacher has requested it. Tampering with school computers or other technological devices. Social media use that slanders others or brings dishonor to the school. The use of unauthorized computer/internet games. Use of computers, personal devices and digital equipment for recording any material without the consent of all who are being recorded. Accessing, possessing, or downloading inappropriate or objectionable material Sending, soliciting, or intentionally viewing sexually-oriented messages or images Writing, soliciting, sending, possessing, printing, saving, or forwarding offensive, bullying or harassing statements to external or internal recipients. Cyberbullying includes, harassing, denigrating, impersonating, and cyber-stalking and all of these are serious violations of the Code of Conduct. Installing or using unauthorized applications, software, or hardware on Clarksville Academy computer systems. Hacking - Accessing another’s files or using another’s password The inappropriate use of any electronic device, including digital and electronic devices, which are on the Clarksville Academy grounds, regardless of ownership. Dissemination or printing of copyrighted materials (including articles and software) in violation of copyright laws. Gambling or engaging in any other activity in violation of local, state or federal law. Forgery of messages Any illegal or potentially illegal use or activity related to computer or personal device use. The assigned demerits and disciplinary response will accurately align with the spectrum of possible infractions or offenses in this category. For major infractions that include (but are not limited to) bullying, harassment, and/or violence may result in immediate dismissal from Clarksville Academy. 1-10 Demerits will be assigned and further consequences for Minor/Moderate Violations may include:
1st Warning/Parent Notification 2nd Meeting with School Counselor, Technology Director, and Head of Upper School 3rd Disciplinary Committee Hearing to determine consequences which may include: Morning Detention, Saturday School, Loss of Cell Phone Privileges, Loss of Technology Privileges, Behavioral Probation, Suspension, and/or Expulsion. Dishonesty, Theft, and Other Non-Academic Honor Violations All students are expected to follow the Honor Code at Clarksville Academy which forbids cheating, plagiarism, lying, and stealing. Any student found in violation of the CA Honor Code will be subject to an Honor Council hearing and if they are guilty of the violation they will have further disciplinary consequences. For non-academic violations such as lying and stealing, a joint Disciplinary Committee and Honor Council Committee Hearing will occur.
Upper School – Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying Clarksville Academy takes acts of harassment, intimidation, and bullying very seriously and all accusations of such will be investigated fully. Bullying will not be tolerated and not all acts are considered bullying, as some actions on the part of a student does not rise to the level of bullying. A safe and courteous environment in school is necessary for students to learn and achieve. Harassment, intimidation, or bullying, like other disruptive or violent behavior, is conduct that disrupts both students’ ability to learn and the school’s ability to educate students in a safe and orderly environment. Since students learn by example, administrators, faculty, staff, and volunteers should be positive role models in demonstrating appropriate behavior, treating others with civility and respect, and refusing to tolerate harassment, intimidation, or bullying. Students are expected to demonstrate appropriate behavior, treat others with civility and respect, and refuse to tolerate harassment, intimidation, or bullying. Cyberbullying includes bullying undertaken through an electronic communications device and is also prohibited. Individuals who have been subjected to or witness acts of harassment, intimidation, or bullying or who have reliable information that a student has been subjected to an act of harassment, intimidation, or bullying are encouraged to report the act to their direct teacher(s). Any teacher who is made aware of any of these acts will in turn immediately report to their divisional school head and/or the school counselor. Complaints alleging violations of this policy will be promptly investigated. Appropriate disciplinary action will be directed by the Head of School. If an issue arises, parents are to bring their concerns to the child’s teacher first for a solution, then if unresolved, to the appropriate Head of School. The appropriate steps will be taken through the administrative process. The Head of School, divisional Heads of School, along with the school counselors will determine whether or not bullying has occurred. If bullying is identified, the consequences and appropriate remedial action for the situation will be determined, parents will be notified, and student must complete consequence and/or counseling. Consequence/suspension must be completed for eligibility for any future re-enrollment. Clarksville Academy will contact professional authorities if deemed necessary. Harassment can take many forms including but not limited to the following: • •
Verbal and/or physical abuse or assault of another student, faculty member, or member of the staff. Verbal or physical bullying, and examples of verbal bullying include, but are not limited to: name calling, threats, offensive joking, and untruthful slander. Examples of physical bullying include but are not limited to: physical threats such as hitting, shoving, kicking, tripping, punching, or spitting.
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Handling, moving, or otherwise disturbing another students’ personal property without permission.
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Harassment through social media or other publication. This includes, but is not limited to: texting and posting, whether individually or as a group, offensive, demeaning, embarrassing, or threatening comments or images; Creating fake web pages or fake profiles or assuming another's identity in any social media context to create content likely to cause embarrassment or concern; spreading hurtful information/rumors online. Cyber-bullying includes, harassing, denigrating, impersonating, and cyber-stalking and all of these are serious violations of the Code of Conduct. Sexual Harassment, which includes unwelcome sexual innuendos, advances, propositions, or demands; unwelcome physical contact; any type of coerced sexual activity including sexual abuse. This list is not all-inclusive. Other unwelcome acts of an offensive nature may also constitute sexual harassment/bullying.
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Hazing, which is any intentional or reckless act directed at a student for the purpose of being initiated into any office, organization, or team. Any of the offenses listed above is a serious disciplinary violation and may result in the immediate dismissal from Clarksville Academy depending on the severity of the offense. When immediate action must be taken in the event of fighting, all students who made intentional physical contact will be suspended from school for 1-3 days without opportunity to make up work missed. The assigned number of demerits and further disciplinary actions will accurately align with the spectrum of possible infractions or offenses in this category and the circumstances surrounding the event will be taken into careful consideration. Once a student accumulates 7 demerits because of this violation a Disciplinary Committee Meeting will take place to determine further consequences which could include: Saturday School, Loss of Privileges, Behavioral Probation, Suspension, and/or Expulsion. Respect for Property Clarksville Academy expects all students to respect school property and the property of others. Damage, defacement, or littering of school buildings and grounds is prohibited. Any student found to have stolen, damaged, or defaced the personal property of another member of the Clarksville Academy community—or to the school itself—is subject to a disciplinary violation. The assigned number of demerits and discipline will accurately align with the spectrum of possible infractions or offenses regarding this offense.
5-10 Demerits will be assigned and other possible consequences may include: Campus Beautification, Repair of Damage at the Student’s Expense, Written Apology, Morning Detention, Loss of Privileges, Disciplinary Committee Hearing, Behavioral Probation, Suspension, or Expulsion
Obscene and Libelous Materials Distribution of material that is obscene or libelous is prohibited in school, on, or adjacent to school property or at school related functions. Obscene material is that which depicts or describes sexual conduct in an offensive way. Libelous material is that which tends to falsely injure the reputation of another. Text messages or any other electronic communications relating to the information listed above is prohibited during school hours, events, or functions or on school property. Any use of social media and/or behavior that is a poor reflection on the quality and caliber of students in our school will be a factor in disciplining the student. Facebook or any other social media posts are under the supervision of the parents and should there be any distasteful or inappropriate materials posted, both the parent(s) and student will be conferenced with by administration. 10-30 Demerits may be assigned and a Disciplinary Committee Meeting will occur to determine further consequences which may include but are not limited to: Saturday School, Loss of Privileges, Behavioral Probation, Suspension, or Expulsion. Tobacco Possession of tobacco in any form by a student on school property at any time is prohibited. Tobacco includes cigarettes, cigars, or tobacco in any form, including smokeless tobacco. A Disciplinary Committee Meeting will occur as soon as possible to determine further consequences which may include Saturday School, Loss of Privileges, Behavioral Probation, Suspension, or Expulsion. 10 demerits minimum. Possession of Firearms and Weapons The possession, or use, or threat of use on campus of firearms, fireworks, weapons, or any facsimile of a weapon is prohibited and constitutes a serious disciplinary violation. A Disciplinary Committee Meeting will occur to determine whether suspension or expulsion is merited. 15 demerits minimum. Drugs and Alcohol Using, purchasing, possessing, selling, distributing, or being under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs, a controlled substance, or any prescription medication that has not been prescribed to a student, found on campus or at any school sponsored activity, will not be tolerated. Students who violate this policy are subject to not only a disciplinary violation, but also arrest. A Disciplinary Committee Meeting will occur to determine whether suspension or expulsion is merited. 20 demerits minimum.
The Disciplinary Committee Habits built through the small issues of daily life often can bend us in positive or negative directions. In order to help students build a positive respect for school rules and learn the habits of disciplining themselves, the Head of Upper School and teachers will work to assign logical consequences to daily offenses. Disciplinary issues that go beyond those of daily habits, those that demonstrate a fundamental lack of respect for fellow students, faculty/staff members, or for the learning environment will be dealt with more stringently. Students who accumulate a moderate number of demerits of 7 or more or whose disciplinary violations have accumulated in a way that demonstrates serious undermining and disregard of the CA Code of Conduct will be subject to a Disciplinary Committee hearing. As demerits accumulate the severity of consequences for violations will increase. The Disciplinary Committee consists of three faculty members and two administrators coordinated by the Head of Upper School. The Committee convenes when necessary to consider, discuss, and judge cases in which students have been accused of repeatedly or seriously breaking the CA Code of Conduct. Such violations may include but are not limited to excessive absences, disrespect, harassment, bullying, technology violations, and illegal activities. The student will be informed of the alleged rule-breaking before the Disciplinary Committee calls him or her. The student who is alleged to have committed the offense may have a faculty member (serving as an advisor) with him or her at the hearing. The faculty member called by the student will not, however, be present while the Committee deliberates. The rules of evidence do not apply to the disciplinary process. No outside representatives of the student whose behavior is under disciplinary review, such as parents or lawyers, may participate in the process. Any information or facts wished to be shared to parents should be communicated to the Head of Upper School and Head of School prior to the hearing. After a formal inquiry and deliberation, the Disciplinary Committee’s recommendations will be shared with the Head of School for consultation and further recommendations. Appeals of Disciplinary Committee decisions will be heard by the Head of School only when there is new evidence bearing on the matter that was not previously available to the Committee. The Head of School and the Head of Upper School are ultimately responsible for disciplinary responses to major infractions of the rules at Clarksville Academy. If any faculty member sitting on the Disciplinary Committee has a real or perceived conflict of interest in a particular hearing, that person is expected to recuse him/herself and an alternate will take his/her place on the Council. Once a disciplinary violation has been reported, the Head of Upper School will confer with the Head of School, the referring teacher, and/or other committee members to determine if a full convening of the Disciplinary Committee should occur. Disciplinary Committee Hearings will occur within a week of the alleged offense’s report if at all possible. Infractions of other school policies and codes may result in demerits as well as other consequences. Also, these guidelines, while typical, are not carved in stone. Demerits assigned may vary as the circumstances of any given infraction vary.
The school may dismiss or refuse re-admission to any student whose attitude or general deportment is detrimental to the best interest of the student or school, regardless of the number of demerits or offenses acquired.
Intermediate School Honor System I. The Meaning of the Honor System Clarksville Academy’s mission is to promote academic excellence, moral integrity, physical growth, and civic responsibility to its students. In the pursuit of these ideals, The Honor System provides a common foundation for all students to express and uphold their commitment to academic honesty, self-betterment, and personal integrity. The Honor System is meant to be an inheritance and an opportunity to all CA students. It is an inheritance because each entering class will receive it from the previous class as a gift to be proud of and respected. It is an opportunity because it allows the fullest possible expression of individual life in harmony with community life. Within the Honor System, CA students may find a moral ideal by which to guide their actions. This ideal is absolute honesty and respect to oneself and to others in all aspects of life. It is not only a guide for life at Clarksville Academy; it is also a principle for CA students to believe in both during and after school here. The objective of the Honor System is the moral and intellectual development of the individual student. Students are personally responsible for their work, their actions, and their word. Because these actions take place within the larger context of the Clarksville Academy community, students have a responsibility to that community. Articulating, protecting, and maintaining the ideals of the Honor System constitute the shared responsibility of all members of Clarksville Academy. In order to preserve an atmosphere of honor and trust at Clarksville Academy, it is necessary for the Honor Council to act upon any cases of dishonesty and disrespect in connection with academic or campus life. All members of the Clarksville Academy community must fulfill their responsibilities to the Honor System. This process is vital to the integrity of the school and its students. II. The Honor Pledge In pursuit of the high moral ideals and academic standards at Clarksville Academy, I commit myself to respect and to uphold the school’s Honor System: To be honest in every academic endeavor, and To conduct myself honorably, as a responsible member of the Clarksville Academy community as we live and work together. Shortened Version for Class Assignments: On my honor, I have neither given nor received aid on this work. By signing your name to any quiz, test, or graded academic work, you attest that your work has been completed with honor and integrity, in accordance with the Honor Code. III. Premises
The Honor System and the written means for its enforcement is adopted and based on the following premises: Student Commitment Honor, integrity, self-respect, and respect for others are central values of the school. These core beliefs comprise the foundation of the Honor Code. All members of the Clarksville Academy community will put forth effort to represent themselves and the school with integrity and should understand that academic achievement cannot truly be lauded or considered merit-worthy if it fails to uphold these values. Students will sign a contract at the beginning of the school year indicating their consent to comply with the rules and expectations of the Honor Code. This contract binds the student to follow and consent to the principles outlined by the school and within the Honor Code. Faculty Commitment To ensure the best possible education for Clarksville Academy’s students, the faculty must represent and support the Honor Code at all times. The faculty is expected to educate students in not just their area of expertise, but should stress the importance of honor in all school endeavors and endorse the Honor System. It is the responsibility of the faculty members who believe that an Honor Code violation has occurred to report the violation to the Honor Council. If the Honor Council finds that the case does not warrant a hearing, the faculty member should deal with the issue as they see fit. Faculty should request the fully written pledge on tests, quizzes, and papers. Whether or not a written pledge appears on the work, all work should be conducted under the Honor Code and/or correspond to the faculty member’s particular requirements. Head of School’s Commitment The Head of School remains responsible for upholding or vetoing any Honor Council decision. The Head of School has the responsibility of promoting awareness of the Honor System and its underlying values. IV. The Council The Council convenes when necessary to consider, discuss, and judge cases in which students have been accused of violating the Honor Code. Such violations may include cheating, lying, stealing, and plagiarism. For Intermediate School, the Head of Intermediate School, The Faculty Sponsor for Honor in Intermediate School, and one student Council member will attend hearings. If any faculty or student member has a real or perceived conflict of interest in a particular hearing, that person may recuse him/herself and an alternate will take his/her place on the Council. V. Confidentiality All Honor Council findings, reports, and recommendations are held in the strictest of confidence. Maintaining confidentiality for a student going through the Honor System is of paramount concern. - Honor Council Members and all individuals involved in cases are forbidden to discuss Honor cases outside of what is required by their obligations. A Council member who violates this bond of trust will be removed from the Council and will be found in violation of the Honor Code.
- All records from the hearings are securely and confidentially stored with the Administration. - The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) provides that school officials with legitimate educational interests may be allowed access to information from educational records of students. A school official is a person employed by the school as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member or a parent or student who serves on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assists another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Clarksville Academy allows students to serve on the Honor Council as a school official with legitimate educational interest to hear cases regarding academic dishonesty. VI. Offenses Under the Honor Code A. Responsibilities of the Student It shall be the responsibility of every student at Clarksville Academy to: 1. Obey and support the Honor Code. 2. Act at all times with the utmost integrity 3. Refrain from misconduct, lying, cheating, and deception. Offenses under the Honor System are listed below. However, an Honor Offense that is not laid out specifically in these guidelines may be brought forth with specific citation of a violation as specified in this document or a Faculty member’s classroom Honor Policy. B. Academic Dishonesty i) Cheating Cheating is taking, copying, or utilizing another’s work, and then offering that work as his/her own. Cheating includes: - Copying and/or sharing homework, tests, or quizzes verbally, in written form, or by electronic means - Copying and/or sharing any source of information before, during, or after an assessment. - Using any electronic media device or phone during any assessment without the permission of the teacher - Using unauthorized information on graded assignments, including information in a textbook or stored on a cell phone, calculator, or other electronic media storage device - Offering or receiving information under circumstances when information is not to be shared - Submitting work as your own that has been completed by someone else, including parents and tutors - Presenting collaborative work as individual work and individual work as collaborative (In group work, one person should not bear the burden for the entire group assignment.)
- Copying answers from answer guides in texts or from supplemental information on the Internet (e.g. SparkNotes, Cliff’s Notes, Textbook Teacher Editions) - Fabricating or “fudging” data, information, or sources; attempting to pass off made up material as the result of genuine efforts ii) Plagiarism Plagiarism involves the lack of attribution or taking of another’s ideas and including those ideas as one’s own work. It is comprised of both inadvertent and deliberate acts/omissions. It can involve using information taken in whole or in part without the proper attribution/citation of the original source. It can involve word-for-word copying, summation, or paraphrase of a source without proper attribution/citation of the original source. Examples of plagiarism may include: - Direct copying of text from another written, oral, or electronic source without proper attribution/citation of the original source - Paraphrasing another’s ideas or words without proper attribution/citation of the original source - Incorporating another’s ideas into your own work without proper attribution/citation of the original source - “Block copying” to the extent that the entire essay/paper is comprised of others’ ideas and not the student’s—even if properly cited - Failing to acknowledge a source within your own work - Failure to include a Works Cited page when submitting a written assessment - Using language that is unique in nature without proper attribution/citation of the original source (e.g. paralanguage) III. Premises - Self-plagiarism: using work from a previous class without attribution - Using or submitting images/graphics/artwork/statistical data, etc., without proper attribution/citation to the original source. Students should also be aware of copyright infringement issues, which can have serious legal consequences. iii) Lying Lying is not telling the truth or not being forthright with a teacher or student. Being vague, evasive, or inexplicit all constitute lying in the attempt to deceive another person. - Lying about one’s “guilt” over an Honor Code violation can create two honor code violations. - Failing to report or being untruthful about what one observed with regard to an Honor Code violation is also considered lying.
iv) Forgery Forgery is a form of falsification or signature on a school-sanctioned document. v) Technology Any attempt to extract information from a computer, smartphone, cellular phone, PDA, or any other electronic device is a violation of the Honor Code. If a device is discovered in plain sight in possession of a student while a test or quiz is being conducted, the teacher retains the right to assume the device is being used to cheat unless the accused is able to prove otherwise or has a valid excuse. A device in plain view will be considered a possible honor violation and often results in a 0% on the assignment. VII. Reporting Violations - Students who observe violations should report the violation to a teacher or the Honor Council faculty sponsor. Students may report confidentially. - Teachers who observe violations should talk to the student about the violation outside of class and then write a report onto the student’s honor log on PowerSchool. The Honor Council Faculty Sponsor will then be notified and give the student a Student Rights Statement to be signed by the student and his or her parents. - Teachers should advise students suspected of a violation to refrain from discussing the matter except with their parents. - A student suspected of a violation may seek the counsel of a teacher (who may appear with a student at the hearing—if a hearing does indeed occur—in the form of an advisor). - In Intermediate School, once a suspected violation has been reported, an informal honor meeting will take place with the referring teacher, student, and Honor Council Faculty Sponsor. If the informal meeting leads to a hearing, then the Honor Faculty Sponsor will call a meeting with the Head of Intermediate School and a Student Representative from the Honor Council to determine if a violation occurred and consequences if there was a violation. - Note: a failure to report a violation is an Honor Code violation.
IX. Honor Council Procedures for Intermediate School A. Once a referral requires the convening of the Honor Council, the student in question will fill out the Student Rights Statement and return it with their signature and a parent’s signature to the Honor Council Faculty Sponsor. B. The student will mark one of two options on the Student Rights Form: i. Acknowledge that he/she violated the Honor Code and will accept penalty from the Head of School, but would like to submit a written statement and appear with a written statement in front of the Honor Council before review and penalties occur. ii. Maintain that he/she did not violate the Honor Code and request an investigation and hearing before the Honor Council with findings and recommendations submitted to the Head of School. (This option requires the student to submit a written statement and also entitles him/her to answer questions and advocate on his/her own behalf, if they choose to appear at the hearing). C. At the beginning of the hearing, the Honor Council Sponsor will welcome the Head of Intermediate School and one student Council member, as well as the student in question, referring faculty, and/or potential faculty advisor(s). Parents and legal representatives are not to be present at Honor Council hearings. Any information or facts wished to be shared with parents should be communicated to the Head of School prior to the hearing. D. Sponsor will read the Confidentiality Pledge and all Honor Council members present will affirm. E. If applicable, Faculty Sponsor will read/paraphrase student statement regarding the alleged violation and referring faculty statement. Council may ask questions of student and any witnesses. The student in question may issue a statement. F. Student-in-question and witnesses will then be dismissed from room. G. Council will deliberate and vote on two possible recommendations to be forwarded to the Head of School: i. No Violation. In cases where the student is found not to have broken the Honor Code with definitive evidence to support the ruling, this verdict may be given. ii. Violation of Honor Code. To find the student to be in violation, there should evidence to support that claim. H. After deliberation, recommended consequences are forwarded to the Head of School before being shared with student. I. Faculty Sponsor reiterates Confidentiality Pledge and dismisses Council members.
J. NOTES: i. Honor Council should work for a consensus agreement. However, a simple majority may issue a finding of no violation or violation. ii. Head of School, after receiving findings and recommendations, will confirm consequences. Either the Head of School or Honor Council sponsor will meet with the student-in-question, counsel the student, communicate with parents if necessary, and Faculty Sponsor will record the results in student’s Honor Code file. iii. All records from hearing and follow-up meeting are securely and confidentially stored with Faculty Sponsor. IX. Possible Recommended Consequences In keeping with Clarksville Academy’s fundamental goals, students who violate the Honor Code should learn from their mistakes. The recommended consequences determined by the Council should aim to educate the student in question, while being appropriately punitive to discourage dishonest and disrespectful actions, both in the first case and in the future. Because of this, the recommendation of consequences should concern the communal interests of students, faculty, staff, and the greater Clarksville Academy community. When deliberating among possible sanctions, the Honor Council should consider four types of relevant factors: 1. The Gravity of the Offense including the consequences for any members of the Clarksville Academy community and any recurring patterns of behavior. 2. The Value of Learning through experience to take responsibility for one’s actions and to uphold the tenets of personal integrity. 3. The Importance of Equitable Treatment for similar offenses. 4. Any Other Mitigating Factors that should be considered to lead to a recommended consequence in the best interest of the whole of the community. A. Violations and Possible Outcomes Minor Offenses: -50% off or a possible 0% on the assignment -Written Warning in file -Written Honor Code assignment -Meeting with Honor Council Faculty Sponsor, Head of School Moderate Offenses: -0% on assignment -Redo for 50% credit on assignment -Honor Code Warning, which could make any follow-up offense, no matter how minor, a second offense and could result in serious consequences such as suspension. -Written Honor Code assignment
-Saturday School -Required Tutoring -Meeting with Honor Council Faculty Sponsor, Head of School Major Offenses: -0% on assignment -Honor Code Warning, which could make any follow-up offense, no matter how minor, a second offense and could result in serious consequences such as suspension. -Disqualification from National Honor Society and any student office -Suspension from extra-curricular activities -Written Honor Code assignment -Required Tutoring -Saturday School -Meeting with Honor Council Faculty Sponsor, Head of School B. Multiple Offenses First Offense (Level 1 Consequences) Consequences may include, but are not limited to process + Saturday School + teacher imposed consequences (possible remedial measures include apology, discussion with teacher, discussion with HC sponsor, discussion with Guidance). Second Offense (Level 2 Consequences) -Consequences may include but are not limited to Level 2 consequences, which include 1st offense consequences, possible suspension, a notification on official school record of Honor Code violation. -Possible additional consequences: removal from leadership position within a club, nonparticipation in extra-curricular activities, Saturday School, suspension of parking and other student privileges. Third Offense (Level 3 Consequences) All Level 1 & 2 Consequences, plus harsher sanctions than those issued with earlier consequences. -Recommendations for out-of-school suspension -Recommendations for referral for further administrative consequences that might include expulsion.
X. Appeals a. Student-in-question and/or parent may file a written statement requesting appeal of Honor Council findings and/or administrative consequences within five school days of Head-of-School’s follow-up meeting with student-in-question. b. Head of Upper School/Intermediate School will review appeal statement, student’s Honor Code folder, and findings. Head of Upper/Intermediate School may choose to meet with Honor Council Sponsor and participating Council members. c. Head of Upper/Intermediate School will schedule meeting (includes in-person or overthe-phone) with student-in-question and parents. d. As a result of the review and meeting, Head of Upper/Intermediate School may affirm or alter the findings, recommendations, or consequences of the Honor Council Proceedings. e. All documents of the appeal will be preserved in student’s Honor Code folder, regardless of the appeal results. f. Appeal results are final. XI. The Rights A. Procedural Rights of the Student 1. Information – The right to examine the Honor Code Constitution; to inquire when any procedures appear unclear; to be advised of the accusation, the possible levels of punishment, and corresponding sanctions, and the students’ responsibility to Honor Council proceedings; and to be informed of any subsequent Honor Council action after the Hearing, including but not limited to letters being sent to the home(s) of the accused’s to parents and/or guardian. 2. Presumption of Innocence – The right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. 3. Fair Hearing – The right to a fair, impartial Hearing before the Clarksville Academy Honor Council; to be accompanied by a faculty advisor in the Hearing. 4. Evidence and Witnesses – The right to confront any accusatory witnesses and rebut any presented evidence, to the extent that such actions do not violate the rights of the other students, faculty, or staff involved. 5. Appeal – The right to appeal an Honor Council decision to the extent afforded by this Constitution to the C.A. Head of School, who may or may not act upon the appeal request. 6. Privacy – The right to have his/her name withheld from all people not directly involved with the case by members of the Honor Council. Witnesses also retain this right. B. Procedural Rights of the Accuser 1. Information – The right to examine the Honor Code Constitution; to be advised of Honor Council procedures and precedents of action where applicable; and to be notified of the Honor Council ruling and rationale after the Hearing. 2. Recommendations – The right to make an additional written or spoken statement to the Council during the Hearing in relation to non-evidence material that he or she views as relevant:
a. In the case of a faculty accuser, including but not limited to statements on the student’s performance in the class, the student’s character exhibited in the class, and the student’s actions since being accused of an Honor Offense under this Constitution; to suggest a punishment to the Council based on personal impressions and rationale; and to impose a grade sanction or other academic sanction in cases of academic dishonesty, including but not limited to a failing grade on the assignment or a failing grade for the grading period. b. In the case of a staff accuser, including but not limited to impressions of the student’s character from personal relationship; and to impose additional punishments in relation to the staff-student avenue of relations, such as athletic suspensions in the case of a coachstudent relationship, or extracurricular ramifications in the case of an activity sponsor – member relationship. c. In the case of a student accuser, including but not limited to statements on the student’s character; and to suggest a punishment to the Council based on personal impressions and rationale. 3. Witness- The accuser has the right to call witnesses to testify on or his or her behalf. 4. Privacy – The right to have his or her name withheld from all people not directly involved with the case by members of the Honor Council. Witnesses also retain this right. XII. Advice to Help Students Follow the Honor Code -Seek the advice and wisdom of parents, teachers, students, and our guidance counselor when setting academic goals. -Challenge yourself, but balance class load and other activities. Don’t take on obligations that exceed your time constraints, your academic abilities, or personal standards of excellence. -Monitor deadlines and plan for them. Most often, the temptations to lie, cheat, or steal occur at times of extreme pressure. -ALWAYS ask for clarification if expectations, directions, or methods are not clear to you. Plagiarism, for example, is not always deliberate, so don’t be caught in a violation simply because you were unsure how or whether to cite a source. -In collaborative work, be sure responsibilities are clearly delegated and equitably distributed among all group members. Consult with teacher if difficulties develop. -If you know in advance a deadline is going to be a problem, consult with the teacher ahead of time. Teachers are often much more accommodating when approached early, in person, and privately. -Build healthy study habits and routines. Reliance on shortcuts often leads to Honor Code violations. -Take advantage of academic resources: tutoring programs and extra-help with a teacher.
Upper School Honor System Revised for the 2019-20 school year. I. The Meaning of the Honor System Clarksville Academy’s mission is to promote academic excellence, moral integrity, physical growth, and civic responsibility to its students. In the pursuit of these ideals, The Honor System provides a common foundation for all students to express and uphold their commitment to academic honesty, self-betterment, and personal integrity. The Honor System is meant to be an inheritance and an opportunity to all CA students. It is an inheritance because each entering class will receive it from the previous class as a gift to be proud of and respected. It is an opportunity because it allows the fullest possible expression of individual life in harmony with community life. Within the Honor System, CA students may find a moral ideal by which to guide their actions. This ideal is absolute honesty and respect to oneself and to others in all aspects of life. It is not only a guide for life at Clarksville Academy; it is also a principle for CA students to believe in both during and after school here. The objective of the Honor System is the moral and intellectual development of the individual student. Students are personally responsible for their work, their actions, and their word. Because these actions take place within the larger context of the Clarksville Academy community, students have a responsibility to that community. Articulating, protecting, and maintaining the ideals of the Honor System constitute the shared responsibility of all members of Clarksville Academy. In order to preserve an atmosphere of honor and trust at Clarksville Academy, it is necessary for the Honor Council to act upon any cases of dishonesty and disrespect in connection with academic or campus life. All members of the Clarksville Academy community must fulfill their responsibilities to the Honor System. This process is vital to the integrity of the school and its students. II. The Honor Pledge In pursuit of the high moral ideals and academic standards at Clarksville Academy, I commit myself to respect and to uphold the school’s Honor System: To be honest in every academic endeavor, and To conduct myself honorably, as a responsible member of the Clarksville Academy community as we live and work together. Shortened Version for Class Assignments: On my honor, I have neither given nor received aid on this work. By signing your name to any quiz, test, or graded academic work, you attest that your work has been completed with honor and integrity, in accordance with the Honor Code.
III. Premises The Honor System and the written means for its enforcement is adopted and based on the following premises: Student Commitment Honor, integrity, self-respect, and respect for others are central values of the school. These core beliefs comprise the foundation of the Honor Code. All members of the Clarksville Academy community will put forth effort to represent themselves and the school with integrity and should understand that academic achievement cannot truly be lauded or considered merit-worthy if it fails to uphold these values. Students will sign a contract at the beginning of the school year indicating their consent to comply with the rules and expectations of the Honor Code. This contract binds the student to follow and consent to the principles outlined by the school and within the Honor Code. Faculty Commitment To ensure the best possible education for Clarksville Academy’s students, the faculty must represent and support the Honor Code at all times. The faculty is expected to educate students in not just their area of expertise, but should stress the importance of honor in all school endeavors and endorse the Honor System. It is the responsibility of the faculty members who believe that an Honor Code violation has occurred to report the violation to the Honor Council. If the Honor Council finds that the case does not warrant a hearing, the faculty member should deal with the issue as they see fit. Faculty should request the fully written pledge on tests, quizzes, and papers. Whether or not a written pledge appears on the work, all work should be conducted under the Honor Code and/or correspond to the faculty member’s particular requirements. Head of School’s Commitment The Head of School remains responsible for upholding or vetoing any Honor Council decision. The Head of School has the responsibility of promoting awareness of the Honor System and its underlying values. IV. The Council Selection to The Honor Council is one of the highest honors a student can achieve at Clarksville Academy. Each year 9 seniors and 6 faculty members will be appointed by the Head of School to serve on the Honor Council. The total members on the Honor Council should never exceed seven during hearings unless circumstances deem it necessary to alter that number. The Council convenes when necessary to consider, discuss, and judge cases in which students have been accused of violating the Honor Code. Such violations may include cheating, lying, stealing, and plagiarism. For Intermediate School, the Head of Intermediate School, The Faculty Sponsor for Honor in Intermediate School, and one student Council member will attend hearings. For Upper School, three student Council members, and four Faculty Council members participate in the Honor hearings. After a
formal inquiry and deliberation, the Honor Council will vote on a student’s innocence or guilt and make a disciplinary recommendation to the Head of School. If any faculty or student member has a real or perceived conflict of interest in a particular hearing, that person may recuse him/herself and an alternate will take his/her place on the Council. V. Confidentiality All Honor Council findings, reports, and recommendations are held in the strictest of confidence. Maintaining confidentiality for a student going through the Honor System is of paramount concern. - Honor Council Members and all individuals involved in cases are forbidden to discuss Honor cases outside of what is required by their obligations. A Council member who violates this bond of trust will be removed from the Council and will be found in violation of the Honor Code. - All records from the hearings are securely and confidentially stored with the Administration. - The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) provides that school officials with legitimate educational interests may be allowed access to information from educational records of students. A school official is a person employed by the school as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member or a parent or student who serves on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assists another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Clarksville Academy allows students to serve on the Honor Council as a school official with legitimate educational interest to hear cases regarding academic dishonesty. VI. Offenses Under the Honor Code A. Responsibilities of the Student It shall be the responsibility of every student at Clarksville Academy to: 1. Obey and support the Honor Code. 2. Act at all times with the utmost integrity 3. Refrain from misconduct, lying, cheating, and deception. Offenses under the Honor System are listed below. However, an Honor Offense that is not laid out specifically in these guidelines may be brought forth with specific citation of a violation as specified in this document or a Faculty member’s classroom Honor Policy. B. Academic Dishonesty i) Cheating Cheating is taking, copying, or utilizing another’s work, and then offering that work as his/her own. Cheating includes: - Copying and/or sharing homework, tests, or quizzes verbally, in written form, or by electronic means
- Copying and/or sharing any source of information before, during, or after an assessment. - Using any electronic media device or phone during any assessment without the permission of the teacher - Using unauthorized information on graded assignments, including information in a textbook or stored on a cell phone, calculator, or other electronic media storage device - Offering or receiving information under circumstances when information is not to be shared - Submitting work as your own that has been completed by someone else, including parents and tutors - Presenting collaborative work as individual work and individual work as collaborative (In group work, one person should not bear the burden for the entire group assignment.) - Copying answers from answer guides in texts or from supplemental information on the Internet (e.g. SparkNotes, Cliff’s Notes, Textbook Teacher Editions) - Fabricating or “fudging” data, information, or sources; attempting to pass off made up material as the result of genuine efforts ii) Plagiarism Plagiarism involves the lack of attribution or taking of another’s ideas and including those ideas as one’s own work. It is comprised of both inadvertent and deliberate acts/omissions. It can involve using information taken in whole or in part without the proper attribution/citation of the original source. It can involve word-for-word copying, summation, or paraphrase of a source without proper attribution/citation of the original source. Examples of plagiarism may include: - Direct copying of text from another written, oral, or electronic source without proper attribution/citation of the original source - Paraphrasing another’s ideas or words without proper attribution/citation of the original source - Incorporating another’s ideas into your own work without proper attribution/citation of the original source - “Block copying” to the extent that the entire essay/paper is comprised of others’ ideas and not the student’s—even if properly cited - Failing to acknowledge a source within your own work - Failure to include a Works Cited page when submitting a written assessment - Using language that is unique in nature without proper attribution/citation of the original source (e.g. paralanguage) - Self-plagiarism: using work from a previous class without attribution - Using or submitting images/graphics/artwork/statistical data, etc., without proper attribution/citation to the original source. Students should also be aware of copyright infringement issues, which can have serious legal consequences. iii) Lying Lying is not telling the truth or not being forthright with a teacher or student. Being vague, evasive, or inexplicit all constitute lying in the attempt to deceive another person. - Lying about one’s “guilt” over an Honor Code violation can create two honor code violations.
- Failing to report or being untruthful about what one observed with regard to an Honor Code violation is also considered lying. iv) Forgery Forgery is a form of falsification or signature on a school-sanctioned document. v) Technology Any attempt to extract information from a computer, smartphone, cellular phone, PDA, or any other electronic device is a violation of the Honor Code. If a device is discovered in plain sight in possession of a student while a test or quiz is being conducted, the teacher retains the right to assume the device is being used to cheat unless the accused is able to prove otherwise or has a valid excuse. A device in plain view will be considered a possible honor violation and often results in a 0% on the assignment. VII. Reporting Violations - Students who observe violations should report the violation to a teacher or the Honor Council faculty sponsor. Students may report confidentially. - Teachers who observe violations should talk to the student about the violation outside of class and then write a report onto the student’s honor log on PowerSchool. The Honor Council Faculty Sponsor will then be notified and give the student a Student Rights Statement to be signed by the student and his or her parents. - Teachers should advise students suspected of a violation to refrain from discussing the matter except with their parents. - A student suspected of a violation may seek the counsel of a teacher (who may appear with a student at the hearing—if a hearing does indeed occur—in the form of an advisor). - In Upper School, once a suspected violation has been reported, an informal honor meeting will take place with the referring teacher, student(s), and Honor Council Faculty Sponsor and another Honor Faculty member. When the informal meeting leads to a hearing, the Honor Council will meet to determine if a violation occurred and consequences if there was a violation. - Note: a failure to report a violation is an Honor Code violation. VIII. Honor Council Procedures for Upper School A. Once a referral requires the convening of the Honor Council, the student in question will fill out the Student Rights Statement and return it with their signature and a parent’s signature to the Honor Council Faculty Sponsor. B. The student will mark one of two options on the Student Rights Form: i. Acknowledge that he/she violated the Honor Code and will accept penalty from the Head of School, but would like to submit a written statement and appear with a written statement in front of the Honor Council before review and penalties occur. ii. Maintain that he/she did not violate the Honor Code and request an investigation and hearing before the Honor Council with findings and recommendations submitted to the Head of School. (This option requires the student to submit a written statement
and also entitles him/her to answer questions and advocate on his/her own behalf, if they choose to appear at the hearing). C. At the beginning of the hearing, the Honor Council Sponsor will welcome 4 faculty members and 3 student members, as well as the student in question, referring faculty, and/or potential faculty advisor(s). Parents and legal representatives are not to be present at Honor Council hearings. Any information or facts wished to be shared with parents should be communicated to the Head of School prior to the hearing. D. Sponsor will read the Confidentiality Pledge and all Honor Council members present will affirm. E. If applicable, Faculty Sponsor will read/paraphrase student statement regarding the alleged violation and referring faculty statement. If the student is present, Council may ask questions of student and any witnesses. The student in question may issue a statement. F. Student-in-question and witnesses will then be dismissed from room. G. Council will deliberate and vote on two possible recommendations to be forwarded to the Head of School: i. No Violation. In cases where the student is found not to have broken the Honor Code with definitive evidence to support the ruling, this verdict may be given. ii. Violation of Honor Code. To find the student to be in violation, there should clear and convincing evidence to support that claim. VIII. After deliberation, recommended consequences are forwarded to the Head of School before being shared with student. IX. Faculty Sponsor reiterates Confidentiality Pledge and dismisses Council members. X. NOTES: i. Honor Council should work for a consensus agreement. However, a simple majority may issue a finding of no violation or violation. ii. Head of School, after receiving findings and recommendations, will confirm consequences. Either the Head of School or Honor Council sponsor will meet with the student-in-question, counsel the student, communicate with parents if necessary, and Faculty Sponsor will record the results in student’s Honor Code file. NOTE: findings of a violation may be required to be shared with colleges/universities to which student applies. iii. All records from hearing and follow-up meeting are securely and confidentially stored with Faculty Sponsor. IX. Possible Recommended Consequences In keeping with Clarksville Academy’s fundamental goals, students who violate the Honor Code should learn from their mistakes. The recommended consequences determined by the Council should aim to educate the student in question, while being appropriately punitive to discourage dishonest and disrespectful actions, both in the first case and in the future. Because of this, the recommendation of consequences should concern the communal interests of students, faculty, staff, and the greater Clarksville Academy community. When deliberating among possible sanctions, the Honor Council should consider four types of relevant factors:
1. The Gravity of the Offense including the consequences for any members of the Clarksville Academy community and any recurring patterns of behavior. 2. The Value of Learning through experience to take responsibility for one’s actions and to uphold the tenets of personal integrity. 3. The Importance of Equitable Treatment for similar offenses. 4. Any Other Mitigating Factors that should be considered to lead to a recommended consequence in the best interest of the whole of the community. A. Violations and Possible Outcomes Minor Offenses: -50% off or a possible 0% on the assignment -Written Warning in file -Written Honor Code assignment -Meeting with Honor Council Faculty Sponsor, Head of School Moderate Offenses: -0% on assignment -Redo for 50% credit on assignment -Honor Code Warning, which could make any follow-up offense, no matter how minor, a second offense and could result in serious consequences such as suspension. -Written Honor Code assignment -Saturday School -Required Tutoring -Meeting with Honor Council Faculty Sponsor, Head of School Major Offenses: -0% on assignment -Honor Code Warning, which could make any follow-up offense, no matter how minor, a second offense and could result in serious consequences such as suspension. -Disqualification from National Honor Society and any student office -Suspension from extra-curricular activities -Written Honor Code assignment -Required Tutoring -Saturday School -Meeting with Honor Council Faculty Sponsor, Head of School B. Multiple Offenses First Offense (Level 1 Consequences) Consequences may include, but are not limited to process + Saturday School + teacher imposed consequences (possible remedial measures include apology, discussion with teacher, discussion with HC sponsor, discussion with Guidance).
Second Offense (Level 2 Consequences) -Consequences may include but are not limited to Level 2 consequences, which include 1st offense consequences, possible suspension, a notification on official school record of Honor Code violation. -Possible additional consequences: removal from leadership position within a club, nonparticipation in extra-curricular activities, Saturday School, suspension of parking and other student privileges. Third Offense (Level 3 Consequences) All Level 1 & 2 Consequences, plus harsher sanctions than those issued with earlier consequences. -Recommendations for out-of-school suspension -Recommendations for referral for further administrative consequences that might include expulsion. X. Appeals a. Student-in-question and/or parent may file a written statement requesting appeal of Honor Council findings and/or administrative consequences within five school days of Head-of-School’s follow-up meeting with student-in-question. b. Head of Upper School/Intermediate School will review appeal statement, student’s Honor Code folder, and findings. Head of Upper/Intermediate School may choose to meet with Honor Council Sponsor and participating Council members. c. Head of Upper/Intermediate School will schedule meeting (includes in-person or overthe-phone) with student-in-question and parents. d. As a result of the review and meeting, Head of Upper/Intermediate School may affirm or alter the findings, recommendations, or consequences of the Honor Council Proceedings. e. All documents of the appeal will be preserved in student’s Honor Code folder, regardless of the appeal results. f. Appeal results are final. XI. The Rights A. Procedural Rights of the Student 1. Information – The right to examine the Honor Code Constitution; to inquire when any procedures appear unclear; to be advised of the accusation, the possible levels of punishment, and corresponding sanctions, and the students’ responsibility to Honor Council proceedings; and to be informed of any subsequent Honor Council action after the Hearing, including but not limited to letters being sent to the home(s) of the accused’s to parents and/or guardian. 2. Presumption of Innocence – The right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. 3. Fair Hearing – The right to a fair, impartial Hearing before the Clarksville Academy Honor Council; to be accompanied by a faculty advisor in the Hearing.
4. Evidence and Witnesses – The right to confront any accusatory witnesses and rebut any presented evidence, to the extent that such actions do not violate the rights of the other students, faculty, or staff involved. 5. Appeal – The right to appeal an Honor Council decision to the extent afforded by this Constitution to the C.A. Head of School, who may or may not act upon the appeal request. 6. Privacy – The right to have his/her name withheld from all people not directly involved with the case by members of the Honor Council. Witnesses also retain this right. B. Procedural Rights of the Accuser 1. Information – The right to examine the Honor Code Constitution; to be advised of Honor Council procedures and precedents of action where applicable; and to be notified of the Honor Council ruling and rationale after the Hearing. 2. Recommendations – The right to make an additional written or spoken statement to the Council during the Hearing in relation to non-evidence material that he or she views as relevant: a. In the case of a faculty accuser, including but not limited to statements on the student’s performance in the class, the student’s character exhibited in the class, and the student’s actions since being accused of an Honor Offense under this Constitution; to suggest a punishment to the Council based on personal impressions and rationale; and to impose a grade sanction or other academic sanction in cases of academic dishonesty, including but not limited to a failing grade on the assignment or a failing grade for the grading period. b. In the case of a staff accuser, including but not limited to impressions of the student’s character from personal relationship; and to impose additional punishments in relation to the staff-student avenue of relations, such as athletic suspensions in the case of a coachstudent relationship, or extracurricular ramifications in the case of an activity sponsor – member relationship. c. In the case of a student accuser, including but not limited to statements on the student’s character; and to suggest a punishment to the Council based on personal impressions and rationale. 3. Witness- The accuser has the right to call witnesses to testify on or his or her behalf. 4. Privacy – The right to have his or her name withheld from all people not directly involved with the case by members of the Honor Council. Witnesses also retain this right. XII. Advice to Help Students Follow the Honor Code -Seek the advice and wisdom of parents, teachers, students, and our guidance counselor when setting academic goals. -Challenge yourself, but balance class load and other activities. Don’t take on obligations that exceed your time constraints, your academic abilities, or personal standards of excellence. -Monitor deadlines and plan for them. Most often, the temptations to lie, cheat, or steal occur at times of extreme pressure. -ALWAYS ask for clarification if expectations, directions, or methods are not clear to you. Plagiarism, for example, is not always deliberate, so don’t be caught in a violation simply
because you were unsure how or whether to cite a source. -ALWAYS ask for clarification if expectations, directions, or methods are not clear to you. Plagiarism, for example, is not always deliberate, so don’t be caught in a violation simply because you were unsure how or whether to cite a source. -In collaborative work, be sure responsibilities are clearly delegated and equitably distributed among all group members. Consult with teacher if difficulties develop. -If you know in advance a deadline is going to be a problem, consult with the teacher ahead of time. Teachers are often much more accommodating when approached early, in person, and privately. -Build healthy study habits and routines. Reliance on shortcuts often leads to Honor Code violations. -Take advantage of academic resources: tutoring programs and extra-help with a teacher.
TUITION & F E E S 2 0 1 9 - 2 0 20 P R E - K – G R A D E 1 2
Enrollment Deposit 1 - $500 Due upon acceptance and re-enrollment each successive school year. Enrollment Deposit 2 - $500 Due May 10th of each year. Consumable Fees Due in two payments, April 10th & June 10th (2019) PreK - $250 KDG - $370 1st Grade - $330 2nd Grade - $370 3rd Grade – 385 4th & 5th Grades - $370 6th Grade - $295 7th Grade - $310 8th Grade - $325
9th Grade - $340 10th Grade - $270 11th Grade - $300 12th Grade - $260
Technology Fees All technology fees are due by July 10 of each year. We request that those choosing the monthly payment option let us know this before July 10. 9th-12th Grade 1:1 Apple Laptop Fee $500.00 can be paid in full by July 10. Additional information on CA’s 1:1 laptop initiative can be found on our technology page. iPad Fee Grades Pre-K & Kindergarten iPad Mini Fee is $75 per year to be paid in full by July 10. Grades 1st & 2nd iPad Mini Fee is $140 per year to be paid in full by July 10. Grades 3rd – 5th iPad Mini Fee is $325 per year to be paid in full by July 10. Grades 6th – 8th iPad Fee is $350 per year to be paid in full by July 10.
TRANSPORTATION F E E S Bus Service requires a semester (5 months) or full school year (10 months) commitment. Fees may be paid in full, bi-annual, or monthly by bank draft September through May. (There will be no charge for the month of August if you elect the monthly plan.)
One Student One Way Full Year $2070.00 September 1 One Way Bi-Annual $1320.00 September 1 & January 4 One Way Monthly Draft $325.00 September-May Round Trip Full Year $2570.00 September 1 Round Trip Bi-Annual $1570.00 September 1 & January 4 Round Trip Monthly Draft $380.00 September-May Two or More Students One Way Full Year $2620.00 September 1 One Way Bi-Annual $1620.00 September 1 & January 4 One Way Monthly Draft $420.00 September – May Round Trip Full Year $3120.00 September 1 Round Trip Bi-Annual $1870.00 September 1 & January 4 Round Trip Monthly Draft $441.00 September – May
OPTIONAL F E E S Cafeteria Lunches Teachers – $3.00 (Hot Only) Daily Meal Fee $4.75 Annual Meal Plan Fee $795.00 (savings of $81.25) to be paid by Bank Draft Aug 1, 2019 Bi-Annual Meal Plan Fee $425.00 (savings of $31.25) to be paid by Bank Draft Aug 1, 2019 & Jan 4, 2020
Extended Care Contract Options: Fees may be paid annually, bi-annual, or monthly by bank draft. (There will be no charge for the month of August if you elect to pay monthly.) Extended Care morning times are 6:30am – 8:00am and afternoon times are 2:45pm – 5:45pm and care is available for PreK-5th grade. (4-5 Days A Week) After School Full Time Extended Care – Full Year Enrollment = $2795.00 Sept 1 After School Full Time Extended Care – 1st or 2nd Bi-Annual Enrollment Per Semester = $1545.00 Sept 1 & Jan 4 After School Full Time Extended Care – Monthly Sept – May = $445.00 Before School Full Time Extended Care – $1070.00 Full Year Before School Full Time Extended Care-$695.00 Bi-Annual Payment Sept 1 & Jan 4 Before School Full Time Extended Care-$220.00 Per Month Sept-May Before and After School Full Time Extended Care – $3570.00 Full Year on Sept 1 Before and After School Full Time Extended Care- $2070.00 Bi-Annual Payment Sept 1 & Jan 5 Before and After School Full Time Extended Care-$545.00 Per Month Sept – May (Up to 3 Days Week) Part Time Extended Care – Full Year Enrollment = $2095.00 Sept 1 Part Time Extended Care – 1st or 2nd Bi-Annual Enrollment Per Semester = $1295.00 Part Time Extended Care – Monthly September through May = $345.00 Before School Part Time Extended Care – $670.00 Sept 1 Before School Part Time Extended Care- $445.00 Bi-Annual Sept 1 & Jan 4 Before School Part Time Extended Care-$145.00 Per Month Before and After School Part Time Extended Care – $2270.00 Before and After School Part Time Extended Care $1370.00 Bi-Annual Sept & Jan 4 Before and After School Part Time Extended Care $395.00 Per Month Sept – May
A L M A M A T ER CLARKSVILLE ACADEMY Make us stronger, make us better Make us ready for the needs Of the years that are before us The future’s deeds… So we hail thee Alma Mater And with pride we will sing May our effort thru the glad years Thy tribute bring. Help us find things we search for As we go into the world There’s a promise of tomorrow New things unfurled Help us meet the coming challenge May we try hard to succeed And to reach the goals before us This be our creed.
FIGHT SONG Fight! Fight! Fight! We’re going to fight, fight, fight, for victory. We’re going to win one for the Academy. We are the Cougars and we’re always bold; Blue and Gold Fight! Fight! Fight! We’re going to fight, fight, fight for every score. Until the end we’re going to yell for more. And with a win we’re going to yell hurray! Go CA! Fight! Fight! Fight!