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Frequently Asked Questions

Before calling the school, you might find the answer to your question here. If your question is not answered here, please feel free to call the Main Office at 781-786-5800. Click on a question below, or scroll down the page: For Visitors: Whom should I contact regarding a visit to the high school? We are new to town. What do we need to do to register our child in the high school? For Parents: Communications How do I receive information from the school? What do I do if my child is having a problem in school? School Policies What is the rule about bringing food to school? What should I do if my child is going to be absent or late to school? Does my child have to do anything if they are late to school or miss a class? For Students: Academics How do I calculate my GPA? Student Life What is the school's policy regarding bringing electronic devices to school? What should I do if I'm going to be absent? Do I have to do anything if I am late to school or miss a class? What is the N Rule? What is Saturday School? When can I drive to school? What are Senior Privileges? What are Junior Privileges? What are Sophomore Privileges? What are Freshman Privileges? What is Senior Skip Day? Parents How do I receive information from the school? myGrapevine is the electronic communication system for the Weston School System as well as the community. This is the primary communication vehicle between the schools and parents so it’s important for all families to be registered on myGrapevine. Click here to learn more about how to register and what personal settings we recommend for parents. For the most up-to-date information about what is happening at the high school, visit the website. The WHS Bulletin Board is updated throughout the day with news and information for students and parents. Back to top What do I do if my child is having a problem in school? The Home School Communication Advisory Committee, consisting of teachers, administrators, parents, and community representatives, developed a set of system-wide guidelines for effective family and school communication. Parents and teachers, working together, can maximize effective communication when: 1. Schools welcome parents as partners in the educational process. 2. Schools share general information so that parents are informed on a regular basis and know whom to contact with questions or concerns. 3. Parents become familiar with information distributed by the school or school system. (For example, all high school parents and students should sign up for myGrapevine so that they can receive emergency notices as well as general information via email.) 4. Parents who seek information about their child’s progress first speak directly with the student’s teacher or guidance counselor. 5. Principals and teachers are open to parent concerns and offer opportunity for respectful discussions. 6. Parents and school staff act respectfully at meetings and forums and are considerate of speakers in asking questions or making comments. These gatherings are important vehicles for sharing information and creating conversation between home and school. 7. Parents and school staff acknowledge the volume of information that circulates each day and are respectful of time demands. For example, it may not be possible for a parent or staff member to respond immediately to a phone call unless it is an emergency. 8. Parents and students are expected to review the contents of the Student/Parent Handbook. Back to top What is the rule about bringing food to school? To protect students with food allergies it is important that students not be allowed to eat in classrooms as a regular practice. In addition: 1. We do not sell peanuts or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the cafeteria. 2. There is a clip board listing ingredients of all food products available for review at each food station so that anyone can see what is being served in the food. 3. Peanut free posters have gone up in every classroom. 4. The menus in the cooking classes will no longer use nuts or peanuts. 5. Food can no longer be left in the Attendance Office or Main Office because it is impossible to police which foods have an ingredient that will trigger a reaction.Contact Nurse Kathy Becker or Food Director Tess Sousa regarding acceptable foods for bake sales and fundraisers. Visit Food Services to learn more about this policy Back to top Students How do I calculate my GPA? Weston High School calculates a weighted GPA which is on a 4.0 scale and includes AP courses and all courses that meet five times per eight-day cycle at Weston High School. Students attending Weston High School at least 4 semesters have their weighted GPA computed three times: a 3-year GPA determined at the end of the junior year; a 4-year GPA determined at the mid-point of the senior year, averaging in the first semester; and a final GPA upon graduation. Weston High School does not rank students. For more information abut grade point average and its calculation, please ask a guidance counselor or see the Program of Studies. What is the school's policy regarding bringing electronic devices to school? Students may use cellular telephones, pagers or other electronic communication instruments only in the cafeteria or outdoors. If a cell phone is used during a class or in the library, it will be taken away, and disciplinary consequences will be issued for disrupting class. Students are not to impose on other students or staff by using tape recorders, video camcorders, radios, portable television sets, or disc players except as required by school-approved activities. Students may use MP3 players (iPods) and disc players, only with earphones, in the cafeteria or outdoors or with teacher permission. If your electronic device gets brought to the Attendance Office: 1st time – You can pick it up at the end of the day 2nd time – You can pick it up at the end of the day 3rd time – It will be held in the Attendance Office until a parent/guardian can pick it up. Learn more about maintaining a respectful climate from the Student Parent Handbook Back to top What should I do if I'm going to be absent or late to school? Parents are to call the 24 hour Absence Line, (781) 786-5299 before 10:00 a.m. on the days their child is absent from school, tardy to school or to be dismissed from school, in order for the absence, tardy or dismissal to be excused. The phone message should include the student’s name, the parent’s name, the date and reason for the absence, late arrival or dismissal. Students will be allowed to make up work missed during excused absences, tardies and dismissals. The Attendance Office is located in the corridor off the main lobby. This is the office that parents call to report a student’s absence, late arrival, or dismissal. The 24-hour call-in line is: 781-786-5299 . In lieu of a phone call, parents should provide the student with a note that includes the date, time, and reason for their student’s absence, late arrival, or dismissal. Also available in the Attendance Office are copies of student schedules, locker information, and homeroom mailboxes. The following circumstances constitute an excused absence, tardy or dismissal: 1. Illness 2. Visit to physician 3. Bereavement for family or friend 4. Religious holiday 5. College visit with advance notification and college appointment letter provided to the Attendance Office 6. School sponsored activity/field trip 7. Significant family events: parents to notify the Attendance Office in advance 8. Special exemptions granted by the Principal only Regarding classes missed due to unexcused absence, tardiness or dismissal, students will not receive credit for work assigned and/or due that day in the classes missed and will be given a grade of zero for that day for tests, quizzes, presentations and participation. Learn more about Attendance responsibilities from the Student Parent Handbook Back to top Does I have to do anything if I am late to school or miss a class? Students arriving at school tardy must report immediately to the Attendance Office and sign in on the Tardy Register. Disciplinary consequences will be issued to students who fail to sign in immediately upon arrival. The Attendance Office is located in the corridor off the main lobby. Students who are late to school must report there immediately upon arrival to sign in and be given a pass to class. Students who are dismissed with parental permission for an appointment must report there to obtain a dismissal pass and to sign out. All students arriving at school tardy must verify that their parent/guardian is aware of their tardiness by a phone call from said parent/guardian before 10:00 a.m. that day. Students who have unexcused tardies will not be given credit for work missed. • Minimum consequence: one hour of Saturday School for the third and each subsequent tardy arrival to school in a term. • Repeated violations may result in one or all of the following consequences: loss of free periods, Senior Privileges, and/or permission to drive or have a motor vehicle on the high school/middle school campus, ability to participate in extra-curricular activities, and suspension from school. Tardy arrivals pre-arranged with the Attendance Office at least a day in advance will not be included in this tally. The following circumstances constitute an excused tardy: 1. Illness 2. Visit to physician 3. Bereavement for family or friend 4. Religious holiday 5. College visit with advance notification and college appointment letter provided to the Attendance Office 6. School sponsored activity/field trip 7. Significant family events: parents to notify the Attendance Office in advance 8. Special exemptions granted by the Principal only Learn more about Attendance responsibilities from the Student Parent Handbook Back to top What is the N Rule? Absences • 7 absences or more in a class per term in a 5 block course (meets 28 times) = N • 5 absences or more in a class per term in a 4 block course (meets 22 times) = N • 3 absences or more in a class per term in a 2 block course (meets 11 times) = N • Seniors: 4 absences or more in a class in the fourth term in a 5 block course (meets 15 times) = N • An absence that is a cut has a penalty of Saturday School and/or suspension. Tardies/early dismissals • 3 tardies in any class per term = 1 absence • Students absent from a class 40 minutes (half the class) are marked absent. On days when there is a special schedule with shortened classes, students will be marked absent if they miss half of the class (e.g. on a day with 50-minute class periods, a tardy of 25 minutes = an absence). Unexcused absences • Students have three days after returning from an absence in which to turn in a note signed by a parent or guardian excusing the absence. After three days the absence is classified as a cut. Implications of an N • An N is an attendance grade. There is a letter grade behind the N: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, or F. • If a student earns one N in a class over the year, he/she receives a regular letter grade as the year-end grade. All four-term grades are averaged including the grade behind the N. • If a student earns two N’s in one class during the year, or one N in a one-semester course, he/she may receive an N as a final grade. In consultation with the guidance counselor and approval of the department head, the teacher has the discretion to remove the N. • A student who earns an N as a final grade in a course does not receive credit for that course. • A course required for graduation must be repeated. An N cannot be made up in summer school. • A senior who earns an N in a course for the fourth term will receive an N on his/her transcript as a final grade for that course. In consultation with the guidance counselor and approval of the principal, the teacher has the discretion to remove the N. Exceptions to the N rule • Medical waivers • School-sanctioned field trips • Students suspended from school • Exemptions granted by the principal Learn more about the N Rule from the Student Parent Handbook Back to top What is Saturday School? Saturday School is one of the disciplinary measures employed at Weston High School. The following points describe how Saturday School works: 1. It is the responsibility of each student to provide his/her own transportation. 2. Saturday School will be held in an assigned room; students should enter/exit school by the front door of the school. 3. The door will be closed and locked at 8:00 a.m. Students arriving late will not be allowed to enter and will be re-assigned the time owed. 4. Students failing to report to their assigned Saturday School (or failing to have been excused in advance) will be assigned one day of suspension, and will be required to repeat the time owed. - A parent phone call or note after* a missed Saturday School does not constitute an excused absence. Disciplinary consequences will be issued in these instances. 5. Work or transportation issues will not be considered an excused absence* from Saturday School. Students are responsible for adjusting their work schedule and making arrangements for transportation in advance to complete Saturday School obligations. 6. Students will be allowed a maximum of two visits to the bathroom; only designated bathrooms may be used. Only one student may leave the assigned room at a time. 7. Students not complying with the following behavioral expectations will be sent home, receive no credit for that day, and be re-assigned the time owed. Behavioral expectations: -Students are expected to come to the assigned room with school work or a book to read. Sleeping or lying with head on the desk is not permitted. -Students are not allowed to socialize or disturb others in Saturday School. Listening devices, cell phones, beepers, games, cards, etc. are not to be used. -Laptop computers are allowed for word processing and the like, but not for games. -Food and/or drink (except water in a covered container) may not be brought into Saturday School. 8. Students serving Saturday School may participate in extra-curricular activities on that day, providing that those activities occur after fulfilling Saturday School responsibilities. Students must serve all Saturday School hours assigned to them prior to the end of the year. Failing to do so will result in a discrepancy report, which may interfere with participation in graduation and/or receipt of report cards, transcripts, etc. Learn more about Discipline from the Student Parent Handbook Back to top Can my child drive to school? 11th and 12th grade students who have a driver’s license and plan to drive to school, must register his or her car at the attendance office ASAP. Cars must be registered EVERY year; last year’s sticker expires at the end of that year. If you have not registered your car by 10/15/10 you will be ticketed. If you are found in violation a second time, your car will be subject to being towed, you may be assigned Saturday School or lose your parking privileges. Learn more about vehicle privileges and rules from the Student Parent Handbook Back to top What are Senior Privileges? Senior Privileges for First Semester allow for 12th grade students with a free period first block to come to school late provided that they leave enough time to sign in at the Attendance Office and make it to their next block class on time. Senior Privileges for Second Semester allow for 12th grade students with a free period to leave campus provided they have enough time to sign in at the Attendance Office and make it to their next block class on time. Learn about all student Privileges from the Student Parent Handbook Back to top What are Junior Privileges? Juniors are eligible for privileges once the seniors leave for their Internships in May. Junior privileges are the same as First Semester Senior privileges. Learn about all student Privileges from the Student Parent Handbook Back to top What are Sophomore Privileges? Once the Seniors leave for their Internships, Sophomores who have filled out and returned the parking privileges form will be eligible to park on campus. Learn about all student Privileges from the Student Parent Handbook Back to top What are Freshman Privileges? Once the Seniors leave for their internships, Fresmen in good standing my apply in the Attendance Office for the privilege of having a free block during their Study periods. Learn about all student Privileges from the Student Parent Handbook Back to top What is Senior Skip Day? There are no school sanctioned days for missing school. Read Principal Parker's letter of March 5, 2012 to parents and students regarding the consequences of students missing school. Learn more about Attendance responsibilities from the Student Parent Handbook Back to top Visitors Whom should I contact regarding a visit to the high school? If you are considering Weston High School for your child or if you just want to learn more about our school, please email Diane Kaskon or call 781-786-5802 to make an appointment to visit, or visit the Guidance Department's New Student Information page for a schedule of information sessions for prospective students. Back to top We are new to town. What do we need to do to register our child in the high school? Welcome to Weston! Prospective students and families can learn about what documents and processes you will need to complete by reviewing the Guidance Department's page for New Student Information. You will find a schedule of regular information sessions for prospective students as well as the documents and processes that must be completed to register your student. Back to top

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