The Bird Call

Hello Clever Bluejays and welcome to the start of what will surely be another year to remember! The staff of Clever High School is hard at work preparing for the first day of school (Tuesday, August 20th) and we could not be more excited. Be sure you are following the high school and district Facebook pages for announcements and updates. Also, now is the time to make sure your contact information in Lumen is up to date. You will receive an email from the district with specific instructions on how to verify your student's information. You can access your Lumen portal using the link below if you have your username and password. If not, feel free to call (417-743-4830) or email (larsong@cleverbluejays.org) to update how to best contact you and retrieve your login information.

As always, if there are questions please reach out.

Go Jays!

Joe Casey

High School Principal/A+ Coordinator

Email: caseyj@cleverbluejays.org

Please help us welcome those joining the CHS staff this year as well as those transferring positions this year.

New to Clever:

Mr. Kyle Hulsebus, Choir

Mr. Mac Whitehead, Weights

Mr. Deion Clark, ISS/Focus Room

Mrs. Ashley Nash, Paraprofessional

Mrs. Lindsey Bankes, Nurse

New Roles:

Mrs. Lori Vestal, Librarian

Mr. Hunter Smith, Social Studies

On Thursday, August 15th all Clever High School students and parents/guardians are invited to our Freshmen Orientation and Open House. Please read the details below to ensure this event runs as smoothly as possible:

• Incoming Freshmen should arrive between 5:00 pm - 5:45 pm.
• Incoming Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors should come between 6:00 pm - 6:45 pm.
• Instructions to access student schedules, locker assignments, parking permits, and more will be provided when you arrive.
• For incoming freshmen and students who are new to the district, Chromebooks will be available for pick-up. A $50 Chromebook payment is required for any student who will be taking their Chromebook home with them. All students are required to submit an Acceptable Use Policy agreement as well (AUP).
• For students returning to the district who have a Chromebook, the $50 annual payment will be accepted as well.
• If you are unable to attend at the scheduled time due to conflicts, you are welcome to arrive when you are able.

Freshmen Orientation (5:00 pm - 6:00 pm)

Beginning at 5:00 pm in the CPAC (Clever Performing Arts Center), a brief welcome meeting will take place. If you are able to be there to hear from Mr. Casey, Mrs. Waisner, and Mrs. Kirkbride you are encouraged to attend.

After the welcome meeting, or for anyone unable to arrive at 5:00 pm, students and parents/guardians will have time to explore the building and meet teachers at their own pace.

The freshmen orientation portion of the evening will conclude at 6:00 pm to allow for incoming Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors to attend Open House. Freshmen students and their parents/guardians are asked to arrive no later than 5:45 pm.

Open House (6:00 pm - 7:00 pm)

For students returning to Clever High School, the building will be open to walk through your schedule for the upcoming semester and meet your teachers.

For new students to the district, a brief welcome meeting in the CPAC (Clever Performing Arts Center) will take place at 6:00 pm. Students returning to CHS will not need to attend this meeting. If you are unable to arrive at 6:00 pm, you are still encouraged to come to explore the building and meet teachers.

An announcement will be made at 7:00 pm to end the evening’s events. Please arrive no later than 6:45 pm.

Familes are encouraged to wait on purchasing school supplies until after the first few days of school. This will allow students to attend their unique schedule and hear from each individual teacher on what materials will be required for the course.

For the first day of school, students will need a backpack, notebook, and something to write with. Also, students who have been issued a Chromebook will be asked to have their device on the first day.

In order to set a high standard of excellence and encourage students to actively engage in their learning, the following policy is in place.

In accordance with existing School Board Policy, personal electronic devices - including cell phones and wearable devices - will be prohibited during instructional time. Instructional time is defined as the time spent in a classroom during 1st – 7th hours and P.R.I.D.E. time. Instructional time includes the use of restrooms, water breaks, etc. Devices will need to be set to silent during instructional time and placed in the designated pouch assigned by the classroom teacher. At no point during a class period should a student access their personal electronic device. Additionally, students may not use their cell phones at any time during the school day to take pictures, record videos, and/or record audio. Furthermore, cell phones are strictly forbidden in the following locations: restrooms, locker rooms, and other district schools (i.e. during A+ tutoring, internships, etc).

In the spirit of compromise, utilizing personal electronic devices during the following times throughout the day will be acceptable:

• Before 7:38 and after 3:25 while on campus
• Between classes during passing times
• During the student's assigned lunch period

The inappropriate use of any personal electronic devices will result in disciplinary action. Exceptions need to be approved through building administration. Parents and students are reminded that the school office phones are available for parents and students to contact each other for legitimate reasons, i.e. illness or personal matters. You can reach the main office by calling 743-4830. Beginning this school year, consequences for violating the Personal Electronic Device policy will be as follows:

• 1st Offense: Device is confiscated and turned in to the main office. Administrative conference and phone call home. Student can retrieve device at the end of the school day.

• 2nd and Subsequent Offense(s): Device is confiscated and turned in to the main office. Administrative conference and phone call home. Parent/guardian will be required to pick up device on a day school is in session between 7:00 am - 4:00 pm.

Absent Work

The number of days allowed for making up/turning in work due to an absence will be equal to the number of days missed. For example, a student who misses two days of school will have until the end of the school day on the second day he/she is back to turn in missing assignments.

Assignments not completed within the allowed timeframe will be recorded as Incomplete ("I") and will then follow the guidelines for missing assignments.

Missing Assignments & Re-Do Procedure

All Formative and Summative activities not turned in on time will be recorded as an Incomplete ("I") in the grade book. This will be calculated as a zero in the student's overall grade. For assignments completed on time, the original grade will be recorded. Turning in incomplete work or re-doing an assignment will be allowed and the new grade will be recorded as long as the following timeframes are met. If the timeframes are not met, the grade will remain an Incomplete or the original grade will be the final grade.

Formative: Due no later than the beginning of class the following Tuesday*.

Summative: Due no later than the end of the school day 7 calendar days* from the original due date (missing) or the day the graded assignment was recorded in Lumen (re-do).

*If the final due date is a day that school is not in session (inclement weather, breaks, etc.), it will extend to the next day school is in session.

It is recognized that unforeseen hardships will arise which might result in the need for flexibility within this policy. In those circumstances, individual exceptions will be considered at the discretion of the teacher or building administration as long as the student or parent/guardian communicates in a proactive manner.

Access to Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more available and easy to use for students. More specifically, AI is commonly used by students to write essays and answer school-related questions. These AI capabilities encourage academic dishonesty.

As a result, the academic dishonesty policy in the high school handbook now includes a statement specifically prohibiting the broad use of AI tools to complete assignments. As is the case with any new technology (calculators, search engines, etc.), there are practical uses that will increase efficiency, prompt deeper levels of understanding, and more. Our hope is to work together to find the balance while deterring students from relying on AI to think for them.

Bringing outside food/drinks is a privilege that can be revoked by building administration. Food/drinks that are brought in are subject to confiscation by school administration or designee if suspicion warrants inspection. Food/drinks are not to be shared with other students. Students will not be permitted to leave campus to purchase food/drinks nor will they be permitted to retrieve items from their personal vehicles after arriving at school. Deliveries of food/drinks from parents/guardians will be held in the main office until the next passing period. Any food/drink item that causes a disruption to the educational process, by staff discretion, will be confiscated. Students will not eat/drink when utilizing technology - damage to school property as a result of food/drinks will be considered negligence, not accidents.

Unannounced walk-in visitors, who have not sought prior approval to their visit, will be denied. Prior approval must be requested no later than 9am that same day. Students who desire to have food delivered to them for lunch must seek approval prior to the visiitor delivering food. For-profit delivery services will not be permitted (DoorDash, Uber Eats, etc.).

Student grades will be updated weekly by teachers and can be accessed at any time by logging into the Lumen portal. Academic eligibility checks will take place once every TWO weeks this school year beginning on the fourth Wednesday of each semester. If a student has two or more failing grades at the time of an eligibility check, he/she will be academically ineligible until the following eligibility check at the earliest. Ineligible students will not be permitted to participate in or attend any extracurricular activities. This includes all athletic events, clubs, and activities as well as attending any school-sponsored events outside of the school day, such as Homecoming or Prom.

Eligibility checks will take place on the following days during the school year:

• September 11, 2024

• September 25, 2024

• October 9, 2024

• October 23, 2024

• November 6, 2024

• November 20, 2024

• December 4, 2024

• December 18, 2024

• January 29, 2025

• February 12, 2025

• February 26, 2025

• March 12, 2025

• April 2, 2025

• April 16, 2025

• April 30, 2025

• May 14, 2025

Students enrolled in AP or Dual Credit courses will need to submit any required class fees no later than Friday, August 23rd. Individual teachers will provide specific details on how those payments can be made.

Any student enrolled in an AP or Dual Credit course who does not submit payment by the 26th will be removed from the enrolled course and assigned a new schedule.

Students attending OTC as part of their school day are required to ride the bus provided by the school district. This is to ensure student safety to the best of our abilities. If a circumstance arises where, on a one-time basis, a student will need alternate transportation a phone call from a parent/guardian will be required no later than 9:00 am on the day the arrangement is needed. This will be permitted only when absolutely necessary.

Students failing to adhere to this policy will face disciplinary action which could result in removal from the OTC Vo-Tech program.

Officer Bouldin will issue parking permits to students. As we approach the first day of school, students are encouraged to come to the high school at any of the times listed below to complete the process. Parking spots will be issued on a first-come, first-serve basis.

When

Thursday, August 15th

8:00 am - 12:00 pm or 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

During Open House

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Where

Officer Bouldin's office at the high school

What to bring

• Proof of insurance
• Driver's License - must have before a spot is assigned.
• Signed Drug Test Consent Form (below) - parent/guardian and student signature required. These will be available at the school if the parent/guardian will be with the student while registering his/her vehicle.
• $10 (cash or check made out to Clever Schools)

Doors to the high school open at 7:30. This will give students time to enter the building, get breakfast, visit their locker, and head to 1st period.

For students driving to campus, please be patient! Some students will not have received a parking permit before the first day and someone might be in your assigned spot if you received a permit at Open House. Please see Officer Bouldin as soon as possible to receive a parking permit. As a reminder, permits are $10. Spots #1-45 are reserved for staff members.