Blue Demon Bulletin

January 6 - STUDENTS RETURN (FIRST DAY OF SPRING SEMESTER)

January 7 - Class Meetings - Review Expectations

January 20 - NO SCHOOL (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)

January 22 - Academic and Career Planning Night / FAFSA Night (5:30 pm - 7:00 pm)

January 22 - Class of 2029 Student/Family Information Session in Auditorium (6:00 pm)

Christiansburg High School will host their annual Academic and Career Planning night on Wednesday, January 22 from 5:30-7:00. CHS Faculty will be available to answer questions and provide information about classes and other opportunities that CHS has to offer.

Also on this evening, there will be a rising 9th grade student and family information presentation at 6:00 pm to help prepare rising 9th graders for life at CHS. This meeting will take place in the Auditorium.

When you attend the event, please plan to park in the gymnasium parking lot, bus loop, and/or auditorium parking lot. If you park in the auditorium lot, please plan to enter through the Loading Dock Entrance (Door #30) and signs will direct you to the Academic and Career Night Event. If you park in the Gymnasium lot, please enter through the gymnasium.

As always if you have any questions please feel free to call the CHS Counseling Office at 382-5186.

If you need assistance with filling our your student's FAFSA form, there are two upcoming events that are FREE:

NRCC FAFSA Workshop:

NRCC Mall Site

Saturday January 11, 2025

9:00 am - 1:00 pm

CHS FAFSA Workshop:

CHS Library

Wednesday January 22, 2025

5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Here is a quick reminder of our "Severe Weather Codes" and the expectations for students when these codes are used.

Code A - Two Hour Delay
Students will report to school 2 hours late and buses will run on a 2 hour delayed schedule. For example, if a student normally catches the bus at 7:05 AM, they will now catch the bus at 9:05 AM. There will be a shortened class schedule for the day with classes beginning at 10:05 AM. The school day will still end at 2:50 PM.

Code B - Work from Home Day
Students are expected to login to the Inclement Weather Check-In Google Classroom and complete the attendance Google Form Assignment that will be posted. The assignment will be open from 5:00 am and close at 10:00 am. If students fail to complete the attendance assignment, they will be marked absent for the day.

If your student has not joined their "Inclement Weather Google Classroom", please remind them to check GC for their invitation. Should your student not have an invitation, please email Mr. Guynn at sguynn@mcps.org and he will send an invitation to them.

Teachers may also post an assignment in Google Classroom that is a review of previously learned material and should not be of new concepts. Students should look at all of their Google Classrooms for assignments that have been posted and complete these assignments while at home. Teachers will post any assignments by 10:00 am.

Code C - System Shut Down
Enjoy the day off! No attendance check or work needs to be completed.

MCPS Severe Weather Codes (link)

If a student would like to make a request to change their schedule for the second semester, it must be done by Friday, January 17. If a student drops or changes a class after January 17, they will do so with a penalty. If a student has questions regarding a schedule change request, please have them contact their grade level counselor to schedule a meeting. Grade level counselors are listed below:

9th Grade - Mr. Bates (joelbates@mcps.org)

10th Grade - Mrs. Ballard (sarahballard@mcps.org)

11th Grade - Ms. Gilliland (ellengilliland@mcps.org)

12th Grade - Ms. Boyer (lindseyboyer@mcps.org)

Student will receive a link to request schedule changes when they return to school for the second semester.

Even though our 2024-25 school year has just started, we are already preparing for some very important items and dates for our Class of 2025! Please take an opportunity to review those items below:

Scholarship Information (link)

Class of 2025 Class Meeting - Scroll to Slide 31 (link)

Class of 2025 Senior Information (link)

Class of 2025 Newsletter (link)

Scholarship Information (link)

IMPORTANT DATES:

April 16 - Jostens Graduation Order Delivery to CHS

Students who attend school regularly have been shown to have higher levels of academic success. Here at CHS, promoting and encouraging regular attendance is a top focus. It is important to note that all absences (excused or unexcused) count towards your child's total absences for the school year.

If a student begins to miss multiple days of school throughout the year, please note the actions steps that will be taken to address attendance concerns:

UNEXCUSED ABSENCES:

1) Truancy Letter 1 Notification (sent at 3 unexcused absences)

2) Contact with family by attendance team (at approximately 5 unexcused absences)

3) Truancy Letter 2 Notification (sent at 6 unexcused absences)

4) Attendance conference scheduled with attendance team (after 6th unexcused absence)

5) Truancy Letter 3 (after attendance conference and 9 unexcused absences are reached)

5) Possible referral to Family Resource Team

6) Possible court involvement

EXCUSED ABSENCES:

1) Excessive Excused Absence Letter 1 Notification (sent at 5 excused absences)

2) Contact with family by attendance team (at approximately 10 excused absences)

3) Excessive Excused Absence Letter 2 Notification (sent at 10 excused absences)

4) Attendance conference scheduled with attendance team (after 10th excused absence or appropriate medical documentation provided)

Daily Absences

• It is required that parents/guardians contact the school (phone call, email or signed note) to document the reason for student absences. Absences will be considered unexcused (code B) if no communication/documentation from the parent/guardian is received.
• Please email the main office staff at the following addresses to ensure we are aware of your child's absence: Elise Epperly - eepperly@mcps.org, Jaclyn Kodsi - jaclynkodsi@mcps.org, Sarah Viers - sarahviers@mcps.org
• Students, (usually juniors and seniors) are allowed to take 3 excused absences for college visits. Students must show proof of their visit such as a campus brochure, email confirmation, etc. for the absence to be considered excused.
• Absences for vacations and travel for non-school-sponsored sport events (travel/club sports) are considered unexcused (code C).
• Absences due to illness are considered excused as long as you contact the main office via phone call or email. However, administrators may require a doctor’s note for 4 or more consecutive absences or for chronic absenteeism in order for the absences to be considered excused.
• Students who miss an average of (2) days a month will be on track to be "chronically absent"

Thank you for your cooperation with these important attendance policies and for helping us reach out goal of lowering our chronic absenteeism rate!

During the first semester, we noticed a significant increase with students being tardy to their classes. In an effort to improve students arriving to class on time, CHS will be instituting announced and unannounced "tardy sweeps".

On days that we complete an "tardy sweep", teachers will be asked to close their doors when the tardy bell rings and any student that is not in their class will be "swept" up and will meet with their grade level administrator to contact parents/guardians, discuss their tardy, grades, and any other supports that need to be put in place to assist students with arriving to class on time.

Students who are "swept" will receive leveled responses based on the amount of times they have been swept or are tardy.

Leveled Responses Include:

- Warning

- Lunch Detention

- Serving ISS for the remainder of the block

- Full day of ISS/"No Go" List for school activities for 1 week

ANNOUNCED TARDY SWEEP:

There will be an announcement made to alert students of the "tardy sweep."

UNANNOUNCED TARDY SWEEP:

There will be no early warning of the "tardy sweep." Teachers will be instructed to close their doors at the tardy bell and students will be swept.

"NO GO" LIST:

If students are placed on the "No Go" list for tardies, they will not be able to participate in any school activity for one week.

ACCUMULATING TARDIES:

It is also important to remember the impact of tardies on your student's success at CHS! If your student check-ins or is late to class, this will count as a tardy. The accumulation of four tardies will result in your child being assigned lunch detention. Your child will also receive lunch detention upon their 5th, 6th, and 7th tardy to a single class. Upon their 8th tardy, the student will be assigned one full day of ISS and placed on the "No Go" list for one week. Your student should report to each class on time and if they enter class after the bell, they will be marked "tardy."

In an effort to ensure students are in their correct locations throughout the school day, CHS will institute leveled responses for students who are skipping class, lunch, or other school day activities. A student is "skipping" when they are not in a designated/approved location of the building, have an eHall pass, or have been out of class for more than ten minutes without permission.

Please also remind your student that during their scheduled lunch period, they must report to the cafeteria, unless they have administrator approval. Students should not remain in classrooms, the library, or other locations in the building.

Leveled Responses Include:

- Warning

- Administrator meeting with student and phone call to parent/guardian

- Student placed in ISS and completes modules in Ripple Effects (Social Emotional Learning Curriculum)

- Student will be requested to be picked up by parent/guardian

As we continue our school year, the CHS Admin Team wants to remind our students and families of Montgomery County Public Schools' Code of Conduct regarding drugs, alcohol, nicotine, and related paraphernalia. The use, possession, or distribution of these substances on school grounds, at school events, or in any school-sponsored setting is strictly prohibited. Such actions carry serious consequences, including disciplinary measures, in order to maintain a safe and supportive learning environment for all students.

Should your student be in possession of alcohol, drugs (including THC vaping devices), drug paraphernalia, or be under the influence of any of the previous listed items, your student could face an immediate ten day suspension. If your student is found to be distributing any of these items to other students, your student will recommended for long term suspension or expulsion. Distributing items includes sharing items, giving items to another student, and/or exchanging items for money. Please note, these situations are not taken lightly at Christiansburg High School and they will be enforced at the highest degree.

We encourage you to discuss these guidelines with your student to ensure they understand the importance of making safe, responsible choices. Thank you for your continued support in keeping Christiansburg High School a safe and welcoming place for everyone.

MCPS Code of Conduct (link)

Christiansburg High School is a home and safe space for all students. It is a place where learning, growth, and mutual respect are our priorities—not a venue for resolving disputes through physical altercations or any form of violence.

To maintain this safe and supportive environment, students who engage in physical altercations or fights will be removed from the school and face appropriate disciplinary actions, as outlined in the Montgomery County Public Schools Code of Conduct.

We encourage families to speak with their students about the importance of managing conflict responsibly. Seeking help from trusted adults—such as teachers, counselors, or administrators—can often resolve issues before they escalate. By working together, we can model and foster the skills of effective communication and respect for others.

Thank you for helping us ensure Christiansburg High School remains a positive and welcoming environment for everyone. Please feel free to reach out to the administration if you have questions or concerns.

The new cell phone policy has had positive impacts for our school and students, such as enhancing the learning environment and minimizing distractions throughout the school day. As we begin the new semester, please review the cell phone expectations with your student.

Please take an opportunity to review Policy 7-3.3 to ensure both you and your student have a strong understanding of the new expectations for cell phone use and possessing a cell phone. It is equally important to note that a student can possess a cell phone, but it must be "OFF AND AWAY" during the school day (class time, transitions, lunch, etc.) The policy also addresses that other connected devices, such as earbuds and smart watches, are also held to the same expectations.

1st Offense:

Cell phone will be confiscated and can be picked up in the Main Office at the end of the school day by the student. Students will not be released early to pick up their phone.

2nd Offense:

Cell phone will be confiscated and will need to be picked up by a parent/guardian in the Main Office.

3rd Offense:

Cell phone will be confiscated and will need to be picked up by the parent/guardian in the Main Office. Progressive disciplinary action can be taken at this time and a meeting with the parent/guardian will be necessary.

* Should a student refuse to turn in their cell phone or other electronic devices, this will lead to immediate disciplinary consequences.

Please review the attached flier for additional details:

Cell Phone Expectations (link)