Horner Junior High School FAQs

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General Information & Frequently Asked Questions

While most common questions are answered below, more complete information is available in the Horner Policy and Procedures guide available online as a Microsoft Word document. Note: You must select the "Read Only" option to view this document.

Download Horner Policy and Procedures (MS Word document)

You may also contact the front office at 510 656-4000 if you need a copy.

Daily Schedule

The daily schedule is available at Bell Schedule. You student should have received a copy of his or her class schedule on MAZE day. Contact the front office if you need a copy, at 656-4000.

Supplies

We expect every student to carry a good three-ring binder. Students should bring the following items on the first day of school: Loose-leaf binder, notebook paper (some teachers may request spiral notebooks for classroom use), colored pencils, zipper pencil case, sharpened pencils, blue/black pens, and one red pen. Optional items: pocket dictionary and pocket atlas.

Homework Assignment Book

One of the greatest difficulties students have in junior high is being organized where homework is concerned. In an attempt to help our students succeed, we have ordered homework assignment books where daily assignments can be recorded. These will be available for purchase at a cost of $6.00 and will be made available on MAZE Day. We would then expect parents/guardians to review the calendar daily and see that the homework is completed. (Those needing assistance with the purchase of the Homework Assignment book should contact the office).

Textbook Responsibility

Every student will receive one to five textbooks. The average cost of textbooks runs about $30.00. That means your child will be responsible for $90 to $125.00 worth of books. Please start now to impress on your son/daughter how important it is to take proper care of these books. Parents are held liable, by law, for the safe return of all materials loaned to the student. This obligation does not change, even if the books are stolen or damaged by another student.

If a student loses a book, the book must be paid for before another book can be issued. Grades are often affected if a student fails to take prompt action when a book is lost. If a parent/guardian does not have the money immediately to pay for a lost book, a contract can be signed so that the student can be issued another book without delay.

Student ID's

A temporary ID is given to each student at the beginning of the year. After school pictures have been developed your child receives his or her pemanent ID. If the ID is lost it must be replaced. ASB makes replacements for $2. Don’t delay having one made, IDs are needed for many things, including checking out library books and attending the school dances.

Athletic Participation

A new state law makes it mandatory that a student maintains a 2.0 grade point average in order to participate in extra-curricular activities. If you plan on trying out for after school sports at Horner this year, you will need a physical. Make sure you get one before school starts. Don’t wait until it is too late.

Homework Policy

Homework is given to review and reinforce classroom learning. All students are expected to do nightly homework. Each teacher announces his/her homework requirements during the first week of the course. Homework and other assignments must be turned in on time unless absent for illness. Teacher detention may be assigned when homework is not turned in.

Although the amount of time a student will spend on a homework assignment will vary, the typical junior high homework assignment is expected to be relatively short, in the neighborhood of twenty minutes per class. Homework assignments might be given on a day-to-day basis and/or as a part of longer projects to be completed piecemeal over a period of time.

Parents who feel that their children are being assigned either too much or too little homework are encouraged to contact the school in an effort to determine what is both an appropriate and reasonable amount of out-of-class work. The school realizes its need to be flexible in light of individual student differences.

If a student is absent for at least three days, parents may request homework, which can be picked up in the office at the end of the third day’s absence. The student is responsible for making up all missed work.

Understanding Grades & Progress Reports

Report cards are issued at the end of each quarter. The purpose of this report is to indicate to students and parents academic progress. Students take the report cards home to their parents. The dates of distribution of report cards are announced in the Principal’s Newsletter. In addition to the report card, a student may receive a progress report (cinch notice or TCP) prior to the issuance of a report card. This TCP will be sent to parents by mail.

The grades indicated are:

A-Superior
B-Above Average
C-Average
D-Below Average
F-Failure (Not given if satisfactory effort)
S-Satisfactory but below grade level
-Incomplete (Becomes F if work isn’t made up in 3 weeks)
NG-No Grade (In class less than 4 weeks)

Weekly Progress Reports are available for parents who want a more frequent report when students have difficulties meeting the academic and/or behavioral standards set by the school. Please contact the counselor to implement progress reports.

Shared Responsibilities

To carry out the Fremont Unified School District’s discipline policy and to establish standards of behavior, a set of shared responsibilities are assigned and published by the Board of Education. Students, Parents, Teachers and Administrators alike are called upon to accept and act upon these responsibilities to ensure that your child succeeds in school. As part of the registration process, each participant is asked to read and sign this important document.

Make sure you keep your copy handy as it outlines behavioral expectations, school rules, precedures and consequences. To request a copy, contact the office at 510 656-4000.

Behavior, Rules and Procedures

The Horner discipline policy is clearly spelled out in the Homework Assignment Book that can be purchased on MAZE Day. We ask parents/guardians to go over the rules and consequences with their children so that both are fully informed as to our policies.

About Detentions

Staff assigns students detention for classroom misbehavior. Detention begins at the beginning of lunch and ends at 12:05 pm Monday through Thursday. A credentialed teacher supervises detention. The only excuses for not attending are illness or a medial appointment.

It is the student's responsibility to notify his/her parents about the detention assignment. A parent should sign the detention slip and have the student return it to the staff member who assigned the detention. The student serves the detention at least one day after it is assigned so that he/she may notify parents.

Responsibility Center (RC)

Students may be assigned to R.C. for one period (and lunch) by a teacher for disruptive and defiant classroom behavior. Administrators may assign full day suspension to the R.C. instead of issuing home suspension. Parents are called immediately when the student enters the R.C.

Absences

Missing school is the greatest deterrent to success; but if an absence is unavoidable, we ask your cooperation in the following ways:

If your child must miss school because of illness, medical appointment, etc. PLEASE CALL THE SCHOOL (656-4000 before 9:00am, if possible) on the day of the absence to let us know your child will not be in school. The school loses ADA (Average Daily Attendance) money for each absence. We would like to remind parents to make medical and other appointments after school hours.

If you are unable to notify the school by phone, a written note MUST be turned into the office student window BEFORE SCHOOL when your child returns to school. The note should contain the following information:

Date note is written
Students first and last name (printed)
Complete dates of absence
Specific reason for absence
Signature of parent or guardian

Be sure your child updates his Daily Assignment Calendar as soon as he/she returns to school and monitor the completion of all homework.

Closed Campus

The Board of Education has established a policy (514.5) of closed campuses for the junior high schools. Students are to come directly to school from home and may not leave until their last class is over. Students cannot leave campus for lunch unless their parent picks them up. Students arriving by bus or being dropped at the school in the morning must remain on campus.

If your child has a medical appointment or some other need that requires he/she leave campus during the day, you must provide a written note indicating the time the student is to be released and indicate if the student will be picked up by someone other than yourself or if the student is walking from school on his/her own. This note must be turned into the office before 8:05am. Your child then must follow off-grounds procedures. Also, there are no student guests or visitors allowed on campus. Adult visitors to school are welcome at any time, but they need to check in at the office. Classroom visits must be pre-arranged with the teacher prior to the visit.

Medication

There are state and district policies which specifically regulate the administration of medication at school If your child is required to take any type of medication, including inhalers for asthma or any over-the-counter medication, you must obtain a hold harmless form from the office to be filled out by your doctor and also signed by parent/guardian and principal.

Emergency Form

The emergency form MUST include phone numbers where parents can be reached during the day and phone numbers of someone else to be contacted in case a parent cannot be located. It is a legal requirement that we have an emergency form on file for every student enrolled in the school. A student failing to return the form may be held out of school until school personnel receive it.

Dress Code

Junior high students do best when standards are clearly defined. They also tend to behave according to how they dress. With this in mind, we have successfully maintained the following guidelines:

Shorts must be of mid-thigh length.
Off the shoulder or short blouses showing the midriff are not to be worn.
This applies to both boys and girls.
Tank tops must fit close around the arm with a wide shoulder strap.
Boy's undershirts are not to be worn as tank tops.
Hats may be worn for sun protection during P.E. and lunch time only.
Hats must have a full brim of no more than 3 inches. No other types of hats, hairnets, or bandanas may be worn.
No un-natural hair coloring is appropriate at Horner.

Any clothing that is disruptive to classroom instruction will result in a parent contact and possible disciplinary consequence.Consequences for violations of the dress code will be consistent with the Discipline Code.

PE Dress Code

It is required that students change from school clothes into PE attire. The uniform consists of royal blue shorts and a light gray (ash) t-shirt with the PE logo.

The uniform can be purchased at Horner on maze day, or anytime during the school year. Cost is $15 for shorts and $10 for the shirt.

Loaners are available for any families with financial problems (contact Mrs. Trubey). Sweatshirts (optional) with the PE logo are available for $15. During cold weather, students may wear sweats over the PE uniform. Sweats must be white or light gray. All PE clothes will be marked with the student’s first and last name. The PE teachers will do this during the first week of school. If not lost, PE clothes are guaranteed to last for 2 years.

All students need a combination lock to use daily in the locker room. Please NO KEY LOCKS. Master locks will be available for sale ($5) at Horner, or you may bring your own combination lock.

PE and Regular Lockers

NO BOOK LOCKERS!: We do not have lockers at Horner; therefore, it is important to have some way to carry books. A backpack or a hand carry bag is most typically used. In some classes, students will be issued a book that can be left at home, therefore reducing the number of books a student has to carry.

P.E. Lockers: All students need a combination lock to use daily in the locker room. Please, NO KEY LOCKS. Master locks will be available for sale ($5) at Horner. STUDENTS ARE REMINDED TO LOCK UP ALL YOUR BELONGINGS WHEN IN PE AND TO SECURE YOUR LOCK WHEN YOU LEAVE.

Lost & Found

Lost clothing items are kept in a barrel in the main hallway near the office. Any clothing unclaimed is given to a charitable organization several times a year, and students are notified in advance. Please write names in all clothing. Lost books are held in the library.

Bus Transportation

Students who plan to ride a school bus to school during the 2004-2005 school year must have a Transportation Department photo identification card. To be eligible to ride a bus, junior high students must live farther than 1.5 miles from their school. Bus pass fees effective for the school year 2004/2005 are as follows:

Annual Pass: $350.00
AM or PM Annual Pass: $200.00
Semester Pass: $200.00
AM or PM Semester Pass: $125.00
Book of Tickets: $25.00

Checks should be made payable to the Fremont Unified School District. For your convenience, Visa and Master Card are also accepted. Assistance is available for AFDC families and those who qualify for the Low Income Program. Two (2) purchased passes per family allows all other eligible family members to ride free for the same type of pass. Please contact Transportation at 657-1450 or visit 43770 Grimmer Blvd. Fremont, CA 94538to find out about the documentation required for these programs.

AC bus passes will not be sold at Horner. For information on pick-up sites and times, please contact AC Transit at (510) 817-1717.

Bicycle rules (Includes skateboards/scooters/rollerblades)

Bicycles are brought to school entirely at the owner’s risk.
Bicycles must be stored in the bicycle storage area.
Each bicycle must be locked separately.
Bicycles cannot be left overnight or on weekends
Bicycles must be walked on the sidewalk in front of the school.
Each student is expected to follow all bicycle safety standards.
Students riding bicycles must wear a helmet. Bicycles may be held for parents to pick up if students do not follow this law.
Although the bicycle storage area remains locked during the school day,
Horner Junior High is not responsible for any loss or damage.

Horner Dances and Policies

Dances are highlights of the Horner Junior High social calendar. ASB and PTSA work hard to provide a fun filled evening with a DJ, decorations and refreshments. To have a great time it is essential that we adhere to the following rules:

Students must have both their student ID and Dance Ticket (signed by their parent) to get into the dance. The week before a dance is always busy. Dance tickets are sold in the courtyard during lunch the of week the dance. An ID is required to purchase a ticket. The ticket price is $6.
DANCE TICKETS WILL NOT BE SOLD AFTER SCHOOL OR AT THE DOOR!! NO EXCEPTIONS. A student absent from school the day of the dance will not be admitted. Students suspended from school or assigned Saturday detention will not be allowed to attend the next dance.
The dances begin at 7:00pm and end at 9:00pm. NO STUDENT WILL BE ADMITTED AFTER 7:30pm unless accompanied by a parent. No student may leave before 9:00pm unless picked up by a parent. STUDENTS MUST BE PICKED UP IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE DANCE. STUDENTS STILL AT SCHOOL PAST 9:15PM MAY LOSE THEIR CHANCE TO ATTEND THE NEXT DANCE.

Parents, we hope this addresses any questions you may have concerning our dances. We certainly appreciate the wonderful support you give us by being chaperones, serving refreshments and taking pictures. We couldn't manage without you! If you would like to volunteer to "join the fun," please leave a message for the PTSA officers. The first dance will be September 24, 2004.

Thank you! Laura Guajardo, Horner Activities Director

Deliveries to School

Horner Junior High will not accept delivery of balloons/flowers/presents to students at school. Students are also not allowed to bring balloons/flowers/presents, etc. to school with them. In the past, these deliveries had to be left in the office until after school, but we simply do not have the room to store them. Please help us by reminding your students not to bring flowers/balloons/presents to school.

Child Nutrition Applications

Applications for the free/reduced lunch program will be distributed the first day of school and may also be obtained on the following WEB Site: www.fremont.k12.ca.us. Click on the District & Community page, then click on Child Nutrition under Departments. Click on Letter to learn how to apply for the program. Click on Application to find the application. Print the application, complete it and return it to your students' school as soon as possible.

Applications are now available on the FUSD Site at www.fremont.k12.ca. Click Student and then click work permits. You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader Version 4 or higher to download the permit. A free download from Adobe is available online (instructions are found on the FUSD Home page).

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