The ALTHOFF CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL curriculum contains more than 100 courses, some of them yearlong courses and others semester courses. To graduate, a student must have successfully completed 24 credits.
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Theology
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4 Credits
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English
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4 Credits
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Mathematics
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3 Credits
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Science
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3 Credits
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Social Studies
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3 Credits
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P.E./Health
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2.5 Credits
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Technology Skills
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0.5 Credits
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Information Processing
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0.5 Credits
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Art, Music, Foreign Language
or Vocational Education
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2 Credits
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CLASS LOAD
Most students take seven subjects,
including P.E., each semester. Seniors are no longer required to take
P.E., but are NOT granted Early Dismissal with a Study Hall in place of
P.E. All other students must have permission from a guidance counselor
to waive P.E. for another class.
DRIVER EDUCATION
The driver education program at ALTHOFF CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL is run through
BTHS-West as part of their Driver Education program. The instructor
is a BTHS teacher and the teacher and Administration of BTHS-West make decisions
pertaining to driver education. ACHS provides access for the students
to participate, but in no way is able to regulate the policies or times
pertaining to this program. Information is available in the Althoff
main office.
SUMMER SCHOOL
A student can register for a summer school course at a
public school with an approval card signed by an ACHS guidance counselor
or by the Vice-Principal. According to departmental policies, some
courses taken in summer school cannot be followed by other courses in the
same area at ACHS. Any student interested in taking summer school
course should check with the Guidance Department for direction.
Credits are indicated on the report
cards each semester. Ordinarily, a student should have at least the
following:
SEM.
ONE SEM. TWO
FRESHMEN 3.00 6.00
SOPHOMORES 9.00 12.00
JUNIORS 15.00
18.00
SENIORS 21.00
24.00
A student who falls too far behind in credits will not be able to
advance with the rest of the class.
FAILURES
* Religion: Failures in these courses must be made
up by repeating the semesters failed.
* Eng. 1, Eng. 2, and Math: First semester failures can be made up
if the student passes the second semester. Second semester failures
MUST be made up in summer school or by repeating the entire course.
* Science and foreign language: First semester failures can be made
up if the student receives a “C” or better for the second semester. A
second semester failure may be made up in summer school or by repeating
the semester.
* Failures in ALL other required courses MUST be made up in summer school
or by repeating the semester failed.
ACADEMIC ELIGIBILITY
Students who participate in any extracurricular activities (athletics, speech,
music, etc.) must have--at a minimum --passing grades in at least four of
their subjects exclusive of PE. Coaches/moderators will be notified
of students failing any course(s). A copy of the IHSA eligibility
rules is included in this handbook.
SENIOR SERVICE PROJECT AND RETREATS
Through the Service Learning Project, seniors spend three weeks in full time volunteer service during the month of January. Students are placed in people serving agencies throughout the community and are given an integrated service experience involving direct, person-to-person contact with those in need. This opportunity for service and for personal growth is so important to the mission of Althoff Catholic High School and to the Christian formation of our students. A graduation requirement is the satisfactory completion of the project.
JUNIORS AND SENIORS
A student will need to make
a "closed" retreat as a requirement for graduation from ACHS.
The closed retreat may be made during either the student's junior
or senior year. The closed retreat may be either an ACHS closed retreat
or a diocesan TEC Retreat. This requirement is part of the Religious
Formation for all students at ACHS. Publication of the dates for the
ACHS closed retreats and the diocesan TEC retreats will be made at the end
of each school year.
FRESHMEN AND SOPHOMORES
All freshmen and sophomores will be expected
to attend a "Day of Recollection" arranged by the school. The
dates of these will be announced and will take place during the regular
school day. Making a Quest retreat (diocesan) will fulfill the requirement
for freshmen and sophomores if a student is unable to make the ACHS retreat
due to illness. These dates will be announced at the beginning of
the school year.
ACADEMIC HONESTY/DISHONESTY
ACHS seeks to
establish an atmosphere in each classroom that actively fosters academic
honesty.
It is the belief of ACHS that academic "dishonesty" by students
degrades their character and reputation and impedes the teaching-learning
process. Teachers should be clear in their advocacy of academic honesty
by discussing with their students the differences between honest and dishonest
work, by employing teaching and testing strategies which reduce the opportunity
for dishonesty to the maximum extent possible, and by following consistent
procedures for dealing with dishonest behavior.
ACHS recognizes
that no policy can be successful without the active support of parents,
students and staff.
The sanction for academic dishonesty will be a failing grade for the
work involved. Students are expected not to place themselves in a
situation of being suspected of dishonesty.
PROGRESS REPORTS
Progress reports for students who are doing unsatisfactory or outstanding
work are mailed to parents approximately halfway through each quarter. Parents
are expected to sign the reports and return them to the main office.
REPORT CARDS
Report cards
are issued four times during the school year. The quarterly report
cards are mailed to the student's parents/guardians.
SEMESTER EXAMS
Semester exams are to be taken by all students.
Permission will not be given for students to take early semester exams
because of projected absence from the scheduled exam. Students in
this case will be expected to take the semester exam on a date agreeable
with the course teacher after the scheduled semester exam date.
INCOMPLETES
A report card grade of Incomplete
indicates that a student has not completed all the required work or met
all of the requirements of the course because of illness or unusual circumstances.
The student is allowed two weeks to make up work. If the work
is not made up within the two weeks, the grade of "F" will automatically
replace the Incomplete (I) on the student's academic record.
HONOR ROLL
ACHS honors outstanding academic work with a quarterly honor roll.
A 3.4 to a 3.799 average for the quarter merits honors; and a 3.8
average or higher, high honors. Early in the fourth quarter, an honors
banquet is held for students who have made high honors all three quarters
of the year and seniors who have maintained a cumulative 3.8 grade point
average or higher over seven semesters. Seniors in the top 10% of
the class at the end of seven and one-half semesters are designated honor
graduates.
Transcripts are copies of the student's permanent record needed for several reasons, including transfer to another school or application to a college. Any official transcripts are sent directly from ACHS to the agency requesting it. A student can apply for a transcript by filling out a request form in the main office. If a student is under 16 years of age, a parent will have to authorize the school to release the records. The student should allow one week for the transcript to be processed and mailed. Transcripts may be requested for a fee of $3.00 for current students and $5.00 for alumni.
The following policy was approved
by the School Board of Althoff Catholic High School - effective April 30,
1975.
1. Students who complete 24 credits including the courses specifically required
for graduation take part in the graduation ceremonies to receive their diplomas certifying
graduation from ACHS.
2. Students who complete the senior year one or less credits short of the credits required for graduation may also participate in the graduation ceremonies. Such students will ONLY receive the diploma cover in the ceremonies, but may receive their actual diploma upon completion of the required work. Up to one credit of work may be made up in summer school.
3. Students who are more than
one credit short of the credits required for graduation may not participate
in the graduation ceremonies, since only one credit of work may be made
up in summer school. The diploma will be granted upon completion of
the required work.
Certain circumstances may occur which could result in exclusion from
the graduation ceremonies.
In order to provide an environment
conducive to learning, structure and self-discipline are needed. The
discipline policies and procedures in place at ALTHOFF CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL
are meant to encourage this type of environment. We assume that all
students are capable of responsible behavior. Should this not be the
case, and behaviors occur which are detrimental to the "good"
of the rest of the students, those behaviors will be dealt with according
to the procedures detailed in this section.
The philosophy of ACHS is that each student is responsible for his/her
behavior. The behavioral expectations are clear as well as the consequences
or sanctions for inappropriate behavior. If a student chooses to behave
inappropriately, he/she chooses the sanction or consequences for that behavior.
The registration of a student is considered an expressed agreement
on his/her part and on the part of parents/guardians to comply with all
rules, regulations, and policies of ACHS. The administration reserves
the right to discipline at any time a student whose conduct they consider
unsatisfactory.
All breaches of discipline are serious because they disrupt the primary
work of the school that is to provide for student education. It is
the policy of ACHS to involve parents/guardians in cases of students who
repeatedly violate school policy.
PROCEDURES FOR HANDLING
INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR
PHASE I: BEHAVIOR
HANDLED IN THE CLASSROOM
Behaviors which are considered Phase I violations
are inappropriate behaviors of a minor nature, usually occurring infrequently.
Examples of this would include, but not be limited to, eating or drinking
in the academic building, failure to bring appropriate materials to class,
failure to do homework or inappropriate classroom behavior. Teachers
are asked to deal with Phase I behaviors within the structure of their own
classrooms in a manner consistent with the philosophy of ACHS. It
is the teachers' responsibility to document inappropriate behaviors that
occur in their classrooms.
PHASE II: REFERRAL
TO DIVISIONAL COORDINATORS
Behaviors that fall into this category consist of
inappropriate behaviors of a minor nature, which are repeated with greater
frequency. Examples of these types of infractions would include, but
not be limited to, more than 3 tardies for a particular class, repeated
failures to bring materials to class, repeated incidents of class disruption
or repeated defiance of classroom rules. Teachers who feel the student
has reached this point will refer that student to his/her divisional coordinator,
along with appropriate documentation of the student's inappropriate behavior
and the attempts made to work with the student to correct the behavior.
Divisional coordinators will also deal with those inappropriate behaviors
not specific to a single classroom. Examples of this would be failure
to follow the school's dress code, chronic absence or tardiness, smoking,
truancy, inappropriate behavior.
Consequences for Phase II difficulties may include, but not be limited
to: in school suspension, detention, notification of parents or loss
of privileges.
A student on In School Suspension, ISS, will spend the day in isolation
from his/her peers and under the supervision of school personnel. A
student on ISS is to report to the main office by 8:20 a.m. and is not allowed
to leave school early for any reason including early dismissal and travel
with athletic teams. In the case of a multiple day ISS the student
is not allowed to participate in extracurricular activities, including sporting
events, which occur during the period of the suspension.
PHASE III: REFERRAL TO ASSISTANT
ADMINISTRATORS
Students with chronic disciplinary problems
are placed in Phase III after referral by the divisional coordinator due
to an accumulation of referrals in Phases I and II. Students can,
however, be placed at this level without going through Phase I and Phase
II if they exhibit unusual or more severe inappropriate behaviors. Examples
of this would include, but not be limited to, fighting, verbal abuse of
teachers or destruction of school property.
The consequences of such behavior would involve notification of the
student's parents/guardians and the student would be placed on an individualized
behavior contract detailing the expectations of the school concerning the
student's behavior. This contract, in effect, notifies the student
and the parents/guardians that the student is actually on probationary status
with the school and is subject to dismissal if the inappropriate behaviors
do not cease. Suspension outside of school for a period of two to
ten days may be used at this time if the administrative team feels that
this would be of help.
The Principal will be notified of all students who are placed
on a behavior contract. A timeline will be included along with the
behavioral expectations of the student. The progress of each student
on this type of contract will be reviewed according to the timeline set
forth.
PHASE IV: REFERRAL TO THE
PRINCIPAL
Students will
be referred to the Principal for final action when attempts at other levels
have failed to correct the student's behavioral difficulties or when the
student's actions warrant immediate placement at this phase. Examples
of actions of a magnitude severe enough to warrant Phase IV placement include,
but are not limited to, alcohol and drug abuse, carrying of a weapon, inappropriate
sexual behavior, assault of a teacher, destruction of a teacher's property
or injury to another student. Any student action that interferes with
the safe and productive functioning of the school or the student body may
be acted upon in a manner deemed appropriate by the administration. This
may include calling police or other emergency service personnel.
Students who are placed in this phase are subject
to immediate dismissal from ACHS at the sole discretion of the Principal.
Students who are dismissed from the school may appeal this decision
in writing to the Althoff School Board within ten (10) chronological days
of the principal's decision.
SPECIFIC PROCEDURES FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE OFFENSES.
A. Use, Possession and Influence
Students who use, possess or are under the influence
of alcohol, unlawful drugs, controlled substances, or hallucinogens during
school time, on school premises or during school sponsored activities whether
off or on the school grounds will be immediately suspended or subject to
expulsion. Such students are subject to additional educational programs
and obligations determined by ACHS.
First Offense
1.
The Principal shall notify the parents/guardians and request an immediate
conference.
2. The Principal shall suspend the student for the violation of ACHS rules
for up to five (5) days.
3. In order for the student to be readmitted to ACHS educational programs,
the Principal may require a certified drug and alcohol counselor perform
an evaluation and the results of the evaluation sent to the school. Evaluation
payment is the responsibility of the parents/guardians. The student
and parents/guardians must agree to fulfill the recommendation of the evaluator
and submit necessary reports to the Principal.
4. The parents/guardians and student, upon the student's readmittance into
school, may be required to become involved with the Family Assistance Program
available through District 201. The program includes an assessment
and six (6) consecutive sessions held at Belleville West High School.
Second Offense and Subsequent Offenses
ACHS will follow the same procedure as set forth for a First Offense,
except that for a second offense a longer suspension will be imposed. Subsequent
offenses may result in expulsion.
B. Distribution
Students
who distribute and/or use unlawful drugs, controlled substances, hallucinogens,
alcoholic beverages or items that purport to any of the foregoing to other
students or persons during school time, on school premises or during school-sponsored
activities whether on or off the school grounds are subject to immediate
expulsion and will be referred to law enforcement authorities.
C. Substance
Abuse and Students Involved in Extracurricular Activities
Participation in extracurricular activities
at ACHS is a privilege, not a right. Students who choose to be members
of a team, squad, or activity act as representatives to the public. The
student who chooses to abuse drugs or alcohol may incur consequences related
to those activities.
In general, students who participate in extra
curricular activities and violate school policy are subject to the “2/9
rule.” This means that a student will be excluded from the extracurricular
activity in which they are currently involved for 2/9 of their season or
for the length of the activity. A second violation will result in
termination of extra curricular participation for the remainder of one chronological
year. Should any subsequent offenses occur, the student would be removed
from all extra curricular activities for the remainder of their time at
Althoff.
DRESS CODE
Althoff Catholic High School takes pride in the appearance of its students and expects student and parent/guardian cooperation in the matter of students’ dress and grooming. Attire, including accessories, which attract undue attention are in poor taste and should not be found on the ACHS campus.
The following Dress Code has been set to meet the objectives of modesty and neatness in appearance.
A neat and clean appearance is required of all students. Tight clothing of any nature is not appropriate for Althoff students. Questions regarding neatness, cleanliness, or appropriateness will be decided by the administration.
THE UNIFORM is as follows:
- Polo style shirts in navy, white, or yellow, long sleeve
chambray shirt, navy cardigan, white dress shirt or a navy sweatshirt all
with the Althoff logo will be the only shirts allowed. Shirts and sweatshirts
must be purchased through the Althoff bookstore or from the authorized Althoff
vendor. Shirts must be buttoned and tucked in. As a senior privilege, the
seniors only may wear the senior class shirt without a collared shirt underneath.
This shirt is the only exception.
- Tan khaki dress slacks must be worn. Slack length must be at least knee
length. ALTHOFF’S definition of SLACKS does not include: jeans, sweatpants,
or cargo pants. Pants may not be baggy, oversized or cut off and must be
worn at waist level. Slacks designed to look like a “jean” style are not
considered appropriate attire for Althoff students during the school day.
Belts must be worn.
- The girl’s skirt is available from Just Me Apparel at 1-877-797-7344.
Length must be no more than two inches above the knee.
- OUTERWEAR of any type, including jackets and coats, may not be worn during
the school day.
- NO jerseys except Althoff team jerseys are allowed when the ENTIRE team
has been given special permission to wear this team shirt.
- State Law requires shoes, and that shoelaces must be tied. Tennis shoes
or dress shoes are the only allowable foot wear. Solid color white or navy
socks or hose must be worn. Boots are not allowed except in snowy/icy weather.
Sandals or flip-flops are never permissible.
- NO head covering may be worn in the ACHS building during the school day.
- ALL students should keep hair neat and clean and should use good taste
in choosing a style that is not a distraction in the classroom. Only natural
hair colors will be allowed, i.e., no blue, green, orange, etc. The Administration
reserves the right to ask ANY student to change his/her hairstyle if they
feel the student’s current style is inappropriate.
- NO PE CLOTHES are allowed in the academic building during the regular
school day.
- NO VISIBLE body piercing except earrings.
- NO VISIBLE tattoos.
- Jewelry must be in good taste. Belt chains, studded bracelets, neck collars,
etc. are not allowed.
- Attire for extracurricular activities must also be modest, in good taste,
and suitable.