Hillside Student Community School Expectations for Students  2023-2024

At Hillside, we are committed to building a supportive academic community based on respectful relationships between staff and students.  Our small size and unusually close interactions require a commitment on the part of the student as well as on the part of the teacher.  We have a few rules and basic expectations that we expect to be cheerfully kept.

1. Be supportive and respectful of each other.
2. Speak about others as if they were present.
3. Work to fix problems when you encounter them.

On Campus Protocols Regarding Coronavirus 

1. Check symptoms before coming to school.  Stay home if you have a cough or sore throat, fever over 101/chills, aches all over, headache, shortness of breath, stuffy or runny nose, chest congestion, diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, loss of taste and smell. If you test positive for COVID-19, contact the school.
2. If you are exposed to COVID-19, check for symptoms and test for 5 days after exposure.  Wear a mask for 10 days after exposure.  If you have no symptoms and continue to test negative, you may participate in activities and classes. 
3. Masks are optional unless advised otherwise by the health department; masks must cover nose and mouth.
4. Arrive early to be on time for your first class (Zero Period starts at 8:20, First Period at 9:15).  
5. Maintain social distancing: minimum 3 feet between people.
6. Wash hands regularly and well.  
7. Sanitize hands before entering the gym.  
8. Bring a filled reusable water bottle with you to school.

Zoom Rules (if needed) 

1. Be mindful and respectful of others on Zoom, just as you would be in the classroom – allow others to speak; listen when others are speaking; be open to other opinions; be kind. 
2. All screen sharing should be class appropriate.
3. Focus on classwork.  Avoid distractions such as unrelated web sites and games.  
4. Please keep cameras turned on.  If it is distracting to see yourself, you may turn off “self view”.
5. Save meals for approved snack times. 
6. Find a quiet, well-lit work space (not in bed) to attend classes. Good lighting will help reduce eye strain. 
7. Give yourself enough time to log on early in case of technical issues. 

General Expectations 

Please note that some of the following points need to be adjusted depending on the virus situation.

Personal Behavior

1. Treat yourself and others with respect and kindness.  Be respectful of people’s personal space.  This includes refraining from inappropriate displays of affection and touching others inappropriately.  
2. Refrain from violence of any kind.
3. Tobacco and illegal substances, matches, and lighters are not permitted on campus.
4. Weapons such as pocket knives, guns, fireworks, pepper spray, or other dangerous objects may not be brought to school or to school activities.
5. School commitment forms and expectations apply during school-sponsored activities, field trips, at bus stops and while riding public buses.

Academic Supplies

Students are required to have (see detailed list at https://hillsidesc.org/community/school-supplies/):   

1. personal hand sanitizer
2. an organization method and planner of your choice (whether a 3-ring binder or something else) for sorting assignments, handouts, and homework
3. pencils
4. several reams of college ruled lined paper
5. USB thumb drives (kept at school for daily use)
6. a functioning printer at home as the school printers are not to be used for printing homework
7. laptop
8. a King County Library Card in the student’s name, clear of all fines.
9. utensils 

Bring a refillable water bottle for daily use

Personal Computers and Electronics

1. Because we value our community time together, computers must remain off during breaks and lunch periods.  
2. Personal laptops may be used at school only for in-class academic work, not such activities as games, personal email, Facebook, or Internet surfing.  Access to the Internet is available only under a teacher’s supervision.  Computers may be used for homework during Study Hall.  Inappropriate use of computers at school may result in the temporary loss of the privilege of using them.  Screens should be visible to teachers.  Stay on task!

Computers

1. Use Internet only with a teacher present.
2. Use headphones, not speakers, as needed.

Personal Valuables and Electronics

1. Please leave electronics and other valuables or money at home, except for laptops needed for schoolwork.  If money or a valuable is stolen, the owner feels betrayed by their classmates, and the school cannot reimburse student losses. 

Phone Calls and Cell Phones

1. Hillside is a learning community.  For that reason, student cell phones and similar devices must be TURNED OFF during school hours (including during lunch and break times), unless instructed or permitted by a teacher. 
2. If a student uses a phone without permission, it will be confiscated for the day, and parents may be notified, and involve an appropriate intervention.
3. Students may make brief calls, on the school phone, during breaks with teacher permission.

Riding School Vehicles

1. Student riders should wait in assigned lines for vehicles to stop before loading.
2. Drivers are only allowed to drive as long as all seat belts are buckled and the noise level is not distracting.
3. Students may NOT sit in the front passenger seat unless directed by the driver to do so.
4. No eating or drinking in school vehicles.
5. Please do not talk to the driver while he or she is driving.
6. Climbing over the backs of the van seats breaks them.  Refrain from doing so. 

Classroom Manners

1. Be in your seat ready for class to begin on time.
2. Please keep all 4 chair legs on the floor to avoid breakage or accidents.
3. Please keep feet off the desks.
4. Notify the teacher before leaving the classroom to use the restroom.
5. No eating in class without teacher permission. 

Study Hall

Study Hall is for quiet work only.  

Lunch Break

1. Upper school students please eat lunch outside or in the Stage and Huckleberry Rooms.  Do not eat on pillows or couches.  Lower school students eat outside or in their Home Room. 
2. We ask that soda and energy drinks not be brought to school.
3. Lunch periods are short and we encourage students to bring meals that do not require heating or to use a container that holds the heat.  If you must heat a meal, please know that we have only a few microwaves for use by many students.  Therefore, bring items that require no more than 2 minutes to heat. 
4. Please put recyclable items in designated receptacles found in each classroom and in the hall by the copier.   
5. Please separate garbage from compost and recyclables.
6. The kitchen is for staff use only. 

PE Classes

Cheering for the good plays of the opposing team as well as for those of your own team helps build a supportive community and promotes good sportsmanship.  We ask for friendly, enthusiastic sportsmanship in PE                                                                                                                

School Boundaries

1. Aside from field trips, students must remain on the school property during school hours.
2. To keep our neighbors happy, the dead-end street and the back (west) of the main building are off limits during school hours. 

Dress Code

1. Shoes and shirts—along with other clothing appropriate for the weather and activity—are required at all times.
2. Please avoid clothing which is distracting including clothing or decorations that promote violence, drugs, or alcohol use. 
3. Please avoid wearing perfumes and hair sprays, as some in our community are sensitive to the chemicals in these products. 

Harassment 

Students must refrain from harassment, intimidation, or abuse of another person.

Problems and Conflicts

If a student has a problem or conflict with another student, we ask that the student:

• First talk with that person to try to resolve it, and not gossip about the problem with other students. 
• If the student still cannot resolve the problem, they should then ask for help from a teacher. 
• If the problem persists, then they should ask the teacher again for help and/or ask one of the Administrators for assistance in mediating a solution.

If a student has a problem or conflict with a teacher, they should:

• First talk to that teacher to try to resolve it, and not gossip about the problem with others. 
• If they still cannot resolve it, they should ask their parents for help. 
• If the problem remains, the student is asked to talk with one of the Administrators about mediating a solution.

Changing Plans 

Arrangements for after school plans or activities should be made and finalized before coming to school.  If planning to ride the van on a day you normally do not, make sure the day before that there is space.

Drop Off and Pick Up

For safety reasons, we ask that parents DO NOT enter the cul-de-sac when dropping off students in the AM or picking them up in the PM.  In the mornings, students should get out at the corner (at the dead end sign), then walk the half block to the school.  In the afternoon, students will wait at the corner to be picked up.  This rule needs to be observed even in bad weather or when you are late.  

Drivers should follow the traffic pattern loop described on the website (https://hillsidesc.org/community/neighborhood-courtesy/) continuing forward without making U-turns or K-turns.  

Early Pick Up

When students are to be picked up early for any reason, we ask that either the parent call the school upon arrival at the cul-de-sac so we can send the student out, or that the parent walk into the school to pick up the student.  Students may not wait outside for the parent’s arrival.

Absences and Tardies

Be on time!  School attendance is vitally important to your progress and academic success. Excessive absences and tardy attendance impact your ability to learn and to participate in our community and can have a negative impact on your grade.

1. Non-essential activities, appointments, and vacations should be scheduled outside of school hours.  Even when excused by a parent or guardian, excessive absences negatively impact student learning. 
2. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the teacher about making up any assignment due to an excused absence. 
3. Tardies of more than 15 minutes are considered unexcused absences. 
4. More than 3 unexcused absences in a month will require an attendance compliance conference and plan.
5. Parents need to notify the school when a student will be absent for any reason, as well as when they will be arriving late or leaving early.  Notification can be made by phone (425-747-6448) or in writing including an email.
6. In consideration of the teachers and for the sake of student learning, we ask that submission of the Pre-Approved Absence form occur at least one month prior to planned extended travel.

The Hillside Attendance Policy on the school website under “Community” and “Important School Policies” (https://hillsidesc.org/community/important-school-policies/) provides a thorough explanation.