Community Action School Handbook
2014 - 2015
154 West 93rd Street
New York, NY 10025
Phone: 212-678-5888 Fax: 212-531-7351
www.communityactionschool.org
John Curry, Principal – jcurry2@schools.nyc.gov
Andrew Sullivan, Assistant Principal – asulliv@schools.nyc.gov
Karla Fittipaldi, Parent Coordinator – kfittipaldi@schools.nyc.gov
The Community Action School program is guided by the following:
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All students can master essential skills in reading, writing, and
mathematics with the proper academic support.
A rigorous, standards-based instructional program is necessary to prepare
our students to excel in high school, college, and the workplace.
Effective teachers train students to be independent thinkers and life-long
learners.
Middle school students need clear, strict, and fair behavioral guidelines,
as well as access to a strong support network.
An inclusion model works best for special needs students
Strong connections between the school and the family and surrounding
community are central to students’ academic success.
Twelve Non-Negotiable Rules of the Community Action School:
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Come to school every day on time and prepared.
Do your homework every night and complete classroom activities
Wear your uniform every day.
No wearing of hats or coats in the classrooms or hallways.
No food, drinks, gum or candy anywhere in the school except the lunch
room.
Use respectful speech. No cursing, crude language, or put-downs.
Respect your classmates and school staff.
Respect the school building and school property.
No fighting or verbal violence.
Cell phones must be turned off and out of sight. MP3 players, electronic
games, and other electronics must stay home.
No weapons and laser pointers. Bringing them to school may result in a
superintendent’s suspension and/or expulsion.
No wandering in the building. Students must have passes if in the hallway
during classes.
Community Action School Handbook – 2014 -2015
Academic Practices
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Homework policy: Homework is assigned most days in all classes. Students write their
homework in their planners immediately after entering class, helping them to organize their
work and allowing parents to track assignments. As a general rule, missing homework must
be turned in within a week of the due date.
Class participation: In each class, teachers keep a running record of student participation.
Both positive and negative behaviors are recorded in special shorthand and are tallied
weekly. Class participation counts for about a quarter of each student’s grade for each
subject.
Report cards: Report cards are sent home quarterly. On the report cards, each student’s
grades are broken down by homework, class work, assessments, and participation so that
parent and students can see what contributed to the overall score. Progress reports will be
sent home to students who are not performing well in their classes between major marking
periods.
Community Action School Homework Planner: The planner serves as an essential way
for students to organize their work and for parents to maintain communication with the
school. All major subject classes (ELA, mathematics, science, and social studies) give
homework every day. If you see that your child’s planner consistently contains little
homework for several days in a row, this should be a reason for concern. You may call the
school’s parent coordinator so that she can check in with the teachers.
Retention and summer school: Students may be retained in their grade unless they meet
all of the following criteria:
o A passing score on NYC and NYS standardized tests.
o Passing grades in all major subject classes.
o Average attendance of at least 90%.
The staff will hold meetings with students’ families during January and February to formulate
a holdover prevention plan. Students who do not meet standards by the end of the year can
avoid retention in grade by successfully completing the summer school program.
Field Trip Policy: All students are expected to attend and participate in the school’s field
trips, an important part of our academic program. All school rules apply during a field trip:
o Students must wear uniforms and may not use cell phones, electronic games, MP3
players, or other electronic equipment.
o Students may not eat or drink while on public transportation or walking to/from a trip
destination.
o Students may not purchase food or other items from stores or street vendors unless
the trip leader has given prior permission.
o At the end of the trip all students must return to the school for dismissal, even if the
group arrives at the end of the school day.
o Parents are always welcome to help as chaperones for our trips.
Parent involvement:
Your involvement in your child’s education provides essential support for his/her academic
progress. Here are some of the ways that you can become active in the life of your child’s school:
o The Parents’ Association: The Parent’s Association provides invaluable support for
the school and the parent body. All parents are automatically members of the PA. PA
meetings are held monthly. The first meeting will be held during Open School Night,
which will be held in September
o Parent volunteerism: The school welcomes parent involvement. Parents are
encouraged to attend special evening events, to help chaperone trips, and to share
any special talents that they may have.
o Family academic conferences: Family conferences will occur during city-mandated
afternoon and evening dates. It is very important that parents or guardians attend
these conferences in order to discuss their child’s academic progress. Parents may
also make appointments to meet with the principal or their child’s teachers at any
point of the year by calling the school.
Community Action School Handbook – 2014 -2015
Send-out System and Detention Policy
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The Send-Out System (SOS) is designed to guarantee that a serious, engaging academic
environment is maintained in every classroom of the school. These are the basic steps in the
send-out process:
o A disruptive student is made aware of his or her unacceptable behavior and is given
two chances to change his/her behavior
o After two chances, the student is moved to a time-out area.
o If the behavior continues, the student is sent out of the classroom to the room of the
grade’s head teacher. At the end of the period the student precedes to his/her next
class.
o During lunch or at the end of the day, any student who was sent out of a class must
attend principal’s detention and meet with the teacher. The teacher will notify a
student’s family about the send-out by telephone.
o More than two send-outs will result in loss of privileges, including being barred from
school trips and other special events. Send-outs may be “worked off” by subsequent
weeks without further send-outs.
Seriously disruptive behaviors can result in being sent out of class without
warnings.
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Detentions: At CAS we are all part of a community of respect. All students are expected to
follow the Twelve Non-Negotiable Rules. Detentions may be given if any of these twelve rules
are broken. Detention is run daily during lunchtime and after school.
Attendance/Tardiness Policy
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Attendance: Good attendance is central to your child’s academic success:
absent days mean lost opportunities for learning. Students with an attendance rate of
less than 90% may have to attend summer school and face the danger of being held
over in their current grade. Please work with us to see that your child maintains an
excellent attendance record. If your child must be absent on account of illness or a
family emergency, he/she will receive missed work that must be completed promptly.
Tardiness: A prompt arrival to school is also an essential ingredient for high
achievement in school. Tardy students miss instruction and disrupt classes. Students
must be in the cafeteria for homeroom at 8:00 and in class, ready to learn by 8:25
Those who arrive late must get a late pass from the office and attend principal’s
detention at the end of the school day.
School Uniform
All students are required to wear the school uniform every day, starting on the first day of school.
The uniform consists of the following:
o Students must wear light blue, button-down polo shirts. Sixth and seventh grade
students must wear shirts with the school patch, purchased at Cookies uniform store.
o Only button-up, dark blue knit sweaters without hoods are allowed. Sixth and seventh
grade students must wear sweaters with the school patch, which can be purchased
at Cookies. Sweatshirts are not allowed.
o Dark blue bottom: slacks, or, for girls, skirts, jumpers, or dresses made of school
uniform material. Jeans of any kind are not allowed, including “jean cut” slacks.
o For girls, skirts or shorts may not be shorter than three inches above the knee. For
boys, slacks must be worn with a belt and may not ride below waist level.
o Belts must be black or brown. No large buckles or studs allowed.
o No beads, necklaces or bracelets allowed.
o Backpacks must have padded arm straps – no string bags – and be large enough to
carry notebooks, textbooks and independent reading books. Drawing on backpacks
with white-out, pens or markers is not permitted.
Students who come to school out of uniform will not be permitted to attend regular classes.
Community Action School Handbook – 2014 -2015