Aquinas High School

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At the Academic Awards Night held in the spring, the school recognizes incoming freshmen accepted into the Honors Program at Aquinas. Also recognized are current Aquinas stu­dents who have attained outstanding scholastic achievement in academic departments, membership in honor societies, and other school designated honors and seniors receiving honors and scholarships from universities, companies and organizations.

Students who maintain a 3.5 g.p.a. (unweighted) for three con­secutive semesters are honored by earning an Aca­demic Letter. Courses graded on the Pass/Fail system and Physical Education courses are not included in computing the g.p.a. for the academic letter. After the first letter is awarded, a gold bar is awarded for consecutive semesters of qualifica­tion. Academic Letter awards will be administered by the Assistant Principal.

Any student whose grades are unsatisfactory or whose grades indicate that he or she is not working commensurate with ability, will be placed on academic probation at the end of the quarter.

Any student who misses 8 days in a quarter will drop a letter grade in each course affected by attendance. Any student who misses 15 days in a semester or 30 days in a school year may fail the course. These absences include both excused and unexcused absences. However, school related absences are exempt from this policy. For purposes of grading, 3 unexcused tardies (UT) equal 1 unexcused absence (UA).

Learning deserves an environment of respect and freedom from distraction. All students are required to be in compliance with the dress code. Dress Code compliance will be checked at the beginning of each class period.

Students are expected to be on time for each class and not to miss class except in the case of illness or other serious reason. Students are expected to participate in all class activities. Further, they are expected to assist in maintaining order by refraining from disruptive conduct. At all times students are to address members of the Administration, Faculty, and Staff by their proper title: Sister, Brother, Father, Mrs., Mr., Ms. or Miss.

If a student received either one or two semester failures in one year, the deficiency must be corrected during the summer session that follows the close of the school year. Failed courses are to be made up at Aquinas High School summer school or at schools approved by the Academic Dean and Summer School Principal before enrolling in summer school. A summer school grade does not take the place of the original grade but becomes part of the student’s cumulative G.P.A. A student who receives three (3) or more semester fail­ures (as a total of 1st and 2nd semesters) may be subject to academic dismissal. Students who do not make up the required courses will not be advanced to the next subject level.

Deficiency notices will be prepared and sent to parents to indicate a student’s lack of achieve­ment. These notices are issued at the mid­point of each quarter. Each notice must be signed by the respective parent and returned to the guidance counselor. Parents who receive any indication of student difficulty are strongly urged to contact the teacher and make arrangements for a meeting. Daily grades can be tracked online. Contact the student’s Guidance Counselor for more information.

Parents are asked to report all physical and learning disabili­ties to the Guidance Counselor in writing as soon as possible. Documentation will be required in all cases. The Guidance Counselor will meet with the Assistant Princi­pal for Academics and the student’s teacher(s) for all cases that require special accommodation. We will do our best to accommodate all students’ needs but we are limited in the scope of what we can provide.

A student who is liable for dismissal for defi­cient academic performance is sub­ject to review by the Academic Review Board, which consists of the Head Guidance Counselor, Assistant Principal for Academics and any other staff member designated by the Principal.

It is important for parents/guardians and stu­dents to note there is a great deal of differ­ence between a passing grade and a college-recommending grade. From the start, therefore, a student is expected to work for the highest grade commensurate with his/her God‑given gifts and talents. Not only does a student experience pride and satisfaction that comes with working to one’s potential, but students who realize a high level of academic achievement have many more options open to them when they begin the process of choosing a college or university.

The letter “A” indicates superior work; the student consistently excels in quantity and quality of work; a college recommending grade. The letter “B” indicates above average work; the student maintains a good standard of work; a college recommending grade. The letter “C” indicates average work; the student does expected work at a moderate level of achievement; a college-recommending grade. While this is a passing grade, the student may have to remediate this course to advance to the next level of instruction in that area. The letter “D” indicates below average level of achievement. While this is also a passing grade, the student may have to remediate this course to advance to the next level of instruction in that area. A “D” does not fulfill 4-year college entrance requirements. The letter “F” (Failure) indicates student does not meet minimum requirements; no credit is given; most, if not all, course requirements are not completed. An “F” does not fulfill 4-year college entrance requirements and, in most instances, must be remediated before the next school year.

The grade of “I” (Incomplete) may only be given with the permission of the Assistant Principal for Academics when extended illness or other un­usual circumstances warrant giving the student additional time to fulfill the course work. These grades must be removed within six weeks of the next semester, or they become “F”.

Grades represent a judgment by the teacher; they do not necessarily represent a mathemati­cal average. However, all Aquinas teachers use the following grading scale in forming his/her judgment:

For course description information, refer to the current Aquinas High School Course Catalog.

The homework assignment load can fluctuate considerably. This may be a combination of written assignments, study, and long-term projects or pa­pers. It is expected that all students will spend at least two hours in study over and above time provided at school if a student is to gain the most benefit possible from classes. Assignments should be neat, complete and on time.

Students who earn a grade point average of 3.0, or above (unweighted), will be placed on the Aquinas High School Honor Roll. First Honors is awarded to students who earn a g.p.a. of 3.7 and above. Second Honors is awarded to students who earn a g.p.a. of 3.4‑3.6 and Honors is awarded to students earning 3.0‑3.3 g.p.a. The Honor Roll is published at the end of each semester.

Honors courses and Advanced Placement courses are graded on the 5.0 grading scale. For these courses, a grade of “A” receives 5.0, a “B” receives 4.0, a “C” receives 3.0, a “D” receives 1.0, and an “F” receives 0.0.

Students may be dismissed from class to participate in school-sponsored activities. All students, however, are required, when practical, to inform his/her teacher in advance to the particular day of the activity. If the students’ absence will cause him/her to miss a test, the students must coordinate with the teacher to make-up the test at the discretion of the teacher. If students do not inform their teacher in advance, the teacher reserves the right to deny the student the opportunity to make up the test. Exceptions are to be made only in sudden and unforeseen events of a serious nature.

Students are required to bring all necessary mate­rials to class. This includes all textbooks, work­books, notebooks, pens and pencils, binder paper and any other materials required by the teacher in a particular class.

The shared responsibility for student learning man­dates that all parties are apprised of any difficulties the student might be having. When parents would like to set up an appointment with a teacher, they are required to call or e-mail the teacher to make an appointment. If a parent has not received a response from the teacher within 48 hours they are directed to contact the Dean of Academics and Guidance. To make an appointment with any school counselor or administrator, either call or email the individual to request an appointment. If the parent has not received a response within 48 hours they are directed to contact the school secretary and Dean of Academics and Guidance. This procedure will avoid unnecessary and unexpected trips to the school. Spontaneous visits to a classroom while class is in progress are not allowed.

The school year is divided into two semesters, each with two quarters. The quarter grade is a progress report. The semester grade is given for the work of the entire semester. It is the semester grade that is recorded on the student’s permanent record. Report card grades are given in letter form for each course. A student who has a question or disputes the grade he/she receives should first attempt to resolve the problem through his/her teacher and then the counselor. If the student is not satisfied with the response from the teacher or wishes further clarification of a grading policy, the student may appeal to the department chair. The department chairperson may call a meeting of all involved in the grade dispute for a final resolution of the problem. The department chairperson will report the result of all grade disputes to the Principal or his designate. The decision of the Principal is final. All semester grade corrections in report cards must be completed within the first ten days of the new semester. Two report cards are issued to parents at each grading period. One report card must be signed and returned within one week of the end of the grading period. Grades are available online at any time. Contact your student’s Guidance Counselor for more information.

Schedule changes are permitted and all paper­work must be completed and submitted by the date specified in the school calendar or directives from the Dean of Academics and Guidance. After this period, changes are seldom approved. The parent and appropriate teacher must sign all change request forms. There will be a $20 fee for any change request that is student or parent generated. The Assistant Principal and/or Dean of Academics and Guidance reserve the right to make schedule changes if neces­sary. Questions concerning schedule changes should be directed to the Dean of Academics and Guidance. In all schedule changes the books and supplies are the responsibility of the student and his/her parents.

Senior class valedictorian(s) and salutatorian(s) are selected based on their cumulative weighted GPA. Any ties will be broken utilizing SAT scores and AP score averages. All other special senior awards are given based on criteria that is specific to each award.

Aquinas High School offers a wide variety of credit, review, preparation, and enrichment courses as well as sports conditioning. A complete sum­mer school directory is published each spring. Please contact the Main Office after May 1st for information.

The student or parent must make all transcript requests in writing to the Main Office. Official tran­scripts will not be issued to students; they are sent directly to the institution. The first transcript request is free. There will be a $5.00 fee charged for each request after the first.

Students who need review in a particular subject may receive tutoring, either at their own request, or upon the recommendation of a teacher. Faculty, volunteers, and student members of the National Honor Society and California Scholarship Federation offer this volunteer service. A student who needs tutoring should contact the NHS/CSF Moderator.

If a parent wishes to withdraw or transfer a student from Aquinas, it is his/her responsibility to notify the Principal in writing. In some cases, the Principal may want to meet with the student’s parents as well.