GENERAL INFORMATION 

COMMUNITY
Summit School District is located in the mountains of Summit County, Colorado. The towns and the communities of the school district include Dillon, Silverthorne, Keystone, Montezuma, Frisco, Breckenridge, Summit Cove and Copper Mountain. Summit School District is nestled between the ski areas of Copper Mountain, Keystone, Arapahoe Basin and Breckenridge. It is located 75 miles west of Denver and 25 miles east of Vail. Summit School District consists of six elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. Approximately 3,150 students attend our district serving a total year round population of 26,000. Most of the residents are employed in one of four different ski areas, various retailing operations and many other professional careers.

 

SCHOOL
Summit High School is a comprehensive four-year high school enrolling 915 students. The school is authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), and is accredited by the Colorado Department of Education. It holds membership in the National Association for College Admission Counseling and Colorado Council of High School/College Relations. The academic program is organized within a seven period, alternating day, modified block schedule consisting of 85 and 52 minute periods. The additional Reach period is designed to provide students consistent opportunities for academic interventions and extensions. School starts at 7:45am and ends at 2:55 pm., except on Mondays when students are released at 2:05 p.m. Students have a 30 minute lunch in the cafeteria and 5 minute passing periods between classes. Summit High School has a “closed campus” for lunch. This means students cannot leave the building for lunch or visit the parking lot during anytime of the day unless they are leaving to go home.

 

COURSE REQUESTS

Students select courses in January and February by grade level, for the following year, as prescribed by their ICAP, after closely examining the course offerings. Indicating several course alternatives is important due to the fact that scheduling conflicts may occur. The master schedule and staffing decisions are based upon student selections, therefore schedule changes once school is out in June may not be possible.  For more information about Course Selection, see the presentations in English and Spanish.

 

REGISTRATION
Each student’s confirmed schedule for the fall semester will be available at the general registration in August. The exact dates for registration and the make up day will be sent out during the summer. Through our registration process students pay fees for materials, athletics, activities, class pictures, parking, etc. Students who are unable to register during their scheduled time must register on the make up day. All students not currently enrolled in Summit School District are strongly encouraged to attend the New Student Orientation held in August. After the orientation you will be able to schedule an appointment to meet with a guidance counselor to register for classes.

 

MAXIMUM NUMBER OF CLASSES
No student may earn more than 7.5 credits per semester by combining regular course offerings with alternative credit opportunities unless approved by administration. Course enrollments are determined by facilities, sufficient equipment, and safety limits. All students must take at least (6) classes per semester unless special arrangements have been approved by the building administration.

 

EARNING CREDITS
Credits at Summit High School are earned at a rate of one (1) credit per course per semester. These semester credits are earned upon demonstrating achievement of all course content standards and required elements of the course including midterm and final exams (60% or higher final percentage grade). Because of the sequential nature of some studies (i.e. world language, mathematics), it may be necessary for the student to earn a passing grade for the first semester in order to attempt the second semester. If a student is not successful the first semester in such courses, schedule changes may be made by administration for the second semester.

 

ALTERNATIVE CREDITS
Students have the option of earning some credits through alternative means such as correspondence courses, on-line course work, and CMC (Colorado Mountain College). The number of credits are limited to only (10) hours of alternative credit as stated above. All alternative credits must be pre-approved by the counseling department and the administration. Please see a school counselor for further information on CMC classes and other alternative credit sources. No core classes (English I, II, or III; Math; Humanities; and Science) may be taken by correspondence, on-line outside of SHS, or at CMC unless administrative approval is given. Students will pay for the cost of the course(s). Students participating in SHS approved programs that have irreconcilable schedule conflicts may enroll in accredited correspondence courses based on administration/ counselor approval. The cost of the course(s) will be paid for by the student. Students will be allowed to earn elective credit (non-core) from accredited outside programs with pre-approval from the counselor/administrator.

 

CREDIT RECOVERY

When a student has failed a class they will discuss options available to recover the credit with counselors/administrators. The failing grade remains on their transcript and is always a permanent part of their course history. 1) The student will enroll in SHS credit recovery to demonstrate mastery of deficient standards/concepts. 2) After trying the above and not successfully passing the class the student must meet with their counselor to make an educational plan which could include Colorado on-line classes or Keystone Credit recovery classes paid for by the student, and in potentially extreme cases, the option to retake the class may or may not be available.

 

STUDENT WITHDRAWAL PROCEDURES
Students who leave Summit High School before the end of the semester must obtain a withdrawal form from the counseling department. This form must be completed and have all required signatures; this is the student’s responsibility. The student is also responsible for returning all books and paying all fines or outstanding fees owed to the school. Transcripts, immunization records, and transfer grades/credits will be sent to the student’s new school within 2 weeks of receiving the official request from the new school.

 

TRANSFER IN CREDITS

Students transferring to SHS are classified - as deemed by CDE (Colorado Department of Education) policy, as full time, if enrolled in a minimum of (6) classes. Part time student status is 2-5 classes. Transfer students will be given credit for courses taken outside Summit High School based on the following criteria: - Compatibility with CDE and SSD standards and Summit High School curriculum. - Approval of principal, counselor, and/or department head. - Consistent with BOE policy JGA and JGA-R. - New students will be registered into classes according to credits earned and graduation requirements needed to earn a SHS diploma. - Credits do transfer. - GPA will not transfer in from another high school or accredited institution. Student’s GPA will be calculated based on SHS course performance only. - Students transferring after the second week of a semester will be placed only into classes for which there is a transfer grade. For the student to be ranked, considered in the top 10% of their class, valedictorian, or salutatorian, the student must have been enrolled as a full time student at SHS during their Junior and Senior years. All core classes must be taken at SHS.

 

MINIMUM/MAXIMUM NUMBERS IN CLASSES
All classes require at least 12 students or sections may be cancelled for the semester; students will be reassigned to another class. If it is a year long class, the second semester may still be cancelled if enrollment drops below 12. Maximum number of students in any one class is determined by facilities available for the class. Seniors and then juniors get priority for space in a class. After the second week of the first semester, no student may withdraw from a class and enroll in another class for credit unless an administrator approves the recommendation for the change. The cut off date for withdrawals and schedule changes is two weeks after the first day of each semester, unless given administrative approval for a later date. A student withdrawing from a class for any reason at any time other than the window defined above, needs to follow the class drop policy.

 

SCHEDULE CHANGES
Much time is devoted to assisting each student in selecting a set of courses that fit his/her needs, interests, and that are included in each student’s ICAP. Teachers, counselors, parents and the student are involved in this important process. Students request courses and the computer will utilize all class periods, all teachers, and available classrooms while placing students in class. Once the registration process is completed, schedule changes will be made only for compelling academic reasons: i.e. improper prerequisites, improper level placement, or failure of a course. No schedule changes will be made to accommodate a student’s work schedule. No schedule changes will be made for a specific class period, a specific teacher or due to friends in a specific class.

 

SHS CLASS DROP POLICY
Students may drop/add classes for the first semester during the check-in week prior to the beginning of school. Adds are made on a space-available basis only. 1. A student may drop a course during the first two weeks of any semester with no penalty. Schedule changes that take place within the first 2 weeks of the semester are not noted on a student’s transcript (e.g. the student’s record will not indicate that he/she ever registered for the course). 2. If a student is requesting to drop a course after the first two weeks of the semester, then that student must complete the “Schedule Change Request” form. Note: no class is officially added or dropped from a student’s schedule until the paperwork has been completed in the Counseling Office and all teachers involved have been properly notified and parents have approved the changes. 3. Students must attend all regularly scheduled classes until the drop/add procedure is completed, and those students who arbitrarily refuse to follow the established procedure for dropping or adding courses will be referred to the student accountability officer for commensurate discipline. 4. If the course is dropped after the 2nd week of the semester and through the end of the 10th week of the semester, students receive a WP (withdraw pass) or a WF (withdraw fail), which will be reflected on the transcript. Neither is factored into a student’s grade point average, though either could prevent the student from graduating on time. After the end of the 10th week of the semester all withdrawals will be noted as a “WF” and a 0% will be factored into a student’s grade point average. 5. During the first semester, students may make changes in their second semester schedule (adding/dropping semester long classes) by meeting with their counselor between mid-November and December 15th. Changes will not be made once the second semester begins unless a compelling academic reason is detected. See “Schedule Changes” above. Students must gain approval from their parents, teachers and counselor if adding/dropping a semester class requires changing a yearlong class. Appeals can be made to administration and counseling for hardship cases.

 

IN ORDER TO OBTAIN AN SHS DIPLOMA Student must be enrolled for minimum of (6) classes during Fall semester of their graduating year. Home School students will not be eligible for a SHS diploma. Students who wish to enroll as part-time must take (2) classes at SHS or pay tuition. For the student to be considered in the top 10% of their class, valedictorian, or salutatorian, the student must have been enrolled as a full time student at SHS during their Junior and Senior years. EARLY GRADUATION (JUNIORS) Students who have earned at least 43 credits by the end of their Junior year, and want to graduate early, must apply and receive approval from the Principal. Students who have received approval for early graduation shall have their names read and diplomas presented at the spring graduation ceremony. These early graduates are not eligible for Valedictorian, Salutatorian, Top 10 honors, and are not included in class ranking.

 

PARTICIPATION IN THE GRADUATION CEREMONY
A student who successfully completes all requirements of the Board of Education and is in good standing may participate in graduation exercises and will receive a diploma at that time. Only those students who have earned their required number of credits may participate in the graduation exercises. Also note that all student fines and fees must be paid in full in order to participate in the graduation ceremony.