THE 2021-22 SCHOOL YEAR STARTS THIS WEEK!!
Please read below for important information regarding the first week of school and class schedules.
As a reminder, only Freshmen and Sophomores report for class on Thursday, August 19. Juniors and Seniors will start classes on Friday, August 20. (Freshmen and Sophomores have that Friday off.). All classes report to school starting Monday, August 23.
Students being driven to school should enter through the Main Entrance - the side entrance of the building is the designated bus entrance. Cars should not enter or interfere with the flow of traffic in the bus lane. Drivers must pull forward as far as possible before students exit the vehicle - please be considerate of others! If your student needs additional time to collect their belongings and exit the vehicle, drivers are permitted to park in a spot temporarily in the front/Faculty parking lot. PLEASE DO NOT USE THE HANDICAPPED SPACES in order to keep them accessible for our wheelchair-dependent students. Do not stop in the parking lot unless you are in a parking space to avoid blocking others from navigating the lot or parking.
Students should report to their first period classes by 7:58 am. Students who are not in their first period classrooms on time will be marked absent.
SCHEDULES and SCHEDULE CHANGES
Students will report to the Auditorium on their respective first days of school for an assembly and to receive their schedules. Devices will not be distributed before August 23.
Schedules will be visible on the parent and student portals on the first day of school. Please do not email schedule requests ahead of the school year unless you have an urgent or medically related reason to do so. All reasonable schedule change requests will be taken into consideration at the appropriate time. Please see the information below:
- NO schedule changes will occur until Tuesday, August 24. All students are to follow their schedule each day in its entirety until any change is made. The ONLY exception is if the student has a “hole” in their schedule and is not scheduled for a class during a period slot.
- Schedule change requests must be submitted via an online form that will be emailed to students the day before their designated change day (see below). Change requests will be processed on the following days:
- SENIORS: Tuesday, August 24
- JUNIORS: Wednesday, August 25
- SOPHOMORES: Thursday, August 26
- Please wait to hear from the Guidance Office before going to see them about a requested change during a study hall. The Guidance Office will email you if your schedule change is approved. If they need to meet with you to discuss different options they will find a time to meet. Please monitor your emails for these communications.
- FRESHMEN should not have any schedule changes, but if necessary, they can meet with the Guidance Department during their designated study hall on Friday, August 27.
- Schedule changes will NOT be processed for changing lunch periods, study hall periods or switching sections of a class. Students also may not move up into an honors or AP class with out a teacher recommendation from last year. At this point in the year, if the teacher does recommend the course, the schedule change is not guaranteed.
- There will still be a three week add/drop period, ending on September 10. The same guidelines listed above for schedule changes apply during the three week period.
Attendance Rules & Regulations
As in mandated by PA law, students are expected to attend school on designated school days. Barring extreme circumstances, the virtual classroom option is not available to students this year. North Catholic expects students to be in-person each day for all class periods.
Absences, late arrivals and early dismissals must be reported via the Student Attendance tab on the Parent Portal no later than 8:00 am on the day of absence. Only parents/guardians are permitted to complete the Absence Report - please do not allow your student to access the form, which will not be available during school hours. Parents are asked to provide detailed information about any absence.
While emergency same-day early dismissals can be granted, parents/guardians are required to contact the Main Office to speak with a member of staff to obtain permission for the early dismissal.
Mrs. Maria Campbell has been designated as the Dean of Students for Attendance and Truancy. Mrs. Campbell will be reaching out to students and parents when needed regarding attendance issues. We thank you in advance for your full cooperation as we attempt to get back to our regular attendance procedures (pre-COVID).
