d UHSpress
University High School • 1000 W. Rhode Island Ave. • Orange City, FL 32763
April 2016, 2017 Dear Student,
Thank you for your interest in the yearbook or newspaper staff as one of your elective courses. We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected as a part of the UHSpress staff. Admission to the class is by application and advisor approval only. Enrollment to a publications course is a commitment not only to the school, but to the community as well. Each publication class involves numerous learning opportunities and experiences, as with most traditional courses. However, there is the additional obligation to the publication that cannot be ignored. Therefore, it is essential that students and parents fully understand the commitment the class requires. You will find attached to this letter: • Information regarding grading policies • Class and club expectations and standards • An equipment agreement • Summer camp information
Be sure to read through all included information. Then, you and your parent need to sign and return the agreement form by May 5th, 2017 to room 4-212. If I do not have your signed form submitted by then, I will not be able to enroll you into the course. A publication class is a rewarding experience and we look forward to working with you this summer and next year. Thank you for choosing us as an elective! Sincerely,
Courtney Kohler-Hanks Adviser 2017-2018
Editor-in-chief Titan Times News 2017-2018
Editor-in-chief Odyssey Yearbook 2017-2018
advisor Courtney Kohler • cmkohler@volusia.k12.fl.us • (386) 968-0013 ext. 46312
UHSpr Notes on grading, responsibilities, and expectations
Publication courses are considered co-curricular, meaning they are an honors level academic elective and a club. Responsibilities for the course will be during school and outside of the school day. Both classes are a mini-production business, and the students are the ‘employees,’ therefore, it may require more than 48 minutes per day to complete your work to your highest potential. Students will be given a calendar each marking period that contains important dates. For example: • staff meeting dates & times • worknights or days • ad sales dates • distribution dates • deadlines
Evaluation
Students will be evaluated in three PRIMARY areas: Business & Marketing: Part of the business grade revolves around ad sales. All staff members must sell ads to keep our production afloat. Plenty of time is given and students are given assigned businesses to visit. Another part of the business grade is the student’s ability to meet the requirements of their assigned position. Photography & Design: Another part of yearbook and news are photography and design. All staff members must take pictures. Students will be assigned one full day of photography per quarter, plus the additional photography requirements of their assigned spreads/articles. Design is an element of yearbook, blog and magazine production. Students will be taught and expected to use InDesign software for layout design. Journalistic Integrity: Students are assigned either spreads or articles. They are expected to produce honest, valid well-done and complete work on schedule. This includes, but is not limited to: • ACCURATE, COMPLETE AND PROFESSIONAL WORK. No place exists in yearbook/newspaper for sloppy/unprofessional work. The articles and captions must be well-written and accurate. Errors are simply unacceptable. We cannot and will not publish work that would be graded at less than an ‘A’ in any other course. Mediocrity does not get printed, nor does it sell. •DEADLINES. DEADLINES. DEADLINES. Stories/spreads are assigned with a predictable amount of time to complete them, most often over the course of several weeks. Staffers are given a set of tasks to complete by certain deadlines and they are expected to complete it by that time. Assistance is given in the case of special circumstances and guidence is given throughout the completion process. You are not alone, but you are responsible for your work. There is a threshhold for submitting late work that could result at a minimum in lost points, and at most, a zero for incompletion. •Performance is a combined grade of attendance and participation. You will recieve a performance grade each quarter and at each event. Students who miss more than six days a quarter, unexcused, will result in a grade level drop and being placed on probation. *There will be a few more journalism assignments given as needed, including an EOC. Students are edited and graded by their peers, as well as the advisor. This is a learning lab and student-run publication.
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MEETING PRODUCTION DEADLINES IS IMPERATIVE
First, we have a contract with a publishing company which includes page submission requirements. Failing to meet company deadlines could cost us money. We cannot afford “I’ve been really busy,” or “I’m waiting on a quote.” Second, we expect a high degree of timeliness from others in our lives. Students expect teachers to have grades in by report cards. Everyone expects paychecks on time. Movies are expected to be playing for when you bought your ticket. And so it goes. It is an inconvenience and unprofessional to submit articles and spreads late as it holds up the entire publication (maybe even costing us hundreds to thousands of dollars). Don’t be that guy. Third, students need to learn that the world does not stop for us when we need more time. Students will encounter deadlines when applying for college, making loan payments, submitting resumes, filing their taxes, etc. Penalties exist for missing deadlines in the real world and penalties exist for missing deadlines here. You live, you learn, right? Finally, this isn’t like any other class. A student who chooses to not complete their work or learn a lesson only hurts themselves. Their grade will suffer, as will their understanding of something important. However, a student who does not do their work here hurts us all. An ‘F’ is not just a zero. The spread or article must be reassigned and someone else is going to have to pick up the slack.
Standards of behavior • • • •
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The staffer must maintain a minimum number of unexcused absences and tardies each quarter. Their work will suffer if they are not at school and this has the potential to harm their grade. Just like a real job, you have tasks to complete and people counting on you to do them. The staffer will attend required meetings during lunch or after school, as necessary. We will not schedule meetings outside of class time, if avoidable. Staffers are expected to maintain positive relationships with their fellow staffers and editors. If and when issues arise, we will work towards a solution as a team and staffers are expected to be responsive to feedback. Continuous issues with a student can result in dismissal from the course. The staffer will represent UHSpress with dignity and respect. While this includes behavior at the school and in class, this also pertains to digital and social media behaviors. Any reports of harassment, illegal substances or alcohol, excessively foul language, bashing of others or any other aggressive behavior in person or online may result in dismissal from the program. Just like in the real world, if you can’t behave properly, you will be let go. The staffer respects the hierarchy of student leadership in the classroom. Leadership will handle most issues, with the advisors guidance. In the event of an issue with a grade, the advisor will have final say on the grade given. This is as much a leadership course as it is a journalism course. The staffer understands that this is a club AND an honors level course. There may be working lunches. There may be evens we run or participate in. It is the expectation of all staffers that they participate to the best of their ability in class and club events. Constant inability to participate may result in lost points or dismissal from the program. Technology is an inherent part of what we do here. Slack and Trello are graded technology usage and you are expected to keep both up-to-date and checked at least once in a 24 hour period during the school week. Respect the class equipment. It is expensive and difficult to replace.
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Financial Responsibility
We take a club fee of $40.00 and a lab fee of $10 to cover basic supplies. This includes the first and last club shirt of the year, a planner and any other miscellaneous items needed, such as workbooks, computer equipment and flash drives. Additional camps, trips, celebrations, t-shirts, and field trips are not covered by this fee and will be charged separately. Students will have the chance to fundraise throughout the year to help cover additional costs.
Flexibility Clause
Any event or circumstance not covered by these guidelines will be decided on an individual basis by the teacher with possible input from the principal.
Responsibility & Rewards
We know that this is a lot to ask of a student in high school. These responsibilities are met with rewards that keep on giving throughout your lifetime. • Honors credit course • Familiarity with Photoshop and InDesign • College-ready writing skills that will improve the longer you stay in the program • The ability to apply for Quill & Scroll: An honors society for journalism which awards cords to seniors upon graduation • Interpersonal skills developed through interviewing and ad sales that will benefit you in college and future careers • Comfortability operating a DSLR camera and using an Apple computer • The ability to be challenged and to challenge yourself • Many opportunities throughout the year to apply for competitions and scholarships
#CampOrlando with Walsworth
Camp Orlando is a summer workshop hosted by Walsworth, our current yearbook company. They bring in leading journalism experts from across the country for four days of intensive yearbook and newspaper education. Classes include different tracks for the four days in one of the following areas: • Yearbook 101 (for students who haven’t taken J1, yearbook, or news before) • Design • Writing • Photography • Computer classes for InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Newspaper design (Computer classes require a laptop with the program loaded. You can rent on for $165 if you want to take a computer course and do not have one.)
When: July 25th-28th Cost for camp: $285 Hotel stay is not included in the price. Rooms will cost between $90-120 for the 3-night stay. I will have a better idea once I know the total number of students coming and arrange rooms. We may also fundraise some money to help cover the hotel fees to bring down the total cost. I will send out the final cost via email to all of those interested in going.
UHSpress
Student & Parent agreement form
Name___________________________________________________ Name of student applicant (Print)
_______________________ Staff (News or Yearbook)
Student email address______________________________ Phone number______________________ As a part of yearbook or news staff, I understand the my child/I will: • Be enrolled in and commited to a full-year, honors academic elective class •
Be required to participate in my class-related activities, including but not limited to: photography, layout, design, copy writing, interviewing, blog writing, videography, social media news posting, photo editing, advertising sales, distribution, fundraising, field trips, etc.
•
Be expected to complete assigned pages/stores on deadlines. (Students are edited by their peer editors, as well as the advisor.
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Be expected to sell advertising and promote sales
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Be expected to take photos roughly three times per quarter, before and/or after school each marking period. •
Once per quarter, each staffer is required to fulfill a photo day. It is from 7 a.m. - 9 p.m. they are expected to photograph every event occurring that day.
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Participate in lunch or after-school, prearranged meetings, as necessary.
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Assist in the club projects over the course of the year, including after school hours, as needed
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Fulfill the $50 club & class fee
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Wear appropriate clothing and behave appropriately when representing UHSpress
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Be expected to make a commitment to excellence and timeliness in regards to the publication’s work.
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Be required to meet predetermined deadlines or risk receiving an ‘F’ for a marking period.
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Not miss more than six unexcused days per quarter
Signature guarentees that you have read the entirety of this packet, as well as the above mentioned list, and consent to the expectations of the course. Signature of Applicant
Date
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_________________________________________________ ___________________ Signature of Parent/Guardian
advisor Courtney Kohler • cmkohler@volusia.k12.fl.us • (386) 968-0013 ext. 46312
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UHSpress
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UHSpress
Equipment Checkout & Liability Agreement
By signing this document, I acknowledge that I have read all items below and that I understand the following information: 1. Part of producing publications involves the use of its equipment, including digital cameras with supplies, scanners, computers, and laptops. 2. I must sign out equipment in the “Equipment checkout log” before removing it from the room. 3. It is my responsibility to care for any equipment in my possession and that I am responsible for any damage that results from my negligence. 4. Equipment must be returned within 24 hours (the following Monday in the case of a weekend) of check out. Failure to return equipment in a timely manner may result in a permanent ban from using it. 5. I am responsible for any damage or loss to the signed out equipment 6. The minimum cost to repair a digital camera is $195. The digital camera itself costs $500-$800 to replace. If I damage or lose equipment, I realize it is my obligation to pay for repairs or replacement. I will have an obligation on my record until the balance owed is paid in full. 7. It is my responsibility to immediately upload all pictures when I return the camera. If I fail to do this, I understand the pictures may not be on the camera when I return. 8. I will return the camera battery to the charger when I return the camera. 9. Equipment must be signed back in and approved by an editor or the advisor. 10. Equipment left lying around the room may result in the loss of check-out privileges, temporarily or permanently. 11. I may use my own equipment at any time, rather than borrowing the journalism department’s equipment.
_________________________________________________ ___________________ Signature of Applicant
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_________________________________________________ ___________________ Signature of Parent/Guardian
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