School Day Schedule

Students who arrive at school before 7:30 a.m. must report to the cafeteria or the library. The first tone sounds at 7:30 a.m., at which time students are allowed to go to their lockers and first-period classrooms. Classes begin at 7:40 a.m.

First period: 7:40 to 8:55 a.m.
Second period: 9 to 10:10 a.m.
Third period: 10:15 to 11:50 a.m.
(Students will be assigned their lunch period by their third-period class.)
- First lunch: 10:15 to 10:35 a.m.
- Second lunch: 10:45 to 11:05 a.m.
- Third lunch: 11:30 to 11:50 a.m.
Fourth period: 11:55 a.m. to 1:05 p.m.
Fifth period: 1:10 to 2:20 p.m.

Wednesday HAWKS Bell Schedule

First period: 7:40 to 8:45 a.m.
(HAWKS Time) Advisory/Advisee time: 8:50 to 9:45 a.m.
Second period: 9:50 to 10:45 a.m.
Third period: 10:50 a.m. to 12:25 p.m.
- First lunch: 10:50 to 11:10 a.m.
- Second lunch: 11:15 to 11:35 a.m.
- Third lunch:12 noon to 12:20 p.m.
Fourth period: 12:25 to 1:20 p.m.
Fifth period: 1:25 to 2:20 p.m.

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Bookstore

Students are encouraged to purchase school supplies from the bookstore. In addition to supplies, students may purchase a variety of school accessories and spirit clothing. The Seneca Bookstore is open before school, during lunch, and after school.

Meals

The cost of high school lunch is $2.40; breakfast costs $1.85. Reduced lunch is .40 and reduced-price breakfast is .30. Applications for free or reduced-price meals will be distributed the first day of school.

Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA)

PTSA memberships are $5 per person.

Bus Schedules

These are available at all JCPS schools or on the JCPS Web site (click here). For more information, call an assistant principal at 485-8323.

Lockers and ID Cards

All students are expected to have a locker. There is a locker rental and ID card fee that must be paid. Students must not share lockers or give their locker combination to anyone else. Students are required to have possession of their ID cards at all times.

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Textbooks

There is no charge for textbooks; however, a parent must sign a book card to indicate parental responsibility in case books are lost.

Fees

Many courses, such as art, business, world language, and science/computer labs, require instructional fees. Teachers will let students know what this fee is when school begins. This money is used to purchase extra materials for instruction.

School Property

Once students arrive at school, they are not permitted to leave without permission.

Drinks/Drink Containers

Drinks brought in from outside of school must be sealed and unopened. Drinks from a restaurant, open cans, and water bottles are not permitted. These are to be disposed of prior to entering school.

Hall Passes

There are no hall passes. Each teacher has an official pass for use in an emergency and at the teacher's discretion. No hall passes will be issued third period.

Smoking Policy

In the interest of protecting the health and well-being of all students, smoking or the use of any tobacco products is not permitted in the school building or on the school grounds at any time. This policy is inclusive for all extracurricular activities that occur outside the regular school day.

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Lunchroom Etiquette

The cafeteria is also used as a study room. It is the place where healthy human relationships can be developed. Each student is expected to practice general rules of good behavior.

Some simple rules of courteous behavior that would make the lunchroom pleasant and relaxed include:

Observing good dining room standards at the table.
Leaving the table and the surrounding area clean and orderly.
Putting trash in the proper container (remember to recycle when possible).
Remaining seated until the bell for dismissal rings.

Signs in the School

Any activity being advertised in the school needs administrative approval to post signs.

Permission to Attend School Events

A Seneca student requesting to bring a guest who is not a current Seneca student to an event, such as a school dance or senior activity, must have an approval form completed before purchasing a guest ticket. The minimum grade level for all guests is ninth grade, and twelfth grade is the maximum. For Senior Prom or the Belle Ride, guests not currently enrolled in school must have a high school diploma and be 20 years old or under. A guest's ID must be shown for admission. All guests must be approved by a Seneca principal and/or assistant principal before an event ticket may be purchased.

Restaurant Food Restrictions

Due to federal guidelines, students cannot order or have outside food delivered to the school during school hours (7:40 a.m. to 2:20 p.m.). If a club or activity plans a special event involving outside food orders, this must be approved with the administration prior to the order being placed. At no time should a student leave school grounds during the day to pick up food items.

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Authorization to Give Medicine

Students are not permitted to carry medication at school, neither prescription nor non-prescription. Medication should be given at home when possible. If your child needs to take medication during the school day, we must have a signed affidavit on file giving your permission for us to do so. The medicine must be in its original container with a current prescription label attached. Nonprescription medicine must be in its original container also.
You may pick up an Authorization to Give Medicine Form from the counselor's office. You will then return this form and the medication to the counseling office for dispensing. Unused medicine should be picked up by the parent when no longer needed. Any medications not picked up before summer break will be destroyed by the counselor.

Telephone

Students may not have an excused tardy to class because of making phone calls. Students are not permitted to use phones in the classrooms. Students must have a note from a teacher to use the phone in the counseling office. Cell phones are not to be used from the time students are on school property, including the school bus.

Fundraising

Nonschool fundraisers are not permitted on campus. All school fundraising activities must be cleared through the bookkeeper, principal, and/or athletic director at the beginning of the school year.

Public Displays of Affection

Students are to refrain from engaging in unreasonable displays of romantic affection. While love and affection are normal emotions, the need to put on a public display is not. Overt displays, such as kissing and hugging, will be considered discipline problems. Students will be referred to the appropriate administrator who has the option to notify parents.

Elevator Key

If it is necessary for you to use the elevator, you may obtain a key from the principal's secretary by submitting a deposit of $25. The $25 will be refunded when the key is returned at the end of each school day.

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Student Parking

Only juniors and seniors may drive to school. All students who drive to school must park in the designated student parking lot after purchasing a permit. Students park at their own risk. Unauthorized cars will be towed at owner's expense. If a student leaves school grounds during the school day without permission, the student will lose the parking permit. If a parking permit is lost during the year, the student must pay for a new permit.

Regulations and Procedures

Parking passes are available only to juniors and seniors for the cost of $20.
All vehicles must be registered with the administration. Students must possess a valid driver's license and license plate.
A parking permit must be hung from the rear-view mirror and visible through the front windshield at all times.
Failure to display a school permit where visible from outside will result in a $10 fine and/or an immobilization device.
Students must enter school immediately after parking and are not permitted to hang out in the parking lot.
The no-smoking policy applies while students are anywhere on school property.
Any illegal substance or object found in vehicles while on school property will result in legal and/or JCPS disciplinary actions.
Students who are authorized to leave school early may not return during that school day.
Students shall not go to cars during school hours without permission from the administration.
Seneca High School is not responsible for any damages/theft that may occur while at school. Park at your own risk.
The maximum driving speed on campus is 9 miles per hour.
Parking privileges are revoked if four tardies are accumulated.
If your permit is lost, you must pay for a new one. Permits may not be loaned to other students.
Vehicles parked illegally and/or with no permit are subject to be towed at the owner's expense.
Seneca reserves the right to revoke privileges for any parking-/driving-related offenses or misbehaviors.
Student drivers are responsible for the behavior of others and anything in their vehicle.
Music must be at a volume where it cannot be heard from outside the vehicle.
Students are not permitted to leave without permission once they have arrived on school property.

Violation of any of the above and/or other related school policies will result in forfeiture of parking privileges and/or other disciplinary actions.

Note: JCPS has the authority to search automobiles parked in school parking lots.

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Guidance and Academic Information

Guidance

Guidance services are available for every student in the school. These services include assistance with scheduling, career information, college/scholarship information, social problems/concerns, or any issues students feel are necessary to discuss with their counselor. Counselors are situated in individual offices within the Guidance Suite, which is located off the Main Office, in Room 107.

College Room

Students who are interested in learning about colleges, vocational schools, or other options for their future are welcome to the College Room. In addition to a wealth of information about colleges/universities and military branches, this room also houses computers, which students can use for their scholarship and college searches.

Graduation Requirements

A student must earn a minimum of 22 credits to graduate:

English: 4 credits
Mathematics: 4 credits *
Science: 3 credits
Social Studies: 3 credits
Health and Physical Education: 1 credit
Electives: 6 credits
Humanities: 1 credit **

Total Credits to Graduate: 22 credits

* One of the six required elective credits must be in the discipline of mathematics during the student's fourth year. This fourth year of math could be an approved equivalent math credit that is integrated, applied, interdisciplinary, occupational, or technical and that meets the content standards in the state's Program of Studies and prepares a student for a career path based on the student's Individual Learning Plan (ILP).

** Students can satisfy the one credit required in arts and humanities by either completing the History Appreciation of Visual and Performing Arts (HAVPA) course or by successfully pursuing fine art specialization. By specializing in a fine art, students must complete a minimum of three consecutive years in one of the following areas:

Art
Orchestra
Band
Choral music
Theatre

Promotion Requirements

Students successfully completing a high school course will earn a half credit for each trimester of work. Placement of students in high school is determined by the number of credits earned at the beginning of the school year:

Freshman: promotion from eighth grade
Sophomore: 5 credits earned
Junior: 11 credits earned
Senior: 16 credits earned

Students will take all assessments required of their grade level at the time the assessments are administered.

Trimester Scheduling

One of the benefits of trimester scheduling is that it gives students a chance to "catch up" with their grade. Therefore we have midyear promotions as well as end-of-the-year promotions.

After Trimester 1, repeat juniors who are taking senior English may be promoted to the twelfth grade with 17 credits.
After Trimester 2: Repeat ninth graders with 8.5 credits will be promoted to the tenth grade.
Repeat tenth graders with 13.5 credits will be promoted to the eleventh grade.
Repeat eleventh graders currently passing senior English will be promoted to the twelfth grade with 19.5 credits. Additionally, all assessments and recoveries must be on track and students must have a 100 percent completion rate on the ILP to be promoted to the next grade.

Individual Learning Plan (ILP)

All students must complete the ILP via the Internet each school year. The ILP affords students the opportunity to explore careers and colleges, to match interests and skills with careers and colleges, to align high school coursework with college and career preparation, and to create a résumé of experiences, education, and activities for future use in scholarships and job applications. Students can access the Web site, Career Cruising, through a link on JCPS Online. Students must use their JCPS usernames and passwords to access JCPS Online. If a student does not know his or her username and password, he or she should check with an English teacher or his or her counselor as soon as possible. The completion of the ILP is required for promotion to the next grade level.

Basis of Academic Grades

Academic grades will be based on the following two criteria:

Daily work will include (but is not limited to) at least three of the following: participation, homework, portfolios, seat work, notes, discussion, quizzes, group work, projects, and presentations.
Exams will constitute at least 20 percent (but not more than 40 percent) of the grade.

Explanation of Academic Grades

The assignment of the following letter grades is based on the following numerical averages:

A	93% to 100%	Outstanding Performance
B	86% to 92%	Above Average Performance
C	79% to 85%	Average Performance
D	70% to 78%	Below Average Performance
U	Below 70%	Unsatisfactory Performance

Honor Roll

Honor Roll is calculated at the end of each trimester. To be on the Honor Roll, students must have no grades (academic or conduct) below a B and, academically, they must have at least a 3.3 grade point average (GPA). Students on the Principal's Honor Roll may have no grade below a B- with a 3.7 GPA.

Academic Letters

Academic letters are presented to students in the ninth through the twelfth grades. These letters are given to students who are enrolled in a minimum of five classes with a GPA of 3.5 with no grade lower than a B-. For the first year, students receive an academic letter. The second, third, and fourth years, students receive a bar. All honored seniors receive their awards at the end of the year. All honored underclassmen receive their awards in the fall.

Seneca Summer School ESS

To be eligible for the Seneca Summer Extended School Services (ESS), students must have a grade of at least 50 percent in the class they are intending to take for credit during the summer. Students must repeat classes with grades lower than 50 percent during the regular school year. Teachers will report percentage grades of failing students to the appropriate counselor at the time grades are due at trimester end so placement can be determined.

Schedule Changes

Necessary schedule changes and/or obvious mistakes will be completed by the appropriate counselor. All requests for schedule changes must be submitted to the counselor prior to the last week of the current trimester. No schedule change requests will be considered once a trimester begins. Students requesting a schedule change must complete the Schedule Request Change Form, take it home for parent/guardian signature, and return it to their counselor.

Students may not request particular teachers. Schedule changes will be done at the discretion of the principal or counselor. Students must pass a prerequisite math course before progressing to the next course in the sequence.

Pre-College Curriculum

The following designed core curriculum is a requirement for unconditional admission to Kentucky public universities.

English: 4 credits
Mathematics: 4 credits (including Algebra I and II, Geometry)
Science: 3 credits (Life Science, Physical Science, Earth/Space Science)
Social Studies: 3 credits (U.S. History, World History, Economics, Government, Geography)
World Language: 2 credits of same language
Humanities: 1 credit (or Fine Art specialization)
Computer Course: 1 credit
Elective Courses: 5 credits of rigorous study

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Honors Program

Click here.

Advance Program

Click here.

Advanced Placement Classes

Advanced Placement classes provide students the opportunity to take high school courses using a college-level curriculum and to earn college credit. Students who pass exams in these classes may receive college credit, placement, or both from more than 2,900 colleges and universities participating in the College Board's Advanced Placement Program. An added benefit of taking Advanced Placement classes is that the grade earned for these high school courses is weighted in the GPA and also for the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES). Advanced Placement courses make substantial academic demands on students, requiring them to do considerable outside reading, complete college-level assignments, and demonstrate the analytical skills and writing ability expected of first-year students in a strong college program. Seneca has consistently been one of the top three schools in the district regarding pass rates on Advanced Placement exams.

Testing

Seneca prepares its students for life after high school. One way to achieve this is to continually assess a student's abilities through standardized testing. JCPS students are required to take the following assessments while in high school.

Grade Ten

The ACT PLAN test is given to all sophomores in the fall. The PLAN is given in preparation for a college entrance exam (the ACT) and serves as a study guide for the ACT as well. Sophomores will also be required to take the Kentucky Core Content Test (KCCT) On-Demand Writing assessment in the spring as well as end-of-course exams.

Grade Eleven

The PSAT is required for all Advance Program juniors and is highly recommended for any college-bound sophomore or junior. This test helps students plan for college, practice for college admission tests, select a college, and compete for scholarships. This test is required in the junior year in order for the student to compete in the National Merit Scholarship Program. Juniors are also required to take the state-offered ACT and the ACT Compass if college-readiness benchmarks are not met. They will also take the KCCT Writing-On-Demand and end-of-course exams.

It is recommended that the ACT be taken at least three times by December of a student's senior year. The ACT is a required entrance exam for most Kentucky colleges and universities. Check with the college of your choice to see its minimum accepted ACT score for admission. If a rising junior intends to apply for the Kentucky Governor's Scholars Program, he or she should take the ACT prior to or early in the fall of the junior year.

Grade Twelve

Seniors are encouraged to retake the ACT until he or she reaches his or her desired score for college admissions or scholarships. A minimum score is also required to meet NCAA/NAIA eligibility. Seniors will be required to take the ACT Compass assessments if they have not yet met college-readiness benchmark scores. Those college-ready ACT benchmarks are currently an 18 in English, 19 in Math and a 20 in Reading.

Seniors will also be required to take end-of-course exams.

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NCAA Eligibility Center

The NCAA requires prospective student athletes wishing to play a sport at Division I or Division II institutions to supply ACT and/or SAT scores to the NCAA Eligibility Center directly from the testing service. This means that as student athletes register for the ACT/SAT, they must choose the NCAA Eligibility Center (9999) as one of their choices where their scores are sent. If you have any questions, consult the Web site at www.eligibilitycenter.org or ask your counselor. NCAA also requires student athletes to take 16 core classes. Visit the Web site for a list of accepted core classes.

Sport/Activities Eligibility

All students must be eligible in order to participate in any type of competitive sport or activity. The following are academic requirements as mandated by JCPS:

There are no eligibility guidelines for incoming ninth graders. If students were in the eighth grade and promoted to the ninth grade, they are eligible to participate in high school sports.
All tenth-, eleventh-, and twelfth-grade students must be on grade level the first day of the school year. Failure to be in the proper grade on the first day of school will result in being ineligible to compete. For a student to regain eligibility, he or she must pass all five classes in the first trimester and have earned enough credits to be placed in the proper grade level. Upon gaining reinstatement, the student must continue to pass all five classes for the remainder of the school year. In order to be classified a tenth grader at the beginning of the school year, the student must have earned five credits. In order to be classified a junior, the student must have earned 11 credits, and to be a senior, a student must have earned 16 credits.
A student must pass four of five classes each trimester in order to retain his or her eligibility. Failure to do so will result in ineligibility for the subsequent trimester.

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