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FOCUS
“
F
undamentals
O
f
C
ultivating
U
niversal
S
uccess
”
Course Description and Guidelines:
There are 3 primary goals for the Focus class offered at OEC.These goals include:
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Building relationships
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Developing life and academic skills
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Creating a sense of community
Building Relationships:
Through the Focus class, students will have an opportunity to developrelationships with students that are not based solely around required academic curricula. This 30minute class will offer a consistent home base for students and the teacher will serve as thefacilitator and the mentor for the class. Focus also provides a stronger student-teacher-parentline of communication, offering more support for student success.
Developing Life Skills:
Students are granted credit for the successful completion of Focus eachsemester. This credit fulfills a graduation requirement for the Life Skills category. Therefore,one of the goals of Focus class is to help foster development of skills students need to becontributing citizens in the future. The development of a personal vita, acquiring letters of reference, investigating careers, practicing time management, discussing current topics aboutstudent needs and responsibilities, and even participating in community service are many of theaspects that will be included in the Focus curriculum.
Creating a Sense of Community:
The promotion of a senseof belonging for students has been directly linked to studentneeds and student success. (Maslow, 1970) Through thedevelopment of a safe and non-threatening environment,students can begin to develop a better sense of belonging at both OEC and OCC through their Focus class. Recognizingstudent birthdays, sponsoring student activities, electingstudent government representatives, coordinating peer mentoring, and participating in service projects together aresome of the ways a sense of community can be developedwithin the Focus course.
Teacher Responsibilities:
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Supervise students – The teacher is responsible for theassigned students for the full 30 minute Focus class period
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Share school announcements – The Focus class will be the common source for sharingschool information, important dates, student government activities, etc.
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Serve as the First Point of Contact – It will be the responsibility of the Focus teacher toserve as the first point of contact for parents, classroom teachers, students andadministration. This means that, in most cases, parents should first contact the Focusteacher about their concerns, unless it is an immediate and emergent issue. In addition,fellow teachers will also make referrals to the Focus teacher for attendance, academic andnon-immediate disciplinary concerns.
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Function as a Student Mentor – As with parents and teachers, the student will also use theFocus Teacher as a first point of contact with student needs or concerns. It will be theresponsibility of the Focus teacher to guide the student in the appropriate direction for assistance.
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Monitor college academic progress – With the help of our students’ families, Focusteachers will monitor students’ academic progress in their college classes, using OEC’sonline academic portfolio or other means as appropriate. Teachers will notify a student’sFocus teacher for any attendance issues.
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Track attendance and college academic progress – Attendance will be monitored throughthe Focus class, or through the 13
th
year seminar if a student is not enrolled in a Focusclass. Attendance and tardy issues will be addressed by the Focus teacher, andsubsequently the administration based upon the recommendation of the Focus teacher.
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Process Referrals – The Focus teacher will keep a record of any parent contact and/or teacher contact for each student, and address all concerns. It will be the responsibility of the Focus teacher to contact the administration with any issues that need to be addressed,contact parents when needed, and communicate with the student’s other classroomteachers on a regular basis.
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Facilitate discussions – Focus is an opportunity to help students develop various lifeskills, including communication skills, through meaningful discourse facilitated by ateacher. The topics of these discussions can stem from movies, newspaper or magazinearticles, current events, etc.
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Coordinate Service Projects – Participating in at least one service project per semester isrequired for each Focus class. The Focus teacher will assist students in selecting anappropriate project and coordinate student efforts with the help of the Focus SupportTeacher.
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Initiate Activities – The use of ice-breakers, team-building tasks, and cooperativelearning activities are beneficial in the development of the Focus learning environment.Resources will be available for teachers if needed.
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Monitor and Record Point System – Students earn credit for fulfilling the requirements of Focus Class each semester. Points will be earned for attendance and for participation inactivities throughout the semester. A point system has been developed for equity with allFocus classes. The Focus teacher will be responsible for keeping record of points earned by each student. Focus is a Credit/No Credit course, and no letter grade will be received.
Student Responsibilities:
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Be a contributing member of the Focus community
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Follow the OEC and OCC Student Code of Conduct
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Attend Focus class daily and Town Meeting every Friday
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Be on time for class every day
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Participate in Focus class discussions and activities
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Meet the requirements necessary to earn credit in Focus as outline in the Point System
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Contribute time and effort toward a Service Project
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Monitor progress in school and communicate with the Focus teacher on a regular basisregarding areas of concern
Point System for Earning Credit in Focus:A total of _(45)__ points must be earned by the end of the semester in orderto receive credit for successfully completing a Focus class.
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One point will be granted per week for attendance. Each tardy will resultin the deduction of 1/10
th
of a point. Each unexcused absence will resultin the deduction of 2/10
th
of a point.
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One point will be granted per week for participation during Focus class.These points are granted at the discretion of the Focus teacher.
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One point is granted for participation in a service project organized bythe Focus class.
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One point will be granted for developing/maintaining a personal vita or resume.
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One point will be granted for obtaining a letter of recommendation or reference from an instructor.
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One point will be granted for developing/maintaining an electronic portfolio, which includes required supplemental instruction.
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One point will be granted for completing a progress report at themidpoint of the semester.
In addition, a point may be earned for any of the following:
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Peer tutoring with another OEC student
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Participation in an OEC or OCC function
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Serving as a student government representative
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Serving on a student government committee
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Participating in an additional service project or performing community service
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Attending parent-teacher conferences
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Organizing/participating in a student-lead activity
Focus Student Information
Student Name:__________________________________________ Birthday: _____________
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