• The CCSC Student & Family Handbook is available on our website ( http://www.ccscambridge.org ) under Students and Families > Important Documents > 2020-2021 Student and Family Handbook
• Translated copies of the handbook are also available on our website under Students and Families > Important Documents. As has always been the case, interpretive services are available upon request for additional languages and clarification.
• If you would like to request a hard copy of the handbook, please contact Lydia Ducharme at lducharme@ccscambridge.org .
• The following Handbook forms must be signed and submitted digitally no later than Wednesday, September 23, 2020. All of these agreements are required of all students and families in order for students to attend and progress through their classes at CCSC.
• If you have difficulty accessing these forms, please contact Lydia Ducharme at lducharme@ccscambridge.org

Parent/Guardian and Student Acceptance of Terms

I acknowledge that I have access to and accept the Community Charter School of Cambridge Student & Family Handbook and its policies. I understand that it is my responsibility to read this handbook completely and discuss with my child the expectations that the CCSC has for my child’s academic achievement and of his/her behavioral performance.

I understand that I am expected to be actively involved in my child’s education and to maintain open communication with the teachers and administrators of the CCSC.

I acknowledge that I have read the section of the CCSC Student and Family Handbook regarding the Anti-Hazing and Anti-Bullying Laws, and I understand that these laws will be strictly enforced at Community Charter School of Cambridge.

I acknowledge that I have read the section of the CCSC Student and Family Handbook regarding the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the procedures for accessing, amending, and appealing my child’s school records once they are age 18 or over.

I acknowledge that I have read CCSC’s Counseling and Student Support Services section, and I understand that if I do not want my child to access these services without prior active parental consent, I can contact Rosemarie Galvin, rgalvin@ccscambridge.org or (617) 354-0047 x241.

If I have any questions or comments regarding the Student & Family Handbook, I will call the school’s main telephone number (617) 354-0047 or email info@ccscambridge.org to be connected to my child’s advisor or a member of the school’s administrative team.

In order to update families on students’ progress as quickly as possible, CCSC requests that parents/guardians allow some official communication to be delivered through email and text message. Documents such as report cards will still be sent to physical mailing addresses. If you are willing to receive some official communication through email, please write your preferred email address(es) below.

If you are willing to receive some official communication through text message, please send a text with the letter Y to 68453. Message and data rates may apply. 

Our Mission:​ Community Charter School of Cambridge combines challenging academics with creative use of technology and real-world experience to prepare a diverse student body, grades 6-12, for postsecondary success and productive citizenship. CCSC students are excellent problem solvers and communicators who contribute to their community through internships and other field experiences.

Our Values:​ Community, Commitment, Scholarship and Courage

Our Compact:​ All CCSC students, families, and faculty/staff will work together to uphold school values to ensure academic and social-emotional growth for all students in service of our shared mission​.

Student’s Commitment

I agree to:

• Take responsibility for my own scholarship, courage, and educational growth by continually challenging myself to take academic risks, learn from my mistakes, and reach my potential.
• Show commitment by remaining focused and engaged in class, completing course assignments on a timely basis, and seeking extra help from teachers if I am struggling.
• Inform my advisor, teachers, and family about any obstacles to my social-emotional and academic growth and work with them to resolve these issues.
• Abide by the CCSC Community Responsibilities and Expectations and take responsibility for building and sustaining healthy, trusting relationships with others in my community. When something happens to harm one of those relationships, work with others to repair the harm, restore the relationship and set new norms.
• Arrive at school (in person or remotely) ready to engage in learning with my teachers and peers before my first class begins when I am healthy enough to do so.
• Prepare and successfully present my thoughts, opinions, and ideas at my annual Roundtable presentation or Senior Internship Exhibition.
• Encourage my peers to pursue overall excellence and help them uphold the school values.
• Demonstrate the values of community, commitment, scholarship, and courage in all of my actions.

Family’s Commitment

I/we agree to:

• Prioritize my child’s holistic growth by: 
  working in a team with my child and CCSC to ensure that all of my child’s needs are met -- physically, social-emotionally, and academically,
  • holding my child to high expectations and providing the support and affection necessary for those expectations to be met,
  • helping them to find a quiet and safe place to study and, when applicable, engage in remote learning,
  • providing adequate supplies, or reaching out to the school for help providing these,
  • encouraging them to read daily, and
  • limiting television and other distractions
• Closely monitor my child’s progress by reviewing online and printed academic reports, be responsive when teachers and other school staff contact me, and reach out when I have concerns.
• Support the CCSC Community Responsibilities and Expectations , including making arrangements if my child is required to access additional support opportunities before, during, or after school. Support my child in building and sustaining healthy, trusting relationships with others in the school community
• Proactively reach out to school staff with concerns or questions and respond promptly to staff communication.
• Ensure that my child arrives at school (in person or remotely) ready to engage in learning with my teachers and peers before the first class begins, whenever they are healthy enough to do so.
• Attend my child’s end-of-year Roundtable presentation or Senior Internship Exhibition Night
• Model the values of community, commitment, scholarship, and courage and help my child demonstrate these values daily.

School’s Commitment

All CCSC faculty and staff agree to:

• Prioritize equity at all times, working intentionally to create an educational environment that consistently increases opportunity and empowerment for individuals from historically marginalized communities.
• Provide all students with challenging, engaging, college preparatory instruction that is aligned with the Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks.
• Hold ourselves and our students to the expectations laid out in the  CCSC Community Responsibilities and Expectations. 
• Adhere to restorative principles, prioritizing the building and sustaining of healthy, trusting relationships with students and families and the repairing of harm when necessary.
• Proactively reach out to students and families with concerns or questions and respond promptly to communication from students and families.
• Work in a team with students, families, and external organizations / service providers to ensure that students’ needs are met -- physically, social-emotionally, and academically.
• Create a school culture that helps every student to be known well by several adults and where individual differences are respected and supported.
• Continuously improve the quality of CCSC’s teaching practices through ongoing professional learning and teacher coaching.
• Challenge, inspire, and support all students to take responsibility for reaching their full potential.
• Model the values of community, commitment, scholarship, and courage in all of our actions.
   

School Representatives

Rachel Jean-Louis
Middle School Principal
rjeanlouis@ccscambridge.org

David Francis-Maurer
High School Principal
dfm@ccscambridge.org

Privacy Notice for Virtual Meetings/Services with Students - 2020-2021 School Year

Our teachers and related service providers have arranged to provide some services and instruction through remote means during the 2020-2021 school year, as long as is necessary due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As part of our remote learning approach, CCSC will include use of video communication such as video conferencing, real-time online comments and link sharing through a “chat” function, or other online communication in real-time, which may include interactions through various online platforms that educators, using their professional judgment, may choose to use to connect with students such as Zoom, Google Classroom, Nearpod, etc.

The following notifications and expectations apply to students when using online platforms. Please acknowledge  the following, which will apply to the use of any online communication and learning platforms: 

1. By accessing online learning services, the school district recognizes that you and your child consent to access online instruction and agree to fully comply with the requirements of such learning explained in this notification. 
2. It is important that we continue to respect the privacy and intellectual property rights of our school community – our teachers and our students. By participating in remote learning today, you agree that you will not save, record, share or post recordings or photographs from online lessons and meetings.
3. If CCSC teachers record meetings, it will be only for the purpose of professional development -- e.g. an administrator or instructional coach may watch the recording in order to provide the teacher with feedback they can use to improve their practice. CCSC staff will not disseminate recordings to non-staff. It is important to note that class recordings will not be stored in individual students’ records or used for disciplinary purposes.
4. If it is determined that a student, family member, or other individual is recording or has recorded an online session, the school will take action, which may include student disciplinary consequences and/or pursuing other remedies to address this illegal practice. Further, all students who participate in online remote learning experiences, and any family members who witness online learning sessions due to being present in the same space as the student, are prohibited from sharing or disseminating any information they may learn about other students with any and all third parties.
5. All student and family responsibilities and expectations set forth in our CCSC 2020-2021 Student and Family Handbook with regard to student conduct in general, including those related to student online conduct, bullying, or cyberbullying, remain in place during remote learning.

By participating in virtual meetings/services, you are agreeing that CCSC may:

1. disclose your child’s name and email address (and possibly your name and email address) for the purpose of participation in virtual meetings and services
2. display the appearance and voice of your child, and sometimes of you, via the internet, for the purpose of participation in learning activities, and
3. record audio and video content from the virtual services it provides to your child for instructional purposes.

Also, please be advised that student meetings/lessons may be viewed by individuals in other students’ households. CCSC requests that you respect the privacy of our students and that you refrain from disclosing any student information that you may have access to during the course of your child’s participation in virtual activities.

By allowing your child’s participation, you are acknowledging and accepting the privacy limitations inherent in virtual meetings/classrooms.

All students use the CCSC Library to choose their independent reading book for Drop Everything and Read (DEAR). Based on reading diagnostic results, each student is evaluated and given a reading level at the beginning of the school year. Students select DEAR books based on their reading level and progress from one level to the next during the school year. Books labeled with a star contain mature language, themes, or topics. Prior to ninth grade, students need permission from a parent, guardian, or their humanities teacher to access these books. 

Every student and parent/guardian at CCSC must sign the CCSC Library Contract before students may take out a book. When a book is damaged beyond use or lost, the student will be issued an invoice for the cost of the book(s). All library books/invoice payments must be returned by the last day of school.

Please contact your child’s principal if you have any questions or concerns.