Student/Family Handbook

Sierra uses the following Grading Categories and Weights for All Classes

Pre-AP Shared Principles: Close Observation and Analysis, Evidence-Based Writing, Higher Order Questions, and Academic Conversation = 70%
Departments will determine percentages of each shared principle (not to exceed 25% or be less than 10% for any one shared principle)

Summative Assessments = 20%
Examples include: Unit Tests, Performance Tasks, Performances, Labs, Essays, etc.
Departmental syllabi will include the types of tasks that will be categorized as Summative Assessments

Final Exam = 10%

One per semester per course

Late Work Policy

Students are able to make up work at any point in the current quarter for up to full credit. Students are responsible for tracking their assignments in Infinite Campus and communicating with teachers for support.

Assignment Grading Policy

Students will receive no less than a 50% for any submitted work which demonstrates Honest Best Effort.

Juniors and Seniors are the only students permitted to go off-campus for lunch.

Lunches are based on your 3^rd period teacher on A days and your 7^th period teacher on B days.

• A Lunch: English/CLDE, PE/Health, World Languages/AVID, Fine Arts/CTE, Seminar
• B Lunch: Social Studies, Math, Science, Special Education

Food Delivery Policy

Any food ordered to Sierra High School must be delivered to the front entrance. Students will not be released from instruction to pick up deliveries as the expectation is all food deliveries occur within the 45 minute lunch.

Visitors Parking is located in front of the school.

Student Parking is located Southwest of the building (baseball field side); students must have a parking pass on their car. Parking passes can be obtained from the bookkeeper, Kyle Ellis.

Staff/Auditorium Parking is located Southeast of the building (closest to the YMCA) and in the rear of the building.

Event Parking is located in the parking lots closest to the baseball field.


Parking at the YMCA is not permitted.

Sierra High School Attendance/Tardy Policy (2025-2026)
This policy emphasizes punctuality as a fundamental aspect of our learning environment. It is designed to ensure that every student takes advantage of the critical instructional time at the beginning of class, while also providing clear expectations and consequences. All staff—teachers, support staff, and administrators—will work together to enforce this policy equitably for every student.

Policy Details

1. Class Begins Promptly
   • When the bell rings to start class, teachers will immediately begin instruction.
   • The first (10) minutes of class are incredibly important. This opening period is intentionally structured and includes a graded component (either for participation or for completion/accuracy of the opening activity).
2. Tardy Procedure
   • Teachers will track tardy attendance in Infinite Campus. All attendance will be submitted throughout the first 10 minutes of class. Tardies will be tracked in IC and time will be recorded in the comment.
3. Weekly Tardy Accumulation
   • Students who accumulate multiple tardies throughout the week will earn consequences based on the number of infractions. These consequences are outlined below:
     1. At 4 tardies, a student will be required to meet with a staff member regarding their attendance concerns. This conversation will be focused on problem solving and relationship building to help address underlying issues and be solutions oriented.
     2. At 7 tardies, a student will earn a lunch detention for the following day. Students will report to the cafeteria where they will serve their lunch detention at a prescribed table with an administrator supervisor.
     3. At 10 tardies, a student will earn an after-school detention. We will run after school detentions on Thursdays each week. If a student earns an after-school detention on Thursday or Friday of a given week, they will be assigned to the after-school detention for the following week.
     4. At 13 tardies, a student will earn a half day in SSC (Student Success Center) for the following day. This is a more extensive intervention that will focus on goal setting, SEL components, academic recovery, and more long-term support.
   • These consequences and tardies will reset weekly for all students building wide. We will evaluate these consequences and their impact with On-Time student practices bi-weekly.
   • Students who do not attend their earned consequence will immediately move to the next consequence. For example, if a student skips lunch detention, they will immediately be assigned to after-school detention. If a student skips after-school detention, the student will immediately be assigned to SSC.
4. Post-(10)-Minute Protocol
   • A bell will sound after (10) minutes to indicate that teachers should close their classroom doors, take attendance, and transition from the opening activity to the next segment of the lesson.
   • Students still in the hallways when the (10)-minute bell rings will be swept to our Attendance Intervention Room, where they will have direct intervention with administration. Time in this room will start at 30 minutes before Labor Day before escalating to the full class period for the rest of the year after Labor Day.
   • Students repeatedly in this Intervention Room will receive escalating intervention and discipline. There will be strict behavioral guidelines that, if not followed, will result in discipline.

This policy will be reviewed periodically to ensure it meets the needs of our students and maintains the integrity of our instructional time.

Students in grades 9 – 12 are prohibited from using personal electronic devices during instructional time. Instructional time includes the entire period of a scheduled class and other times when students are directed to report to and participate in any instructional activity. Students may wear smart or electronic watches but may not use any communication applications or features that are prohibited from use on other electronic devices and all notifications must be turned off. Personal electronic devices shall be kept out of sight and turned off during instructional time. Personal electronic devices may be used during passing times and lunch periods; however, such use is discouraged. Students may not use personal electronic devices in bathrooms or locker rooms.

(a) The first week of the school year is considered the “warning week.” Students will receive warnings the first week of school.

(b) After the warning week, the first time a student is seen using a personal electronic device in the classroom, the device will be turned over to the classroom teacher and will be kept at the teacher’s desk until the end of the period. If a student refuses to give up their device or is actively defiant towards the teacher, other administrators will step in and the device will be collected and stored in the main office for the remainder of the day.

(c) If improper usage of personal electronic devices continues and administration must get involved multiple times with the same student, administration will have a meeting with the student and their parent/guardian to discuss alternatives to having personal electronic devices at school, and any other possible next steps (including, but not limited to restorative conferences, cell phone contract, etc.). 

Students who refuse to surrender a personal electronic device upon request by a teacher or other school official shall be subject to disciplinary action.