Academics

Academic Honor Code

Honesty is expected of students in the performance of all academic work. Cheating, plagiarism (such as, but not limited to, copying or sharing the work of another and submitting it as one’s own), or doing another person’s homework assignments are all forms of violating the FDMS Academic Honor Code. Students who violate this Honor Code may immediately receive a failing grade on that exam or assignment. Academic dishonesty may lead to disciplinary procedures including a conference between the principal and the student’s parents, academic probation, and in cases of repeated academic dishonesty, the student may be dismissed from FDMS.

Scholastic Standards

Failures

Any student who fails a course(s) and considers returning to FDMS the following school year must make up all credits lost due to these failures before he is reinstated. A student must take and pass seven approved classes each academic year.

Eligibility for Co-Curricular Activities

Students who maintain a passing grade of 70% or above in all subjects and achieve a quarter GPA of 2.0 or better are eligible for participation in co-curricular activities such as athletics, performing arts, and academic competitions.

Students who do not meet these standards are not able to participate in these activities until the standards are met in a subsequent quarter.

Academic Probation and Dismissal

Academic probation is a warning measure imposed on students who receive a grade of 69% or below in two (2) or more subjects within the same grading period. Students on probation are not allowed to participate in clubs, organizations, student council and certain social activities

If a student earns a failing grade (below 70%) in the same two (2) or more subjects for the first two (2) successive quarters, he will receive a notice of academic dismissal.

A student who leaves FDMS because of a notice of academic dismissal may be considered for re-admission for the following school year. If accepted, he will automatically be placed on Academic Probation.

A student is automatically released from Academic Probation once he passes all of his subjects for the quarter.

Summer School

Any student failing a subject at the end of the school year must attend summer school either at FDMS or at an institution with which summer school was arranged by FDMS. The student must also pass the course’s final exam before receiving credit.

A student who fails two (2) or more subjects at the end of the school year and subsequently received credit for the courses in an approved summer school program will be on Academic Probation when he returns for the new school year.

Summer school grades do not affect a student’s grade point average or rank in class.

Any student at risk of receiving less than a 70% (F) in a subject and receives a deficiency notice in the fourth quarter should register for summer school.

Honors

Honor Roll System

Father Dueñas maintains three honor rolls.

1. First Honors are awarded to students who earn no less than 93% in all subjects
2. Second Honors are awarded to students who earn no less than 85% in all subjects.
3. Third Honors are awarded to students who average 85% or better in all subjects for the quarter with no grade below 77%.

National Honor Society

The National Honor Society is a student organization whose purpose is to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate a desire to render service, to promote leadership, and to develop character. Father Dueñas Memorial School is a charter member of this organization and abides by its rules.

Membership in a local chapter is an honor bestowed upon a student. The candidate must be a sophomore, junior or senior and designated as eligible by the chapter bylaws. Candidates must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2 after at least one semester of attendance at FDMS and are asked to complete a form detailing their service and leadership activities. Candidates shall then be evaluated on the basis of service, leadership, character, and citizenship.

Failure to maintain grades, service, or leadership, plus any serious breach of conduct, may cause dismissal which would deny further membership in any chapter of the National Honor Society.

Academic Honors

Academic honors are given to top outstanding graduating seniors. To be considered for valedictorian and salutatorian, a student must have been enrolled at FDMS for the last two (2) high school years (Junior and Senior years). The valedictorian and salutatorian honors shall be based on the highest numerical percentage grade from sophomore to senior years. At commencement exercises, students may be bestowed the honor of High Honors, or Honors. High honors designate students graduating with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Honors designate students graduating with a 3.2 or higher.

Students of the Quarter

At the end of every quarter, faculty members vote on one student per class level who represents the best in terms of academic performance, attitude, deportment, spirit of service, and campus leadership.

Student Records

Father Dueñas Memorial School maintains an educational file for each of its students. These educational records are the property of FDMS and may include:

1. identification and contact information;
2. family data;
3. attendance records;
4. scholastic records;
5. standardized test scores;
6. records of students interests, activities, and honors;
7. information pertaining to special services provided for students;
8. shared teacher evaluations;
9. shared counselor evaluations;
10. shared medical & health information; and
11. disciplinary information.

For the purpose of educational planning and improving the academic achievement of a student, FDMS educational records may be disclosed to school officials (i.e, administration, faculty, and staff) without prior written consent.

Request to View Education Records

Eligible students may inspect and review their education records upon request to the registrar. A “Request to View Education Records” form must be completed and signed. This form may be obtained from the registrar.

1. Inspection and review shall be permitted within 5 working days from the receipt of the request.
2. A designated administrator must supervise the review of the contents of the record with the student and/or parent.
3. Parent and/or student will be free to make notes concerning the contents but will not be allowed to remove any materials from the records at the time of inspection.

Request for Transcripts

Privacy

1. inspect and review education records;
2. seek to amend education records, and
3. have some control over the disclosure of information from educational records.

1. a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena;
2. medical and safety emergencies;
3. a request by state and local authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to specific territorial law.

Homework

Homework is a necessary part of each student's education. It is a constructive supplement to classroom work and serves the following purposes:

1. additional practice and reinforcement in skill areas;
2. remedial work in weak areas;
3. foster creativity and application of knowledge or skills; and
4. development of self-discipline and time management skills to responsibly follow instructions and complete a project on time.

There are many factors which determine the amount of time a student may expect to devote to study and homework assignments. The student’s abilities, the due dates of projects, and the overlapping of various class assignments are just some factors that affect the time need for homework on any given day. Time management and the setting of priorities are necessary skills for all students at FDMS. A student’s failure to complete written assignments or to spend an appropriate amount of time in study will affect his ability to learn and thus his grades will suffer.

Students may be required to have access to special equipment and services (such as a scientific calculator and Internet access) for successful completion of certain courses. Additionally, students should have access to a computer with a printer since many assignments must be type written.

Quarter Exams

Exams are taken on the announced dates and students are expected to be present for all quarter exams. In the event that a student is unable to take a test as scheduled because of an illness, a doctor’s certificate and written request for a special exam from the parents must be presented to the principal.

In case of off-island travel that conflicts with an exam, a request for a special exam must be presented to the principal and all specially scheduled exams in this situation shall be taken before leaving off-island.

In any case, whether an exam is allowed to be taken early or late, a Special Exam Administration fee of forty dollar ($40.00) per test will be charged. The fee shall be paid before taking the exam.

Financial obligations with the school must be current prior to taking quarterly exams. Non-payment of tuition may disqualify students from taking the quarter exams.

Graduation

In order to participate in Commencement Exercises, a student must meet all the requirements for graduation. Additionally, all fees including tuition must be paid before a student is allowed to receive his diploma.

Each student is required to take a minimum of seven courses each year. One credit is awarded for completion of each annual course. A student must earn 28 credits to graduate. The following units are required for graduation:

1. English Literature 4 credits
2. Mathematics 4 credits
3. Science 4 credits
4. Social Science 4 credits
5. Theology 4 credits
6. World Languages 2 credits
7. Other Courses 6 credits

If a student transfers from a non-Catholic school, the requirement for Theology may be waved for the time he spent at the non-Catholic school.

Summer courses may be available for students who need to fulfill requirements or make up missing credits.

Textbooks and School Property

Textbooks at FDMS are loaned to the students by the school or the government. All textbooks should be covered at all times. Lost or damaged textbooks must be reported to the teacher. The current price of the textbook including the shipping and handling costs must be paid before a replacement can be issued.

Students are expected to respect the school building and facilities as well as all school property and equipment.

Standardized Testing

Father Dueñas Memorial School administers the Stanford Achievement Test Series 10 (SAT10) at least once during the academic year. The SAT 10 is used to measure academic knowledge of students. Student scores are available to teachers and administrator to support instructional planning. Students and their parents also have access to their individual scores.

Additionally, FDMS administer the Preliminary SAT (PSAT) each year to freshmen, sophomores and juniors. Similar to the SAT, the PSAT seeks to measure critical reading skills, math problem-solving skills and writing skills. Scores from the PSAT are used to determine eligibility and qualification for the National Merit Scholarship Program.

Co-Curricular Activity Expectations

An important part of students’ education is their voluntary participation in one or more of the many co-curricular activities offered. Students who choose to participate accept the responsibilities and rules associated with each activity. Father Dueñas Memorial School regards participation in any of the co-curricular activities as a privilege. Parents should make sure that students balance their time and energy so that participation in co-curricular activities does not become a detriment to students’ education.

Students not present for at least half of the scheduled school day, on the day of the co-curricular activity, will not be permitted to compete, practice, perform, or participate in the activity. Students not present in school on the day of an activity because of an excused absence other than illness will be permitted to participate in the activity while those with an unexcused absence will not. "Sleeping in" for all or part of the school day after a co-curricular event will be considered an unexcused absence with the resulting penalties.

Students who anticipate missing a class because of their participation in activities are required to personally inform their teachers at least two days in advance of the absence. Students who fail to do so may be subject to the penalties for missed class work.

Off-Campus Activity

Off-campus activities may be organized by the school to enhance and supplement classroom instruction and learning. These activities are privileges afforded to students. A student may be refused participation in an activity for administrative or disciplinary reasons.

While some field trips may require students to pay a fee, the school tries to keep costs to a minimum. Participation in such excursions is always a parental decision. An “Off-Campus Activity Permission Form” must be signed by parents or legal guardians prior to the trip and returned to the teacher in-charge. A student who does not have a signed permission form will not be allowed to participate. A phone call from a parent will not be accepted in place of the signed form.

If a parent is asked to provide transportation for a school trip, it is important that the parent contact his/her insurance company regarding liability insurance for passengers. Parent and/or student drivers must possess a valid driver's license, adequate insurance and a respectable driving record. This policy is for the safety of our students.