Dobyns-Bennett High School
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Welcome to the Spring Semester!
Dear parents/guardians:
It is my hope that you enjoyed a wonderful holiday break with your families! Though starting our second semester virtually is not ideal, we want to make sure that we will do everything we can to help students acclimate to their new courses and the virtual format as seamlessly as possible. As you are probably aware, we will operate on a virtual schedule for the first two weeks of the spring semester.
You may recall that we adjusted our daily schedule when we operated on a altered virtual schedule in August. For consistency and ease of transition when we go back to hybrid/full face-to-face instruction, we have decided to keep our virtual schedule the same as our regular daily schedule. You can find this information below and it is the schedule with which students should be most familiar. Should you need any assistance at all this week please reach out to your student's assistant principal or counselor based on the following last name breakdown below.
Administrators:
A-Ch Mr. Brown, Assistant Principal rbrown@k12k.com (423) 378-8564
Ci-Gl Dr. Watts, Assistant Principal rwatts@k12k.com (423) 378-8516
Gm-K Dr. Tate, Assistant Principal btate@k12k.com (423) 378-8415
L-Nf Mrs. Sheppard, Associate Principal lasheppard@k12k.com (423) 378-8539
Ng-Sm Mrs. Cohen, Assistant Principal bcohen@k12k.com (423) 378-8408
Sn-Z Mr. Lyons, Assistant Principal elyons@k12k.com (423) 378-8406
Counselors:
A-Ch Mrs. Nelson snelson@k12k.com (423) 378-8414
Ci-Gl Mrs. Wolfe wwolfe@k12k.com (423) 378-8411
Gm-K Mr. Freeman efreeman@k12k.com (423) 378-8506
L-Nf Mr. Burleson jtburleson@k12k.com (423) 378-8510
Ng-Sm Mrs. Daffron kdaffron@k12k.com (423) 378-8412
Sn-Z Mrs. Pierce lpierce@k12k.com (423) 378-8410
With great anticipation for a fantastic second semester,
Chris Hampton
Virtual Daily Schedule
Regular Daily Class Schedule
Block A 7:45 - 9:11
Singleton 1 7:30 - 8:18
Singleton 2 8:23 - 9:11
Block B 9:17 - 10:39
Block C 10:45 - 12:07
Tribe Time Lunch 12:07 - 1:13
Block D 1:19 - 2:45
Singleton 7 1:19 - 2:07
Singleton 8 2:12 - 3:00
Fall Exam Make-Up procedures
In an attempt to alleviate stress, D-B made a request of our superintendent to amend district policy for the fall semester to allow final exams to count toward the final course average ONLY if it improves the student’s grade in a particular course. Dr. Moorhouse has approved this revision and will present it to the Board of Education at their January meeting for formal approval. Pending such formal approval, semester grades will be calculated without final exam grades unless the exam score improves the student’s final grade. This revision has been made for this Fall 2020 semester only.
We had several students miss final exams due to Covid-related issues. We are committed to giving every student an opportunity to take any of the exams they missed on Thursday and Friday, January 7 and 8. The schedule for retaking exams is below.
Students would report at the times in the table according to the test they missed.
Singleton students would report on specific days and specific times as noted in the table.
Students will have a choice on the days they take their block exams.
Students follow their fall schedule for taking exams.
Any retake beyond these two days will require special circumstances and approval from their assistant principal.
A bagged lunch will be available for any student who would want one in the cafeteria from 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. on both exam make-up days.
We are hopeful these allowances will give students the opportunity to demonstrate what they know and hopefully alleviate some of the stress they are experiencing at this time.
Request for assistance with school-issued Chromebooks
Access to Library Materials
Directions for book reservations can be found by clicking here
Students needing a calculator will need to bring in a completed Calculator Form in order to receive one for next semester. Students 18 or over do not need a parent signature.
Books can also be dropped off for return at the front entrance (STEM).
Covid-19 issues
Spring Semester Schedules
Please note that requests to change schedules will not be accepted this semester unless:
- A student is missing a class required for graduation.
- A student has a class on his/her schedule they have previously passed.
- A student has a class on his/her schedule for which they have not passed the pre-requisite class(es).
Some students will have a class called "see counselor" on their schedule. This means there is an open period in the schedule. That opening could have been created due to a class being canceled or a student not passing a pre-requisite class in the fall for a spring semester class. Counselors are working hard to resolve these openings and will be reaching out to students in the coming days to remedy open periods.
Meal options through January 15
KCS will provide free curbside pick-up for breakfast and lunch for all Pre-K through 12th grade students between 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the following elementary schools:
- Jefferson Elementary School
- Lincoln Elementary School
- Roosevelt Elementary School
- Washington Elementary School
Families who do not have transportation can request a bus-delivered meal. Please call the transportation office at (423) 578-1820 if this needs to be arranged.
Virtual Orientation
Simplified Q & A for Commonly Asked Questions
Students are expected to follow the regular school day bell schedule. They will need to log-in to each of their classes at their regularly scheduled times on Mondays, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday(unless otherwise directed by their teacher(s)). Please note the duration of the class period may not last the full-class time during the virtual schedule. There may be times that students have assignments/work in lieu of logging in, but that is at the sole discretion of the teacher.
Some teachers will have live sessions (Zoom or Google Meet) on Wednesdays as well. Others will use Wednesdays to invite students to individual on-line conferences or intervention sessions. These sessions are designed to provide additional help to students who are having difficulty with their coursework.
What are the expectations for email communication for students during the virtual/hybrid schedule?
Students should check their K12k email account on a daily basis. It is recommended for students to check their email multiple times per day. Teachers will communicate frequently with students via email and students are encouraged to do the same as needed.
How will attendance be taken for face-to-face classes while KCS is on a virtual schedule?
Teachers will be taking attendance each period at the beginning of their class. Students are expected to attend all classes and complete assigned work for those classes. The combination of attending sessions and completing work will determine attendance for each class for the day in accordance with guidance issues by the Tennessee Department of Education.
If circumstances or accessibility limits your child's access to the material provided by the teacher, you should notify the teacher immediately so we can work on a solution for the issue at hand.
What can I do if we do not have access to the internet?
All KCS parking lots are equipped with a wireless access point. You can come on campus to any parking lot to use your school-issued device to download assignments. You may also contact your child's counselor or assistant principal for further assistance if transportation/access to our parking lots is not feasible.
Where can I access information for each of my courses?
Information for students will be posted on the Canvas page of each course. Students and families should make it a daily practice to check emails. Student schedules will be available in Aspen on Tuesday, 1/5. D-B will send out schedules via email no later than the afternoon of Monday, 1/4.
How can I monitor my child's academic progress?
The Aspen Parent Portal verification letters were sent out from KCS last month. Parents must sign and return the forms to the school to gain access to the portal for viewing grades and attendance. If you have not received this letter for your student, please email Mrs. Stidham at sstidham@k12k.com.
Additional D-B resource Links
Click here to access the D-B/Canvas parent set-up guide
Click here to access the D-B course catalog
Click here to access the D-B athletics website
Click here for the D-B/ACT Resource Guide
Dr. Chris Hampton
Email: champton@k12k.com
Website: www.k12k.com/db
Location: 1 Tribe Way, Kingsport, TN, USA
Phone: 423-378-8400
Twitter: @TribePrincipal