THE ACADEMY OF ARTS, CAREERS, & TECHNOLOGY“THE COMPANY” CLASS EXPECTATIONS

Philosophy: One goal of the Business & Finance Academy at AACT is to help prepare students for employment. The Company, an advanced computer/management training/work readiness program, is designed to meet that goal. Consistent attendance and dedicated effort by students are necessary to master skills and concepts. Because time on equipment is critical for each student and because students are accountable for completing jobs, modules, and projects regular attendance and punctuality are extremely important in this advanced program. We are attempting to better prepare today’s employees for today’s world.

Course Description: This program is a competency-based course taught in a simulated office environment. Students choose their own areas of specialization. For example, students may study and pass units involving accounting, marketing, business management, entrepreneurship and business communications. Students must complete both required core class projects along with projects in their area of specialization. In addition, all members of The Company will be involved in the operation of the copy center & student store. This includes sales and promotional events outside of regular class time (i.e. before school, at lunch, after school, school-wide events, etc.). Students enrolled in The Company are encouraged to be members of and participate in SkillsUSA or FBLA, a CTE student organization/co-curricular club for business, marketing and entrepreneurship students.

Mission Statement:Employees of The Company at AACT will:

1. strive for excellence in their work2. engage in self reliant, independent learning3. provide unique and valuable services to our school

community

Grading: Students are working towards the attainment of high-level, employable competencies with regard to computer applications and management training. The competencies that each student achieves will be printed on The Company at AACT certificates that can be added to the student’s portfolio. The Company is a yearlong class that can be repeated for credit (TC 1-2, TC 3-4); students earn 1 Academy credit (elective credit if not in the B&F academy) per year. Students will be completing approximately one-three modules per month, managing The Copy Center, operating the student store, working in the United Federal Credit Union (UFCU), and will perform on projects for AACT, faculty, staff, and the community. Students must complete a specified number (TBA) of modules each 9-week grading period.

Student grade is determined by the following breakdown: Modules/School project(s)* 35% Weekly/Monthly Evaluation Forms** 15% Business dress (required)*** 10% Motivational Monday* 10% Management Points/Participation /RAP* 15% United Federal Credit Union (UFCU)*** 10% Final Exam 10%

*Basic skills/set-up assignments**Tracking of work in progress/completed

*** See Company Dress Code

The above grading policies are only recommended guidelines and are subject to change according to needs that may arise during the course of the year. Why? Because “real-life” business practices in successful organizations involve constant re-evaluation of and improvements to existing policies, and one goal of The Company is to emulate these “real-life” business practices as much as possible. With regard to the technology component of the class, as technology advances, The Company will adapt accordingly and will continually be a “work in progress”. Change means growth!

Important note: Students earning a poor grade in The Company are most likely making poor choices with regard to choosing and completing modules, participating in management point opportunities, meeting weekly goals, working on school projects, etc. The skills a student learns in the class will be a direct reflection of the effort (s)he puts into it. Using the computer for activities unrelated to The Company work (such as music, games, email etc.) will result in a lower (or failing) grade and will reflect the lack of effort given to the class.

Attendance Policy:A student (referred to as an employee from here forward) should always be in class (at work) unless s(he) has an extreme illness or family emergency. As this is a company and each employee has daily responsibilities, consistent attendance is very important. Please be aware of the following:

1. If at all possible, appointments and personal commitments should not be scheduled during “company” time.

2. If an employee does have to miss class, the employee (not a friend, parent, etc). must notify the Director (teacher) by calling 327-3920 or by emailing the director at mnoates@washoe.k12.nv.us on the day of class or on non- Company days . In addition, the parents/guardians must notify the school.

3. If necessary, extenuating circumstances concerning attendance may be handled on an individual basis with a meeting of the Director (teacher), employee, and parents.

4. Employees will have the opportunity to put in overtime to make up missed work days. Overtime hours will be posted in the office.

In addition, Washoe County School District Policy will be followed. This means the following:

1. Excuses of absences must be submitted within three school days to the attendance office.

2. It is the employee’s responsibility to request, complete and turn in make-up work. Request for work must be made on the day the employee returns to class.

3. A minimum of 90% attendance per semester is required to earn credit. On a block schedule, this means that an employee with 5 or more unexcused absences will fail the class.

Missed Instruction/Tardiness Policy:Tardiness is not tolerated by employers. Therefore, employees in The Company program need to develop the habit of arriving to work (class) on time and being prepared to start work immediately.Each unexcused tardy or absence will lower your citizenship grade by ½ letter grade.

Required Supplies1. :$12.00 lab fee2. $13.00 SkillsUSA dues3. Pen/pencil & specific class folder or binder4. Self-motivation, positive attitude, and willingness to learn and

be productive!

Professional Behavior:Professional behavior and attire will be expected from all of The Company employees. Employees will earn points for attending in business dress on the appointed Dress Days. The Company employees are more successful and feel better about themselves when dressed up.

With regard to employee modules, tests, projects, etc., no form of unethical behavior will be tolerated. Employees are encouraged to help each other, but this does not mean one person doing all of the work and giving his/her work to another employee. Each employee is responsible for understanding the processes, information, software, etc. necessary to complete your work. Please note that the school-wide ethics policy will be enforced in The Company.

As The Company is an advanced computer/business class, employees are expected to behave in a professional manner and to use equipment, software and the Internet appropriately.

The InternetBecause the Internet will be utilized in this class, it is necessary for all employees to have internet authorization on their school IDs.

Motivational MondaysEmployees will be part of teams whose responsibility it is to coordinate and present motivational activities. A different team will present a motivational activity approximately every two weeks. Motivational Monday activities must be completed within five (5) class periods of the assigned date. Members of teams whose activities are not completed within this time frame will earn a zero for their grade.

Company Dress CodeThe Company employees will dress neatly and appropriately. During regular dress days, employees may wear common school attire, following AACT and Washoe County

School District dress codes. NOTE: AACT dress code specifies NO HATS (by males or females).

Certain days that The Company meets, employees will dress according to the following guidelines:

Young women: Dresses, slacks with jacket or vest, a skirt and blouse, or a short set with jacket and appropriate shoes. Absolutely no jeans, tennis shoes or flip-flops allowed.

Young men: Dockers or corduroy (or similar slacks) with collared shirt and tie, vest, or sweater and loafers or dress shoes. Absolutely no jeans, shorts, tennis shoes or flip flops.

School-related uniforms will be considered acceptable Business Dress.

Employees in inappropriate attire will not only earn their Business Dress management points for that week but are not allowed to attend their shift in the UFCU. Exceptions to the business dress guidelines will be considered if the employee’s parent/guardian contacts the director at 327-3920 or mnoates@washoe.k12.nv.us.

1. If you miss a Business Dress Day, you have one week to make it up. After one week, your grade for that Business Dress Day becomes a zero.

2. Management points will be awarded for the following:a. Wearing a tie (boys)b. Wearing a dress or skirt (girls)c. Remaining in business dress for the entire day (must be verified)

Management Points (MP): You will have the opportunity to earn management points each week. Half of the management points will come from the Director (teacher); you choose how to earn the second half of the points. Following are some possibilities for earning management points: (Max. points for any one activity is 20 management points per 9 weeks)

The Company overtime: (working 7:30 am-9:25am or 3:30pm-4pm) Actively participating in school organizations: (8th grade recruiting, Back-to-School

Night, Open houses, holding an office position in your Academy, SkillsUSA, HOSA, FFA, etc.)

Projects beyond The Company requirements Mentor an employee: ( for 2nd year students only) The Company Improvement Employee of the Month committee Employee of the Month Offering workshops to other employees Volunteer Work – must be verified Wearing business dress all day – must be verified

Communication/GradesAACT uses Infinite Campus, an on-line grading/communication tool designed to help keep parents and students better informed and to increase communication among teachers, students and parents. Grades in this class will be uploaded to Infinite Campus in a timely fashion; however, please keep in mind that what you view on Infinite Campus represents a snapshot of the grades at the time that they were posted. Your patience and understanding of the occasional lapse in time between the date an assignment is given and the time when the papers are graded and entered into the grade book will be appreciated.

If information regarding a student’s grade is needed before the on-line grade report has been posted or if you have questions, concerns, etc., please contact me directly via e-mail at mnoates@washoe.k12.nv.us or telephone at 327-3920.

Tech Prep CreditJuniors and Seniors who complete and turn in a Truckee Meadows Community College Tech Prep application and who earn a “B” or better in The Company at AACT are eligible to earn college credit through TMCC. For more information, go to http://www.tmcc.edu/techprep/highschool/.

Students - This program is an excellent opportunity. The training you will receive will help you in your future endeavors. Your success is completely up

to you.