Guide for New Families attending Valor College Prep in 2026-2027

This document serves as an overview of critical information for families and scholars that will join the Valor College Prep community for the first time this school year. We have organized the information here for your convenience, and to answer the most frequently asked questions for new to Valor families.  

All Valor families will also receive the Community Agreements via PandaDoc Friday, July 24th. This will include critical information specifically about the upcoming 2026-27 school year and require sign off on some of our policies.

Table of Contents

1. 1. Letter to Valor Community from Founder and CEO, Todd Dickson

1. 1. Academics

1. 1. Daily Schedule

1. 1. School Calendar

1. 1. GPA and Grading Scale

1. 1. Homework

1. 1. Educational Program

1. 1. Calculator Plan

1. 1. Attendance

1. 1. Family Communications

1. 1. Culture

1. 1. Positive Supports

1. 1. Corrective Supports

1. 1. DeansList

1. 1. Parent Meetings

1. 1. Cell Phone Policy

1. 1. Dress Code

1. 1. Athletics at Valor

1. 1. After School Programming

1. 1. Chromebook Usage

1. 1. Operations and General Information

1. 1. School Hours

1. 1. Arrival and Dismissal

1. 1. Carpooling at Valor

1. 1. Student Parking at Valor

1. 1. Graduation Requirements

Letter to Valor Community from Founder & CEO, Todd Dickson

Dear Valor Community –

Welcome to the 2026-27 school year!  For many of you this will be another year as part of the Valor community.  For some, it will be your first experience.  We are thrilled to be able to share a wonderful year of growth and learning with your family.  The Valor staff is very focused and excited to be doing what we do best – helping your students grow and thrive within the Valor community.

Valor has a mission of empowering our diverse community to live inspired and purposeful lives. We are honored and excited to have all of you together this year as part of our village of adults charged with helping to ensure that we all do our part empowering your children and each other to be the best we can be. Valor has four anchors that we believe, if we do really well, will give us the best chance at succeeding at our mission. 

Those anchors are:

Top 1% Academics – we believe that providing an academic experience that is as strong as any in the country is critical to meeting our mission. We define “Top 1%” to mean that we are in the Top 5% in the State for both Achievement AND Growth. This accomplishment is achieved each year by fewer than 1% of schools in TN.  

Thrive in a Diverse World – we believe a richly diverse community provides the best learning experience for our families and scholars. We also believe “diversity alone is not enough” – it is our responsibility to create an intentional environment where everyone feels safe to be who they are and we learn to reach across lines of difference to build appreciation of and friendships with those who are different than us.   

Powered by Compass – we believe that in order to live inspired and purposeful lives we must focus on comprehensive human development.  Scholars must develop Sharp Minds, but also Big Hearts.  They must search for and understand their Noble Purpose, and they must learn to Align their Actions to this purpose.  Finally, they must learn to be balanced and present in order to fully actualize their potential.  We help scholars do this by using our nationally recognized Compass model – a development model that pushes our community to grow as whole-hearted human beings.

Built to Last – we believe that in order for us to fulfill our mission, we need to have strong long-term operational and financial infrastructure in place. We also believe that being built-to-last is driven by having talented people, and keeping that talent at Valor. We believe in making the work we do sustainable, by providing our faculty high quality coaching, development, and support. Lastly, we want Valor to be around for generations to come, because we believe that the work we are doing is important to the local and national community. 

By focusing on our mission statement, our anchors, and our priorities each year, we are able to maintain a clear focus on what is most important.  This helps our team act with clarity and a sense of purpose in our work.  It is our hope that this clarity of purpose is evident in this Community Handbook, which aims to describe some of the various aspects of how the Valor community operates.  Ideally, the Handbook, along with all aspects of the Valor model, are designed in accordance with our mission and anchors.  We aspire to be able to draw a line back to our mission and anchors for any detail in our model – no matter how small.  

The Valor model is designed to be of maximal impact when the school, the scholar, and the family work in harmony together to actualize the potential of each scholar.  This works best when everyone has a clear understanding of the expectations and reasoning of the model – we hope this information provides much of that explanation and clarity.  However, nothing beats personal relationships.  Please feel free to reach out to your Pride leader, Valor teachers, and Valor leadership for further explanation of various parts of the Valor model.  Having families and the school working together for the benefit of all of our scholars is crucial to everyone’s success!  

Thank you for being part of the Valor family!  We are thrilled to begin another year. 

Todd Dickson

Founder and CEO, Valor Collegiate Academies 

Academics at Valor College Prep

26-27 Student Class Schedules 

Students have previously had their “course placements” shared with them. Placements show which courses a student will take, but in no particular order. VCP has recently finalized “student schedules,” which we are excited to share with families and scholars! Students’ finalized class schedules will be shared according to the following timeline:

• • Families will receive hard copies of student schedules on Back to School Night.

• • Scholars will receive a digital copy of their schedules on August 7, 2026.

• • Scholars will receive another hard copy of schedules on their first day of school..

26-27 School Calendar & Bell Schedule 

• • Click here to view the 26-27 Valor Collegiate Academies calendar (Spanish, Arabic). 

• • Click here to view the 26-27 Valor College Prep Bell Schedule. Please note the “Waterfall” nature of the schedule by which we do not begin each day with A Block. Please also note the different dismissal time for Monday as compared to Tuesday through Friday.  

Student Supplies at Valor College Prep

Below are the materials that all students are required to have with them every day. We believe that students’ preparedness sets them up to be as successful as possible in the rest of their classes.

	Required	Optional
Each student provides for him/herself: Students must have these items with them every day beginning on the first day of school.	Pens (Blue or Black) Mechanical Pencils Highlighters  Headphones Two 2” Binders (11th & 12th graders may opt to have a 1” binder for each course) One Package of Binder Dividers (minimum of 6 tabs) Pencil case for writing utensils and/or calculator 5 Spiral-bound Notebooks	One Package of Hole-Punched College-Ruled Paper One Package of Hole Punched Graph Paper
Each student to provide for the VCP community: These items can be brought to the main office on any school day.	2 Boxes of Kleenex  2 Packs of Post-it Notes 1 Pack of White, College-ruled Index Cards	Expo Dry Erase Markers (Thin or Regular Tip) Sharpies (any color) K-Cups Paper Mate Felt Tip Pens  Scissors

GPA & Grading Scale at Valor College Prep 

• • What is GPA:
    
    • • A number representing the average value of the accumulated final grades in courses over time. 

• • How to calculate GPA:
    
    • • The average of all the grades taken divided by the number of credits taken 

Unweighted GPA	Weighted GPA
Measured on a 0 to 4.0 scale Does include the added points for honors/AP classes. • Does not take into account the difficulty of a student’s coursework. All courses are equal. Tennessee HOPE Scholarship uses a student’s unweighted GPA (a 3.0 qualifies for HOPE scholarship)	Measured on a 0 to 5.0 scale. Does include the added points for honors/AP classes. • Does take into account the difficulty of a student’s coursework.

**Both types of GPA show up on your transcript, so colleges look at both. 

• • Colleges want to see that you’ve challenged yourself intellectually with your coursework.  

• • Challenging yourself even if it means you don’t have straight A’s is better than getting A’s with no Honors or AP Courses. 
  •  

NOTE: In all of our interventions and supports, we use a student’s quarter unweighted and weighted GPA. This allows us to see the whole picture for a student’s current academic standing at any given point during a quarter. However, this quarter GPA is a snapshot of student performance for a quarter, not their cumulative performance, and therefore is not an official GPA. 

The 10-point grading scale for Tennessee high schools that was adopted in the 22-23 school year, will continue to be used for the 26-27 school year. 

Letter Grade	Numeric Value	Unweighted Regular	Weighted Honors	Weighted AP/SSMV
A	90-100	4.0	4.5	5.0
B	80-89	3.0	3.5	4.0
C	70-79	2.0	2.5	3.0
D	60-69	1.0	1.5	2.0
F	50-59	0	0	0

Important Notes Concerning GPA 

• • GPA matters from Day 1.

• • GPA is awarded at the end of every semester – NOT quarter. 

• • Meaning, if a student earns a 78 in quarter 1 and an 88 in quarter 2, the final grade for first semester would be an 83 (3.0).

Homework at Valor College Prep 

Homework Philosophy 

 

At VCP, we believe that homework supports students in mastering content through additional practice outside of school. We also believe that homework helps students develop good study skills, which are important for college readiness. We know that a lot of students engage in activities after school and want to support students and teachers with determining an appropriate amount of work to assign. Given different demands of courses at different grade-levels and to help students navigate less prescriptive guidelines and timeframes as they ramp up to college or career, there are separate recommendations for Grades 9 and 10 versus Grades 11 and 12. 

School-Wide Homework Norms 

 

To ensure student success and family awareness, we provide a homework agenda. This is a live document that is updated every Monday prior to 8:00 am. 

• • No homework will be assigned over Fall, Winter, or Spring Breaks unless the student is engaged in a course that requires independent study, i.e. AP Seminar, AP Research.  

• • The number of homework minutes specified below does not include studying; time spent studying is in addition to homework assigned unless assigned homework is “to study” for an upcoming assessment. 

Homework Policy Notes for Grades 9-10 

• • Only AP Courses or Honors English have the option of assigning homework on Friday that is due on Monday at the start of that class period.  

• • 1-2 times per quarter content areas–likely AP Courses, English, and the sciences–may assign homework on a major assignment that extends over the weekend. In this case, the deadline and weekend commitment for the assignment will be communicated to students when the assignment is first introduced during class. 

• • Major assignments should be outlined by quarter on course syllabi to assist with student/family calendaring and prioritization. 

• • Major assignments will be due at the start of a class, end of a class, or after school hours Monday-Thursday, never on Friday after hours or on weekends.

Grades 9-10 Homework Frequency and Minutes

Course	Frequency of Assignments	Minutes per Assignment & Total Minutes by Course
AP Courses	Assigned nightly, including Fridays. Weekend assignments may be 30 minutes longer than weeknight assignments.	60 minutes per assignment on weeknights 90 minutes per assignment on weekends
Honors English	Assigned 4-5x per week, Monday – Friday.	30 minutes per assignment; up to 150 minutes per week, including blended learning (vocabulary, grammar)
Non-AP Math	Assigned 4x per week, Monday – Thursday.	Up to 30 minutes per assignment; up to 120 minutes per week.
Non-AP Science	Assigned 2-4x per week; not assigned on Fridays.	20 minutes per assignment; up to 80 minutes per week.
Non-AP History	Assigned 2-4x per week; not assigned on Fridays.	20 minutes per assignment; up to 80 minutes per week.
Non-AP World Languages	Assigned 2-4x per week; not assigned on Fridays.	At most, 20 minutes per assignment; up to 80 minutes per week.
Electives	Rarely assigned homework unless it is a major assignment.	N/A
Mentoring	Students are given 30-60 minutes per week to complete badgework; if not finished, students can elect to do as homework.	Note: Time given in Mentoring to complete badgework is more than enough time to complete badges by the given due date.

Summary	# of HWs per Week	# of HW Minutes on Weeknights	# of HW Minutes on Weekends
Homework Summary for Ss not taking AP courses	14-21 assignments per week.	M-Th: up to 510 minutes or  8.5 hours during the week.  Maximum hrs/night: 2.1	Weekends: up to 60 minutes  or 1 hour in English only.
Homework Summary for Ss taking one AP course	19–22 assignments per week	M-Th: up to 730 minutes or  12.2 hours during the week.  Maximum hrs/night: 3	Weekends: up to 150 minutes  or 2.5 hours (includes English and AP course)

AP Exams & Fees

This page is intended only for the parents or guardians of students who will be enrolled in one or more AP class during the 26-27 school year. AP courses are certified by the College Board as offering college-level curricula and rigor. Each spring, AP courses culminate in an exam that, depending upon students’ scores, may earn them credit for the corresponding course at their college/university of choice. This can result in several thousand dollars worth of savings (the average 3 credit-hour college course is over $2000 with book fees).

We expect that exams will run from May 4th – May 15th. The College Board will confirm testing dates in the fall, and we will communicate them with you as soon as we have them. In the meantime, we ask that you do not book travel, doctor appointments, etc. during the opening weeks of May. 

While more details about the exams will be coming your way, we wanted to inform you as early as possible about the cost associated with AP exams. This year, the College Board established the fee for AP Seminar and AP Research exams at $145. For families that qualify for free or reduced price lunch, this fee is $101. For all other AP exams, the College Board’s exam fee is $97. The price for families qualifying for free or reduced price lunch will be $23. Please note that students participating in the AP For All program and taking 1 or more AP classes online in 26-27 are not responsible for the exam costs associated with those online classes

More information to come about how to make exam payments at a later date.

Attendance Policy & Interventions at Valor College Prep

Attendance is crucial to a student’s success at Valor. Students cannot master the content and skills of our rigorous academic program without being here every day. To that end, we have very clear attendance requirements. If you are a long-time Valor family, please note that there are many changes to Valor’s attendance policy to support stronger student attendance. 

School is required daily. At middle schools, teachers will take attendance in mentor time for scholars in the building. At VCP, teachers take attendance in each block daily.  

NOTE FOR STUDENTS & FAMILIES FROM MNPS POLICY & TN STATE LAW Tennessee law requires children ages 6 through 17 to attend school. Attending school daily helps students succeed academically. Missing school not only leads to difficulties for a student academically, but also socially and emotionally. 

If a student is found to be unlawfully absent from school and/or habitually truant, the student may be taken into custody by law enforcement personnel and transported to the Metro Student Attendance Center (M-SAC). Juvenile court may also become involved if a student is truant. 

The parent or guardian of any Valor student should consistently update address records and contact information with the school staff so the school can contact them. Any information regarding attendance and truancy will be sent home via U.S. Postal Service, email and automated phone calls. 

EXCUSED ABSENCES

 We realize that there are times when students will not be in school. Valor will only count as excused the following reasons for absence from school: 

• • An illness that prevents the student from attending school 

• • Parent(s)/guardian(s) can send note of illnesses lasting 1 – 2 consecutive days 

• • Absences lasting 3 or more consecutive days require a doctor’s note 

• • A death in the immediate family or other significant family crisis 

• • For purposes of this policy, the immediate family is defined as parent/guardian, siblings, or grandparents  

• • Religious observances 

• • Doctor’s appointments with documentation from the doctor indicating that the child was at the appointment for more than half of the school the day or should not return to school the same day. • Head lice (up to three days per infestation) 

• • Deployment of a parent or guardian serving in the military (one day for deployment, one day for return and up to 10 days when the service member is on temporary leave at home) 

• • Court appearance or legally mandated meetings 

• • In 11th and 12th grade, up to three pre-approved absences for post-secondary related absences

• • The principal may allow the following circumstances to be considered an excused absence if the parent or guardian submits a written request: 

• • Unexpected emergencies such as car problems 

• • Job interview or conference 

• • Doctor or dental appointments 

• • Other circumstances requested in writing by the parent or guardian that the principal considers to require a student’s absence

If you have any questions about if an absence will be excused or unexcused, please contact your campus principal. All other absences, and all absences without documentation, will be considered unexcused unless otherwise approved by principal.  

DOCUMENTING EXCUSED ABSENCES 

In order for an absence to be excused (see above), students MUST bring in a note within one school week (5 days) of their return to school to the front office either in person or via email. The note must be dated and include: 

• • The date of the absence 

• • The reason for the absence 

• • A phone number where a parent or guardian can be reached 

• • The parent/guardian signature

VCP Excuse notes should be emailed to vcpfrontoffice@valorcollegiate.org.

Please note: Valor will accept a handwritten note from a caregiver for a total of 10 days of Excused Absences. All absences beyond 10 days of school must have formal documentation. If an absence is 3 or more consecutive days, a doctor’s note must be provided, otherwise, only two days will be excused.  

LATE ARRIVALS AND EARLY DISMISSALS 

All instructional time is important. Arriving at school on time and staying in school all day allows students to receive all available instruction, engage in social and emotional experiences, hear important announcements, and develop positive lifelong habits. Alternately, students who arrive late or leave early miss valuable instruction time, disrupt the flow of class, distract students, and impede learning. 

Partial attendance is highly discouraged because it means students are missing instructional time. 

• • Students must attend at least 50% of the scheduled school day to be counted present. 

• • In MS this means that a student is present for 3 hours and 45 minutes 

• • At VCP this means that a student is present for 3 hours and 30 minutes 

• • If a student attends less than 50% of a scheduled school day, the student will be marked as absent. A written excuse note should be submitted to the front office for this to be considered an excused absence.

LATE ARRIVAL

• • Late arrival to school is considered any time after the first bell rings.  

• • For VCP this is 7:28 am.  

• • Students arriving to school late due to an appointment or family emergency must provide a written or emailed note from a caregiver in order for the tardy to be marked excused. 

• • Any student arriving more than 15 minutes late to school 

• • parents/caregivers must call the front office for students who are tardy beginning at 7:45 am.

• • Failure to escort students or call the front office upon arrival will trigger a phone call from the front office staff, school leadership, and/or students missing class time.

EARLY DISMISSAL 

• • For any early dismissal, a parent/guardian must physically come to school to sign the student out before dismissal. Parents must present a photo copy of their Driver’s License or comparable identification. 

• • For student-drivers, in order for a student to sign out before dismissal from school without a caregiver present, students must present a written note or email from a parent/guardian to approve any early dismissal from school. If providing permission via email, families should email the front office for the school of their student(s) with a picture of their driver’s license.

• • After a student is dismissed for the day, they should not return to campus unless the excuse note specifies that a student will return after an appointment, etc.  

• • Parents or guardians must submit written note before 7:30 am on the day of early dismissal. 

• • There will be no exceptions to this policy.  

• • The cutoff for all early dismissals at VCP is 2:00 pm Monday – Friday. No early dismissals will be permitted after 2:00 pm. 

• • Reasons for early dismissal include unavoidable conflicts such as dentist or doctor appointment. All efforts should be made to avoid scheduling such appointments during the school day.

MAKE UP WORK FOR MISSED ASSIGNMENTS WHEN ABSENT 

All work that students miss when absent from school (excused or unexcused) needs to be made up. Having an excused absence does not mean that classwork is excused. 

• • Students will have the opportunity to make up the assignments that they missed during their absence. 

• • It is the student’s responsibility to request make-up work from their teacher when they return to school. Teachers have discretion to excuse a limited number of assignments due to relevance.  

• • The unexcused absence will remain unexcused even if missed work is complete 

• • All missing work must be submitted within 3 days of return to school.

ATTENDANCE INCENTIVES for 26-27 School Year

Valor wants to support students in finding joy in coming to school and enjoying full participation in the school environment, including school sponsored experiences and extracurriculars . In order to be able to participate in extracurriculars and student experiences at school, students do have to demonstrate satisfactory attendance. 

In order to be eligible to participate in a season of athletics, clubs, extracurriculars, grade level signature events, homecoming, prom, field trips, etc. students must be in good standing with attendance. 

• • Participation eligibility will be managed by school leaders, FACE Director, and Director of Athletics.

• • Being ‘in good standing’ means:

• • Students’ will have 4 or fewer unexcused absences in a quarter.

• • Students’ will have 8 or fewer tardies to school in a quarter.

At the conclusion of each quarter, students and families will be notified if attendance is not in good standing.  VCP will host a mandatory attendance meeting on site for all students and families that have accrued 4 or more unexcused absences and/or 8 unexcused tardies during the quarter. At the conclusion of this meeting, families will sign a state compulsory letter that is kept on file with the school and the state of TN.  Not attending this meeting will result in a loss of incentives that include:  

• • No signature experience attendance

• • No parking pass

• • No off campus lunch

• • No prom/homecoming/pep rallies

• • No Wing Ding attendance

• • No End of the Year field day celebration

• • No off site sporting events on a school bus

• • No FACE/Athletic participation (student may attend practices, but not compete or perform)

In order for a student to participate in an extracurricular that they are a part of (i.e. a sports practice, game, theater rehearsal, etc.), a student must be present for the school day.

At VCP more than ten (10) consecutive or fifteen (15) reported unexcused absences by a student during any semester renders a student ineligible to retain a driver’s permit or license, or to obtain such if of age. 

In order to qualify for reclaiming a driver’s permit or license, the student must make a passing grade in at least three (3) full unit subjects or their equivalency at the conclusion of a subsequent grading period.

TRUANCY & CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM 

Additionally, Valor will also notify families of scholars who are chronically absent. From the Tennessee Department of Education: 

Chronic absenteeism is defined as a student missing 10 percent or more of the days the student is enrolled-for any reason, including excused absences and out-of-school suspensions. Excessive absences from school represent lost instructional time for a student. 

Additionally, if a scholar has 10 or more unexcused absences, Valor is mandated by Compulsory School Attendance Law (TCA § 49-6-3001) to report a truancy concern to the Juvenile Courts. The principal will reach out to communicate this to families.  

A student is considered to be truant after he or she has more than four unexcused absences in a school year. 

• • The school staff may make a referral to various support staff, school-based programs, youth court and M-SAC (see more details below), as part of the district’s progressive attendance intervention strategy to alleviate any social, emotional or family issues that may be contributing to the student’s absences.

• • School staff may also require students to take part in school-based community services, Saturday courses or after-school courses designed to improve attendance. 

• • When a student has five unexcused absences, the principal may make a referral to juvenile court so the court can intervene with the student’s truancy. If a juvenile court referral is made, the parent or guardian of the student must attend court and court reviews, as well as pay the fees that accompany court costs. If the student continues to miss school and remains truant, the court has the authority to remove the student from the parent or guardian’s home. 

• • If a student has an IEP, the school must hold a Manifestation Determination Review to determine whether the student’s absences were related to the student’s disability prior to making a referral to juvenile court. If the student’s disability had a direct and substantial relationship to the absences, a truancy referral to juvenile court will not be made.

Number of Absences / Tardies to School	Attendance Support
3 days unexcused absences3 unexcused tardies to school	Phone call home
4 or more days unexcused absences8 or more unexcused tardies to school	Letter home (5-day state compulsory attendance letter)Scholar and Guardian required to attend Quarterly Attendance Reset which will include a formal presentation with school leadership. Not attending will result in loss of incentives.
7 days unexcused absences 9 or more unexcused tardies to school	Meeting to establish attendance plan with a 1-1 meeting with an attendance case manager to review attendance, GPA, grades
7 – 11 days unexcused absences9 or more unexcused tardies to school	Provide support in line with attendance plan
11 days unexcused	Truancy petition is filed

Family Communications at Valor

At Valor, we believe that we enroll families. We believe that strong communication between school staff and Valor families is a critical component to scholars’ success socially, emotionally, and academically.  

Valor Family News 

Caregivers can expect weekly Principal Updates, emergency announcements, and important upcoming deadlines to be posted every Sunday afternoon to ValorFamilyNews.com. When a new post is made, you will be alerted by email and text message. Occasionally, posts may be made that are not urgent for you to view (e.g. photos from a family event). In these cases, you will not be sent notifications.  

Clubs and Athletics 

Important Clubs and Athletics Announcements, such as try-outs and banquets, will be shared via Principal Updates on Valor Family News. Once teams and individual club rosters have been formed, the coaches and club leaders will use email and text message groups to communicate directly with families.  

Mentor Group Updates 

Mentors will send out weekly communications to families directly via email. 

If you would like for your contact information (name, phone number, and email address) to be shared with the other parents and guardians of your student’s mentor group, please indicate below. If you choose to not share your contact information, you will also not have the compiled contact list shared with you this fall.  

1:1 Communication with Valor Staff Members 

There is a tab on the top of ValorFamilyNews.com for “Staff Directory”. From this page, families will be able to find contact information for all of their students’ teachers and school administrators. Families are encouraged to correspond directly with teachers and administrators via email. Families may also submit a general contact form and request to be emailed, called, or texted back about their question(s). Finally, each school’s main office line is listed on this page for quick reference if families need to speak with any one of our main offices. 

What Do Parents/Guardians Need to Do Next? 

There is nothing you need to do in order to begin receiving communications from us! We will begin sending notifications to the cell number and email address of parent/guardian 1 and parent/guardian 2 (if available) as filled out on your registration or re-enrollment paperwork beginning in the next couple of days! If you do not wish to receive these email or text notifications, the initial message you receive will offer instructions for how to opt out. We hope you won’t, though, as we deeply believe in the power of strong communication between families and the school. If you have previously opted out of text message or email notifications and wish to opt back in, please reach out to vcpfrontoffice@valorcollegiate.org. 

Culture, Discipline, & DeansList at Valor College Prep

We exist to empower our diverse community to live inspired, purposeful lives. 

Everything we do is in support of this mission, including our culture systems. Culture at VCP is comprised of positive and corrective supports, which this document will discuss. This document will also review DeansList as a gateway for keeping up with your student’s behavior at school. 

Positive Supports 

Students at VCP can earn positive points by upholding our commitments: 

• • I commit to walk my talk. 

• • I commit to showing up with Valor. 

• • I commit to keeping myself and others safe. 

• • I commit to working the Compass. 

• • I commit to seeking diversity of perspective. 

• • I commit to speaking to the person, not about the person. 

• • I commit to speaking from my heart, but using my head. 

• • I commit to leaving no community member behind.

Anytime an adult sees a VCP student living up to one of these commitments, they are expected to give that student a Commitment in Action (in the middle school, these are similar to On-Compass points). Each one is worth two points. 

Using Points 

As students earn points, they will have opportunities throughout the year to use those points towards exciting prizes and privileges. The idea here is that our students experience the benefits of living up to all of the expectations we have for a VCP student. 

Corrective Supports 

For our families joining us from one of our middle schools, these should sound familiar because we believe that our Compass Support Cycle meets students wherever they are developmentally. As students get older and mature, we believe they will interact with the corrective support side of our cycle less and have more interactions with the positive support side. 

Behavior Matrix 

We expect VCP students to make good choices, but we know that sometimes they will make mistakes; this is part of learning and maturing. We use our Behavior Matrix to help us respond with consistency to any behavior we see any student exhibit. 

A copy of our Behavior Matrix is available in the community handbook, which can be found on Valor’s website. A copy of it is also included in these orientation documents. It is a good idea for families to look over the matrix together so that expectations are clear to everyone.

Low-Level Corrective Supports 

Off-Commitment Points (OCPs) are the first level of consequences for low-level misbehaviors. OCPs should be seen as a reminder to the student of expectations. Students who earn OCPs lose two points for each OCP; however, this can be easily redeemed by earning a Commitment-In Action (CIA). 

Re-Commitments (RCs) are the second level of consequence for low-level misbehaviors. These require a reflection to be redeemed (i.e. re-earn some of the lost points). RCs deduct five points from a student’s point total for the week. Redemptions occur via email and students can re-earn three of the five lost points. We ask students to use email to take responsibility because that means they are able to do so any time of day and not just when a teacher is available. It also provides record of reflection and accountability, and it also provides great practice for the future when they will need to send professional emails to professors, supervisors and/or employers. 

Teachers may ask to speak to a student in person after an email reflection if they feel like the in-person conversation is important to getting the student back on track. In this case, a teacher has 48 hours to reply via email with a time they will meet with the student before the Recommitment can be redeemed. 

High-Level Corrective Supports 

Any time your student earns a high-level corrective support, you should receive communication from the staff member who issued it. This is because we know it is important for families to be up to date with what is happening with their student. Anytime a student earns an RSA, we believe it is important for the teacher to make contact so that conversations can happen at home to help support the student at school. 

Reset Assessments (RSAs) that are immediate and require students to leave class immediately and report to the Compass Support Center (CSC). Students who earn a RSA lose seven points from their weekly total and must complete a reflection in the CSC that is reviewed by a Compass team member. Students will also do relationship work with the staff member who assigned the consequence. During relationship work, students will have the opportunity to share their perspective and take responsibility for their actions. Students who complete all of these tasks can earn five of the seven points back. 

Relationship work is the most important part of this cadence because we know that relationships are the basis for everyone’s success. It is the starting point for everything we do. It is important for students to hear from their teacher both the impact of their actions as well as the assurance that they can return to class and everything is ok. It is important for teachers to hear from their students the ways in which they will change their behavior so that everyone can learn and everyone feels safe. 

Resets are the next step in high-level consequences. 

Students who earn a Reset lose 10 points, but can earn seven points back by completing the Reset reflection and relationship work. Additionally, if a Compass Coach feels it is necessary, a caregiver may be asked to come in for a family meeting in order to build a support plan for the student. 

In School Reset (ISR) / Out of School Reset (OSR) are earned when a student has shown their behavior is being caused by significant issues that require them to spend a full day reflecting on what support they need from the community to get back on track. Anytime a student earns an ISR/OSR, a caregiver will be required to attend a family meeting prior to the student being allowed back in class. This is because we want to be sure we have all the support in place before we fully bring the student back into the community. 

Students who earn an ISR/OSR will spend either a full day in the CSC for an ISR or a full day at home for an OSR. Students lose 10 points for an ISR and 15 points for an OSR, but can earn 7 or 10 points back, respectively, if they complete all parts of the redemption process. 

Recalibration is a week-long process that students enter into if they finish the week with negative points. Students who need the support of Recalibration spend a week meeting 1:1 or in small groups with their grade level Compass Coach working on skills that will help them find success in class. 

DeansList 

DeansList will be our new behavior management system that will be replacing Kickboard. This system will allow families to stay up to date on their students’ behavior. It is possible for you and your student to have separate logins, but you will both see the same information. We suggest having a time each week at home to review your student’s DeansList reports. These reports will also go out to students in an email each week. Our existing systems like Re-calibration will still work the same for students who have a negative paycheck by the end of the week. You will receive an email that invites you to DeansList and shares your scholar’s specific code with you. 

Parent Meetings 

We know that it is a big ask to require caregivers to attend any meeting, but we ask this because it is very important in our partnership to educate your child. When a Compass team member contacts you about your student’s consequence, they will also want to schedule a meeting with you and a school leader. 

During this meeting, we will review your student’s reflection, go over what has worked and what is not working, and create a plan that everyone can agree to that will support your student moving forward. 

A student is not allowed to return to class until the meeting is scheduled. For OSRs, students may not return to class until the meeting is complete. We view this meeting as very important and want to ensure everyone is on the same page prior to your student returning to class. 

For meetings outside of those scheduled in relation to a consequence, please reach out directly to the individual with whom you would like to meet. 

Dress Code

Valor expects that all scholars will dress in a way that is appropriate for the school day or for any school sponsored event. scholar dress choices should respect the network’s intent to sustain a community that is inclusive of a diverse range of identities. The primary responsibility for a scholar’s attire resides with the scholar and their parent(s) or guardian(s). The school is responsible for seeing that scholar attire does not interfere with the health or safety of any scholar, that scholar attire does not contribute to a hostile or intimidating atmosphere for any scholar, and that dress code enforcement does not reinforce or increase marginalization or oppression of any group based on race, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, cultural observance, household income, or body type/size. Any restrictions to the way a scholar dresses must be necessary to support the overall educational goals of the school and must be explained within this dress code.

1. Basic Principle: Certain body parts must be covered for all scholars at all times. 

Clothes must be worn in a way such that a scholar’s private parts (including the buttocks) are fully covered with non-see-through fabric. All items listed in the “must wear” and “may wear” categories below must meet this basic principle.

2. Scholars must Wear, while following the basic principle of Section 1 above :

• • A Shirt (with fabric at least covering the area of a typical tank top), AND

• • Pants/jeans or the equivalent (for example, a skirt, sweatpants, leggings, a dress or shorts), AND

• • Shoes                                                

3. Scholars may Wear, as long as these items do not violate section 1 above or section 4 below:

• • Religious headwear

• • Hoodie sweatshirts

• • Fitted pants, including non-see through leggings, yoga pants, and “skinny jeans”

• • Ripped jeans if  private parts are not exposed.

• • Athletic attire

• • Valor swag given out by Valor, or purchased online through BSN sports.

• • Hats, beanies or other head coverings that do not cover the ears or face

4. Scholars cannot Wear:

• • Anything that covers the ears or face, save for religious headwear.

• • Violent language or images.

• • Images or language depicting drugs or alcohol (or any illegal item or activity).

• • Hate speech, profanity, pornography.

• • Images or language that creates a hostile or intimidating environment based on any protected class or consistently marginalized groups.

• • Any clothing that reveals visible undergarments (visible straps are allowed)

• • Swimsuits (except as required in class or athletic practice).

• • Accessories that could be considered dangerous or could be used as a weapon.

If scholars do not adhere to this policy they will be asked to change to an alternative outfit if possible. If not, they will be kept in the CSC until an alternative outfit can be found. If scholars refuse to wear an alternative outfit, an RSA will be issued for not following admin direction.

Family Engagement at Valor

Valor is committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment where all families feel valued and connected. Families play a critical role in shaping Valor’s community. We provide multiple avenues for family voice to be elevated and heard, including:

• • Valor Family Group (VFG): A parent/staff team that guides engagement efforts
    
    • • Family Engagement Team (FET):
        
        • • Family Engagement Manager 
        • • 4 Family Engagement Assistants
        • • 3 Hospitality Chairs 
        • • 4 School staff representatives
        • • Event Volunteers
            

• • The VFG exists to CONNECT, ENGAGE, INFORM, and ADVOCATE for our diverse families in order to elevate family voices and grow a more equitable, inclusive, supportive, inspiring and purposeful community.
    
    • • CONNECT: Families connect with other families and with staff. 
    • • ENGAGE: Families invest personal resources in enriching the community through volunteering, organizing and participating in events, supporting staff, and providing feedback.
    • • INFORM: Families have the pertinent information they need to make educated decisions that best support their scholars in living inspired purposeful lives. 
    • • ADVOCATE: Families advocate for the inclusion and equity of all, particularly historically marginalized groups, both inside the Valor community and in the community at large.

VFG believes that family engagement is an ongoing 2-way process that strengthens active participation, communication and collaboration between families and schools. We believe that scholars, teachers, administrators, guardians, and community working together will create meaningful partnerships that lead to increase in scholar achievement and wellbeing.

V. Collaborating with the Community

Valor’s community-centered approach celebrates and honors the rich cultural traditions of our families. We partner with families to co-design inclusive events and traditions that reflect our community’s diversity

Ongoing Engagement Opportunities:

• • Parent Power Sessions (Quarterly)

• • Quarterly Q&A Sessions 

• • Teacher Appreciation ( Quarterly)

• • Signature Events ( Culture Festivals, Game/Bingo Night etc)

• • Parent Surveys (5th–11th grade; multilingual, Spring )

• • Community Meetings  (Chai, Cafecito, The Village, General)

ALL are invited and welcome to be involved with the VFG at a level of commitment that works for you. You will have the opportunity to sign up for VFG in the upcoming Community Agreements document to be shared later this summer.

Overall Family Engagement Expectations

Valor families are expected to complete all orientation paperwork. In August, each middle school hosts an optional Kickoff event for families to meet their scholar’s teachers. Families will also have the opportunity to engage in parent/guardian-teacher conferences each quarter

Athletics at Valor

Valor Collegiate Academies offers athletic opportunities for students in grades 6–12 across all three campuses. We are dedicated to making sports accessible to students of all backgrounds, genders, and races. “We strive to educate and invigorate  through competitive athletics.”

We believe Education-Based Athletics helps shape young people who love to compete and lead with integrity. Athletics teaches teamwork, perseverance, and leadership skills that last a lifetime. Our Athletic Department is committed to valuing People over Performance, ensuring every athlete feels seen, valued, and supported, regardless of the scoreboard or athletic ability.

Research shows that participation in school athletics builds life skills beyond the classroom. These experiences, guided by coaches and supported by families, help our students grow into impactful members of their communities.

Participation in athletics at Valor is a privilege. Student-athletes must maintain good academic and behavioral standing to remain eligible. We hope this handbook helps make your family’s athletic journey a meaningful and enjoyable one.

If at any time you have questions regarding athletics at Valor Collegiate Academies, please feel free to contact Wildcat Athletics’ administrators.

• • Visit the athletic website: www.vcawildcats.com

• • Be sure to follow athletics on Instagram @VCAATHLETICS 

• • Download the VCA Athletics App to stay up to date on all things athletics:

• • Apple Device Link and Google Device Link

Go Wildcats!

After-school Programming at Valor

After-School Fine Arts, Clubs, and Enrichment (FACE) Opportunities at Valor

We are excited to welcome you to FACE (Fine Arts, Enrichment, and Electives) at Valor Collegiate Academies! Our mission is to provide high-quality, culturally aware programming that empowers our diverse community to live inspired, purposeful, and creatively rich lives.

With over 30 programs available, including academic clubs, leadership groups, artistic endeavors, and enrichment activities, FACE ensures every student finds an exciting path. This well-rounded extracurricular experience sets us apart in the Metro Nashville area, offering a safe space for scholars to make new discoveries, expand their imaginations, and explore new skills regardless of race, gender, or socio-economic status.

Research shows that after-school activities directly enhance student success by boosting confidence, social skills, and academic performance. Through FACE, students develop leadership, cultivate their unique talents, and form lasting peer connections that extend far beyond the classroom.

Please note that participation in FACE is a privilege that requires maintaining good academic standing and exemplary behavior. Whether engaging in regional competitions or recreational clubs, students are encouraged to broaden their perspectives and reach their full potential.

Get ready to explore your passions, ignite your creativity, and make lasting memories with us this year! If you have any questions, please reach out to the FACE Team at face@valorcollegiate.org.

Chromebook Usage

Chromebook Expectations

Chromebooks are an important part of learning at Valor. Many teachers assign work that must be completed on a scholar’s Chromebook. To support learning beyond the school day, all scholars are allowed to take their Chromebooks home.

Scholars are responsible for keeping their Chromebooks in good working condition. This includes:

• • No broken or shattered screens

• • All keys intact on the keyboard

• • No stickers or markings on the device

• • The Chromebook remains in one piece and undamaged

If a Chromebook is damaged, the front office will assess the issue. In some cases, families may be charged for repairs.

As part of our commitment to “keeping ourselves and others safe,” the Compass Team is alerted when scholars search for content that is not school-appropriate. Based on the severity of the search, a scholar may lose the privilege of bringing their Chromebook home. If that happens, the device may be kept in the Compass Support Center (CSC) for up to two weeks.Refer to the chromebook matrix here. 

Operations & General Information

School Hours

	Monday	Tuesday – Friday	Notes
Doors Open	7:10 AM	7:10 AM	Breakfast available from 7:10 AM – 7:25 AM
School Starts	7:30 AM	7:30 AM	Marked Tardy to school if not in school by 7:28 AMMarked tardy to class if not in block A at 7:30 AM
Dismissal Starts	3:00 PM	2:30 PM

Arrival & Dismissal Logistics

Arrival 

• • Doors open at 7:10am 

• • Doors will close at 7:28 am 

• • Students must be across the threshold of the building by 7:28 am so as not to be marked tardy 

• • All high school families will use the traffic circle that loops around the Voyager and VCP buildings (the one labeled “9th & 10th Circle”) in order to drop students off in the mornings. 

Dismissal 

• • Monday 3:00 pm 

• • Tuesday – Friday 2:30 pm 

• • 9th & 10th grade families will continue to use the pick-up circle that loops around VCP and Voyager for afternoon pick-up. 

• • 11th and 12th grade families should use the circle labeled “11th & 12th Circle” in the image above 

• • In order to complete dismissal in a timely fashion, vehicles that do not pick up their student(s) within 2 minutes of being in the loading area will be asked to re-circle. Make sure to tell your students to be on the lookout for your car! 
    
    

A note about dismissal conflicts: On Mondays, middle schools dismiss at 2:30. It is essential that VCP families do not line up or arrive for dismissal before 2:55 pm. This will create a frustrating situation for you and for our

middle school counterparts because our traffic circles will combine.’ We share parking circles with the middle schools who dismiss within 30 minutes of VCP on Monday, and within an  hour of VCP on Tuesday – Friday. Please note the following impacts: 

• • On Monday, Middle School campuses dismiss at 2:30 pm. We highly recommend that you do not arrive at VCP before 2:55 pm on Monday because you will get stuck in the middle school dismissal line and will be asked to loop around VCP multiple times until middle school dismissal concludes. 

• • On Tuesday – Friday Middle school campuses dismiss at 3:25 pm. There will likely be no impact on VCP families picking up families because VCP dismissal will end by 3:00 pm at the latest. 

• • Early Dismissals (ie for appointments, family engagements, etc) are not permitted after 2pm. 
    
    

A note about picking up your student outside of VCPs typical dismissal windows: There are many after school activities including clubs, office hours, athletics, and so on and these have different dismissal times after VCPs dismissal. Anytime you are picking up your VCP student outside of the typical dismissal window (3:00 on Monday and 2:30 on Tuesday – Friday) you should make note of if middle school dismissal is happening and avoid joining the primary dismissal time. We suggest using the inside traffic circle on these days. On Thursdays and Fridays, VCP will run optional office hours and clubs for all students. If your VCP student chooses to stay for optional office hours and clubs, you will pick up your student at 3:00 pm using the circle labeled “11th & 12th Circle” (located inside the parking lot). Middle School families picking up students via the traffic circle in the parking lot cannot begin doing so until 3:15 on office hours/clubs days (Thursday/Friday).    

Carpooling at Valor

For more information about connecting with other Valor families about carpooling, please view our information about carpool groups at Valor. 

Student Parking at Valor

For more information about parking for student drivers, please view the policy and application in our Community Agreements. 

Graduation Requirements 

Credits

Failure to complete all required credits will mean your official diploma and transcript will be withheld. 

• • Students must earn a minimum of 28 weight bearing course credits in required courses. 

The state of Tennessee requires the following 26-27 (depending of Elective Focus Pathway) credits to be earned:

• • Math: 4 credits

• • English: 4 credits

• • Science: 3 credits

• • Social Studies: 3 credits

• • Physical Education and Wellness: 1.5 credits;
    
    • • Note: 11th grade Postsecondary Success is integrated with Wellness.

• • Personal Finance: 0.5 credits

• • World Language: 2 credits

• • Fine Arts: 1 credit

• • Elective Focus Pathway: 3-4 credits

Additionally, VCP requires credits in the following courses: 

• • Mentoring 9-12: 4 elective credits 

• • 12th Grade Postsecondary Success: 1 credit 
    
    

Looking for more information about school supplies, student parking application, or other academic topics?  Be on the lookout for our Community Agreements document to be posted on Valor Family News next Friday, July 24.