School Day Info
The following is information useful to students currently attending or admitted to a CASEE set of classes looking for clear guidelines on expectations and logistics.
Credits & 10-Day Trial Period
Transportation
CASEE Shop Fee & Work Clothes
Student Attendance
Service Learning
Projects
Community Service
Make-up Work
Food Handlers Card
Credits and 10-Day Trial Period
CASEE provides an excellent opportunity for integrated curriculum and project-based education on an 80-acre campus. Students will receive one credit each in Science, English, and Career and Technical Education (CTE), which is an elective course.
CASEE agrees to a ten day trial period that allows students to return to their home school if the student or instructor determines the program does not fit their learning style. Changes after this period may result in loss of credits for the semester.
Transportation
Students will use district bus transportation at all times unless they are enrolled in another school district (outside of Battle Ground Public Schools.) Students may get special permission to drive if they are attending another off-campus education facility or have a special condition/appointment. The student must have proper documentation signed by their high school principal.
Morning Students: Buses leave Prairie High School and Battle Ground High School at 8:00 AM for morning CASEE students. Buses will return students to their home school in time for lunch.
Afternoon Students: The afternoon Prairie students will catch the bus at 11:50 AM at their home school and be returned by the end of the school day. Afternoon Battle Ground students will catch the bus at 11:35 AM and will leave CASEE at 2:15 PM to returned to their home school.
Assembly Schedules: During most assembly schedules students will be expected to attend CASEE. However, on occasion, if it works with the CASEE bus schedule, we will send students to their home high school to attend the school assembly.
CASEE Shop Fee & Work Clothes
Each student must pay a $10 shop fee at their home high school’s ASB office. This fee must be entered into the CASEE account. Students should bring a receipt to the CASEE center for verification. The shop fee pays for the following: Spiral notebook, binder, dividers, work gloves and various other consumable supplies for poster presentations and projects.
Lockers will be provided for student’s work clothes and boots. Since CASEE offers many outdoor activities, changing rooms are available. Students will be expected to dress for outdoor field work on a weekly basis. This will be particularly important on Wednesdays, but not limited to this day. We also provide rain boots and rain gear, but selection and sizes are limited.
Student Attendance
If a student must be absent, it is her responsibility to call in to both the CASEE office at (360) 885-5361 and her home high school to report her absence. The student should call within the first 30 minutes of class.
All missed work is expected to be made up. The student should arrange this with her instructor upon her return. If the student is planning on missing school, CASEE asks that the student fill out an Excused Absence form at your high school and have it signed by her instructors and parents.
Attendance is key to a successful experience at CASEE.
Service Learning
Most weeks students will undertake learning various Natural Resource skills while helping improve or maintain the 80-acre CASEE campus. Students will work with various tools and machinery and participate in landscaping, gardening, trail building and maintenance, greenhouse care, and plant propagation. We also highly emphasize leadership skills and incorporate them into our service learning lessons.
Students are graded on teamwork, work ethic, on task, attitude and safety. Service learning days are worth 20 points in their Career and Technical Education class elective.
Projects
Students will have the opportunity to participate in multiple CASEE projects.
Winter: Salmon Restoration – This winter, students will be involved in understanding key issues in regards to salmon and their habitat. Students will learn the various issues regarding salmon and participate in the class restoration project on CASEE Creek in partnership with the Clark Conservation District.
Spring: Supported Research – This spring, students will have an opportunity to study a project area of their choice. Students will conduct research, design a scientific investigation, create an educational component, make improvements to the CASEE site, and finish with a professional portfolio.
Community Service
As a small learning community, we expect students to demonstrate leadership skills outside of school. This year, students will need to complete 15 hours of community service on-campus as part of our CASEE workday and 7.5 hours of community service off-campus.
Appropriate off-campus community service activities will need to have an environmental focus. Resources for finding local community service activities can be found at Clark County Green Neighbors, Fort Vancouver Archaeology Lab or NatureScaping of Southwest Washington.
In addition, at the end of January, students will participate in a week of community service and leadership activities in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
Make-up Work
No student is allowed to stay after school unless they have arranged it with their instructor. Time spent at CASEE after school will be spent on class assignments, school related research, or make-up service learning days.
Food Handlers Card
Throughout the year students will have the opportunity to help prepare food for various CASEE activities and events.
We encourage students to take the Health Department’s Food Safety Test and obtain a food handlers card. The test may be taken on any internet capable computer and the cost is $10 payable by credit card.
Students who carry a current card will be able to help prepare food for these special events.