Lancaster Learning Link Lancaster Learning Link Lancaster Learning Link Lancaster Learning Link Lancaster Learning Link
 

Guidelines & Expectations


Our Purpose

     The purpose of the Lancaster Learning Link is to be a support for your home school by providing academics that can be difficult to do individually in a home environment. We do this by linking you with instructors who have knowledge, experience, an enthusiasm for teaching, and a dedication to applying their knowledge in a Christian context. While we are not an accredited school and cannot award credit for high school classes taken, our teachers do provide sufficient academic instruction for you, the homeschooling parent, to award a credit for each high school class completed. This instruction is provided through seventy-five minute classes attended weekly, and by homework done throughout the week.

     It is our desire is to maintain a positive learning environment for all the families involved with the Link. These include the students and their families, the teachers and administrator, and the members of the church body who allow us the use of their facility. Though we do have students who represent a wide continuum of maturity, our goal is to maintain an atmosphere of relative peace and joy.

Our Guidelines

    The admissions policy is very important for the protection of the families involved in the Link. If we accept students and families without a commitment to communicated expectations, our teachers and administrator will likely burn out quickly dealing with problems that arise.  We strive to maintain a positive environment for all families in the Link. Therefore, these are the guidelines we will use in the acceptance process for the Link.  Please prayerfully evaluate your level of commitment to the Link before you apply.

  1. Students who attend the Link must be principally home schooled and have studied at home for at least one year before attending. We believe that this time allows for the strengthening of the parent/child relationship.

  2. Families must agree to our Statement of Faith, our Guiding Principles, and the following expectations.

Our Expectations

Communication with the Link

     The Link does have a phone that is answered by the administrators on Tuesdays only. The number is 402-613-3673. The board and administrator can also be contacted by email at lanlearnlink@gmail.com. Any suggestions, concerns or difficulties which arise during the course of a Link day should be brought to the attention of the administrator. If parents or students are experiencing difficulties in a specific class, we ask that the teacher be addressed, by phone or in person preferably, first. We suggest that email communication be used primarily for assignments, not for addressing problems or concerns. The administrator and Board members are always available to answer questions and help resolve any problems should the need arise.

Safety and Security

     By issuing name tags to the students and teachers at the Link it is easier to keep the building secure and identify visitors. To reduce the number of visitors, we ask that students not invite non-Link attending friends to campus during Link days to socialize. The lanyards with name tags must be worn whenever the student is on Link premises and left at the Link each week. If for some reason a lanyard is lost or destroyed, a fee will be charged to replace it.

     We may perform fire drills to meet fire code regulations and expect full attention to these drills by the students. (i.e. no texting during a drill!).

     We expect students to drive carefully and considerately to and from the Link each week. Students who desire to leave the Link premises during the Link day are required to have parental permission.  Permission can be given in two ways. The first takes place on the website and is completed at registration by the parents. This gives students permission to leave at any time during the day. The second way to permit a student to leave after class or study hall, on an infrequent basis, is for the parent(s) to send a signed specific note with the student for the administrator for each occasion.

     During inclement weather or other circumstances beyond our control, the Link may cancel in-person classes. If Lincoln Public Schools are closed due to snow, the Link may also cancel classes; however, we will not close, as the public schools do, for low temperatures. It is possible that we will call a snow day even if the Lincoln Public Schools do not close; we tend to be cautious and call school off sooner since some families travel from quite a distance. If the Link is cancelled, we will communicate that information via email and on Facebook before classes begin. Parents are ultimately responsible for the decision to send their child or not. Parents can always decide not to send their child that day whether or not the Link is "officially" cancelled. If they choose to do so, it is the student's responsibility to contact the teacher to get assignments. In the event of snow days, teachers will contact students with work for the week. There will not be any refund for snow days since most schoolwork is routinely completed at home and no makeup days will be scheduled. Parents remain responsible for the completion of all students' work.

Attendance

     In order to make the best use of our limited class time, we expect students to arrive to class promptly and not miss more than 3 out the 34 classes scheduled. We expect families to contact the administrators, teachers, and the Board before any student absences occur and to contact the teachers to receive instructions to stay current with the class. If families want teachers to organize a zoom meeting or other accommodation, the absence needs to be reported early enough to do so.

Behavior

     The Link is seeking students who confess Christ as Lord and who are self governing. We expect that they are motivated by the grace of God already evident in their lives, with a desire to be responsible, considerate, appreciative, thoughtful and committed to their studies.

     While it is not the Link's desire to dictate to the consciences of others, it is our desire to protect those attending our classes as well as to promote an atmosphere of learning. In light of this and in accordance with the guiding principles #1 and #2, we have established this policy:

  • Please wear clothing that covers undergarments
  • Keep pants and jeans at hip level or above
  • Please wear jeans with minimal or no tears/rips
  • Refrain from wearing excessively tight clothing
  • All shirts must cover the waist band. NO CROP TOPS
  • Please keep skirt/dress lengths around the knee and shorts lengths at the fngertips
  • When wearing leggings, please pair them with tunic-length or longer tops/dresses
  • No plunging necklines

If a student arrives at the Link, and a teacher or the administrator deems his or her clothing to be inappropriate, he/she will be given a large T-shirt to wear over the offending clothes. Please use discretion when dressing for the Link, remembering that Christ wants us to honor Him in all that we do. In addition, to maintain an atmosphere of learning, we request that students refrain from any flirtatious, boy/girl situations.

      We expect that parents are ultimately responsible for ensuring that student work is completed in a timely manner, for the students’ prompt arrival for classes and for behavior problems to be addressed quickly at home when necessary. A family interview may be requested by the Board if questions arise concerning the family’s level of commitment.

     Please review the guiding principles and use them as a standard of conduct. Of special note are guiding principles #1 and #7. With these in mind we want to stress that students need to be timely in the arrival to class. Although building relationships with other students is important, tardiness is not tolerated as it steals precious time the teachers have for instruction and can be disruptive to the class.

Electronics

       The use of electronic devices, including cellphones, can be disruptive to other students in class and may only be used with teachers' permission. If necessary, cell phone communication may take place between classes and in study hall, with the permission of the monitor. The Link cell phone is available to the students for necessary phone calls. The use of laptops and cellphones in classrooms is determined by the individual teacher.  Electronic devices, including cellphones, will be confiscated until the end of the Link day if they are used inappropriately.

Weapons and Alcohol

      We ask that students refrain from bringing any knives or other potentially dangerous items to the Link. Any item considered dangerous will be confiscated by the administrators until the end of the day. Link students are underage and cannot legally consume alcohol; therefore, if a Link student is found with alcohol, we will notify parents and call the Lincoln Police Department to handle the situation.

Student Success

     In order to provide a successful learning experience for students as well as to maintain the high standards of the Link and its teachers, boundaries are established for students who continually struggle with missing assignments and poor grades. It is not our goal to punish but to provide an opportunity for failing students to be rehabilitated, to gain good work and study habits, and to FLOURISH in their classes.

    Once a Link teacher reports that a student has failed a class:
  • The student may not enroll in the next level class. For example, if a student fails Algebra 1, the student may not enroll in Algebra 2 or any of the science classes that require completion of Algebra 1.
  • The student may re-take the failed class only with that teacher's permission.
  • The student who registers to re-take a class may be put on a waiting list. (Students taking the class for the first time will get priority if there is limited seating.)
  • The student who is re-taking a class and fails to turn in an assignment may be asked to sit in study hall until the assignment is completed.
  • The student will take a reduced course load in the year after the student fails a class.
  • The family will not receive a refund of tuition for a repeated class if the student drops the class during the second attempt.
  • The board will send letters to parents of failed students after final grades have been reported. The letter will include what a reduced course load would look like for that specific student.

If a student drops a class after the drop date, he/she may be referred for evaluation by the Student Success committee.