All-School Information
Accreditation
McLean School is accredited by the Association of Independent Maryland
Schools (AIMS) and the Maryland State Department of Education.
School Affiliations
The school is an active member of the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington (AISGW), the Association of Independent Maryland Schools (AIMS), the Black Student Fund (BSF), the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference (PVAC), the Council for Exceptional Children, The Alumni Program Council for Independent Schools and The Parents’ Council of Washington, DC.
These organizations provide educational services such as publications, conferences, seminars, and meetings for faculty, administration, trustees and parents.
Code of Conduct
The school encourages students to be positive members of the McLean School community. Every McLean community member is expected to be honest and courteous, to show respect for the rights and opinions of others. This often means going beyond an individual commitment to abide by stated rules. In all situations (on or off campus) McLean students are to display the good judgment, behavior and attitude that are cornerstones of constructive relationships with others and that reflect positively on the entire school community.
Faculty members are responsible for daily discipline. In their interactions with students, faculty use a variety of positive and encouraging behavior management techniques, including creative teaching methods designed to accommodate different learning styles, problem-solving with students, and working with others (parents, support staff and administrators) to design positive reinforcement systems. At times, faculty may also need to use consequences for negative behavior to ensure a safe and productive learning environment. Each division handles unexcused absences, excessive tardiness and improper dress code in different but appropriate ways. Behavior issues are addressed through a variety of methods, including communications with parents, faculty and students. Disciplinary actions range from warnings to expulsion. The terms and length of disciplinary consequences are determined by the faculty and administration.
Students are responsible for themselves as members of McLean School and have a responsibility for the safety and welfare of the entire community.
Serious Behavior Issues
The following acts are not tolerated at McLean School. They are considered serious breaches of discipline and may be dealt with by suspension or expulsion. School activities include events sponsored by the school as well as riding in a bus to and from school or school-sponsored events. In all cases, we treat students individually, and we review specific student issues and circumstances before we take appropriate actions.
K-12 8:15 am
If a student is late, the student must sign in at the Reception desk upon arrival.
DEPARTURE
Scheduled classes end at 3:15 pm. Students are expected to leave school at the end of the school day unless they are under the supervision of a teacher, coach or tutor, or a participant in the After School Program. If a student wishes to remain after school for a special activity, a written note from home giving permission for the late stay must be submitted to the homeroom teacher (K-6) or advisor (7-8). Students are to be picked up immediately after the completion of any after-school activity.
If a student is to be picked up early, the parent should check in and meet the student at the Reception area. We ask that parents refrain from entering the classroom at the end of the day for an early pickup in order to allow teachers to focus on closing the day effectively with the whole class. All early pick-ups MUST occur before 2:45 pm.
Special Events
If you attend a special event at the school, during the day or in the evening, please park in the McLean parking lot. In most cases, we will provide lot attendants to assist in finding additional parking spots, should the lot reach capacity.
[After-School Programs]
The school is responsible for the supervision of students during the regular school hours and until the end of After School Programs. A Lower or Middle School student whose transportation is delayed will be directed to the appropriate After School Program and must remain there until signed out.
Visitors
For the safety of the students, we ask all parents, visitors, parent volunteers and special service providers to wear a name tag at all times after signing in at the Reception desk.
Cancellation, Early Closing, and Emergency Procedures
Closing of school for inclement weather or hazardous road conditions:
McLean does not follow the weather closing decisions of Montgomery County Public Schools. We will make an independent decision for school closings, delayed openings, and emergency situations.
For all weather-related situations and other unplanned delays or closings, we will follow the following procedures:
NOTE: All McLean buses will run their regular schedules in accordance with adjusted school hours (i.e., if school starts two hours late, buses will run two hours late).
For weather-related or other emergency situations, our parents’ decision about the safety of road conditions or other circumstances will be honored. If you think that it is unsafe for your child to travel to school, we will make every reasonable effort to help absent students with missed schoolwork.
Parents should discuss these policies in advance with their children. Please make emergency arrangements if necessary and inform the school at the beginning of the year of any special instructions relating to your child.
Athletics
Participation on interscholastic athletic teams is open to all students in grades 5 through 12. Information regarding practice and game schedules can be found on the athletic web page and on the sports hotline (for that day) @240.395.0693.
| Fall | Winter | Spring |
| Girls soccer | Girls basketball | Girls lacrosse |
| Girls volleyball | Boys basketball | Boys lacrosse |
| Boys soccer | Co-ed wrestling | Co-ed track & field |
| Co-ed cross country | Step Team |
Back-to-School Night
Back-to-School Nights are held at the beginning of the school year. This is a time for parents to learn about the academic program, to meet their children’s teachers and advisors, and to share ideas and concerns with other parents. Please plan to attend. If parents need to discuss a child individually, we ask that you request a separate conference time.
Textbooks
All students are issued books at the start of the school year. Book charges vary by grade. Replacement of a lost book is charged to the student as an additional expense.
Lunch
Milk is provided daily to students at no extra cost. Your child may bring a bagged lunch to school (sorry no facilities for heating food), or enroll in McLean’s catered lunch program for an additional fee. We ask that food and drink be restricted to assigned areas and not consumed in the hallways or common areas.
Homework
Homework is assigned to reinforce the concepts and skills learned during class.
It is also a means by which students learn to plan, organize and discipline themselves
in their academic endeavors. Daily completion of homework assignments
is necessary to ensure academic success.
Assignment Notebooks
Students record their assignments in assignment books. Each student in grades 2-12 is given an assignment notebook at the beginning of the school year. Homework assignments are written in the notebook each day. Students are expected to keep assignments up-to-date and in order. A guide to the amount of homework to be assigned is listed below. These times may vary. If you find that your child is spending noticeably more or less time than the guideline amount, please inform his or her advisor or classroom teacher.
| Per day schedule: | Grades | 1 — 15 to 30 minutes |
| 2 — 15 to 30 minutes | ||
| 3 — 30 to 45 minutes | ||
| 4 — 45 to 60 minutes | ||
| 5 — 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours | ||
| 6 — 1 hour to 2 hours | ||
| 7 — 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours | ||
| 8 — 2 to 3 hours | ||
| Upper School- 1/2 hour per subject per night | ||
General Student Records
A cumulative record is maintained for each student while he or she attends McLean School. This record includes report cards (transcripts), aptitude test scores, achievement test results, significant disciplinary issues, and awards.
School Transcript
Official (signed, dated and sealed) transcripts are issued only to other schools. A
transcript requested by a student or the student’s parent will be so marked and will
not be signed or sealed.
ACCESS TO STUDENT RECORDS
- Student files contain the following information: original application to McLean, scores of standardized educational achievement tests, aptitude tests, professional psychological testing results and evaluations, health records, copies of all report cards (from previous schools as well as from McLean) and a copy of the letter of acceptance.
- Student files are open to the faculty of McLean School.
- Student files are open to the parent or legal guardian of the student but not to the student. Should you wish to review your child’s file, please call the appropriate Division office to schedule an appointment.
- A student’s record will only be released to those individuals, schools, or institutions so designated by the parents.
- The school cannot release a report or an evaluation that it received from an outside consultant. Only that consultant may release his or her own report.
- A signed, dated and sealed transcript will be supplied directly to the requesting individual, school, or institution when all financial obligations to McLean School have been met.
- If a student withdraws from the school, final transcripts will be released when the parents or legal guardians grant permission and all financial obligations are fulfilled.
After a student graduates from McLean, all items in his/her folder are shredded with the exception of the final transcript and the admission application. If a student withdraws from McLean prior to his/her class’s graduation, the school will hold on to all contents of the file until that student’s class graduates.
K-12 Technology Guidelines
McLean School of Maryland expects all community members to act with a high degree of individual integrity in the ethical and responsible use of technology throughout our building.
To maintain our safe and respectful environment, community members agree to use all technology equipment — including school-issued computer hardware and software, internet access, personal laptops and electronic devices - in a safe, respectful and appropriate manner for academic purposes only.
The use of McLean’s electronic equipment is a privilege, which may be revoked at any time. Abusive or inappropriate behavior will be addressed based on a continuum of consequences that may include revocation of this privilege. Although the Lower School, Middle School, and the Library computers have filtering software, it is impossible for McLean to make a guarantee of absolute security. To this end, we depend on faculty and students to monitor access and use. The use of social networking websites, personal student email accounts, instant messaging, web journals, peer-to-peer networks, blogs, and chat rooms must be specifically permitted by a faculty member for academic purposes only. Use of these electronic resources is never permitted on school grounds for nonacademic use. This policy applies to all student electronic devices such as PDAs, cell phones, laptops, tablet PCs, watches, etc. that allow personal communication with others while in school.
Additionally, students are not allowed to use any electronic device to transmit or engage in any activities that are in violation of any local, state or federal law or regulation, including piracy, tracking, extortion, blackmail, unauthorized access to any computers on the Internet, or purchase, sale or distribution of contraband materials.
In all of our relationships, we encourage honesty, civil communication, and respect for others. All community members are expected to act with consideration toward others and to behave in a responsible manner at all times. Bullying behavior through the use of student electronic communication (cyberbullying), including communications sent from off-campus devices, to or about any member of the school community, will be treated as if the behavior it had occurred at school. Deleting or tampering with someone else’s files, as well as any unauthorized, deliberate action that damages or disrupts our equipment including the network, is prohibited.