Dear Parent:

We want to provide you with important information regarding the objectives, standards, and scheduled events for the 2000 -2001 seminary year. We need and appreciate your support of the Seminary Program and we invite you to call us if you have any questions or concerns.

FIRST & LAST DAYS: The first day of seminary will be Tuesday, September 5, 2000. The last day of the seminary year will be Friday June 8, 2001.

CREDIT REQUIREMENTS: Students must attend at least 80% of all classes held during the year. This will be measured each semester. A student that misses the first 5 minutes of class (ie., 6:05) will be counted tardy. This year the Church Education System has mandated that we count a flagrant tardy as an absence. A Flagrant Tardy in our stake is defined as any student that arrives 15 minutes late or leaves 15 minutes early.

Make-up assignments can be used to offset absences. These assignments will come from the teacher and will be taken from the student manual for the New Testament. Each assignment should take the student about 45 mins. per day missed to complete.

STUDENT EXPECTATIONS:

• Participate in the devotional, which includes praying and singing.
• Do not do school homework in seminary class.
• Each student is part of the class and is expected to participate in appropriate ways such as marking scriptures, listening and answering questions, reading scriptures, etc. Put forth your best effort.
• Do not make rude or disruptive remarks.
• Memorize as many of the 25 scriptures as you can. Be familiar with and able to locate the 25 scriptures when given clues.
• Know the books of the New Testament in order.
• Read the text for the course, the New Testament.
• No sleeping or eating in class.
• Obey your teachers' reasonable requests.

Each student must have and use in class their personal copy of the complete Standard Works (1981 or later edition), not just the scriptures for the curriculum of the year.

DRESS CODE: The dress code or standard for attending seminary is the same as that given on page 8 of the pamphlet, "For The Strength of Youth". We do not expect students to come in their "Sunday Best", but we do expect them to dress modestly and appropriately for attending a gospel class. Students are not to wear hats, headgear, sleepwear, or bring blankets or pillows to class.

GRADES: Seminary is designed by the Brethren to be both an academic and spiritual learning experience for the youth. Therefore a letter grade is given for each quarter of seminary, and a student must meet the attendance requirements for the quarter to receive a letter grade. Otherwise they will receive an incomplete. The teacher determines grading requirements, but they will always include the basic student expectations mentioned earlier.

SEMINARY PIN:
Award requirements:

• Read the entire New Testament.
• Read at least 10 minutes a day in the New Testament for 200 days. The 200 days of reading do not need to be consecutive.
• Memorize all scripture mastery scriptures word for word.
• Memorize, in order, the names of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and memorize, in order, the books of the New Testament.

NO SEMINARY DAYS: Seminary will not be held on any day that school is not scheduled nor when cancellations due to weather conditions, travel conditions or unexpected events prevent us from using one or more of the facilities. When a decision is made to cancel seminary for such a reason, the supervisors will contact the teachers, who in turn will contact the students or have someone contact the students or a parent to notify them that seminary has been canceled. A schedule of the days the Kent schools will be closed is attached.

GENERAL RULES OF WHERE TO ATTEND:

1. All Kentwood and Mattson students will meet in the Kentwood building from 6:30 a.m. to 7:15 a.m.
2. All Kent-Meridian, Sequoia and Kent Jr. High students will meet at the Kent building from 6:00 a.m. to 6:45 a.m.
3. Kent 5th Ward students will meet in a home.
4. Kent 10th Ward students will meet at the Kentwood building from 6:00 a.m. to 6:45 a.m.
5. All other students will meet at the Kent Stake Center from 6:00 a.m. to 6:45 a.m.

The following arrangements have been made to eliminate the problem of having to leave class early as this is very disruptive to the Spirit in the classroom and could result in an absence:

1. A zero hour class will be provided at the Kentwood Building at 5:30 a.m. This class will dismiss at 6: 15 a.m.
2. Any students who would otherwise meet at 6:30 a.m., but who need to leave before 7:15 a.m. are asked to attend either a 6:00 a.m. class at the Stake Center or the zero hour class.
3. Any students who would otherwise meet at 6:00 a.m., but who need to leave before 6:45 a.m. are asked to attend the zero hour class.

If you are planning to attend the zero hour class please contact Sister Lindsay or Bro. Farnsworth.