Just in Time Communications
from Bishop Kelly High School
What you need to know, when you need to know it.
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Dear Parents, 

As part of our Just in Time Summer Series, we wanted to draw your attention to specific expectations on dress code, cell phone expectations, and our attendance policy. 

Below you’ll find our full dress code policy, which is the same as the previous school year. To call out a few highlights:
  • We allow BK Spirit Wear Monday-Friday in order to provide additional dress options and to promote school pride, spirit and community.
  • The exception to this rule is on days we have all school Mass where our Mass Uniform will be required.
  • Our expectation is that students will follow the dress code, especially with the flexibility that is allowed. If a student is out of dress code, they will serve an automatic lunch detention and will need to fix the issue immediately.

The other area that we will continue to enforce is our cell phone use expectations during academic time. Below you will see our Mobile Technology Use Expectations as outlined in our student handbook. These expectations are not new and we will continue to enforce as we have the last couple of years. As part of our enforcement, every teacher will be collecting cell phones at the beginning of each period, and placing them cell phone organizers in each classroom. Without being asked or continually reminded, students are expected to place their cell phones in those pockets as they step into the classroom and will not collect them until the end of the period. Students will have access to cell phones during breaks and lunch, but we strongly encourage students to use them only as needed during lunch and break time. Students that cannot abide by our cell phone expectations will be expected to turn their phone into the Dean of Students at the beginning of the school day so that they are safe from distraction.  

Finally, it’s important that we are all on the same page for attendance expectations. We made some significant changes to our attendance policy two years ago, and it’s made a big difference in student attendance. Keep in mind that attendance is tracked per class. Given our bell schedule, if a student is missing Friday on a regular basis, that will affect periods 4-7. If a student misses Thursday and Friday, it would count as one absence for each period, 1-7. Please be sure to read through our attendance policy and our bell schedule and plan absences and appointments accordingly. 


Bishop Kelly High School Dress Code
for 2022 - 2023
Appropriate Dress for Young Men
Shirts
  • Long or short sleeve collared polo shirts 
  • Long or short sleeve collared full-button front shirts (shirts must be buttoned).
  • Long or short sleeve turtlenecks
  • 3 or 4 button (business casual) long or short sleeve shirts (example: Henley 3 or 4 button) 
  • Official Bishop Kelly T-shirts.
  • Knit Sweaters, Sweatshirts, Jackets, Coats, Pullovers, etc. may either have a Bishop Kelly Logo - this includes approved clubs and championship sweatshirts, or an appropriate logo or insignia that is SMALLER than a business card.
  • Knit Sweaters, Sweatshirts, Jackets, Coats, Pullovers, etc. MUST have an approved (collared, 3-4 button, or BK logoed) shirt underneath.

While shirts do not have to be tucked in, the length should be long enough to tuck in. All shirts and knit sweaters are to fit appropriately and have no words, numbers, or inappropriate graphic designs. 

Athletic style T-shirts (other than BK T-shirts) and/or graphic t-shirts are not acceptable.

Pants (Must have seams and/or pockets):
  • Dress slacks
  • Khaki/Dockers-style pants
  • Corduroys
  • Colored Denim (EXCEPT BLUE DENIM)
  • Shorts must come to the mid-thigh. (No blue denim shorts)
  • All pants must be worn at the waist. Lounge pants, sweatpants, or athletic pants/shorts, etc. are not acceptable.

Young Men’s Hair
  • Hair must be neat, clean, properly cut and styled (no extremes)
  • Hair length must not go past the bottom of the ears, stay off the collar and out of the eyes
  • Hair must hang naturally (no ponytails/buns)
  • No unnatural hair coloring; hair must be of one natural color (no two-tone; three tone; etc.); however, natural highlights are acceptable
  • No facial hair other than sideburns trimmed at the earlobe (the only exception to this is our No Shave November/December charity drive)
  • Hairstyles should not become a distraction to the learning environment. 
Appropriate Dress for Young Women
Shirts
  • Long or short sleeve collared blouses/shirts (shirts must be buttoned)
  • Long or short sleeve collared polo shirts 
  • Long or short sleeve turtlenecks
  • Long or short sleeve, professional or business casual shirt, which consists of a crew-neck neckline ONLY (no deep V-neck, no deep Scoop neck.)
  • Official Bishop Kelly T-Shirts.
  • Knit Sweaters, Sweatshirts, Jackets, Coats, Pullovers, etc. may either have a Bishop Kelly Logo - this includes approved clubs and championship sweatshirts, or an appropriate logo or insignia that is SMALLER than a business card.
  • Knit Sweaters, Sweatshirts, Jackets, Coats, Pullovers, etc. MUST have an approved (collared, 3-4 button, or BK logoed) shirt underneath.

Blouses/shirts cannot be see-through, show midriff area, or have an open back. Short-sleeve shirts should cover the shoulder. While shirts do not have to be tucked in, the length must be long enough to tuck in. All shirts and knit sweaters are to fit appropriately and have no words, numbers, or inappropriate graphic designs. 

Athletic style T-shirts (other than BK shirts) and/or graphic t-shirts are not acceptable. 

Pants (Must have seams and/or pockets)
  • Dress slacks
  • Khaki/Dockers-style pants (including Capris)
  • Corduroys
  • Denim jeans (EXCEPT BLUE DENIM)
  • Skirts must be within 3” of the knee when standing (No blue denim skirts)
  • Shorts must come to the mid-thigh. (No blue denim shorts)
  • Dresses should have a modest look with appropriate neckline (i.e. no lower than bottom of clavicle/collarbone) and must be within 3” of the knee when standing
  • Yoga pants, lounge pants, sweatpants, leggings (as pants), or athletic pants/shorts are not acceptable.
  • Leggings and tights must be covered with appropriate length shorts/skirts/dresses.

Young Ladies' Hair
  • Hair must be neat, clean, properly cut and styled (No extremes)
  • Unnatural colors are not permitted; hair must be of one natural color (no two-tone; three tone; etc.); however, natural highlights are acceptable
  • Hairstyles should not become a distraction to the learning environment 


Footwear
  • Appropriate footwear should be worn at all times. All shoes (other than the exceptions noted) must either cover the toe and heel or have heel and toe straps, properly used.
  • Clogs and Birkenstock-style footwear are permitted. 
  • Flip-flops, soccer slides, and slippers are not allowed.

Jewelry/Tattoos/Head Covering/Make-up 
  • Young men are not allowed to wear earrings
  • Young ladies are allowed to wear earrings in moderation
  • Body piercing (this includes nose rings) or tattooing cannot be visible
  • Hats/visors/stocking caps/ beanies/sunglasses etc. are not allowed to be worn during the school day
  • Young ladies may wear make-up in moderation
MASS DRESS 
Days of All School Liturgies and other special occasions are designated dress-up days. These are school days where a more formal appearance is expected of students out of respect for the special purpose of the day. Sweatshirts are not to be worn. All students must stay in Mass Dress the entire day. 
You can order Mass Dress items at Educational Outfitters by using the following link: http://boise.educationaloutfitters.com

Please make sure to order all Mass Dress in time to arrive for our first All School Mass on Tuesday, September 23rd.
 
Male Students 
  • A white oxford (button down), collared shirt (long or short sleeved) with the BK logo crest. Shirts must be tucked in. 
  • Dress slacks or khaki/Dockers-style pants (no denim); black or khaki colored only. 
  • Optional:  
  • Tie 
  • A sweater vest, cardigan, or blazer, with a BK logo crest, may be worn over the oxford. (Black or Gray in color)
 
Female Students 
  • A white oxford (button down), collared shirt (long or short sleeved) with the BK logo crest. Shirts must be tucked in. 
  • Dress slacks/pants (no denim), black or khaki colored only, or  
  • Maxi/Midi (at or past the knee) skirt, black or khaki colored only. 
  • Optional:  
  • A sweater vest, cardigan, or blazer, with a BK logo crest, may be worn over the oxford. (Black or Gray in color)
Every day (except Mass Dress Days) are BK Spirit Days, all students can wear their official BK T-shirts and BK sweatshirts.

On designated College Spirit-Days, all students will be allowed to wear a college t-shirt/sweatshirt.

On game/competition or designated club/organization days, team and club members may dress alike in the spirit of unity and school pride. Student athletes wanting to wear a team jersey as a symbol of team unity may do so. (At no time are athletic pants/shorts; leggings; yoga pants; etc. acceptable during the school day. Team dress must include appropriate clothing outlined in the Bishop Kelly dress code.)

Parents, students and staff must work together to ensure that the dress code is enforced and supported. The administration will be the final judge of student appearance questions not explicitly covered in dress code guidelines. All staff members will refer students to the Assistant Principals and/or Dean of Students for dress code violations; they will document the dress code violations. 
Mobile Technology Use Expectations
At Bishop Kelly, we embrace the educational value of technology, but also strive to find the right balance of technology use during the school day in order to find a better balance of technology use in our daily lives. Technology includes the use of laptops, cell phones, and other wearable technology that accesses internet or Bluetooth technologies. 

Expectations for Technology Use During Academic Time
Technology is to be used as a tool for learning in the classroom and only used at the discretion and approval of the teacher in that classroom. Teachers will communicate when laptops will be used each day if at all. It should not be assumed by students that the use of laptops each day for all classes is a given. All mobile and wearable technologies such as cell phones, smart watches, etc are not to be used at all and should not be visible or audible in the classroom environment, halls, restrooms, etc. unless the teachers have specifically designated the use of these devices as part of the lesson for the day. 
Students that are caught using their cell phones, etc. in class will have them taken away immediately by the teacher and will be given to the administration who will determine appropriate consequences. 

Technology Use During Passing Periods
Cell phones and wearable technologies may be used appropriately during passing periods, break and lunch. Students using these devices in the halls must be stopped and step to the side of the halls so as not to disrupt traffic flow and to practice good habits of appropriate cell phone use. 

Technology Light Days
Bishop Kelly will have designated “Tech Light'' days throughout the year. For Tech Light days, teachers are encouraged to minimize the use of technology in classrooms on these days and mobile and wearable technologies are not allowed for the entire day. On Tech Light days, students may not use mobile and wearable technologies during passing periods, break, or lunch. Students may use laptops for educational purposes only.
Attendance Expectations
Regular school attendance is critical to the learning process. Bishop Kelly policy states that students shall be in attendance at least 90% of the time that a subject is taught in order to gain credit for that class. Students who are absent more than 90% of the time (more than six absences per class in a semester) will be required to submit a letter of appeal to the Attendance Appeal Committee prior to the final exam week. The Attendance Appeal Committee will determine which of the following three actions will be taken (total absences and tardies will be taken into consideration.)
  • Absences exceeding 10% but less than 15% (7-9 absences) – Community Service and/or Credit Recovery Hours.
  • Absences exceeding 15% but less than 25% (10-14 absences) - Bishop Kelly will deduct 10% from the final grade. The reduced grade will be reflected on the student transcript. Students will have the option to retake the course at Bishop Kelly or at an approved alternative education provider.
  • Absences exceeding 25% (greater than 14 absences) – Automatic credit denial with option to retake the course at Bishop Kelly or at an approved alternative education provider.

Please visit BK.org for Bishop Kelly's Full Attendance Guidelines, Including procedures for parents who need to let school know if your student will be absent, attendance and tardy policies, permits to leave, COVID related absences, and more.

Please consult the School Calendars Page on the BK Website when making travel plans, and treat the day leading up to or following a vacation/holiday as a regular school day.