Hanger Hall Mission Statement
Hanger Hall provides each girl a superior middle school education in an inclusive and supportive environment that promotes a sense of belonging, creativity, self-confidence, personal motivation and a desire for knowledge. In partnership with parents, Hanger Hall encourages girls to develop in the living and learning skills necessary to succeed in life and to contribute to the betterment of the world.
Board of Directors
Hanger Hall is a not-for-profit 501 (c) 3 corporation governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. The board is responsible for the financial viability of the school, strategic planning to promote and uphold the Hanger Hall mission, and the hiring and supervision of the Head of School. The current Board of Directors includes:
Jackie Williams (Asheville community) – Chair
Laura Stone (past parent) Angie Wills (Asheville community)
Rachel Fagan (current parent) Paige Hansen (Asheville community)
Lisa Yoffee (current parent) Donna James (Asheville community)
Maureen Mueller (past parent) Michele Capal (past parent)
Tadd Clarkson (current parent) Anna Hamrick (current parent)
Rachel Fagan (current parent)
Catherine McClain (Head of School) ex-officio
Katie Langwell (French teacher) ex-officio
Contact Information
Official Address is 30 Ben Lippen School Road¸ Suite 207, Asheville, NC 28806
Office Phone Number is 828-258-3600 Office Fax is 828-254-4561
School Website is http://www.hangerhall.org
Hanger Hall Faculty
Catherine McClain – Head of School – cathym@hangerhall.org
Brigitta Catoe- Assistant Head of School – brigittac@hangerhall.org
Marijo Simpson – Community Outreach Coordinator – mariojos@hangerhall.org
Jamie Hammond- Grammar, 7th & 8th grade Humanities – jamieh@hangerhall.org
Meg Winnecour- Art and 6th grade Humanities Teacher- megw@hangerhall.org
Katie Langwell- French and Drama teacher and office manager- katiel@hangerhall.org
Christa Woodlief – Science Teacher- christaw@hangerhall.org
Kizzi Danh- Math Teacher- kizzid@hangerhall.org
Katie Conner- Spanish Teacher – katiec@hangerhall.org
Margaret Ann Medley- Physical Education Instructor- margaretannm@hangerhall.org
Whitney Moore – Music Teacher – whitneym@hangerhall.org
Becky Hendrix – Bookkeeper- rchendrix@charter.net
Academics
COURSE OF STUDY
At Hanger Hall, all grade levels focus on an invigorating and challenging curriculum that covers:
Humanities
Grammar
Math (from Intermediate Math through Algebra)
Science
French or Spanish
Art
Music
Drama
Research and Library Skills
Community Service
Physical Education
FACULTY ADVISERS
All students are assigned a faculty adviser whom they should feel free to consult regarding school or personal matters. Frequent group meetings/outings with faculty members and her advisees are built into the schedule.
GRADES
GRADE EXPLANATION
For each grading period, students receive a number grade. These grades also appear on the student’s transcript with an explanation of letter equivalents, which are as follows:
|
Grade |
Average |
Interpretation |
| A | 100 – 93 | Excellent |
| B | 92 – 85 | Good |
| C | 84 – 77 | Satisfactory |
| D | 76 – 70 | Poor |
| F | 69 – 0 | Failure |
| I | Incomplete | |
| P | Pass |
GRADING SCHEDULE
Students receive official grades four times during the school year. Grades are e-mailed home. If a parent would like to receive paper copies of the grade reports, please e-mail the request to brigittac@hangerhall.org
GRADE COMMENTS
All grade reports will include teacher comments. These comments are designed to communicate to parents how their daughter is progressing in each subject area.
INCOMPLETE GRADES
Students receiving incomplete grades at mid-semester or semester will be given 10 school days from the date that the grades are issued to complete all work.
SUMMER SCHOOL
Any student receiving a failing end of year grade will be required to complete summer school in that subject area. Parents of the student will be responsible for arranging for the Hanger Hall approved summer teacher, and for paying for summer school instruction. At the completion of the required 20 hour summer instruction, Hanger Hall requires a letter from the summer teacher stating that the student successfully completed all work. Hanger Hall requires that all of the student’s summer work be handed in to the school as well.
HOMEWORK
Homework is taken very seriously at Hanger Hall. Students are required to complete approximately twenty minutes of homework per class per night. For your child to achieve optimal success, schoolwork must be reinforced at home. Your child will receive homework based on her age level, and she is expected to complete it when due.
PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES
At Hanger Hall we believe parent-teacher conferences are a critical dimension of a healthy educational environment. Parent conferences are important meetings to discuss the teacher’s observations about your child and to ask questions. We always encourage both parents to attend if possible.
Hanger Hall offers several Parent-Teacher Conference days throughout the school year. Those are marked on the school calendar and are coordinated by the school office two to three weeks in advance of the meeting days.
If you have any questions, ideas, or concerns about your daughter that arise outside of our specified conference days, please contact the teachers directly. Our teachers are happy to meet with you at any time during the year.
LEARNING DIFFERENCES POLICY
Hanger Hall serves children that represent a full range of academic abilities. Hanger Hall does not specialize in dealing with specific learning differences but will address the needs of students on an individual basis. Because we do not have specialists on our staff and our teachers are not trained to accommodate the many special needs that may arise, parents need to assist teachers by hiring professionals who are able to assess a child’s needs and work with the teachers to develop the best strategies for success. If the level of support a child needs to find success with our curriculum exceeds the school’s resources, parents may be required to seek outside assistance for their child such as private tutoring.
ACADEMIC PROBATION
All students at Hanger Hall are required to meet certain academic standards. The policies regarding academic probation are designed to provide close supervision of the program of study and progress of students. Failure to meet standards will place students on academic probation. At Hanger Hall it is our goal to help each student reach her full potential. We believe that it is through dedication, hard work, and positive reinforcement that students succeed. However, sometimes it is necessary to form more stringent guidelines for students to follow. A student may be placed on Academic Probation for any D’s, F’s, or Incomplete grades at the end of a grading period. If a student is on Academic Probation, the teachers, the student, and her parents will draw up a contract that addresses all of the homework assignments, extra tutoring, and further organizational requirements deemed necessary to get that student back on track with her academic work. Contracts will apply to a specific period of time. If the requirements stated and agreed upon in the contract are not met, the student may face expulsion from Hanger Hall.
PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is the act of intentionally copying passages, language or ideas from another writer without quoting and/or citing the original author (including sources found on the internet) and is viewed as an honor offense. The act of plagiarism violates our expectation that students exhibit ethical behavior as expressed in their academic work.
RANGE OF CONSEQUENCES FOR PLAGIARISM:
In instances of plagiarism, every case is individual and teachers reserve the right to take any of the following actions depending on the severity of the incident.
- A grade reduction on the assignment in question.
- A grade of zero (0) for the assignment in question with no opportunity to make up that work in any way, including extra credit work.
- If the severity of the situation merits it, the student shall be given a grade of F for the quarter of the course in which the plagiarism has occurred. An F may equal zero to 59 points and shall be determined by the teachers.
- For any subsequent occurrence in any course at Hanger Hall the student shall immediately be dropped from the course and receive an F for a final grade.
In unusual situations, where the gravity of the infraction is so great, the school reserves the right to administer consequences beyond the identified range.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Service has always been a cornerstone of the Hanger Hall experience. Becoming aware of the needs of others and actively working toward solutions to our world’s problems helps to give students a sense of purpose, compassion, responsibility and hope.
Students are required to give 18 hours of service per year (averaging 2 hours per month) in addition to two service-related classroom periods per week. We will track this in our Service Log, available in the school lunchroom. Our Community Service program is coordinated by Marijo Simpson.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
At Hanger Hall, we believe it is important for growing adolescent girls to have a good relationship with their bodies as well as learn good sportsmanship and cooperation skills. All students are required to participate in Physical Education unless supplied with a doctor’s note stating any physical complications that prohibit participation. Students are similarly required to provide suitable attire for each activity. Grades for Physical Education classes will be determined based on preparedness and effort, not on physical ability.
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A WOMAN IN THE 21ST CENTURY SERIES
Each year Hanger Hall invites women for different backgrounds, lifestyles, ages, and careers to meet with the students and share, from personal experience, what it means to be a woman in the 21st century. The series is intended to broaden our students understanding of the possibilities of women today by exposing the girls to a wide variety of women whom are living full, happy lives and are making significant contributions to our world. (Parents are welcome to attend these programs as well.)
GROUP
At Hanger Hall we have weekly “Group” sessions or entire school gatherings in which the girls are not just given information but are invited to make “observations” about themselves and the world around them. The students are encouraged to be articulate and original in their responses and are reminded that each girl sees the world through different eyes.
General Policies and Procedures
DROP OFF AND PICK UP
Students should be dropped off at school between 8:30am and 8:50am. If you need to make arrangements for an earlier drop-off please call the school office. Classes begin promptly at 9:00am.
Pick-up: Parents are required to pick up their daughters between 3:00pm and 3:15pm. After 3:15pm the school charges $1 per minute late fee.
ABSENCES
Students who for any reason miss over seventeen school days in a school year will not pass their grade. This policy represents a large number of absences, and we expect that most students will never approach this absence limit. This number does take into account, however, the occasional medical emergency as well as the chronic illness resulting in persistent absences; at the same time it imposes a limit on student absences beyond which the school will not sanction academic credit.
PROCEDURES FOR ABSENCES
Only parents or legal guardians can request permission for a student to leave or miss school. If a student is ill, parents are required to contact the school before 8:30 a.m. at 258-3600 on the day of the absence.
If a student needs to miss a class or classes for a doctor’s appointment or medical procedure, parents must present a note (or email) or call the school office before 8:30 a.m. on the day of the absence, stating the time of the appointment and the approximate time the student will return to school.
Students who must miss a class or a full day of school for reasons other than illness or medical appointments are required to notify the school of the upcoming absence by signed note or telephone call before 8:30 a.m. on the day of the absence.
We also ask parents to please not plan trips requiring your daughter to miss school for any length of time during the school year. In particular, the months of December, April and May are very intense and missing time during these months is very difficult to make-up. Exceptions to this rule must be addressed directly with the Head of School.
COMMUNICATION
Every Wednesday Hanger Hall e-mails important school/community information; therefore, it is essential for parents to check their e-mail accounts at least once a week to stay up on school news.
In the case of an emergency in the middle of the school day, please call the school office. While cell phone use by students is strictly prohibited during the school day, parents can leave messages on their daughter’s cell phones to be retrieved at the end of school.
If a parent needs to contact a teacher to arrange a conference or ask a question, please utilize the phone numbers and email addresses provided in the school directory distributed at the beginning of the year.
For all other questions or concerns, contact the school office.
DRESS CODE
Hanger Hall’s dress code consists of a uniform skort (khaki) that is clean, neat, in good repair, and of appropriate length (no more than four inches above the top of the knee). Girls may wear a uniform shirt or sweatshirt with the Hanger Hall insignia. All of these options may be purchased through Hanger Hall or Lands End School Division. Students may also wear khaki pants from any store of their choosing. Bermuda length khaki shorts may also be worn from the beginning of school through October 31st, then again from April 1st through the end of the school year. Shoes must be black, Mary Jane style preferred with no more than a one inch heel, or all white tennis shoes (no colored designs) with white laces (black Mary Jane Crocs are okay). Shoes may be purchased from any store at your discretion. Black TOMS are acceptable.
For gym, students may wear dark colored shorts (black or navy), a purple Hanger Hall tee-shirt, and appropriate athletic shoes (no Keds.)
HAIR
Student’s hair must kept be in a natural color range.
BIRTHDAYS
Birthdays are very special days at Hanger Hall. If a parent would like to bring a cake or other treat to school for everyone to share during a lunch period or in a class, please contact the office to make arrangements.
COMPUTER POLICY
School computers may only be used for school-related work or research. Students are not allowed to utilize the computers for e-mail, music, or surfing the web. If a student refuses to abide by this policy, she will lose computer privileges at school.
SCHOOL TRIPS
Field trips and overnight trips are an integral part of Hanger Hall’s academic program and are directly related to our curriculum. We view these trips as learning opportunities designed to broaden the student’s education and worldview. Unless otherwise indicated, all students are required to participate in school trips. While on school trips, students are expected to accept and uphold Hanger Hall’s standards of conduct.
Each year we begin the year with a trip to Camp Glen Arden in Tuxedo, NC, a retreat designed to get to know each other in a context outside the walls of our classrooms. We also participate in class trips. The class trips are 3-5 days long, academically focused, experiential educational trips. All trips are required for students.
SEVERE WEATHER POLICY
We direct all Hanger Hall parents to listen to 88.1FM WCQS, WLOS or FOX television, and/or the Asheville Citizen Times website, for information regarding Hanger Hall’s decision about school closings or late starts on inclement days. You may also check our website or Facebook site for weather updates.
TUITION AND FEES
Hanger Hall is committed to making itself available to the widest and most diverse population possible. With that in mind, we do our best to keep tuition down. However, in order to attract and maintain excellent teachers, we must keep our salaries competitive in the independent school market.
Tuition for the upcoming school year is announced in February of that year. The Board of Directors recommends the tuition for each year at its January board meeting.
Fees ($750) include activity fee, class trips and Camp Kick-off. Additional family costs may run approximately $300 for uniforms, supplies, and personal items.
OUTSTANDING BALANCE POLICY
Parents are required to enroll in Smart Tuition to manage their tuition payments. If parents pay-in-full before June 1st of the next academic year they will not be required to enroll in Smart Tuition. If at any point during the year your circumstances change and you need to make payment arrangements Catherine McClain, Head of School, to make arrangements. Any unpaid balances at the end of the school year will be turned over to a collection agency.
Additionally, if you are an 8th grade parent and your tuition and fees are not paid in full by April1st, your daughter will be unable to participate in graduation ceremonies. At our discretion diplomas may be withheld if there is an outstanding balance on a student account. Transcripts of 8th grade students are also withheld if there is a remaining balance.
WITHDRAWAL FROM SCHOOL
If your child is withdrawn or dismissed from Hanger Hall once the school year has begun, the school is under no obligation to refund or forgive any part of the tuition charges.
CELL PHONES AND PERSONAL ELECTRONICS
Cell phone and personal electronic use during school hours is strictly prohibited. If a
student is caught utilizing one of these devices or if their cell phone is seen or heard
during or before school hours, the device will be confiscated by a teacher for the remainder of the day and all of the next day. If a student needs to use the phone during the school day, she must ask a teacher who can direct the student to the office. After 3pm, students may use cell phones and personal electronic devices if they are not engaged in a school activity or study hall/help session.
LOCKERS
Students must keep their lockers in order. A student should never open another student’s locker or bother anything visible inside a locker which may have been left open. Students are responsible for the condition of their assigned lockers. If damage to or writing on the school locker should occur, the student will be charged for the necessary cleaning or repairs.
LOST AND FOUND
Students should be mindful of where they leave their belongings and should refrain from bringing large amounts of money and valuables to school with them. If items are lost, however, students should check the lost and found at the school. The lost and found box at Hanger Hall is emptied and taken to charity monthly.
Guidelines to Middle School Behavior and Discipline Procedures
Hanger Hall encourages each student to discover her individualism and to nurture attributes which contribute to a happy and productive life such as: courtesy, a sense of honor, listening skills, speaking and writing with clarity, cooperation, respect for others, respect for the earth, appreciation of diversity, and the values of friendship, community, integrity, honesty, compassion, creativity, and justice. We encourage students to express their opinions with respect and an open mind. All behavioral problems are first addressed directly to the students. Hanger Hall is a community and each member must understand his or her role. Parents will be contacted if behavior problems persist. Character Education is of extreme importance to each of our instructors, and all lessons incorporate moral questions. Appropriate behavior towards all people is required at Hanger Hall.
If behavior problems persist, students may face the following one or more consequences:
SILENT LUNCH
A student is required to sit alone and remain quiet during her lunch period. Silent lunch may be given to a student by any member of the Hanger Hall staff for some of the following reasons:
-General misconduct
-Profanity
-Littering
-Rudeness/disrespect
-Dress code violations
- Two (2) tardys for class periods 2-9.
NO HARASSMENT/NO BULLYING POLICY
Bullying is an aggressive behavior pattern that occurs over time and creates an imbalance of power. Bullying can be physical or social. Hanger Hall does not tolerate any type of harassment
including technological bullying through use of computers, cell phones, or other electronic devices. The word harassment/bullying includes (but is not limited to) slurs, jokes, threats, displays of bigotry, and other verbal, graphic, or offensive physical conduct relating to age, race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, or disability. This type of offensive conduct can create a hostile school environment. Additionally, Hanger Hall is dedicated to fostering an environment which promotes kindness and embraces differences among individuals. Therefore, bullying, teasing, taunting, ridiculing, or threatening conduct among students will not be permitted. All Hanger Hall students have a responsibility for keeping the school environment free from harassment and bullying. Students must report incidents to their teacher. When the school administration becomes aware that harassment might exist, it will promptly investigate the situation. Any student found to have violated this policy will be subject to disciplinary action, including dismissal from school. No adverse action will be taken against any person for making a good faith report of alleged harassment.
TARDY POLICY
After a student is tardy to class two times, she will receive a Tardy Detention. Tardy Detentions must be served from 8-9 am on assigned days. Permission to reschedule must be requested from the school in advance.
NO GRAFITTI POLICY
We ask the girls to be respectful of themselves, their classmates and their surroundings. To that end, we will not tolerate the girls writing on themselves or their uniforms, other girls, or property belonging to the school, the teachers, or classmates. Following the first offense, parents will be notified and the girl asked to write a reflection. If there is damage to property or belongings the family will be asked to pay for repairs or the replacement cost.
BEHAVIORAL PROBATION
Similar to Academic Probation, this may result in exclusion from extra-curricular activities and fieldtrips. A contract will be jointly written by the student, teacher(s), and parent(s).
SUSPENSION
The exact number of school days that a student will be required to miss will be decided on a case-by-case basis. Teachers are under no obligation to assist students in making up work missed during suspension periods. Students will receive zeros for any work not completed by the first school day after the suspension is lifted. While on suspension, the student may not enter school property in any form. A friend or relative must gather any material that she needs from the school. The student will also miss any field trips or extra-curricular activities taking place during the suspension period.
DISMISSAL
In the unfortunate event that a student is involved in a situation where dismissal is
necessary, her parents will be notified as quickly as possible and the student must prepare for immediate departure. As with cases in which a student leaves during the school year, no tuition will be refunded by the school.
Hanger Hall Pledge
The pledge is said regularly as a reminder of who we are and how we intend to live with each other.
As a Hanger Hall girl I will be kind, honest, and respectful with myself and all others.
If someone is hurting, I will comfort her.
If someone is lonely, I will be with her.
If someone is glad, I will be glad with her.
This is my pledge as a Hanger Hall girl.
Honor Code
The honor system is an understanding among Hanger Hall students that they will not lie, cheat, steal or falsify information. All students understand this principle and are expected to live in accordance with it.
Statement of Non-Discrimination
Hanger Hall does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational or admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic or other school- administered programs.
Opening the world to girls, that they might find their place in the world