Disciples. Heirs. Leaders.

WILDCATS ATHLETIC HANDBOOK

2023-2024

School Vision

Through the transformative power of the Gospel, we will make disciples of Jesus Christ, who are heirs of eternity, and prepared with a Christ-centered, excellent education to be servant leaders in their community.

Program Philosophy

        The sports program at Mount Lebanon is an extracurricular privilege. It provides opportunities for growth and development of a child’s athletic skills that are difficult to duplicate in other activities. In doing so, it will help the child to develop physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually.  The goal of our athletic program is to develop Christian maturity, Christian sportsmanship, and appreciation of their God-given abilities.

        Involvement in the athletic program encourages responsible team play and cooperation. It provides an opportunity for learning mental and physical self-discipline, loyalty, personal pride, school pride, respect for others, and dedication to succeed.

        Participation in the athletic program at Mount Lebanon is entirely voluntary. Participation is extended to all Scholar Athletes who are willing to assume the behavioral and academic responsibilities outlined in this handbook.

Athletic Program Objectives

1. Develop their God-given talents to their fullest.
2. Practice Christian sportsmanship in ALL situations.
3. Teach the athletes the skills needed to participate in future activities to the glory of God.
4. Provide a positive image of Mount Lebanon School, in its Scholar Athletes, coaches, teachers, directors, deans, staff minister and the pastor.
5. Teach participants respect for their teammates, opponents, volunteers, coaches, fans, officials, and property.
6. Keep in mind the overall health and well-being of the athlete.
7. Provide for each participant with the opportunity to experience success.
8. Give God glory!

Participation

Since participation is one of the main objectives of Mount Lebanon’s athletic program, every attempt will be made to allow participation by all Scholar Athletes indicating an interest in a particular sport.  

All sports with a B team have a goal of equal playing to all Scholar Athletes demonstrating proper attitude for the good of the team.

All sports with an A team have a strong purpose of using Scholar Athlete’s skills and proper attitudes for the good of the team’s success.

This will require the players to arrive a half hour before their scheduled game. If a player arrives late, the coach or Athletic Director will get the player’s uniform if time allows it to be possible. There is a chance they will not be able to get the uniform.

Note:

Every team at Mount Lebanon Lutheran School will need enough players for a team to play the sport:

• Volleyball teams must have a minimum of 12 players.
• Basketball teams must have a minimum of 10 players.
• Track and Cross Country Club do not have a minimum requirement.
• In the case of a team being too small, the Athletic Director will work to allow players still eligible to move to another team if possible.

Uniforms

• Uniforms are provided by the school.
• Shorts must be worn properly around the waist.
• Shirts need to be tucked in at all times including during warm-ups.
• If a Scholar Athlete chooses to wear a t-shirt under their uniform, it needs to be the dominant color of the uniform (black, gold, and white).
• Coaches or the Athletic Director will hand out the uniforms when the team enters the locker room.
• Uniforms must be turned in after the game. Failure to do so may result in the loss of playing time.

Scholar Athletic Eligibility

        At Mount Lebanon Lutheran we value athletic activities. However, we emphasize that it is more important to use our God-given talents academically and behaviorally. Therefore, we have established a policy regarding eligibility standards at Mount Lebanon. The following standards are approved by the School Board. This should not be used as a deterrent for participating in extracurricular athletic activities, but rather as a focus on academics and Christian values.

• A Scholar Athlete who has an unexcused tardy to school may need to make up the time they were tardy before practice.
• Any out-of-school suspension will result in a 2 week removal from athletics. After the second suspension, the Scholar Athlete will be off the team.
• Any in-school suspension will eliminate an athlete’s participation in a practice or game on the day the in-school suspension is served.
• Any teacher, administrator, or the Athletic Director may hold a Scholar Athlete from an athletic event or practice if they deem fit due to academics or behavior. Examples of this include receiving a Dean referral, take homes, or an academic dishonesty referral.
• A Scholar Athlete may not participate in a practice or event if he / she did not attend school for all or part of the day. The only exceptions would be for an excused absence approved by the principal or Athletic Director.
• If a Scholar Athlete misses 1 practice during the week, their playing time may be cut in half. If he / she misses 2 practices, he / she will not be able to play in the game, but will sit on the bench in uniform. If he / she misses 3 or more practices, he / she may be removed from the team with coaches’ discretion.
• If a Scholar Athlete quits, their decision will not allow them to return to the team at a later date.
• Scholar Athletes must maintain a 2.0 or higher grade point average (GPA) without any F’s, on mid-term or end of term report cards.
• If a Scholar Athlete has a GPA lower than 2.0 and / or has Fs on his / her midterm or end of the term report card, he / she will be put on academic probation and attend power hour during practice days. Academic probation gives the scholar athlete two weeks to improve grades.
• If grades do not improve to meet eligibility benchmarks, Scholar Athletes will lose their spot on the team.
• Scholars who are on academic probation may lose playing time.
• When 10 cumulative missing / late / incomplete assignments occur (see scholar homework log), the Scholar Athlete is in power hour prior to attending practice.
• When 15 cumulative missing / late / incomplete assignments occur (see scholar homework log), the Scholar Athlete is in power hour until the end of the term. The Scholar Athlete is removed from participation in all sports activities (practice and games) for the remainder of the sports season.

Example of the cumulative missing / late / incomplete homework tracker. This tracker has the total number of missing / late / incomplete assignments for the term.

Parents have the authority and are encouraged to establish higher standards for their children than stated in this policy.

Expectations

Scholar Athletes:

• Possess and display a love for our Lord.
• Display appropriate Christian attitudes at practices and during all games.
• Show respect to the coaches, officials, teammates, parents, opponents, and anyone else connected with the sports program.
• Avoid in-game misconduct penalties or disrespect and understand the coach and Athletic Director will address this matter immediately and follow-up after the game. Removal or suspension from the team may result.
• Use their God-given abilities athletically and academically.
• Respect school property as well as the property of other Scholar Athletes and schools.
• Attend practices and games as scheduled and inform the Athletic Director or coach (-es) ahead of the time when attendance is not possible.
• Stay with the team in the designated area given by the Athletic Director or coach.
• Be on time to all games and practices dressed in proper athletic attire.
• Be positive ambassadors for Mount Lebanon School.
• Follow all school behavior policies at all sporting events.
• Maintain academic eligibility.

Parents:

• Display a Christian attitude at every event, both home and away.
• Be positive ambassadors of Mount Lebanon School.
• Support the Athletic Director, coaches, and the officials in their decisions.
• Support the athletic program by volunteering whenever available.
• Supervise any children that come with you at both home and away games.
• Be prompt in getting children to and from practices and games.
• Inform the school ahead of time if you are running late.
• Arrange transportation to and from games and practices.
• Adhere to the practice end time and pick-up athletes accordingly.

Coaches:

• Display a Christian attitude at every event, both home and away.
• Be dedicated to being a positive influence on each athlete.
• Model respect to all others.
• Have a good understanding of the sport that he / she is coaching.
• Understand that the coach’s role is to encourage every player to develop the God-given abilities that each possesses.
• Encourage all players to participate, work together, and to support one another as members of one team.
• Work to help each individual athlete experience as much success as his / her abilities allow.
• Strive to have each team perform to the best of its abilities and to accept winning or losing graciously.
• Communicate with the Athletic Director, deans, principal, and teachers in regards to student eligibility and behavior.
• Communicate with parents and families when practices and/or games are canceled. Please note: any days when there is no school, practices and games will also be canceled.

Scholar Athletes and Cell Phones

Please assist the Athletic Director and coaches by taking the following steps.

Please do not allow athletes to have their cell phones during games both at Mount Lebanon and at away games.

• As scholars change and prepare for the game, cell phones and similar devices should not be present for personal privacy protection.
• Also, locker rooms are not secure places to keep these expensive devices.
• Coaches are giving final instructions and focus on the part of our athletes is imperative.
• Athletes who are not able to play should not have cell phones on the bench or games either. They will maintain statistics and will be supporting their teammates.

If a Scholar Athlete needs to communicate with you, coaches, the Athletic Director, and the front office have emergency contact information (as provided at family registration in August).

• Athletes are allowed to use the office phone or, in an emergency, the coaches’ or Athletic Director’s cell phone.
• Please continue to contact our school offices to maintain up-to-date phone numbers.

Questions and Concerns

        If Mount Lebanon’s athletic program and everyone in it were perfect there would never be a need to address questions and concerns. However, all the people involved with the athletic program, from the athletes, to the coaches, to the Athletic Director are human beings that make mistakes. Furthermore, we hope and pray that all concerns are small in nature and small in number.

        If you, as parents and guardians, have concerns about the athletic program, policies, or the people involved in it, please follow the procedures described here. This policy follows the guidelines of Matthew 18: 15-17, “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”

Calmly follow these steps:

1. Begin by going directly to the person involved. For example, if you have concerns about what a particular coach is doing, speak directly to that coach. We would also ask that you would speak to the coach as soon as possible after the incident or problem has occurred.
2. If the concern is not adequately resolved in the meeting with the person directly involved, please speak to the Athletic Director. He / She will then do the best job he / she can to resolve the concern.
3. If the concern cannot be resolved by the athletic director, the person with the concern should speak with the concern should then speak with the principal. Again, there may be discussions with all parties involved.
4. If the principal is not able to bring about a satisfactory resolution, the concerned person should speak to the Director of Operations and if no resolution, speak with the chairman of the School Board. When the concern reaches the School Board level, a final decision will be made and a course of action taken.

While it may seem that there are a lot of steps and perhaps a great amount of time involved with this procedure, in the long run this is the best way to handle concerns and to solve problems in a God-pleasing manner. All people involved in the athletic program in any way are encouraged to remember our Lord’s command to speak well of others and to take their words and actions in the kindest possible way.

We thank you for following these procedures.

Parent and Athlete Agreement of Responsibility

Parent

I __________________________________ (print name) have read the athletic handbook and understand that it is my responsibility to guide my Scholar Athlete in academic and behavioral success and success as an athlete. I will be a Christian role-model for my Scholar Athlete and supportive of Mount Lebanon Athletics.

Parent / guardian name (please sign):

___________________________________________

Scholar Athlete

I _____________________________________ (print name) have read the athletic handbook and understand that it is my responsibility to keep up my grades and Christian conduct at Mount Lebanon, so that I may keep my status on a team for the Mount Lebanon Athletics.

Scholar athlete’s name (please sign):

___________________________________________

Coach

 All coaches have read and understand their role in Mount Lebanon Athletics is to support each athlete growth in the sport, growth in academics, and growth as a child of God bringing God glory in all they do.

Parent Contact information:

        Phone #1:

Phone #2:

        Email (if possible):

Thank you for your support of Mount Lebanon.

Parent and Athlete Concussion Agreement

As a Parent and as an Athlete it is important to recognize the signs, symptoms, and behaviors of concussions. By signing this form you are stating that you understand the importance of recognizing and responding to the signs, symptoms, and behaviors of a concussion or head injury.

Parent Agreement:

I ______________________________________ (print name) have read and understand the information concerning what causes concussions.

I understand:

• the common signs, symptoms, and behaviors of a concussion.
• that my child must be removed from practice/play if a concussion is suspected.
• that it is my responsibility to seek medical treatment if a suspected concussion is reported to me.  
• that my child cannot return to practice/play until provide in written clearance from an appropriate health care provider to his/her coach.
• the possible consequences of my child returning to practice/play too soon.

Parent/Guardian

Signature ______________________________________ Date ________________

Scholar Athlete/Athlete Agreement:

I ______________________________________ __ (print name)have read and understand the information concerning what causes concussions.

I understand:

• the common signs, symptoms, and behaviors of a concussion.
• it is my responsibility to report a suspected concussion to my coaches and my parent/guardian.
• I may be removed from practice/play if a concussion or head injury is suspected.
• I cannot return to practice/play until I have provided my coach with written clearance from an appropriate health care provider that it is safe to return.
• the possible consequences of returning to practice/play too soon and that my brain needs time to heal.

Scholar Athlete/Athlete

Signature _____________________________________ Date _________________

Mount Lebanon School Commitment

Parent / Guardian Commitment

As a parent / guardian in the Mount Lebanon community I WILL:

-do everything in my power to make certain the academic success of my child

        -make certain that my child is at school before 8:00 am (Omega) / 8:15 am (Alpha) every school day

        -make certain that my child is in a clean school uniform at the beginning of every school day

        -provide a quiet place and time where my child can read, learn, and complete homework

        -make certain the completion of homework, including reviewing and signing homework documents

        -call my child’s teachers when necessary

        -assist my child in problem solving by enabling my child to contact teachers regarding homework

        -attend parent-teacher conferences and other required parent meetings

        -enforce reasonable bedtimes to make certain adequate sleep

        -notify the school in advance of any necessary absences

-support the Biblical foundations of Mount Lebanon Church

Knowing my mistakes are always forgiven fully and freely by my Savior, I am committed to doing my very best to meet these commitments.

Student Commitment:

As a student in the Mount Lebanon community I WILL:

-do everything in my power to make certain my academic success and that of my fellow students

        -be seated and ready to begin learning by 8:00 (Omega) / 8:15 am (Alpha) every school day

        -follow the school uniform policy and maintain excellent appearance

        -complete all homework assignments thoroughly, including necessary signatures

        -seek out and find solutions to problems without making excuses

-strive to show Christ-like behavior in all that I do

Knowing my mistakes are always forgiven fully and freely by my Savior, I am committed to doing my very best to meet these commitments.

Teacher and Administrator Commitment:

As a teacher in the Mount Lebanon community I WILL:

-do everything in my power to make certain my students’ academic success

        -arrive at school at or before 7:15 (Omega) / 7:25 am (Alpha) every day

        -remain at school until 4:30 pm every regular school day

        -be accessible to my students in order to reach their individual needs

        -be prepared for the school day

        -create a classroom atmosphere that respects the individual rights of all students

-remain committed to Biblical teachings and strive to witness those teachings in all that I do

Knowing my mistakes are always forgiven fully and freely by my Savior, I am committed to doing my very best to meet these commitments.