Special Programs
STPPS Special Programs include virtual online coursework and programs that provide special support for students.
Virtual Programs
Robert DeRoche, Program Administrator
23636 Sparrow Road
Building C
Mandeville, LA 70448
Phone: 985-727-5518
Fax: 985-629-3224
Email: robert.deroche@stpsb.org
A3 Information
- A3 VIRTUAL ACADEMY PROGRAM: OVERVIEW
- A3 VIRTUAL ACADEMY PROGRAM: MISSION
- A3 VIRTUAL ACADEMY PROGRAM: ENROLLMENT
- A3 VIRTUAL ACADEMY PROGRAM: SUMMER SCHOOL
A3 VIRTUAL ACADEMY PROGRAM: OVERVIEW
Students follow different paths in their educational journeys and benefit from a variety of opportunities to attain their goals. The St. Tammany Parish Public School System Virtual Academy offers students an exciting, new approach to learning. This program is not for students interested in a full online high school.
The Virtual Academy relies on technology designed to support teaching and learning in various educational settings. The Virtual Academy allows for anytime, anywhere access, partnered with unlimited collaboration possibilities—available at the click of a mouse.
For more information about the Virtual Academy, contact your high school guidance counselor or the Virtual Academy administrator at robert.deroche@stpsb.org or phone 985-727-5518.
A3 VIRTUAL ACADEMY PROGRAM: MISSION
A3 VIRTUAL ACADEMY PROGRAM: ENROLLMENT
The Virtual Academy Program offers coursework to St. Tammany Parish Public School System high school students only through an online platform. Students interested in the Virtual Academy Program must first meet with their local high school administrators/guidance counselors. Upon meeting the criteria for enrolling, students will be assigned courses for which they have been approved.
For more information about the A3 Virtual Academy Program, contact the School Administrator at robert.deroche@stpsb.org or phone 985-727-5518.
A3 VIRTUAL ACADEMY PROGRAM: SUMMER SCHOOL
Summer School Registration Information
Registration in STPPS summer school is available for currently enrolled students in grades 9-12.
No fee for summer school 2023.
All summer session courses are offered online only.
Summer School online coursework can be done from any home computer with internet access.
Students/Parents are responsible for computer with internet access.
Registration Information:
• Students can take a maximum of 2 half-credit repeat courses in the summer - either an A or B semester credit recovery course. New core and elective credits are not offered in summer school.
• Parents/guardians are responsible for enrolling their child in the correct summer course(s). The application must have the Principal/School Designee signature.
• Dropping a course BEFORE the session has begun may be requested in writing by a parent/guardian. The grade will not be recorded on the student’s transcript if dropped BEFORE the session begins.
• If the parent/guardian drops the course AFTER the session begins, the grade will be recorded on the student’s transcript.
Summer School Information
Summer Session Information:
• All repeat credit courses in the summer session are offered as credit recovery (CR) courses only.
• The Louisiana Department of Education only allows students a maximum of seven CR units to be applied towards diploma graduation requirements.
• The online CR courses are self-paced and allow the students to “test” out of material they have mastered. In areas that the students do not master, the students will be assigned lessons to review their skills.
• If students are enrolled in two CR courses, the courses are offered concurrently during the session.
• Student coursework is available online 24 hours a day 7 days a week and is self-paced. There are no makeup dates if the students fail to complete the course(s) by the end of the summer session.
• How long students spend working in the course(s) determines how quickly the students will finish the course(s). If the students complete the course(s) before the end of the session, they are done with with summer school.
• The students MUST complete the course. If the student fails to complete all assignments, tests, and the final exam, zeros will be given for all incomplete work.
• Final grades are reported to the student’s school. Parents/guardians and students are responsible for checking with their school counselor at the beginning of the school year to make sure summer school grades have been added to their transcript.
• Parents/guardians are responsible for tracking their student’s progress in Edgenuity.
• Tutoring is available by the assigned teacher via Google Meets. To request assistance, please email the teacher and request help.
• Students must check their STPSB Gmail account daily.
• Any technical issues need to be reported to the Virtual Academy Coordinator, Robert DeRoche at
robert.deroche@stpsb.org or 985-727-5518.
Project Team East
Project Team West
Project Believe
Project Believe General Information
Project Believe Contact Information
Project Believe
23636 Sparrow Rd., Quad C, Mandeville, LA 70448
Phone: (985) 727-6031, Option #2
Fax: (985) 727-6034
Principal: Payton Monteleone (click to email)
Project Believe Bus Schedule
Slidell – P/U: 8:00am – 8:20am D/O: 2:05pm
Brooks Educational Center – 2544 SGT Alfred Dr. Slidell, LA 70458
Pearl River – P/U 8:00am – 8:10am D/O 2:05pm
Pearl River Police Dept. – 39470 Willis Alley Rd. Pearl River, LA 70452
Lacombe – P/U 8:40am – 8:45am D/O: 1:40pm
St. Tammany Parish Library – 28027 US 190 Lacombe, LA 70445
Mandeville – P/U 8:00am – 8:40am D/O: 1:50pm
LA State Police Troop L – 2600 N. Causeway Blvd. Mandeville, LA 70471
Covington – P/U: 8:00am – 8:10am D/O: 2:05pm
Harrison Curriculum Center – 706 W. 28th Ave. Covington, LA 70433
Project Believe Handbook
- Project Believe Overview
- Mission and Vision
- Program Description and Purpose
- Guidelines for Completion
- Project Believes Motto
- Rules and Regulations
- Statement of Acknowledgement
Project Believe Overview
The STPPS Project Believe program is designed in accordance to the definition of alternative education programs set for in R.S. 17:416.2 ©.
Alternative education programs have been designed to offer variations of traditional instructional programs and strategies to increase the likelihood for unmotivated, unsuccessful, or disruptive students in traditional school environments to remain in school and obtain a high school diploma. Alternative schools may include, but are not limited to, programs that hold students to strict standards of behavior in highly structured and controlled environments, sometimes referred to as “boot camps”, “police schools”, or “court schools”.
Mission and Vision
Our mission is to educate, train, and inspire the cadets so graduates are highly motivated, self- disciplined leaders of character committed to the values of becoming successful life-long learning citizens prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to their self and community.
Our vision is to create a highly structured learning environment that will transition students back to their traditional school setting equipped with the academic and behavioral skills necessary to reach graduation.
Program Description and Purpose
Project Believe is an alternative to expulsion offered to at-risk students inside the STPPS. Students participating in the alternative setting at PB will be enrolled in core curriculum, engage in physical training, participate in military-focused drill activities, and attend graduation ceremonies all led by drill instructors and facilitators. We utilize a 2-phase graduation system at PB and have tailored it with guidelines, and privileges to encourage students to earn their way back into a brick and mortar school setting. The minimum assignment to PB is 45 calendar school days for a student to be granted successful completion of the program, Yet, the Administration of PB will use his/her discretion before the final decision of a student’s return is granted.
Project Believe focuses on the following daily operations:
· Provide a high-quality education through a variety of teaching methods
· Provide physical training that re-focuses the students’ overall self-worth.
· Provide a highly structured learning environment that is conducive to continuously improving all students academically, behaviorally, socially, and emotionally.
· Promote self-improvement through a strict focus on the 7 habits of highly effective people.
· Promote and increase student awareness of individual accountability by focusing on attendance, good behavior, academic responsibility.
Guidelines for Completion
Goal: Project Believe is designed to educate, train, and inspire students in a variety of different settings. Our daily operations are centered around the end goal of successfully transitioning the student back to their home-based school better equipped to receive their high school diploma.
We believe creating a supportive and collaborative network composed of the student, parents/guardians, and faculty/staff here at Project Believe will aid in a successful completion of our previously stated goal.
Individual and group conferences will be held daily with the student to establish a baseline of data, which will be used to help measure student progress within the program. The data points will be focused around academic and behavioral progress coupled with overall performance to determine if the student is progressing through the phases explained below of Project Believe.
· Phase 1 (Entry Level) is a duration of 22 school days at a minimum.
o Cadets will be required to wear a navy-blue shirt during this phase.
§ Completion of Phase 1 will be granted if the cadet has illustrated:
· Attendance record
· Fewer than 2 unexcused absences
§ Good behavior in regards to discipline
· Fewer than 2 minor disciplinary infractions
§ Is in good academic standing
· Holds a 67% or higher at a minimum in each class
§ Is illustrating proper effort during PT
· determined by assigned drill instructor
· Phase 2 (Platinum Level) is the remainder of time until graduation/return date.
o Student will then be eligible to wear a Grey uniform shirt.
o Completion of Phase 2 will be granted if the cadet has illustrated:
§ All continued requirements outlined in Phase 1
§ Completion and Submission of required Essay
Students must serve a minimum of 45 days in the alternative setting. Unexcused absences will extend the students graduation/return date. Project Believe reserves the right to extend the graduation/return date in regards to the above evaluation guidelines.
Project Believes Motto
Rules and Regulations
1. Students are not allowed to attend any STPPS school or district sponsored events other than those on Project Believes campus during their enrollment period.
2. Participation in all assigned academic classes, drill activities, and ceremonies is a requirement of the program.
3. Students are required to wear the Project Believe para-military uniform each day.
a. A document outlining the required garments of our uniform will be issued to the parent upon registration. The student will not be allowed to begin the program until he/she is in proper attire upon arrival to the appropriate morning bus pick-up site.
b. Additional dress-code requirements include:
i. Hair: All hair must be clean, well-groomed, and have no lines cut in the hair line or eyebrows. No Mohawks, braids, dreadlocks etc.
1. Males – must have a neat military style haircut with a length of no more than 1” on top of the head.
a. NO Head Covering for males are allowed.
2. Females – with long hair must have it secured tightly in a bun with a hair tie of some sort.
a. No Head coverings for females are allowed.
ii. Females may wear ear rings in their ears only.
1. Nose piercings, necklaces, and rings are not allowed at Project Believe.
2. Males are asked to remove all jewelry and/or accessories prior to boarding the bus each morning.
iii. Females may not have fake nails longer than a ¼” from the fingertip.
iv. No outside food or beverages are allowed on the bus or campus.
v. Students will address all staff at Project Believe using proper manners, such as Yes Sir/No Mam and Yes Master SGT/ No Staff SGT.
4. Parent/Guardian is not only responsible for transporting student to appropriate transportation site each morning, but also picking up their student every afternoon from the appropriate site.
a. In the event a student misses the bus, the parent must contact Project Believe and have student to campus before 1st Period, which begins at 9:35am.
b. Part of the requirement with Project believe is for the cadet to ride the bus from each designated site during their assigned time.
5. STPPS district policy in regards to absences outlined in the Student Handbook will be strictly followed.
a. Excused absences will be granted once the proper documentation is submitted to the Project Believe administration.
b. An unexcused absence will result in the student’s graduation/return date being extended 1 full school day per absence.
c. In the event a student misses 3 consecutive days and no communication is established with parent/guardian with Administration the student will be turned over to Truancy.
6. Cell Phones are not allowed on Project Believes campus.
a. A parent wishing to have a communication device for their student must hand deliver it to the drill SGT upon arrival to the morning bus stop.
b. Any and all electronic devices found on the student will be confiscated and a person on the student’s emergency card must come and retrieve it from Project Believe.
c. No cell phones will be issued back to the student.
7. The student is not allowed to bring any other items besides the STPPS issued Chromebook and/or charger.
a. Any items confiscated will not be issued back to the student. Parent/Guardian must come to Project Believe in order to collect wanted items.
8. Personal vehicles are not allowed at Project Believe, therefore No student is allowed to drive to Project Believe.