THE AMETHYST SCHOOL 2015/16 STUDENT HANDBOOK

Transcription

1 THE AMETHYST SCHOOL 2015/16 STUDENT HANDBOOK Believe 1515 Cheapside Street London, Ontario N5V 3N9 Telephone: (519) (866) Fax: (519) STUDENT TO PRINT NAME AND SIGN AFTER READING 1

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3 PRINCIPAL S MESSAGE Dear parents and students, on behalf of all of the academic and residential staff, I am happy to welcome you to the Amethyst School, London. We wish you every success in your time with us at Amethyst. Your planner has been designed with great care. We recognize the importance of daily planning, goal setting and organization for you to be a successful student, and indeed successful in life. With that in mind we are providing you with this agenda as an important tool and reference documents for both you and your family. It is essential that students and families be well aware of the information provided at the front of this agenda. We are updating its content regularly so that at any time you can look information up as you need it. You will notice a complete calendar giving you important information about upcoming events. This, along with your regular attention to our weekly In-Touch newsletter will keep you abreast of important dates. You can also follow us on Once again we wish you the very best while you are here with us at Amethyst, where we really believe our Amethyst School motto to be a motto for life - Believe in Yourself. Geoff Moore, Principal Amethyst Student Parliament The student council is representative of the student body, which plans and initiates activities and events with the goal of building school spirit. Student council members are enthusiastic, hard working and looking to plan some fun into their school year at Amethyst. Prime Minister: is responsible for preparing agendas, morning announcements from student council as needed, and communicating with the Principal. Your Prime Minister is: Deputy Prime Minister: assists the Prime Minister with all duties that may need to be carried out and will fill in for the Prime Minister at any time that the Prime Minister cannot fulfill their duties. Your Deputy Prime Minister is: Secretary: records the minutes at each student council meeting. Your Secretary is: Your Class Rep is: 3

4 Amethyst Code of Student Behaviour Education is a responsibility shared by students, teachers, residence counsellors and parents. The school s mission is to provide a safe place where students, families, and staff find support to learn, grow, discover and ultimately Believe in Themselves. Beliefs 1. We believe that everyone has the potential for academic, social and emotional growth. 2. We believe that every person deserves respect and trust within a safe and caring place. 3. We believe that the family is an active part of the Amethyst team. 4. We believe that a variety of experiences are necessary for personal growth. 5. We believe that everyone s individuality should be celebrated and expressed according to school policy. Rights Rights are earned and maintained by responsible conduct and attitudes. Students at Amethyst have the right to: - a safe learning and living environment which promotes mutual courtesy and respect. - attend and participate in an individualized school and residence program which address academic and social needs. - access to learning resources and adaptive technologies. - participate in all extracurricular activities. - experience no discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, economic status, political belief or marital status. - experience an education free from sexual and other forms of harassment. - participate in the Amethyst Student Council consisting of a Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, secretary, and class representative. - actively participate in student review meetings, individual goal setting sessions and receive weekly communication memos. - participate in counseling, social skills and self-advocacy training. - guidance and direction provided by the school and residence staff. Responsibilities Responsibilities must be assumed by all members of a school, community. Student responsibilities are grounded in respect for self, others, community and property. 4

5 Show Respect for Self - Maintain self-control in times of anger, irritation or frustration. Seek staff assistance when necessary. - Work, eat and study in a tidy environment. Gather litter and put into appropriate containers. Dress Code: - Dress in clean, neat, modest manner appropriate for learning. - Underwear and midriff cannot be showing. Shorts and skirts are required to be the length or longer than your longest finger with your arms at your sides. - Hats are not to be worn in the school area. - Shirts and shoes are required clothing items at all times. Tank tops may be worn if it covers your body and the straps are a minimum of two fingers wide. - No Flip-Flops. - All students who participate in gym class or in athletics must be wearing proper clothing and footwear for the activity. - One piece bathing suits are expected for all aquatic activities. - Clothing which displays or promotes offensive logos, material or themes (sexual/suggestive, violence, degrading, alcohol, drugs, etc.) are not appropriate at Amethyst. - Students who attend JPII classes for integration will be expected to wear their full school uniform consisting of: khaki or black pleated pants, a white golf shirt and/or burgundy sweatshirt. Show Respect for Others - Use language free of any insult, slur or bias. - Express yourself in mature, meaningful and polite terms. Avoid profanity at all times. - Leave spaces you use tidy, free of litter, damage and graffiti. - Honour the needs of teachers and classes in session. Maintain quiet in the academic corridors at all times when classes are in session. Never interrupt a class to talk to a student from the class. Show Respect for the Community - Always show courtesy and respect to our neighbours. - Be a good host to visitors to our school by opening doors, showing the way and offering help. All visitors should report to the switchboard. - Be respectful toward the lawns, gardens and other property of those who live and work nearby. Refrain from walking on private property in your travels. - Refrain from loitering anywhere including nearby roads, walkways, stores, malls and in parking lots. 5

6 Show Respect for Property - Take pride in your school, keep it clean and safe. - Restrict food consumption to the cafeteria and residence. - Take care of books loaned to you for courses or through the library. - Be respectful of postings and advertisements for school and community events. School Policies Off-campus Permission: Students are required to be in attendance at school during regular school hours. The principal is required by law to ensure student attendance and safety. As such, the principal can not give permission for students to be away except for legitimate reasons. Parents and caregivers must request permission from the principal directly, prior to removing any student. If the principal is not available he/she will designate someone to give permission in their place. It is essential that this request come in advance so that bus companies and classroom teachers can be informed. Smoking: Smoking is prohibited at all times, 24 hours a day, on all Ministry property. Drugs and Alcohol: The possession and consumption of alcohol and illegal drugs at school is prohibited. Students who possess, consume, or demonstrate the effects of having consumed alcohol or illegal drugs at school will be suspended and the police will be contacted in cases of possession or use of illegal drugs. Weapons and Knives: Weapons, imitations of weapons of any kind, lighters, matches and aerosol products are not permitted on the property at any time. Consequences include mandatory suspension to a possible expulsion and notification to the proper police authority. Buses: The provision of transportation to Amethyst School is the responsibility of your home school board. Buses arrive Monday morning between 8:15 a.m to 9:30 a.m and leave on Friday at 3:10pm. It is the responsibility of parents to notify the school and bus company if you are not riding the bus. Appropriate student behaviour on busses is expected. Failure to do so will mean suspension from transportation. Opening Exercises: All students should be in their classroom for the start of the day with the necessary books and supplies. Morning announcements are done followed by the national anthem. Respectful and courteous behaviour is expected. 6

7 Late Arrival: Advise school office upon your arrival. Allergy Conscious: The Amethyst School is a NUT FREE AND SCENT SENSITIVE environment. Please do not bring any products containing nuts into the building and refrain from wearing heavily scented personal products. Lockers: Use only the locker assigned. Do not keep valuables in your locker. The school is not responsible for loss or theft of personal property. The school reserves the right to remove locks and for teachers to periodically inspect lockers for cleanliness. Gum: Gum is not allowed in the school. Lunch: Students arrive from school to the cafeteria between 12:00 and 12:10 pm. Academic staff supervise students during lunch. After lunch students have free time or may participate in house league sports that may be scheduled. Friday Assemblies: Every Friday we convene in the activity room for an end of the week celebration. Classes are to assemble at 2:45 pm and presentations by classes will be made according to the set schedule. Appropriate and respectful conduct is expected of all audience members. Attendance is compulsory. In-Touch Publication: This publication is created by Janet Harju, our school secretary, and is sent home to parents when there is relevant information to share. It contains good news stories and important dates and events. Illness or Accidents: Students are to be directed to the Student Health Services where a duty nurse will assess the medical situation, and decide on course of treatment or action necessary to deal with the illness or accident. All medication will be dispensed from the Student Health Services. Any medication taken by the students will be communicated to both the academic and residential staff. On trips away from the campus, residence staff will dispense the medication and sign the appropriate form for administration of the prescription or non-prescription drug(s). Field Trips: All students on field trips or other school-based excursions are to conduct themselves as if they were in school. Bicycles, Rollerblades and Skateboards: Students engaging in this type of physical activity will be paired with a friend and supervised at all times. Helmets must be worn when riding a bike. Helmet, wrist guards and knee pads must be worn when rollerblading and skateboarding. 7

8 Entertainment Devices in Residence: May be used during appropriate free time activities. The owner of the device is responsible for any care, loss or damage of their device. Entertainment Devices in School - Personal entertainment devices of any type, along with cell phones and cameras are not permitted, at any time, in the school area, or at any school sponsored activity, on or off site. Any exceptions must be in accordance with the Appropriate Use Policy and/or arranged with the principal. Failure to comply could result in confiscation of the device by the principal. Personal Belongings: Students are responsible for their own personal belongings. Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS): The CPS Philosophy: Kids do well if they can. We believe that students show challenging behaviours when the demands or expectations being placed upon them exceed the skills that they have to respond appropriately. Therefore, an important goal for educators is to identify the skills a challenging child is lacking. Behaviour Management Systems (BMS): The main goals of BMS include improving safety and security for all staff and students, the promotion of respectful working and learning environments and breaking the cycle of inappropriate behaviour and consequences. The focus of the program is on the understanding of factors which impact behaviour, early interventions of behaviours, and the reduction of aggressive behaviour in our schools. All Amethyst staff are fully trained in BMST. Provincial Schools General Use of Computer/SEA Resources 1. Respect Yourself. o Show respect for yourself through your actions. o Select appropriate online names and be careful what you post, including your personal information. o Do not be rude or obscene towards yourself or others. o My use of the Provincial School s computer network shall be for academic purposes and for communication with people approved by the principal or residence manager. 8

9 2. Protect Yourself. o Make sure that the information you post online will not put you at risk. o Do not publish personal details, photos, contact details or a schedule of your activities. o Report any online attacks or inappropriate behaviour directed at you or others. o Protect your passwords, accounts and resources. 3. Respect Others. o Do not use the internet to bully, harass, degrade or stalk other people or transmit threatening, obscene, or harassing materials. o Do not visit websites that contain inappropriate material. o Do not abuse your rights of access by hacking, jail breaking or entering other people s accounts, files, computers or networks. 4. Protect Others. o Protect others by reporting abuse, not passing on inappropriate material or communication and not visiting sites that are degrading, pornographic, racist or in any way inappropriate. 5. Respect All Property and Resources. o All computers and equipment that are part of the school's technology resources are to be treated with respect. Only the authorized personnel of the school may alter any equipment at Provincial Schools. o Do not overuse printers. Unnecessary or excessive printing wastes money and trees. Anyone abusing printer resources will lose their printing and possibly computer privileges. 6. Do not Steal. o Do not steal digital music, movies, software or information. Respect all copyrighted materials. o Request permission from the authors to use resources and give proper credit for all websites, books and media. o Students may not download, install, copy, or remove software from the Provincial Schools network. This includes downloading games or other programs to any Provincial Schools or ISA computer. 9

10 The Amethyst School Independent Work Policy for After School Hours INDEPENDENT WORK allows for practicing, extending and consolidating work done in class encourages responsibility and facilitates time management skills establishes the need for consistent and independent use of technology for our students PURPOSE OF INDEPENDENT WORK provides opportunities for additional practice in literacy skills and curriculum content establishes habits of study, concentration, task commitment, time management, responsibility, problem solving and self-discipline which will serve students for the rest of their lives strengthens school residence connection ALL ADULTS CAN SUPPORT IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS take an active interest in independent work time ensure that there is time set aside for independent work encourage students/children to read and take an interest in current events communicate any concerns with the assigning teacher TEACHER S ROLE teaches skills necessary for successful independent work completion provides clear, purposeful and developmentally appropriate activities maintains communication with parents, guardians and residential staff ensures homework is evaluated and feedback given to the student as quickly as practicable coordinates assigned work as per guidelines and purpose STUDENT S ROLE ensures that she/he understands the assigned work and discusses any problem with the teacher prior to exiting the class writes down all assignments in electronic or paper planner completes independent work to the best of his/her ability using appropriate technology manages time and materials gets written explanation for incomplete assignments acquires and applies appropriate assistive technologies whenever necessary 10

11 RESIDENCE ROLE provides suitable environment for working participates appropriately in after school work activities ( routines and guidance) communicates with the teacher when necessary preferably at the end of the school day communicates any difficulties with completion of independent work experienced by a student through monitors and encourages the student s progress toward completion establishes an appropriate balance between independent work and other activities TIME GUIDELINES Secondary- average of 30 minutes per subject per night Elementary- approximately 60 minutes per night when time allows, 15 minutes beyond above guidelines of shared or independent reading is encouraged OTHER CONSIDERATIONS use of technology for assignments is encouraged at all times, when appropriate INCOMPLETION OF INDEPENDENT WORK teachers will provide support using BMS principles and restorative practices for students who are unable to complete independent work habitually incomplete assignments will be addressed by the classroom teacher according to established routines READING EXPECTATIONS FOR AMETHYST STUDENTS AFTER EMPOWER CLASS all students are required to do up to 100 minutes of reading training/practice each day. This may include Reading Plus, Lexia or Academy of Reading. This will be supported by Residence Counsellors At the daily 3:00 communication meeting. teachers will review completion and progress each day in home room period. teachers will advise students regularly of which programs they are to be using. This will be shared with the applicable residence staff and parents. in addition, is it expected that students will complete a minimum of 100 minutes of the on-line computer assisted training at home on weekends and over holiday periods. (Revised May, 2015) 11