ONTARIO CODE OF CONDUCT
RIGHTS
School community members (students, staff, parents)
Everyone has the right to:
• take part in an environment that is safe and conducive to learning/working, free from discrimination, physical and/or psychological abuse.
• be treated with sensitivity, respect and dignity; and
• be treated as an equal individual.
Student Rights
Each student has the additional right to:
• receive instruction appropriate to the individual’s abilities;
• learn;
• be treated as an individual;
• access courses of study; and
• have full awareness as to how he/she is assessed and evaluated
Teaching Staff Rights
Every teacher has the additional right to:
• teach
Parent(s)/Guardian(s) Rights
• be informed of their child’s academic progress in a timely fashion; and
• access courses of study, course profiles and evaluation policies.
RESPONSIBILITIES
School community members (students, staff, parents)
Everyone has the responsibility to:
• be a partner in the school community and to work co-operatively with each other;
• model appropriate behaviour and to support the code of conduct;
• treat all persons with dignity and respect;
• treat all school property and the property of others with respect and care;
• dress in a manner that is appropriate to school activities (see dress code);
• use problem solving in the resolution of difficulties; and
• report to the office upon entering the facility as a visitor.
Student Responsibilities
Each student has the additional responsibility to:
• exercise self-discipline and accept responsibility for his or her actions based on age and individual ability;
• work diligently, to the best of their ability and to do assigned tasks;
• follow instructions;
• abide by the rules of the school; and
• attend school regularly, be on time and be prepared for all classes and school activities.
Teaching Staff Responsibilities
Teaching staff have the additional responsibility to
• plan and conduct an effective learning program;
• develop working partnerships with parent(s)/guardian(s) to ensure effective communication;
• discipline fairly and consistently in a manner in keeping with the school code of conduct and the Administrative Regulation on Discipline; and
• assess, evaluate and report student progress.
Parent(s)/Guardian(s) Responsibilities
Parent(s)/Guardian(s) has/have the responsibility to
• assist their son or daughter in developing responsible behaviour;
• communicate relevant information concerning their son’s or daughter’s individual needs;
• provide co-operation between home and school to enhance the educational and social growth of each student;
• ensure and facilitate regular attendance and notify the school when their son or daughter is absent;
• furthermore, it is anticipated that the parent(s)/guardian(s) will take an active role to support the school as partners working in the best interest of their son or daughter and support disciplinary measures taken by the staff which comply with the Administrative Regulation on Discipline.
Individuals who do not follow the school code of conduct may be excluded from the school by the principal through Section 265(m) of The Education Act.
If staff contravene the school code of conduct, consequences will follow the Board’s policies on human resources and professional standards.
STUDENT BEHAVIOUR
In the spirit of co-operation and in order to provide a good learning environment at all times for all students, students are reminded of the following expectations:
• Students are expected to behave as responsible individuals mindful of the rights of others.
• Students are reminded that, often, members of the community visit the school and form an impression about Thomas A. Stewart from the conduct they observe. Those who fail to uphold reasonable standards of conduct can expect appropriate disciplinary action.
Consequences shall be appropriate to the individual, related to the circumstances and/or actions, and progressive where appropriate. Such consequences may involve:
• warnings
• time-outs or detentions
• time-owed or additional assigned work
• restricted privileges
• restitution (financial and/or community service)
• suspension
• expulsion
MANDATORY SUSPENSIONS, s. 306
It is mandatory that a student be suspended for committing any of the following infractions while at school or engaged in a school-related activity:
1. Uttering a threat to inflict serious bodily harm on another person.
2. Possessing alcohol or illegal drugs.
3. Being under the influence of alcohol.
4. Swearing at a teacher or at another person in a position of authority.
5. Committing an act of vandalism that causes extensive damage to school property at the pupil’s school.
6. Engaging in another activity that, under a policy of the Board, is one for which a suspension is mandatory.
NOTE: see Mitigating Circumstances
DISCRETIONARY SUSPENSION s. 307
Section 307 of The Education Act allows the Board to develop discretionary grounds for suspensions. The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board Administrative Regulation has established grounds for a discretionary suspension as:
1. Infractions off school property for which suspension is required where the pupil’s conduct in the community negatively impacts on the school.
2. Persistent opposition to authority.
3. Habitual neglect of duty.
4. The wilful destruction of school property.
5. The use of profane or improper language.
6. Conduct injurious to the moral tone of the school or to the physical or emotional well-being of self or others in the school.
NOTE: see Mitigating Circumstances
MANDATORY EXPULSIONS, s. 309
It is mandatory that a student be expelled for committing any of the following infractions while at school or engaged in a school-related activity:
1. Possessing a weapon, including possessing a firearm.
2. Using a weapon to cause or to threaten bodily harm to another person.
3. Committing physical assault on another person that causes bodily harm requiring treatment by a medical practitioner.
4. Committing sexual assault.
5. Trafficking in weapons or in illegal drugs.
6. Committing robbery.
7. Giving alcohol to a minor.
8. Engaging in another activity that, under a policy of the Board, is one for which expulsion is mandatory.
DISCRETIONARY EXPULSIONS, s. 310
A pupil may be expelled on the following discretionary grounds:
1. The pupil commits an infraction in the school community for which a mandatory expulsion is required and the infraction has an adverse effect on the school.
2. The pupil’s pattern of behaviour is so refractory that the pupil’s presence is injurious to the effective learning environment of others.
3. The pupil has engaged in activities that
(a) cause the pupil’s presence in the school to be injurious to the physical or emotional well being of other pupils or persons in the school; and/or
(b) caused extensive damage to the property of the Board or to goods that are on Board property.
4. The pupil demonstrated, through a pattern of behaviour, that the pupil has not prospered by the instruction available and that the pupil is persistently resistant to making the changes in behaviour which would enable the pupil to prosper.
MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES
Suspension and Expulsion are not mandatory if:
• the pupil does not have the ability to control his or her behaviour;
• the pupil does not have the ability to understand the foreseeable consequences of his or her behaviour, or
• the pupil’s continued presence in the school does not create an unacceptable risk to the safety or well-being of any person.
When the educator decides that mitigating circumstances do apply, the outcome may be:
• suspension/expulsion is a consequence, but intensity is modified, or
• no suspension/expulsion is invoked, but different consequences are used, or
• no consequences are applied due to the severity of the student’s disability
THOMAS A. STEWART: SCHOOL POLICIES
School administration reserves the right to revise or modify any school policy at any time, as deemed necessary.
POLICY FOR ATTENDANCE, LATES, SIGNING IN & OUT
• for each skipped class, students will receive a single detention to be served at 11:10 - 11:40 on the assigned day. Detentions will be assigned by the teacher, attendance secretary or by school administration.
• when a student neglects to bring a note to sign in following an absence, they will then have until the next morning before 8:25 to produce the parental note. Without a note, the absence is treated as a skip and the student will serve a detention. Parents may call the school to report absences. (743-5230, ext 350)
• when students neglect to sign out of the school for a partial day absence, they will be counselled. Each subsequent occurrence may result in a
detention. Students must sign out through the office prior to leaving early.
• if a previously absent student shows up to class without an admit slip, then they will be sent to the office to get one and will be marked late to class. Students should line up for an admit slip as soon as they arrive at the school.
• detentions may be assigned by the classroom teacher for students who have developed a pattern of showing up late to class.
• skipped detentions will be treated as an issue of opposing authority and will therefore be subject to escalating consequences, such as doubling of detentions, alternative consequences , in-school suspensions and formal suspensions.
DRESS CODE
Students are expected to be clean and neatly dressed in a manner which maintains the good moral tone of the school.
• any clothing deemed, in the judgement of any staff member, to be overly revealing is not acceptable at school or any school-related activities.
• clothing which displays alcohol, illegal substances or demeaning/racist/sexist/obscene language/images is unacceptable. [Students wearing such inappropriate clothing will either turn their shirt inside-out, change their clothes at school or be sent home to do so.]
• hats may be worn in the halls and cafeteria, but in classrooms will be removed by students at the request of their teacher. During the National Anthem, and at special assemblies, all hats shall be removed.
• coats shall be kept in student lockers and not be worn to class.
BUSING
Busing routes are supervised by an office secretary. Students are contacted in August by their bus driver. To obtain information on pick-up times or bus routes, please check in the north wing office.
• buses depart TAS at 2:45 pm daily, including examination days.
• students wishing to ride on an alternate bus must bring a note from parents to be authorized by the signature of the vice-principal.
• students must get off the bus at a designated stop; they may not request that the bus driver drop them off at a special location (e.g, a work location)
• as a consequence for bus misconduct, students may be removed from the bus for a period of time to be determined by the vice-principal or principal.
COMPUTER POLICY
Students will not be permitted to load unlicensed software into school computers. The penalties to be applied to students caught transferring unauthorized material onto our computers may include:
• 1st offence (one month ban from using the computers, possible suspension, and written notice of the offense to the principal)
• 2nd offence (semester ban from using the computers, suspension, and written notice of the offence to the principal)
• 3rd offence (one year ban from using the computers, suspension and written notice of the offence to the principal)
Students who have returned a permission form obtained from the Computer Department, and that has been signed by a parent, will be given internet access through the school logins. Appropriate standards as outlined in the permission form must be maintained. ***Students accessing inappropriate internet materials are subject to the above policy regarding access to school computers.
ELECTRONIC DEVICES
The use of electronic devices such as calculators, palm pilots, electronic day planners and laptops which function as educational support or aids are welcomed and encouraged. Electronic devices of an entertaining nature are not. Specifically, "Game Boy" or similar hand-held electronic games, portable CD players, MP3 players, iPods and pagers are not permitted in the classroom unless specified by the teacher as a curriculum support. They may not be used during any tests or examinations.
While students are inside the school, their CELL PHONES must be turned off, not set to a silent/vibrate function. They may be used outside only, either at lunch or during study periods. Use of cell phones during emergency situations is the lone exception to this policy.
ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION POLICY
Purpose
• to improve student learning
• to provide information to students, teachers, parents and others regarding assessment and evaluation at TAS
Communication with home
• feedback of evaluation data collected will be communicated to students and parents so that it can be used to improve student learning
• each semester, a progress report, a midterm report card and a final report card will be issued.
• percentage of grades on the final report card will be based on the level of achievement of course expectations according to the provincial standards as identified in ministry course outlines.
• learning skills affect achievement of grades and are evaluated on the report card, but are not considered in the determination of percentage grades.
How a grade is determined
• Ministry achievement charts will be used by the teacher to assist in determining percentage grades where available. Rubrics are the most appropriate tool for authentic assessment of practical, rich and complex tasks.
• The process used to evaluate will be communicated to students, both in summary form at the beginning of the course as part of the course overview and throughout the course by providing students with specific evaluation tools like rubrics, time line expectations, marking schemes, exemplars, etc.
• self and peer assessment are appropriate strategies to collect formative data to be used for the benefit of the students so they can identify areas which require additional work
• a student's grade will reflect his/her achievement of the expectations and will therefore be based on individual assessments only (group assignments do not provide this data)
• culminating/summative tasks which assess numerous expectation
simultaneously, will also be used in the determination of the final grade.
• students will be given multiple opportunities to practice and demonstrate their
achievement of the curriculum expectations.
• emphasis will be placed on the most consistent level of performance, with consideration given to the most recent performances.
• not all assessment tasks will necessarily be used to determine levels of student achievement. Teachers will decide, using curriculum guidelines, which summative assessment data will count toward the percentage grade.
Final Evaluation
• thirty percent of the percentage grade will be based on the final evaluation which may take the form of an examination, performance exam, essay, presentation and/or other method(s) of evaluation suitable to the course content as determined by the teacher/department and administered towards the end of the course.
• January and June are the final evaluation periods.
• the final evaluation may include combinations of summative tasks which use a variety of evaluation strategies and flexible time frames.
When a Credit is not granted
• a passing grade is not granted when a student's performance cannot be described by the language and framework of the achievement charts.
• a student may be capable of achieving the expectations, but has not completed sufficient work to provide consistent evidence of his/her achievement of the curriculum expectations.
• the report card shall indicate why a student did not receive a passing grade and will provide suggestions for the next steps toward improvement.
EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS
The TAS Special Education department establishes programs for identified exceptional students. Such programs may be offered in a regular classroom , a resource room, or a special class. The Department also provides services for 'at-risk' students who have special needs but are not identified as exceptional. These services might include counselling, reading, tutoring, alternatives to regular classroom placement and individualized study. When students referred to the department are accepted as clients, a program or service will be prescribed. An Individual Education Plan (IEP) will be developed to suit their learning needs/abilities. For some students, this may mean that their courses will be modified.
HOMEWORK POLICY
The purpose of students doing homework is to practice, strengthen and reinforce academic skills. Educational research indicates that successful homework completion leads to better student achievement. Teachers assign homework to develop student self-discipline, to teach independence, to supplement and reinforce school learning and to create a bond between home and school. In order for homework to be effective, it must have a clear purpose, be corrected, and gradually increase in amount as a student progresses in school. Parents, students and teachers must support and value the concept of homework in order for it to be effective. The amount of homework increases according to the level and year of the student. Here is a useful guideline: Grade 9 - 1 hour; Grade 10 - 1.5 hours; Grade 11 -
2.0 hours; Grade 12 - 2.5 hours. Homework will be monitored as a part of work habits for all courses. Students will receive specific homework expectations from each teacher at the start of each course. Students are encouraged to use an Agenda Book/Daily Planner to track homework and assignments. Check here for homework help from TVOntario.
INSURANCE
School insurance is available to all students. An information package will be sent home with all students in September. Students participating in school sports should obtain this coverage.
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