TDA works to enhance the academic, social, and character development of our students by providing them with a challenging, varied and supportive learning environment.
We set high personal and academic standards for our students. We believe, with positive support and direction, that each student will be able to achieve the highest possible levels of success.
Our students are recognized and respected as unique individuals, and their successes reflect our own dedication to providing a high quality, well-rounded education. The Duncan Academy High School will remain committed to our students and our mission to create well rounded, successful members of society.
The Duncan Academy
The Duncan Academy is a private, co-educational, non-denominational, independent Private School. The Duncan Academy provides our students with the Ontario Ministry of Education Curriculum in small classes with high expectations, within a caring and secure environment. Our mission is to enable our students to pursue and achieve personal and academic excellence through their school experiences, in order to better prepare them in pursuit of their future goals.
Course Calendar
The Duncan Academy Course Calendar will provide you with information about our school, our programs and the academic requirements that will assist you in developing your academic plan for obtaining an Ontario School Diploma. While the calendar will provide you with important information about obtaining an Ontario Secondary School Diploma, you are strongly advised to consult with our staff to verify and confirm that your academic plan is the most appropriate one for you.Graduation Requirements for Secondary School
Diploma Requirements
An Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) shall be granted by the Minister of Education, on the
recommendation of the principal of the school last attended, to a student who has earned a minimum of 30 credits.
In order to earn an OSSD, a student entering Grade 9 in the 1999/2000 school year or in subsequent years must:
|
|
|
The combination of compulsory and optional courses is designed to provide all students with the essential
knowledge and skills they will need to function effectively in any area of activity, as well as the opportunities to acquire the specialized knowledge and skills they will need to succeed in their chosen post-secondary endeavours.
Compulsory Credits (total of 18)
Students must earn the following 18 compulsory credits to obtain the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD):
|
|
|
|
· 1 credit in Canadian History |
· 1 credit in Canadian Geography |
· 1 credit in the Arts |
· 1 credit in Health and Physical Education |
· .5 credit in career studies |
· .5 credit in Civics |
Plus one credit from each of the following groups:
Group 1: additional credit in English, or French as a second language, **or a Native language, or a classical or an international language, or social sciences and the humanities, or Canadian and world studies, or guidance and career education, or cooperative education ***
Group 2: additional credit in health and physical education, or the arts, or business studies, or French as a second language, ** or cooperative education ***
Group 3: additional credit in science (Grade 11 or 12), or technological education, or French as a second language, ** or computer studies, or cooperative education ***
In addition, students must complete:
ü 12 optional credits
ü 40 hours of community involvement activities
ü the provincial literacy requirement
* A maximum of 3 credits in English as a second language (ESL) or English literacy development (ELD) may be counted towards the 4 compulsory credits in English, but the fourth must be a credit earned for a Grade 12 compulsory English course. **In groups 1, 2, and 3, a maximum of 2 credits in French as a second language can count as compulsory credits, one from group 1 and one from either group 2 or group 3. ***A maximum of 2 credits in cooperative education can count as compulsory credits. V The 12 optional credits may include up to 4 credits earned through approved dual credit courses.
Requirements for the Ontario Secondary School Certificate (OSSC)
The Ontario Secondary School Certificate (OSSC) will be granted on request, to students who are leaving secondary school upon reaching the age of eighteen without having met the requirements for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma. To be granted an OSSC, a student must have earned a minimum of 14 credits, distributed as follow.
7 required compulsory credits
uu 2 credits in English
uu 1 credit in mathematics
uu 1 credit in science
uu 1 credit in Canadian history or Canadian geography
uu 1 credit in health and physical education
uu 1 credit in the arts, computer studies, or technological education
7 required optional credits
uu 7 credits selected by the student from available courses
The provisions for making substitutions for compulsory credits described in section 6.2 also apply to the Ontario Secondary School Certificate.
uu
Foreign Credit Equivalency
A student must have a minimum of 30 credits to earn an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). However, students are granted overseas equivalency credits based upon their previous successful secondary school work in their own country. For example, a student who has obtained good results after three years of high school could be granted up to 23 credits.
Students who wish to apply for University entrance in Canada, and do not have a High School Diploma, must obtain an OSSD that includes a minimum of six (6) “U” or “M” or a combination of 4 “U” and a maximum of “2 M” credits. Any or all of these six credits may already be among the 30 credits of the OSSD. University and College entrance requires students to have an OSSD or a High School Diploma from their country of origin.
For students from overseas and outside Ontario, the Principal will assess their school records and determine the number of equivalency credits that the students will be granted and indicate the remaining number of courses they are required to complete in order to qualify for the OSSD.
Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR)
Prior Learning includes the knowledge and skills that a student has acquired, in both formal and informal ways, outside secondary school. Where such learning has occurred outside Ontario classrooms, students enrolled in Ontario secondary schools and inspected private schools may have their skills and knowledge evaluated against the expectations outlined in provincial curriculum policy documents in order to earn credits towards the secondary school diploma. This formal evaluation and accreditation process is known as Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition. This process involves two components: challenge and equivalency.
Challenge refers to the process whereby a student’s prior learning is assessed for the purpose of granting credit for a course developed from a curriculum policy document.
Please note: Duncan Academy does not use or support the challenge process.
Equivalency refers to the process whereby credentials from other jurisdictions are assessed for the purpose of granting credit for a course developed from a curriculum policy document. Students who are eligible for equivalency credits are those who transfer to Ontario secondary schools from non-inspected private schools or schools outside Ontario. Equivalency credits are granted for placement only. The principal of the receiving school will, in the process of deciding where the student should be placed, determine as equitably as possible the total credit equivalency of the student's previous learning, and the number of compulsory and optional credits still to be earned.
Assessment and Evaluation through the PLAR process will be based on the curriculum expectations and the achievement charts in the Ontario curriculum policy documents. Assessment and evaluation must be based on all the strands in a course and on all categories of knowledge and skills and the descriptions of achievement levels given in the achievement chart that appears in the curriculum policy document for the discipline. A student's level of achievement will be recorded as a percentage grade, in the same way as achievement in other courses.
All credits granted through the PLAR process that is, through either the challenge process or the equivalency process must represent the same standards of achievement as credits granted to students who have taken the courses.
On the Ontario Student Transcript (OST) ‘PLE’ is the code used for equivalent credits granted for previous learning outside Ontario or in a non-inspected private school in Ontario. For these credits the code ‘EQV’ is used instead of a percentage grade.
At The Duncan Academy, we will be providing E.S.L. support, and operating on a 12 month, continuous cycle. Students may enter the academy at any time, but must meet the course requirements of 110 hours to be issued a credit.
A credit is granted when a course that has been scheduled for a minimum of 110 hours is successfully completed. “Scheduled time” is defined as the time during which students participate in planned learning activities designed to lead to the achievement of the curriculum expectations of the course. Planned learning activities include interaction between the teacher and student as well as assigned individual and/or group work, excluding homework.
Music Certificates
1. A maximum of one Grade 11 University/College preparation music credit may be
awarded towards the OSSD for the successful completion of one of the following:
✦✦ Grade VII Practical and Intermediate Rudiments (formerly Grade 1
Rudiments) of the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto
✦✦ Grade VII Practical and Grade III Theory of Conservatory Canada,
London, Ontario
✦✦ Collegial I Practical and Collegial I Theory of any conservatory of music
in the province of Quebec
✦✦ Grade V Practical and Grade III Theory of Trinity College London, England
✦✦ Grade VII Practical and Grade VI Theory of the Royal Schools of Music,
London, England
2. A maximum of one Grade 12 university/college preparation music credit may be
awarded towards the OSSD for the successful completion of one of the following:
✦✦ Grade VIII Practical and Advanced Rudiments (formerly Grade II Rudiments)
of the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto
✦✦ Grade VIII Practical and Grade IV Theory of Conservatory Canada, London,
Ontario
✦✦ Collegial II Practical and Collegial II Theory of any conservatory of music in
the province of Quebec
✦✦ Grade VI Practical and Grade IV Theory of Trinity College London, England
✦✦ Grade VIII Practical and Grade VIII Theory of the Royal Schools of Music,
London, England
Notes:
✦✦ The term practical refers to any musical instrument on which performance is
examined. It includes voice (i.e., singing), but not speech arts.
✦✦ The mark credited to the student is calculated by averaging the marks that the
student has earned in the practical component and in rudiments or theory
The Duncan Academy’s courses are labeled according to the Ontario Ministry of Education’s coding system. The code consists of five characters (e.g. ENG1D):
The first three characters represent the discipline, the subject, and the course.
The fourth character represents the grade: 1, 2, 3 or 4 where “1” refers to Grade 9, “2” refers to Grade 10, “3” refers to Grade 11 and “4” refers to Grade 12 or A, B, C, D or E where “A” refers to level 1, “B” refers to Level 2, “C” refers to Level 4 and “E” refers to Level 5. Letters represent proficiency in a language course.
“O” refers to OPEN – A course open to all levels.
“D” refers to ACADEMIC- A Grade 9 or 10 academic course for students planning on future post-secondary education.
“M” refers to UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE- A senior course in preparation for university or college.
“U” refers to UNIVERSITY- A senior course preparing the student for university.
In designing a student’s program and to ensure that all students can qualify for the secondary school diploma, substitutions can be made for up to three compulsory courses. The courses used by a Second Language student may have a substitution made for the French as a Second Language requirement, using any course from the compulsory listing; an additional Arts, or Technology, or Mathematics or Science, for example. A substitution is only made if the student’s educational interests are best served by the substitution. The decision is the responsibility of the school Principal.
The Ontario Student Record folder (OSR) is the official record for a student. The OSR is created when a student enters the Ontario School system and moves with the student from school to school in Ontario. Every Ontario school keeps an OSR for each student enrolled.
The OSR is created under the authority of the Education Act, and the contents of the OSR are protected under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The parents and students (18 and older) may examine the contents of the OSR on request, with the assistance of the Principal or designated administrator. All OSR’s are stored in a secure location within the school’s office.
The OSR folder contains achievement results, credits earned, and other information important to the education of the students
• The Ontario Student Transcript (OST) is a provincially standardized document, which provides a comprehensive record of a student's achievement in secondary school. Copies are available to students on request.
• The credits that a student has earned towards fulfillment of the requirements for the graduation diploma will be recorded on the OST regardless of how or where the credits were earned.
• In Grades 9 and 10 the student’s achievement, with percentage grades earned and credits gained, are recorded only for successfully completed courses.
The Ministry of Education has instructed that schools in Ontario implement a policy of full disclosure in September, 1999. This policy states that all grade 11 and 12 courses attempted by students must be recorded on Ontario Student Transcripts. This means that any course completed, withdrawn from or failed will appear on a student transcript along with the marks earned in the program.
• In Grades 11 and 12, all attempts, withdrawals and repeats of courses are recorded on the OST showing percentage grades earned, credits granted (if successful), or “W” for withdrawn before completion. (Students repeating a course for which they have already received a credit, will have marks from all attempts recorded, but only one credit is granted).* Students wishing to drop a course must make their request within three teaching days after the mid-term point.
• Identification of any course that has been substituted for a compulsory course will be made.
• Confirmation that the student has completed the Community Involvement requirement will be noted.
• Confirmation that the student has successfully completed the Literacy Requirement will be noted.
• Any extraordinary circumstances affecting the student's achievement in the senior grades may be noted, if appropriate.
• Completion of a program of specialization in a subject area may be noted.
Ontario Secondary School Literacy Requirement
• All students who want to obtain an OSSD must successfully complete the provincial secondary school literacy test or literacy course in order to earn a secondary school diploma.
• International students entering the Ontario secondary school system for the first time in with no previous Ontario credits are OSS students working towards OSS diploma
requirements. Grade 12 OSS students must meet the literacy graduation requirement.
• The literacy test will be based on the Ontario curriculum expectations for language and communication - particularly reading and writing - up to and including Grade 9.
• The Duncan Academy will provide remedial assistance for students who do not complete the test successfully. This assistance is designed to help students improve their skills so that they are better prepared to retake the literacy test.
• Students not successful on their first attempt may rewrite the test. There is no limit to the number of attempts that a student may make. Once students have successfully completed the literacy test, they may not retake the test.
• Students eligible to write the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test at least twice and have been unsuccessful at least once, qualify to take The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC), Grade 12. Successful completion of this course will provide an alternative means of demonstrating the required literacy skills and meet the literacy requirement. Mature students may enroll in the OSSLC course without having attempted and failed the OSSLT. A mature student is described as:
at least eighteen years of age on or before December 31 of the school year in which he or she registers in an Ontario secondary school program;
was not enrolled as a regular day school student for a period of at least one school year immediately preceding his or her registration in a secondary program;
is enrolled in a secondary program for the purpose of obtaining an OSSD.
• Only the indication of the successful completion of the literacy requirement will be entered on the student's Ontario Student Transcript. If the student completed the Ontario Secondary Literacy Course, the mark and credit earned will also be included.
Deferrals
• English As A Second Language and English Literacy Development students will take the test when they have reached an appropriate level of proficiency in English. The parents or staff may request deferral for eligible students, and the school Principal may grant permission.
As stated in Ontario Secondary Schools, Grades 9 to 12: Program and Diploma Requirements, 1999 (OSS), every student who begins secondary school during or after the 1999–2000 school year must complete a minimum of 40 hours of community involvement activities as part of the requirements for an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). The purpose of the community involvement requirement is to encourage students to develop awareness and understanding of civic responsibility and of the role they can play and the contributions they can make in supporting and strengthening their communities.
Community involvement activities are part of the school's program.
TDA Staff will discuss appropriate types of community involvement activities and projects with students and may offer suggestions. However, the selection and management of the involvement is to be directed by the student.
Community involvement activities may take place in a variety of settings, including not-for-profit organizations, public sector institutions (including hospitals), and informal settings. Students may not fulfill the requirement through activities that are counted towards a credit (cooperative education and work experience, for example), through paid work, or by assuming duties normally performed by a paid employee. Students must fulfill their requirement outside of school hours.
Students must maintain and provide a record of their community involvement activities. The organizations or persons supervising the activities must confirm completion of the required 40 hours. The student must submit documentation attesting to the completion of each activity to the Principal. This documentation must include for each activity the name of the person or organization receiving the service, the activity performed, the dates and hours, the signatures of the student and her or his parents, and a signed acknowledgement by the person (or a representative of the organization) involved. The Principal will decide whether the student has met the requirements of both the Ministry and TDA for these activities.
Ineligible Activities
The ministry has developed a list of activities that may not be chosen as community involvement activities. These are referred to as ineligible activities. An ineligible activity is an activity that:
is a requirement of a class or course in which the student is enrolled (e.g., cooperative education portion of a course, job shadowing, work experience);
takes place during the time allotted for the instructional program on a school day. However, an activity that takes place during the student’s lunch breaks or “spare” period is permissible;
takes place in a logging or mining environment, if the student is under sixteen years of age;
takes place in a factory, if the student is under fifteen years of age;
takes place in a workplace other than a factory, if the student is under fourteen years of age and is not accompanied by an adult;
would normally be performed for wages by a person in the workplace;
involves the operation of a vehicle, power tools, or scaffolding;
involves the administration of any type or form of medication or medical procedure to other persons;
involves handling of substances classed as “designated substances” under the Occupational Health and Safety Act;
requires the knowledge of a tradesperson whose trade is regulated by the provincial government;
involves banking or the handling of securities, or the handling of jewellery, works of arts, antiques, or other valuables;
consists of duties normally performed in the home (i.e., daily chores) or personal recreational activities;
involves activities for a court-ordered program (e.g., community-service program for young offenders, probationary program).
ASSESSMENT and EVALUATION
The primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning. Information gathered
through assessment and evaluation helps teachers to identify students’ difficulties as well as their strengths.
Assessment is the process of gathering information from a variety of sources (including assignments, demonstrations, projects, performances, and tests) that accurately reflects how well students are achieving the curriculum expectations. As part of assessment, teachers provide students with descriptive feedback that guides their efforts towards improvement.
Evaluation is a part of the learning process for both the student and the teacher. Formative evaluation
occurs during the process of learning. Formative evaluation is a tool designed to keep both students and teachers aware of the objectives to be achieved, and to periodically inform them of intellectual and emotional progress. Summative evaluation takes place at the end of a unit of study, or of a period of time.
The purpose of summative evaluation is to determine the quality of a students work on the basis of
established achievement criteria, and assigning a value to represent that quality. The final percentage grade for Grade 9 - 12 courses will be derived as follows:
70% of the grade will be based upon evaluations undertaken throughout the course. This portion of the grade should represent the student’s most consistent level of achievement, with special consideration given to the more recent evidence of achievement.
30% of the grade will be based upon a final evaluation in the form of one or a combination of the
following: an examination, a performance, an essay, or another method of evaluation suitable to the course content and expectations. The final evaluation should be administered at or towards the end of the course. There will be no exemptions from the final evaluation.
Assessment and evaluation will be based upon the provincial curriculum expectations (content standards)
and the achievement levels (performance standards). Assessment and evaluation must be based upon the categories of knowledge and skills and on the achievement level descriptions given in the Achievement Chart. Two separate aspects of student achievement must be reported: achievement of curriculum expectations and learning skills. The percentage grade represents the quality of the student’s overall achievement of the expectations for the course and the corresponding level of achievement as described in the Achievement Chart.
Evaluation will be based on the provincial curriculum expectations, and on the achievement levels
outlined in the secondary curriculum policy documents. These levels of achievement are associated with
percentage grades, and are defined as follows:
80-100% Level 4: a very high to outstanding level of achievement.
Achievement is above the provincial standard.
70-79% Level 3: a high level of achievement.
Achievement is at the provincial standard. A student achieving at this level is well prepared for work in the next grade or the next course.
60-69% Level 2: a moderate level of achievement.
Achievement is below, but approaching, the provincial standard.
50-59% Level 1: a passable level of achievement.
Achievement is below the provincial standard.
Below 50% Insufficient achievement of the curriculum expectations.
The student will not receive a credit for the course.
Level 3 (70–79%) is the provincial standard. Teachers and parents can be confident that students who are achieving at level 3 are well prepared for work in the next grade or the next course. According to the ministry document Growing Success
Evidence of student achievement for evaluation is collected over time from three different sources –
observations, conversations, and student products. Using multiple sources of evidence increases the
reliability and validity of the evaluation of student learning.
“Student products” may be in the form of tests or exams and/or assignments for evaluation.
Assignments for evaluation may include rich performance tasks, demonstrations, projects, and/or
essays. To ensure equity for all students, assignments for evaluation and tests or exams are to be
completed, whenever possible, under the supervision of a teacher. Assignments for evaluation must
not include ongoing homework that students do in order to consolidate their knowledge and skills
or to prepare for the next class. Assignments for evaluation may involve group projects as long as
each student’s work within the group project is evaluated independently and assigned an individual
mark, as opposed to a common group mark.
Further, assessment must involve the co-construction of learning goals (student friendly linguistic understanding of the expectations) and success criteria which as an example would be student friendly language for rubrics and other marking devices.
Academic Dishonesty
Academic dishonesty includes practices such as plagiarism, cheating on tests, examinations and assignments. Academic dishonesty may result in receiving a mark of zero in the assignment.
Plagiarism
When you borrow another writer's words and/ or ideas and include them in your work, you must acknowledge this whether it is a direct quotation or a restatement of an idea. Failure to do so is a form of academic dishonesty known as plagiarism and will result in a mark of zero for the work submitted.
REPORT CARDS AND MARKS
A report card will be completed and filed in the Ontario Student Record for each student who has been
enrolled at TDA . As required by law, a student’s record of courses and credits gained towards the requirements for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma is maintained on the Ontario Student Transcript (OST), which is the official record of a student’s academic achievement in high school.
The report card provides a record of the student’s achievement of the curriculum expectations in the form of a percentage grade, which reflects the corresponding level of achievement as described in the achievement chart for the discipline. A final grade is recorded for every course, and a credit is granted and recorded for every course in which the student’s grade is 50% or higher. The final grade for each course in Grades 9–12 will be determined as follows: 70% of the grade will be based on evaluations conducted throughout the course. This portion of the grade should reflect the student’s most consistent level of achievement throughout the course, although special consideration should be given to more recent evidence of achievement. 30% of the grade will be based on a final evaluation in the form of an examination and or performance essay and/or other method of evaluation suitable to the course content and administered towards the end of the course.
Transfer, Change, or Withdrawal
Students wishing to transfer to The Duncan Academy from another school in Ontario during the semester may do so, only if the courses selected at the school have been started at the previous school.
The transfer must be approved by the Principal after consultation with the previous school’s Principal and will be allowed only if we believe that the student will be able to successfully complete the course at the school.
Attendance
Regular attendance is crucial to success in The Duncan Academy programs. The guidelines of the Ministry of Education require that students receive at least 110 hours of instruction for each credit course. TDA expects all students to attend all classes. Valid documentation must be presented to the teacher and the office for missed classes. Persistent absences will result in the following actions:
1st notice upon 5 HOURS absence: 2nd notice upon 9HOURS absence: 3rd notice upon 15 HOURSs absence:
Warning to student and the Warning sent to parents or Interview with the Principal/Vice
development of a plan by student guardians with an interview required Principal.
and staff to improve attendance. with the Principal/Vice Principal.
Loss of Credit.
Lates: Lates will be recorded on the attendance and the amount of time late will be indicated. Should total minutes of lates exceed 15 hours then the principal may not grant the credit.
Leave of Absence
In order to maintain eligibility for Student Authorization from the Canadian Government, students must follow certain guidelines before taking a Leave of Absence outside Canada. They must:
• Have attended a minimum of 2 semesters
• Have a tuition fee balance for 4 courses (or the number required for graduation)
• Have a signed letter from parents or guardian approving the application
• Have a round-trip air ticket
A Leave of Absence must be requested at least two weeks prior to the intended departure date. Leave of absence should coincide with scheduled holidays or times when the student's absence does not have an impact upon the completion of their courses. Students
will not be granted a Leave of Absence if it will negatively impact upon their ability to successfully complete their program, unless the Leave of Absence is for compassionate reasons. The Principal will make the final decision.
External Credits
In the event that course(s) critical to the graduation of a student are not available at The Duncan Academy, we will assist our students in obtaining credit(s) through other agencies such as the Independent Learning Centre or Continuing Education Programs.
Equal Education Opportunity
The Duncan Academy is committed to the principles of gender, faith, race and ethno-cultural equity in the curricula, policies and practices of the School.
Student Counseling and Services
Our staff assists and advises students in a variety of areas during their stay with The Duncan Academy. Services include:
Academic
• Course and academic counseling
• University and college information
• Applications to universities and colleges
• Computer Lab
Personal:
• Opening bank accounts
• Application for transit cards
• Welcome to New Students
• Counseling for Personal Problems
Housing:
• Student Residence
• Home Stay Opportunities
Visa Renewal:
The Office of the school will facilitate renewal of the Canadian Student Authorization, provided that the student is proceeding towards an OSSD or 30 credits at The Duncan Academy.
a) For students who have four or less courses to complete for the OSSD, a request for renewal will be issued upon confirmation of the full payment of the remainder of the tuition fees.
b) For students who have more than four courses to complete for the OSSD, the confirmation will be issued only if the student has a tuition fee balance for four courses for the coming semester.
This program will be delivered in various ways, including orientation and exit programs, career exploration activities, and individual assistance and counseling.
The program is organized into three areas of learning:
• student development (the skills and habits necessary for learning)
• interpersonal development (the skills and knowledge necessary to get along with others)
• career development.
All students are required to complete a half-credit course in career studies as part of the new diploma requirements.
Goals
The Code of Behaviour has been established by The Duncan Academy to ensure:
• that all members of this school community are treated with respect, courtesy and dignity. • that teachers will have the opportunity to teach and that students will have the opportunity to learn. • that all students will have the opportunity to participate fully and safely in school, whether it be in the classroom, the school yard, special events, sports, extracurricular activities or school trips.
• that the expectations for appropriate behavior are identified and taught.
• that the process for ensuring that these expectations are followed is consistent and familiar.
• that everyone will develop an appreciation of the impact of their behavior, both positive and negative, on others.
•that students learn that rules, policies and procedures provide guidelines for behaviour, but that control of behaviour will be internalized as self control.
Responsibilities
Everyone has responsibility for ensuring the success of TDA’s Code of Conduct. The general expectations are outlined below:
Students:
• Treat everyone with courtesy, respect and dignity.
• Learn the rules.
• Complete assigned work.
• Act in a safe manner.
• Accept and follow the rules and regulations of the school.
• Accept responsibility for their actions.
• Use acceptable strategies to resolve conflict. If necessary, students will be taught appropriate alternatives to resolving conflict.
• Promptly respond to the instructions of supervising staff.
Staff:
• Treat everyone with courtesy, respect and dignity.
• Ensure that students and parents are aware of the policies and expectations of the school.
• Communicate with parents.
• Design strategies that focus on and acknowledge positive behaviours.
• Ensure that they address inappropriate behaviours.
• Maintain a consistent approach and expectations, acknowledging positive behaviours and addressing negative behaviours.
• Teach the students alternatives to negative behaviours.
Parent(s):
• Treat everyone with courtesy, respect and dignity.
• Ensure that students and parents are aware of the policies and expectations of the school.
• Discuss and reinforce the expectations with their son/daughter
Process
A key component in the success of a Code of Behaviour is a clearly defined process for dealing with inappropriate behaviour. The steps are outlined below:
• Staff will be responsible for identifying and addressing inappropriate behaviour.
• In a conflict situation:
• Supervising staff will intervene and issue instructions designed to terminate the conflict.
• Students are responsible for responding immediately to those instructions.
• Staff will determine a time and location to provide an opportunity for resolution of the conflict or to deal with inappropriate behaviour.
The process for resolving the conflict is designed to:
•provide an opportunity for the students involved to present their viewpoints.
•assist students to identify:
•the degree of their responsibility in the conflict situation.
• the positive and negative components of their actions.
•teach alternative behaviours with the clear expectations that students will accept responsibility for using the more appropriate behaviours in the future.
•give the students ownership of the problem, actively involve them in determining a solution,
and through this process, teach self discipline.
• assist staff in assigning the most appropriate consequence(s).
Consequences
In general, a progression of possible consequences for persistent inappropriate behaviour is outlined below.
• A consequence determined by student participation in the conflict resolution process.
• Parental contact.
• Contact with the Principal
• Removal of privileges.
• Unable to participate in events off of school property.
• In-School Suspension.
• School Suspension.
• School Expulsion.
The above list of consequences is not definitive, nor would the consequences necessarily follow the steps in the order that they appear. For example, a student who deliberately injures someone could be suspended without having proceeded through the various steps. While it is the goal of the school to teach appropriate behaviours, the safety of everyone must be given priority.
PLEASE NOTE: THERE WILL BE AN AUTOMATIC SUSPENSION FOR BRINGING A WEAPON (GUN, KNIFE OR REPLICA OF A GUN/KNIFE) ON TO SCHOOL PROPERTY LASER POINTERS ARE INCLUDED UNDER THIS POLICY SCHOOL PROPERTY INCLUDES ANY LOCATION OR TIME WHERE STUDENTS ARE PARTICIPATING IN A SCHOOL SANCTIONED ACTIVITY