Code of Conduct
General Vanier Public School
Introduction
Students at General Vanier School, as members of any community, have both rights and responsibilities. It is the obligation of the school to protect those rights and insist upon those responsibilities. In addition, if the members of our school are going to be safe and happy, if our school is to be maintained in a clean and healthy way, and if our mission and goals are to be achieved, there must be some rules.
Rules do three things:
1. They tell people what they can do.
2. They tell people what they cannot do.
3. They make it possible for people to live and work together in harmony.
The purpose of this conduct code is to ensure that all students and their parents understand students’ rights and responsibilities, as well as the school rules. These conduct rules are based on the Education Act, The Provincial Code of Conduct, The Safe School’s Act and the DSBN Code of Conduct for Elementary Schools.
The ultimate goal of this Code of Conduct is to assist our students to become outstanding citizens and to treat others as they themselves would like to be treated.
STUDENT RIGHTS
In order to achieve their maximum potential, students have the right to:
? Equal education opportunity
? Learn in a safe, undisturbed and positive environment
? Be free from bullying and verbal, sexual or physical harassment
? Be counseled and have fair and just treatment by teachers related to performance and conduct
? Receive assistance from their teachers
? Be respected
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
? Attend classes regularly and punctually
? Come to all classes with necessary books and materials
? Be diligent in their studies
? Develop self-discipline
? Observe the code of behaviour
? Respect authority and the persons in positions of authority
? Respect the rights and personal property of others
? Care for school property and equipment
? Be honest with staff and peers
? Be clean in person and habits
? Be courteous to others
? Be sure that all school correspondence to parents reaches home
A. GENERAL RULES, ROUTINES AND MANNERS
Students are expected to:
1. Abide by the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
2. Abide by the “Hands off” policy. This means to not touch anyone, or their property in any manner without their permission. This rule also applies to student play (see Playground Rules)
3. Remove caps and hats when entering the building.
4. Be polite, display good citizenship and good sportsmanship.
5. Respect and maintain property, equipment and supplies.
6. Respect self and others at all times.
7. Use appropriate language at school.
8. Wear suitable clothing, appropriate to an Elementary School settings - See Dress Code
B. ATTENDANCE AND PUNCTUALITY
1. Students are expected to be on time for class.
2. Students are expected to attend school regularly and attend all classes while at school.
3. Parents are asked to call the school prior to class if their child will be absent.
4. Students may not leave the school during school hours unless given permission by the Principal or Designates.
5. Students will be permitted to leave early provided that parental permission has been received and the student checks with the Office to sign out and reports to the Office upon their return.
6. All student departures or arrivals between entry and dismissal are to be done through the Main Office.
C. DRESS CODE
1. Students are to wear proper fitting and school appropriate clothing at all times.
2. Students are not to have bare midriffs showing at any time.
3. Students are not to have “spaghetti strap” type clothing, tank tops or mesh tops
4. No “cutoffs” or short shorts or pyjama pants are to be worn at any time.
5. Students are not to wear any clothing with questionable or inappropriate images, slogans or language.
Students may be asked to change their clothing if it is deemed inappropriate for the school. Students may also be asked to go home and change their clothing if needed.
D. PLAYGROUND RULES
1. Play in the designated areas of the playground. The East side yard is for our Primary students and the back yard is for the Junior and Intermediate Students. The front yard, other than the designated Kindergarten area, and all parking areas are out of bounds.
2. No students are to leave the playground area without permission.
3. Play safely on the playground equipment. Treat the equipment with respect. Please leave the safety stone in place and on the ground. It is for your protection.
4. Get drinks and snacks and visit the washrooms before going outside. Do not re-enter the building before the bell unless permission is given by the yard supervisor or an emergency arises.
5. Play with your own age group.
6. Use assigned doors for entry and dismissal. Students arriving after regular entry times are to use front doors
7. No student is permitted to climb onto the roof or in trees.
8. Do not throw or kick stones, sand, ice or snow, etc.
9. Garbage should be placed in the containers provided.
10. Wrestling, play fighting or any other form of rough play are not permitted. This will be considered a violation of the “hands off” policy.
E. LUNCH TIME
1. Sit and talk quietly to neighbours while eating lunch in assigned lunch areas.
2. Display appropriate table manners.
3. When finished eating, clean up your eating area.
4. Deposit garbage and recyclables in appropriate containers.
5. Do not leave the lunch room to go outside until dismissed by the lunch supervisor or teacher.
6. Use washroom facilities before going outside.
F. BICYCLES
1. Students riding bikes to school must obey the same rules as other vehicles.
2. Bikes are to be walked on and off the school property.
3. Bikes are to be placed in the bike rack area and students are to immediately leave this area. Bike locks are strongly recommended.
4. The bike area is out of bounds to all students except for those students parking or removing their own bikes.
5. The school has no responsibility for accidents, damage or theft relating to bicycles. Bike locks are strongly recommended.
6. The law requires cyclists to wear a bike helmet.
7. Students under grade 4 level are strongly discouraged from riding bikes to school. While the school reinforces safe bicycling practises, be sure your child is aware of the rules of the road as it pertains to bicycles.
G. BUS TRANSPORTATION
A small number of our students are bussed on a regular basis. However, all students ride busses from time to time on educational trips or excursions. It is very important that students do not distract the driver. The driver’s main concern is to safely drive the bus, not to discipline disruptive students.
Some important rules include:
1. Do not leave your seat while the bus is in motion.
2. Do not throw things inside or outside the bus.
3. There is no body contact. Observe the “hands off” rule.
4. Do not stick hand or objects out the windows.
5. Do not shout at people in the bus or on the street. Please refrain from making loud noises which could distract the driver’s attention.
6. Do not run or push in line while boarding the bus.
7. Do not bring or eat food or drink on the bus.
8. Stay in your designated seat.
9. All school rules also apply to bus trips and educational excursions.
H. PROHIBITED ITEMS
Students should not bring valuable personal property to school. Loss and theft are facts of life and often these lost or stolen articles are never returned to their rightful owner. Similarly, other items may cause unwanted distraction or health and safety perils and are consequently prohibited from school property.
Please do not bring the following items to school:
? Hard baseballs, golf balls, hard rubber balls, etc.
? Skateboards, roller blades, heelies, scooters, sleighs, toboggans.
? Trading cards, Pokeman cards, etc.
? Matches, lighters, firecrackers, caps or any other explosive device
? Pills, medicine, drugs, tobacco products, alcoholic products
? Knives, sling shots, or any other item that can be considered a weapon
? Radios, walkmans, CD players, cell phones, electronic/battery operated games or toys
? Pets (unattended)
? Chewing gum
If, as a parent, you are unsure of whether an item is or should be on the above list, please check with the school.
CONSEQUENCES:
Below is a summary of consequences. Failure to comply with the Code of Conduct could result in one, or more, of these consequences being applied. The aim is to eliminate the misbehaviour and promote self-discipline.
? Attendance or behavioural contracts
? Program change
? Behavioural modification plan
? Detentions
? Police or other agency referral
? Informal discussion
? Loss of school privileges
? Parental contact
? Removal from class
? Informal or formal suspension
ZERO TOLERANCE
Zero tolerance means that there are certain behaviours that will not be tolerated. They will be dealt with immediately and consequences will be applied. Please don’t assume that zero tolerance will meet with automatic suspension. Each situation must be dealt with individually and many variables are taken into consideration. The staff and Principal will generally collaborate to make decisions which will meet the disciplinary needs of the school and community, without compromising good judgement.
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