ANTI-DISCRIMINATION POLICY

Learning resources reflect students' interests, backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. Learning materials:

• involve protagonists of both sexes from a wide variety of backgrounds
• reflect the diversity of Canadian and world cultures, including those of contemporary First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples
• include, in English, use of short stories, novels, magazine and newspaper articles, television programs, and films
• provide opportunities for students to explore issues relating to their self-identity
• make students aware of the historical, cultural, and political contexts for both the traditional and non-traditional gender and social roles represented in the materials they are studying.

INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACHES POLICY

Teachers in the school are expected to:

Teachers use a variety of instructional and learning strategies best suited to the particular type of learning. Students have opportunities to learn in a variety of ways:

• individually
• cooperatively
• independently with teacher direction
• through investigation involving hands-on experience
• through examples followed by practice
• by using concrete learning tools - manipulatives - in mathematics such as connecting cubes, measurement tools, algebra tiles, and number cubes
• by encouraging students to gain experience with varied and interesting applications of the new knowledge. Rich contexts for learning open the door for students to see the "big ideas" of mathematics that will enable and encourage them to reason mathematically throughout their lives.

LANGUAGE POLICY

Teachers must incorporate strategies for instruction and assessment to facilitate the success of the English language learners in their classrooms. These strategies include:

• modification of some or all of the subject expectations depending on the level of English proficiency
• use of a variety of instructional strategies (e.g., extensive use of visual cues, graphic organizers, scaffolding; previewing of textbooks; pre-teaching of key vocabulary; peer tutoring; strategic use of students' first languages)
• use of a variety of learning resources (e.g., visual material, simplified text, bilingual dictionaries, and materials that reflect cultural diversity)
• use of assessment accommodations (e.g., granting of extra time; use of oral interviews, demonstrations or visual representations, or tasks requiring completion of graphic organizers and cloze sentences instead of essay questions and other assessment tasks that depend heavily on proficiency in English).

LATE SUBMISSION POLICY

Students are responsible for providing evidence of their achievement of the overall expectations within the time frame specified by the teacher; and in a form approved by the teacher. There are consequences for not completing assignments for evaluation or for submitting those assignments late.

LATE AND MISSED ASSIGNMENTS

The Ministry of Education’s policy states that “the primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning”.  Submitting work late is a learning skills and work habits issue and may impact on the student’s grade. The Ministry requires teachers to separate evaluation of achievement of the curriculum expectations from the development of learning skills and work habits (Responsibility, Organization, Independent Work, Collaboration, Initiative, Self-Regulation).

Students submit work late for many reasons and teachers should take time to understand the reason for a late assignment. Reasons could include:

• Legitimate explanation
• Poor time-management skills
• Poor academic skills
• Poor understanding of the assignment

TEACHER RESPONSIBILITIES

Students should be expected to submit work on time. The teacher must inform students of the due date of an assignment and the ultimate deadline, which is the last opportunity for students to submit the assignment for evaluation. This deadline is set at the teacher’s discretion. Teachers may deduct marks for late submissions. Normally the deduction should not exceed 20% of the value of the assignment.

Where in the teacher’s professional judgement it is appropriate to do so, a number of strategies may be used to help prevent and/or address late and missed assignments.  These can be found on page 44 of Growing Success.

MISSED EVALUATIONS

Students who do not submit assignments may be given zero.  A mark of zero will normally result in a gap in the record of achievement of curriculum expectations because the teacher lacks evidence of the student’s knowledge or skills. The student might have missed tests, not handed in assignments, or might have been absent for presentations. Students are responsible for providing the teacher with evidence of their learning.

LITERACY & INQUIRY SKILLS POLICY

The school emphasizes the importance of the following:

• using clear, concise communication in the classroom involving the use of diagrams, charts, tables, and graphs
• emphasizing students' ability to interpret and use graphic texts.
• acquiring the skills to locate relevant information from a variety of sources, such as books, newspapers, dictionaries, encyclopaedias, interviews, videos, and the Internet.
• learning that all sources of information have a particular point of view
• learning that the recipient of the information has a responsibility to evaluate it, determine its validity and relevance, and use it in appropriate ways.

TECHNOLOGY POLICY

Information and communications technologies (lCT) tools used in many ways:

• Students use multimedia resources, databases, Internet websites, digital cameras, and word-processing programs.
• They use technology to collect, organize, and sort the data they gather and to write, edit, and present reports on their findings.
• Students are encouraged to use ICT to support and communicate their learning. For example, students working individually or in groups can use computer technology and/or Internet web sites to gain access to museums and archives in Canada and around the world.
• Students use digital cameras and projectors to design and present the results of their research to their classmates.
• The school plans to use ICT to connect students to other schools and to bring the global community into the classroom.
• Students are made aware of issues ofInternet privacy, safety, and responsible use, as well as of the potential for abuse of this technology, particularly when it is used to promote hatred.

TRUANCY POLICY

Truancy by definition is the absence of part of, or all of, one or more days from school during which the school attendance officer, principal or teacher has not been notified of the appropriate cause of such absence by the parent or guardian and also means intermittent carried on for the purpose of defeating the intent of compulsory education.

Students are required to attend school until they reach the age of eighteen or graduate. Reaching the age of majority does not imply any specific rights. If a student is eighteen (18) or older and chooses not to follow the rules, regulations, and/or policies of the school, that student can be asked to cease attendance in school. Regular attendance at school is critical for the student’s learning. To encourage regular attendance by students, our school will ensure that students and their parents are informed about the school’s policy on attendance. Where, in the principal’s judgement, a student’s frequent absences from school are jeopardizing his or her success, school staff should meet with the student and the parents to explain the potential consequences of the absences and discuss steps to be taken to improve attendance. Students of compulsory school age whose absence is reported to the school board attendance counsellor will have the reason for their absence investigated.

In the case of online learning students are expected to login 3 times each week, not including scheduled holidays, for the entire duration of their course. If a student fails to login to their course three (3) times in a single week then an absence will be recorded on their report card. If the student fails to login for two (2) weeks in a row then a message will be sent, either to the parents of a student under 18 years of age or to the student who has reached the age of majority, requiring an explanation and the immediate resumption of online attendance. If the student continues to be truant from their course then phone call(s) will be made to the telephone number provided on the registration forms. If the student fails to attend classes for 59 days then the students’ online account will be suspended. All work will remain intact and resumption of the online course will be determined by the principal in consultation with the student, teacher and parents (if applicable).