St. Vincent de Paul
Parish School
STUDENT/PARENT
HANDBOOK 2017-18
127 KEY AVE.
WHEELING, WV 26003
304-242-5844
INTRODUCTION
St. Vincent de Paul Parish School’s Student/Parent Handbook reflects the input of the Pastor, the faculty, and the school board. It is regarded as a printed contract between the parent/guardian and the school and is intended to state and clarify the goals, regulations, and policies of the school. Parents, by virtue of their child’s attendance at the school, agree to be bound by all regulations contained in St. Vincent de Paul Parish School’s Student/Parent Handbook.
Parents are encouraged to read the content carefully, paying particular attention to the philosophy and objectives which are expressions of the St. Vincent de Paul Parish School wishes for its students. Once parents have acquainted themselves with the handbook, they will be in a better position to assist the faculty in the education of their children.
Parent and family involvement in every aspect of the Catholic school is encouraged. Active participation on the part of families creates further awareness of the school’s total education program and support for the school and its mission.
Parents/guardians and students will be asked to sign an affidavit indicating that they have reviewed St. Vincent de Paul Parish School’s Student/Parent Handbook of policies and that they are willing to abide by the policies of the school.
MISSION STATEMENT
Serving the community through
Exceptional education grounded in
Responsibility to Catholic
Values by
Embracing individual needs
PHILOSOPHY AND OBJECTIVES
We, the facilitators of learning at St. Vincent de Paul Parish School, believe that:
…each child is a unique human being called to live in wholesome relationships with his/her environment, other human beings, and with his/her Creator and Redeemer;
…each child through the learning process must go beyond intellectual development to the awareness that he/she is the shaper of his/her own life, personally responsible for his/her actions;
…each child must learn to live in an age of diversity, be able to adjust to a highly changeable future, and to appreciate that change is good and necessary;
…each child has a natural desire to learn and can be intrinsically motivated to think, learn, and question through the process of discovery;
…each child learns best at his/her own rate, in his/her own style, at his/her own level of interest, and in an atmosphere of responsible freedom;
…each child must be assisted in the learning process by a facilitator of learning who diagnoses, guides, and provides a continual evaluation process.
In view of the philosophical statement, we recognize the following as goals for our students:
…To be a student who belongs to and helps to build a Christian community characterized by a living and dynamic faith and a love for all people. To learn to continually deepen his/her discovery of God as he/she explores the Christian heritage in an atmosphere of faith involving loving relationships, apostolic involvement, and liturgical worship.
…To acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to become a self-directed person and, through some measure of success in these, to experience a positive self-image.
…To be a responsible citizen showing social consciousness in his/her interaction with others and having respect for the dignity, worth, and unique contributions of himself/herself and each individual person.
…To find a vocation which he/she will find satisfying and yet be a contributing member of society.
…To appreciate beauty in all its forms in order to enrich life experiences.
…To be well prepared as twenty-first century learners.
ABSENCE
Parents must notify the school by 8:45 a.m. or as soon as possible, if their child is not attending. If we are not notified of your child’s absence, you will receive a phone call from the school and your child will be considered unexcused.
Students should be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school. Students who are sent home during the school day with a fever will not be allowed to return to school the next day as this would not allow for the 24 hour protection of the entire school community.
A written excuse, signed by the parent or guardian, must accompany the student returning to school after an absence and should be presented to the homeroom teacher. If your child is marked unexcused you will receive an email immediately as attendance is taken. Legal excuses for absences are sickness, sickness or death in family, impassable roads or weather making travel unsafe, religious observance, approved school supervised trips, and required presence in court.
After a student has missed 5 consecutive unexcused days or 10 days in a school year, this will be reported to Ohio County School Truancy Officer. In accordance with the State of WV truancy policy, parents are permitted to provide an excuse for the child(ren) five times per semester after that a doctor’s excuse is needed.
Make Up Work when Absent:
All missed assignments must be completed when a student is absent from school. Students will be given the same number of days to make up their assignments, as they were off due to an illness. (Example: 1 missed day of school= 1 day to make up any assignments) Students will make up tests the first day they return or when the teacher feels all content has been presented. It is the responsibility of the student to see their related arts teacher to obtain missed assignments. All missed assignments from related arts classes must be made up before/after school on the day the student returns.
If a student fails to complete missed assignments due to absence, within the allotted time,he/she will receive a reduction in grade for special classes and a 0% for core subject classes.
Only students with excused absences will be permitted to make up their work and it is the responsibility of the student in grades 5-8 to ask each teacher for missed work.
The school calendar provides for extended weekends throughout the school year. Parents are encouraged to schedule trips or family outings during these times so as to eliminate the need to interrupt a child’s learning process. Missed assignments are the student’s responsibility.
When a student is absent for three or more days due to illness, a parent may call the school office to arrange for homework assignments. Homework assignments may be picked up at the school office between 3:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Teachers are not required to give make-up tests or assignments for absence due to vacations. NO assignment will be given in anticipation of the vacation.
Excessive absence, (40) days or the equivalent of 40 days, including days the student was tardy, can be cause for a student to be retained in the current grade for another year.
Parents must requested homework by 10 a.m. and will the work will not be available until 3:30 p.m. for pick-up.
AFTER CARE
Students Pre-K 3 through 8th Gradeareable to attend our After Care program available Monday - Friday afterschool from 3:20-5:30p.m. Each family will be billed weekly. Failure to pay the weekly balance will prohibit your child from attending the program.
ATHLETICS
Diocesan Policy #5710 states that “Elementary school athletics, as all co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, are under the jurisdiction of the Principal and local Advisory Council.” Policies and regulations made for athletics must be approved by the principal and local council.
Moderators/coaches of all co-curricular and extra-curricular activities are to be officially appointed by the principal in consultation with the Pastor and athletic director. The term “moderators” is meant to include coaches of all teams that represent the school in any sport. They must be 21 years of age or older.
Appointments may be made in consultation with those groups which sponsor and help to support such activities, but the final decision regarding appointment rests with the Principal in consultation with the Pastor and athletic director.
Whenever and wherever possible, moderators should be appointed from among staff members of the school inasmuch as their position in the school would reaffirm an already existing relationship with the students. When a staff appointment would be impossible, prudent selection of moderators from among volunteers should be made.
All Coaches/Moderators must participate in the Virtus program, “Protecting All God’s Children” and submit to a background check before they begin working with the team.
Co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, while supportive of the academic program, are necessarily secondary to it. At no time should such activities be detrimental to the values fostered by the total school program. In particular, elementary school athletic programs must be kept in proper perspective. Essential values such as the development of physical skills, health competitive attitudes, and the value of sportsmanship should never be superseded by an overriding demand to produce “champions.”
Interscholastic sports at the elementary level are governed by the rules of the league to which the school belongs - - such as the Wheeling Parochial League.
No student may participate in any sports program unless he/she is covered by insurance and has had a physical examination, the results of which are reported in writing to the school.
All game uniforms and cheerleading outfits are to be cleaned and turned in to the coach at the end of the respective season. Uniforms should be worn and equipment used only at official functions. If a child fails to return a uniform the parent/guardian will be responsible for the cost of the uniform/equipment.
ATHLETIC ELIGIBILITY
Students, who participate in any athletic program, including cheerleading, must maintain a passing grade in all basic subjects (religion, reading language, spelling, math, social studies, and science) in order to be eligible for practice and games. Grades are reviewed at the time of progress reports and at the end of the report period to determine eligibility. Students who do not receive passing grades in all basic subjects are suspended from practices and games until the next evaluation period. This rule is a Wheeling Parochial League requirement and is imposed on all participating parochial schools.
BOMB THREATS
If a telephoned or written bomb threat is received by the school, the following procedures should be followed:
Inform the police department immediately. If the police order the school to be vacated, evacuate by a fire drill. In inclement weather use an announced fire drill, thereby enabling students to put on coats. Pupils should be directed to a safe location where they should remain while the search of the buildings is conducted by police authorities.
CELL PHONE & OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES POLICY
Grades K-4:
Students are not permitted to have or use cell phones, iPods, or any other electronic communication devices at school during school hours. If a cell phone is needed for an after school emergency, for students in TK – 4th, the student must give the cell phone to the homeroom teacher to be kept in the teacher’s care until the end of school. It is the student’s responsibility to retrieve the phone, from his/her teacher, prior to dismissal.
Grades 5-8:
Students in grades 5-8 may bring their cell phones or iPods to school. If they bring their phones or iPods, they MUST give them to their homeroom teachers. The equipment needs to be off when turned in to the teachers. They students are responsible to go to the homeroom teacher to retrieve the phones/iPods after school. If a student does not follow these guidelines, there are consequences which are listed below. Students are not permitted to use any other electronic communication devices at school. SVS is not responsible for any lost or stolen items.
CELL PHONES at not to be used by students until 3:30 p.m.
1st Offense – The first offense will result in 10 minutes recess detention.
2nd Offense– The student’s parents will be notified that the student has violated the cell phone policy and the student will lose recess.
3rd Offense – The student will have a one day in school suspension and will then be required to leave his/her cell phone in the office during the school day for the remainder of the semester or for a period of at least two months, whichever is longer.
CENSORSHIP
A complaint from parents or teachers regarding materials should be directed to the principal in writing. No material will be removed from circulation automatically because of a complaint. Materials objected to will be reviewed by a committee composed of the principal, two faculty members and two advisory council members.
CHILD ABUSE LAWS
SVS abides by the Child Abuse Prevention, Adoption and Family Services Act. This law mandates that all cases of suspected abuse and/or neglect be reported to Child Protective Services.
The Diocese of Wheeling Charleston requires that all school staff and all volunteers participate in a 3 hour VIRTUS awareness session on “Protecting God’s Children” which deals with protecting children from sexual abuse.
CODE OF CONDUCT
The administration and faculty reserve the right to discipline students who, by their lack of responsibility or unacceptable behavior, infringe upon the rights of others in the school community. Each student (3-8) and guardian is required to sign a Behavioral Contract.
Discipline is considered an aspect of moral guidance and not simply a form of punishment. Discipline, for the child, is the practice of the virtue of self-denial, of charity and thoughtfulness of others, and obedience to authority. Since the essence of Christian discipline is self-discipline, the student takes upon himself/herself the consequences of that chosen behavior. It is the responsibility of each student to think of other people, to respect their rights, and to demonstrate behavior that results from inner convictions rather than from external pressures.
In order to ensure good discipline the following policies have been adopted:
1.No student or group of students will be permitted to disrupt the academic program of any classroom.
2.No student or group of students may defy the authority of the principal or teachers.
3.No student or group of students may harm the person or damage the property of others or of the school.
4.Students are to maintain a quiet atmosphere in the halls when changing classes and using their lockers.
5.Drugs, alcohol, smoking, fighting, profanity and verbal abuse are forbidden at all times.
Major disciplinary problems are referred to the principal. If he/she deems it necessary, the parents may be called in for a conference. If further disciplinary action is required, it will be taken at the discretion of the principal. All disciplinary action is guided by the policies set up by the Diocesan Office of Schools.
The following are approved corrective measures at St. Vincent De Paul Parish School:
1.Teacher conference with student.
2..Lunch detention – Student will be required to sit away from others during lunch period for an infraction requiring action prior to assigning after school detention.
3.Detention - The detaining of a student for one hour after school for infractions of school regulations or discipline. Parents will be notified in writing of the date of detention. Such notice must be signed by the parent or guardian and returned. Repeated detentions will result in loss of privileges and an in-school suspension. BUS STUDENTS ARE NOT EXEMPT FROM DETENTION. In the case of a bus student being detained, parents must arrange for transportation home.
4.Conference with Principal.
5.In-school suspension (1 or 3 day) - Upon recommendation of a teacher, the student is removed from the classroom but reports to school each day and is under the supervision of the principal or someone designated by the principal. In-school suspension occurs only after repeated offences or in violation of Code of Conduct and without response to warnings. The student is permitted to take scheduled tests which occur on the day of his/her suspension. All work must be fully completed and a deduction of 10 points per assignment will be administered.
7.Suspension from extra-curricular activities.
8.Suspension is imposed only for a serious reason. When suspension is invoked the student’s parent must be notified immediately. No student should be sent home during the school day for any reason unless the parent is notified.
9.Expulsion should be resorted to only when all other means of discipline have proven ineffective, and the student’s conduct is a definite hindrance to the welfare and progress of other students. The decision to suspend or expel is made by the principal. The Diocesan Superintendent of Schools should be informed immediately of all expulsions.
A CODE OF CONDUCT indicating behavior violations and disciplinary procedures is provided to parents. This listing is not intended to be all-inclusive. Students may be disciplined for other inappropriate behavior. Evaluation of the Code of Conduct will be conducted as needed with input being sought from a representative sampling of the school community. Practices that are ineffective in decreasing the occurrences of a problem will be changed.
Below are listed the consequences for failure to follow St. Vincent de Paul Parish Schools Code of Conduct.
Altercation resulting in Physical Harm:
- 1st Offense – The first offense results in a student/parent/principal conference and a one day detention.
- 2nd Offense – The second offense result in a one day in school suspension anda behavioral contract signed by parents and student.
- 3rd Offense- Agreed action based upon behavioral contract.
Verbal Bullying/Harassment/Sexual Harassment/Fighting/Threats:
- 1st Offense – The first offense results in a student/parent/principal conference and may result in a detention or in school suspension, which will be determined by the principal.
- 2nd Offense – The second offense results in a one day in school suspension and a behavioral contract signed by parents and student.
- 3rd Offense- Agreed action based upon behavioral contract.
False Fire Alarm
- 1st Offense – One day in school suspension and student/parents/guardians will face repercussions through the City of Wheeling Fire Department.
Bomb Threat