PAUL PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL
CHARACTER
EDUCATION
SCHOOL YEAR 2014-2015
CHARACTER EDUCATION OVERVIEW
Paul Public Charter School maintains high standards and is accountable to its students, parents and community. The staff is committed to a program of excellence. We recognize that the adolescent years are a time of transition because it is a time for children to understand that wise decisions cannot be made unless several perspectives of an issue are considered and contemplated. It is a time to build upon the foundation that began at the elementary school level. Thus, the Paul PCS Character Education Program is designed to ensure a safe and nurturing environment where effective learning can take place.
The purpose of having Character Education at Paul Public Charter School is to teach students to use sound judgment and basic reasoning in their day-to-day activities.
The character development portion of this program emphasizes the importance of students’ ability to make informed and responsible choices. Character development provides a foundation upon which students can build respect for themselves and for others, and it creates a climate that will empower them to achieve academic and social success.
Character Education provides the opportunity for students to clearly understand the meaning of success and the social expectations of them as they mature into responsible citizens.
This program requires that all members of the Paul family and community adhere to the components of the program and work together to support and enforce the goals of the Paul Public Charter School.
Paul PCS: Rules and Policies
Because students are expected to abide by the rules and regulations of the school, their behavior is monitored throughout the day using a computerized conduct sheet in SchoolForce. At the end of the day, teachers report exceptional and inappropriate behavior observed during the day. To help students adjust to Paul’s structure, the following points will be addressed:
Arrival time – The building opens at 7:45 AM. Free breakfast is provided for all students. High school students eat breakfast in grade level classrooms from 7:45 – 8:05 AM. Middle school students eat breakfast in homerooms. Students who arrive early between 7:45 -8:05 AM will have the opportunity to complete homework or read silently while waiting to go their lockers at 8:05 AM.
At Paul PCS, it is expected that students are in school daily and on time. Academic success is dependent on students being in class each day. We have many incentives in place to celebrate our scholars who meet attendance expectations. Students with perfect attendance can expect to participate in monthly incentives. In addition, students who do not meet attendance requirements are subject to earning consequences.
Tardy to school – Any student who is not seated in their homeroom (for middle school) or first block class (for high school) by 8:15 AM is considered late; therefore, students who arrive in the building later than 8:10 AM will be marked tardy-to-school because there is not enough time to get to their classrooms by 8:15 AM. Students who are tardy-to-school must report to tardy detention after school that same day from 3:35pm – 4:15pm. Only students with appropriate documentation will be excused (i.e. medical or dental notes, inclement weather, extreme circumstances with Metro or extreme circumstances affecting traffic). Normal Metro delays and normal traffic patterns are not excused. The Attendance Counselor will make the final decision regarding excusals. Guardians will be notified each day when students are tardy, as they are assigned same day detentions. Parents can request a make-up day (next day) at that time.
**Students that fail to stay for detention will receive additional consequences from the Dean of Students, unless the Attendance Counselor and the parent have made other arrangements.
Attendance – In order to have academic success, all students must attend school daily. Students may be excused for valid reasons such as:
a) Illness (documentation may be required)
b) Death in the student’s family
c) Necessity for a student to attend judiciary or administrative proceedings as a party to the action (documentation may be required)
d) Observance of a religious holiday
e) Medical or dental appointments*
f) An emergency or other circumstances approved by an Administrator
*If your child suffers from a medical condition that causes frequent absences from school, please have your child’s physician provide written documentation. Documentation should be given to the Attendance Counselor. Mandatory truancy conferences will be scheduled if a student has excessive absences or tardies. Referrals to Child and Family Service Agency (CFSA) and the Truancy Division will be made for Educational Neglect and Truancy when students have excessive absences that violate the District’s attendance law. If any student aged 5-13 has 10 unexcused absences, Paul PCS will contact CFSA within 2 business days of the student’s 10th unexcused absence. If any student aged 14-17 has 15 unexcused absences, Paul PCS will contact the Court Social Services Division (CSS) within 2 business days of the student’s 15th unexcused absence.
Early Dismissals – Only a parent, guardian, or authorized person identified on the Enrollment Forms may pick up a student from school. NO EXCEPTIONS! The parent, guardian, or authorized person must provide proper identification, such as a driver’s license or non-driver’s identification to pick up the child. All parents must be present in the Main Office for students to be called for early dismissal. Students will not be called to the office ahead of time. As students are not allowed to use cell phones in the school building, parents are asked to refrain from texting or calling their children and telling them to report to the office. When students are dismissed due to illness, the school nurse will determine which students will remain in the Health Suite until a parent or guardian comes and which students are able to return to class until the parent or guardian arrives. Occasionally some high school students may receive an early dismissal sheet to leave without a parent by providing an original appointment slip from the doctor, dentist, court, or government agency, along with a written note from the parent. Appointments may be verified and parents will also have to verbally confirm the early dismissal.
Uniforms – Students must be in a full, properly-worn uniform daily, throughout the day. Paul scholars dress professionally to simulate the reality that dressing appropriately is a crucial skill to have mastered for the adult world. Students are not allowed into class out of uniform; their uniforms are checked at the threshold of each classroom. Students out of uniform will earn a detention at minimum and could earn a full day in TIC (In-school Suspension) or more for certain uniform infractions or repetition of infractions. Students who have to borrow items (tie, belt, shirt, etc.) from Student Monitors or other staff will be expected to trade a valuable item as collateral until the borrowed item is returned, and they will serve an after school detention on the day that they are out of uniform. It is the student’s and parent/guardian’s responsibility to keep track of uniform items and to clean them daily so that students can be fully prepared to participate in class each day. The dress code is as follows for our different schools:
Middle School / High SchoolWhite Paul-logo Oxford shirt / Light blue Paul-logo oxford shirt
Regulation navy pants, shorts, skirt, jumper or skort / Regulation khaki pants, shorts, skirt, jumper or skort
Belt, socks and grade-level tie / Belt, socks and grade-level tie
Close-toed black leather or suede dress shoes or ankle boots / Close-toed black or brown leather or suede dress shoes or ankle boots
Navy or white sweaters that are solid and blank or have the Paul logo / Navy, white or maroon sweaters that are solid and blank or have the Paul logo
The following are common issues we have with scholars, which will earn consequences if the standards are not abided by:
· Pants legs may not be rolled up or tucked into shoes or boots.
· Sneakers are only to be worn inside a gym class; students must change into and out of their sneakers in the locker rooms, rather than at their lockers prior to a transition.
· Ties must be visible and tied at all times, even if your scholar is wearing a pull-over.
· The purpose of a headband it to keep hair off one’s face. Headbands must be worn off the forehead.
· All articles of clothing must be school-appropriate and may not detract from learning in the least.
The following items are not allowed:
· Hats of any kind (to include do-rags, nets, bandanas, headscarves, and headband-flowers)
· Scarves, hoodies, ski masks and coats or jackets
· Jeans, fishnet stockings, jeggings, articles of clothing with holes in them
· Knee-high boots, shoes with any dazzles or decorations, two-tone shoes or shoes with color on them, open-toe shoes, and heels with greater than a 1 inch rise
No shoes with stripes, stitching or designs will be accepted (tennis-shoe “look alikes” will not be accepted). No “fad” costume jewelry or gel bracelets are to be worn. Earrings must be no larger than quarter-coin size.
High School students have the privilege of a casual Friday. On Fridays, Paul International High School students may wear sneakers, no tie and their Paul-logo Polo-style shirts. All other uniform guidelines should be abided by, to include belts, tucked-in shirts, no hoodies, etc. On Casual Fridays, tenth and eleventh grade students may also wear a shirt that clearly represents a country or college of their choice. Scholars must still wear school-appropriate articles of clothing.
Paul staff members are expected to confiscate items that are out of uniform and may choose to only return them to the parent, depending on the frequency and severity of the infraction.
Bookbags – As a way of ensuring safety in the school building, upon arrival each day, all students must participate in having their back pack and other belongings checked. All students must store bookbags in their lockers. Book bags cannot be used during the school day. Female middle school students will not be allowed to carry large handbags/pocketbooks into the classroom. There is no eating in the classrooms, halls, and/or computer labs at any time.
Tardiness to Class – Students will have approximately 5 minutes to get to each class. There should be no hall-walking/loitering between classes. If students are detained by another teacher, the student is responsible for obtaining a pass. Students who are late to class without passes will be subject to consequences.
Passes – In an effort to protect classtime, teachers have the right to limit the number of passes that are distributed in a class period. Students will need a pass to be in the halls during class time and lunch time. Students who are late to class will be accepted into class, but given a write-up when they arrive without a pass. Hall-walking and class-cutting are prohibited and will be dealt with severely.
Cafeteria – All students are expected to be in the cafeteria and/or at recess during their designated times. Students are not allowed in a teacher’s classroom during these times without authorization from a staff member.
Classroom rules/regulations – All students are to adhere to individual teachers’ rules and regulations for his/her classroom. Teachers will explain their management plan on the first day of school.
Medical Excuses – Students who are under the care of a doctor should show documentation to the school. It is important that the nurse and the counselor for that student’s grade level be made aware; the counselor will inform the teachers as needed. Parents need to inform the school of such issues. Students who have fifteen (15) unexcused absences during the advisory risk failing.
Incentives and Privileges – It is Paul’s aim to help students grow and achieve personal goals as well as the goals we set before them, both academically and behaviorally. Students are celebrated regularly for their achievements through monthly incentives sponsored by their grade-level team or by the school administrators. Students earn these incentives by accumulating MERIT points for good behavior in class and elsewhere in the school community. Students earn positive points for participating in class, wearing their full uniform, being kind to a peer, assisting a teacher, attending Homework Center and more. Students who exhibit consistently positive behavior (and show it through their MERIT points) maintain privileges in and out of the classroom, whereas students who do not maintain positive MERIT points can lose various privileges.
Detention – Students can be assigned to detention for low-level consequences. Detention is held daily from 3:35 – 4:15 PM. If a student earns a consequence, the adult who assigned the consequence will notify the guardian of the infraction.
Therapeutic Intervention Center (TIC; i.e. In-school Suspension) – At Paul in-school suspension is a consequence that students can earn for higher-level infractions. We call it our Therapeutic Intervention Center, or “TIC,” because through it we aim to provide scholars with behavioral supports that both teach more appropriate social skills, and deter negative behavior. We have two TIC rooms: one in our middle school and the other in our high school. Our goal is always to provide students with behavioral support so that they remain in class rather than in TIC. Depending on the infraction, students can be assigned for as little as one class period or for several days. Scholars who are unsuccessful in TIC will earn increased consequences, which could include an Out-of-school Suspension. While students are in TIC, they complete academic work delivered daily to them by their teachers. Students are also required to complete Character Education assignments that foster personal reflection and planning for better behavior in the future. Parents will be notified by a Student Monitor staff member if a student has been assigned to TIC during the day that the child is serving the TIC consequence. Students who earn TIC should report directly to TIC when they are informed of their consequence in the morning; students are released from TIC at 4:15 PM.