St. Vital CatholicSchool

“Living and Learning through faith.”

School Handbook

2017-2018

St. Vital Catholic School

Living and Learning through Faith
At St. Vital Catholic School, we believe:
The Church is our foundation of Christ-centered teachings.
St. Vital Catholic School is positive, safe, supportive, caring and encouraging.
St. Vital Catholic School is dedicated to serving the diverse needs of students in cooperation with families, Church and community.
St. Vital Catholic School is committed to high levels of student involvement, achievement and growth.

Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome to the 2017-2018 school year. We are pleased to present every family with a St. Vital Catholic School Handbook. Please keep it available for future reference and updating. We hope it will answer some of the questions that may arise during the coming months. Revisions and additions will be sent home from time to time and at the beginning of each year to update this document.

St. Vital Catholic School is a school of faith. Our faith is integrated into both the curriculum and the life of the school. We are a community of children, teachers, parents, Priests, Board members, and members of the parish, enlightened by the teachings of Christ.

We strive for the development of each and every student to his or her fullest potential in spirit, morally, physically, socially, emotionally, and physically. Our goals are centered in our love of God, of others, and of self. Religion is not a subject at St. Vital, it is a way of life. The virtues of Christ are practiced in all aspects of our daily activities and relationships.

Our greatest source of support is our parents. You are your child’s first teacher and primary educator. Your child's education is a shared responsibility between the home, the school and the church. Support and involvement of parents in school and parish activities must occur for the child to gain the most from these experiences. Opportunity to review and discuss school lessons with you will increase your child’s understanding and opportunity for success.

Working together we can provide the opportunity for each child to grow as a beloved child of God, ready to take his or her place in helping to build a better world, a world where our children, through their works, will announce the mystery of salvation through Jesus Christ.

In this school year we are looking forward to working with our new School Community Council on our school goals. We welcome your input and we invite you to participate in both school and parish activities. Please contact us at 937-2233 or via e-mail to .

Sincerely,

Don Buglas, Principal

Kirby Arbeau, Vice-Principal

Personnel 2017-2018
Principal / Don Buglas
Vice-Principal / Kirby Arbeau
Pre-Kindergarten
Kindergarten / Susan Menzies
Claire Willsey
Grade 1-2 / Roxanne Jordan
Grade 2-3 / Marisa Armstrong
Grade 4 / Amanda Wasiliewski
Grade 5
Grade 6 / Heather Beattie/Don Buglas
Gwen Friesen
Grade 6/7 / Kirby Arbeau
Student Services / Laura Richardson
Band / Eric Cawood
School Counsellor / Jessica Labman
Secretary / Cindy Bishop
Library Assistant / Candice Caswell
Educational Assistants / Melissa Ma, Lanette St. Amant, Lorna Dyck, Casette Borschneck.
School Liaison / Dan Fox
Caretakers / Ken Chartier and Ben Elias

Important Dates

Important dates can be found in several places: monthly newsletters sent home with students, our website and Facebook page, the large sign outside the school and the Living Sky School Division website. If you need further assistance in receiving information about important dates, please call the school at 306-937-2233.

Daily Time Table

8:30 / Early Supervision Begins / 12:35 / Warning Bell
8:45 / Warning Bell / 12:40 / Afternoon Classes Begin
8:50 / Morning Prayer & Announcements / 2:15 / Recess
8:55
10:30 / Classes begin
Recess / 2:30 / Classes Resume
10:45 / Classes Resume / 3:27 / Classes End
11:45 / Lunch Recess
12:10 / Lunch / 4:00 / Late Supervision Ends

Please note:

1) While our front door does open at 8:00 AM the Board of Education does not require the school doors to be open until 8:30 AM. There will be no staff to supervise the playground until that time. Students should NOT plan to arrive before 8:30AM.

2) When dismissed at 3:27 the students who reside in town MUST leave the school grounds and go home. Once they have entered their residence they may return to play on the playground at their own risk. There is no playground supervision after 3:27 pm.

School Governance

St. Vital Catholic School is operated and funded by the LivingSkySchool division No. 202. St. Vital Catholic School is a publicly funded school designated as a school for children of the Catholic faith.

The school is governed by the policies and regulations of the Living Sky School Division No. 202, under the obligations as outlined in the Education Act of the Province of Saskatchewan.

The Board of Education has established a Catholic School Advisory Committee. The purpose of this committee is to provide the Board of Education with information and guidance on matters that directly affect St. Vital Catholic School, the Catholic Education Program, and the Catholic students enrolled here.

Celebrating 140 Years!

A Brief History of St. Vital School

The history of St. Vital School is one of desire and determination of the parish and parents who understood the need for an education in a Catholic school. From humble beginnings to the present, St .Vital CatholicSchool has been a very important part of the Parish and the community.

  • 1878 Father Florent Hert, OMI, arrived at Battleford (Telegraph Flat) from Alsace, France. Along with his missionary duties he opened a school for the Roman Catholic Metis children.
  • 1880 Father A. Bigonesse, OMI, was sent to Battleford. He enlisted the help of Miss Onesime Dorval ( the first qualified teacher in the North West ). Miss Dorval taught at St. Vital until 1896.
  • 1886 The school became St Vital Catholic Public School District #11 of the North WestTerritories. The enrolment was 89 students.
  • 1893 The Sisters of the Assumption arrived and from 1893 to 1962 education was conducted by the Sisters, assisted by lay teachers.
  • 1914 St. Vital School District built a new three story brick school ( now the FredLightMuseum).
  • 1919 The school expanded to include grades 1 to 12.
  • 1931 The Catholic Public School District #11 was changed to St. Vital Separate School District # 3.
  • 1961 St. Vital R.C.S.S.D #3 joined the North Battleford School Unit No. 58.
  • 1962 The Sisters of the Assumption left Battleford. The first part of the present St. Vital School opened.
  • 1970 Grade 7 and 8 students were transferred to the DivisionIIISchool, presently BattlefordJunior High School.
  • 1976 St. Vital School completed an addition and gymnasium. Enrollment reached 191 students in kindergarten to grade 6.
  • 1980 The enrolment reached 232 students. Two portables were added.
  • 1981 St. Vital School received a second addition. The portables were retained.
  • 1995 The enrolment was 254 students.
  • 1997 The Battleford School Division # 58 and the North Battleford School Division # 103 agreed to amalgamate. A Letter of Intent was signed by both Division Boards in which they agreed in writing to honor the agreement of 1961 between the Battleford Rural School Division and St. Vital Separate School District # 3.
  • 1998 January 1, 1998 The Boards of Education of the two school divisions officially amalgamate to become Battlefords School Division #118
  • 2001 August 27 St. Vital becomes a K-7 school.
  • 2002 June 30th St. Vital moves to the site of Battleford Junior High
  • 2002 August 27th St. Vital opens at its new location as a K-8 school with 270 students
  • Enrollment has remained steady for the past several years at 195 students
  • 2008 marked the 130th anniversary of St. Vital Catholic School.

Core Curriculum and the Continuous Improvement Framework

All schools in the province are involved in the implementation of the Saskatchewan Core Curriculum and the Continuous Improvement Framework.

Core Curriculum is intended to provide students in our schools with a foundation in education that will benefit them when they leave school, regardless of their chosen career path. It reinforces the teaching of basic skills while expanding the base of knowledge of every child. The two major components of Core Curriculum are the Required Areas of Study and the Common Essential Learnings (CELs). The seven required areas of study are:

Language Arts

Mathematics

Science

Social Studies

Health Education

Arts Education

Physical Education

Provision has been made for Locally Determined Options to be added as required by community or student needs. At St. Vital, Religion and French are two locally determined options.

The common essential learnings are incorporated into all areas of study. The CEL’s are:

Communication

Numeracy

Critical and Creative Thinking

Technological Literacy

Personal and Social Values and Skills

Independent Learning

More information about Saskatchewan’s Core Curriculum can be viewed at:

School Programs

Religious Education

In a CatholicSchool,catechetical education is crucial. As well as regular Religion classes, monthly Masses, and Sunday Children's Masses, the school provides in-class preparation for First Eucharist, Reconciliation, and Confirmation. These Sacramental preparations involve the children and parents in service projects, hospital visits, visits to the Regional Care Centre, as well as special projects within the school. The expectations we have for children and their parents are important in any faith journey. Discipline, class prayer, school assemblies, school Masses, children's Masses, altar servers, community involvement, and special presentations, all involve interactions among parents, children, teachers and members of the parish community. All of these activities are joined with those of the Sacrifice of the Eucharist, to promote and deepen our faith. Everyone responds to God's word in different ways. We wish to provide a model for the children in our care, to be imitated by them, and to lead them to full and active participation in the life of the Church.

Counseling

We have access to a school counselor two days each week. Parental requests for students to receive counseling may be made through the student services teacher. Behavior, relationships, divorce, loss of a family member or illness is some possible reasons for referral.

Social Skills

Children come to school with a variety of language, cognitive and social skills. Some children have difficulty relating to their peers or to adults. Sometimes lack of these skills leads to frustration, anger and fear. Children who lack these skills have difficulty in many areas. Often the problems follow the children into adulthood. Students must learn responsible behavior and know how to deal with these children to avoid confrontation, abuse or violence. St. Vital Catholic School is committed to assisting students in achieving positive social interaction by reducing impulsive and aggressive behavior and increasing a child's level of social competence through empathy training, and interpersonal problem solving.

Student Services Programming

Children are individuals and will process information at different rates. In every classroom we find students with a wide variety of abilities, achieving at different levels. Remedial Instruction is provided to those students who have been identified as being in need of special help or programming. Each program is unique and set up for the individual student's needs. Remediation usually occurs in the areas of speech and language and academics. Students will generally receive individual or small group remediation within the classroom but may occasionally be pulled out of the classroom for more intense or personalized instruction. Modified courses of study are provided by the classroom teacher and/or the Student Services teacher, with assistance to students provided byeducational assistants. The classroom teacher, in cooperation with the Student Services teacher or educational assistant may also use a team teaching approach within the classroom.

The school has a full time Student Services Teacher and several full time Educational Assistants. In addition to services provided by our staff, there is a wide variety of auxiliary services available to us through Student Services in our school division. These include an Educational Psychologist, Speech Therapist, Occupational Therapist, School Liaison Worker, Occupational Therapist, Counseling services and other education consultants. We also access therapists, health nurses, audiologists, and mental health services through the Battlefords Health District and Catholic Family Services. These people will set up programs for special needs students and provide consulting services to staff and parents.

Library

The school library has a wide variety of resources from paperback fiction to videos. Books are available on loan to students for a two week, renewable lending period.

Computer Use and Internet Access

Students have password access to the computers. These passwords are intended to be confidential, and must not be shared with other students. Students are responsible for their accounts and for the Internet use made using their passwords.

Students wishing to use the Internet during free time or during Computer Club activities, must have a signed parental consent form. These forms will be given out in September and are intended to be read and discussed jointly by parents and children. Access to sites in poor taste is restricted by programs installed in the server. None of these sites can be accessed by students without a great deal of effort and knowledge, therefore, anyone who does access a prohibited site must have done so intentionally. Loss of computer privileges and possible suspension are consequences of such behavior. Moreover, rules for the proper use and care of the computer labs is posted in each room and is regularly referred to by staff.

Procedures for Communication

When dealing with around 200 children and twice as many parents, there will be times when parents and teachers experience a communication problem. This may be the result of misinformation from children, a misunderstanding of what occurred, or a concern about the practices in a classroom.

We, as a staff, are committed to open communication with all parents. If there is something you are concerned with, we would like to know about it as soon as possible. This way, little problems do not escalate. The procedure for resolving a problem is as follows:

  • Speak to the teacher involved and discuss the matter. Usually this will clarify any misunderstandings or misrepresentation or lead to a mutual resolution of the matter.
  • If, after talking to the teacher, the matter reoccurs or continues, the next step is to inform the principal. The principal may then talk with both parties.
  • If this does not solve the problem or the situation continues, the principal will then arrange a meeting between the parties involved and mediate the situation.
  • In the unlikely event that a solution cannot be reached, the principal may contact the Director of Education or designate.

Code of Student Conduct & Responsibility

We believe that discipline should consider the values of the school community, the teachings of our Lord and the expectations of our society. Teachers will deal with students in a firm but compassionate manner to enable the students to grow to be true disciples of the Lord. At St. Vital Catholic School students and staff are treated with respect, integrity and dignity. Discipline administered by the staff will be reasonable, appropriate and respectful. We believe in discipline with dignity. Discipline will focus on a change towards appropriate behavior and a plan for the future, rather than punishment.

The goal of the staff is to create an environment that is safe, inviting, and supportive. We want all students to enjoy an atmosphere in the school which fosters teaching, learning and cooperation both in and out of the classroom.

The goal of discipline is to teach a student the correct and socially acceptable way to behave in a situation, and to encourage positive behavior choices in the future. Every behavior choice carries with it a consequence. The child must learn to accept responsibility for his or her behavior and accept the consequences that follow. They must also be taught that negative behavior choices bring negative consequences and that positive behavior brings more pleasant consequences. In some cases, a plan for restitution may be considered.

Expectations for students will be reviewed frequently. Everyone will treat others with dignity and respect at all times in the school, on the playground and buses, at church, and when representing St. Vital Catholic School at other locations. Unsafe, rough or physically dangerous behavior, including bullying, is not acceptable.

Correcting Irresponsible Behavior

We recognize that the majority of our students will strive to meet our expectations for respect, responsibility, and self-discipline. However, no single set of procedures will work to help every student develop the behavioral skills and attitudes needed to be successful in school. Therefore, a series of intervention steps will be implemented to assist those students who display chronic misbehavior. The focus will be on consistent and logical consequences for chronic misbehavior while encouraging success and responsible behavior. All matters of student discipline will conform to school division policy. All expectations are clear and framed in positive language thereby assisting all learners to be successful.

Most misbehavior will be dealt with by intervention using mild to moderate consequences. However, three categories of severe misbehavior will result in the student being sent immediately to the office.

  • Physically dangerous behavior: fighting, assault, physical intimidation
  • Illegal acts
  • Chronic insubordinate behavior

All consequences involve in or out of school suspensions (1-10 days) and parent/student/principal conferences. Re-entry to the classroom or school will involve a Behavioral Contract signed by the student, family, and school personnel.

As per school board policy any student suspensions which remove a child from classes under section 231 of the Education Act, the teacher is required to provide a written report outlining the circumstances of the exclusion to the Principal. In cases where the pupil is suspended from classes for the day, a copy of the report shall be sent to the parent or guardian and one copy is to be filed in the office.