TEACHERS HANDBOOK

  1. DEFINITION

Handbooks provide procedures for handling routine matters, clarifying expectations of teachers, and providing a unified approach to our service to students, to the community, and to the OIS School System. Staff members are responsible for all information in the handbook.

  1. GENERAL INFORMATION / SCHOOL IDENTITY

MISSION

OIS promotes the development of students with high academic competencies and values to become proactive world citizens.

VISION

OIS is dedicated to providing a multicultural environment with the intention of graduating students with academic excellence and global leadership skills.

ACCREDITATION

Both the Panamanian Ministry of Education and AdvancED accredit Oxford International School, furthermore guaranteeing the local and international community our commitment to quality education.

Following is a brief description about AdvancED and its principles:

MISSION: Lead and empower the education community to ensure that all learners realize their full potential

VISION: Create a world of opportunities for every learner.

VALUES:

  • Dream Big- We are not constrained by the current environment or framework even as we work within existing systems.
  • Stand for the Learner- We represent the interests of all learners with a commitment to equity and integrity.
  • Be Bold and Daring- We take risks that support our beliefs.
  • Drive Potential- We create and initiate change, growth and innovation in our work but also among each other. We embrace the individuality we bring and strive for excellence as a team.
  • Be Tenacious- We are relentless in pursuing our mission.
  • Build Connections. We expand and nurture our internal and external relationships.

ACCREDITATION STANDARDS:

STANDARD 1Purpose and Direction: the school maintains a purpose and direction that commit to high expectations for learning as well as shared values and beliefs about teaching and learning.

STANDARD 2Governance and Leadership: the school operates under governance and leadership that promote and support student performance and school effectiveness.

STANDARD 3teaching and Assessing for Learning: the school´s curriculum, instructional design, and assessment practices guide and ensure teacher effectiveness and student learning.

STANDARD 4Resources and Support Systems: the school has resources and provides services that support its purpose and direction to ensure success for all students.

STANDARD 5Using Results for Continuous Improvement: the school implements a comprehensive assessment system that generates a range of data about student learning and school effectiveness and uses the results to guide continuous improvement.

STANDARD 6Early Learning: the program has resources and provides services that support its purpose and direction to ensure success for all children.

  1. TEACHER´S JOB DESCRIPTION

To plan, organize and implement an appropriate instructional program in a learning environment that guides and encourages students to develop and fulfill their academic potential.

  1. Main Job Tasks and Responsibilities
  • plan, prepare and deliver instructional activities that facilitate active learning experiences
  • develop schemes of work and lesson plans
  • establish and communicate clear objectives for all learning activities
  • prepare classroom for class activities
  • provide a variety of learning materials and resources for use in educational activities
  • identify and select different instructional resources and methods to meet students' varying needs
  • instruct and monitor students in the use of learning materials and equipment
  • use relevant technology to support instruction
  • observe and evaluate student's performance and development
  • assign and grade class work, homework, tests and assignments
  • provide appropriate feedback on work
  • encourage and monitor the progress of individual students
  • maintain accurate and complete records of students' progress and development
  • prepare required reports on students and activities
  • manage student behavior in the classroom by establishing and enforcing rules and procedures
  • participate in extracurricular activities such as social activities, sporting activities, clubs and student organizations
  • participate in department and school meetings, parent meetings
  • communicate necessary information regularly to Principaland parents regarding student progress and student needs
  • keep updated with developments in subject area, teaching resources and methods and make relevant changes to instructional plans and activities
  1. Education and Experience
  • Bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited institution
  • Single subject teaching credential or certification if teaching a specialized subject
  • Relevant teaching experience
  • Knowledge of relevant technology
  1. Key Competencies
  • Self-motivation
  • High energy level
  • Verbal and written communication skills
  • High work standards
  • Problem solving
  • Decision making
  • Organizing and planning
  • Learning orientation
  • Critical thinking
  • Stress tolerance
  • Flexibility and adaptability
  • Initiative
  1. HOURS AND TIMES

Teachers should arrive at 7:00 AM., and may leave at 4:00 PM. Extra effort should be made to insure you arrive on time each day. Remember, you need to be in your classroom at 7:00 AM.

  1. ABSENCES and TARDINESS

Teachers must notify firsttheir Principal or Assistant Principal between 6:00 and 7:00 AM.

If you know in advance that you are going to be absent, make arrangements as soon as possible.

Lesson plans must be available for each class.Personal Action Request (PAR) are to be filled out and turned in to the HR office on the day the Teacher return. If it is necessary for you to leave school at any time during the school day, please request permission fromyour Principal or Assistant Principal.

Arriving late or leaving early will be logged. When time reaches ½ day, absentee forms will be filled out accordingly.

The procedure for counting tardiness is as follows for teachers:

  • A tardiness is called when a Teacher registries late in the clock punch (7:01 am).
  • A tardiness will be deducted out of your monthly salary.
  • The HR office will send a written notewho are three times late in a month.
  1. ACCIDENT REPORT

When an accident occurs in the school:

  • Teachers are to notify the Principal’soffice and the nurse.
  • In case of severe injury do not move the victim, send for help.
  • Accident reports must be filed in the infirmary.
  • If a staff member is injured while at school or at a school-sanctioned function which they are supervising, the principal’s office and the nurse must be notified immediately, or the School Principal if it is necessary.
  • If a minor accident occurs, teachers could handle it inside the classroom.

Please, notify to their parents about what occurs during the day.

  1. UPDATEDADDRESS FORMS

Homeroom teachers are responsible for keeping an updated data base throughout the school year andnoting any changes to the administration office.

Updated address forms must be filled out by parents at the beginning of the year.

  1. COLLECTING GRADES

Theteacher is responsible for turning in the grade folder twice a week before 3:00 p.m. on Wednesdays to the assistant principal.

  1. STUDENT ATTENDANCE

Take attendance at the beginning of every class period.

Attendance Policy

The following absences are excused:

1. illness of student

2. religious holidays, pre-approved

3. court summons (copy of summons required)

4. death in the immediate family (parent, sibling, grandparent)

Note: Absences for vacations, traffic problems, and car trouble are unexcused.

Policies and Procedures:

  1. Anticipated Absences: Students who anticipate being absent should bring a note to their teacher at least 24 hours prior to the absence, e.g., religious observances, school activities.
  2. College Visits and Educational Experiences: College visits are typically for juniors and seniors.

Students may be excused for a maximum of three days to visit colleges. A parental note must be submitted to the attendance office 24 hours in advance. These absences will not be excused during exam week.

  1. Dismissal from Nurse: Students who feel ill during the day must report to the Nurse

Room in order to be excused for early departure. Students dismissed from school by the Nursemust sign out at Principal`s Office. Upon departing, students’ mustpresent the Nurse dismissal slip to the Principal`s Office. In return, the Principal will sign it..

  1. Early Departure Procedures: Students will be excused for early departure only by presenting anote to the Principal office before 7:25 a.m. No student will be excused without a note.

Telephone calls requesting early departure will not be honored. Students will not be permitted toleave without confirmation of note.

  1. Excuse Notes: A note from a parent or guardian is required to excuse any absence. A

Doctor’s note is required for any absence of five or more days due to illness. Notes regardingabsences must be presented to the student’s 1st or 2nd period teacher within three days of returningto school.

It is the standard policy of the Attendance Office to verify notes excusing absences,tardies, and early departures by telephoning parents/guardians.

The following information must be on all absence/tardy/early departure notes:

1.Student name

2. Date of note

3. Date(s) of and reason for absence/tardy/early dismissal

4. Parent/Guardian name and signature

f. Late Arrival: Students arriving after 7:45 must sign in at reception. A note from aparent/guardian or physician/dentist citing an excusable absence (see above) is required to excuseany tardies.

g. Make-Up Work: Upon returning from an absence, students have three days to make-up workmissed during the period of absence. Teachers are obligated to assist students in making up work when the absence is excused; however, they are not obligated to accept missed work when theabsence is unexcused. It is the students’ responsibility to find out what work they missed and tomake arrangements for completion within the three-day time period following their return toschool.

h. Tardies: Missing twenty minutes of any class constitutes an absence from that class

Three unexcused tardiness are equivalent to one absence. Upon their return students must present a written excuse from their parents or legal guardian or a medical certification. Students that are absent for more than fifty percent of the trimester without a justifiable reason lose the right to receive a grade.

Policies and Procedures

Cell Phones. Oxford International School allowshigh school students to have cell phones in the school building. Students may use cell phonesand other electronic devices during their lunch period. Any student who needs to phone homein an emergency situation should go to his/her Principal or counselor to seek help ratherthan use a cell phone during the instructional periods.

Closed Campus. Students are not to leave the property at any time during the day unless they are on anabbreviated schedule or they have acquired documented permission through the attendance oradministrative offices.

Final Exams. Students are required to take trimester exams in academic courses. The exams count as 25% ofthe semester grade, except for 2nd semester seniors, for whom the final exam is calculated as part of their4th marking period grade.

  1. Students who do not have an exam/ during the 1st testing period, but do haveone during the 2nd testing period, do not have to report to school until 9:35.
  2. Students who have an exam/ during the 1st testing period, but not during the2nd, are allowed to leave the building at the end of the first testing period.
  3. During exams, Students are allowed to leave at 10:30 am.
  4. School buses will run at10:30am. Students who need to take the school bus needto wait in the designated areas.
  5. Students need to bring an excuse note to their principal to request approval to takemake-up exams.

Grades. The 36-week school year is divided into two 12-week semesters. Report cards are issued after trimester.

Midterm reports are mailed home at the mid-point of each 12-week period.

Hall Passes.

Hats and Head Coverings. Students are not to wear any head coverings(hoodies) in the building unless it is forreligious purposes. If a student requires this exception, he/she must present a letter that can be verifiedstating the religious reason All other students mustremove any and all head coverings when they come into the building.

Infirmary. Students who feel ill during theday may not excuse themselves from school. The Nurse must make thedetermination regarding all early dismissals for health reasons. Students who leave schoolmust sign out in the Principals office. Students who need to take medications need to bring them to thenurse, who will dispense them as instructed by the doctor

ID Procedure. All staff and students are required to have IDs in their possession at all times while onschool grounds.

Lockers. Students should keep their personal belongings in their lockers and carry materials for theirmorning block classes so they do not have to go to the lockers between classes. Being at one’s locker isnot an acceptable excuse for being tardy to class. The display of rude, distasteful, or obscene pictures orother items is prohibited. Each locker is theresponsibility of the person to whom it is assigned.

Lunch. Since OIS is a closed campus school, students are not to leave school grounds for lunch.

Musical Electronics. Students may wear their headphones, iPods, or MP3 players up to the first bell andduring lunch. If a student is wearing his/her headphones after first block, except at lunch, the headphoneswill be confiscated and kept in the Principal office until a parent takes possession of the item or it isreturned to the student by security prior to a school holiday.

Textbooks. Students must assume full responsibility for all books loaned to them; this

responsibility includes making payment for lost books and/or unreasonable damage. Refunds

will be given for any books found and returned with a receipt to the financial office. A

student who arrives for a semester exam without his or her book will be given a financial

obligation until the book is returned or paid for.

Theft. Student victims of property theft should check with friends and associates since they sometimespick up items that were left behind. Report all thefts immediately to the Principals Office. Delay in reporting mayresult in difficulty in the return and recovery of property.

Visitors. All visitors are required to register in the reception. An ID will be issued to each visitor. Visitor parking is located in front of the school.

BUILDING AND ROOM REGULATIONS

Teachers are responsible for maintaining an adequate learning environment (organized, papers and books picked up). Before leaving school make sure to turn the lights and electronicsoff and lock the door. Anyone defacing school property should be reported to the Administration office and will be responsible for financial restitution.

Teachers must be in their rooms whenever students are present. You are liablefor accidents or injuries occurring to students left unattendedduring your class periods.If there is an emergency, notify the closest teacher.

  1. BUILDING MAINTENANCE REQUEST

Fill out a building maintenance requestform (available in the copy center)for needed repairs or maintenance. Turn this form into the administration office.

  1. BULLETIN BOARDS

Bulletin boards are an important part of your classroom. They should be kept current and used appropriately to keep students interested and up-to-date. We also have cork strips in several locations throughout the building to display student work or other information.

  1. CALENDAR

To avoid scheduling errors teachers should clear with the Principals all guest speakers, field trips, and meetings with the Principal. Please check in our web page the official school activities calendar. All events need to be announced and scheduled two weeks in advance.

  1. CLASSROOM VISITATION / TEACHER EVALUATION AND SUPERVISION

Principalswill visit each classroom formally and informally as part of the performance-based teacher evaluation process. The purpose of this is to improve instruction and student learning. There will be both announced and unannounced visits. The Director would like to be notified of special projects or performances so that he could attend/observe.

Supervision, professional development and evaluation are the basic building blocks that OIS use to construct the foundation of learning organization. Teacher evaluations are often designed to serve two purposes: to measure teacher competence and to foster professional development and growth. This digest discusses characteristics of effective teacher evaluations and some common teacher concerns. There’s two kinds of evaluation: Informal and Formal

  1. COMPUTER USE

At school and on school equipment teachers are to avoid inappropriate websites. Under NO circumstances are students allowed toaccess to a teacher’s computer.Log out of your computer if it will be left unattended for an extended period of time.It’s important to back up all the information daily.

The Oxford International School e-mail account should be checkeddaily. Teachers are responsible for the maintenance of their e-mail accounts (deleting unnecessary emails, sent items and emptying the trash).If teachers do not check emails on a regular basis, the Technology Office will automatically write a report to the Principal.

  1. CONFERENCES (PARENTS)

Teachers should contact parents any time there is a concern about a student whether it is academic, social, or behavioral. Positive communication is fundamental in buildingstrong, productive relationship with parents. Make it your goal to contact 100% of the parents at least three times during the year.Prepare written reports of all meetings formal or informal with parents. These reports must turn in to the principal’s office within 24 hours after contact.

  1. COPIES AND PRINTED MATERIAL

The Copy Center is located on the ground floor. Request copies 24 hours in advance and avoid unnecessary copies.Teachers must fill out a form request for copies signed by their Principal.

Printing on school premises should be limited to OIS / MKeducational purposes only. Printers should not be used to print material for an entire classroom

  1. DISCIPLINE

If teachers have discipline situations to be attend in the classroom, please following: