Parent / Student Guide

2009

SCIS Procedures

Attendance

At SCIS we expect all students to come to school everyday and to be on time for all of their classes. It is a proven fact that regular attendance to school maximizes a students learning potential. Learning is optimized for those students who are present and on time for their classes. Frequent tardies and/or absences disrupt the learning environment for other students and will be dealt with by the Coordinator.

School Hours

All students must be at school by 07:55. Nursery and Pre-Kindergarten students finish the day at 12:00 and should be picked up from school no later than 12:30. Kindergarten to fifth grade students have classes until 14:30 and 6^th to 12^th grade students end the day at 15:00. For control and safety reasons, we recommend that ALL students leave the school premises by 15:30, unless they are supporting or participating in after-school activities or classes.

Absences

Parents must call the front office before 08:30 on the day their child is absent.

All absences are either EXCUSED or UNEXCUSED.

• Excused absences include: extended/foreseen absences , illness, medical appointments, religious holidays, family emergencies, and athletics (see bullet below). On return the student must complete all assigned work missed in the time determined by the teacher (This is usually the same amount of days the student missed). For an absence to be excused, the school must receive a written notification from the parents and/or athletic organization, and in the case of illness, a doctor's statement.

• Students who participate in athletic competitions and/or have requested extended absences MUST arrange for work with their teachers an equivalent amount of days prior to those absences. In other words, if the student will be absent for 4 school days, he/she should see teachers AT LEAST 4 days prior to being absent. Classwork should be completed and tests/quizzes should be rescheduled on the dates agreed to by the teacher.

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• Unexcused absences include: skipping school, suspension, unapproved extended weekends or holidays, traveling, sleeping in, studying at home, leaving school to meet or see off family/friends at the airport, leaving early for family lunches. Students risk losing points from assignments on these days.

• By law students risk failing the year when they accumulate 14 unexcused absences.

• It is necessary to present a doctor's certificate if a student is sick for more than 2 days.

• When a student skips school it is counted as an unexcused absence. In addition there is a one-day suspension (also unexcused) and a zero for all work assigned or tests/quizzes on that day.

• The front office monitors and notifies parents about tardies and absences.

Tardies

At SCIS we believe that punctuality is a building block for responsible, respectful and caring citizens. When students do not arrive to school on time or are not in the class when the bell rings, they are considered late. Students must be in school no later than 08:00 when the gate will close.

Three tardies to school is automatically registered as one unexcused absence. When a student is consistently late, the respective coordinator will meet with the student and parents to discuss the matter.

Leaving School Early

For your child's safety, parents must call school by 08:30 to request permission for their child to leave early. The student should leave the school accompanied by the parent or legal guardian; parents should advise SCIS if alternate transportation will be used. The student must have a signed permission slip from the respective coordinator before leaving the school. As with absences, students should inform subject teachers of his/her early dismissal and complete the work for that day.

(IMPORTANT. We would like to remind parents to arrange their travel plans in advance. Absences accumulated when students leave early for a holiday are registered as unexcused absences.)

Uniforms

At SCIS we wear our uniform with pride. The required uniform on standard school days consists of a yellow Polo t-shirt with blue pants or Bermudas and/or skirts for the girls. Only high school students from 9^th -12^th grade may wear classic, blue jeans as an alternative. Students wear the white PE T-shirt and blue athletic shorts or tracksuit pants for physical education class. Caps and hats may be used during outdoor PE classes; however, students may not use caps anywhere else on school grounds. Students will only be admitted into the classroom wearing the appropriate uniform. In case a student does not wear the appropriate uniform, he/she will call home to have the correct uniform sent to him/her. This may result in a tardy for your child.

Toys, Cellular phones, MP3's, Digital Cameras and Other Electronic Devices

Toys (soft toys, dolls, action figures, Gameboys, PSP's, etc.) should be kept home. Toys are often a disruption during class and a source of disagreements during recess and lunch. If your child brings a toy to school, his/her teacher will safely keep the toy until the end of the day, when it will be returned to his/her parent.

The use of cellular phones is restricted. Students may only use their cellular phones with permission from their coordinator. Students should use their phones in the following designated areas: the front office and outside the staff room. In the case of an emergency, we encourage parents to call the school rather than their children's cellular phones during the school day. The front office will ensure that your child receives the information appropriately.

When students do not follow the correct procedures, their cellular phones will be confiscated and safely kept by the respective coordinator. All phones will be returned to students at the end of each week, unless the cellular phone was taken on a Thursday or Friday. In this case, the student will receive his/her phone at the end of the following week.

The use of MP3 music players and digital cameras is strictly forbidden. These devices will be confiscated immediately and returned to the parents at the end of a trimester.

(IMPORTANT. SCIS is not responsible for the loss of any of these valuable and costly items.)