ATTENDANCE & LATES

Students are expected to be in school, in class and punctual. Good attendance is essential for student success at school. Being prompt to class is also essential for school success; a late arrival to class is disruptive to the learning environment.

Acceptable reasons for absences:

• personal illness
• religious holidays
• family emergencies
• extreme inclement weather
• dental or medical appointments
• school related activities

Attendance Documentation:

• on the day of absence contact attendance by phone (905)934-4006 to report absence andreason.
• if above is not possible the student must provide attendance with a dated note signed by parent/guardian upon their return to school.
• the same procedures apply to adult students who have a signed ‘Age of Majority’.
• students who must leave during the school day should bring a note from a parent and must sign out with attendance prior to leaving, students who are returning upon their return, a note or call from parent is required to verify if not previously submitted.
• students who do not provide the appropriate documentation will be recorded as truant until parent verification of absence is received.

School Response to Excessive Absences:

• 5 unverified absences from class - call home by teachers
• 10 unverified absences from class - letter home with attendance profile (Vice Principal)
• 15 unverified absences from class - student interviewed by administration
• 20 unverified absences from class - interview with parent/administration - possible removal from class

Truancy (skipping class):

• Truant students will be consequenced for skipping classes.
• Administration will assign a detention or other consequences as deemed appropriate.
• If a student misses an assessment/evaluation activity it will be at the schools discretion whether the student will be allowed to submit the assignment.

Note: Students are responsible to obtain and complete work missed due to absence.

Lateness:

• students who are late for class will have ‘late’ recorded on their class attendance record.
• if more than 10 minutes late students will not be admitted to class without an admit slip from the attendance office.
• students who are chronically late to class will receive the following consequences:
  • 5 lates (1 class) - assigned to late hall for every additional late
  • 10 lates a letter home
  • 15 lates a suspension

Late Hall:

• room 164 from 11:10 to 11:35
• student must bring homework
• no sleeping, no headphones
• students who are late, absent, misbehave will be seen by administration that p.m.

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is academic dishonesty. It includes copying the work of another student, having someone else write an assignment, copying a published author’s text, or using (by paraphrase) substantial ideas or arguments from a source without proper citation. You may also be an accomplice in plagiarism if you knowingly allow your own work to be submitted in whole or in part as the work of another person. Most plagiarists are easily discovered because instructors are familiar with sources and can also detect inconsistencies in the work and in the writing style, vocabulary and syntactical structure. Students are expected to cite all ideas or works that are quoted or paraphrased. When in doubt, cite your sources.

Possible Consequences:

• a mandatory rewrite.
• a zero to be included in the final grade for the course.
• a percentage penalty deemed suitable by the teacher.
• any combination of the above.

Avoiding Plagiarism (a student checklist):

• have I used class time for writing and shown my teacher that I have been working on my assignments.
• have I shown my teacher all drafts on the assigned due dates?
• have I included all rough work?
• have I used quotation marks as instructed to acknowledge material taken from sources?
• are citations of footnotes properly done for both direct quote and indirect references?
• is a bibliography/references/work cited sheet included?

CO-CURRICULAR PARTICIPATION

At Governor Simcoe:

• we value the enjoyment/growth/personal achievement students realize through participation in co-curricular activities and its contribution to life long learning and healthy lifestyle.
• we believe every Governor Simcoe student would benefit in co-curricular involvement and our goal is to maximize student participation.
• co-curricular refers to any school sponsored activity outside of the classroom that fosters student growth.
• participation in co-curricular activities is a privilege not a right. Participants are expected to be students first.

Due to the fact that co-curriculars compliment classroom learning there are very specific expectations for participation.

• attend class regularly and punctually.
• demonstrate effort in their courses.
• be enrolled in a meaningful academic course-load as agreed upon by school administration.
• conduct themselves as good citizens of Governor Simcoe Secondary School. This includes demonstrating positive behaviours in class, hallways and while representing Governor Simcoe at co-curricular activities.

Failure to adhere to the above expectations will be reviewed according to the following process once a concern has been expressed by school staff.
1. Coach/Staff advisor discuss concerns with student and look for solutions.
2. Administration, coach/staff advisor meet with student to discuss concerns and possible solutions.
3. Students who continue to not meet school expectations will be referred to the Student Co- Curricular Review Committee (SCCRC). The SCCRC will review each individual case and make recommendations to Administration. The SCCRC will access appropriate school resources (eg. Special Education, Guidance, teachers, mentors) prior to making their recommendation. It is expected that all parties will work together to correct the behaviour so that co-curricular involvement can continue successfully.

STUDENT DRESS

Students are expected to dress appropriately. Please note the following:

• no headgear is to be worn anywhere in the school.
• all clothing must be in a reasonable state of repair.
• no beachwear, short shorts, tank tops, halter tops, cut-offs.
• no clothing with inappropriate or offensive symbols (eg. messages about sex, alcohol or drugs).
• no midriffs exposed.
• chains, studded clothing and other items of clothing which may be considered dangerous are prohibited.
• proper footwear is to be worn at all times.
• tops must have straps that are at least 5cm in width.

When you look in the mirror in the morning you know if you are dressed appropriately. Make sure you come to school dressed decently and with decorum each and every day. Students who do not do so will be sent home to change. Students who habitually fail to comply with the dress code will be progressively disciplined.