parent and student handbook 2013-2014
Transcription
parent and student handbook 2013-2014
PARENT AND STUDENT HANDBOOK 2013-2014 Context for this Handbook: A climate of innovation St. Gilgen International School is a growing, dynamic and innovative learning community that is committed to continuous improvement. This means that very little remains static at our school as we continue with our drive towards excellence. The content of this Handbook was correct at the time it was written, but we reserve the right to change published procedures as circumstances or improvements dictate. A current and accurate version will be placed on the School Website (www.stgis.at) and will remain updated throughout the Academic Year. Equally, it is essential for students, parents and staff to consult the comprehensive information on the website at every relevant opportunity. This Handbook covers basic routines and policies, however, there is so much more to St. Gilgen International School than this. August 2013 2 HEADMASTER’S INTRODUCTION Dear Parents and Students An education of the highest quality is the greatest gift that parents can give to their children. The next global generation will need exceptional academic and intellectual creativity to take on positions of leadership and address the many challenges that face our world. Given this, it is vitally important that the leading schools in the 21st Century provide a genuinely holistic international education to prepare learners for the responsibilities they will face in their lives. St. Gilgen is such a school and we will not shirk this challenge. We are dedicated to blending academic excellence with a richness of opportunity beyond the classroom. As a boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 10 to 18, we are committed to providing an outstanding learning experience. Academic study lies at the heart of St. Gilgen International School. We are determined to give our students every opportunity to make the most of their abilities through a combination of excellent teaching, an inspirational learning environment and by enabling students to take significant responsibility. Through our values of ‘Respect, Courage and Discipline’ we expect excellence and nothing less. High standards in the classroom combine with opportunities for independent study to create an intellectual curiosity in St. Gilgen students that stays with them for life. Our diverse and rigorous curriculum means we are constantly able to help our learners to fulfill, if not exceed, their academic and intellectual potential. The enormous range of activities away from the classroom ensures that each learner can grow and develop wherever their interests and talents may lie. Our wonderful learning environment inspires students to a level of remarkable creativity. We provide a plethora of opportunities in a community that rewards ambition, enthusiasm and hard work and where, without doubt, everyone enjoys themselves. Even more important, it is where honesty and mutual respect are expected. As Vincent Lombardi wisely said, ‘The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavour’. At St. Gilgen International School excellence is indeed a habit. Michael J Chapman Headmaster 3 Mission The mission of St. Gilgen International School is to offer motivated and talented boarding and day students a balanced and challenging international education in a modern learning environment. Fundamental to our beliefs is Healthy Mind, Healthy Body and Healthy Spirit. These are three key dimensions of human development and a person is not truly ‘educated’ without all three of these dimensions. At St. Gilgen International School our learners enter the world as educated young adults and not just qualified. Values and Ethos At the heart of our school values lie the ‘Cardinal Virtues” as outlined by Plato in The Republic. Plato defines cardinal virtues, which he believes should be practised by everyone and as representing the basis of ‘natural morality’, as follows: Prudence : (lat. sapientia) – the ability to judge between actions, with regard to appropriate actions at a given time. We expect all our students to exemplify prudence and respect, making wise choices in all they say, do and think. Justice (lat. justitia) – the proper moderation between self-interest and the rights and needs of others. We expect all our students to be principled and to value justice, equity and considerate, responsible behaviour within the context of peaceful co-existence in an international community. Temperance (lat. temperantia) – the practicing of self-control and moderation in words, actions and thoughts. We expect all our students to choose the right path rather than the easy path, showing inner strength and self discipline. Fortitude (lat. fortitudo) - forbearance, endurance and ability to confront fear and uncertainty. We expect all our students to show courage and to have the spirit to persevere, even when the going gets tough. These four Cardinal Values underpin our core ethos at St. Gilgen International School. We are passionate about excellence and for our students to be educated to the highest standard. To achieve this means hard work, climbing mountains (physical and metaphorical) and developing inner spirit. Many of our learners will go on to great positions of influence around the world, such is their talent. We want to help them to use this influence wisely, never forget global compassion and choose the right path through life, not the easy one. Our students are fortunate that they have been blessed with being able to attend such a remarkable school. They must understand that with such privilege comes significant responsibility. “Any person that has been given much will be responsible for much. Much more will be expected from the person that has been given more.” Luke 12:48. Above all else, we expect our students to behave like educated, socially aware young adults with an internationalist perspective. We urge them to aim for excellence, all of the time and with humility. 4 Table of Contents HEADMASTER’S INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................................3 ADMINISTRATION............................................................................................................................................7 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................................................7 POLICIES ..............................................................................................................................................................................7 REGISTRATION CHECKLIST ..............................................................................................................................................8 CONTACT DETAILS ............................................................................................................................................................9 STAFF LIST .......................................................................................................................................................................10 ACADEMIC YEAR 2013-2014 TERM DATES ............................................................................................................13 SCHOOL CALENDAR ........................................................................................................................................................14 THE DAILY SCHOOL ROUTINE ......................................................................................................................................16 GUARDIANSHIP FOR STUDENTS ...................................................................................................................................17 VISA REQUIREMENTS .....................................................................................................................................................17 SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AND LEAVE OF ABSENCE ......................................................................................................18 HEALTHCARE POLICY ....................................................................................................................................................19 MEDICINES POLICY.........................................................................................................................................................23 FOOD AND NUTRITION...................................................................................................................................................27 SCHOOL UNIFORM, DRESS CODE AND UNIFORM SHOP ............................................................................................28 FIRE AND EMERGENCY ARRANGEMENTS ...................................................................................................................32 PHOTOGRAPHS AND SCHOOL PUBLICATIONS ............................................................................................................33 COMMUNICATIONS .........................................................................................................................................................33 MENTOR TUTORING .......................................................................................................................................................34 HOUSES.............................................................................................................................................................................34 SCHOOL EXPECTATIONS FROM STUDENTS.................................................................................................................35 STUDENT LEADERSHIP ..................................................................................................................................................36 DRUGS POLICY.................................................................................................................................................................41 ANTI-BULLYING ..............................................................................................................................................................44 POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR FOR LEARNING POLICY ..........................................................................................................45 CONSEQUENCES FOR INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR ..................................................................................................46 CYCLING AND VEHICLES ................................................................................................................................................48 RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE...............................................................................................................................................49 CURRICULUM .................................................................................................................................................. 50 INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................................................................50 CURRICULUM BREAKDOWN AND THE SUBJECTS TAUGHT/OFFERED .....................................................................50 HOMEWORK.....................................................................................................................................................................54 ASSESSMENT....................................................................................................................................................................55 RECORDING AND REPORTING .......................................................................................................................................62 CURRICULUM BASED SCHOOL TRIPS ...........................................................................................................................63 ACADEMIC HONESTY......................................................................................................................................................64 LIBRARY AND MEDIA CENTRE .....................................................................................................................................66 USE OF THE SCHOOL LIBRARY AND MEDIA CENTRE ..............................................................................................66 ACCEPTABLE USE OF COMPUTERS ..............................................................................................................................67 5 BOARDING ....................................................................................................................................................... 70 INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................................................................70 NEW BOARDERS .............................................................................................................................................................70 HOUSE STAFF AND CONTACT DETAILS .......................................................................................................................71 PERSONAL ITEMS AND WHAT TO BRING ...................................................................................................................72 BOARDING AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ..............................................................................................................................75 THE BOARDING RESIDENCES – POLICIES AND PROCEDURES .................................................................................76 HEALTH AND SAFETY.....................................................................................................................................................83 WEEKEND PLANNING ....................................................................................................................................................85 PASTORAL CARE .............................................................................................................................................................86 BULLYING .........................................................................................................................................................................87 HOMESICKNESS ...............................................................................................................................................................88 SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES .............................................................................................................................................88 TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS..............................................................................................................................................89 COMMUNICATION ...........................................................................................................................................................89 CONCERNS AND SUGGESTIONS .....................................................................................................................................89 THE BOARDING ROUTINE .............................................................................................................................................90 WEEKEND TIMINGS........................................................................................................................................................91 6 ADMINISTRATION INTRODUCTION The Administration pages have been designed to introduce you to St. Gilgen International School and make sure that you have all the information you require before you start at the school. Please read each section carefully. If you have any questions regarding the admissions process, please contact Vivienne Hambleton, v.hambleton@stgis.at POLICIES Numerous policies have been either referred to or shown in part in this handbook. Should you have any questions regarding the school policies and details outlined in this section, please contact us. The full list of updated school policies are available and will be published on the new school website. 7 REGISTRATION CHECKLIST At the beginning of term, we will have a Registration in the main school administration buildings for all new boarders. The timings for students are as follows: New Boarders Saturday 31 August 2013 from 14h00 Returning Boarders Sunday 1st September 2013 from 14h00 All forms must be completed and handed in before students may be left by parents. Registration documents to be submitted to the school: Document Done( ) Signed contract Completed medical consent form Copy of current health insurance policy which is valid in Austria Copy of passport Copy of visa (where appropriate) Raiffeisen bank pocket money account Euro 2,000 expenses account (for non Austrian/German bank a/c holders) Language options form Private musical instrument lessons form 8 CONTACT DETAILS School Reception Anita Schleifer +43 (0)6227 202 59 a.schleifer@stgis.at Business Administration Elli Pressinger +43 (0)6227 202 59 e.pressinger@stgis.at Admissions Vivienne Hambleton BOARDING RESIDENCES +43 (0)6227 202 59 v.hambleton@stgis.at Boys’ Residence (Traube) Warrick Bottrall and Trish Gray +43 (0)664 88659634 w.bottrall@stgis.at Girls’ Residence (Bachwirt) Linda Raabe-Marjot and John Marjot +43 (0)664 88659682 l.raabemarjot@stgis.at Boys’ Residence (Kendler) Valerie Cicero Girls’ Residence (Haus Tirol) Jeremy and Aleisha House +43 (0)664 88659635 v.cicero@stgis.at SCHOOL NURSE +43 (0)664 88659631 j.house@stgis.at To be confirmed +43 (0)6227 20259 Dr. Peter Kowatsch Salzburgerstr. 4, A-5340 St. Gilgen +43 (0)6227 2307 Dr. med. dent. Lorenz Kohnhauser Schwarzenbrunner Str.3 A-5340 St Gilgen E-Mail: office@zahn-kohnhauser.at +43 6227 2 70 63 SCHOOL DOCTOR SCHOOL RECOMMENDED DENTISTS Dr. Med. Univ. Bernhard Ritzberger Aberseestr. 11 a, A-5340 St. Gilgen Med. Dent. 9 +43 (0)6227 22820 STAFF LIST Chapman Michael Calland-Scoble Steve Deputy Head Bennett Peter English / Economics Bold Paul Chemistry Bold Anne Headmaster French Bottrall Warwick Houseparent / Movement and Wellbeing Bradley Neil Head of Mathematics Campbell Gordon Physics Chang Wei Wei Music Valerie Houseparent / TOK Borrero Bristol Castillo Christine Maia Maribel English / Humanities Librarian Head of Languages/Spanish Chumbley Bart Davey Abby Head of English Earwood James History Cicero Disney Fitzgerald Thom Max Academic Tutor Theatre Arts/English Activities Support Flemming Declan Chemistry Göbel Ingo German Gingl Gray Irena Trish German Boarding Support/PE Gwynne Neal Head of Science / Head of Outdoor Education House Jeremy Houseparent / Movement and Wellbeing House Hussein Iwanska Aleisha Sarah Anna Houseparent / Grade 5 Textiles and Graphic Design German 10 Keen Roger Mathematics Lamont Kirsty Art Manrai Kim English as an Additional Language Coordinator Marshall Jim English Leo Marjot Flora John Music Houseparent / Geography May Leaza Economics Mendez Begona Spanish Laurence Activities Coordinator May Neil Neiman Amanda Morgan David Norfolk CAS Coordinator Mathematics Physics/University Counsellor/Careers O’Donnell Krista Grade 4 Preissler Eva Maria German Patton Porter John Julie Biology Movement and Wellbeing Raabe-Marjot Linda Houseparent / German Seaman Valerie History Toalster Gwen Senior Laboratory Technician Saunders Taylor Ben Diana Senior Residential Boarding Assistant Geography Waitkevich Kate Mathematics Wilson Caroline Assistant Librarian Wildridge Justin Head of Creative Arts / Music Willey Clare Grade 6 Albert Alice Lab Technician Woodman Aspoeck 11 Andrew Birgit Head of World Studies / Geography School Nurse Hambleton Vivienne Headmaster’s Office/Admissions Schleifer Anita Reception Hirschegger Eleonore Business Administration Steinweisser Tanja Business Administration Weil Ulrike Business Administration Koeck Manfred Caretaker Begovic Suvad Facilities Tischler Karl Trimborn Beinsteiner Begovic Arnulf Peter IT Facilities Emina Facilities Weiss Freidelhelm Facilities Stadlmann Anni Head of Housekeeping Hőrack Andrea Housekeeping Eisl Hőrack Kuhar Claudia Elisabeth Andrea Facilities Housekeeping Housekeeping Housekeeping Mittmannsgruber Heidi Housekeeping Paulitsch-Gruenwald Anita Housekeeping Schreiner Housekeeping Moesenbichler Corinna Sams Brigitte Hannelore Housekeeping Housekeeping 12 ACADEMIC YEAR 2013-2014 TERM DATES Autumn Term 2013 New staff induction – Monday 26 August and Tuesday 27 August 2013 INSET – Middle Leaders Wednesday 28 August 2013 INSET – All Staff Thursday 29 August 2013 INSET- Departmental meetings Friday 30 August 2013 New Boarders – Saturday 31 August 2013 (arrival time 1400-1700hrs) Returning Boarders – Sunday 1 September 2013 (arrival time 1500-1700hrs) First day of Autumn Term – Monday 2 September 2013 Autumn Half Term - Commencing Saturday 26 October 2013, returning on Sunday 3 November 2013 Last day of Autumn Term – Lunchtime, Friday 13 December 2013 Winter Term 2014 Monday 6 January 2014 boarders’ arrival time 1500-1700hrs Tuesday 7 January 2014 First day of Winter Term Winter Half Term - Commencing Saturday 8 February 2014, returning on Sunday 16 February 2014 Last Day of Winter Term – Thursday 27 March 2014 Summer Term 2014 Monday 21 April boarders’ arrival time 1500-1700hrs Tuesday 22 April First day of Summer Term International Day – Thursday 1 May 2014 Public Holiday Thursday 29 May Christi Himmelfahrt Long EXEAT – Saturday 7 June 2014 – Monday 9 June 2014 (Pfingsten 3 day weekend) Long EXEAT – Thursday 19 June – Sunday 22 June 2014 Annual Prize Giving – Friday 27 June 2014. A whole school event, attendance is compulsory. Start of Summer Holidays. All boarders depart. 13 SCHOOL CALENDAR Please refer to the School Calendar shown on the following page. Any additions to this will appear on the webpage. The details of the calendar events will be distributed in due course through the mediums of emails and the webpage. Details of curriculum trips that involve specific groups of students will be relayed directly to the relevant students and parents. Whole School Events (shown in purple on the calendar) These events are compulsory for all students. Even if students are not involved directly, there is an expectation that support is given as attendance is mandatory. Exeat Weekends (shown in yellow on the calendar) These will be organised and supervised by the Boarding Team. Students are strongly encouraged to go home if they can but those who stay at school over an Exeat will have a range of activities available to them. Exeat weekends start at the end of the activity afternoon. 14 15 1111 1212 13 11 11 12 12 13 18 19 20 18 19 20 30 29 School Event Exeat School Event 30 28 29 Exeat Exeat 31 30 31 29 30 2829 2728 2627 Public Holiday 26 27 27 28 2526 25 26 Exeat 23 24 22 23 21 22 20 21 20 19 19 18 18 17 17 16 16 15 30 29 30 29 28 28 27 27 26 Exeat Weekend Exeat Weekend Exeat 31 30 29 31 30 29 28 28 27 27 26 24 25 2425 24 25 23 24 14 15 14 13 13 12 12 11 11 10 10 9 8 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 25 26 2324 23 24 22 23 Exeat Exeat Exeat Exeat Public Holiday Public Holiday 14 24 25 23 24 22 23 21 22 20 21 20 19 19 18 18 17 17 16 16 15 15 14 13 13 12 12 11 11 10 10 99 88 77 66 55 44 3 3 2 2 1 1 31 30 29 31 30 29 28 28 27 Public Holiday 27 26 PublicHoliday Holiday 26 Public 25 Public Holiday End of Term End of Term Public PublicHoliday Holiday Exeat Exeat December December 24 25 2223 22 23 21 22 21 20 20 19 19 18 18 17 17 16 16 15 15 14 14 13 13 12 12 11 11 10 10 99 88 77 66 55 44 33 2 2 1 1 November November Half Term Public Holiday 25 26 2122 Half Term Service Day Service Day 21 22 20 19 18 21 Exeat 17 17 16 17 15 15 14 16 Exeat 16 15 14 Exeat Exeat Exeat Exeat 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 Exeat 1010 10 10 Exeat 99 9 9 14 88 8 8 13 77 7 7 Exeat 66 6 6 13 55 5 5 2 44 2 1 4 4 Term Starts Term Starts 1 33 2 1 October October 3 3 2 1 September September School Calendar 2013-14 School Calendar 2013-14 2 1 School Holiday School Holiday Exeat Exeat Exeat Exeat Term Starts Term Starts 14 28 2827 2726 2625 2524 2423 2322 2221 20 21 20 19 19 18 18 17 17 16 16 15 15 14 13 13 1212 1111 1010 9 9 8 8 7 7 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 20 19 18 31 30 Public Holiday Public Holiday 31 30 29 29 28 30 30 29 29 28 Term Ends 28 27 27 26 27 26 Term Ends 28 27 26 25 25 24 24 23 23 22 31 30 Exeat Exeat Exeat Exeat 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 31 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 30 Public Holiday Term Start/ End Term Start/ End 30 29 1 The Dare The Dare10 28 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 Public Holiday 1 Public Holiday May May 28 27 Public Holiday 29 27 26 25 24 23 22 Term Starts 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Public Holiday Public Holiday 17 16 15 14 13 22 21 Term Starts 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 12 11 11 10 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 April April 26 25 25 24 24 23 23 22 22 21 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 12 11 11 8 9 Exeat Exeat 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Exeat Exeat March March 10 10 9 9 8 8 7 7 6 6 4 4 5 5 Term HalfHalf Term 2 1 3 3 2 1 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 1 February February PublicHoliday Holiday Public 6 6 Public Holiday Public Holiday January January June Exeat 30 29 28 27 Prize Giving Prize Giving 26 25 24 23 22 21 Exeat Exeat 20 Exeat Exeat Public Holiday 19 Exeat 18 Public Holiday 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 Exeat Exeat Public Holiday Public Holiday 8 7 Exeat Exeat 6 5 4 3 2 1 June Sunday 1st September: Returning Boarders Sunday 1st September: Returning Boarders Saturday 31st August: New Boarders Arrive. Saturday 31st August: New Boarders Arrive. ANNUAL SCHOOL CALENDAR 2013 / 2014 THE DAILY SCHOOL ROUTINE Period 1 08:10 09:05 Morning break 10:05 10:25 Period 4 11:25 12:20 Period 2 Period 3 09:10 10:25 10:05 11:20 Lunch* / Period 5 12:20 13:20 Period 7 14:20 15:15 Lunch* / Period 6 Period 8 Afternoon break Activities Programme 13:20 15:20 16:15 16:45 14:15 16:15 16:45 18:00 *Lunch Grades 4 – 9 have lunch during Period 5. Grades 10 – 12 have lunch during Period 6. On Friday the formal timetable finishes as follows : Grades 4 – 9 : finish at 12:20 (Period 4) Grades 10, 11 and 12 : finish at 13:20 (Period 5) The afternoon activity programme starts after lunch. On Tuesday there is scheduled mentor tutor time in place of period 1. This time will also be used for Assembly. 16 GUARDIANSHIP FOR STUDENTS Parents who do not reside in Austria, or who may be abroad for a period of time on business or holiday and who have children in boarding schools, are legally required to appoint a guardian. This person must be available at all times to act on their behalf and respond to the needs of both the child and of the school. This is someone with whom the student can stay during certain Exeat weekends, half term holidays and similar events and provide the necessary support, and who would be able to act in case of an emergency. Some students have relatives/family friends in Austria to take on this responsibility. However, other overseas students will have no suitable contacts in Austria and will need to nominate a local guardian. VISA REQUIREMENTS Parents of students without an E.U. passport are responsible for arranging their own educational visa through their nearest Austrian Embassy. Please consider that this process may take in excess of two months – depending on nationality. You will need to be in possession of the following documents: signed contract and power of attorney proof that the fees are paid copy of a valid health insurance policy in Austria valid passport birth certificate Photographs according to EU guidelines 17 SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AND LEAVE OF ABSENCE Expectation The school expects students to maintain a high attendance level throughout the year; above 97% is considered good attendance. There is a direct correlation between lower attendance and lower attainment. In cases where attendance drops below 95%, parents will be notified. Where attendance drops below 90% (the equivalent of nearly 20 school days missed), the school may ask to meet with parents to identify the reasons why so much time has been missed. Leave of absence As a boarding school, we have extended holidays to allow students to spend time away from school and catch up with family and friends. These dates are published to the school community by October a year in advance. It is the expectation of the school that during school days, all students are at school. The school recognises that it is difficult to schedule all out of school commitments during holiday time, but requests that parents make every effort to avoid planning events during term time to avoid the disruption to learning. A formal request to the relevant Mentor Tutor and House Parent should be made for absences that impact on formal school days. Permission will be granted in truly exceptional and pre-authorised circumstances only. 18 HEALTHCARE POLICY This policy describes the provision of Healthcare available for students at St. Gilgen International School. StGIS recognises that pupils may suffer from medical conditions that may affect their schooling and encourages and supports all students to achieve their full potential in all aspects of school life regardless of illness or disability. Parents are encouraged to contact the School Nurse to discuss their child’s health. This policy is underpinned by best practice standards of the National Minimum Standards for Boarding Schools (UK Department of Health 2002), The Code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives (UK Nursing and Midwifery Council (2008) and Seeking consent: working with children (UK Department of Health 2001) . Application This policy applies to all members of the StGIS school community; staff, students and parents. Documentation required prior to entry Parents are expected to provide detailed information regarding their child’s health. Prior to commencing at StGIS the following documents must be returned completed: Medical Forms Part 1: Medical History and Part 2: Consent for Treatment Parents have the prime responsibility regarding their child’s health and must provide a full medical history including past and current medical problems, treatment, vaccinations and allergies. Vaccination cards It is expected that students are up to date with usual childhood vaccination as per the home country’s requirements or international best practice. Where this differs from the schedule issued by the Bundesministerium für Gesundheit advice from the School Doctor will be sought. Please provide the original or full copy. Medical Room/School Nurse The School Medical Room is run by two qualified Nurses. Opening hours The School Nurses are available Monday – Friday 0800-1200. The School Nurses live locally and can also be contacted outside of these hours by House staff. 19 Referral to School Nurse Students may self-refer to the School Nurse but must always make Reception aware of their whereabouts. Boarding Students Boarding students that feel unwell are referred to the School Nurse in the morning for assessment and advice. This usually takes place in the Medical Room but a visit to the Boarding House can be made if required. During afternoons students who are unwell must report to Reception who will contact a member of the Senior Leadership Team for advice. Boarding students who feel unwell between the hours of 1700 and 0800 are the responsibility of the House Staff (who are first aid qualified). Day Students Day students that are unwell in the morning should not be brought into school. If a day student becomes unwell during the day the School Nurse will assess and advise. Parents will be contacted to collect their child if required. School Doctor and other Healthcare providers School Doctor All boarders are registered with the School Doctor, Dr P. Kowatsch for the provision of general medical care. Female students may see a female doctor upon request though this may not be possible if an urgent appointment is required. Dr Kowatsch is available for ‘home’ visits to the Boarding Houses. There is provision for ‘out of hours’ Doctor cover and Dr Stangl, a local Doctor, is contacted when Dr Kowatsch is unavailable. The School Nurse meets regularly with the School Doctor to review specific students and for professional guidance. Dentist If dental treatment is required students are referred to the local dentist Dr A. Steinmetz. It is expected that routine treatment be carried out during school holidays or exeats so as not to interfere with lessons wherever possible. Hospitals Three main hospitals are used for urgent or emergency care: the Landeskrankenhaus Bad Ischl, the Landeskrankenhaus Salzburg, and the Unfall Krankenhaus Salzburg. The decision to attend which hospital is made by the referrer (School Nurse, School Doctor or other member of staff responsible for the student). 20 Counselling or other emotional/ psychological support Students may be referred for counselling or other therapy following an assessment by the School Nurse or School Doctor. The School has an established link with the Hildegardzentrum in Winkl but other specialists will be referred to depending on need and expertise. The School can also access Educational Psychologists if required. It is usual but not a requirement that parents’ consent to this type of assessment and any subsequent treatment. Parents are expected to pay for treatment. Appointments Students will be escorted to medical or dental appointments by a member of staff of the same sex. If a taxi is required, a trusted local firm is used and fees will usually be charged to the parents. It is usual, especially for younger students, for the member of staff to accompany the students during their assessment and treatment, unless the student expresses otherwise. Senior students may be unaccompanied depending on the nature of their health need and their level of maturity; this will be decided on an individual basis. Pharmacy The pharmacy in St. Gilgen is used for obtaining prescribed medicines and the School’s Homely Remedy stock. The pharmacy will not dispense medication unless a member of staff is present to ensure the instructions are understood. Senior students may be able to attend independently, depending on level of maturity and nature of healthcare problem. Consent Consent is the agreement for a healthcare professional to provide treatment or care and may be indicated non-verbally, orally or in a written format. A student has the right to consent to or to refuse medical/dental or nursing treatment. This is based on ‘competency’ and not age. The student must be competent to take the particular decision about treatment; have received sufficient information to take the decision, understand the nature of the treatment as well as the consequences of refusal and not be acting under duress. Parental consent is required where students are deemed ‘not competent’, unless it is an emergency. It is the School’s practice to involve the parents unless the student asks specifically not to involve them (see below on Confidentiality). It is beyond the context of this policy to describe the complex medico-legal situations where refusal to consent may be overruled. Part 2 of the Medical form requires written Parent Consent for the provision of healthcare (including School Nurse care, General medical Care, Emergency Dental, Administering First Aid), and Administering Homely remedies and Emergency Care (including anaesthetic in the absence of parent). This serves as a record and is taken on overseas trips and visits where parent contact in an emergency may be more difficult. 21 Confidentiality In accordance with professional obligations, medical information about students, regardless of their age, will remain confidential. However, in providing medical and nursing care for a student, it is recognised that on occasions the doctor or nurse may liaise with the Headmaster, other staff, House staff and parents/guardians, and that information [with the student’s prior consent] may be passed on as necessary. With all medical and nursing matters, the doctor and nurse will respect a student’s confidence except on the very rare occasions when, having failed to persuade that student, or his or her authorised representative, to give consent to divulgence, the doctor or nurse considers that it is in the student’s better interests or necessary for the protection of the wider school community, to breach confidence and pass information to a relevant person or body (Boarding Schools Association 2005). Payment for Healthcare/medical care Students from Austria can use their E card, whilst students from within the EU may use their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for obtaining medical care (some services require payment, parents are advised to check the detail from the issuing country). Students from outside the EU must have private medical and dental insurance. All students must have travel insurance if expecting to attend school trips. Records and Documentation Student medical records are stored securely in the Medical Room, which remains locked when not in use. Electronic information is stored on the appropriate School networks where access is limited. Boarding House Staff securely store relevant medical information regarding their students in each House. The Medicines Policy details the various documents that are required to ensure the safe management of medicines. Tick Borne Encephalitis (TBE/ FSME) It is advised that students are vaccinated against the rare disease transmitted by ticks (Zecken) – Tick Borne Encephalitis. Consent is asked in Part 2 of the Medical Form Consent for Treatment. Further information can be found at www.tbe-info.com and www.zecken.at. Infection Control Parents will be contacted if advice from the School Doctor, the Austrian Bundesministerium fur Gesundheit or the World Health Organisation recommends vaccinations (e.g. pandemic flu). Management of more common outbreaks, such as diarrhoea and vomiting will follow best practice procedures in terms of isolating boarding students. Students with diarrhoea and/or vomiting must be symptom free for 48 hours before returning to School. Please refer to Infection Control policy for further information. 22 Educational Trips and Visits (and Activities) The School Nurse issues the Trip Leader with relevant medical information (including insurance and emergency contact details). Students will not be able to participate in Trips and Visits (or Activities) if Part 1 and 2 of the Medical Forms are not completed. The School Doctor will advise as necessary on travel health requirements for overseas visits; it is mandatory that tetanus, diphtheria and polio vaccinations are up to date. MEDICINES POLICY (Please note internal StGIS forms are referred to; they are contained within the full Policy and are not included this handbook) Policy Purpose This policy is intended to ensure that all students attending StGIS experience a consistent safe approach in medicines management. Underpinning this policy is a commitment to the right of the student having their privacy and dignity protected at all times. Students attending StGIS may have previously been diagnosed with a particular illness or condition that requires medication, or may be diagnosed during their time at the School. Students may also require the administration of over the counter medicines when suffering from more common complaints. Roles and responsibilities Over-the-counter medicines These are medicines which do not require a prescription from the doctor. Supply - The School Nurse will arrange the purchase of any such medicines from the local pharmacy and issue to the Boarding Houses, together with relevant paperwork. Appendix 3 shows issued stock levels. House Parents are responsible for informing the School Nurse when re-ordering of stock is necessary. Storage - The Homely Remedy pack will be kept in a locked cupboard in each House and access is by the House Parent. A pack will be kept in the Medical Room for use by the School Nurse and delegated others during the School Day. The Trip / Activity packs will be held in the Medical Room and signed out to leaders as required. Administration - House Parents will refer to the Homely Remedy Guidance (Appendix 4) and subsequent Reports showing consent status for Homely Remedies and Allergies/Condition (Appendices 5 and 6) prior to administering a medicine. Administration to students will be private. Cost - Homely Remedies will be provided free for 24 hours, if they are still required after this period students will be charged by the School for the cost of the medication. 23 Record Keeping - Actions will be documented on the Administration of Homely Remedies form (Appendix 7) Disposal - The School Nurse will dispose of expired homely remedies by returning to the pharmacy. Prescribed Medication Supply - Prescribed Medicines enter the school via two routes: Student/Parent from home or the School Doctor and onward medical referrals. Students must make House Parent/ School Nurse aware of medications. Upon receipt or knowledge of medicines the Medication Record (Appendix 8) is completed. Storage - All medicines must be in their original container, labeled for the student, with full instructions and patient information leaflet. A self medication risk assessment will be undertaken by the School Nurse. Prescribed medicines such as asthma inhalers, epi-pen, other immediate relievers, and those for chronic disease management remain with student at all times. The assessment will ensure the student has the skills to safely manage their own medication (Appendix 9). For other prescribed medicines, the assessment will determine the storage and administration practice. Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own medicines and will be supported to this end. It is usual that changes in medication regimes are confirmed by the prescribing doctor in writing. Students have facilities in their rooms to safely store medicines. For younger students, House Parents may adopt a practice that all temporary prescribed medications (e.g. antibiotics) are stored and administered by the House Parents. Medicines will be kept in a locked cupboard in each House and access is by the House Parent. The Medical Room has facilities to safely store medicines if appropriate. Individual consideration will be given when medicines that require more specialised management e.g. storage within a limited temperature range; a process of management that is satisfactory to student, parent and School will be achieved. This will include management on school trips. Spares of emergency medication such as asthma inhalers and epi-pens will be requested from parents and stored in the Medical Room for day students and Boarding Houses for Boarders or in possession of Trip Leaders. Administration - Administration of medicines will be private. Tablets must be swallowed in front of the administering staff. StGIS will train identified staff to deliver emergency medication such as epi-pens. Record Keeping - Medications administered will be recorded on the Medication Administration form (Appendix 10). 24 Controlled Drugs Management of Controlled Drugs will be the same as for Prescribed Medication but with the following additional elements. Self-administration of controlled drugs is not appropriate for several reasons: Students who require controlled drugs often require them for disabilities that affect their learning, memory and organisational skills. These medicines have a value related to their ‘recreational’ use making them high risk for misuse, sale to others and theft. Controlled drugs have serious side effects, both physical and psychiatric. (Schwab & Gelfman, 2005) It may be appropriate for a second member of staff to witness the administration; this will be decided on an individual basis. Students will be expected to meet regularly with the School Nurse to discuss on-going management. Students’ own non-prescribed medicines Students are not allowed to bring in non-prescribed ‘over the counter’ medicines to school; it compromises the ability of StGIS staff to safely care for students, particularly limiting the administration of homely remedies. It represents a risk to all students if quantities of medicines are stored in bedrooms. Laws regarding medicines that are available to buy without a prescription differ in individual countries. StGIS and its staff are bound by Austrian Law and this extends to the safe management of medicines. Medicines that have been obtained over the internet without a valid prescription are not to be brought into school. In the unlikely event of the School Nurse or School Doctor advising a medicine is unsafe; the Headmaster reserves the right to remove medication from a student. Medicines remain the property of the student and will be, subject to parental consent, either returned to the student / parent at the end of term or disposed of. Complementary and alternative therapies Qualified Healthcare professionals must have successfully undertaken training and be competent to practice the administration of complementary and alternative therapies (NMC 2010). Without this, knowledge of the safe range of dosage in children, indications, contraindications, and potential side effects is not known. All medicines – herbal or otherwise have the potential to have adverse effects and can also interact with other types of medicinal products and laboratory tests (MHRA 2010). Laws in some countries limit prescribing of these types of therapies or medicines to qualified medical doctors, but in other countries they are more freely available (Homeopathy Europe 2010). Requirements differ across countries regarding the labelling and packaging of complementary and alternative therapies. 25 For the reasons stated above it is in the interest of student wellbeing that students are prohibited from bringing complementary and alternative therapies (including homeopathic medicines) to school unless prescribed by a medical doctor. A copy of the prescription must accompany the medicine. Students administering their own complementary medicines will not be administered any homely remedies until further advice is sought from School Nurse or School Doctor. StGIS will request parents take their child home if they cannot be cared for in the manner advised by the School Nurse or School Doctor; for example if a student / parent does not accept conventional medical treatment such as fever lowering medication, or antibiotics. Student participation in activities or trips will be reviewed if the use of ‘conventional’ medicine and homely remedies is limited. 26 FOOD AND NUTRITION All students are expected to attend meals. All students eat lunch in local village restaurants. Food is both nutritious and seasonal, and ingredients are locally sourced where possible. Boarders have breakfast and evening meals in the Residences. If students require a vegetarian (or other special diet) the school should be informed in writing by parents. A typical weekly meal plan is shown below: Meal lan for forPWeek 30 Week 30 Meal Plan Monday66th Monday th PPost ost B r e a k f a s t L u n c h D i n n e r Tuesday 7th7Post 8th WAG Thursday 9th WAG 9Friday 10th WAG Saturday Sunday11th 12thW WAG Wednesday Tuesday th Post Wednesday 8th WAG Thursday th WAG Friday 10th W11th AG WAG Saturday AG B r e a k f a s t Ham, cheese, Pancakes, jam, Bread rolls, bread, jam, Porridge, Cereals, Bread rolls, Pancakes, jam, yoghurt, eggs, cheese, yoghurt, cereals, freshPorridge, muesli,Cereals, jam, Rolls, ham, Cereal, milk, yoghurt, cereal, bread,eggs, jam, cheese, Cereal, milk, cheese, Rolls,juice, ham, yogurt, muesli, cereal, fruit, hotcereals, fresh fruit, jam, hot chocolate, hot chocolate, cereal, fresh fruit, bread,chocolate jam, hot chocolate, andfruit, hot hot chocolate yogurt hotfruit, chocolate, cheese, juice,hot chocolate, yogurt, fruit,juice, hot juice, fruit hot chocolate, fresh fruit, juice, fruit fruit juice juicechocolate, fruit, yogurt hot chocolate hot chocolate and chocolate L u n c h Soup with Profiteroles Vegetable Mushroom soup *** with Garlic Soup Broccoli soup Soup Zuchinisoup soup Veal meat *** *** *** Profiteroles Vegetable *** *** Mushroom patties with Chickenbreast Pork stake with Fish with root Baked fish with Tortelloni with Noodles with a *** Garlic Soup Broccoli soup soup mashed potatoes and a vegtable rice vegetables and soup rice and tomato souce Zuchinisoup pesto *** *** risotto *** Veal meat potatoes and vegetables *** *** *** vegetables *** Pork patties Chickenbreast peas with Jogurt withstake with *** *** Fish with root chocolate cake *** with Baked fish Tortelloni with Cake *** a vegtableSchokolate rice vegetables and mashed potatoes and Fruit Jogurt cream rice and tomato souce dessert Kaiserschamrr' vegetables *** potatoes and risotto *** vegetables n D i n n e r juice, hot chocolate juice fruit juice *** peas Jogurt with *** *** Fruit Cake Schokolate dessert Kaiserschamrr' Chicken wings, Asianoodles, n Spaghetti Aiolo Fried rice with Gnocci with *** Jogurt cream and Cabonara vegetables pesto wedges and vegetables tufo and vegetables M-Place juice, fruit Spaghetti Aiolo Fried rice with and Cabonara vegetables Gnocci with pesto Ham, cheese, bread, jam, yoghurt, cereal, hot chocolate, juice, fruit Noodles with a pesto Vegetable chocolate cake cream soup *** Veal with a cream souce, rosti and broccoli *** Chicken wings, Asianoodles, wedges and tufo and vegetables vegetables Sunday 12th WAG Chocolate mousse M-Place Vegetable cream soup *** Veal with a cream souce, rosti and broccoli *** Chocolate mousse 27 SCHOOL UNIFORM, DRESS CODE AND UNIFORM SHOP At StGIS we believe in the importance of high standards of school uniform as a means of encouraging students to feel a sense of pride and purpose. High standards of uniform contribute to the ethos of the school and it is the responsibility of all students and members of staff to ensure that students are correctly dressed and look smart and formal at all times. Full details of school uniform are sent to all parents/guardians when their child is admitted to the school. The School’s own uniform shop is located within the village. Students will be able to purchase ALL items of school uniform; Summer, Winter and Sports, including overcoats, scarves, tights, socks and even shoes. Uniform fitting and purchase is a simple process that can be fully undertaken at the school. The only school uniform items of clothing to be worn by students are those which are purchased from the uniform shop. This will ensure that every student is wearing similar clothing, that the appearance of the students is ‘uniform’ and that replacement items will always be available. Students will not be permitted to wear non school issued uniform clothing for this reason. The school uniform shop is open by arrangement before the start of each term for new boarders and day students joining the school. Parents wishing to visit the shop should contact the school in advance of their visit to arrange a mutually convenient appointment. The school uniform shop will also be open during school term to enable students to purchase additional items if they wish. 28 The basic uniform is as follows, including required quantities of each uniform item: GIRLS (ALL ITEMS ARE SCHOOL-SUPPLIED VIA THE UNIFROM SHOP) 1 2 2 6 2 1 1 School blazer Summer skirt Winter skirt (long lined) White school shirt (long sleeved) School navy blue v-neck jersey Dirndl (optional - summer) Dirndl blouse(optional - summer) 3 3 Pairs navy blue tights (winter) Pairs navy blue tights (summer) 1 1 1 1 Pair school shoes (brown – school selected) Pair navy school gloves School winter scarf (school colours) School overcoat (school selected) Sport: (ALL SPORT ITEMS ARE SCHOOL BRANDED AND SUPPLIED VIA THE UNIFORM SHOP) 1 1 1 3 2 2 2 2 1 School stadium trousers School smock top jacket School fleece School performance T-Shirt School shorts School ‘Scort’ (combined skirt with short lining) (optional) Pairs school short sport socks Pairs school long sport socks Pair indoor trainers (student supplied) MAKE UP AND JEWELLERY Excessive make up and coloured nail varnish are not allowed. Jewellery should be minimal and tasteful: earrings should be studs only; rings, necklaces or bracelets which are discrete are permissible, but only one item of each at a time. 29 BOYS (ALL ITEMS SCHOOL-SUPPLIED VIA THE UNIFORM SHOP) 1 2 2 6 2 2 2 1 1 School blazer School trousers School shorts White school shirt (long sleeved – double cuff) School cuff links School tie School navy blue sweater vest School brown belt Lederhosen (traditional shorts)(optional - summer) 4 4 Pairs navy blue socks (winter) Pairs navy blue socks (summer) 1 1 1 1 Pair school shoes (brown – school selected) Pair navy school gloves School winter scarf (school colours) School overcoat (school selected) Sport: (ALL SPORT ITEMS ARE SCHOOL BRANDED AND SUPPLIED VIA THE UNIFORM SHOP) 1 1 1 3 2 2 2 1 School stadium trousers School smock top jacket School fleece School performance T-Shirt School shorts Pairs school short sport socks Pairs school long sport socks Pair indoor trainers (student supplied) Note: Extremes of hairstyle are not permitted. 30 All Students: Plain black boots and other forms of outdoor footwear are allowed to be worn to and from school in the wet/snow, but the expectations are that these are changed into indoor shoes upon arrival at school. Indoor shoes are kept at school. The official school overcoat, scarf and gloves are allowed to be worn to and from school in cold weather. Please note the following: • • • • • • • School uniform is required to be worn until the day’s activities are completed (18h00). Students may change into their PE kit or any item of school clothing if they wish after formal teaching has ended. Clothing should not be a mixture of informal and formal . “Specialist” clothing for activities such as skiing is permissible. Students may wear their own clothes during their free afternoons, in the evenings and on the weekends unless the school specifies a special event. Blazers are a compulsory item of school uniform and should be worn to school every day. Loden jackets and cardigans are not part of the school uniform; the school blazer is to be worn with lederhosen and dirndls. Where conditions are hot in classrooms, ask your teachers for permission to loosen or remove your ties; once class is over, please put your ties back on / retighten your ties. You do not need to ask permission to remove your blazers. You may also remove your blazer in the classroom whilst retaining a jersey or pullover; however, after class, please put your blazer back on or remove your pullover or jersey. Shoes not sandals need to be worn over the summer months. Sandals are not part of the school uniform. SCHOOL COATS A formal winter overcoat in navy with the school crest will be available for purchase from the school uniform shop prior to winter. No other overcoats will be permitted to be worn by students when they are wearing their formal school uniform – no ski jackets or other coats please. Skiing: During the winter term you will also need: • • • • • Warm skiing clothing, to include ski jacket and trousers Warm ski gloves Ski socks Goggles Ski helmet You will also require skis, poles and boots, but there is the option to rent these items from a local supplier in St. Gilgen. 31 FIRE AND EMERGENCY ARRANGEMENTS Every Classroom and Residence has a detailed evacuation plan. Students must familiarise themselves with all procedures. In addition, they should always be sensible when using electrical appliances and remember to switch off as many appliances as possible during the day and at night. Regular practice drills will take place. FIRE INSTRUCTIONS Anyone discovering a fire will: a. SHOUT “FIRE, FIRE, FIRE” c. TELL THE NEAREST TEACHER OR ADULT b. PRESS THE ALARM BELL – if fitted in the building THE NEAREST TEACHER OR STAFF MEMBER WILL: a. b. Instruct all students and staff to leave the building, on way out check all rooms are clear and close doors. Follow students from the building to the Assembly Point. If the Alarm has been triggered, the Fire Brigade is already notified. If the Alarm has not been set off dial 122 and inform Reception. ON HEARING THE ALARM STUDENTS SHOULD: a. b. c. d. e. EVACUATE THE BUILDING VIA THE NEAREST MARKED ESCAPE ROUTE, QUIETLY AT WALKING PACE, CLOSING DOORS BEHIND YOU NOT STOP TO COLLECT PERSONAL POSSESSIONS ASSEMBLE AS INSTRUCTED AT THE DESIGNATED ASSEMBLY POINT AWAIT ROLL CALL BY A MEMBER OF STAFF NOT DISPERSE UNTIL INSTRUCTED TO DO SO. ASSEMBLY POINT Campus Assembly Point is by the Boathouse Gate. Students and Teachers assemble by Mentor Tutor Group. For evacuation of the Ratz Residence the Assembly Point is in front of the Swimming Pool entrance. At the Assembly Point a roll call of all students and staff will be made and any unaccounted names will be sent by the person responsible via mobile or in person to the Headmaster. Staff should not allow anyone to disperse until instructed by the Headmaster. 32 PHOTOGRAPHS AND SCHOOL PUBLICATIONS It is the policy of St. Gilgen International School to celebrate the multiple achievements of our students, both within the classroom and within the wider range of activities of the school. A key component of this is taking photographs of students and celebrating their success on the school website, in newsletters and other school publications. We produce a termly publication entitled ‘Lakeside’ that captures many of the wonderful events happening in and around the School. Our assumption is that this strategy is supported by parents unless we are expressly informed to the contrary. Any parents who do not wish photographs of their child to be used in this way are asked to write to the Headmaster expressing this view before the start of each new Academic Year. COMMUNICATIONS We use the following systems to relay information to parents: Email from Administration, Teacher, Mentor Tutor, House parent - When a quick response is required or information is needed by parents within a few days. Website – to inform of forthcoming events with an up to date home page reporting on current events that have taken place (launching our new website in September 2013). The website also shows the school policies and general information. Newsletter ‘Lakeside’ - summary of termly activities. Information Management System – this has a parent portal that can be used by parents to access school related information. Please see section on Recording and Reporting in Curriculum pages for detailed explanations on academic progress and reports. 33 MENTOR TUTORING Each student is assigned to a tutor, a faculty member, who meets regularly with their group of up to ten students. Tutors get to know their tutees very well, monitoring their academic, co-curricular, social and physical development – usually throughout their schooling. Tutors also meet their tutees each Tuesday morning at 08h10. A tutor group will include students from a variety of Grades. Most importantly, students and their Mentor Tutor agree and set regular targets ensuring that students get the best from the many opportunities provided by the school. Mentor Tutors are always available to parents by email. HOUSES Our Boarding Houses are aligned vertically, in order to create four equal sized residences; two for boys and two for girls, all housing students from Grade 4 through to Grade 12. All students, be they a boarder or day student, belong to a House, as does every member of staff. This vertical system creates a remarkable environment and allows every boarder the best opportunity to grow and develop. It will provide each boarding student with the highest quality boarding experience possible. Younger students will learn from and aspire to be like the older students that they live with and, in return, older students will gain genuine responsibility for all of the boarders in their House, especially the younger ones. House values will be based on traditional family values, where everyone shares a common goal and everyone looks after each other. Also, when a boarding student joins the school, they will know where they will live for the rest of their time at St. Gilgen, providing each student with security and stability. Friendly competition between houses will be important in the development of the individual identities and characters of each House. Inter House competitions are wideranging and are spread throughout the academic year. They will give every student the opportunity to take part and represent their House. 34 SCHOOL EXPECTATIONS FROM STUDENTS An important part of education is to lead students to take personal responsibility. Students and Faculty live together in a small community and the school needs to be a safe place in which consideration, respect for others and an awareness of the effects of our actions guide essential agreements and rules. These Essential Agreements are reviewed annually, but are set by the Headmaster: APPEARANCE ATTENDANCE BOUNDS CONDUCT DRESS GENERAL PERSONAL PROPERTY SPORT Students should always act as school ambassadors, with their appearance reflecting this role. Students should be punctual and must attend all lessons and other school events. Unforeseen absence must be satisfactorily explained by a student’s parents, the boarding Housemaster/mistress or doctor. Requests for special absence (an Exceptional Exeat) should be made in advance to the Headmaster. The Bundesstraße, the lake shore and the St. Gilgen village boundary mark the bounds of the ‘school campus’. Students are expected to show tolerance and respect at all times. Students must behave in an orderly manner in St. Gilgen, during school activities and when travelling to and from the school. Inappropriate contact between students is not allowed. School uniform, in its entirety, must be worn by all students during school hours and at designated events (guidance issued previously). Any action which offends against common sense or good manners is a breach of School Expectations. All possessions should be clearly marked with the owner’s name. Mobile phones may be brought to school, but must be switched off during all formal school commitments. Students must safeguard their personal possessions; the school is not responsible for the loss of valuables. Items deemed to be offensive or dangerous, such as guns, knives and laser pens, must not be brought to school. The published regulations concerning safety on the games field, around the lake, and in the Sports Hall, must be observed at all times. When at school, students may only swim in the lake with Staff supervision. SUBSTANCE ABUSE Students are not allowed to be in possession of illegal drugs, cigarettes or alcoholic drinks (see policy for further guidance). 35 STUDENT LEADERSHIP A. Head and Deputy Head Prefect and School Prefects St Gilgen International School aims to develop young people with healthy minds, bodies and spirits who live out Plato’s Cardinal Virtues of Prudence, Justice, Temperance and Fortitude. The school is passionate about excellence in every respect, including academic excellence. It believes strongly that with great privilege (and it is indeed a privilege to attend this remarkable school) comes significant responsibility. St Gilgen International School therefore has the highest expectations of its senior students, who serve as crucial role models for the whole student body. The School recognises the importance of Student Leadership and Student Voice and is committed to developing these as fully as possible. The roles of appointed Head and Deputy Head Student Prefect and School Prefects, as well as appointed Heads and Deputy Heads of Houses and House Prefects will enable the very best senior students at StGIS to lead the way in terms of Student Leadership. The School Student Council will lead the way in terms of Student Voice. School Prefects – who should they be? • Senior students (Grade 12 and Grade 11) who represent the very best of StGIS • Students as set out above. They should be:- • outside of school. • Excellent role models in their work, attitude, presentation and behaviour in and Responsible and reliable and able to take on specific tasks assigned. The number may vary from 6 + 36 Examples of what School Prefects might be expected to do : • To assist the teaching staff in some tasks such as break duty, lunch duty, library • duty, Study Hall supervision, and other duties. • days and to show initiative and leadership in fundraising events. • To take the lead with important school events including assemblies and service To make announcements at assemblies. • To liaise with the Headmaster and SLT in matters concerning the student body. • St Gilgen • • To represent the school at conferences and events away from school as well as at To meet visitors and tour them around the school/village. To inspire the younger students as to what a StGIS students should be. Certain privileges should be associated with this role. Head Prefect and Deputy Head Prefect • • The Head and Deputy Head Prefect should be the very best of the School Prefects (in the opinion of the Headmaster, SLT, staff and students) They will have an especially close relationship with the Headmaster and SLT and will have the highest profile in the above areas B. House Prefects and Head/Deputy Head of House House Prefects are appointed to serve their boarding community. The role of the Prefects is to:- 1. Set the example to the rest of the House of what mature, senior students at StGIS should be and so they themselves must be:a. responsible and reliable b. honest at all times c. hardworking and prepared to serve the House community d. organised e. supportive of the school / House rules (including uniform, smoking, drinking etc) 37 f. caring about others in the House and school community g. proactive and showing initiative – can do attitude with a real sense of House identity and House pride h. positive and enthusiastic ambassadors for the House 2. Assist the House Parents and tutor team in organising and running the House. They should be able to:- a. do jobs asked of them by staff – may take specific roles within the House b. have good ideas about boarding life and help organise events c. come up with solutions to House problems d. advise staff about things going on in the House that staff need to be aware of (but may not be aware of) e. canvass house opinion on issues and effectively communicate the House view The Head and Deputy Head of House are appointed to serve their boarding community and to lead them. The role of the Head of House is to: 1. Be/do all of the above relating to House Prefects. 2. To work closely with the House Parents/ Tutors. In addition to the above Prefect requirements/roles they will... a. be able to keep confidences re. information shared with them by HPs/tutors b. be wise and impartial c. be prepared to meet frequently with the HPs 3. To lead the Prefect team effectively. The HOH and DHOH must... a. Have the trust and respect of the House Prefect team b. Be able to bring out the relative strengths of the House Prefect team c. Be able to chair Prefect / House meetings effectively d. Be able to be deal with a House Prefect who needs support 38 4. To lead and represent the House at all times. The HOH will... a. have the respect and trust of the whole House b. lead and speak at House meetings c. motivate the House d. speak at public/school meetings on behalf of the House. e. meet and welcome visitors to the House f. be prepared at short notice to assist with any House matter. C. School Student Councilors What is the School Student Council? A student council takes on the responsibility of representing the whole student body. The student council voices the needs, wants and concerns of the student body to the administration (i.e. principals and teachers). They are also responsible for encouraging school spirit through initiating events such as a School Carnival or Spirit Week. How is a Student Council Formed? The StGIS Student Council is an appointed group of students. Each student from every year group has the opportunity annually express a preference for their representatives on the Student Council. The Headmaster/SLT in consultation with the Staff reserve the right to veto unsuitable candidates. What are the aims of Student Council? • • • • • 39 To develop positive attitudes and to practice good citizenship To promote harmonious relations throughout the entire school community To improve student/faculty relationships To improve school morale and general welfare To plan special events or projects that enhance the student experience at StGIS What is the term of a Student Council Representative? 6 students from grades 10 and11 (and a Junior Representative) apply for a position on the school council and will serve for one calendar year. What are the specific roles in the Student Council? • President • Vice President • Secretary • Treasurer • Day Student Representative • Boarding Student Representative • Junior Representative Please note that the SCHOOL positions should be applied for and decided BEFORE the House positions. School and House positions will last for one calendar year. Heads of Houses may also be School Prefects – the students will be made aware of this (so that if they have HoH aspirations in their boarding Houses they will also apply for School Prefect status). 40 DRUGS POLICY Introduction: It is easy to think that we are part of a safe enclave here in St. Gilgen, free from the potential dangers of illegal drugs. Of equal concern is the impact and effect of socially acceptable drugs such as tobacco and alcohol on our students. With this in mind, the School Drugs Policy is set out below: Drugs: In Austria, it is illegal to possess or supply drugs, other than drugs prescribed for personal medical use. It is illegal for anyone to supply or offer to supply an illegal substance. Aims: • • • • • • • To ensure that StGIS is free from illegal drugs To educate students on the effects of drugs and solvents on the mind and body To provide opportunities for students to practice the personal and social skills and the strategies needed to deal with situations involving drugs To promote the individual’s self-confidence, self-esteem and self-worth To explain the legal situation with regard to the use and misuse of drugs To enable young people to identify sources of appropriate personal support To enable parents to acquire knowledge and support Any student involved in illegal drugs when they are under the School’s authority can expect to be expelled from school: the police will be informed immediately under Austrian law. Being under the School’s authority means: • • • • Throughout the School day, whether on or off the premises Whenever the student is involved in any activity organised by the School Whenever the student is identifiable as a member of the School For a boarder, whenever they are under the direct responsibility of their House parent. In addition, where it has been brought to the attention of the Headmaster that a student has been formally cautioned by the police for the possession of an illegal drug the school reserves the right to exclude. 41 Tobacco: Smoking is the single most preventable cause of premature death and ill-health in our society. The school policy on smoking aims to give pupils the message that the habit creates health problems for smokers and non-smokers alike, that non-smoking represents the norm in society and that it receives support from the School and staff. Legislation makes it an offence for children under 18 years to be sold tobacco products. Aims: • • • To ensure a culture of intolerance of cigarette smoking at the school To educate students as to the immediate dangers of smoking To encourage those students who do smoke to break free from the habit Smoking, or being in possession of cigarettes or tobacco, is prohibited when a student is under the School’s authority. . Students found smoking or in possession of cigarettes or tobacco can expect their parents to be informed and appropriate sanctions applied. Subsequent offences and any instances taking place in or around school grounds may result in suspension. For a persistent offender, the Headmaster reserves the right to review the student’s membership of the School community. Alcohol: Alcohol is a depressant drug, particularly when taken in large quantities. Even at low levels, the potential for serious accidents arises. Legislation makes it illegal for alcohol to be sold to anyone under the age of 16, or for a person under 16 to buy alcohol. Aims: • • • • To develop knowledge and understanding about alcohol as a drug and its effects on the body To encourage sensible, appropriate and safe drinking behaviour To practice personal and social skills and the strategies needed to deal with situations where alcohol is present To educate the student as to the place of alcohol in the political, social and economic environment in which it exists. Drinking, or being in possession of alcohol is prohibited: • • • In school buildings or grounds (except for formal occasions sanctioned by the Headmaster) When under the authority of the school, in restaurants and other licensed premises and whenever prohibited by law (except for formal occasions sanctioned by the Headmaster) Whilst on school outings and trips (except for formal occasions sanctioned by the Headmaster) Students found in possession of alcohol or using it, whilst under the authority of the School (as outlined in the policy on drugs) can expect to be suspended. 42 Educational programme: The School has a proactive policy concerning the use of illegal drugs and substances, alcohol and tobacco. This is expressed in assemblies, Mentor Tutor periods, Science lessons and Health and Wellbeing lessons. In Science lessons, the Drug Education is as follows: • • How smoking affects lung structure and gas exchange How abuse of alcohol, solvents and other drugs affect health In Health and Wellbeing and through Tutor groups and assemblies, the following issues are addressed: • • • • • • • • • Recognising personal responsibility for decisions about substance use Knowing about the basic facts concerning substances including their effects and relevant legislation Being aware of myths, misconceptions and stereotypes linked with substance abuse Developing appropriate techniques for coping with situations in which substance abuse occurs Understanding that Austria is a drug-using society and recognising different patterns of use and their effect Recognising the impact of peer-group pressure on drug habits Understanding that individuals are responsible for the choices they make about drug use Being able to analyse safe levels of intake; e.g. tobacco is never safe, limited use of alcohol may be safe Discussing the role of the media in influencing attitudes towards drugs, particularly smoking and alcohol Possession of an illegal drug: If any student is found in possession of a suspicious substance, it will be taken from them. The substance will then be taken immediately to the Administration Team. The Headmaster will be informed straightaway. The student will then be interviewed by a member of the leadership team. The police will be consulted concerning the nature of the substance. If it is an illegal drug, the student will be isolated immediately and their parents called to the school. The Headmaster will speak with them and the student can expect to be expelled. The illegal drug will be handed over to the police who may prosecute the student. Drug Testing Where there is concern about a student regarding the misuse of drugs, it is possible, with the consent of the relevant student and parents, for drug testing to take place. 43 ANTI-BULLYING St. Gilgen International School is committed to providing a caring, friendly, safe and secure environment for all our students. Bullying of any kind is unacceptable. We take responsibility for helping students to understand the different forms that bullying can take and the harm it can do. All incidents of alleged bullying will be investigated and dealt with appropriately. Anyone who believes that bullying is happening is encouraged to tell a member of staff. What Is Bullying? • • • • • Bullying has been defined as the conscious desire to hurt, threaten or frighten another person. Bullying is usually deliberately hurtful, repeated and makes it difficult for the victims to defend themselves. Bullying can be physical, verbal, emotional, racist, and/or sexual. Verbal abuse includes name calling, being “picked on” and offensive or prejudicial remarks or actions. Bullying may involve students, staff or visitors and may occur outside the School Campus. Signs and Symptoms A student may indicate by signs or behaviour that they are being bullied. Adults should be aware that these are possible signs and that they should investigate if a child: • • • • • • • • • • • • • Is frightened of walking to or from school; Is unwilling to go to lessons; Begins to do poorly in school work; Becomes withdrawn, starts stammering; Regularly has books or clothes destroyed; Becomes distressed, stops eating; Cries easily; Becomes disruptive or aggressive; Has possessions go “missing”; Continually loses money; Starts stealing money; Is frightened to say what’s wrong; Has nightmares. The school’s full policy is explained to all students each year and is reviewed regularly. 44 POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR FOR LEARNING POLICY St. Gilgen International School is a vibrant, stimulating and civilised environment in which all members of our community should feel challenged, respected and safe. Our Positive Behaviour for Learning Policy seeks to shape good behaviour by effective use of education, rewards and consequences. We also encourage students to take responsibility for their actions and for any consequences of inappropriate behaviour. Student behaviour is an educational matter, rather than just a management issue. The management of student behaviour is seen as an intrinsic role of all staff, at all times, as a part of the total educational process. All staff are therefore responsible for the implementation of the policy. Rewards for Positive and Respectful Behaviour In order to create a positive achievement culture, it is hoped that all staff will spend more time issuing rewards than they do administering consequences. Staff are encouraged to ensure that all aspects of positive behaviour are rewarded and are relative to the capabilities of the individual. Examples of positive rewards are: 1 Celebration in school assemblies 3 Grades and Written Reports 2 4 Letters of Commendation Award Certificates at School Ceremonies Our system of rewards is discussed with our students. The main academic awards (and other rewards for whole school commitments) are given out at the Annual Prize giving at the end of the summer term. 45 CONSEQUENCES FOR INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR All faculty staff should expect to teach, mentor and live in a civilized and stimulating environment. This requires students to behave in a cooperative manner and respect the school rules. If this is not the case then there may be a need for consequences to be applied to get the student to reflect on their conduct and change their behaviour. Students should always understand why any consequence is being applied; in this respect ‘community tasks’ or ‘reflective task’ (such as researching the impact of a specific behaviour) can prove effective. Setting short term behavioural targets should play a major part in seeking to change behaviour; students know what they have to do in terms of improvement and are regularly and are clearly directed toward this and monitored. The table at the end of this policy details the disciplinary levels of consequences. Classroom teachers should always take the responsibility for establishing a positive working environment in their lessons. Houseparents should take responsibility for establishing a homely, caring and civilized environment in each residence. As part of their responsibility, these staff may have to impose consequences for inappropriate behaviour. House parents, Mentor Tutors and/or teachers should discuss the underlying cause of the behaviour pattern which led to the sanction and support the students in bringing about an improvement. Whilst every effort will be made to ensure parity of consequences, it is absolutely essential that every case is judged on its own merits and that the sanctions applied will take into account all of the factors. The system below provides a framework to follow regarding a staged escalation of consequences, but does not offer suggestions for sanctions at each stage. These will be decided at the time and will be appropriate for the circumstances. 46 Final warning Written warning Monitoring, review and parental involvement Meeting + monitoring First formal warning Informal verbal warning negative behaviour management plan nbmp 5 6 3 4 1 2 Level Mentor Tutors ALM leaders Leadership team repeated level 4/5 illegal substance use plagerism/cheating 3 sustained failure to comply with school rules plagerism/cheating 2 substance use breach of “Code of Contract” theft, fighting, harassment vandalism plagerism/cheating antagonistic behaviour towards staff bullying 2 theft violence absent from class bullying 1 without reason academic under-achievement challenging staff authority possession of offensive material public conduct bringing school into disrepute I.T. related offences offensive language ongoing uniform infringement sustained failure to complete work or follow directions disrupting learning environment uniform infringement offensive language I.T. related offences littering failure to follow instructions not equiped for class inappropriate village behaviour ! ! ! ! ! ! Offences - Headmaster meets with student and parents - Actions could include a final warning, internal suspension or permanent exclusion - in which case the Chairman will be consulted - If a final warning has been issued, the student is expected to meet expectations, reflect on their actions and learn from mistakes made - Disciplinary hearing with leadership team, student and parents, other staff present by invitation - Formal written warning issued to be held on file for one year - Internal or external Suspensions may be used - Student expected to improve behaviour and show genuine reflection for their actions - Student expected to improve their behaviour and to satisy all involved that the incident has been reflected upon and learned from - Saturday detention may be applicable - Student is expected to be cooperative in discussion to find a solution to the cause - Appropriate restorative steps undertaken - Managed by ALM leader along with MT and HP if applicable - Student monitoring applied if applicable - Additional academic work if relevant - Additonal work assigned if required - Reflective essay - A form of StGIS community service - The Student is expected to improve their behaviour, apologise to those concerned and complete any tasks asked of them Options include: - Informal meeting after class or during break - Lunch time subject support may be set if applicable - Confirmation from student that issue will not arise again. - Apology to those concerned Action - Letter sent to parents from the Headmaster regardless of outcome - Notification to the Chairman of the Board - Final Formal Warning logged - if issued - Student is expected to Cooperate to find solution to the root cause - Appropriate restorative steps undertaken - Managed by ALM leader along with MT and Leadership Team if applicable - Student monitoring applied if applicable - ALM leader to inform relevant staff of the review meeting outcome - Information passed on to leadership team if no progress is made - Teachers will be informed with relevant details and progress - Recorded on SIMON - Goals and directives for future behaviour should be set and revisited - Recorded on SIMON - Staff member sends email / talks with MT and House Parent (if applicable) - Recorded on SIMON - Incident noted Communication a CYCLING AND VEHICLES CYCLING Cycling is a regular activity in the Activities Programme. It is also possible to bring your own bicycle to school under the following conditions: 1 2 3 4 5 You must have permission to keep a bicycle in the school from your Housemaster/mistress. The bicycle must be maintained in a good roadworthy condition. The bike must be clearly named and must be kept locked when not in use. Parents should insure bikes against loss or damage. You do not cycle beyond the Bounds of the school without the specific permission of your Housemaster/mistress or Duty Staff leaving details of your intended route and expected return time. You then check-in with the member of staff on your return. Appropriate clothing for cycling must be worn and cycle helmets are compulsory. Please bring this with you. Cycling is not allowed in the School grounds. CARS, MOTORBIKES AND MOPEDS Day students are allowed to bring cars or other motorised vehicles to St. Gilgen. Other students are only allowed to travel in named students’ vehicles with written permission from their parents. Boarders are not allowed to drive or rent cars within term-time. Learning to drive is seen as part of our curriculum and arrangements can be made for students, in accordance with Austrian Law, to learn to drive as an optional activity, with both parental and the Housemaster’s/mistress’ written permission. Driving lessons and testing should not be scheduled during lesson time. 48 RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE St. Gilgen International School is a secular school where all world religions are respected. The opportunity to attend a Church Service is a voluntary part of the weekend programme for Sunday mornings. In addition, arrangements can be made for Confirmation classes. Students who do not attend a religious service on a Sunday morning have the opportunity to take part in a reflective activity. 49 CURRICULUM INTRODUCTION Imagine a perfect curriculum where all students are engaged, challenged and have chosen to take the courses that make up their working week. Where their collective needs at each stage have been considered, but where their individual rights to focus on what they enjoy and aspire to are also accommodated. Where teaching staff have taken the best on offer from educational initiatives and curricula around the world and put together a range of learning opportunities that will inspire their students whilst also preparing them fully for the academic rigour of the IB Diploma Programme. This is what we are developing here at St. Gilgen International School, using the latest in educational technology to capture and evolve a curriculum model that is truly exceptional. The following pages will inform you of the curriculum on offer to students. CURRICULUM BREAKDOWN AND THE SUBJECTS TAUGHT/OFFERED Primary (Grade 4 – 6) Subject English German Mathematics World Studies Science Movement & Wellbeing Art Music Library TOTAL Hours per week 6 4 4 4 3 3 1 1 1 27 50 Middle School (Grade 7 – 9) Grade 7 Subject English Mathematics Science Geography History German Movement & Wellbeing Art/Drama Music/Design Spanish or French TOTAL Grade 8 & 9 Hours per week 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 3 31 Subject English Mathematics Science Geography/History German Movement & Wellbeing Arts Option 1 Arts Option 2 Spanish, French or Mother Tongue TOTAL 51 Hours per week 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 31 Pre-IB (Grade 10) Subject English Mathematics World Studies Elective Science Elective German Movement and Wellbeing Electives (choose 4): Spanish French Mother Tongue Biology Chemistry Physics Sports Science Design Technology Art Music Drama History Geography Economics TOTAL Hours per week 4 4 3 3 3 3 12 32 52 IB (Grades 11-12) Subjects offered Curriculum Area Language A Language B Humanities Science Mathematics Arts Choices English Language and Literature English Literature German Language and Literature German Literature English B German B German Ab Initio Spanish B Spanish Ab Initio French B French Ab Initio Economics History Geography Biology Chemistry Design Technology Physics Sports Science Mathematics Mathematic Studies Art Theatre Studies Music Theory of Knowledge PLEASE NOTE: choices are determined by demand therefore every subject will not be taught every year. Explanation The information above highlights the current range of courses on offer to students in each grade. It is continually evolving to better meet the needs of the students and provide them with a rewarding academic experience. Options/Allocations In many of the blocks above, students will be allocated to the most appropriate course on offer. This could be, for example, that they are studying German at beginner level. They could be in this class with students at the same ‘stage’ of learning, but from a different grade. The ‘electives’ are genuine choices available to students in grades 8-9. These electives are chosen by existing students at the start of the summer term and by new students as part of the enrolment process. 53 HOMEWORK 1. 2. 3. 4. Homework should be set within the guidelines of the homework timetable for each grade, with the clear intention that it be completed during the allocated time that evening. The emphasis should be on written work directly associated with the course being studied at the time. Completing class work is generally not good practice. A written record of the work set must be kept in the student planner, together with the date for completion. The diary must be monitored fortnightly by the mentor tutor and by the house tutor each evening. If the student cannot complete the work set in the time available, the house tutor should make a note in the students’ planner to inform the subject teacher. Formal study hall timing is regular and held on the main School campus. Start time is normally 7.00 pm ending at 9.00 pm. More senior students will need to spend time later in the evening as well. The allocated study hall time must be used for academic work closely associated with the course being followed. In cases where set work is completed and checked students should use their time for extra study and particularly the reinforcement of weaker areas. Failure to do homework should be dealt with as quickly as possible. In the first instance the student should do the work at the first opportunity and, where appropriate, be given additional work. Persistent failure or the regular production of work not compatible with a student's ability should be discussed with the Residence staff during the evening. Homework volume by grade: Grade Hours per night 5 0.75 6 1 7 1.5 8 1.5 9 2 10 2 Diploma Students and Private Study IB Diploma study involves a great deal of independent study work outside timetabled lessons. Students are expected to spend five hours every week for each higher level subject on research and homework tasks and three hours for standard level subjects. Organising their time efficiently is extremely important and students must ensure that other activities, such as jobs out of school, are undertaken sensibly. 54 ASSESSMENT St. Gilgen International School recognises that teaching, learning and assessment are fundamentally interdependent. We are guided by the following principles: Students: • • • • • • have differing learning styles have different cultural experiences, expectations and needs perform differently according to the context of learning see self assessment and peer assessment as a natural part of the learning process need to know their achievements and areas for improvement in the learning process should receive feedback that is positive and constructive Assessment: • is designed by teachers to incorporate a variety of methods and to be relevant and motivating to students • is geared toward appraisal of a broad range of concepts, attitudes, knowledge and skills appropriate to an international and increasingly complex world. • is criterion-referenced using the guidelines set down by the IBO and is made clear • is given as guidance to students by teachers before assessed tasks commence. Ten guiding principles of Assessment for Learning (AfL) : AfL should be part of a teacher’s effective planning A teacher’s planning should provide opportunities for both learner and teacher to obtain and use information about progress towards learning goals. It also has to be flexible to respond to initial and emerging ideas and skills. Planning should include strategies to ensure that learners understand the goals they are pursuing and the criteria that will be applied in assessing their work. How learners will receive feedback, how they will take part in assessing their learning and how they will be helped to make further progress should also be planned. AfL should focus on how students learn The process of learning has to be in the minds of both learner and teacher when assessment is planned and when the evidence is interpreted. Learners should become as aware of the ‘how’ of their learning as they are of the ‘what’ AfL should be recognized as central to classroom practice Much of what teachers and learners do in classrooms can be described as assessment. That is, tasks and questions prompt learners to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and skills. What learners say and do is then observed and interpreted, and judgments are made about how learning can be improved. These assessment processes are an essential part of everyday classroom practice and involve both teachers and learners in reflection, dialogue and decision making. 55 AfL should be seen as a key professional skill for all teachers Teachers require the professional knowledge and skills to: plan for assessment; observe learning; analyse and interpret evidence of learning; give feedback to learners and support learners in self-assessment. Teachers should be supported in developing these skills through initial and continuing professional development. AfL should be viewed as a sensitive and constructive process Teachers should be aware of the impact that comments, marks and grades can have on learners’ confidence and enthusiasm and should be as constructive as possible in the feedback that they give. Comments that focus on the work rather than the person are more constructive for both learning and motivation. AfL should never underestimate the importance of student motivation Assessment that encourages learning fosters motivation by emphasising progress and achievement rather than failure. Comparison with others who have been more successful is unlikely to motivate learners. It can also lead to their withdrawing from the learning process in areas where they have been made to feel they are ‘no good’. Motivation can be preserved and enhanced by assessment methods which protect the learner’s autonomy, provide some choice and constructive feedback, and create opportunity for self-direction. AfL should encourage a shared understanding of the criteria by which learning goals are assessed For effective learning to take place learners need to understand what it is they are trying to achieve - and want to achieve it. Understanding and commitment follows when learners have some part in deciding goals and identifying criteria for assessing progress. Communicating assessment criteria involves discussing them with learners using terms that they can understand, providing examples of how the criteria can be met in practice and engaging learners in peer and selfassessment. AfL should ensure learners receive constructive guidance on how to improve their learning Learners need information and guidance in order to plan the next steps in their learning. Teachers should: • • • pinpoint the learner’s strengths and advise on how to develop them be clear and constructive about any weaknesses and how they might be addressed Provide opportunities for learners to improve upon their work. AfL should develop learners’ capacity for self-assessment so that they can become reflective and self-managing Independent learners have the ability to seek out and gain new skills, new knowledge and new understandings. They are able to engage in self-reflection and to identify the next steps in their learning. Teachers should equip learners with the desire and the capacity to take charge of their learning through developing the skills of self-assessment. AfL should recognize the full range of achievements of all learners Assessment for learning should be used to enhance all learners’ opportunities to learn in all areas of educational activity. It should enable all learners to achieve their best and to have their efforts recognized. 56 Why do we assess? StGIS assesses its students in order to: • • • • • • • • build up a clear picture of the student and his or her interests assess the effectiveness of the environment on the student’s learning extend the student’s learning monitor the progress of individual student learning and achievement determine the effectiveness of teaching inform curriculum review help evaluate suitability of courses inform others as appropriate, including students, teachers, parents, receiving schools, universities and future employers How do we assess? We assess by gathering evidence & information from the following sources: • • • • • • ongoing formative teacher assessment summative assessment tasks previous summative records parents’ consultation conversations with other adults who have knowledge of the student as a learner by analysing the above using professional knowledge and expertise Effective assessments allow the student to: • • • • • • • • • • have criteria that are known and understood in advance analyse their learning and understand what needs to be improved synthesise and apply their learning in addition to recalling facts highlight their strengths and demonstrate mastery and expertise learn in ways that the teacher did not foresee be reflective and partake in self and peer evaluation express different points of view and interpretations be encouraged to be responsible for their learning experience successful learning perform at a higher level when challenged If teachers are aware of what students know and can do, then teaching becomes more effective. Thus, assessment may take place at the start of teaching units (pre-assessment), carry on through units, and/or take place at the end (post-assessment). Students should be involved in assessing themselves and be allowed to identify personal targets, thus motivating them to learn as these targets are achieved. Teachers are not therefore concerned with just end-of-course tests but more with curriculum-integrated assessment, which provides a platform on which students can perform to the best of their ability. 57 The criteria and outcomes should: • • • be understandable to students provide students with an explanation of their level of advancement provide students with clear guidelines on how they can progress Effective assessment: • • • provides evidence of attainment and achievement takes into consideration a pupil’s potential and ability motivates the learner. Assessment at St. Gilgen International School is an integral part of the learning process; its purpose has as much to do with providing information to the student and the teacher as with forming the basis for the award of grades or a process of reporting. Consequently, learning at St. Gilgen International School is well supported; students are aware of what they are trying to achieve in particular pieces of work, and through reflective marking using AfL principles they gain clear insight into what they have achieved and where they can improve. The school knows it is important that marking should have a positive impact on students’ attitude, motivation and self esteem, and that students have the opportunity to respond to assessment through reflection. The teachers use their assessments to set work which is well matched to their students’ capabilities. Students are involved in the process of assessment, taking responsibility for their own learning, developing their ability to be self critical and setting targets for subsequent work. EXPECTATIONS: Students should: • • • • • • • • • have a clear idea of the knowledge and/or skills that are being assessed. be aware of the weighting of each assessment in the overall assessment pattern. receive clear feedback regarding a mark or grade that has been awarded. be able to see each graded assignment. be provided with the opportunity to have their performance assessed qualitatively. have access to all criteria being used in the assessment. not expect that every piece of work completed will be formally assessed. be given advance warning of any assessment for which preparation is necessary and be clear about the date of the assessment. be aware that failure to meet set deadlines could result in reduced effort and achievement grades 58 Teachers should: • • • • agree to deadlines in the light of the students’ other workload and give adequate time for the completion of out-of-class assessments. clearly define common assessment tasks within departments/subjects for each stage. use student performance as a feedback mechanism to initiate refinements to, or changes in, the curriculum and its delivery. use a variety of assessment tools. Leadership should: • • • • produce examination/test timetables with enough notice for students and teachers to formulate a revision programme keep records of achievement create an organisational structure for the efficient and effective enactment of external assessment activities such as International Baccalaureate put in place clear procedures for Examinations, University applications (predicted grades) and Career Tests Parents should: • • • • support all policies of St. Gilgen International School particularly those that relate to learning support student adherence to set deadlines for work help motivate their child(ren) help create an informative environment that is to the benefit of their child All the above expectations exist to ensure that all students reach their full potential. Students not writing in their first language For assessments in many subjects, it is important to remember that many students will not be using their first language. Teachers are not necessarily marking for grammatical accuracy; what is important is that students present their thinking as clearly as possible. All teachers should aid English B students by highlighting and improving language errors, where applicable. 59 Grading The school uses subject-specific IB criteria to indicate levels of achievement. At key points in the learning cycle students receive a summative grade, based on the IB 1 (low) – 7 (high) grade scales. Final grades are reported as follows: Grade 7: Exceptional A consistent and thorough understanding of the required knowledge and skills, and the ability to apply them almost faultlessly in a wide variety of situations. There is consistent evidence of analysis, synthesis and evaluation where appropriate. The student consistently demonstrates originality and insight and always produces work of high quality. Grade 6: Very Good A consistent and thorough understanding of the required knowledge and skills, and the ability to apply them in a wide variety of situations. There is consistent evidence of analysis, synthesis and evaluation where appropriate. The student generally demonstrates originality and insight. Grade 5: Good A consistent and thorough understanding of the required knowledge and skills, and the ability to apply them in a variety of situations. The student generally shows evidence of analysis, synthesis and evaluation where appropriate and occasionally demonstrates originality and insight. Grade 4: Competent A good general understanding of the required knowledge and skills, and the ability to apply them effectively in normal situations. There is occasional evidence of the skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Grade 3: Limited Achievement Limited achievement against most of the objectives, or clear difficulties in some areas. The student demonstrates a limited understanding of the required knowledge and skills and is only able to apply them fully in normal situations with support. Grade 2: Weak Very limited achievement against all the objectives. The student has difficulty in understanding the required knowledge and skills, and is unable to apply them fully in normal situations, even with support. Grade 1: Very Weak Minimal achievement in terms of the objectives. 60 Chronological and developmental context for grading: In Grades 11 and 12, students following the IBDP will be graded specifically against IBDP criteria. This will almost inevitably mean that in the early stages of the learning programme it will be very difficult for students to achieve the highest grades and this should be explained to learners by all subject staff to ensure continued motivation and progression towards learning targets. In Grades 9 – 10 inclusive, each curriculum area will use the same 1 – 7 point grading scale, but this will be content and context specific to motivate learners. The requirements from attaining each grade in each subject will be written into teacher planning and communicated to learners using secure AfL principles. In lower grades, the students will not be graded as frequently in many subjects. This is a planned change and is based upon secure research that shows students respond much more positively to feedback when work is not graded. The basic idea here is that students will periodically receive a grade based on a collection (portfolio) of work in many subject areas. This allows teachers to focus on more productive formative feedback on individual pieces of work. In all grades there will be a stronger focus on the effort that students have put into their work. The ideas being that if the effort is at least consistently ‘good’, then ultimately the grades will also be. EFFORT GRADES A Above and beyond B Basically fine C Could have done better D Did not try 61 RECORDING AND REPORTING Reporting procedure Parents will receive written comments regarding their child/s progress at the following points in the year : Autumn Term Interim report Grade All grades Issued to Parents 25 October 2013 Full report All grades 6 December 2013 Winter Term Full report All grades 21 March 2014 Summer Term Summative report Grades 4 – 11 27 June 2014 Parents are able to access all reports electronically via the Parent Portal feature of our webpage. Further information will be provided once students have started in September. In addition to this parents are able to view on-going assessment, course descriptors and a whole range of other useful information. Dialogue with teachers The first Mentor Tutor email at the end of September is intended to start a dialogue with your child’s mentor tutor. This staff member should then be your first point of contact with the school for most questions you may have regarding your child’s academic progress and personal development. This point of contact will be able to pass on concerns to subject teachers and relay answers swiftly. 62 CURRICULUM BASED SCHOOL TRIPS Standard Educational Trips The cost of these trips comes from school fees and the trip runs during normal curriculum time. Where the trip takes place within the normal working day, we would not usually inform parents or seek permission for the students to attend. Where there is an overnight stay, an early departure or late return, parental permission will be requested. All trips details will be communicated to parents as appropriate. Extended/Costly Educational Trips As a school with an ambitious curriculum, we run a wide range of equally ambitious curriculum based educational visits. In order to fit these trips into the school year, we often need to place it partially or wholly during a school holiday. The nature and cost of the trip can also require a parental contribution to help cover the costs. All information will be communicated to parents well in advance with trips of this nature. 63 ACADEMIC HONESTY At St. Gilgen International School, we take academic malpractice seriously; we believe it is important that students, their parents and / or guardians and all academic staff know exactly what this entails. Accordingly, we have placed hyperlinks to two texts published by the IBO: ‘General Regulations: Diploma Programme’ and ‘Academic Honesty’. We ask that all stakeholders in the Diploma Programme read these documents. Below are some of the most pertinent points from the IBO’s documents. IBO General Regulations Diploma Programme: http://www.ibo.org/documentlibrary/regs_ibworldschools/ Academic Honesty: http://www.ibo.org/documentlibrary/regs_ibworldschools/ All Diploma Programme candidates must understand the basic meaning and significance of concepts that relate to academic honesty, especially intellectual property and authenticity. However, a conceptual understanding alone is not sufficient; candidates must have the knowledge and practical skills to apply such concepts to their work. There are many different forms of intellectual property rights, such as patents, registered designs, trademarks, moral rights and copyright. Candidates must at least be aware that forms of intellectual and creative expression (for example, works of literature, art or music) must be respected and are normally protected by law. By implementing measures to prevent plagiarism schools are helping to combat illegal outof-school activities (for example, illegal music downloads, peer-to-peer/P2P file sharing) for which candidates may face legal proceedings. In both conceptual and practical terms, candidates may not understand the difference between collaboration and collusion, and therefore require guidance. Collaboration may be loosely defined as working together on a common aim with shared information, which is an open and cooperative behaviour that does not result in “allowing one’s work to be copied or submitted for assessment by another”. An authentic piece of work is one that is based on the candidate’s individual and original ideas with the ideas and work of others fully acknowledged. Therefore, all assignments for assessment, regardless of their format, must wholly and authentically use that candidate’s own language, expression and ideas. Where the ideas or work of another person are represented within a candidate’s work, whether in the form of direct quotation or paraphrase, the source(s) of those ideas or the work must be fully and appropriately acknowledged. 64 When using the words of another person it must become habitual practice for a candidate to use quotation marks, indentation or some other accepted means of indicating that the wording is not their own. Furthermore, the source of the quotation (or paraphrased text) must be clearly identified along with the quotation and not reside in the bibliography alone. Using the words and ideas of another person to support one’s arguments is a fundamental part of any academic endeavour. Malpractice The Regulations define malpractice as behaviour that results in, or may result in, the candidate or any other candidate gaining an unfair advantage in one or more assessment component. Malpractice includes: • Plagiarism: this is defined as the representation of the ideas or work of another person as the candidate’s own • Collusion: this is defined as supporting malpractice by another candidate, as in allowing one’s work to be copied or submitted for assessment by another • Duplication of work: this is defined as the presentation of the same work for different assessment components and/or diploma requirements • Any other behaviour that gains an unfair advantage for a candidate or that affects the results of another candidate (for example, taking unauthorized material into an examination room, misconduct during an examination, falsifying a CAS record). Some candidates seem to believe that because the internet is in the public domain and largely uncontrolled, information can be taken from websites without the need for acknowledgment. On the contrary, candidates must record the addresses of all websites from which they obtain information during their research, including the date when each website was accessed. The uniform (or universal) resource locator (URL) constitutes the website address for this purpose. Simply stating the search engine that was used to find the website is not acceptable and does not, in the view of the final award committee, constitute a form of acknowledgment. The requirement to cite the source of material includes the copying of maps, photographs, illustrations, data, graphs and so on. For example, to cut and paste a graph from a website without acknowledging its source constitutes plagiarism. CD- ROMs, DVDs, email messages and any other electronic media must be treated in the same way as the internet, books and journals. 65 LIBRARY AND MEDIA CENTRE The Library and Media Centre comprises one building, in which the lower floor is given over to the Media Centre; the middle floor to the library itself; and the upper floor to reading. At the start of every academic year, there is an induction programme for both staff and students. This will include an introduction to the Library and LMC, enabling all to familiarise themselves with the school’s educational resources and the Library Literacy Programme. There will also be tuition on usage of databases, which will be of particular importance to senior grades. Within the Library, the books are set out according to the Dewey Code. One half is given over to fiction, and one to non-fiction. There are also DVDs, audio CDs and newspapers and journals to complement learning. There is also a section for career advice and university information. USE OF THE SCHOOL LIBRARY AND MEDIA CENTRE The opening times for the Library and Media Centre follow that of the school itself. It is open during the school day and during study hall in the evenings. In order to take a book out of the library, the school swipe card is required. All titles must be swiped out by the librarian and must be returned by their due date. Failure to return a book will result initially in a warning. Consistent failure to return a book will result in a community action penalty. Lost books will be charged to the user. When in the library please respect the expectation of others to work quietly. 66 ACCEPTABLE USE OF COMPUTERS Use of School Macbooks In particular, students are asked to use their School Macbook computers responsibly: • Keeping the battery charged • Keeping them in their protective cover when possible • Keeping them secure – use the lockers during the academic day • Keeping them dry and • For boarders, handing them in to recharge overnight. 1 Introduction All the staff and students of St. Gilgen International School have been allocated school laptops (MacBooks) in order to enhance Learning and Teaching opportunities. In addition to this it is possible for students and staff to make use of various desktop computers situated around the school. The primary purpose of all the computers used at school is support you in your work. All users are required to read the AUP and sign that they will use computers in accordance with it. Students are not to bring their own computers, iPads or similar devices to school (with the exception of IB Diploma students). The School considers the security and availability of its network and the safety of its users a high priority and reserves the right to: • • • • Examine or delete any files that may be held on its computer system, To apply security patches/upgrades, To monitor any Internet sites visited, To randomly check the contents of any computer or storage media on the school site. This includes flash drives, CDs, DVDs, MP3 players, I-Pods, mobile phones or any other form of storage medium. Any unsuitable material will be confiscated, deleted or destroyed. Inappropriate actions will be investigated and if necessary suitable disciplinary action taken. A deliberate breach of the AUP may result in removal from the network and/or loss of access to computers in the school. 2 General Users should store copies of all their important work on their own network-share. These files will be backed up. Private files should be stored on the local computer hard-drive, and the user should back up their own private files. • The volume of the computer should be set at a level which will not disturb others. • Copyright of materials and intellectual property rights must be respected. All material used must be appropriately referenced. • Computer games should never be played in class unless they are part of the educational program and the teacher has given their permission. 67 • Students may not access information on any of the school’s non-public servers. • No students may use another person’s laptop for any reason without that person’s consent. • The misuse of computer webcams and other self-produced digital material will result in the loss of computer privileges and/or further disciplinary measures. • Users are liable for the cost of damages in the case of negligence. • No eating and/or drinking next to a computer. 3 Use of the computers and network • Access to the computer network and services should only be made via your authorized account and password, which should not be made available to any other person. The School takes no responsibility for a user’s data which becomes public through the irresponsible use of the password (e.g. sharing or loss of the password details). • Users are responsible for any activity that takes place under their network account so passwords should be changed whenever a breach of security is suspected. Passwords can also be changed by the school, if necessary. • No inappropriate material should be accessed, stored or transmitted and this applies to any computer used at school, whether connected to the network or not. • Any large non-academic files (eg. mp3 or jpg files) should not be stored on the school’s network and may be deleted and not restored if permission was not given for this. • The installation of software on school computers is forbidden without the prior permission of the Headmaster. Network users should not run any program that causes files to be installed on any workstation or on the network. If in any doubt, users should not proceed. • No computer should be connected to the school network unless it has been configured by an IT staff member. • Any action that compromises the integrity of the school network (e.g. “hacking” or use of spyware) will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Any misuse will be dealt with very severely by the Headmaster. • All computers configured for connection to the school’s network will have the school’s antivirus software installed on it. Users must contact ICT staff if they suspect that this software is not functioning properly or is not up to date. Users may not disable the antivirus software, remove programs or add programs without the express permission of the IT staff. 4 Internet Use • Users are responsible for ensuring that all Internet sites and material accessed are of an appropriate nature. Users are expected to avoid any material that is inappropriate. The categories of sites which should not be accessed include adult sites, nudity, sexuality, pornography, computer “hacking”, forms of violence, the making of weapons, gambling and copyright infringement. Teachers should check with the 68 Headmaster if they are unsure about a site they wish to use. • The use of ‘chat’ programs during or outside school hours is only allowed with the permission of a teacher, administrator or House Parent. To preserve the Internet bandwidth needed by all in our community and for security reasons, the following applies to all students and staff: • All internet traffic will be logged. • No file sharing activity (e.g. Kazaa, WinMX, BitTorrent, Limewire). It should be noted that most file sharing is illegal. • No network games without permission or instruction from a teacher, administrator or house parents. • No video conferencing or Internet phone calls, during the school hours or study hall, without the permission of the teacher, administrator or house parents. • Any activity that involves the downloading of large files or results in high levels of Internet traffic should be avoided. Users should be particularly careful about the size of downloaded files. • No saving of downloaded files without permission. 5 E-mail • Users are responsible for all e-mail sent. • The sending of anonymous or offensive e-mails is forbidden • It is school policy not to check e-mail randomly but if there are grounds for suspicion of misuse, the account of a user will be frozen and then inspected. The user will be informed about these steps. • Users should take care about their e-mail addresses (e.g. not to post on forums or sites), to avoid their e-mail boxes being the target of spam mail. • If a user receives an e-mail from an unknown person or which is offensive and upsetting, it should be reported as soon as possible to a member of staff. • Sending or forwarding chain emails is not acceptable. • Do not send e-mails to multiple addresses of people who do not know each other. 6 Printing The school aims to avoid unnecessary printing and sees the use of available technology as a means to do so. The staff and students are encouraged to pass information through the use of storage devices, email and Bluetooth if possible. • Users should only print essential material. Also, limits may be placed on a student’s permission to print if they abuse this privilege. • Staff are to guide students by providing clear instructions about when they need to provide a printed copy of work and when printing may not be necessary. 69 BOARDING INTRODUCTION The information contained within the Boarding section of this Handbook aims to inform all concerned about the principles, policies and procedures that will prepare you accordingly for a happy and successful boarding experience. NEW BOARDERS However daunting it may first appear, the boarding routine will become second nature surprisingly quickly. There will be important issues to get right at the beginning, such as uniform, the timetable, layout of the school and the daily routine. Each new student will be paired up with an experienced student mentor to whom he / she may go to with any queries. Boarding can present some emotional difficulties for many new students and their families, especially during the first few weeks. We hope that you will feel able to talk to us about any homesickness that does occur so that we can share our experience of it and try to help. 70 HOUSE STAFF AND CONTACT DETAILS BOARDING RESIDENCES Boys’ Residence (Traube) House Parents - Warrick Bottrall and Trish Gray (w.bottrall@stgis.at) +43 (0)664 88659634 House Residential Tutor - James Earwood Boys’ Residence (Kendler) House Parent - Valerie Cicero (v.cicero@stgis.at) +43 (0)664 88659635 House Residential Tutor – Mr & Mrs Bold Girls’ Residence (Haus Tirol) House Parents - Jeremy and Aleisha House (j.house@stgis.at) +43 (0)664 88659631 House Residential Tutor – Julie Porter Girls’ Residence (Bachwirt) House Parents - Linda Raabe-Marjot and John Marjot (l.raabe-marjot@stgis.at) +43(0)664 88659682 House Residential Tutor – Amanda Neiman In addition to the House Parents and Residential Tutors, each House will have two Residential Boarding Assistants who will be assigned to a Boarding House in due course. 71 PERSONAL ITEMS AND WHAT TO BRING These should be clearly marked and a record should be kept of the serial numbers or identifiable features of valuables. Parents’ personal insurance should cover all valuable items. The school does not take responsibility for any loss or damage and you are urged to avoid bringing valuable items, especially large amounts of money. WHAT TO BRING General Personal clothing, to include smart casual items (polo shirt or shirts, equivalent for girls) School uniform (new students to purchase at School) Coat Hangers Personal toiletries Dressing gown House shoes (slippers or suitable indoor shoes) Winter boots (casual) Winter coat (casual) Classroom stationery 1 x A4 Exercise books, lined and squared (G5 - 8) 1 each A4 College Blocks, lined and squared (G9 – G11) Hole Punch Stapler Highlighters Scissors Calculator (IB students to purchase from StGIS) Digital camera (optional) Mobile phone (optional) M3P player or similar (optional) Headphones for use with electronic media USB memory stick or external hard drive for backing up work 72 Watch Alarm clock Hair dryer (optional) Torch Small sewing kit Small personal first aid kit Passport Copy of vaccinations book Documentation of any medical conditions Pictures of family and friends Co-curricular Activities Sports clothing and equipment Gym shoes (for indoors only) Outdoor running shoes Water bottle Bike helmet (compulsory) Bike and lock (optional) Ice skating shoes (optional) Skateboard/rip-stick (optional) Mountain Sports Equipment (all optional) Waterproof coat and trousers Rucksack (40-50 litres) Waterproof walking boots Walking socks 3-Seasons sleeping bag Camping mat Camping plate, bowl and mug (plastic) Camping cutlery 73 Water Sports Equipment Swimming costume (one-piece) Beach towels for water activities Winter Sports Equipment and Clothing See page 31 for details on skiing equipment. What not to bring: Pets Personal Computers, iPads or similar devices. Candles Electrical cooking equipment Electric heaters Irons Television or portable DVD player 74 BOARDING AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The boarding team at St. Gilgen International School takes great pride in its boarding community. We provide a high quality boarding experience, promoting the welfare of each student within a safe, caring and happy environment. We develop the individual character and confidence of every student. The boarding house team provides a healthy balanced lifestyle offering guidance and support, enabling boarders to reach their fullest potential. Our aims are to: • • • • • 75 Provide a home from home boarding experience that is safe, relaxing and comfortable. Promote a spirit of teamwork and communal responsibility within each boarding house. Ensure that each boarder has the opportunity to develop academically, socially, morally and culturally in an atmosphere of positivity, encouragement and trust. Provide open and positive dialogue and work in close partnership with all boarders and their parents. Provide a solid foundation for our boarding students to understand and embrace our School Mission, our School Values and our School Ethos. THE BOARDING RESIDENCES – POLICIES AND PROCEDURES Facilities Our Boarding Houses, or Residences, as they are sometimes referred to, are all excellent facilities in their own right and we try to create an individual feel and character that suits the dynamic of the students who live there. The room standards are high but room sizes and configurations may vary. Every attempt is made to pair the right student to the right room. In their rooms, students will have: • • • • • • A bed A desk and study chair Storage space for books, clothes and personal items - usually a large wardrobe A lockable cupboard or drawer A combination safe for valuables A bedside light All rooms have en suite facilities and many enjoy lake and mountain views from a balcony. Students will be paired up with a roommate wherever possible. Sharing a room fosters important personal skills and enhances the boarding experience. The importance of matching roommates successfully is obvious and House Parents will consult with boarders and parents when allocating roommates, taking into consideration a range of factors. Requests to change rooms will be reasonably considered after a two week trial period has been completed. Students are encouraged to make their rooms feel homely whilst respecting the surroundings and style of the individual houses. House Parents will brief and guide students accordingly. Food is not allowed in rooms. Tuck boxes are provided and stored in the kitchen. 76 Communal Areas As each of the boarding houses develops, so too will the facilities within the houses. All houses have generous communal spaces, providing opportunities for boarders to interact socially, play games, or watch a film. These spaces are also used for house meetings and informal gatherings. Room Tidiness Students are expected to maintain a reasonable level of tidiness, cleanliness and order throughout the house and particularly with regards to their own personal spaces. Beds should be made, clothes hung up or stored correctly, personal items put away and floors left clear to assist housekeeping staff. Whilst house-keepers pay particular attention to cleanliness and hygiene, boarders are expected to be able to organise their belongings thoughtfully in readiness for the school programme. Room inspections take place on a regular basis with at least one thorough inspection a week. Restrictions are placed on students who continuously fail to respect the relevant house standards with regards to room tidiness. Security The Boarding Houses are all secure and can only be accessed by students and staff with an access card or key. All boarders have a lockable safe for personal and valuable items. Any large items may be secured in the House Parents’ study. It is mandatory for Boarders to hand their passports, travel tickets and important documentation to their House Parents for safe keeping. These items are secured within the School safe and are available at any time upon request. It is important that boarders do not keep large sums of money on their person, or in their rooms and everyone is encouraged to observe common sense security measures. All property and personal items should be respected. Boarders are expected to safeguard their own personal items and not take items that do not belong to them without asking. 77 Computers Every student is issued their own School Mac Book for work use and reasonable private use. Personal computers, iPads and similar devices are only permitted for IB students and those students with a requirement for educational support programmes. Mac books are linked into the school system and are subject to certain rules in line with the school student and parent handbook. Games are discouraged, except during legitimate social events and chat rooms are strictly forbidden. It is acknowledged that social networking sites have advantages and disadvantages and usage will be monitored where possible. Within a boarding context, laptops may be used during study periods and designated free time. With the exception of the IB cohort, all students are to hand in laptops 15 minutes before lights out. Telephones Telephones are a part of everyday life for most students and can be important tools to communicate within school and between family and friends. As long as they are used sensibly, they are permitted in the boarding houses. Telephones are not to be used during study hall, meal times or after lights out. Failure to respect the telephone rules will result in them being withdrawn for a period deemed fair by House Parents or duty staff. School Uniform Boarders wear school uniform during timetabled school events and may change into their own clothes after their last school commitment. Full details of the school uniform policy are given earlier in this Handbook. Laundry We provide a free laundry service for school items only (day uniforms and sports kit). Blazers are to be dry cleaned during each holiday or as necessary. Personal items can be washed in the boarding houses with the support of house staff, or sent to the local laundry to be cleaned at a significantly reduced cost for the students. A monthly invoice will be provided for each student using the paid laundry service and this amount can either be directly deducted from the deposit account 1B, if the debit order has been signed by parents, or the students can pay the invoiced amount into the school bank account by cash. Boarders are issued two laundry bags, one white bag for personal items and one blue bag for school uniform items. These bags can be left in designated areas within the boarding houses, ready for collection. There are two laundry cycles. The laundry collection and return times are as follows: 78 Laundry Cycle 1 Laundry Collection – Tuesday AM Laundry Return – Friday PM Laundry Cycle 2 Laundry Collection – Friday PM Laundry Return – Tuesday AM Students are required to fill in a laundry slip, giving details of the laundry bag contents which also ensures its safe return. In addition, all school bed linen and school towels are collected and changed on Wednesdays. House Parents and senior students will remind new students and assist with the laundry system. Naming personal items It is essential that all personal items are named. Do not forget socks, shoes and bags. Experience tells us that students are capable of misplacing almost anything but items that are named are usually reunited with the owner quickly. All clothes should be labelled with sewn in name tapes or with permanent pen. Lost Property and Insurance Most lost property is collected and handed out to students during regular meetings. If items are genuinely lost, this should be reported to the relevant House Parent and reasonable steps will be taken to find them. However neither the House nor the School can be responsible for any losses incurred on the premises. Parents are therefore advised to arrange for valuable items to be covered by an ’all risk’ insurance policy. Personal Hygiene Taking the responsibility for one’s personal hygiene is a basic, but important aspect of being a boarding student. All boarders are expected to shower once a day and more often if conducting physical activity sessions. Clothes should be clean and tidy and students are responsible for ensuring their laundry bags are being processed through the school laundry system. Younger students will have help with this as is required. Older students are free to use the House’s washing and drying machines, once they have been shown how to use them. 79 Pocket Money House Parents and supporting staff do not get involved with supervising pocket money within the house. Most students open an account with the local bank and use a debit card to withdraw funds when necessary. House Parents are more than happy however to advise and assist students with the smooth running of a bank account. Pets There is no provision for pets of any kind to be kept by boarders within boarding houses. House Duties After breakfast, each boarder will carry out a house duty, as per the duties rota. This is to ensure cleanliness within the house and develop a sense of respect and pride in the Boarding House. Each duty should take no longer than 5 minutes (kitchen duty takes a little longer). These include, sweeping entrance ways, tidying boot racks, emptying bins etc. The duty senior student will ensure these duties are carried out to a high standard and report to the House Parent before the morning meeting that all duties have been completed. 80 Feeding Breakfast and evening meals are enjoyed in the Boarding Houses. Lunches during the week and at weekends are located at one of the village restaurants. Meals are important times to come together and discuss aspects of the day in a relaxed and friendly environment. Boarders should be on time for meals and be dressed accordingly, having showered if physical activity has taken place beforehand. All students are expected to assist those on kitchen duty by clearing away their tables and by leaving their eating areas as they would wish to find them, if they were on kitchen duty themselves. Cooking Students are encouraged to cook and may do so at reasonable times to be agreed with House staff, using all of the resources available to them in the kitchen. No student should attempt to cook unless they have permission to do so. House Social Events Each Boarding House will conduct at least one social event per term. This is a good opportunity for the whole house to enjoy time together, away from school in a more relaxed environment. Past social events have included meals out, the Banff Film festival, ice skating, bowling and a water park trip. Signing in and out The House Parents and supporting staff are responsible for accounting for students. The following guidelines exist to ensure an overview is kept at all times: • • • • • 81 Student’s whereabouts are known during the normal school day, lessons, activities, school events etc. Outside of these times, it is a student responsibility to inform their relevant House Parent of their movements via the house signing out book. Each boarding house has a signing out book. Boarders are expected to use the book to notify their whereabouts to the rest of the house. Failure to do this may result in a suitable consequence, namely – reduced movements outside of the boarding house. Interaction between boarding houses is encouraged but visiting students of the opposite gender should not enter the sleeping accommodation under any circumstances. All visiting students should sign in to, and out of another boarding house. Apart from immediate family, any other guests that are likely to enter the boarding house should have the permission of the House Parents in advance. The Disciplinary System Living together in a boarding house is not always easy and from time to time, young adults lack awareness of the impact their behaviour may have on others. House values and standards are well known and put in place to give everyone the best opportunity to enjoy living together peacefully. Boarders run the risk of consequences being issued if behaviour is of an unacceptable standard. In the first instance a warning is given, after that, restriction of privileges may be issued. If boarders display unacceptable behaviour on a frequent basis, they are placed on Boarding Monitoring. This may include restricted movements around the school, a written reflection, loss of laptop, earlier bed time, extra duties etc. Any student placed on Boarding Monitoring will have a brief meeting with the Head of Boarding and their parents will be informed. If behaviour does not improved, more serious disciplinary actions may be explored. Boarding House Visits Parents, guardians and family friends are encouraged to visit the boarding houses. We ask that when you arrive, you approach the House Parent or staff member on duty and let us know you are in the house. This allows us to catch up with you regarding the progress of your son or daughter and enables us to account for you, should an incident present itself. Parent access to Boarders You have the right to talk or visit your child at any time. However, we do request that parents are mindful of the school and house routine and try to fit visits around timetabled events such as meal times and study hall. If you plan on taking your child out of school, we would be grateful if you could confirm your arrangements with us in writing by emailing the school exeats email address exeat@stgis.at (See Weekend Planning for more details). This reduces the likelihood of misunderstandings. 82 HEALTH AND SAFETY First Aid All House Parents are first aid trained, as are their residential supporting staff and most of the House Tutors. Illness Please see page 20 for details of our healthcare policy. Fire All houses are fitted with systems that alert all staff and students in the case of a fire. All necessary fire safety equipment is checked and maintained on a regular basis. Full house fire practices are carried out each half-term and new students who join late are taken individually through the fire evacuation procedure. These practices are noted in the weekly Boarding Report. The local Emergency Fire Service number is: 122. Once the fire alarm is sounded or upon hearing anyone shouting FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!, the following immediate evacuation procedure is initiated: • • • • • • • 83 All persons within the building make their way to the front door quickly but calmly. Individuals should not stop to gather personal belongings but should take warm items of clothing in case of inclement weather. House Parents / Residential Boarding Assistants are to coordinate appropriately and call the fire service on 122 at the earliest opportunity. An additional call is made to any other parties in the immediate vicinity of the boarding houses (some boarding houses are attached to other buildings). House Parents / Residential Boarding Assistants are to check the In / Out board, making a note of residence occupancy. They are also to take the Signing In and Out book, Fire Box (located at the front door), containing a torch, first aid kit and nominal roll. All persons exit the residence by the front door and report to the designated Fire Muster Point, lining up in floor order. Nominated senior boys on each floor conduct a preliminary check of attendance. House Parents / Residential Boarding Assistants take the nominal roll and account for all boarders and signed in guests (using the signing in book). Once all students, staff and guests are accounted for, everyone should make their way, calmly, to an appropriate boarding residence for shelter. House Parents are to remain at a safe distance to the Boarding residence to assist the fire service. At no point should anyone enter the building until the all clear has been given by the fire service. General Health and Safety The House Committee is made up of the House Parents, the Residential Boarding Tutor and two students who have been selected to represent the house on all house matters. The House Committee will meet once a month to discuss all aspects of boarding to include health and safety matters and areas of improvement. All boarders are made aware that continuous monitoring should be kept on all health and safety matters so that the house can enjoy a healthy and safe environment. Regular checks are made to identify potential safety hazards and steps are taken to remove them or bring them to a boarders’ attention. Notable safety concerns include: • No matches, fuel, candles or other flammable material should be kept in rooms. These items must be kept in the Outdoor Education store. • Electrical sockets must not be overloaded – a maximum of one four socket extension cable is allowed per room. • Boarders are reminded to take care around open windows and balconies. Students are not to hang out / over these areas. 84 WEEKEND PLANNING School Weekend – a weekend where students stay at school. Students are usually busy with a school timetabled commitment or they spend time catching up on work and relaxing with friends. Exeat Weekend – a non-working weekend where students are encouraged to go home and take a break from school. Authorised Leave – a period of time away from school that lies outside of the Exeat Weekend. This may be authorised absence during a non-exeat weekend, or authorised absence during the week due to a medical appointment or family commitment for example. The school calendar shows clearly the School Weekends and Exeat Weekends. Boarders are free to leave their houses on both weekends as long as they do not have a school commitment or have not signed up to an extracurricular commitment. School commitments are published in advance through the school website. Some useful guidelines regarding School and Exeat Weekends: • • • Most school weekends will see an event of some description laid on for students and most students will stay to participate or catch up on school work. Exceptions can be made but authorisation would be required. House Parents must be notified by midday on the Wednesday before the weekend in question, in order to organise weekend logistics. Requests are to be sent by email to exeat@stgis.at Parents wishing their children to leave school during an Exeat Weekend are, once again, to inform House Parents by midday on the Wednesday before the weekend in question. Requests are to be sent by email to exeat@stgis.at Parents wishing to remove their children during normal school time (family occasions, local parties) should notify the House Parents in writing via the email address exeat@stgis.at By using this email address, House Parents and selected staff members, who are involved in the duty of care and logistic chain, are notified accordingly. All Exeat weekends may start after a student’s last commitment on the Friday afternoon to include activities. All boarders are required back at school no later than 1800 hrs on Sunday evening on both School and Exeat weekends. This is to ensure the smooth preparation for the academic week ahead. Any student planning on leaving the school boundaries for the day must gain permission from their relevant House Parent. Any student wishing to stay away from the Boarding House overnight must include parental consent, as described above, and when relevant, confirmation from the host family. Both parental and host consent must be in writing via the exeat@stgis.at email address giving full details of the event in question. 85 PASTORAL CARE The Role of the House Staff The boarding House Parents have overall responsibility for the welfare of the boarders in their house. They are assisted by a Residential Boarding Tutor, two Residential Boarding Assistants and a team of House Tutors. The staff share the following responsibilities towards all boarders: • • • • • To set an example of civility, tolerance and responsibility. To show equal respect and attention to all, under all circumstances. To respect the boarders’ right to privacy e.g. knock before entering a room. To encourage all boarders in an active participation of life in the Boarding House. To maintain the values and standards of the Boarding House and to contribute wherever possible. Evening Duty In addition to the House Residential Team, there is a member of staff on duty from 1800 – 2200 hrs Monday to Thursday, with Residential Boarding Assistants leading on Friday duties. Specifically, the duty evening entails: • • • • • • • • Ensuring that every house member has been accounted for before the evening meal starts. Settling the students down for Study Hall. Checking student home work diaries during Study Hall, offering help and advice where appropriate. Taking on the leadership role of the house but referring to the House Parents when necessary. Communicating with the duty student and monitoring his / her tasks during the evening. Interacting socially with students after Study Hall. Assisting with the closing down routine; ensuring every student is in the house, laptops are handed in and that quiet times and lights out times are observed. Duty staff recording significant events in the Boarding Report and handing over to their respective House Parent at the end of their duty. 86 BULLYING Peer relations and friendships are particularly important within a Boarding House. We acknowledge that living together will be a new experience for some, can be challenging and requires the development of patience, consideration and diplomacy. All boarders are encouraged to speak up about inappropriate behaviour before it becomes harmful. Attempts are then made to defuse tensions where they occur between particular students and to repair relations before any party is tempted to engage in verbal or physical bullying. Our policy takes into account that sometimes young adults lack awareness of the impact of their behaviour on other people, which can explain their behaviour. Our first step therefore is to discuss the effects of bullying behaviour with the parties involved and encourage self-awareness before resorting to disciplinary measures. When bullying within a Boarding House is brought to the attention of a boarder or staff member, the following procedure is followed: • Those students involved in an incident are brought together to discuss the issue with the Housemaster, and possibly also with Tutors and witnesses. Most first cases will be dealt with in a non-disciplinary manner, but more serious ones may incur sanctions. All concerned are expected to write a report of the incident. At this point all concerned will be warned of the consequences of further bullying. • 87 If the bully continues and the victim continues to feel bullied, the victim or witnesses should tell someone. It does not matter who is told: parents, senior students, boarding staff, and teachers. JUST TELL SOMEONE AND SOMETHING CAN BE DONE. At this point a formal disciplinary procedure will be followed. • Parents are kept informed as much as possible throughout the process. The issue of bullying within the Boarding Houses is reviewed regularly at staff, and House Committee meetings. HOMESICKNESS The process of moving into a boarding school provides most children, no matter what age they are, with wide ranging emotions that will no doubt include excitement and anxiety. Many take to the transition with little fuss whilst many more find the change, initially, very difficult. Homesickness is normal and is often triggered once the initial excitement has subsided and the initial challenges are faced. This may be an awkward social experience, a mistake that has been highlighted or a prolonged period alone where a child has time to think about loved ones. Key signs of homesickness often include excessive phone calls or emails, usually involving a request to come home, a refusal to take part in organised activities that are optional, isolation and obvious signs of unhappiness. As parents, you must realise that this is a natural part of the adjustment process and that most students go through a period of homesickness at some point during the early stages of boarding. Most young people are secure enough to face challenges but do require people around them that they trust for support through difficult times. Homesickness tends to occur then, during the period between losing temporary contact with established and trusted support (parents, brothers, sisters and close friends) and establishing new confident at a new school. This takes time and explains why homesickness is usually a temporary experience. There are some useful steps that can be taken to help move your child more constructively beyond homesickness: • • • • Recognise the symptoms early and be prepared to talk and more importantly listen to your child. Give your child a sense of security. Establish a regular telephone ’check-in’ time since simple routines will go a long way to help your child build a sense of normality and security away from home. Encourage them to get involved. Ask about your child’s extracurricular activities, clubs and sports, and actively encourage them to take part and keep busy. Stay in touch with your child’s House Parents and Mentor Tutors. Together we will monitor progress carefully. Handled sensitively and positively, most cases of homesickness pass within a few weeks. SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES House Parents would like to know, confidentially, about any special circumstances that may affect a student’s life at school, however trivial they may seem. It is also important to know about any problems that arise at school or at home, so these may be dealt with sensitively and swiftly and so that appropriate support can be given. 88 TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS Start, Mid and End of Term Term dates for the academic year are published in the Student and Parent Handbook and the school website. It is important that parents book transport plans in conjunction with these dates and timings. Arrival and departure arrangements must be communicated to the school via the House Parents. The easiest and most efficient way to do this is in writing via the exeat email address: exeat@stgis.at We ask that transport arrangements are communicated to House Parents at least three weeks in advance. The school is happy to arrange shuttle transportation to and from Salzburg. If this service is required, please express this in the email. There are two mid-term breaks during the year. One during the first and one during the second term. Overseas students are welcome to stay within the boarding residences but an intention to do so must be communicated to House Parents directly, via the exeat@stgis.at address at least three weeks in advance. This allows House Parents and supporting staff to plan accordingly. Except in very special circumstances, boarders should not expect to return from holidays early, nor stay after the end of term. COMMUNICATION We have found that close communication between House staff and parents makes a positive difference to the lives of boarders. We should not be working in isolation but in partnership with parents and guardians. It is therefore important that you have provided House Parents with your full contact details including your address, work phone numbers, mobile phone numbers and email addresses. CONCERNS AND SUGGESTIONS From time to time, parents or guardians may wish to discuss a matter with a House Parent. This is encouraged since communication is key between the two parties. A telephone call or email in good time will yield a solution in most circumstances. 89 THE BOARDING ROUTINE A typical school day for a boarder is as follows: Grades 4 to 12 - Monday to Friday 06:30 – 06:55 Wake up, shower, get dressed 06:45 Kitchen duty report 07:55 Students leave house 18:30 – 19:00 Evening Meal in the Residence 07:00 – 07:25 08:00 – 18:00 Breakfast Daily School Routine The evening routine differs slightly depending on grade Grade 4 and 5 20:30 Lights out 19:00 - 20:30 Study Hall Lower Middle School - Grades 6 - 8 21:00 21:30 Curfew Lights Out Upper Middle School - Grades 9 and 10 19:00 - 21:00 21:45 22:00 Study Hall Curfew Lights Out IB Students – Grades 11 and 12 19:00 – 21:00 22:00 23:30 Study Hall Curfew Lights out 90 WEEKEND TIMINGS The weekend routine is more relaxed and routine timings depend on the events and activities planned, taking into consideration workload and exams. Boundaries and Curfews Boarders are trusted to stay within the confines of the school boundaries as laid out in the Student and Parent Handbook. After school, boarders are free to sign out and be free within the school boundaries. Grade 4/5 are to ask permission to be out of the boarding house, notify house parents of their whereabouts and should return by 20:00 hrs. Weekends Curfews Weekend curfews are more relaxed and depend on the events and activities planned, taking into consideration workload and exams. 91 S T. 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