Upon arrival to school, students will place their backpack/knapsack into their locker where it will remain until they leave school for the day. Students are not to carry a backpack/knapsack at any other time during the school day.

Examinations

Students who miss a mid-term or final examination due to serious illness, must verify the illness with a doctor’s certificate. Students will be expected to write the missed exam(s) at a later date. Those students, who cannot produce a medical certificate attesting to the illness, will receive a mark of zero on the examination. Examinations will not be rescheduled for vacation purposes and those students who choose to miss the examination to go on vacation will receive a zero grade.

Academic Honesty

Honesty is one of the keys to personal success; it shows respect for self and others and promotes a positive school atmosphere. Honesty is both a virtue and an expectation in our Christian society. Cheating, copying, plagiarizing, avoiding tests or other assignments can lead to loss of marks (may result in a zero grade), parental contact, loss of privileges, suspension, or loss of credit. Copying material from any source (including the Internet) without proper citation, is considered academic dishonesty.
 

Care of School Supplies

Students are responsible for the proper care of books and supplies provided by the school. When books or supplies are lost or damaged students will be expected to replace the article or reimburse the school for the cost. Failure to do so may result in report cards, timetables and/or registration privileges being withheld.

Lunch Periods

Grade 9 students are not allowed to leave the school grounds during lunch (or any other time, except where a parent has called in or given written notice of an appointment, etc.) without written permission from their parent or guardian, addressed to the school Principal for each day that the student will be off-campus during lunch. Students in any other grade should not leave the school without parental approval. Eating is permitted only in the cafeteria. Students are asked to exhibit pride for our school and our environment. Food and drink purchased from vending machines are to be consumed in the cafeteria. Food in the hallways and in classrooms is strictly prohibited. The following areas are out of bounds to students during the lunch period:

• Classrooms, unless assigned to lunch period activities and supervised
• Playing fields at the back of the school if Physical Education classes are in progress
• St. Kevin School areas
• Physical Education locker rooms
• Automobiles
• Teacher staff room & staff washrooms
• Any area beyond the paved canal walkway (i.e. the hill/brow of the bank, the water’s edge, etc.)

A Recycling program is well established in the school. Please make use of the appropriate recycling containers. These are found throughout the school and in the parking lot. Food baskets are provided in the cafeteria for those students who would like to donate non-perishable items from their lunches to help feed the needy in our community.

Students who fail to meet these expectations may face school community service, detentions, and/or suspension.

Study Hall

Study hall takes place Monday through Friday, during the student’s lunch period (Period 3 or Period 4). The goal of study hall is to provide students with a quiet, teacher supervised period to study or catch up on incomplete assignments. There is no need to sign up for study hall, but some teachers will mandate students to study hall if they have incomplete or missed assignments to catch up on.

Location: T.B.D. (students are asked to listen for announcements)

P3 (Pathways Preparation Program)

The P3 program was created by the Niagara Catholic District School Board to assist the needs of students in Grades 7-12. Notre Dame has refined this program to support Grades 9 – 12. The after school help program provides direct assistance to students to ensure all students have the help and resources required to be successful.

P3 runs after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:32 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Any student requiring extra help is invited to attend.

Location: T.B.D. (students are asked to listen for announcements)

Student Visitors

Any student wishing to bring a visitor to the school for all or part of the school day must complete the appropriate requirements, which includes:

• written permission from the parent/guardian of both the ND student and the visiting student.
• written permission from the principal of the visiting student’s home school
• a completed ND Visitor Form. This form, which is available from a Vice Principal, will confirm the approval of subject teachers and the administration. The form must be completed at least three days prior to the date of the visit.

At the discretion of the administration, the student’s home school may be contacted. On the designated day the student visitor must obtain an Admit to Class slip from the Vice-Principal’s Office and the visiting student must wear a Visitor Identification Badge at all times while at ND. If the above conditions are not met the visiting student will not be allowed to spend the day at Notre Dame.
 

Sign-Ins for School Dances

A guest signed in to a dance is the responsibility of the student who signed the guest in. Guests must be registered high school students and in “good standing” at their school to be allowed to be signed in. A student may sign in one guest only. Inappropriate behaviour at school dances on the part of the student or his/her guest will result in both students being asked to leave the dance. Such misbehaviour will result in both students being prevented from attending other school dances in the future. If the behaviour of the guest is deemed by school administration to be serious enough, the ND student signing in the guest may face suspension. School administration may refuse admittance to sign-in guests at their discretion. Please note that there are occasions/events where sign-ins are not permitted.

Registration Fee

An annual fee of $50.00 must accompany the student Course Options Form at the beginning of the second semester. This fee provides our students with an ND Yearbook, Course Calendar, Student Handbook, locker and student card.

Lockers

Each student is required to maintain an assigned locker at the school (unless otherwise directed by school administration). Lockers are the property of the Niagara Catholic District School Board and are on loan to students. At the beginning of the school year a locker is assigned to each student. Only school issued locks are permitted on school lockers. Non-school issued locks will be removed immediately. Students are NOT to switch their lockers with any other student. Through frequent locker checks, the student will be held fully responsible for any damage, graffiti or defacement of the locker. It is the student’s responsibility to keep it tidy, secure and free of all markings, posters or pictures. Any items put in or on a locker must be appropriate and consistent with our school philosophy. The Principal or Vice-Principal may open a locker for inspection at any time, with or without permission of the student. Never leave money or valuables in your lockers. (The school is not responsible for lost or stolen items.) Food items are not to be left in lockers for more than a day. School bags and backpacks are not to be carried to class, but are to be kept in the lockers. DO NOT GIVE YOUR LOCKER COMBINATION TO ANYONE!

Change-Room Lockers

Students are to use the change-room lockers made available to them. However, students must provide their own personal locks to secure their belongings. Notre Dame College assumes no responsibility for lost or stolen items.

Behaviour on School Buses

The school bus is an extension of the school and classroom. Every Notre Dame student who qualifies for transportation by contracted buses is required to respect the same regulations and policies that apply within the school building. This applies to bus transportation to and from school, on school trips or to and from sporting events. Riding the school bus is a privilege and the safety of all students is of paramount importance. School policies and Ontario traffic laws must be followed at all times. Students are expected to wait in the designated loading area for their bus. Misbehaviour on a school bus will be reported to the Administration and may result in:

• revoking bus privileges for a period of time
• suspension from school and/or financial restitution for damages or vandalism of any kind

Sound Producing Equipment

Since sound-producing equipment may detract from the learning environment of other students, these items are not permitted in the school. Therefore, the use of pagers, radios, recorders, walkmans, discmans, MP3 players, IPODs, cellular phones, etc., is not permitted in the school during the school day.

Should a student choose to ignore this policy, their device will be confiscated according to the following guidelines:

First infraction – Device is confiscated and held until Parent/Guardian contact is
made to review the electronic policy.
Second Infraction – Device is confiscated for one week.
Third Infraction - Device is confiscated for two weeks.

Any further infractions will result in confiscation of the device for a longer period of time and/or suspension.

Note: Students who participate in acts of recording and/or posting of activities on the internet (such as fighting, bullying, vandalism, pranks, etc.) which are injurious to the moral tone of the school, will be subject to suspension.

Posting of Flyers

The Education Act through Regulation 298 governs this activity. Students must obtain permission from the Board, through the school administration, before posting or making available to the student body any and all advertisements. The posting of flyers will be restricted to bulletin boards and display areas only. Flyers, which do not have approval, will be removed, and the student(s) responsible may be subject to school disciplinary action.

Student Parking

During the first week of school, students who require parking spaces will complete a parking application form. Due to the limited number of student parking spaces, priority will be given to those students who are registered in a co-op program. The remaining spaces will be issued to students using a random drawing process. Vehicles without permits and/or parked in unauthorized areas will be ticketed and/or towed at the risk and expense of the owner. Reckless operation of vehicles and showing disrespect for the rules on school grounds will result in the loss of parking privileges. Students must adhere to all regulations regarding the safe conduct of bringing a car to school.

Students are not allowed to park:
• in staff designated parking spaces
• in handicapped spaces without the required government issued permit
• in any fire lane
• on any green space or any non-student designated parking area

Students are:
• to keep their cars locked
• not permitted to sit in their cars during the school day
• to respect all traffic regulations

Cars are not an alternative to a locker. The speed limit in the parking lot is 5 km/h. Directional arrows have been posted for your safety – please obey them.

Hall Passes

Students are expected to be in their assigned class at all times unless the classroom teacher grants permission. Students who leave the classroom for any reason must carry their handbook with the appropriate notation from their teacher. Senior students who are on spare must remain in the cafeteria, courtyard or in the library.

Signs of Affection

Students are not to openly display romantic affection in the school. Students engaging in physical signs of affection will be discreetly reminded that this sort of behaviour is inappropriate and unacceptable. Students who choose to repeatedly ignore this policy may face suspension.

Medication

From time to time students may bring medication to school as a result of an illness or for other appropriate reasons. According to Board’s Oral Medication Policy, the parent(s) must fill out a form, available from the Principal, that outlines the type of medication and when such medication is to be administered. The medication is to be left at the office in clearly labelled containers. The medication will be made available to the student as per parental instructions. The above process must be followed before the student brings the medication to school.

Note: The Oral Medication Policy refers to all types of medication (e.g. inhalers, pills, liquids, etc.) Failure to adhere to the Medication Policy may result in the student being sent home until the proper procedure is followed.
 

Information Centre

Information Centre Hours: Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (unless otherwise announced). Generally, books may be signed out for three weeks. Books on reserve and books in great demand may be restricted to between one and seven days. Reference books must be used in the information centre. Vertical file materials and back issues of periodicals may be borrowed for one night. Students are expected to take reasonable care of information centre materials, and in case of loss, to pay for their replacement. Out of consideration for both fellow students and information centre staff, it would be appreciated if materials were returned on time. Fines are imposed only for repeated disregard of overdue notices.

Student Valuables

The school cannot be responsible for the personal property of individual students. Consequently, students are cautioned not to bring large amounts money, radios, walkmans, cameras, or other valuables, to the school. The school is not responsible for lost or stolen items.

Lost and Found

All textbooks and personal articles found within the school will be stored in the main office. Those students who have lost items may check there to see if they have been found. Please check with the staff from the main office for the times when you may search for your missing articles. Students are encouraged to put identification on all their possessions.

Student Information Records

Students are asked to complete appropriate forms in the office. Help keep our information accurate – notify the main office immediately of any changes in address, phone numbers, contact persons, etc.

Student Handbook

Notre Dame provides all of its students with a copy of this handbook. Students are required to have their handbook with them at all times during the school day. Students are further encouraged to use their handbook daily to help organize their academic and co-curricular tasks. When a student is absent or late for class, an admit stamp will be placed in the Administrative section of their handbook. If a student loses their handbook or it is defaced, damaged, or used in any manner deemed inappropriate by staff (i.e. pages ripped out), they will be required to pay $5.00 to have it replaced. If a student refuses to use their student handbook or replace it, they may be suspended.

Transfers and Withdrawals

Students who transfer from Notre Dame or who are withdrawing/retiring from school must contact the school administration as soon as possible. Students are required to complete certain documents, return text books and fulfill all obligations prior to being granted their release from Notre Dame.

Accidents

A student who is injured on school property should be brought to the Main Office, if possible. In all cases, the Main Office must be notified to take proper action. A student who has been seriously injured should not be moved under any circumstances.

Messages for Students

The secretaries at the school do not have time to take telephone messages for students. Emergencies, however, will always be dealt with promptly.

Pay Phones

Two pay phones are located in the main foyer for the convenience of all students. These are the only phones in the school available to students. Students are asked to keep their calls brief and are reminded that phone calls are not to be made during class time.

Video Security Cameras

For the protection of students and staff members, Notre Dame College School has surveillance cameras, which monitor the main school building and school grounds on a twenty-four hour basis. Video footage will be viewed by administration when necessary.
 

Guidance Counsellors

On request, the Guidance Office provides counselling assistance to students. The counsellor may deal with personal, career and/or academic concerns. All services of the Department are available by appointment or on a drop-in basis.
 

Youth Workers

Our youth workers are available on a daily basis to assist our students with personal and/or academic concerns. The Youth Workers’ office is located next to the Chaplain’s office. Appointments may be made through the Main Office or directly with the Youth Worker.

Chaplain

The Chaplain’s Crew sees to the overall faith environment of Notre Dame assisting administration, staff, and students with the integration of our Catholic Christian faith into the curricular and co-curricular life of the school. The chaplain is always available to anyone in the Notre Dame community for counselling and spiritual and vocational guidance. Notre Dame’s chaplain facilitates retreats for students and ongoing faith formation for the staff, liaises with parishes and coordinates the rich sacramental and liturgical life of the school.

School Nurse

The school nurse will be in the school once a week. Students may wish to speak to her about a specific health problem or for counselling related to physical or mental well-being. Please check with the Main Office for the day she is available. All information discussed is strictly confidential.