Code of Conduct

Code of Student Conduct

The code of Student Conduct sets standards of behaviour for students and members of the school community. The Code of Conduct supports a caring, safe and inclusive school environment and creates a shared understanding of expectations of behaviour.

Our objective is to help all of our students to develop self-confidence, self-discipline and become responsible citizens. We want our students to recognize the importance of how our actions impact others and the importance of treating others with dignity. We hope to instill in all of our children the importance of being thoughtful and respectful to one another and to ourselves. 

Students are to be treated with respect and dignity. In return, they shall demonstrate respect for themselves, others, and for the responsibilities of citizenship.

Student Responsibilities 

• be the best that they can be by holding high expectations of themselves 

• attend school on time and regularly  

• participate fully in school life

• exert their best effort in completing all assigned work and ask for help when needed

• complete homework as assigned; practise honesty and integrity by not participating in or encouraging plagiarism and misrepresentation of original work

• help and encourage other students

• follow instructions

      Students shall also:

• help develop a safe school by resolving conflicts using peaceful and non-violent strategies

• respect and treat others fairly and promote a positive school climate that is inclusive and accepting of all students and staff, including of any race, ethnicity, ancestry, creed/religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, family status or disability

• accept responsibility for their behaviour and understand how their actions impact others

• immediately report acts of bullying and/or racism to an adult or staff member (be an upstander) and refuse to bully others or let others be bullied 

• play safely at all times

• refrain from the use of profane and inappropriate language

• ensure all electronic devices stay in their backpacks (they are not permitted in the classroom or anywhere in the school or in the yard without teacher permission)

• ensure that all members of the school community, especially people in positions of authority, are treated with respect and dignity

• show proper care and regard for school property and the property of others

Progressive Discipline

Progressive discipline is a whole school approach that uses a continuum of corrective and supportive interventions and consequences to support positive student behaviour. This continuum builds upon strategies that repair the harm caused in relationships that have been damaged. We encourage our students to take responsibility for their behaviour and to accept the consequences of their actions. The consequences depend on the nature/severity/frequency of the behaviour. These are some of the strategies that will be employed: 

• Teacher discussion with student 

• Warnings and review of expectations

• Detention

• Time out 

• Meeting with parents to discuss online behaviour/safety concerns

• Loss of privileges (i.e. recess or lunch recess and/or extracurricular activities)

• Enlisting school board supports (i.e. School Support Team, Social Worker, Behaviour Response Team)

• Restorative practice 

This approach is based on the belief that people need to take responsibility for their behaviours, reflect upon the impact of their behaviour on others, and work toward repairing the harm that has come to the relationship. Restorative responses support students’ social and emotional learning and development.

• Restitution for damaged property

• Student contract

• Formal suspension

• Formal expulsion

Each student in a unique individual and every situation that requires disciplinary action has its own set of extenuating circumstances. All factors that may have affected that student’s behaviour will be considered. Action taken, wherever possible, will be preventative, consistent, restorative and fair.

 The standards of behaviour outlined in the St. Andrews Code of Conduct will apply to all members of the school community, including students, parents and, Board staff, permit holders volunteers and visitors:  

• on school property;  while traveling on a school bus that is owed by the Board or that is under contract to the Board;  

• in-school sports activities;  in off-site school-sponsored activities; 

• or  in circumstances where engaging in an activity will have an impact on the school climate 

Standards of Behaviour 

All members of the school community are expected to:  

1. respect and comply with all applicable federal, provincial and municipal laws;  

2. demonstrate honesty and integrity;  

3. respect differences in people, their ideas and opinions; 

4. treat one and other with dignity and respect at all times, and especially when there is a disagreement;  

5. respect and treat others fairly and promote a positive school climate that is inclusive and accepting of all pupils, including of any race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status or disability;  

6. respect the rights of others;  

7. show proper care and regard for school property and the property of others;  

8. take appropriate measures to help those in need;  

9. respect persons who are in a position of authority;  

10. respect the need of others to work in an environment of learning and teaching. 

Parent Tips:

1. Promote open and supportive communication. 

 2. Learn about social media apps together. 

 3. Set boundaries and rules. 

 4. Encourage privacy and safety by:

 • reviewing the social media apps’ privacy and safety settings with your child 

 • using passwords with numbers, capitals and symbols and considering the use of a phrase 

 • keeping passwords private and changing your passwords often

 • avoiding the posting of personal information

 • turning off location settings and encouraging your children not to use geotags

 5. Foster digital leadership and citizenship by encouraging your child to:

 • highlight talents, skills and attributes to create a positive online brand 

 • match online profiles and interactions with values 

 • practise online etiquette 

 • support those who are experiencing cyberbullying (be an upstander). 

6. Remind your child to THINK before posting: 

        Is it True? 

        Is it Helpful?

        Is it Inspiring? 

        Is it Necessary? 

        Is it Kind? 

7. Encourage your child to reach out for support if they see negative behaviour online. 

8. Develop an online safety agreement together. 

From: https://www.principals.ca/en/professional-learning/resources/Documents/Cyber-Safety-Parent-Tip-Sheets/ENG_CyberSafety_TipSheet_2020.pdf

Different Language Version: https://www.principals.ca/en/professional-learning/CyberSafety-ParentTipSheet.aspx

The consequences of using cell phones in the yard or during instructional time without staff permission will include:

• Removal of the device

• Parent contact

Academic Honesty: Cheating and Plagiarism

All students in the Toronto District School Board are expected to submit their own work for evaluation. Cheating and plagiarism will not be condoned.

Cheating is usually defined as the act of practicing deceit or breaking the rules. 

Examples include but are not limited to: Using another student’s work on a test or any other evaluation; unauthorized use of electronic media to obtain answers during an evaluation or bringing unauthorized notes or notations into an evaluation.

Plagiarism is defined as the use of close imitation of the language and thoughts of another without attribution, in order to represent them as one’s own original work (Growing Success, Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting in Ontario Schools, Grade 1-2, 2010, p. 151). Examples include: copying and pasting from the internet or other electronic sites without citing the source.

A consequence for cheating and plagiarism may be a mark of zero for the assignment/test in question.