TEACHING AND LEARNING AT ST. ANNE’S
The foundation of an all-girls education is based on opportunity, exploration, and discovery. St. Anne’s School provides an exceptional program that establishes the foundation for lifelong learning and future success.
We are dedicated to educating young women and creating a learning environment that suits their educational needs. At St. Anne’s, our educational program will encourage students to:
• think critically, independently and creatively
• explore and understand multiple perspectives to better understand our world
• cultivate voice and the power of expression
• value balance and wellbeing in all facets of life
• strengthen confidence and courage, and encourage risk-taking
• foster compassion and kindness for others
• build leadership capacity to take an active role as informed and responsible global citizens
• celebrate equity, diversity, and inclusion and push back against injustice
• develop strategies to set and achieve goals while leveraging skills to embrace challenges and recover from setbacks
We believe students learn best by doing while exploring authentic audiences and curiosities. As 21st-century learners, students must be able to think critically and creatively and actively solve increasingly complex issues. To that end, St. Anne’s School deliberately employs interdisciplinary project-based learning across the curriculum.
Our students will benefit from many opportunities to explore their interests, skills, and talents. We believe in the holistic growth of our students and value moral development alongside their development as learners. St. Anne’s School is non-denominational and is a multi-faith community. Students and families of all faiths are welcome.
Beyond our rigorous curriculum, St. Anne’s offers exceptional programs in athletics, the arts, and community engagement, where students are supported by skilled, nurturing, and passionate teachers and coaches.
Diversity Statement and Vision
St. Anne’s School is committed to providing programs and policies that promote pluralism and develop understanding and respect for differences in race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status, and disability. These terms shall have the meaning accorded to them under the Ontario Human Rights Code.
Our community regularly works carefully to define an evolving vision for our school As a singlesex school, we are particularly mindful of healthy understandings of gender identity. Our current vision, co-created by staff and students, aspires to foster:
• an authentic, connected community
• courageous and, at times, disruptive collaboration
• an open celebration of gender and sexuality
• a diverse student body and staff
• a supportive, networked community
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• an intentional curriculum reflective of our commitment to inclusion, equity, and diversity
• spaces, places, symbols, and rituals that are welcoming
• unabashed and genuine students
The SAS-SAC Advantage
The unique partnership between a school for boys and a school for girls will provide opportunities for authentic integration, destabilizing gender stereotypes, substantive social opportunities, developing comfort in mixed-gender social settings, and creating authentic work environments. It will allow students to listen to other voices and gain new perspectives. This partnership will allow students at both schools to build the skills necessary for meaningful relationships.
Opportunities for integration between the partner schools will be carefully designed to ensure alignment with St. Anne’s vision and maintain a rich learning environment for young women.
The First Cygnets Program
The First Cygnets will be a core group of Grade 9 students who, as the inaugural class at St. Anne’s, will play a significant role in shaping the school’s culture and vision. They represent the founding of the school, and their experience serves to establish St. Anne’s mission. The First Cygnets program provides:
• a team of dedicated faculty and staff that is committed to the development of adolescent girls;
• a challenging, integrative, and exploratory curriculum that supports the school’s overall academic vision and is designed to meet the unique needs of the 21st-century learner;
• an involvement, leading to an appreciation of the arts, fair play through athletics, a commitment to serve one’s community, and the development of strong leadership skills;
• an environment that supports the social-emotional needs of adolescence and fosters health, wellness, and safety through an active advisory and student leadership program;
• a commitment to developing positive relationships between school, family, and student through ongoing communication
Academic Overview
Academic and programmatic opportunities at St. Anne’s will continue to evolve as the school grows. St. Anne’s recognizes the value of post-secondary education and is committed to helping our students achieve a successful outcome that suits their goals. Our course offerings are designed to earn students entry to undergraduate programs in North America and abroad. Significant emphasis is placed on academic goal setting beginning in Grade 9. Students will be carefully guided with the support of their advisor and the Associate Director, Academics to strategically select courses through our course selection process.
Please refer to the SAS Our Courses course calendar for a complete listing of Grade 9 and 10 courses and academic policies.
In addition to fulfilling the grade requirements outlined by the Ministry of Education, St. Anne’s will offer three opportunities for enrichment in Grade 9: Reach-Ahead Math, Extended French, and Design Technology, as well as its signature Leadership and Project-Based Learning programs.
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Reach-Ahead Math: St. Anne’s recognizes the significance of a strong foundation in mathematics. We are committed to providing students with the requisite mathematical skillset and the opportunity for challenge and extension, so each student can feel confident in the discipline and realize their talents. Mathematics equips students with the tools and language to analyze the world around them and is essential in many realms of professional life. Students who successfully obtain a 75% or higher in a Grade 9 math credit before September 2022 will be eligible to enrol in Grade 10 math. To best accommodate the full mathematics pathway and support student learning, students who do not choose to reach ahead in Grade 9 will have other reach-ahead opportunities through summer school or specialized course offerings in Grade 10 or 11. We strongly encourage students to take the math option best suited to their current skill set to ensure success and develop the foundation for the years ahead.
Extended French: St. Anne’s appreciates the important role of language instruction and how learning languages teaches young women to explore and better understand our interconnected world, strengthen self-expression, and cultivate their voice. An integral part of the Canadian identity, learning French allows students to communicate with French-speaking Canadians and helps prepare them to be engaged citizens with French speakers around the world. Our French curriculum focuses on skill development for lifelong language learning, as well as authentic opportunities for speaking, writing, and exploration of culture.
Students who have attended a French school, French immersion program, or demonstrated excellence in French communication will be eligible to enrol in Grade 9 Extended French. Placement in Extended French will be confirmed with diagnostic activities in September.
Design Technology: St. Anne’s provides young women with the skills and competencies to excel as 21st-century learners. We aim to cultivate critical thinking and problem solving and believe we learn best by doing. Design Technology (TDJ2O) is a Grade 10 course that allows students to apply design processes to meet various technological challenges. All students must take TDJ2O in their Grade 9 year. TDJ2O counts towards the OSSD requirement of fulfilling a Group 3 component in technological education. Students will master multiple design technologies such as 3D printing, laser cutting, woodshop, and electronics, as well as design software programs and apply design thinking to create a variety of projects for multiple audiences and purposes. St. Anne’s students will become comfortable in a makerspace environment and build a foundation for further study in computer science or computer engineering.
Signature Programs
Leadership: The leadership program at St. Anne’s is designed specifically for young women in mind. St Anne’s students are encouraged to develop their leadership potential and hone their voice and confidence to meet the complex problems in our increasingly connected world. Integrated within this program will be the opportunity for students to develop personal, collaborative, community, and strategic leadership skills. Grade 9 students will earn a half-credit in GPP3O in addition to their eight courses and will work as a cohort during our Innovative Programming Wednesday.
Project-Based Learning Modules: On our Innovative Programming Wednesday, all students will participate in project-based learning modules. Project-based learning is an instructional method based on constructivist and experiential learning theories where students learn best by doing, having ownership over their learning, and working on authentic tasks. Project-based
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learning enhances higher-order thinking, problem-solving skills, self-regulation, and metacognition, which are key elements for lifelong learning. Throughout the year, students will engage in a series of intentionally designed project-based interdisciplinary modules connected to the Grade 9 curriculum.
Advisory Program
The advisory program at St. Anne’s supports students’ holistic development. Each student will be assigned an advisor when they begin as a First Cygnet and will, in most circumstances, maintain that advisor until they graduate. The advisory program supports each student’s academic growth by providing counselling on course selection and guidance throughout the year and supporting the development of study skills, organization, and goal setting. The advisory curriculum is also designed to support each student’s holistic development. Throughout the year, advisory will be used to discuss school topics, themes, and elements of student wellbeing. Advisory periods are built into the weekly schedule, and students can organize individual meetings with their advisor as necessary. The advisor is the first point of contact for parents, and they will communicate home with updates as the year progresses.
Course Selection
Materials and course calendars are distributed and explained to students through the advisory program. Students meet with their advisor and, if needed, the Associate Director, Academics, to discuss course selections. The course selection timeline will be communicated to parents and students through the advisory program. Once students submit their selections, the Associate Director, Academics reviews prospective course lists. Students are approved for entry into the course or are referred to the Associate Director, Academics, for guidance. Students are not permitted to request or change courses or sections because of teacher preference.
Assessment and Evaluation
St. Anne’s School’s assessment and evaluation practices adhere to the guidelines outlined in Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Ontario Schools, 2010. Growing Success builds on educational scholarship and research to assess and evaluate best practices designed to improve student learning. It positions assessment and evaluation as the continual gathering and interpreting of a variety of student evidence and values teachers' professional judgement when reporting achievement.
To ensure that assessment, evaluation, and reporting are valid and reliable and that they lead to the improvement of learning for all students, teachers use practices and procedures that:
• are fair, transparent, and equitable for all students;
• support all students, including those with special education needs, those who are learning the language of instruction, and those who are First Nation, Metis, or Inuit;
• are carefully planned to meet curriculum expectations and learning goals with consideration for student interests, experiences, and preferences;
• are communicated clearly to students and parents at the beginning of the course and other appropriate points throughout the course;
• are ongoing, varied in nature, and administered over a period of time to provide multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate the full range of their learning;
• provide ongoing descriptive feedback that is clear, specific, meaningful, and timely to support improved learning and achievement;
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• develop students’ self-assessment skills and metacognitive awareness (setting goals, monitoring learning, planning next steps)
Learning Skills and Work Habits
Learning skills and work habits are essential to learning and support student success. Teachers assess, evaluate, and report the following learning skills and work habits separately from their achievement of curriculum expectations:
Learning Skills and Work Habits:
E - Excellent: Skill is consistently present and well-established
G - Good: Skill is usually present and established, but the student may need reminders or practice
S - Satisfactory: Skill is sometimes present, but the student needs support from others
N - Needs Improvement: Skill is not yet established and is rarely demonstrated
Responsibility:
• Follows classroom norms and expectations
• Completes and submits class work, homework, and assignments according to agreed-upon timelines
• Uses technology appropriately
• Manages own behaviour in class
Independent Work:
• Follows instructions with minimal supervision
• Independently monitors, assesses, and revises plans to complete tasks and meet goals
• Uses class time appropriately to complete tasks and assignments
Initiative:
• Demonstrates a desire to learn: observes, questions, and explores new ideas
• Demonstrates a capacity for innovation and risktaking
• Approaches new tasks with a positive attitude
• Participates in a variety of learning activities
• Seeks opportunities for extension
The Achievement Chart
Organization:
• Devises and follows a plan for completing work and tasks
• Manages time effectively
• Can effectively gather and evaluate necessary resources to complete tasks
Collaboration:
• Accepts various roles and an equitable share of work in a group
• Responds positively to the opinions and values of others
• Builds healthy peer-to-peer relationships both in person and in online interactions
• Works to resolve conflict and achieve group goals
• Shares information and promotes critical thinking to make decisions
Self-Regulation:
• Sets and monitors progress toward individual goals
• Seeks assistance when needed
• Assesses and reflects on own strengths, needs, and interests
• Reflects critically and uses teacher feedback to improve
• Perseveres and makes an effort when challenged
St. Anne’s uses the achievement chart and criterion-referenced feedback to support student learning. Assessment and evaluation are based both on the overall and specific curricular expectations and performance standards (achievement chart). Teachers ensure student learning is assessed and evaluated in a balanced manner for all four categories of knowledge and skills:
• Knowledge and Understanding: Subject-specific content acquired in each grade/course (knowledge) and the comprehension of its meaning and significance (understanding).
• Thinking: Using critical and creative thinking skills and/or processes, including planning skills.
• Communication: The expression and organization of ideas to convey meaning through various forms and for various audiences.
• Application: The use of knowledge and skills to make connections within and between various contexts.
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What Do Achievement Levels Mean?
• Level 1: The student demonstrates the specified understanding, knowledge, and skills with limited effectiveness. Students must work at significantly improving learning in specific areas as necessary to succeed in the next grade/course.
• Level 2: The student demonstrates the specified understanding, knowledge, and skills with some degree of effectiveness. Students performing at this level need to work on closing identified learning gaps to ensure future success.
• Level 3: The student demonstrates the specified understanding, knowledge, and skills with considerable effectiveness.
• Level 4: The student thoroughly demonstrates the specified understanding, knowledge, and skills. Achievement at Level 4 does not mean that the student has achieved expectations beyond those specified for the grade/course.
Assessment for Learning and as Learning
Assessment for the purpose of improving student learning is seen as both “assessment for learning” and “assessment as learning.” In assessment for learning, assessment evidence is used by the teacher to decide how to adjust teaching and learning activities. The teacher uses the evidence to determine where students are in their learning, where they need to go and how best to help the student get there by providing descriptive feedback and coaching for improvement. In assessment as learning, assessment evidence is used by students to improve their learning through reflection and specific goal setting. Students use the evidence to adjust their learning and set their own goals.
Teachers obtain assessment information through various means, including formal and informal observations, discussions, learning conversations, questioning, conferences, homework, tasks done in groups, demonstrations, projects, portfolios, performances, peer and self-assessments, self-reflections, essays, and tests.
As essential steps in assessment for learning and as learning, teachers will:
• plan assessment concurrently and integrate it seamlessly with instruction to inform instruction, guide next steps, and help teachers and students monitor students’ progress towards achieving learning goals;
• identify and share specific learning goals and success criteria with students at the outset of learning to ensure that students and teachers have a common and shared understanding of these goals and criteria as learning progresses;
• gather information about student learning before, during, and at or near the end of a period of instruction, using a variety of assessment strategies and tools;
• give and receive specific and timely descriptive feedback that informs students about what they are doing well, what needs improvement, and what specific steps they can take to improve;
• help students develop skills of peer and self-assessment, including setting individual goals.
Assessment of Learning (Evaluation)
Assessment of learning is the process of judging the quality of student learning based on performance standards and assigning a value to that quality. Evaluation communicates what
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students know concerning the overall curriculum expectations at a particular time. Conversations, observations, and products are used to triangulate these judgements. Reporting on this information takes place at the end of a reporting period. Teachers will work to ensure that evaluations are appropriately timed and balanced across each grade and will communicate by email with family when a student scores less than a level two.
Coursework
The coursework grade consists of evaluations conducted throughout the year and is worth 70% of a student’s final grade. The coursework grade will address the achievement chart categories in a balanced manner, reflect the student’s achievement of overall expectations, and include evidence collected from various assessments, observations, conversations, and products. The coursework grade will also emphasize a student’s most consistent and most recent level of achievement. Evaluations will be preceded by opportunities for students to practice skills, demonstrate knowledge, and receive feedback.
Homework
Homework is designed to support student learning and is based on Ministry of Education expectations to require no additional teaching outside the classroom and to serve as assessments for and as learning. Teachers post homework expectations and instructions on their class Edsby planner. A parent should never complete assigned homework for their child
Homework assignments may look different in each class to meet the learning goals and expectations of that course. Students are expected to complete their homework assignments, which informs their learning skills and work habits. Students will not be evaluated on homework, and it will not be evidence for their course grade. The amount of homework assigned to students will vary depending on their grade. If students have consistent difficulties completing their homework, they are expected to discuss it with their teacher and/or advisor. Students interested in extending their learning should also contact their teacher to deepen their understanding.
Final Evaluation
Thirty per cent of the final grade will be based on evaluations administrated at or toward the end of the course. This evaluation will be based on evidence from one or a combination of the following: an examination, a performance, an essay, or another evaluation method suitable to the course content and expectations. The final evaluation allows the student to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the overall expectations for the course. The final grade consists of a coursework grade and a final evaluation grade
Reporting and Determining the Report Card Grade
Teachers will weigh all evidence of student achievement considering the above assessment best practices, such as evaluating observations, conversations, and products with special consideration for the most recent and most consistent achievement:
Most consistent: The most consistent level for a set of marks is the level that more than half of marks either equal or surpass.
Most recent: When the majority of recent marks lie above or below the most consistent level, the overall mark will be raised or lowered. (Dates for determining which marks are considered
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recent shift according to the reporting period and are set according to the type of courses, e.g., semestered full-year, non-semestered, or half-credit courses.)
Student achievement of the overall curriculum expectations will be evaluated in accordance with the achievement chart categories (knowledge/understanding, thinking, communication, and application). Report card grades are reported as percentage marks, and assignment grades are reported as levels of performance against a written standard or rubric.
The conversion chart below shows how the four levels of achievement are aligned to the percentage marks found on the report cards:
The Meaning and Use of I, R, and percentage marks below 50%
The code “R” represents achievement that falls below Level 1 and is used in evaluating and reporting student achievement in Grades 1 to 8. For achievement below Level 1 in Grades 9-12, percentage marks below 50% are assigned on the report card. Both “R” and marks below 50% signal that additional learning is required before the student begins to achieve success in meeting the course expectations. For Grades 1 to 10, teachers may also use the code “I” on the report card to indicate that insufficient evidence is available to determine a final grade. In Grades 9 and 10, a student who receives an “I” on the final report card to indicate insufficient evidence will not receive a credit for the course.
Deadlines, Late, and Missed Evaluations
Teachers set clear deadlines that are reasonable and post all assessment dates at least a week in advance on Edsby. Teachers will scaffold assessments to provide feedback and demonstrate to students how to plan to complete their work. If a student is struggling to meet a deadline, they must meet with the teacher face-to-face to consider setting a new deadline at least 48 hours in advance. Students must understand that the teacher may not agree to set a new deadline. Students must make up class material and complete all missed assessments if they miss a class. Students and parents will be notified of any missed evaluations through the Guided Learning Centre (GLC). See Guided Learning Centre policies below for more information.
Students are expected to communicate with the teacher if they have a function or sports game planned and will miss an assessment and to arrange a time to complete the missed assessment in the GLC. A student who fails to do this may be penalized. For events unrelated to school
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Most Consistent/Recent Level SAS Scale 4+ 100 4 94 4- 85 3+ 79 3 75 3- 72 2+ 69 2 65 2- 62 1+ 59 1 55 1- 52 0 0
absences, parent notification and verification of the absence are required. A skipped assessment may result in a mark of zero.
The school will identify and discuss with students and parents if there is a pattern of missed assessments or repeated extensions. The school reserves the right to limit students’ cocurricular activities when there is significant academic concern around the completion of evaluations and will identify students whose credit is at risk due to a large number of missed evaluations.
Attendance during the final evaluation period is compulsory. Students who miss a final evaluation will receive zero for the evaluation unless the absence is verified and legitimate. For the absence to be considered legitimate, the student must have had a medical concern for which documentation can be provided. For any other absence to be considered legitimate, the Associate Director, Academics must approve the exceptional circumstance. When the evaluation is deemed to be required to be completed, it must be done expediently.
If a student is experiencing academic challenges, there is a full system of support that can be utilized, and students should communicate with the following individuals:
• Teacher: Immediate discussion with the teacher is the most direct and effective way to resolve an academic concern.
• Advisor: The advisor supports the advisee through coursework obstacles and liaises with teachers and/or parents, as necessary.
• Associate Director, Academics: When a matter cannot be resolved through discussion with a teacher or advisor, it should be referred to the Associate Director, Academics.
Reassessment Policy
To provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of course content and to compensate for the possibility that a student may not achieve at their best on a given day, the following practice will be set into place:
• Faculty have the authority to offer a re-test or re-submission of an evaluation if they deem that the student has demonstrated outstanding learning skills and work habits and has taken advantage of all available academic supports in advance. A student does not have the right to expect this accommodation, and faculty are asked to be judicious in their application of this prescriptive opportunity.
Academic Integrity
The staff at St. Anne’s School has a responsibility to:
• teach its students to function with academic integrity;
• embed strategies in the curriculum that will enable students to act with academic integrity;
• offer an academic integrity policy that can be enforced in a consistent and measured manner, considering the unique nature of each situation;
• ensure students’ understanding of academic integrity is enduring and prepares them for future academic success;
• create assessments and evaluations that preclude the possibility of cheating;
• ensure new students are aware of the expectations and skills required at the grade level they are entering.
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We believe students:
• must demonstrate honesty in all academic endeavours;
• must take an active role in the learning process;
• have a responsibility to understand all academic integrity policies, including knowing the different forms of plagiarism and cheating and how to avoid them;
• must understand there will be consequences for academic dishonesty, including plagiarizing and/or cheating.
Definitions
Plagiarism consists of, but is not necessarily limited to:
• misrepresenting someone else’s work as one’s own: e.g., copying another student’s paper or an article from a journal or website; buying an essay from an external source;
• patchwriting: writing a paper by simply patching together blocks of text, perhaps with slight modification, taken from one or more sources;
• paraphrasing or summarizing information from a source without citation;
• quoting material without the proper use of quotation marks (even if otherwise cited correctly);
• translating a work from one language to another without citation.
Cheating consists of, but is not necessarily limited to:
• using unauthorized notes or other aids in a test or exam or copying from or being influenced by another student’s work during an evaluation or assessment;
• giving unauthorized aid to another student; allowing another student to copy or use one’s test, exam, paper, or homework;
• receiving excessive assistance with homework or take-home tests from a tutor, parent, or fellow student;
• using translating software or translations of texts studied in class without the teacher's permission;
• submitting the same work for credit to more than one teacher unless both teachers give permission;
• misusing technology, including but not limited to cellphones, calculators, and laptops;
• using the intellectual property of another individual without acknowledging the source;
• file sharing without the teacher’s permission;
• the intentional manipulation of teacher/student feedback notes within any OneNote “shared” file.
Process:
Throughout the student’s academic career, the student is responsible for adhering to the Academic Integrity Policy. Those found guilty of plagiarism/cheating or other violations of the Academic Integrity Policy will be subject to the following disciplinary response. The consequences may vary depending on the nature of the incident, and there will be an escalated response for repeat offences.
Academic Warning:
If a student is referred to the Associate Director, Academics due to a concern that the Academic Integrity Policy has been breached, the matter will be reviewed carefully. If no definitive conclusion can be reached, yet the student has behaved, whether advertently or inadvertently, in a manner where there may be the perception of academic indiscretion, then the Associate
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Director, Academics reserves the right to assign the student an academic warning. The assignment of an academic warning is meant to trigger a dialogue between the student, parent(s), teacher(s), and administration on the topic of academic integrity. The student will be required to carefully review the Academic Integrity Policy with the Associate Director, Academics and/or the Assistant Head of School, Director of Upper School. After investigation and discussion, in consultation with the Associate Director, Academics, the teacher may have the student revise the assignment, in whole or in part, have the student complete an alternative assessment, and/or assign a mark of zero. Parents will be apprised of the situation.
Academic Awards
Academic excellence is a priority and is an important feature of a student’s full experience. The school places great value on the effort and hard work demonstrated in goal setting and achieving those goals Celebrating these important milestones is significant to the development of each student, both as individuals and as a collective. This value will reinforce the importance of supporting one another while developing strong working relationships. While extrinsic academic recognition will honour students’ learning skills and course success, the intrinsic reward will be equally encouraged.
As St. Anne’s evolves, so will the way students are recognized for their academic, athletic, artistic, and social achievements.
Ontario Secondary School Diploma Requirements
To receive an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) under the Ontario Secondary Schools, Grade 9-12: Program and Diploma Requirements (OSS), the student is expected to complete 30 credits successfully in a variety of subjects. There are 18 compulsory credits and 12 optional ones
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Ontario Secondary School Diploma Subject Area Credits English (one at each grade level: 9-12) 4 French as a Second Language 1 Mathematics 3 Science 2 Canadian History (Grade 10) 1 Canadian Geography (Grade 9) 1 Arts 1 Health and Physical Education 1 Civics and Career Studies 1 Additional English or Third Language or Social Science and the Humanities or Canadian and World Studies 1 Additional Health and Physical Education or Business Studies or The Arts (music, art, drama, or dance) or Modern Language 1 Additional Science (Grade 11 or 12) or Modern Language or Technological Education (Grades 9 to 12) 1 Compulsory Credits 18 Elective credits 12 Total 30
The courses offered by St. Anne’s School have been developed according to the Ontario Ministry of Education requirements and enriched to meet the school's standards. Full-credit courses require 110 hours of classroom instruction, and half-credit courses require 55 hours of classroom instruction
Community Engagement
A vital aspect of the SAS experience is community engagement. SAS prioritizes engaging students in the local community as part of the academic program. We recognize that community support is instrumental to the development of the whole student beyond the mandated requirements of the Ministry of Education. The First Cygnets will connect with various community organizations throughout the school year as part of the Leadership program.
As part of the OSSD diploma requirements, students must complete a minimum of 40 hours of community involvement activities in addition to academic requirements. These activities may be completed at any time beginning in the summer leading into Grade 9 and during their years in the secondary-school program. This requirement is designed to encourage students to develop an awareness and understanding of civic responsibility and their role in supporting and strengthening their communities while further developing their leadership skills. Records of student community service involvement appear on the June report each year and can also be found on the student’s panorama in Edsby.
To submit community hours, students must complete the form available on Edsby and submit it to the Executive Assistant to the Head of School.
Reach-Ahead Credits
Many high school students in Ontario choose to reach ahead in the summer months to add breadth to their portfolios. For example, students who anticipate they would like to take Calculus or Advanced Placement Calculus in Grade 12 might elect to take an additional math course in summer school following their Grade 9 or 10 academic year. This would allow them to complete the Grade 12 Advanced Functions credit in Grade 11 to be ready for Calculus in Grade 12.
We support First Cygnets in reaching ahead in math and will honour their respective placement, whether in Grade 9 or 10, in their first year at the school.
When considering reach-ahead opportunities, the student and/or parents should discuss with the Associate Director, Academics to ensure the selections are aligned with the student’s academic plan and the program offerings at SAS. The Associate Director, Academics must approve all reach-ahead course selections within and outside SAS.
Given the current size of SAS, our in-person course offerings will be designed to reflect the needs of the overall class. Further, our program will be designed such that enrichment opportunities are aligned with our selected grade-specific program.
To accommodate elective reach-ahead courses in areas outside of math, the school may recommend specialized online course options such as those offered by eLearning Consortium Canada (ELCC). Conferencing with our academic leads will ensure you understand your options and are moving ahead strategically in the context of our growing school.
Please note that all English courses must be taken at St. Anne’s from September to June.
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Centre for Learning and Teaching: A Comprehensive Academic Support System
The Centre for Learning and Teaching (CLT) at St. Anne’s School provides various programs and resources designed to promote student learning and improve instruction, including the Guided Learning Centre (GLC), GLC Plus, academic supports, learning resources services, and facilitating outside tutoring and academic coaching.
Guided Learning Centre
The Guided Learning Centre (GLC) is a unique support to the St. Anne’s program. Students who miss evaluations are referred to the GLC by their subject teachers, and students and parents will be notified. We require students who have not finished their evaluations to attend the GLC after school, where they are given the guidance and time to complete their work. Students have seven days to complete their missed evaluation, after which they receive a mark of zero. The GLC also provides teachers with support for students who may miss assessment and evaluation opportunities because of other school commitments. Students not formally referred to the GLC may attend in the afternoon to complete homework or work in study groups.
GLC Plus
The GLC Plus program identifies students who struggle to complete assessments or other schoolwork regularly. These students must attend the GLC on an agreed-upon schedule to receive support. During these sessions, teachers work with students, helping them better manage their coursework and assessments. The Associate Director, Academics will work with the identified students to improve their academic standing by formulating a written remedial plan for them to complete. Students will be released from the GLC Plus program at the discretion of their advisor and subject teachers.
Referral Process and Protocol: With the students’ advisors and parents, the Associate Director, Academics will assign students to the GLC Plus following reporting periods when identified by faculty as requiring academic support. The Associate Director, Academics, retains the right to use discretion in recommending other students to the GLC Plus program.
Academic Supports
All teachers are available to provide extra help at least one day a week by appointment. Students and teachers should attempt to schedule extra help during GLC hours. Students should contact the teacher in person or by email to schedule extra help sessions. Teachers will communicate with parents if students do not honour their extra help appointments.
Writing Centre: The First Cygnets will have additional support offered in writing. The Writing Centre helps students develop effective writing and research skills by offering individual consultations, actively promoting literacy across the curriculum, and encouraging writing excellence. Students must book appointments at the Writing Centre in advance through the link provided by the GLC and their subject teachers. Students who book appointments and do not honour their appointment time may temporarily have their Writing Centre privileges revoked.
Learning Resource Services
Learning Resource Services maintains the records of students with learning exceptionalities, certifies eligibility for accommodations, determines reasonable accommodations, and develops individualized education plans to provide accommodations for students. For more information
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regarding the accommodations currently offered to students with learning exceptionalities, please contact the Associate Director, Academics.
Tutoring
St. Anne’s students learn best with their subject teachers. Occasionally, students may require additional assistance in an academic subject or would benefit from an academic coach. These students may request a tutor who may be engaged from outside the school community at an additional cost All tutoring requests should be made through the Associate Director, Academics.
INDIVIDUALIZED LEARNING PROTOCOL
At St. Anne’s School, we recognize the individuality of each child and that students learn in different ways. We aim to help students develop an awareness of their learning, encourage confidence, and strengthen personal agency. We work to ensure students experience an education that builds on their strengths and supports their areas of challenge. The Individualized Learning Protocol at St. Anne’s is designed to ensure students who need accommodations receive them in the way an employer would afford them in the workplace.
Duty to Accommodate
Reasonable accommodations will be provided to students in accordance with the principles of dignity, individualization, and inclusion outlined in the Ontario Human Rights Code. Anyone requesting accommodation must cooperate in the accommodation process and comply with reasonable requests for information by the school, as may be needed to determine reasonable accommodations for a student in support of their restrictions and limitations.
As St. Anne’s School is a university-preparatory school, policies to support the learning of identified students must be consistent with the policies and guidelines of Canadian universities. There are two ways a student can be identified as requiring individualized academic support:
• If there is a Ministry of Education Individual Education Plan (IEP) already in the student’s Ontario Student Record (OSR) when they start at St. Anne’s
• If a formal Education Assessment is completed by a licensed psychologist.
In keeping with Ministry of Education policies, St. Anne’s School reserves the right to request an updated version of the IEP or Education Assessment if the original is more than five years old.
Accommodations
The term “accommodations” refers to the teaching and assessment strategies, human supports, and/or individualized equipment required to enable a student to learn and demonstrate learning. Accommodations do not alter the provincial curriculum expectations of a course. At St. Anne’s, students who have been identified as exceptional may receive some or all the following accommodations:
• Extended time (up to 50%) on tests and examinations
• Opportunity to write tests and examinations in a separate, quiet space
• Use of a laptop on all written evaluations
• Use of a reference sheet during in-class evaluations and examinations. Students who use a reference sheet must communicate with their teacher when an evaluation is announced to determine what is to be included on their sheet. Students must create their
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own reference sheets unless otherwise specified by their Individualized Education Plan. Students must submit their reference sheets to the teachers for approval at least 48 hours in advance. Only approved reference sheets will be allowed during evaluations.
• Use of assistive technology (e.g., voice-to-text and text-to-voice) for all evaluations (when appropriate). The assistive technology will be limited to the accessibility options within the Microsoft 365 suite of programs. Students must acquire their own set of headphones (with a microphone) when accessing this option. Requests to write evaluations using assistive technology must be made to the student’s teacher and the Associate Director, Academics at least 48 hours before the evaluation to ensure a separate, quiet space is available for the student.
While these are the only formal accommodations offered at St. Anne’s, subject teachers make every effort to ensure they are using best practices in the classroom, including instructional, organizational, assessment, and physical or environmental strategies outlined in the student’s support plan.
Communication of Student Support Plan
The Associate Director, Academics, is responsible for communicating in writing the specific accommodations and instructional strategies listed on the Student Support Plan to each subject teacher before the end of September. The Student Support Plan will outline significant background information, necessary accommodations, and suggested best practices for the student in question. All formal documentation pertaining to IEP/Education Assessments will be confidential in the student’s OSR (Ontario Student Record). Teachers are encouraged to read students’ full documentation to best support their learning.
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
St. Anne’s believes deeply in ongoing learning for all staff. The development of professional learning goals can occur as independent learners and in many collaborative settings. We are dedicated to ensuring that we are leaders in the areas of, but not limited to, girls’ education through our membership with the National Coalition of Girls Schools; equity, diversity, and inclusion; excellence in teaching and learning practices; information technology; health and wellness; and environmental sustainability.
LAPTOP AND NETWORK POLICIES
Computer and Network Code of Conduct
The school’s Code of Honour and Code of Conduct embody the guiding principles for all conduct, including student laptop, tablet, desktop, smartphone, iPad, Android, network, and internet usage. Two-in-one laptop computers are leased by the school and provided to each student annually. Network access is made available to students on their laptops, and any other personal network device is provided for legal, positive, constructive, educational, and leisure usage. Students are expected to conduct themselves with integrity while using any electronic device, whether it is owned by the school or is a student’s personal device. This applies to any usage or behaviour that impacts the school community, whether conducted on school grounds or offsite online.
Wireless Laptop/Tablet Program
New Students: New students receive their 2-in-1 laptops during the first week of school.
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Laptop Life Cycle: Laptops are owned by the school and replenished every three years.
End of Laptop Life: Laptops can be bought out by students and their families at the end of the laptop life cycle. A reasonable market price is set on the laptops based on fair market value. Any unsold laptops are returned to the school for resale.
Laptop Usage Period: Students use their laptops for an academic year from the first day of classes until 24 hours after their last exam is written. Returning students keep their laptops over the summer months and on other school holidays; however, this is at the school's discretion as there may be behavioural, technical, or financial reasons to rescind this decision.
Technology Fee: The annual fee, paid by all students, is $1,500. This fee is for far more than a computer. This comprehensive fee covers using a 2-in-1 laptop computer with a touchscreen and a pen-enabled or inkable digitizer built into the laptop. The fee includes complete onsite IT Desk support for warranty repairs, accidental damage repairs, and theft insurance. The school has an inventory of replacement parts, and we pride ourselves on completing most repairs within an hour. The IT Desk offers a loaner computer program for repairs that may take longer to complete. The technology fee covers the cost of major software licenses. Our academic program leverages the full use of professional tools in the Microsoft suite, including Office 365, Outlook, Teams, and OneNote. Our Learning Management Systems (LMS) include essential digital tools such as Edsby, Turnitin.com, Exam.Net, and GoFormative. Our classes utilize industry-leading software such as Adobe Creative Cloud. The customized image on every student’s laptop includes a complete offering of licensed educational software. Finally, the fee covers the cost of our campus-wide fibre-optic internet connection and allows the school to maintain and upgrade a campus-wide wireless network as required.
A cutting-edge and well-maintained laptop is essential to student learning. The fee allows the school to ensure that every student uses an excellent computer over a fast network, full access to best-of-breed educational software, and service and support that is second to none.
IT Desk in Cygnets Centre: A technician will be in the Cygnets Centre to support students and staff in resolving their laptop and IT issues. The hours of operation will be posted at the IT Desk.
Online IT Desk: The electronic IT Desk can be used by students to submit questions and make appointments. Questions and inquiries are only answered during regular school hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and not during evenings or weekends.
Laptop Repairs: The school maintains a float of replacement parts and does all repairs onsite. The IT Desk repairs most laptops promptly, often within an hour and usually within a day.
Loaner Pool: The school maintains a pool of loaner laptops for student use. At the discretion of the IT Desk staff, a loaner will be provided when a student’s computer is kept overnight or over a weekend.
Battery Management: Students are expected to come to school with a fully charged battery and to maintain usable battery levels throughout the day for class Each student is expected to come to school every day with one of their two AC charging adapters in their backpacks. This will allow students to charge their laptops as needed throughout the day. New advances in battery technology allow for rapid charging. This means that 20 minutes plugged into a power outlet will provide a laptop with two or more hours of battery life.
Academic Data Backups: A backup utility called Second Copy is installed on all laptops. Second Copy backs up student academic data to the school’s network, where each student is allocated one GB of storage space. OneNote notebooks are also automatically backed up to
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school-licensed cloud services. Students are encouraged to also back up data to other devices such as external hard drives, USB keys, or a cloud service.
• Students will rely heavily on OneNote for all their notetaking. OneNote shares are stored in Microsoft Cloud in MS Teams as part of their class notebooks. As a result, there is always a backup. If students notice their shared course OneNote notebooks are not synchronizing with the cloud, they should visit the IT Desk for assistance
• Students will also have access to MS OneDrive, each with one TB of space as part of our school Office 365 license.
• Students are strongly encouraged to back up their photographs and video projects to external drives or online services.
Getting Connected: The Cygnets Centre is a completely networked facility. Fibre-optic cabling runs to the building. All rooms have wireless connectivity available to students in their classrooms, art room, wellness centre, and common areas. The school has a two-GB connection off campus to the internet.
Shared OneNote Class Notebooks: Students must be aware that teachers have access to student-shared OneNote notebooks that are part of their MS Teams Class Notebooks. Course teachers will frequently access the notes of students enrolled in their courses. Teachers may access these shared notebooks at any time to provide appropriate assessment and feedback on homework, projects, and assignments as they deem necessary.
Zoom/Teams Classrooms, Assemblies, and other School Functions: The school may require students to work from remote locations when they cannot be present in person. Students are expected to join meetings on time, sit at a desk (not in bed), use appropriate backgrounds, and dress appropriately for the meeting. Students are expected to follow the protocols and expectations outlined by their teachers and school administration.
Student Edsby Access: At St. Anne’s School, all courses are managed through a web-based learning management system called Edsby. In Edsby, students will access course feeds and journals to check their daily work, assignment details, and important due dates. Each course contains a grade book, course handouts, attendance records, and a class discussion area. Students are expected to communicate in Edsby with classmates, teammates, and various group members in a constructive, polite, and positive manner. Failure to do so may result in computer misconduct warnings being assigned and other possible disciplinary action.
Parent Edsby Access: Parents also have access to Edsby, where they can see their child’s assigned work, due dates, grades, and attendance. Parents should use Edsby to update their contact information with the school.
Edsby Messaging: Edsby messaging is a limited but useful tool for students to communicate with teachers, coaches, and other students. All important communication to parents will be sent by email or telephone call.
Turnitin.com: At St. Anne’s School, academic integrity is taught and cultivated, so students learn to conduct themselves like young scholars. Turnitin.com is a valuable service to assist teachers in identifying when students have copied work off the internet, from another text, from a classmate, or from a previous student's work. Most electronic work is submitted to Turnitin.com to check for plagiarism. Faculty and the administration take any breach of academic trust seriously.
Laptop Image: All student computers are provided with an operating system, standard applications, and course-specific software. The process of installing this customized collection
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of software is called “imaging” or “ghosting.” When student computers encounter software problems, the best solution is to re-image the laptop.
Standard Laptop Software: Our school standard platform is within the Microsoft ecosystem and includes MS Windows 10 Professional 64-bit and MS Office 365, MS Outlook, MS Teams, and MS OneNote class notebooks. In addition, we license Adobe Creative Cloud (which includes Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, AfterEffects, etc ), Adobe Acrobat Pro, PDF Annotator, Grammarly, Laptop Tracking Software, Zoom, AnyDesk, and Second Copy.
Academic Software: There are more than 30 pieces of subject-specific software available to students in specific courses; these include Sage 50 Accounting, JCreator Java, Solid Works, Android Studio, MIT AppInventor, Arduino, Logger Pro, Vernier Graphical Analysis, Comic Life, Fathom Math, Graphmatica, Geogebra, and Geometers Sketch Pad Math.
Online Site Licenses: Students have access to a wealth of paid subscriptions to online web services such as Edsby, Turnitin.com, Rosetta Stone, BrainPOP, CodeCombat, Mathletics, MathSpace, ArcGIS Online, SmartMusic Web, IXL Math, ExploreLearning Gizmos, Breezin’ Thru Theory, SoundTrap, Kahoot, EdPuzzle, Loom, Exam.Net, and GoFormative.
Online Library Resources: A wealth of subscription-based online library resources are available to students for use in a wide range of courses and grade levels. These include Gale Periodical Search, Britannica, World Book, ProQuest Periodicals, and Follet eBooks and Collections.
Virus & Malware Protection: Each laptop is imaged with Windows Professional, Windows Firewall, CrowdStrike Anti-Virus, and Windows Defender. Students must make every effort not to infect computers or the network system with viruses or other types of malware. Students must not disable this protective software and must ensure their virus definitions are up to date.
Student-Owned Laptops: Student-owned computers are not allowed on campus. Students can bring e-readers, iPads, Android tablets, and one smartphone to school. Staff members reserve the right to monitor and control student use of any electronic devices to ensure a healthy and productive educational environment is maintained. Students must ensure these devices do not disrupt the campus network.
The school has created policies around the use and treatment of the student-provided laptop. A breach in these policies usually surrounds misconduct, damage, or neglect of the device. In each scenario, a process-driven approach has been created to ensure the incident and response are rooted in education and awareness, so students do not continue to commit the same offence.
Computer Misconduct Policy
Computer Misconduct Warnings: Students who violate Computer and Network Policies will be given a Computer Misconduct Warning at the discretion of the school's staff For every warning, the parents, advisor, and Assistant Head of School, Director of Upper School are notified.
• Misconduct Warning 1: Staff report student laptop misuse to the IT Desk
• Misconduct Warning 2: Staff report a second incident of student laptop misuse to the IT Desk
• Misconduct Warning 3: Staff report a third incident of student laptop misuse to the IT Desk. The advisor ensures the student takes their laptop to the IT Desk The student loses administrator access to the machine and becomes a restricted user for
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90 days. The laptop is re-imaged and/or games, movies, images, and chat programs are uninstalled. This is at the discretion of the IT Desk staff, given the situation.
- the student becomes a 90-day user
- the student will receive a disciplinary response
- warnings are set back to zero
Laptop Care and Control Policy
Care and Control: Once a student is assigned a laptop, its care and control are their responsibility. Laptops must either be with the student or locked in a secure place such as a school locker.
Laptop Bag: Students must use the SAS shoulder bag with the padded laptop sleeve to transport and store their laptops. No other laptop bags are permitted.
Laptop Identification Labels: All laptops and power adapters are uniquely labelled with stickers on the bottom that are not to be removed.
Laptop Protective Top Sticker: The school installs a specially ordered and fitted top cover sticker on each laptop, which is not to be peeled off. Students who remove the protective sticker will be charged for a replacement. If damage is done to the original top cover while unprotected, students will also be charged for the replacement cover.
Accidental Damage (AD) Warnings: Accidents will happen, and the school strives to minimize the disruption these incidents cause to parents and students. To help mitigate the high costs of repairs, the school participates in Dell’s Accidental Damage Protection (ADP) program. While this covers a portion of the cost associated with most accidental damages, students will still be held accountable for their lack of care Any damage to the laptop will result in an AD warning and could include a deductible fine. AD warnings can be assigned because of damage to either a student’s own laptop or another student’s laptop. In cooperation with Dell’s Tech Direct support technicians, the IT Desk staff will determine the cause and severity of damage and assess a warning for each incident of accidental damage. Willful damage will be dealt with more severely. A student who willfully damages their own or another student’s laptop will be fined the full cost of replacement parts and may face other disciplinary responses from the school.
Major Accidental Damage Warning: The IT Desk will assign Major AD Strikes for serious accidental damage such as broken screens, motherboards, hard drives, and RAM.
• Major AD Warning 1: The student, parents, advisor, and Assistant Head of School, Director of Upper School will be notified by email that the student is at fault for accidental laptop damage. The IT Desk will submit an ADP Claim with Dell.
• Major AD Warning 2: The student is responsible for paying a $100 deductible. The deductible must be paid through the Business Office. The laptop will not be returned to the student until the deductible is paid. The parents, advisor, and Assistant Head of School, Director of Upper School will be notified. Since the one ADP claim for each student is all that is covered by the official Dell ADP program, the school will cover the hardware repair costs required if it is determined this is not willful damage. Each student gets only one ADP Claim with Dell per academic year.
• Major AD Warning 3+: The student is responsible for paying a $100 deductible and will receive a disciplinary response. The deductible must be paid through the Business Office. The laptop will not be returned to the student until the deductible is paid. The parents, advisor, and Assistant Head of School, Director of Upper School will be notified. The school will cover the required hardware repair costs if it is determined this is not willful damage. Major AD Warnings are NOT set back to zero until the start of a new
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academic year because they are tied to Dell’s ADP program, which only allows ONE ADP claim per year.
• $100 deductible
• Disciplinary response
• Major ADP Warnings continue to accumulate for the duration of the academic year.
Minor Accidental Damage Warnings: The IT Desk will assign a Minor AD Strike when less expensive parts of the laptop are accidentally damaged.
• Minor AD Warning 1: The IT Desk will submit an ADP Claim with Dell. The parents, advisor, and Assistant Head of School, Director of Upper School will be notified.
• Minor AD Warning 2: The student, parents, advisor, and the Assistant Head of School, Director of Upper School, will be notified by email that the student is again at fault for laptop damage.
• Minor AD Warning 3: The student, parents, advisor, and the Assistant Head of School, Director of Upper School, will be notified that a third warning is being given. The student is now responsible for paying a fine of $50 that must be paid through the Business Office. The school will cover the required hardware repair costs if it is determined this is not willful damage.
• Fine of $50
• Disciplinary response.
• After AD Warning 3, the total is set back to zero.
Peripherals Theft: Students must not steal parts from other students. Students may lend or borrow styluses and AC adapters, but they must ensure these peripherals are returned to the students to which they belong. Any parts found lying around should be brought to the IT Desk. The replacement cost of lost or stolen peripherals will be charged to the student.
Stickers: Students are not permitted to add stickers to their laptops.
Hardware Problems: Students should not try to repair or have another party repair their laptop hardware problems. Students should never open the laptop casing or remove any screws. Instead, they should go to the IT Desk for assistance.
Laptop Theft: If a laptop is reported stolen or missing, the student will pay a $500 deductible. The parents will be contacted, and the theft will be reported to the police. Once the deductible is paid by cheque or credit card to the Business Office, a loaner laptop will be made available from the IT Desk. Laptop-tracking software is used to aid the police in tracking stolen laptops. If a laptop is subsequently found and returned to the school, the $500 deductible will be reimbursed. Please be careful when travelling with your school laptop.
Laptop-Free Zones: There are many laptop-free zones on the SAC campus and in facilities that will be shared by the First Cygnets. Laptops are not permitted in Cole Hall, Ketchum Auditorium, Wirth Theatre, Walden Pool, Memorial Chapel, washrooms, the weight room, sport locker rooms, and gyms. Members of staff who find laptops in these areas are obliged to bring them to the IT Desk at the Cygnets Centre. These laptops will be considered abandoned, and students will be given an Abandoned Laptop Warning. Staff may permit students to bring laptops to these areas for special purposes.
Abandoned Laptop Warnings: Every effort must be made to keep laptops safe from theft. Laptops left unattended in the Cygnets Centre or around the school will be picked up by staff and delivered to the IT Desk for safekeeping. Students whose laptops are considered neglected or abandoned will be given a warning. If students find a laptop unattended, they should bring this to the attention of a staff member. Leaving a laptop unattended is considered a serious issue.
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• Abandoned Laptop Warning 1: Students must arrange for their advisor to accompany them to the IT Desk to reclaim laptops. If their advisor is away from school, the Assistant Head of School, Director of Upper School can accompany the student. The parents, advisor, and the Assistant Head of School, Director of Upper School will be notified.
• Abandoned Laptop Warning 2: If a student needs to reclaim a laptop a second time, they must arrange for their advisor, along with a parent, or Assistant Head of School, Director of Upper School to accompany them to the IT Desk A member of the SAS staff can stand in for one of the two adults required. The parents, advisor, and the Assistant Head of School, Director of Upper School will be notified.
• Abandoned Laptop Warning 3: If a student needs to reclaim a laptop a third time, they will be fined $100. This must be paid before the laptop is returned. This is a penalty for lack of care and control of their laptop. The parents, advisor, and the Assistant Head of School, Director of Upper School will be notified. Payment can be made through the Business Office. Once the fee is paid, the Business Office will notify the IT Desk. The student must then arrange for their advisor and a parent or Assistant Head of School, Director of Upper School to accompany them to the IT Desk. A member of the SAS staff can stand in for one of the two adults required. The parents, advisor, and the Assistant Head of School, Director of Upper School will be notified.
- The student will receive a disciplinary response
- $100 fine must be paid before the laptop is returned
- Abandoned Laptop Warnings are set back to zero
Classrooms: If a student leaves a classroom for a lengthy period, the laptop must be taken with them A teacher may allow students to leave laptops in a locked classroom at special times throughout the school year.
Take It Home: Lockers are not to be used to store laptops overnight, on weekends, or on holidays. If it becomes known laptops are being left in lockers during unsupervised times, this creates a fire/security/theft issue.
Sports Travel: Laptops can be taken on sporting trips at the coach's discretion. Students will be informed whether the bus will be a secure environment to leave their laptops while participating in competitions.
School Travel: Laptops can be taken on academic and co-curricular trips at the discretion of the teacher organizing the trip. Students will be informed on how they can reduce the risk of loss or theft while travelling.
Computer User Policy
Academic Use First: Academic use of laptops must always take priority over recreational use. Students are not permitted to game or watch movies, videos, or television shows during the academic day. Additionally, students are not permitted to record audio or video of anyone without express permission, including students and staff. Each student is given an administrator equivalent user account on their laptops. Students can lose this privilege after three Computer Misconduct Warnings or at the school’s or parent’s discretion.
Copyrighted Software and Digital Media: When allowed, students should only be playing games, using software, listening to music, and watching videos, movies, and TV shows for which they have a legal right to do so.
Content Restrictions: Students cannot install on their computers or share or distribute files, videos, or documents that offend community standards, break laws, compromise computer
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security, or violate academic policies. Files may be in executable text, sound, images, photographic, or video format. Here is a list of content students cannot have on their computers:
• Pornography in the form of images, videos, or cartoons.
• Music that offends community standards on issues such as swearing, promotion of drug use, racism, etc.
• Hacking utilities that may be used to compromise the school’s network security such as port scanners, key loggers, password crackers, decompilers, network administration tools, sniffers, tracers, protocol analyzers, proxies, VPNs, etc.
• Photographing/videotaping tests or exams: Students cannot take photographs or videos of any tests or exams without the teacher’s permission. Students who receive electronic copies of tests or exams from other students should delete these files from all electronic devices and inform their teacher.
Software Conflicts: Students share the responsibility of ensuring their laptops are functional for academic use, especially in the classroom.
• If student-installed software causes the laptop to malfunction, students must uninstall the software.
• Peer-to-peer software sharing is strongly discouraged as this free software is one of the major sources of virus infection on student laptops. It is highly recommended peer-topeer sharing software be removed from student laptops. Students are encouraged to purchase their music, movies, and TV shows online.
• IT Desk personnel will not help install or provide assistance for software not purchased by the school.
• The IT Desk can re-image a laptop that continues to malfunction for any reason.
• Students are expected to keep their anti-virus software running and up to date.
Password Privacy: Laptop passwords must be kept private. Here are some password guidelines and etiquette to follow:
• No effort should ever be made to obtain another user's password.
• No effort should be made to watch another user enter a password. When another user logs in, you should look away until they have finished typing and are successfully logged in.
• No effort should be made to guess another user's password.
• Software should never be installed on a computer to capture another password.
• Students should never work on a computer logged in under another account unless they have expressly asked to do so, been given permission, and are in the presence of the other student.
• No effort should ever be made to read another person’s private email without permission.
• Efforts to obtain administrator and teacher passwords will be dealt with severely. This may include suspension and expulsion.
• Students who hear of or are aware of any user or network security breaches must inform the IT staff.
Desktop Backgrounds: Desktop backgrounds are public spaces and viewable by many people. Students are permitted to customize their laptop desktops but are expected to use good judgment in their choices and be consistent with community standards.
Personal File Sharing: Students are responsible for any files they make available to or share with others. Methods of sharing include, but are not limited to, memory keys, external drives,
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and cloud services such as OneDrive, DropBox, iCloud, Google Drive, etc. Students must ensure they do not violate the content restriction guidelines listed above when sharing files.
Network Usage Policy
Network Policies: Students are using a school-owned computer on the school network. Student laptops are being managed, tracked, and monitored on the network. Students must not interfere in this process.
• Students cannot disable domain administrator access to the laptop
• Students cannot remove the machine from the domain
• Students cannot disable any computer services.
Hot Spots: Students cannot set up hot spots on campus to circumvent our network and computer usage policies.
Chatting Online, Social Networking, and Online Gaming: Students are expected to be focused on their studies and academic concerns during school hours and study times. To limit distractions, the school makes an effort to block various online services throughout the school day, Monday to Friday.
Mobile Applications: Students are not permitted to take, share, or publish digital images, videos, or recordings without written permission. This includes, but is not limited to, recording teacher lessons and temporary recordings made and shared on applications such as Snapchat.
Network Storage: Private network storage space is provided for email and course material. Students will be held accountable for the content of this material.
Print Tracking: Print tracking is employed by the IT Department to control printer usage. Generally, students will have enough room on their accounts to fulfil all their academic printing needs. When students abuse this service, their printing will be restricted.
Internet Usage Policy
Community Standards: Do not visit sites or browse social media regarded as unacceptable by the school’s standards. Students must always uphold the school’s Code of Honour and Code of Conduct online.
Web Filtering: While on campus, the school’s internet firewall performs website filtering that restricts the sites students can visit. Web filtering restricts student access to pornographic, gambling, hate, racist, weaponry sites, etc. While useful, this software will not block all browsing of offensive material. While off-campus, there is no website filtering built into laptops. At their discretion, parents may want to do some form of website filtering at home.
Laptop Use at Home: The school recommends students do their homework and use their computers in areas with casual supervision because there is no built-in website filtering while off-campus. These will be the main family areas of the house, including the kitchen, dining room, living room, and family room. There is little or no reason for students to use their computers in their bedrooms.
URL Unblocking Procedure: Students who wish to have a site unblocked for valid educational or recreational reasons must get their advisor or a staff member to view the site and, upon approval, send an email request to the IT Desk stating they take responsibility for the removal of the site from the blocked list.
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Bandwidth Management: Firewall technology has been installed to monitor and control traffic flow on our internet connection. This technology ensures the bulk of our internet traffic is devoted to educational use. It does this by limiting the bandwidth consumed by online gaming and user-to-user file sharing. Students should make no effort to circumvent this technology.
Internet Connection Termination: If a student is found subverting our safeguards and using large amounts of bandwidth, their internet connection can be terminated or restricted without notice. To restore their internet privileges, students will need to seek out a member of the IT Department and explain their conduct.
Internal Network Security: A computer firewall sits between our network and the internet to protect our computers from outside hackers. Students should, in no way, try to subvert this security or provide others with a means of attacking our network.
Expectations for Online Conduct
Email and Edsby Accounts: School-provided email accounts are made available to students during their career at St. Anne’s School. Once students leave the school, their Outlook email, Office 365, and Edsby accounts are deleted. Students should have a separate outside email account to register for personal online services.
Email Etiquette: Students should always follow email etiquette. Failure to do so could result in the restriction of Edsby messenger and Outlook email privileges.
Behaviour Expectations: Using the internet, email, text messaging, and other social media platforms to intimidate, threaten, exclude, put down, mock, or spread rumours about someone is unacceptable behaviour. Students should not assume another person’s identity online, impersonate another person as the author of content or messages posted on the internet, or post inappropriate material that one or more individuals may access. The administration will investigate students engaging in online behaviour that breaches the school’s Code of Conduct, Mutual Respect Policy, or negatively impacts the school community. Students may face disciplinary consequences for their actions.
Our Domain: Students must be conscious that all communication from the school includes the St. Anne’s School internet domain name of stannes.ca; thus, they involve the school in all their communication.
Conferences, Teams, and Groups: Be aware that community standards apply to class, group, and chat messages. Do not let the tone of classes, teams, or groups get out of hand. Students and teachers moderate most classes, teams, and groups.
Responsibility: Students are responsible for messages sent using their account, whether they wrote them or not.
Suspensions: If a student’s email is suspended, they cannot use another user’s account.
Attachments: Do not send games, hacking utilities, pornography, or any unacceptable material via email or through conferences, teams, or groups (executable text, sound, image, or video).
Large Attachments: Avoid sending large files as this may fill up your and others’ email storage quotas. Sharing large files with teachers through MS Teams file uploads is a good option.
Academic & Personal Use Only: Your email account is provided for your academic use. You should not use your account for commercial, personal, or illegal activities.
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Athletic Vision, Philosophy, and Objectives
The realm of athletics is one that we know will evolve quickly as the population of St. Anne’s grows. With input provided by the First Cygnets, the teams being offered this year will meet the diverse interests of our student body in the most effective and efficient way for the school community.
The overarching philosophy of the athletics program is to ensure each student is participating in sport and pursuing initiatives that contribute to a balanced lifestyle where health and wellness are at the forefront. These activities may result in competitive or recreational participation. Team and individual sports play a vital role in developing physical, intellectual, social, and emotional well-being.
The objective of the St. Anne’s School athletic program is to provide our student-athletes with the opportunity to further develop the following:
• support
• fair play
• leadership
• empathy
• humility
• cooperation
• teamplay
• discipline
• commitment
• time management
• friendship
• confidence
• integrity
• respect
• excellence
• pride
• tolerance
• knowledge
• skill development
• school spirit
Our coaches are committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for practice and games. Despite our best efforts in this regard, there is a possibility of injury. St. Anne’s School and its staff will take all reasonable precautions in this regard, including proper practice and game warm-up.
Our students will participate in two athletic associations: CISAA (Conference of Independent Schools’ Athletic Association) and OFSAA (Ontario Federation of Schools Athletic Associations).
Expectations of Athletes
There are a variety of opportunities for athletic participation requiring varying levels of ability Students on school teams must understand they are committing to achieving the highest possible academic standard while participating fully on their sports teams This requires a conscious effort to manage their time effectively, so all academic work is completed to the best of their ability while meeting all due dates.
Players must commit themselves to all team practices, games, and tournaments Should a serious problem arise that would affect a student’s participation on a team, consultation with the coach in advance is very important All students are expected to participate in the St. Anne’s athletic program for all three seasons. A student may play for both St. Anne’s School and a community team provided the school team is given priority and the student’s academic performance does not suffer.
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ATHLETICS
The athletics program will operate at St. Anne’s during the academic day. This ensures students have full access to the SAC facilities required to run the athletics program. Students will receive a report card comment each term regarding their athletic participation
SAS athletes are required to abide by the CISAA code of conduct. Athletes must remember participation on a school team is a privilege, not a right Playing on a team is contingent on consistent attendance and effort in all subjects, respect for teachers, coaches, and peers, a sense of fair play, and exemplary behaviour. Dishonourable behaviour will not be tolerated or condoned by the coach or members of the SAS staff. This includes criticism of officials, confrontations with other athletes, and the use of profanity during practice and games. Athletes who do not positively represent SAS will not be allowed to participate on school teams.
Eligibility
To be eligible to participate on an athletic team, a St. Anne’s student must:
• be eligible under CISAA or OFSAA guidelines (see www.cisaa.ca and www.ofsaa.on.ca);
• have an academic and attendance record that satisfies the coach, the subject teachers, and the administration.
Uniforms and Equipment
First Cygnets will be provided with a team uniform to be used and returned at the end of each season. Uniforms provided are signed out to each athlete once the team has been finalized and the coach submits a team list. Athletes are responsible for their uniforms for the duration of the season and must treat them with care. Uniforms are collected by the coach at the end of the season. The cost of uniform damage or loss will be charged to the athlete.
Due to the nature of some sports, students may be required to purchase other sport-related uniform pieces (e.g., cross-country, swimming, etc.).
While travelling to and from athletic competitions, students must wear the school tracksuit, which must be purchased as part of the school uniform. All students enrolled in health and physical education must purchase physical education T-shirts and shorts and wear them for all physical education classes.
For health reasons, each team member must have their own water bottle, clearly marked with their name. Student Lounge areas in the Cygnets Centre will also serve as the girls’ changeroom. These rooms must be kept clean. As with all other outdoor footwear in the Cygnets Centre, students must not wear cleats inside the building or any other building on the SAC campus.
Team Selection, Practices, and Schedules
Coaches will hold tryouts for all school teams during the following general periods:
• Fall Term during the second week of September
• Winter Term during the first two weeks of November
• Spring Term during the last week of March and the first week of April
Coaches will select teams as appropriate and inform students who are selected. Coaches will endeavour to speak personally with students not selected to their team. Coaches’ decisions on
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which students are selected for a team are final Students and their parents are expected to respect such decisions.
Parents will receive written communication from the coach at the start of each season regarding expectations and practice/game schedules. Game and practice schedules will be posted on Edsby
All players are expected to attend all practices and games and be in appropriate SAS athletic attire. Coaches are encouraged to keep attendance records of athletes at practices. Students must abide by the posted rules of each athletic space. Athletes who cannot attend a practice or game should notify the coach as early as possible. Students are reminded no equipment can be given out until the coach is present, and spectators are not encouraged at practices.
Transportation
All teams are generally picked up and dropped off at the La Brier Family Arena. Students are encouraged to bring work with them on long bus trips.
Additional Fees
Students may be required to pay additional fees for some teams or events. All sports may incur fees for events beyond the scope of the regular season. In the case of tournaments, exhibition games, or tours, additional fees may result from hotel, transportation, tournament entry fee, and food costs. In such cases, the costs will be paid for by the students who participate in the trip, which will be communicated to families in advance.
Fitness Centre
Located in the La Brier Family Arena, the Fitness Centre is equipped with a wide variety of weight training equipment, treadmills, and exercise bicycles Students are permitted to use the Fitness Centre during designated hours when a staff member is present.
CISAA Code of Conduct
The Conference of Independent Schools’ Athletic Association (CISAA) is the governing body of sport for school teams. At all CISAA events, the following guiding principles will be upheld.
• The values of integrity, respect, inclusion, sportsmanship, and education through sport are central to the CISAA sport experience.
• The rules of any game must be regarded as mutual agreements, the spirit of which no one should evade or break.
• No advantages are to be sought over others, except the advantage of superior skill.
• Officials and opponents must be regarded and treated as honest in intention.
• Decisions of officials, no matter how unfair they may seem, must be accepted absolutely by the players and coaches.
• Visiting teams and spectators are honoured guests and should be treated as such. They should also behave as such.
• To win is always desirable, but to win at any cost utterly defeats the purpose of the game.
• Every team must learn that losing can be a triumph when the best effort has been given.
• Participants who do not fully support these principles have no place in representative matches.
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CISAA Code of Conduct for Spectators
Athletic events are tests of skill, fitness, teamwork, and training. They provide challenging encounters for athletes and exciting entertainment for fans. Being a spectator at school events is a privilege, not a right, which may be withdrawn for inappropriate behaviour.
Spectators are encouraged to attend school athletic activities as guests of the home school and must comply with the host school’s rules and policies. Spectators will not interfere with the enjoyment of the participating students, other spectators, or with the responsibilities of the coaches and officials supervising the school activity. The spectator expectations are as follows.
• Spectators are to adhere to the same standard of sportsmanship and conduct that is expected of all participants.
• Treat the facility, students, staff, and players of the participating schools and the officials with respect and courtesy.
• Abide by the decisions of the officials whether or not they are in favour of your team.
• Respond politely to the requests of the officials.
• Remain seated in the areas designated for spectators and leave the playing surface clear at all times.
• Have no presence in the bench areas or the proximity of the players and coaches.
• Be polite and courteous and use only appropriate language.
• Refrain from any behaviour or verbal comment that might distract the athletes or interfere with the progress of the game.
• Applaud good plays for both teams and refrain from derogatory remarks concerning either team's officials, players, and coaches.
Good athletes compete fiercely to the best of their ability and limits of their training. Good spectators respect the commitment of the athletes enough to cheer every good play and appreciate the effort, time, and dedication by members of both competing teams.
Cygnets Wellness Program
The Cygnets Wellness Program supports holistic wellness by allowing students and staff to explore fitness, wellness, and mindfulness activities. The Cygnets Wellness Program will complement our community members’ passions and interests.
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SCHOOL PRINCIPLES & POLICIES
The following principles are the basic foundations upon which we make choices in our daily lives at St. Anne’s School. All community members are expected to live up to high standards of behaviour in the areas of personal integrity, as outlined in the Code of Honour, and respect for others and community standards, as outlined in the Code of Conduct.
A serious violation of any of these basic principles is grounds for dismissal.
Code of Honour – Honesty, Integrity, Respect
In all our actions at SAS, we encourage students toward a life governed by the values of personal integrity. All members of the community must pledge to uphold our Code of Honour:
• Personal honesty
• Academic integrity
• Respect for others and the property of others
We maintain the right to dismiss a student where the continued attendance of that student would not be in the best interests of the student or the St. Anne’s community. We also maintain the right to dismiss a student when their behaviour seriously jeopardizes the ability of the school to guarantee the dignity or safety of its students or interferes with learning. Discretion rests with school staff in all matters.
Code of Conduct – Rights & Responsibilities
A Code of Conduct defines the expected conduct for students, staff, and parents so all who share in the school environment can do so safely and with the confidence they will be treated as valued individuals. This Code of Conduct benefits parents, students, and staff members. Parents must know what behaviour the school expects in order to reinforce this behaviour at home. Students need to understand the Code of Conduct as it establishes the ground rules for their daily interactions with other students and staff members.
Mutual respect is a core value of the St. Anne’s School community. Specifically, SAS prohibits, in all its programs, discrimination against or harassment of any individual or group based upon factors including, but not limited to, age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, colour, sexual orientation, national origin, or religion.
Students have the right:
• To be treated fairly, consistently, and respectfully by the students and school staff.
• To be safe from verbal and physical abuse or actions and behaviours that are detrimental to the positive learning environment at the school, including online behaviours
• To expect their property will be respected
• To expect a positive learning environment where their feelings and opinions will be respected and valued
• To expect that others in the school will exercise self-control.
Students have the responsibility:
• To treat others with compassion and respect, accepting different points of view, backgrounds, and identities as valuable and adding to the richness of the school environment.
• To accept the authority of the staff of the school.
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• To refrain from verbal and physical abuse of others, including online behaviours
• To respect the property of the school and others within the school
• To contribute to a positive learning environment and relationships within the school and the school community
• To respect and value the feelings and opinions of others.
• To exercise self-control in the school and the school community.
School staff will employ a range of consequences and strategies in response to discipline problems.
Mutual Respect Policy
At St. Anne’s, we recognize that to achieve its vision, the environment it provides must demonstrate respect, dignity, equity, inclusion, and safety for all members of the St. Anne’s School community.
We promote responsibility, respect, civility, and academic excellence in a safe learning and teaching environment.
The full Mutual Respect Policy will be shared in September.
Illegal Substance Use, Unsafe Practices, and Theft
School rules arise out of the need to maintain the health, safety, and legal responsibilities of the members of the St. Anne’s School community. These basic expectations must be present in our lives to ensure the proper environment for study and healthy social interaction. Being part of this school is a privilege, and we expect all students to observe the basic rules for maintaining order and decorum while enrolled. We hope such adherence to the rules of citizenship at SAS will encourage good citizenship throughout their lives.
Purchase, possession, distribution, or use of alcohol, drugs, or drug paraphernalia
It is our position that drug and alcohol use by students has no place in the St. Anne’s community and is prohibited from the Cygnets Centre, the St. Andrew’s campus, and all locations related to SAS-sanctioned events. We aspire to be a drug- and alcohol-free community. The use of alcohol and illegal drugs, or the abuse of prescription drugs by students in connection with life at SAS, is inconsistent with the goals and objectives of the school; can place students, staff, and the school at risk; and is illegal. Any purchase, possession, distribution, use of, or being under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs, or drug paraphernalia, or abuse of any other chemical substance is prohibited by the school and may result in a mandatory medical leave, suspension, or expulsion.
Tobacco, Nicotine Products, Vaporizer, and E-Cigarette Policy
It is our position that tobacco, nicotine products, vaporizer, or e-cigarette use by students have no place in the St. Anne’s community and is prohibited from the Cygnets Centre, the St. Andrew’s campus, and all locations related to SAS-sanctioned events The purchase, possession, distribution, or use of tobacco, nicotine products, vaporizers, e-cigarettes, or vaping paraphernalia is prohibited. We comply fully with the Smoke-Free Ontario Act. Research has demonstrated the serious health hazards of tobacco, vaporizer, and e-cigarette use, particularly during adolescence. The policy for dealing with such use is meant to demonstrate a standard of “excellence of care” for the students, their families, and all St. Anne’s School representatives. It is intended to set guidelines that initiate a caring response while emphasizing the responsibility students must take for their actions.
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In summary, this prohibition includes all school-related and school-sponsored activities, regardless of their location or venue.
Given the dangers of fire and explosion from vaporizers and e-cigarettes, the use of such devices within the Cygnets Centre or other on-campus SAC school buildings is in violation of our Fire Hazard Policy and deemed to fall under the category of Unsafe Practices as Reckless Endangerment and may result in suspension or expulsion.
Absence from Campus
As a school, we are responsible for the health and safety of students throughout the academic day. Students who leave the Cygnets Centre or the SAC campus without authorization will face a disciplinary response. Leaving these areas without permission places students at risk and creates unnecessary time by the SAS staff to locate and secure the students
Students may leave the Cygnets Centre and the SAC campus during the day, but advanced communication is required from a parent. The parent should communicate absences through Planned Absences on Edsby to be excused from an academic class or mandatory school activity. Students are also responsible for signing in and out at the Cygnets Centre Administration Office.
Unsafe Practices or Possessions
We value the health and well-being of our students; thus, they are forbidden to place themselves or others at risk by their actions or their possessions. The following are examples of guidelines concerning personal and community safety:
Fires: A student may not light a fire in the Cygnets Centre or on the SAC campus without specific permission. Lighting a flame in or on a school building is prohibited, as is any evidence of fire violations, such as burned matches, candles, etc This includes smoking or using a vaporizer e-cigarette within school buildings. Intentionally setting or lighting a fire on campus without permission is grounds for expulsion.
Fireworks: Use or possession of fireworks on campus is forbidden.
Weapons: Use or possession of ammunition, guns, or knives are forbidden. “Airsoft” or compressed air-powered guns, BB/pellet guns, paint marker guns, slingshots, or other such items are also forbidden since they might constitute a danger to others.
Weapons as Props: Toy guns and other toy weapons are forbidden in skits, class videos, and dramatic productions unless authorized by a staff member
Keys: Unauthorized use or possession of any St. Anne’s or St. Andrew’s keys, other than keys that have been officially issued to the student, are forbidden.
Reckless Endangerment: Students may not engage in dangerous pranks or other activities that threaten personal safety.
Theft
All students must respect the property rights of other members of the community. Any person who takes or uses another’s property without permission violates the Code of Honour.
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Outside Authorities
The use of drugs and alcohol, unsafe practices, harassment, and theft violate provincial and/or federal law. Where such incidents occur, the matter may be subject to police investigation and prosecution.
COMMUNITY STANDARDS AND EXPECTATIONS
Responsibility for Meeting Community Standards
Student responsibility:
All students of the SAS community are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the terms of these policies. Any conduct that deviates from the requirements of these policies will result in appropriate corrective action, up to and including expulsion.
Parent responsibility:
It is an expectation that parents will work cooperatively with the school by demonstrating agreement with and support of the school’s rules and regulations. It is the student’s responsibility and their parent(s) or guardian(s) to inform the school about planned absences. School personnel must also be informed by parents or guardians as soon as possible of absences that result from unforeseen circumstances We believe a constructive and positive working relationship between the school, the student, and the parent(s) or guardian(s) is essential to fulfilling our mission. Therefore, we reserve the right to discontinue enrolment or refuse to re-enrol any student if we conclude the actions of the student and/or the parent(s) or guardian(s) interfere with the constructive and positive relationship or with our ability to accomplish our educational goals.
Staff responsibility:
St. Anne’s staff members are committed to upholding the requirements of these policies in connection with all SAS-sanctioned events, regardless of location.
Essential Behaviours for SAS Students
Students are responsible for:
• attending class in proper dress;
• punctually arriving to class with the necessary supplies;
• showing respect for school property;
• attending all assemblies and mandatory school functions;
• behaving well on all school trips.
Punctuality & Preparedness
Arriving for classes and other school activities prepared and on time shows a positive commitment to learning. Students must be punctual. Students are expected to bring the necessary materials/equipment to every class or activity.
Students who arrive late for school must sign in at the Cygnets Centre Administration Office.
Attendance Policy
Good attendance is vital to the learning process and is an essential component of every course and activity. Students are expected to attend all classes, advisory sessions, and activities regularly and punctually. It is the responsibility of the student and their family to inform school personnel about planned absences. School personnel must also be informed by parents or guardians as soon as possible of absences that result from unforeseen circumstances.
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Parents are expected to communicate absences through Edsby.
Extending family vacations by adding days on either side of planned school breaks or extended absences during the school year can adversely impact students' learning and engagement in athletics and school-life opportunities. It is important that families think carefully before asking the school to approve a planned extended absence. Parents must reach out to the Assistant Head of School, Director of Upper School to request a planned extended absence. St. Anne’s makes reasonable accommodations for elite athletes and exceptional family requests.
Students who know they will be absent from school for an approved extended absence should see their teachers in advance of the absence to make arrangements regarding missed assignments and tests. Students must check Edsby for details of the material covered in missed classes. Students are responsible for meeting the expectations established by their teacher and completing all assignments in a timely manner. Teachers will not provide work in advance for students or re-teach missed content. However, they will support students upon their return by providing extra help, explanations, and clarification of the missed material.
We recognize that unplanned absences may occur when a student is sick, injured, or otherwise unwell. St. Anne’s will reasonably accommodate and support the student, but they should check Edsby to review missed material, contact their teachers, and take responsibility for catching up on missed work upon their return. In more serious cases, the school will act reasonably to support the learning needs of students with compassion. These are considered on a case-bycase basis by the Associate Director, Academics and the Assistant Head of School, Director of Upper School. As the duration of an absence increases and opportunities to demonstrate learning in a credit course decreases, the academic success of a student becomes uncertain.
A student who misses a class or activity without a valid reason will be counted as an Unexplained Absence (UA), and follow-up with the student and family is required.
If a teacher is late or absent or unable to attend a scheduled class for any reason, students are expected to remain in the classroom and work quietly at their desks unless otherwise directed. If no relief teacher arrives after ten minutes, a class member should report the situation to a member of the SAS staff.
In addition to regular attendance for classes and co-curricular activities, attendance will be compulsory at some school events; confirmed dates and times are to be determined and communicated ahead of time.
Assembly Attendance
School assemblies bring the entire grade together for a variety of community-related events, such as weekly gatherings, celebrations to honour our community members' accomplishments, or to hear from guest speakers or members of our community A student absent from these assemblies without an acceptable reason will be assigned an Unexplained Absence. A follow-up with the student and family is required.
Cellphone Policy
Students are permitted to have cellphones and personal entertainment devices on campus, but they must remain in their lockers during the academic day (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). If a student uses their phone or personal entertainment devices during the academic day without permission, the item will be confiscated and returned after communication with the Assistant Head of School, Director of Upper School. Students can use cellphones after school to communicate with their
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parents. Any parent communication to the school during the academic day must come through the Cygnets Centre Administration Office.
Cellphones will not be used or accessed in classrooms, Cole Hall, Ketchum Auditorium, Wirth Theatre, Walden Pool, Memorial Chapel, washrooms, the weight room, sport locker rooms, change rooms, and gyms. Any classroom usage is at the discretion of the subject teacher.
Using a cellphone in the Cygnets Centre and on the SAC campus is a privilege, and frequent violations of the policy will result in a loss of this privilege.
Cellphones must never be used to photograph or videotape staff members or other students unless the individual subject grants permission
Community Relations Policy
St. Anne’s School is a part of the larger community of Aurora/Newmarket. Just as students have neighbours at home, they also have neighbours on campus. Students are expected to respect the rights and property of neighbours: noise, litter, and disruptive or destructive behaviour impact how neighbours view the school. Common sense and consideration are expected.
Damage & Vandalism Policy
Any student found responsible for incidents of damage or abuse of school property or the property of others will be subject to payment of the cost of repairs and/or restitution. If the damage is determined to be willful, a disciplinary response will be assigned.
DRESS CODE POLICY
The Dress Code is an evolving piece of the school’s principles and policies and will continue to evolve over the first year. We expect students’ dress will be neat and clean at all times. Clothing should be in good repair and appropriate to the activity or occasion.
The Dress Code is in effect from the beginning of classes in the morning until departure at the end of the day. A free period is not an adequate reason for not meeting the Dress Code requirements. Students dressed inappropriately will be sent home to change into appropriate clothing. Students should expect to wear First Dress every Monday and on special school occasions.
First Dress
• Red blazer with school crest
• Kilt or grey dress pants
• White branded dress shirt (short or long sleeve)
• SAS school tie (classic or continental)
• Grey or black dress knee-high socks or tights with the kilt or dress socks with pants
• Black polished dress shoes in good repair; boots are not permitted
Second Dress (Optional)
• White branded dress shirt (short or long sleeve)
• Grey pleated skirt or grey dress pants
• Red cardigan or pullover V-neck sweater
• SAS school tie (classic or continental)
• Grey or black dress knee-high socks or tights with the skirt or dress socks with pants
• Black on black sneakers or Chelsea boots; no prominent branding must be shown
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Cygnets Casual
There will be opportunities when students are encouraged to wear SAS-branded clothing. This dress may be for comfort when working on a specific classroom activity, when the community comes together to show school spirit, or experiential learning beyond the classroom walls. This could include SAS T-shirts and sweatshirts, shorts, leggings, and track pants (no denim). Sneakers are permitted.
Casual Dress
The students will have the opportunity to participate in casual dress days in support of a charitable cause. On these days, students must donate in exchange for wearing casual clothing. Casual clothing must be appropriate for a school environment.
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP POLICY
SAS Environmental Creed: We believe all community members should cultivate ecological citizenship and inspire positive environmental change for sustainable living within our school community and beyond.
We all want to work toward reducing the school’s eco-footprint. Therefore, all community members are expected to respect the environment and demonstrate their commitment to environmental stewardship with the following essential behaviours:
• Recycle responsibly and use recycling and garbage bins correctly
• Reduce food waste and use the compost/recycling centre in Cole Hall correctly
• Help conserve energy by turning off lights and projectors when leaving classrooms
• Turn off taps and don’t run water for long periods
• Save paper by printing only when necessary.
• Respect the environment and don’t litter anywhere on campus.
• Respect the school’s water-bottle-free status and use only refillable water bottles.
Parents are asked to respect our idle-free zones and turn off car engines while waiting to pick up students. Parents are also asked to consider carpooling.
COLE HALL POLICY
• Members of the kitchen staff are to be treated with courtesy and respect. If you have a concern about anything involving Cole Hall, speak to a member of the SAS staff.
• Students are not to remove any food, cutlery, or dishes from Cole Hall at any time without permission.
• Everything taken to dining room tables must be removed, tables cleaned, chairs pushed in, and plates scraped and placed in the appropriate bins. Any mess caused by a student must be cleaned up.
• Cellphone usage is prohibited in Cole Hall at all times
• Hats are not permitted at any time.
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