School Events, Daily Assemblies

5. Curriculum planning and daily lesson plans are the responsibility of individual faculty members and absolutely crucial to the successful learning experience at Renaissance School. Classes are to be active and dynamic, not filled with busy work. Teachers should use class time for instruction, guided practice, and assessment.

6. Classes should never serve as a platform for personal political or religious views. The discussion of politics and religion is an important part of education—especially in a historical context, but should be presented in course areas where it is part of the academic curriculum and not part of a personal agenda.

7. Teachers should be on time and present in the classroom with their students during class time. Students should never be left alone without a teacher or substitute during a class period or Focused Study. Students should never be released from class early. Using scheduled class time for the personal

use of computers, telephones, etc. is unacceptable.

8. Emergency lesson plans should be provided to the Dean of Academics by the start of the school year and will be kept on file. Classes should proceed forward in the curriculum and not be halted by an absence.

Abuse or negligence of these policies, as well as failure to produce syllabi and assignment sheets, is grounds for dismissal.

SCHOOL EVENTS

The faculty are expected to attend all student-related school events and performances, including parent/teacher conferences, Open Houses, In-Service days, and Senior Thesis presentations and defenses. Understandably, there will be occasions where attendance is not possible, and timely notification should be sent to the Head of School.

Daily Assemblies

Faculty should attend daily assembly if they are in the building during that time.

Arts Practicum is an opportunity for students to experience interdisciplinary and experiential learning through a short series of classes. Every faculty is expected to teach, oversee, or attend as a chaperone 2-3 times per academic year.

Ninth Week Activities

Faculty members are expected to rotate chaperoning of all trips. In other words, the same few faculty members should not be expected to attend all trips. If faculty members are unable to go on school trips due to limitations on the number of participants, faculty should expect to be assigned duties at school during this time. Duties will equate to classroom time. In the event that a Ninth Week is spent on activities close to home or at school, faculty members are expected to participate.

DRESS CODE

How we present ourselves sets the tone for the expectations of our students. Therefore, all faculty members should dress appropriately and professionally. Teaching attire should be comfortable but not so relaxed as to give the appearance of neglect or disregard for the classroom setting. Additionally, we often have visitors to the school, and the presentation of staff and faculty is important. At the very least, faculty dress should rise above the standards set by the student dress code:

"During school hours, whether on campus, in physical activity class, or on the Downtown Mall, students are expected to reflect respect for the values of Renaissance School. Accordingly, students should dress properly for school and look neat and clean.

Students may wear nice jeans or pants. Shorts, skirts, tank tops, and crop tops are acceptable, but should be reasonably modest in coverage. Students may not wear T-shirts or sweatshirts with explicit language, messages targeted toward hate, depicting drugs, alcohol, or tobacco, or degrade the integrity of individual groups. Undergarments should not be exposed. Hats that hide the eyes or face should not be worn during school hours; otherwise, they are permitted between classes and at the discretion of the teacher during class. Sunglasses and bare feet are not allowed.

It is important to remember school should be considered a professional learning environment for all and how we present ourselves matters in all professional settings.

COMPUTER AND CELL PHONE USE

Computers: Student computer use during class is at the discretion of each faculty member. If it is deemed valuable and/or enriching to the learning environment, then it is the faculty member’s responsibility to monitor use. Inappropriate use of computers for online chatting or game playing will result in immediate loss of computer privileges for the involved student(s). Careful consideration should be used when determining computer use in class.

Cell Phones: Faculty cell phones should be turned off or muted during school hours while in the building. Cell phones should not be visible to students, and faculty should not talk or text during class. Phone conversations may be held outside of class time, in the front office, the teacher’s workroom, or outside. Students should never be recorded or videotaped unless you are helping with Renaissance School social media.

If a student has a cell phone in the classroom, faculty must immediately remove the phone and turn it in to the Head of School.

Renaissance School maintains computers and wireless internet access for the educational use of students and faculty.

Faculty members are provided with @renaissanceschool.org email accounts. This email account should be used for all school communication with faculty, students, and parents. Other personal email accounts should not be used for school communication. The @renaissanceschool.org email accounts and passwords are maintained by the school. Faculty members have no expectation of privacy in any communication they create or send using this email account.

Faculty are expected to check school email regularly and at a minimum of twice per day. Faculty is also expected to respond to emails promptly. All teacher-student and teacher-parent communication should be sent with the Renaissance School email account and copied to the Head of School (cc or bcc).

Faculty members should not be involved in any form of social networking with currently enrolled students. Additionally, faculty members are not to text students or parents. All correspondence should go through email or Google Classroom with the Dean of Academics having access to the account.

Faculty are prohibited from doing the following on school computer equipment, including iPads, or when using the school wireless network: •Damaging, changing, or tampering with any part of the school’s computer system, hardware or software •Copying copyrighted software •Printing documents not related to school work •Adding, deleting, or altering files or installing programs without permission from the Head of School •Engaging in non-academic uses of the computer system, such as game playing and chatting, or using social media •Accessing, transmitting or downloading large files, including "chain letters" or any type of "pyramid schemes"

•Responding to any unsolicited online contact •Accessing or storing illegal or explicit material or material that is potentially harmful to the user, the computer system or others •Using the Internet or e-mail to solicit or conspire about illegal activities or substances

•Making harassing, threatening, prejudicial or discriminatory statements over the computer system •Accessing, storing, transmitting or distributing offensive, indecent, obscene or pornographic materials in any form •Circumventing or attempting to circumvent the security measures on any school computer •Introducing any form of a computer virus to any school computer •Using the computer system or the Internet for commercial gain, political purpose, or to advocate violence or discrimination. This includes “sharing” articles or news stories through social media. If a faculty member notices a security problem, notify the Business Manager immediately.

SOCIAL NETWORKING

Faculty members are not to be involved in any form of social networking with currently enrolled students.

ABUSIVE LANGUAGE

It is the responsibility of faculty to correct inappropriate language during school hours (in the class and between classes). We aim to teach students behavior in an academic setting and inappropriate language is one of the most common offensive acts made by students.

It is each teacher’s responsibility to ensure that the Student Code of Conduct and the Discipline Policy outlined in the Student Handbook are consistently applied. The Student Handbook outlines school (as opposed to classroom) policies and rules as they relate to student behavior; therefore, it should be used as the minimum for behavior expectations in the classroom. Failure to follow school procedures as documented in this handbook by any student should be documented on the Student Impact form and reported to the

Head of School.

There are two ways to report student misconduct: the How I Impact Others form and speaking directly to the Head of School.

Discipline and morale are undermined if any of us turns a deaf ear or a blind eye on inappropriate behavior, dress, or observance of computer or Focused Study rules.

It is the faculty’s responsibility to serve as role models and to talk with the students about the need for school rules. Faculty should make it clear to their students that they understand and support the Honor Code at Renaissance School.

With the student's signature, all tests and major papers are pledged as follows:

“On my honor, I have neither given nor received help on this work.”

It is recommended that the pledge is noted on all tests and quizzes.

FACULTY ADVISORS

The Dean of Students oversees the student advisory. Each faculty member may be assigned student Advisees. The Faculty Advisor serves as the student’s first and best advocate when questions or problems arise in the school setting. Advisor/Advisee meetings will occur once a week after lunch during a 30-minute period.

Faculty members are not hired as licensed therapists and should not advise as such. Additionally, it is inappropriate for a Faculty Advisor to “parent” a student or to guide a student through family struggles. The role of Faculty Advisor serves to listen and lead through example.

Advisors counsel students on academic performance, behavior, and peer and student/teacher relationships. The Advisor works directly with the Dean of Students on a regular basis. The Dean of Students should be informed of all communication between faculty and student. The Dean of Students will be in communication with the Head of School. The Advisor serves as a coach and guide for the student during the school year.

STUDENT TARDINESS AND ABSENCES

If a student is late for a class, the Office Manager should be notified immediately (do not wait for the end of class!). Building restriction due to tardiness is issued by the Office Manager as a result of documented tardiness.

When a student has a planned absence, he/she/they will bring faculty a Planned Absence Form to fill out and sign allowing absences from your class. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain and complete all work to be missed during time away from school. Absent students will be noted on the attendance clipboard by the Office Manager’s desk.

Students missing from class (remotely or in-person) for more than one-third of the quarter will be at risk of not receiving credit for that quarter. The Head of School will notify faculty of students with exemptions due to health reasons.

SICKNESS DURING SCHOOL

Any student or faculty feeling ill during the school day must go home or to the doctor and may return once cleared by a health professional. Faculty are responsible for finding coverage for their classes and notifying the Office Manager/Assistant to the Head.