Faculty Handbook 2013-14

Faculty Handbook 2013-2014

The foundation for a Dwight education can be found in the School’s Mission Statement and Three Pillars. When viewed together with the IB’s learner profile and Mission Statement, they provide a rich set of operating principles that underpin Dwight life.

DWIGHT SCHOOL’S MISSION STATEMENT Dwight School, an internationally recognized IB World School, is committed to finding and igniting the “spark of genius” in every child. Kindling their interests, we develop inquisitive, informed, self-aware, and ethical citizens who will build a better world.

DWIGHT SCHOOL’S THREE PILLARS Personalized Learning: We focus on developing each student’s unique “spark of genius.”

Whether connecting a student with an exceptional mentor, designing tailor-made enrichment, crafting a special study abroad opportunity, or providing a novel program or tutorial, Dwight goes out of its way to recognize and foster each student’s gifts and talents. No two student journeys are the same.

Community: We inspire and educate our students through leadership training to improve their communities. Dwight students undertake service projects locally and internationally and produce written reflections to demonstrate their learning and their impact. Dwight students are prepared to serve their communities wherever they go.

Global Vision: We encourage students to see challenges from a global perspective. Our students interact with peers and faculty from forty countries, follow the rigorous International Baccalaureate curriculum, select from a wide array of foreign languages, and travel abroad for service projects, athletic competitions, and student leadership conferences. Dwight New York is the flagship campus and founding member of The Dwight Schools, including campuses and programs in London, Canada, Beijing, and Seoul.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Head of School’s Introduction.........2 IB Learner Profile............................ 3 Campus Hours and Daily Schedule............................. 4 Bell Schedule...................................5 Faculty/Staff Policies.................... 6 General Faculty Duties....................6 Signing In........................................6 Calling Out Sick..............................6 Faculty Coverage..............................6 Faculty/Staff Dress...........................7 House Community Meetings..........7 Assemblies........................................7 In-Service Days, All-Staff Meetings, and Conferences.........7 Extra-Curricular Activities...............7 Extended Day Program....................7 Professional Development................8 Faculty Evaluation...........................8 Classroom Observation...................9 Private Tutoring...............................9 Gift Policy......................................10 Technology Acceptable Use...........10 Facilities..................................... 13 Repairs and Maintenance...............13 Classroom Assignment...................13 Bulletin Boards and Room Appearance................................13 Faculty Spaces................................13 Conference Rooms........................13 Information Services......................13 Technology Center........................14 Libraries.........................................14 Non-Dwight Community Groups..........................................14 Securing Valuables.........................14 Van Drivers....................................14 Dwight Shuttle Policy....................15 Information on Campuses.............15 Leaving the Building During School Hours................................15 Safety and Emergencies.............. 16 Safety and School Crossing............16 Monitoring Student Safety............16 Weather Closings...........................17 Emergency Procedures...................17 Community Health.................... 22 Reporting Allegations of Child Abuse and Maltreatment...........22 Mental Health and Well Being.........23 Maintaining Professional Staff/ Student Boundaries...................23 Harassment and Bullying.................24 Sick/Injured Students....................25 Reporting Communicable Disease and Notifying NYCDOHMH.......27 Student Accomodations and Restrictions.........................27 Medical Emergency.......................28 AED..............................................28 Nut Products/Allergies...................29 Non-Smoking Policy.....................29

Student Involvement with Alcohol or Drugs.......................30 Student Health..............................30 Child Custody Cases.....................30 Reception................................... 31 Daily Bulletin................................31 Telephone Use...............................31 Voicemail.......................................31 Photocopying.................................31 Faculty Supplies.............................31 Lost and Found.............................31 Visitors...........................................31 Recording Student Attendance.........32 Communications........................ 33 Media/Marketing...........................33 Mailings.........................................33 Newsletters....................................33 Student Policies.......................... 34 Student Discipline Philosophy........34 Student Conduct...........................34 Community Responsibility............34 Academic Policies and Student Life....35 Written Curriculum.......................35 Progress Reports and Communication................35 Parent-Teacher Conferences...........35 Grade Reports................................36 Grading System.............................36 Assessment Policy..........................38 Homework Policy..........................41 Submitting and Tracking Student Attendance...................44 Language Policy.............................45 EAL Program.................................49 Grading Policies.............................50 Quest.............................................51 Student Work Standards................51 Student-Athlete/ Student-Performer Policy...........52 Middle and Upper School Advisory Program......................53 CAS and Community Service.........53 Academic Awards...........................54 Transcripts.....................................54 Academic or Social Probation.........54 Individual Extra Help....................54 Saturday Study Hall.......................55 Enrollment in Quest......................55 Class Expectations.........................55 Study Hall Guidelines....................56 Excused Student Absence...............57 Make-up Work..............................58 Adding and Dropping Courses........58 Major Assignments........................58 Final Examinations........................58 External Exams..............................58 Summer School.............................59 Passing Policy for Graduating Seniors....59 Non-Standard Testing....................59 Academic Integrity and the Honor Council.........................59 Teacher/Researcher Policy..............60

Activities, Events, and Trip Procedures...................... 61 Field Trips......................................61 Overnight Trips.............................62 The Athletic and Physical Education Departments......... 63 Attendance in P.E...........................63 Missed Class Policy........................63 Accidents or Injuries......................63 Travel Considerations....................63 Admissions and Enrollment....... 64 Student Contract Renewal.............64 The Dwight School Foundation’s Office of Advancement........... 65 Fundraising....................................65 Alumni..........................................65 Human Resources and Benefits.... 66 Employment..................................66 ID Cards........................................66 Personal Records............................66 Health Records..............................66 Open Door Policy..........................66 A Workplace Free From Violence.....67 Advanced Degree Compensation Policy..................67 Safety on the Job............................67 Drug and Alcohol Policy................67 Lactation Break..............................67 Solicitation/Distribution................67 Maternity/Paternity Leave.............68 Dating/Fraternization Policy..........68 Summer Vacation Time.................69 Payroll Schedule.............................69 Equal Employment Opportunity.....69 Non-Harassment...........................70 Sexual Harassment.........................70 Disability Accommodation............71 Confidentiality Policy....................72 Employee Benefits Programs..........72 Workers’ Compensation Insurance.....73 Benefits Continuation (COBRA)....73 Short-Term Disability....................73 Long-Term Disability....................75 Family and Medical Leave.............75 Military Leave................................78 Pregnancy-Related Absences..........78 Bereavement Leave........................78 Vacations and School Holidays......78 Personal Days and Jury Duty.........79 Travel Policy...................................79 School-Issued Cell Phones.............79 Termination...................................80 Employment Outside Dwight.......80 Employee Referral Program...........80 Anglo-American Appointment......81 Faculty Child Scholarship Policy...81 Faculty Child Quest Scholarship Policy...81 Dwight Employee/Parent Policy......81 Talk to Us......................................82 Appendix........................................83

HEAD OF SCHOOL’S INTRODUCTION Dear Colleagues, The pages that follow comprise the Dwight School Faculty and Staff Handbook. It is designed to be a useful tool that will direct the daily operations of our school. The policies and procedures that follow will guide us, as it sets the organizational framework through which we carry our duties and responsibilities. Each topic in this handbook is written with clarity and organized to be navigation-friendly so that you can find answers to the most often asked questions and commonly referenced procedures.

It is the professional responsibility of every member of our faculty and staff to become familiar with the policies and procedures of our school and to adhere to the expectations that are set before us. All School decisions concerning these policies and all determination made by the School when applying these policies are final and binding upon employees. The contents of these rules and guidelines are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the School.

Just as we hold our students accountable to their daily adherence to policies and procedures, we as professionals must hold ourselves to the same standard as we strive for excellence in all that we do at Dwight. Let’s have a great 2013-2014 academic year!

Sincerely,

Dianne Drew Head of School

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THE IB LEARNER PROFILE All teachers at Dwight must incorporate the learner profile in goal-setting and curriculum development to ensure that students have ample opportunity to develop the stated attributes: Inquirers They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research, and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.

Knowledgeable They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.

Thinkers They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to approach complex problems and make reasoned, ethical decisions.

Communicators They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.

Risk-takers They approach unfamiliar situations with confidence and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.

Principled They act with integrity, and honesty, a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.

Caring They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.

Open-minded They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.

Balanced They understand the importance of physical and mental balance and personal well-being for themselves and others.

Reflective They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.

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CAMPUS HOURS AND DAILY SCHEDULE Riverside Campus The Riverside Campus, which houses our Early Childhood Division (2s, 3s, 4s, and K), is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The normal contract day extends from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (faculty) and 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (administrators).

Main Campus The Main Campus, which houses grades 1-12, is open from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The normal contract day for faculty extends from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Saturday detention hours (faculty are asked to monitor once a year) are 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

As educators and role models, it is imperative that we are on time to all classes and activities.

Although School starts at the same time every day, it may end at different times depending on the day of the week, not the day of the cycle. Faculty and Staff are expected to be on time for all appointments including assemblies, study halls, athletic activities, and community service. The school day ends for students at 2:55 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Friday dismissal time for students is at 2:40 p.m. Faculty, Staff and Students are expected to use the 89th Street entrance unless they are taking the yellow school bus.

Student Drop-Off and Dismissal Early Childhood Division (2s, 3s, 4s, and K) Preschool and Kindergarten students will be picked up at their classroom door. In the event of a change in location, the teacher must notify all parents in advance.

Identification badges will be provided by the school to all parents at the start of the year and are required for pick-up each day. Parents may request additional badges from Savka Kovacevic, at Reception for caregivers who will also be picking up children. If a child’s parent or caregiver does not bring their ID badge to school they will need to show ID at Reception to get a visitor badge. No child can be released from school without the proper ID badge.

If a child has a play date or is to be picked up by another caregiver, the parents are asked to send an email to the class teachers informing them of the change. If a child will not be in school, the parents are asked to call Reception and follow up with an email. For safety, no child will be released to another adult unless one of the following occurs: • His/her name is listed on the classroom pick-up list • The person is listed as an Emergency Contact • The teacher has received a message or an email notifying them the change Timothy House (1-5) Students in grades 1 through 5 are dropped off and picked up from the 88th Street entrance of our Main Campus. The school day for grades 1 through 5 begins promptly at 8:00 a.m. Students may arrive starting at 7:45 a.m. The day ends at 2:55 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Friday dismissal time is 2:40 p.m. Students cannot be accommodated in Reception after school. Parents must make their own arrangement to pick up children from after-school activities or sports.

For safety, no child will be released to another adult unless one of the following occurs: • His/her name is listed on the classroom pick-up list • The person is listed as an Emergency Contact • The teacher has received a message or an email notifying them the change 4

Bentley House (6-8), Franklin House (9-10), and Anglo House (11-12) Students must be in School by 8:00 a.m. if scheduled for a Period 1 class. All other students must be in school by 9:40 a.m. for the Morning Community or Mentor Meeting; this is a crucial time to share ideas, discuss the calendar, plan special events, and build house spirit and identity.

HOUSE COMMUNITY MEETING TIMES AND BELL SCHEDULE ECD and Timothy House The ECD meets as a full staff once a month and at each age level at least twice a month. Timothy House gathers for Community Meeting approximately twice a month when grades 6-12 have assembly at the Central Baptist Church. Additional meetings may be scheduled as desired.

Bentley House MON

TUES

WED

THURS

FRI

Morning Meeting

Advisory Groups

Morning Meeting

Morning Meeting or Advisory Groups

Assembly or Advisory Groups

MON

TUES

WED

THURS

FRI

Morning Meeting

Grade 9: Peer Leaders Grade 10: Morning Meeting

Advisory Groups

Morning Meeting

Assembly or Advisory Groups

MON

TUES

WED

THURS

FRI

Morning Meeting

Morning Meeting

Advisory Groups

Morning Meeting

Assembly or Advisory Groups

Franklin House

Anglo House

Monday-Thursday

Non-Assembly Friday

Assembly Friday

Period 1

8:00-8:45

8:00-8:45

8:00-8:35

Period 2

8:50-9:35

8:50-9:35

8:40-9:15

Morning Meeting

9:40-9:55

N/A

N/A

Advisory/Assembly N/A

9:40-10:10

9:30-10:30

Period 3

10:00-10:45

10:15-10:55

10:45-11:20

Period 4

10:50-11:35

11:00-11:40

11:25-12:00

Period 5

11:40-12:25

11:45-12:25

12:05-12:40

Period 6

12:30-1:15

12:30-1:10

12:45-1:20

Period 7

1:20-2:05

1:15-1:55

1:25-2:00

Period 8

2:10-2:55

2:00-2:40

2:05-2:40

Activities 3:00-4:00 2:45-3:45 2:45-3:45

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FACULTY/STAFF POLICIES GENERAL FACULTY DUTIES In addition to teaching responsibilities, faculty members are expected to perform a number of supervisory and administrative activities throughout the year. Assignments may include: • Extra-curricular activities • Professional development meetings • Parent receptions • Evening events, weekend and holiday trips • Saturday morning detention (twice a year) • Lunch coverage (location will be on schedule) • Study hall and substitution coverage (location will be on teacher’s schedule) • Acting as mentor to students • Be a mentor to a group of students or faculty • Library coverage • Locker room coverage • Silent Lunch (SL)/Silent Study Hall (SSH) • Create standard office hours to meet academic needs of students • Advisor SIGNING IN Upon arrival at School, all Main Campus faculty and staff members must check in at facultysignin.dwight.edu. Early Childhood Division faculty and staff members must check in at ecdsignin.dwight.edu.

CALLING OUT SICK Faculty and staff members who are too ill to work should call Reception before 7:00 a.m. on the morning of an absence and follow up with an email confirmation. ECD faculty members are also asked to call the ECD Director. In order to ensure proper class coverage and student learning, teachers are asked to notify their heads of departments and, whenever possible, to provide detailed lesson plans for all classes. Non-teaching staff members should similarly notify their immediate supervisors.

For more information on extended absences, medical leave, and disability accommodations, refer to the Human Resources and Benefits section of this Handbook.

FACULTY COVERAGE (SUBSTITUTION) All teachers must submit lesson plans to their department chair and the Office Manager to be used in the event of an absence or emergency. These assignments may be updated throughout the year at the discretion of the department chair. A teacher who expects to be absent for an extended period of time must pass on lesson plans, and roll and grade books to the respective department chairs – even if the teacher is expecting to be easily accessible.

Teachers are occasionally required to cover classes when a colleague is absent and be available to proctor examinations.

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FACULTY/STAFF DRESS AND APPEARANCE A teacher’s dress and appearance should be professional in nature and always neat and appropriate. Male teachers and staff are required to wear a shirt and tie in School, and female teachers and staff should wear dresses, skirts, dress slacks, or dress suits. The ECD faculty and staff are permitted to dress in a way that allows for age appropriate activities and interactions.

No sneakers, flip flops, baseball caps, or denim are permitted. Women’s skirt lengths should approximate that of the student dress code outlined in the Dwight School Parent Handbook.

Gum chewing is not permitted. As we have a dress code for students, teachers must be models, and they are expected to set a high standard. Members of the Athletic Department should wear either Dwight athletic wear or professional dress. Teachers who work in the School during vacation are asked to exercise discretion in their choice of attire.

HOUSE COMMUNITY MEETINGS All Bentley, Franklin and Anglo House teachers are required to attend their house morning meetings. House Community Meetings are a unifying activity meeting several days a week.

House Community Meetings provide a special forum where all members of Dwight School may reflect and share personal joys, concerns, and experiences.

ASSEMBLIES Individual departments should submit an agenda to the Director of School Services for each assembly they coordinate. All faculty members are required to attend the assemblies and may be assigned to escort/oversee their class or a group of students. At all assemblies and meetings, Heads of Departments will take attendance of teachers in their department.

IN-SERVICE DAYS, ALL-STAFF MEETINGS, AND OFF-SITE CONFERENCES In-service days and all-staff meetings are mandatory. A community ethos is built only by having full attendance at faculty meetings. Please refer to the School calendar for meeting dates throughout the year.

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES All extra-curricular activities for grades 6-12 must be registered with the Director of Middle and Upper School Activities, who schedules the days, times and locations for activity meetings. The Director of Middle and Upper School Activities must be made aware of all non-athletic team off-campus trips including date, time, and location. Attendance must be taken on MyDwight at all activities. Issues concerning athletic teams should be addressed to the Athletic Director. Issues concerning activities in preschool/kindergarten should be directed to the ECD Programs Coordinator. Issues concerning extra-curricular activities in grades 1-5 should be addressed to the Director of Lower School Activities. Issues concerning extra-curricular activities in grades 6-12 should be addressed to the Director of Middle andUpper School Activities.

EXTENDED DAY PROGRAM Riverside Campus Dwight Early Childhood Division offers an Extended School Day on the Riverside Campus for students in the 3s through kindergarten programs. Extended Day provides a place where Dwight students can play with friends, draw, play board games, read, or work on homework.

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Hours of the Extended Day for the Riverside Campus will be: Monday through Friday, 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Extended Day is a fee based activity.

Main Campus The Dwight School offers an Extended School Day on the Main Campus for grades 1 through 6. Extended Day provides a place where Dwight students can play with friends, draw, play board games, read, or work on homework once their after-school activity has ended. Hours of the Extended Day for the Main Campus will be: Monday through Friday, 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Extended Day is a fee based activity.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT The professional development program at Dwight aims to encourage our faculty to develop in-depth knowledge of their disciplines, explore new pedagogical initiatives, encourage innovative curriculum development, and strengthen IB training for the PYP, MYP, and DP programs. The program supports faculty graduate study, attendance at conferences and workshops, international leadership travel, and a program that brings experts in various educational fields to Dwight. The end goal of our professional development program is to create a professional learning community at Dwight School that enhances our students’ learning and life experiences. To apply for professional development opportunities, faculty should complete the online request form.

In addition to these regular professional development requests, the Dwight School Summer Grant Committee requests proposals from faculty for curriculum development projects, training, and other opportunities for professional growth throughout the year.

Upon the completion of professional development projects, faculty members are invited to share the results of their work with the Dwight School community in a variety of settings: in Dwight publications, faculty meetings, assemblies, workshops and other appropriate venues. Grant recipients are also expected to present their results in a format that is understandable to a wider audience of educators and that authentically reflects the work accomplished, including a reflection on the success of the project and implications for its relevance to the Dwight School Community.

All new curricula are recorded on Rubicon Atlas if applicable (i.e., related to course units).

FACULTY EVALUATION AND DEVELOPMENT In order to maintain and develop our outstanding faculty, Dwight strives for clarity and transparency in our faculty evaluation process. Evaluation and development are ongoing, detailed processes, the complete details of which — including job descriptions for most position at the School — are described in the “Evaluation, Supervision, and Hiring” document on MyDwight.

Timeline of Faculty Review Opening of school year: Heads of departments and other supervisors discuss evaluation processes and review goals for the year with each faculty member.

In addition to the School’s customary evaluation procedures, new faculty members participate in a specialized review and development process: • Each new faculty member participates in a mentorship program that includes both scheduled meetings and informal discussions with a veteran Dwight teacher.

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• Within the first thirty days of the school year, new faculty members are observed in the classroom by their department head. Following this observation, department heads and new teachers meet to discuss the lesson and set goals for future lessons.

• When appropriate, within the thirty days following this observation, their heads of department again observe new teachers to check in on professional growth and acclimation to School culture.

December-January: Students offer formal course feedback.

January 31: Heads of departments and other supervisors complete mid-year faculty review process and documentations. These reviews are based on written job descriptions, faculty goals, at least one classroom observation, and a holistic evaluation of a faculty member’s strengths and weaknesses.

February 15: Division Heads complete reviews of heads of departments.

Mid March (immediately prior to Spring Break): Faculty and staff contracts are distributed.

First week of May: Heads of departments and other supervisors complete year-end review, which includes one further observation after mid-year review.

CLASSROOM OBSERVATION The purpose of classroom observations is to promote more effective teaching by enabling you to get opinions and insights about your teaching methods offered in an atmosphere of professional support. To this end, you should welcome visitors to your classrooms. Being the observer rather than the observed is another particularly helpful way to gain insights about alternative classroom strategies.

PRIVATE TUTORING It is recognized that, on occasion, certain students will benefit from individualized instruction from a specialist to support the classroom teacher. However, the following guidelines need to be adhered to as school policy regarding private tutoring, particularly on school property. We want to ensure that we provide the best possible support for our students and maintain clear oversight of the process. Please note: • “Private tutoring” refers to any arrangement in which teachers are paid directly by families in exchange for instruction or consulting.

• All recommendations for any type of private tutoring must be made only through the Head of Academic Department. In this way, the school administration is able to know precisely who is being tutored and who is providing the support. A full list is kept by the Division Head.

• To avoid a possible conflict of interest, a subject teacher may never tutor his or her own student.

Where the Head of Department is tutoring, permission must be sought from Administration.

• If any faculty member or administrator wishes to recommend a particular tutor for a student, all recommendations must be made through the Head of Department. Deans must ensure that any requests go through the Head of Department. Under no circumstances should any faculty member or administrator suggest a tutor to a student or parent directly, particularly if the tutor is a close friend or family member where conflict of interest is again possible.

The Head of Department will be the final arbiter as to whether the tutor is appropriate.

Parents have a perfect right to supply any tutor of their choice outside of school, but Dwightrecommended tutors must be identified and approved as appropriate.

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• Private tutoring cannot occur during the contractual school day of 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

• Students from schools other than Dwight may not be tutored on the Dwight premises. In addition, faculty members may not solicit families from Dwight or any other school for private tutoring.

GIFT POLICY Many families want to show their appreciation to their teachers by giving gifts during the December holidays and at the end of the school year. To preserve the professional, conflictfree balance that exists among teacher, student, and parent, the School discourages the giving of large gifts. It is requested that any individually purchased gift be limited to a value of $25. Classes or grades are permitted to take up donations from families for collective gifts to teachers, but contributions must be optional and should be limited to $25 per student.

Please note that the Dwight School Parents Association traditionally expresses the parent body’s appreciation by presenting all faculty and staff with occasional seasonal gifts, and by sponsoring the Faculty and Staff Valentine’s Day Breakfast and Teacher Appreciation Week.

TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY Dwight School’s network and computer facilities are intended for educational and administrative purposes. The use of these facilities is a privilege that comes with certain responsibilities. In order to use computers at Dwight, you must agree to abide by what the School considers, in its sole discretion, to be appropriate behavior, including – but not limited to – the following statements, applicable to all Dwight students, faculty, staff, and their guests using school-owned or privately-owned computers in the school.

Dwight makes an array of technology offerings available to students, faculty, and staff. All users and any guests of the Dwight network are expected to use the network resources responsibly and for academic purposes only. Any information in email or in documents saved on the school network or a school-owned computer is considered the property of Dwight School and is subject to review. All content created as a Dwight School community member is the sole property of the school unless you have written permission, from the Chancellor, to take copies of any content, but the school in any and all cases retains the rights to use any content for educational purposes, publications, and presentations. All students should know that the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) retains all rights to their Extended Essay and related materials.

System Security/Privacy/Harassment All users are provided with a username and password that provides access to network resources, to email, and to MyDwight. It is expected that all reasonable precautions be taken to prevent the unauthorized use of any account. Passwords should not be shared among users. No computer owned by the school or by an individual should be set up in such a way that network restrictions are bypassed without the prior knowledge of the Information Services Department.

If a potential security problem is discovered, a member of the Information Services Department should be informed.

No member of the Dwight community should attempt to assume another’s identity, either by using another’s name or credentials, to access password-protected materials or sites, to access their blogging/portfolio spaces, or to impersonate that person in any electronic communication.

Any attempt to compromise the School’s network, any action that results in the disruption of the School’s network services, or any situation that compromises someone’s privacy and security is grounds for disciplinary action.

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Any member of the Dwight community who participates in improper use of technology or anonymous forms of threat or harassment to intimidate another member of our community may face an outside legal referral and certain school discipline that may include suspension or withdrawal from School.

Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement No member of the Dwight community should engage in the copying of information from books, Internet resources, or electronic media without prior consent from the publisher and accurately citing any resources.

The software installed on School computers is subject to licensing agreements between Dwight School and various software publishers. It is not permissible to redistribute or copy any School-owned software without the consent and assistance of the Dwight Information Services Department.

The use of peer-to-peer file sharing software to engage in the trading of music, movies, and other files is prohibited. Such copyright infringement is deemed to be illegal activity and will be considered as such.

Internet Access The School expects the responsible use of Internet resources by all members of the school community. Any inappropriate use of Internet resources should be reported. All access to resources on the Internet is logged and filtered. The network firewall restricts access to sites based on content (adult material, social networking, alcohol/tobacco, etc.) and sometimes mistakenly flags sites as appropriate or inappropriate. If a website is mistakenly blocked or unblocked, direct any questions to the Information Services Department.

Email Email sent from a Dwight email address is considered a direct reflection of the School, regardless of any disclaimer written, spoken, or otherwise, and care should be taken to maintain decorum and attention to sent messages. All students in grades 6-12 are given a Dwight email address and should check that email account regularly for messages from teachers and School administrators; students younger than grade 6 may be given an email address if it suits class objectives.

Students should use their Dwight email accounts to communicate with their teachers, and should not expect faculty members to return email messages to unfamiliar email addresses.

Faculty members should refrain from using personal email addresses to communicate with students and their families. All messages that are sent or received by the Dwight email system pass through a SPAM and virus firewall that retains copies of all messages for a period of time.

Any concerns about messages not received should be directed to the Information Services Department for review. Emails that are misdirected, harassing or threatening, or suspicious in any way should be directed to the Information Services Department.

Self-Publishing, Social Networking, and Instant Messaging Every student and faculty member is given the opportunity to publish original written work on a weblog, course management system, or electronic portfolio. All work, written or otherwise, should be created by that student or staff member unless cited appropriately. Any work posted on these sites should be considered the equivalent of a written assignment or professional publication.

Students and faculty members alike should take care when using social networking sites.

Students should not be in the habit of posting personal and identifying information online without taking the appropriate privacy and security measures. Faculty members should not engage or accept “friend� requests from students, parents, or past students still in middle/high 11

school on any website that is not a school-sanctioned resource. Faculty members should not share school-related information with any student’s parents or guardians over social networking tools, text messaging, or other non-Dwight branded methods of communication without prior approval from the Head of School’s Office.

Students are prohibited from using instant messaging software or services on school computers or on their own computers while using the Dwight network unless directly related to classroom activities and only under the direct supervision of a teacher. Faculty members should not engage students in online chat, regardless of method application, outside of school-sanctioned resources.

As the School makes increasing use of social networking and communications tools that are not Dwight-branded, it is important to note that any site that is considered to be essential to a classroom, unit, or lesson is considered to be a school-sanctioned site for as long as it is deemed necessary by the teacher.

Audio/Visual Recording Audio and/or video recording in the school or at school-related events is not permissible under any circumstances without the permission of a student’s house dean. This also includes the transmission of audio or video using a chat program or website or to any website that makes the recording available to others. Exceptions will be made on a per-case basis for classroom activities, but only with the permission of a teacher before the recording is to take place.

Games/Handheld Gaming Devices Games are prohibited during the academic day unless under the supervision of a teacher for a class project, structured free time, or after school activity. In all cases, the use of handheld gaming devices is prohibited without the permission of a student’s house dean.

Privately Owned Computers All student- or staff-owned computers must be registered with the Information Services Department, who will install or modify software necessary to join the Dwight wireless network. Student- and staff-owned computers must have anti-virus software installed and, when possible, personal firewall software enabled. Peer-to-peer file sharing software should not be installed on any computers brought into the School, and the Information Services department retains the right to disable or uninstall such software as is necessary to maintain an operational network.

It is expected that any privately owned computer used within the School would be used similarly to School-owned computers. Network access should be used for academic purposes only and any programs or documents used should be for School-related purposes. Use of personal computers in class is always subject to a teacher’s discretion and classroom rules.

Other Technology In addition to computers, many other forms of technology are available to students, such as cell phones, digital cameras, video cameras, personal digital assistants, and personal music devices. Aside from rules that govern or prohibit the use of such technology during the School day, students are also charged with using all forms of technology responsibly. The use of any technology to disrupt the learning environment will be subject to disciplinary action.

Any questions regarding the Technology Acceptable Use Policy should be referred to Basil Kolani, Director of Information Services, at basil@dwight.edu or 212.721.4233.

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FACILITIES REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE In order to maintain a safe, clean facility, it is essential that faculty members notify the maintenance staff of any problems or needs. To do so, please send a note to workorders@dwight.edu describing the location and nature of any problems. Emergencies in need of immediate attention should be reported to the Director of Facilities. Maintenance requests for the Riverside Campus should be emailed to mhensrud@dwight.edu.

CLASSROOM ASSIGNMENT Teachers must report broken locks to Director of Facilities. No student is to be left unserpvised in any room. All classrooms are to be locked when not in use. Classroom assignment is the responsibility of the Director of Scheduling. No teacher is permitted to change classroom assignment without written approval from the Director of Scheduling.

BULLETIN BOARDS AND CLASSROOM APPEARANCE Each department is responsible for maintaining and updating at least once each month the bulletin boards assigned to the department. It is each teacher’s responsibility to ensure that classrooms are pleasantly decorated with educational materials and/or student work. These exhibits should be changed regularly and will be monitored by the Communications Department. Suggestions for classroom postings further includes posting grading criteria, the IB grading scale, and Dwight’s Three Pillars. Preschool window displays should be displayed neatly (no tape) and updated regularly along with a description of the specific IB skill set being illustrated.

FACULTY WORKSPACE AND FACULTY LOUNGE The faculty rooms are provided for the convenience of teachers and staff. The faculty room should be kept neat and clean. Teachers are asked not to leave dirty coffee cups, garbage, and miscellaneous books and papers in the room. Faculty are not permitted to smoke or consume alcohol in the faculty room or in any other area of the School. Students, including children of faculty members, are not permitted in the faculty rooms.

SEMINAR AND CONFERENCE ROOMS Anyone who wishes to use the Main Campus Seminar or Conference Rooms for any meeting must email the Head of School’s Assistant to reserve the room. Please note that students may not be left unsupervised in this room.

INFORMATION SERVICES AND RESOURCES Technology resources can be found everywhere at Dwight School. The technology facilities include over 250 computers, all of the which have Internet and email access, and each teacher, staff member, and student in grades 6-12 has an email account. It is critical that everyone in the community understand and accept that access to the information resource environment is a privilege to be used responsibly and respectfully. It is each teacher’s responsibility to ensure that the technology facilities are properly used and to monitor Internet access and email according to the Technology Acceptable Use Policy. It is each teacher’s responsibility to read, understand and strictly adhere to these policies. Additionally, it is each teacher’s responsibility to enforce the Technology Acceptable Use Policy with students. No student 13

is to be left unsupervised while using technology facilities. Please note that email addresses of Dwight families may not be shared with any external third party. Employees should not share school-related information with any student’s parents/guardians using social networking tools, text messaging, or other non-Dwight branded forms of communication without prior approval from the Head of School.

TECHNOLOGY CENTER When School is in session, the Technology Resource Center and the Advanced Technology Lab are open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and later as long as technology staff members are present.

In the ongoing effort to assist students and teachers to learn and teach with technology, teachers are encouraged to use and must reserve available Technology Center periods for their classes, and it is each teacher’s responsibility to supervise during these periods.

LIBRARIES The Riverside Campus library is open from 8:30am-3:30pm. Materials in the Riverside Campus library are appropriate for ages 1-6. All students and faculty are encouraged to use the library for academic purposes as well as recreational reading. Books may be borrowed for a period of two weeks. Should a student require a longer loan period, they can consult the Receptionist. Lost or damaged books will be charged the full replacement cost.

The Timothy House Library is open from 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Materials in the Timothy House Library are appropriate for grades 1-5. All students and faculty are encouraged to use the library for academic purposes as well as recreational reading.

The Middle/Upper School Library is open from 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Materials in the Middle/ Upper School Library are appropriate for grades 6-12. Students and faculty are encouraged to use the Middle/Upper School Library for school assignments. Dwight School’s librarians recognize the importance of independent reading and are available to assist students in their selection of books for their reading pleasure.

All students are expected to follow appropriate school conduct while utilizing the library’s resources. Books may be borrowed for a period of three weeks. Should students require a longer loan period, they should consult the librarians. Lost or damaged books will be charged the full replacement cost.

NON-DWIGHT COMMUNITY GROUPS Non-Dwight community groups must have the permission of the Head of School to use any School facility or equipment. Suggestions for programs mutually beneficial to the School and community are welcome and should be made in writing to the Head of School.

SECURING VALUABLES Be sure to protect your valuables at all times. Dwight School is not responsible for lost or stolen items. It is recommended that all valuables be in a locker or other secure place or on your person. Do not leave any personal property unattended. Any money collected must be given to Reception, who will lock it up.

VAN DRIVERS If you drive a van, you must have taken the Red Cross First Aid course and hold a commercial driver’s license. Please see the Athletics Director for further details. Submit your driver’s license 14

number to the Business Office so that driving records may be checked through the Department of Motor Vehicles. Dwight School vans may not be used for personal business. The School will not pay for parking or traffic tickets for an employee on School business.

Keys for School vehicles are kept by the Head Bus Driver. When taking a vehicle, be sure to sign it out with the Head Bus Driver. In order to avoid conflicts and assure the availability of a vehicle when you need it, you may sign up in advance with the Head Bus Driver. Please indicate the number of students to be transported, the activity, the destination, the faculty driver and the day and time the vehicle is needed. The Head Bus Driver is responsible for van security, providing insurance and registration information. Students are never allowed to drive a school-owned vehicle for any reason.

Gas for the School vehicle should be noted. Be certain that there is at least a minimum of half a tank of gas left before returning a vehicle.

DWIGHT SHUTTLE POLICY For faculty members who require transportation between the Main Campus, the Riverside Campus, or the Dwight School Athletic Center, the Dwight shuttle is available. Please note that the shuttle is available to faculty members only for school-related purposes and during normal school hours. Rides should be booked through the shuttle Coordinator with as much advance notice as possible to prevent scheduling conflicts.

MAIN CAMPUS | 18 West 89th Street Main entrance used by all.

NORTH MAIN CAMPUS | 291 Central Park West By agreement with the condominium, students and faculty are not permitted to use the elevator, hallways, staircase or entrance of the apartment building at 291 Central Park West.

Only if there is a real fire can these exits be used for emergency.

SOUTH MAIN CAMPUS | 17 West 88th Street The back door cannot be used except for Timothy House arrival and dismissal.

RIVERSIDE CAMPUS | 144 Riverside Boulevard Please use the main entrance of the Riverside Campus at 144 Riverside Boulevard for all traffic.

All external doors must remain closed and locked at all times. Doors can only be open during pick up and drop off. When leaving the gym, please make sure you close and lock the door behind you.

LEAVING THE BUILDING DURING SCHOOL HOURS If you are taking your students out of the building, please sign out in the binder located in Reception. Make sure you include your name, destination and cell number. If you do not have a cell phone, a walkie-talkie can be provided. P.E. and ECD/Timothy House teachers must also take a First Aid kit with them.

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SAFETY AND EMERGENCIES SAFETY AND SCHOOL CROSSING Complete staff cooperation is crucial in maintaining a safe school environment. Each faculty and staff member must adhere to the following policies and procedures: Riverside Campus • At no time should children be left unsupervised.

• A written attendance log must be recorded at the beginning of each day.

• Children must be counted frequently especially when exiting any location and arriving at a new one.

• All playground equipment is to be used in the proper manner under the supervision of an adult.

• A list of children and their allergies must be accessible to the teachers in an area where confidentiality is maintained. Before giving any food to a child, this list must be consulted.

It is essential that all external doors on the Riverside Campus remain closed and locked at all times. Doors can only be open during drop off and pickup. When leaving the gym, please make sure you close and lock the door behind you.

If you plan to be in the building after 5:30 p.m. or if you plan to come to school during the weekend, you must inform the Director in advance and ask security from the building to open the door. Please make sure that all doors are closed and lights/computers are off before leaving the school.

Playground Safety Please remember to take the following steps before leaving for the playground, during playtime, and upon returning: • Bring the emergency bag with parent contacts, consents, and first aid supplies.

• One teacher remains at the front of the line, and one teacher at the back of the line.

• Cross Riverside Boulevard only at 66th or 68th Streets, which are official pedestrian crosswalks.

• Always keep your eyes on the children. Remember to count them periodically during the walks to and from the playground, as well as throughout playtime.

• All playground equipment is to be used in the proper manner under staff supervision.

• At least one teacher will remain near each gate in the play area. Every class will have at least three staff members on the playground during this time.

Central Park West Campus When crossing 89th Street between campus buildings, all members of the Dwight community— students, staff, parents, and visitors—must cross only at the corner, and they must obey the signal light. Please set a safe example for our youngest community members.

MONITORING SAFETY MEASURES FOR STUDENTS All faculty members are required to enforce all of the following student safety measures: • Students should not have outside friends loitering within 1,000 feet of the School.

• Students should notify school officials if approached with or for drugs.

• Students should not have jewelry exposed when leaving school.

• Students should not approach any person or people in a motor vehicle asking for directions.

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• Students should not give out any personal information about themselves or any other students to strangers, and school officials should be notified IMMEDIATELY when requests for information are made.

• Students should notify school officials immediately if asked any improper (sexual,etc.) questions.

• Students must secure their locker at all times.

• Students are forbidden to carry any weapons or dangerous instruments to school.

• Teachers should always take a portable, two-way radio available in Reception when entering Central Park with the students.

• Security should be notified immediately of any potential dangerous situations.

• Laser pointers are banned. Any laser pointers found on school grounds will be confiscated and will not be returned to the student.

• Student cars should not be parked in front of the school building and should not be found cruising the surrounding areas.

• Anyone distributing information outside of the school buildings should be asked to leave.

Should the person be unwilling to leave, an administrator or member of Security should stand with said person until which time he/she leaves the area.

WEATHER CLOSINGS School will remain open unless the New York City Public Schools are ordered closed. In cases of inclement weather resulting in snow days, or other emergencies, administration and non-educational staff employees are not expected to report to work at their usual times.

However, they are expected to report to work on snow days as soon as it is safe for them to do so. On days where there is a two-hour delay in opening, all employees are expected to report to work as soon as it is safe for them to do so. If the School is open, an employee who reasonably believes that he/she cannot safely reach work due to weather conditions should contact his/her supervisor so that the supervisor may make necessary arrangements.

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES | MAIN CAMPUS Dwight School has designed emergency procedures so that our students, faculty, and staff are prepared to minimize the chance of life-threatening emergencies and to reduce the chance of injury or damage if one does occur in any of our buildings. All alarms received from smoke detectors, sprinklers, and manual pull stations result in immediate activation of fire bells and strobe lights, which will always prompt our evacuation of the building. The alarms are sent to the fire department via automatic dialers from our main fire panel. This panel will also shut down all of our roof top air handling equipment to prevent the spread of smoke and fuel for fire. At the same time, elevators are signaled to return to the main lobby. There are red emergency evacuation procedure signs in every room on or next to the door(s). These signs are specific to every room and will direct you to your designated assembly point.

If You Hear the Fire Alarm 1. Remain calm and do not talk. Evacuate your rooms immediately.

2. Close door(s) and window(s) to your rooms.

3. LISTEN for any instruction from teachers, security or building staff.

4. Proceed to your designated assembly point and wait for further instruction.

5. Never use an elevator to evacuate. If you are in an elevator during an alarm, the cars will automatically return to the main floor for you to exit.

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6. If you are physically challenged, await help on the nearest staircase.

7. Students should not join hands while walking down a staircase.

If You Discover a Fire 1. Pull the closest Manual Fire Pull Station. A pull station is located on every floor of our buildings.

2. Evacuate the building immediately and proceed to your room’s designated assembly point and wait for further instruction.

3. If you observe a fire from outside of our buildings, dial 911 immediately and alert Security.

Inclement Weather Evacuation 1. If the fire alarms go off during inclement weather, we will still proceed to our designated assembly points and wait for instruction.

2. We have neighborhood emergency relocation sites available to us. These sites will ONLY be used under the direction of our Head of School or designee.

3. If given instruction to relocate due to weather, everyone assembled on 88th Street and assembled on Central Park West will quietly proceed to the Trevor Day School at 1 West 88th Street. Everyone assembled on 89th Street will quietly proceed to the Central Baptist Church at 166 West 92nd Street (at Amsterdam Avenue).

4. These relocation sites may not always be feasible, so NEVER proceed to these sites without direction.

Special Circumstances Evacuation This evacuation requires us to assemble a greater distance from our buildings when it is unsafe for us to be in the immediate area. ONLY when directed by Security or building personnel, all assembled will walk and reassemble as close as possible to Columbus Avenue and remain at that location for further instruction. Everyone assembled on Central Park West will walk to Columbus Avenue via 87th or 90th Street, depending on your original assembly point. You will reassemble on 88th and 89th Streets and Columbus Avenue, respectfully, and remain at location for further instruction.

Shelter in Place This procedure is designed to gather our community in large groups in designated areas on our campus when an emergency situation outside of school prohibits us from normal dismissal or movement between buildings. Security will sweep all campus buildings and direct all students, faculty, staff, and guests to 18 West 89th Street for this procedure.

Security will lock and monitor all entrance doors on campus and deny all non-essential access or exiting of our buildings. The procedure will take place ONLY under the direction of our Head of School or designee.

The following are our internal designated assembly points for a Shelter in Place procedure: • Anglo House will assemble in the Large Gym • Franklin House will assemble in Small Gym • Bentley House will assemble in the Quad and Upper School Library • Timothy House will assemble in their homerooms • Guest will assemble in the Mezzanine 18

Lock Down This procedure is designed to immediately have students, faculty and staff move to the safest locations available and secure them in that area.

1. Teachers should turn off lights lock doors when possible and assemble in room out of sight line to door(s) and window(s) when possible.

2. The order to lock down will be communicated either by verbal direction, telephone, or email.

3. Security will deny all access to our buildings until proper clearance is given.

If You Receive a Bomb Threat 1. Obtain and record as much information as possible from the caller regarding: a) location of device b) type and time of detonation of device c) reason for placement d) appearance of device 2. Listen for background noises or distinguishing voice characteristics that might aid police 3. Notify a security team member immediately: a) Joe Dowling: x205 or 646.770.4876 b) Joe Gelfand: 917.886.6056 c) Gerry Melody: 917.532.3541 d) Eddie Purovic: 917.603.0405 Medical Emergency 1. If life-threatening, dial 911 immediately. Give your address, floor, and room number.

2. Notify Fatmira Purovic immediately at ext-202 or Joe Dowling at x204.

3. Do not move the person. If possible, perform first aid until medical help arrives.

4. Post a person on a staircase to lead the medical team to the person in distress.

AED (Automated External Defibrillator) Location The AED is located in the locations listed below. Only trained personnel should use this equipment. In an emergency, call 911 then Fatmira Purovic at x202.

• Reception Desk, 18 West 89th Street (Main Campus) • Reception Desk, 291 Central Park West (North Campus) • Health Office, 18 West 89th Street (Main Campus) • Early Childhood Division, 144 Riverside Boulevard (Main Entrance, Riverside Campus) Earthquake Procedures 1. The best protection during an earthquake is to get under heavy furniture, such as a desk, table, or bench.

2. Move away from windows and exterior walls.

3. The greatest danger exists directly outside of buildings, at exits and sidewalks next to buildings.

4. If an earthquake occurs, remain inside the building and wait for instruction from Security.

Emergency Contact Numbers At Dwight School, you must dial 9 first, then the number. All emergency calls require us to dial “(9) 911.”

1. Joe Dowling: 646.770.4876 2. Joe Gelfand: 917.886.6056 19

3. Gerry Melody: 917.532.3541 4. Eddie Purovic: 917.603.0405 Evacuation Procedures for Parents/Guests Parents/guests should be made aware that in the event of a emergency, they MUST evacuate the building and assemble as directed according to that room’s evacuation procedure and remain at location for further direction.

Emergency Relocation Sites 1. Central Baptist Church: 166 West 92nd Street (at Amsterdam Avenue) 2. Trevor Day School: 1 West 88th Street *Some Dwight campus buildings may be used as relocation sites, depending on the emergency EMERGENCY PROCEDURES | RIVERSIDE CAMPUS Fire Drills Fire Drill information is kept at Reception. Study the information and know your classroom’s procedures. Review with the children what to do in case of a fire at the beginning of every term.

Fire Drills will be conducted monthly.

When the fire alarm sounds children should line up in single line. One teacher should head towards the exit while the other follows at the back of the line closing the classroom door behind them. Children should move quickly and quietly out to the assembly area on Riverside Boulevard.

In the Event of a Real or Suspected Fire At the first sight of flames, smell of smoke or notification that there is a fire, sound the alarm (there is an alarm box in each campus) and evacuate the building.

Take your log book and emergency bag for use at the evacuation assembly site (only if this can be done safely). Each teacher should know where each child in his or her group is. A quick head count should be taken.

While speed is important when leaving the building, it is secondary to maintaining order and discipline. Keep calm. If the room is smoky, crawl along the floor. Feel the doors; if they are warm, do not open them. When you leave your room, close the door behind you. If your clothes catch on fire, stop, drop to the ground and roll around.

Remember to follow the evacuation procedures posted in each classroom. After the children are all out, one teacher per class makes a careful check (behind shelves, in bathroom, storage areas, etc.) of the whole classroom. All class groups should stand QUIETLY while the teachers take attendance; teachers must report any absentees to the Director/Assistant Director.

Re-entry Procedures When the building is deemed safe to return, the Director will authorize all groups to re-enter the building.

SCHOOL CONTINGENCY PLAN In the event the School is closed due to any health-related issue or natural disaster, Dwight School has a contingency plan. You will be informed via email and/or telephone (in the event that the Internet is down) that the following contingency plan is in place: 20

Academics External Examinations (ERB, PSAT, ACT, IB, or AP) The School will adhere to recommendations issued from the examining organization.

Dwight Final Examinations In the event of closure, the Final Examinations would not be held and the final grade for each course be computed solely on the basis of the three-trimester average.

Continuation of Dwight Academic Classes Grades 1-5 Classroom teachers will post information and assignments on each class’s homepage so that parents can assist their child in completing set activities or assignments.

Grades 6-12 Class work will be assigned on a regular basis whereby teachers in each course will post assignments on MyDwight. Students will correspond with teachers by email.

In every case clear deadlines for submission of work from students to teachers will be provided and grades for submitted work will be sent to students periodically. Assessments will be clearly posted on MyDwight and students will be expected to submit responses by the due date provided. Teachers will work cooperatively to ensure that assessments are efficiently scheduled to avoid student overload.

Athletics/Activities In the event of a school closure due to any health-related issue of natural disaster, all afterschool activities and athletic practices/games will be cancelled. Confirmation of this will be posted on MyDwight.

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COMMUNITY HEALTH Emergency Contact Numbers At Dwight School, you must dial 9 first, then the number. All emergency calls require us to dial “(9) 911.”

• Joe Dowling: 646.770.4876 • Joe Gelfand: 917.886.6056 • Gerry Melody: 917.532.3541 • Eddie Purovic: 917.603.0405 • Fatmira Purovic: 646.842.2759 REPORTING ALLEGATIONS OF CHILD ABUSE AND MALTREATMENT The Dwight community is a safe place for children to grow and learn, and we take accusations of child abuse and maltreatment very seriously. We respond to these accusations in an expeditious, child-centered manner.

Under New York state law, all school officials (including administrators, teachers, guidance counselors, school psychologists, nurses, teaching assistants, and any other licensed personnel) are mandated reporters and must report suspicions of child abuse and maltreatment when they have reasonable cause to suspect that a parent or legal guardian of a child coming before them in their official or professional capacity has abused or maltreated the child. Officials may make mandated reports by telephone or in writing. The toll free mandated reporter hotline is 1.800.635.1522.

To ensure that the School can take appropriate institutional action to support our students and faculty, Dwight requests that mandated reporters notify the Head of School before placing any call. Promptly after any call, a mandated reporter must notify the Head of School. This notification will allow the School to appropriately support the child and the reporter himself or herself. The Head of School will never endeavor to dissuade mandated reporters from carrying out their responsibilities. The Head of School and her designees are available to discuss the mandatory reporting process at any time. After a report, the Head of School, or her designee, is responsible for all subsequent administration and follow-up necessitated by the report (e.g., determining whether to notify any family members of the report).

Failure by mandated reporters to report reasonable suspicions of abuse and maltreatment is punishable as a Class A misdemeanor, which can result in a penalty of up to a year in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. Failure to report may also result in a civil lawsuit for monetary damages. For more information on New York State mandated reporting laws, please see www.nysmandatedreporter.org.

Dwight will not take retaliatory action against any employee who believes that he or she has reasonable cause to suspect that a child is an abused or maltreated child and then makes a report in accordance with law.

Members of the Dwight community who are not mandated reports (including students and parents) may make a report of suspected child abuse or maltreatment by calling the general public hotline at 1.800.342.3720.

If you have any questions about this policy, or the mandated reporting laws, please contact the Head of School or another member of the Senior Leadership Team.

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MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL BEING Teachers, administrators, and staff members must report any signs of unusual or concerning behavior to a dean or counselor. Teachers must not attempt to take on the role of therapist to students; while it may be with good intentions, doing so is unprofessional, potentially harmful, and can result in disciplinary action including termination of employment. Under no circumstances may faculty or staff make recommendations directly to parents or students regarding medication or any other professional services. The School has two counselors on staff whose role is to help ensure that our community is as emotionally, socially, and psychologically healthy as possible. The following behaviors should be reported to counseling staff: • Significant weight loss or weight gain • Low energy or chronic fatigue • Decreased effectiveness or productivity at School • Decreased attention, concentration, or ability to think clearly • Social withdrawal • Loss of interest in or enjoyment of pleasurable activities • Irritability or excessive/uncontrollable anger • Inability to respond with apparent pleasure to praise or rewards • Decreased activity or talkativeness, sluggishness, or restlessness • Tearfulness or crying • Talk of death or suicide • Sexual promiscuity • Drastic and/or abrupt changes in appearance (unkempt) • Drug or alcohol use • Significant absence and/or lateness patterns When dealing with emotional, psychological, and social concerns, we ask that you err on the side of communication with administrators and/or counselors. Even when feeling unsure, please come forth with your concerns so that a decision regarding the need for follow-up can be made in conjunction with an administrator or counselor.

MAINTAINING PROFESSIONAL STAFF/STUDENT BOUNDARIES We expect all Dwight staff members to maintain the highest professional, moral, and ethical standards in interactions with students, and we are proud to be a community in which students trust their teachers and other staff members. To foster this trust, all staff members are required to preserve an atmosphere conducive to learning through fairly applied policies and clear professional boundaries. They must also understand the importance of maintaining appropriate boundaries between adults and students in and outside of the educational setting.

Examples of inappropriate boundary invasions by staff members include but are not limited to the following: • Addressing students or permitting students to address staff members with personalized terms of endearment, pet names, or otherwise in an overly familiar manner; • Using banter, allusions, jokes, or innuendos of a sexual or otherwise inappropriate nature with students; • Disclosing personal, sexual, family, employment concerns, or other private matters to one or more students; 23

• Maintaining personal contact with a student outside of school by phone, email, Instant Messenger, Internet chat rooms, social networking web sites, or letters (beyond homework or other legitimate school business) without including the parent/guardian; • Sending students on personal errands unrelated to any educational purpose; • Singling out a particular student or students for personal attention and friendship beyond the professional staff-student relationship; • Socializing or spending time with students (including but not limited to activities such as going out for beverages, meals or movies, shopping, traveling, and recreational activities) outside of school-sponsored events, except as participants in organized community activities; • Socializing where students are consuming alcohol, drugs, or tobacco. Employees whose conduct violates this policy may face discipline and/or termination.

Appearance of Impropriety The appearance of inappropriate behavior can be almost as damaging to a healthy community as impropriety itself. The following activities are boundary invasions and can create an actual impropriety or the appearance of impropriety. Whenever possible, staff members must avoid these situations: • Being alone with an individual student out of the view of others; • Inviting or allowing individual students to visit the staff member’s home; • Visiting a student’s home or other locations outside of school for non-educational purposes; • Using social networking websites with students for non-educational purposes or using email accounts other than Dwight’s for student-staff member communications.

Reporting Violations Students and their parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to notify the Head of School or another member of the Senior Leadership Team if they believe a teacher or other staff member may be engaging in conduct that violates this policy.

Staff members are required to notify promptly the Head of School or another member of the Senior Leadership Team if they become aware of a situation that may constitute a violation of this policy.

DEFINITIONS OF HARRASSMENT AND BULLYING Dwight defines harassment as any written message—including those that are electronically transmitted - verbal, or physical act that has one of more of the following consequences: • Physically harms a student or damages a student’s property.

• Substantially interferes with a student’s emotional growth or education.

• Creates an intimidating or threatening educational environment.

Bullying is repeated negative behavior toward a less powerful person or persons. Hitting, namecalling, shunning, and shaming are all forms of bullying. Spreading rumors, gossiping and making threats are also forms of bullying.

REPORTING HARASSMENT AND BULLYING We expect all members of the Dwight community to treat one another with civility and respect. Accordingly, Dwight has enacted the following anti-bullying policy for activities on School property or sponsored by the School.

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Any student who believes that he or she has been or is being harassed or bullied by a student, or who believes that he or she has witnessed an incident of harassment or bullying by a fellow student, should report his or her observations to a teacher, staff member, dean, or any member of the administration. Teachers and staff members must notify the Senior Leadership Team of any allegations of bullying and harassment. We ask that parents similarly notify the Senior Leadership Team of any suspected incidents of harassment or bullying.

Any student who believes that he or she has been or is being harassed or bullied by an adult, or that he or she has witnessed an incident of harassment or bullying by an adult, should report his or her observations to a teacher, staff member, dean, or any member of the administration.

Teachers and staff members must notify the Senior Leadership Team of any allegations of bullying and harassment. We ask that parents similarly notify the Senior Leadership Team of any suspected incidents of harassment or bullying.

Likewise, any faculty or staff member who feels that he or she has been bullied should notify a member of the Senior Leadership Team.

Reports of harassment and bullying will be kept confidential, to the extent possible. No person who in good faith reports or provides information related to suspected harassment or bullying pursuant to this policy shall suffer retaliation, harassment, or other adverse employment action. Any person who makes such a report or provides information in bad faith, or with the knowledge that it is false, shall be subject to discipline.

SICK/INJURED STUDENTS Know who to call in an emergency: • Main Campus Healthcare Provider in the Health Office: x202 • Main Campus Reception: x200 • Early Childhood Division Healthcare Provider in the Health Office: x351 • Early Childhood Division Reception: x302 Take whatever measures may be necessary to protect the child. If serious and unable to contact any of the above numbers, notify the parents. If unable to contact the parents, notify the child’s emergency contact. If very serious, call 911 and have someone else pull the child’s medical file kept in the School Office. The emergency release form from the parents will instruct you to which emergency room the child should be brought.

Students with emergent health concerns should always be escorted to the Health Office or supervised until the Healthcare Provider or emergency care arrives. If a student is taken to the hospital, the teacher or administrator present must stay at the hospital until the parent arrives or the student is released, unless advised otherwise by the Director/Healthcare Provider.

NEVER move an injured student if you have any concerns about a neck injury, head injury or fracture. NEVER touch another person’s blood or body fluids. Bleeding students must remain where they are until the Healthcare provider or a First Aid caregiver arrives. Always manage bleeding incidents and all body fluids with gloves and dressings.

If one child bites another and the skin is broken, the teacher should wear gloves and clean the wound with soap and water, then hold it under fast, cold running water. Cover with a bandage.

If the bite is severe, parents should be called immediately. If one child bites another, even if the skin is not broken, parents should be informed as soon as possible.

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All injuries must be reported and an Accident Report form filled out, no matter how minor the accident. It is imperative that parents are informed of every injury, no matter how minor, on the day of the occurrence. When incidents occur between children, teachers are not permitted to disclose to the parents the identities of the other child/ren involved.

Faculty and Staff must take a First Aid kit with them any time they leave the building with a group of students. First Aid kit supplies are available in the Health Office and the kits may be submitted there for replenishment.

In the event of sudden cardiac arrest during school hours, the following steps are critical: • Assess the scene safety.

• Confirm unresponsiveness • Dial 911 • Dial x202 (Office of School Health) or x200 (Main Office) and alert them to emergency and location of unconscious person.

• The Main Office staff will assign someone to retrieve the AED machine and meet responding volunteer at emergency scene.

• The office staff will assign the security to wait at the school entrance to direct EMS to the victim’s location.

All steps must be presented to help ensure survival from sudden cardiac arrest. The cardiac chain of survival is a series of four critical steps which are: • Early access (calling 911) • Early CPR • Early AED (it is located in the Main Office) • Early Advanced Cardiac Life Support-ALS (paramedics) *ALL faculty and staff must know that the AED (Automated External Defibrillator) is located in Main Campus Reception and in the front foyer of the Riverside Campus (main building).

BECOMING ILL OR INJURED AT SCHOOL Students who become ill or injured must report to the Health Office; parents/guardians will be contacted and arrangements made for transportation home if necessary. All ill/injured students (N-grade 7) must be picked up from the health office. No student will be dismissed without parent’s or guardian’s permission. If a child is sent home sick with fever, vomiting or diarrhea, he/she is required to abide by the 24-hour Rule.

If the parent/guardian cannot be reached, another emergency contact person will be called.

In the event that the child requires immediate medical attention and the parents cannot be reached, the school personnel will call EMS and escort the child to the nearest hospital. Dwight personnel may act in loco parentis, which means “in the place of a parent” and secure proper treatment (ambulance, hospitalization, etc.) for necessary care.

STUDENT ILLNESS RELATED ABSENCES If a child is absent from school due to an illness, it is particularly important to inform the health office, (x202) in addition to the classroom teachers or attendance line. This procedure will help us track the illness at school so that the school can try to prevent the spread and alert other parents, faculty, and staff.

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A doctor’s note is required for student absences beyond four consecutive days. Doctors’ notes from a parent or family member are not acceptable. If a student fails to comply with this requirement, the house dean may not allow the student to return to school without proper clearance from a physician.

ATTENDING SCHOOL AFTER BEING SICK In order to keep our school and students healthy, children who have been sick cannot attend school until they are no longer contagious: either 24 hours after they have been on antibiotics for an infection, or 24 hours free of symptoms described below.

THE 24-HOUR RULE In the absence of a medical diagnosis or a physician-signed clearance to return to school, students who are ill should be excluded according to the following guidelines recommended

by The NYC Department of Health: • Fever (100 degrees or higher): Until 24 hours after the last episode of fever without antifever medication • Diarrhea: Until 24 hours after the last episode of diarrhea • Vomiting: Until 24 hours after the last episode of vomiting • Skin rash with fever: Until 5 days after the onset of the rash and 24 hours after the last episode of fever without anti-fever medication • Strep, pink eye, impetigo, etc.: Must be under treatment with antibiotics for 24 hours REPORTING COMMUNICABLE DISEASE AND NOTIFYING (NYCDOHMH) Schools are required to notify NYC DOH of reportable disease or condition. Therefore, It is very important that you inform the Health Office immediately if students, faculty or staff has contracted a communicable disease.

The following are examples of reportable diseases and conditions: Strep throat/Scarlet fever; Influenza (Flu); Mononucleosis; Pinkeye; Impetigo; Hand-FootMouth disease; Staph skin infections; Ringworm; Pinworms; Fifth Disease; Molluscum Contagiosum; Head Lice; Nits; Vaccine preventable illnesses; Chickenpox, Shingles, Meningitis, Positive TB test; or other communicable diseases or conditions, which may be a danger to the health of other children and staff.

STUDENT ACCOMMODATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS If a situation necessitates a student being temporarily excused (up to two days) from participating in Physical Education activities, a parent must notify the health office in addition to the appropriate gym teacher at school.

If a student (grades 1-12) requires accommodations, modification or restrictions from participating in physical education or sports activities at school long term (three days or more) due to a medical condition, orthopedic injury, fractures, or surgery, then the Head of Physical Education Department and/or the student’s Dean must request the Physical Activity Form (available on mydwight.edu) to be completed and signed by the student’s physician, and submitted to the health office in person, by fax (646.514.5143), or email Fatmira Purovic at fpurovic@dwight.edu.

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MEDICAL EMERGENCY • If life-threatening, dial 911 immediately. Give your address, floor and room number.

• Notify the Health Office immediately or Reception Desk.

• Do not move the person. If possible, perform first aid until medical help arrives.

• Post a person on a staircase to lead the medical team to the person in distress.

Know the personnel who are CPR /First Aid certified. First Aid kits are available in the following locations: • Health Offices • All Timothy House and ECD classrooms • ECD kitchens • Sixth grade classroom • Fourth Floor Science Department • Athletic Department • Activities Office • Reception Desks • Art Rooms • Faculty Lounge Faculty and Staff must take a First Aid kit with them anytime they leave the building with a group of students. First aid kit supplies are available in the Health Office and the kits may be submitted there for replenishment.

AED (AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR) ALL faculty and staff must know that the AED (Automated External Defibrillator) machines are located at the following locations: • Reception Desk, 18 West 89th Street (Main Campus) • Reception Desk, 291 Central Park West (North Campus) • Health Office, 18 West 89th Street (Main Campus) • Early Childhood Division, 144 Riverside Boulevard (Main Entrance) Only trained personnel should use this equipment.

In the event of sudden cardiac arrest during school hours, the following steps are critical: • Assess the scene safety.

• Confirm unresponsiveness • Dial 911 • Dial the Health Office or Reception and alert them to emergency and location of unconscious person.

• Start CPR immediately and do not stop until an AED arrives • The Main Office staff will assign someone to retrieve the closest AED machine and meet responding volunteer at emergency scene.

• The office staff will assign the security to wait at the school entrance to direct EMS to the victim’s location.

All steps must be presented to help ensure survival from sudden cardiac arrest. The cardiac chain of survival is a series of four critical steps which are: 28

• Early access (calling 911) • Early CPR • Early AED • Early Advanced Cardiac Life Support-ALS (paramedics) NUT PRODUCTS AND FOOD ALLERGIES Dwight School strives to be a nut-free school. At this time, for the protection of our students with severe nut allergies, we consider ourselves a “nut-aware” school: we make every effort to eliminate peanut, tree nut (walnut, pecan), and any nut-based products and to raise awareness about food allergies.

• Our food service does not serve peanut butter or nuts of any kind during lunch, at snack times, and at School events and activities.

• We ask that parents and caregivers refrain from sending peanut, tree nut, or other nutbased foods to School as birthday treats or snacks.

• We ask that students, parents, caregivers, faculty, and staff who may have eaten peanut, tree nut, or other nut-based foods thoroughly wash their hands before entering the School building.

• We ask that families of children with food allergies work closely and cooperatively with our School Healthcare Provider, deans, and classroom teachers to ensure a safe environment for students at school. It is essential that families of children with food allergies keep the Health Office informed every year of the child’s allergies and of any changes that may occur during the school year. Every year, parents must submit a MAF and provide the School with the student’s medication (antihistamines, Epipen, or inhaler) in its original pharmacy labeled container with specific orders.

• We ask families to encourage their children to not share foods/utensils and to practice thorough hand washing.

Our School Healthcare Provider creates and implements protocols for response if severe allergic reaction occurs. Because so many people enter our School building each day, there is no way we can ensure that our School is completely nut-free. We appreciate the efforts of each member of our community to protect the health of all of our students.

NON-SMOKING POLICY There is a no smoking policy in effect for all students. If you encounter a student smoking, instruct him or her to extinguish the cigarette, ask for the student’s name (if necessary), and report the student to the appropriate dean. Students found smoking in the School, in the general vicinity of the School or at any School functions will be given Saturday detention and/ or disciplinary action deemed appropriate by the house dean. In addition, students who are caught smoking cigarettes must attend a smoking cessation workshop specified by the School.

Cost of the workshop will be borne by the student’s parents. Students who are repeat offenders will be required to attend a workshop for each infraction.

In addition, students are not permitted to smell of smoke. A student who smells of smoke on campus will be given a warning on the first offense and be required to attend the smoking cessation program if there are further offenses.

Faculty and staff members are not permitted to smoke on premises or in the immediate vicinity.

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STUDENT INVOLVEMENT WITH ALCOHOL OR DRUGS The possession, sale, or taking of alcohol, drugs, or prescription medication in a manner for which it is not intended, on or off campus, at any time can result in expulsion. The above list is not all-inclusive, and the School reserves the right to discipline or expel students for behavior that the School deems inappropriate. The Administration reserves the right to require students who are suspected of drug use to be tested at a School-specified testing facility at the parents’ expense. The results of testing must be released to the School. Those students who test positive are subject to School-mandated counseling or expulsion. Random urine tests will be required during the period of time that the student is in mandated treatment.

STUDENT HEALTH The health of our students is of the utmost importance, and the School’s Healthcare Provider plays an essential role in ensuring that our students are healthy. Please communicate any health concerns you have to her. The Healthcare Provider will notify the appropriate Dean and Division Head of students who are not compliant with the required immunization records in order to help obtain these records accordingly. Students without ANY immunization records are not allowed to attend school unless they are exempt for religious or medical reasons. Students with incomplete immunizations will be provisional until the requirements are met. Deans and Division Heads must be familiar with student health records (available in the Healthcare Office).

CHILD CUSTODY CASES Faculty members have a professional responsibility to maintain a neutral stance in contested child custody situations. Teachers must abide by the decision of court orders. In a separation or divorce situation, it is the responsibility of the parents to provide the school with a copy of the custodial agreement prior to the beginning of the school year. This document should be handed to the Registrar and will be filed with the student’s records. The Registrar will communicate to the deans and faculty if there are parents who should not be contacted.

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RECEPTION DAILY BULLETIN The Main Campus Daily Bulletin is a source for important student and faculty news and announcements and is printed and emailed each day by the Office Manager. Faculty and staff should make a point of reading the Bulletin each morning. Copies can be obtained from Reception or online. Submissions for the Daily Bulletin must be made to the Office Manager, via email by 12:00 p.m. the day before. Submissions received after 12:00 p.m. are not guaranteed to appear the next day.

TELEPHONE USE The School’s phone lines are available to teachers for School-related calls and/or emergency calls. Administrators and teachers are required to notify the Business Office when a long distance call is made. The phones in Reception are for incoming calls and for students to call their parent/guardian in the event of an emergency or illness.

VOICEMAIL Voicemail is provided to all faculty. It is an important tool of communication for both parents and other faculty members. Faculty members are responsible for maintaining outgoing messages, monitoring all incoming messages and responding promptly to all calls. Faculty are also advised to change outgoing messages to reflect vacations and absences.

PHOTOCOPYING Use the photocopying machines in the faculty copy center to duplicate classroom materials.

If the machine malfunctions, notify the Office Manager. Never send a student to Reception to have materials photocopied. The photocopiers in the Main and North Campus Offices are reserved for office and administrative use.

FACULTY SUPPLIES The Department Chair is responsible for ordering all office supplies used within the department.

Purchase orders should be reviewed by Department Chairs and then submitted to the Director of Finance. Upon approval from the Director of Finance, the Chair may order the supplies.

LOST AND FOUND Give or report all lost and found items to Reception. Items confiscated from students by the faculty must be given to the House Deans, who will store the items for the remainder of the day. This includes baseball caps, cell phones and headphones. Money found should be locked up in Reception. Faculty who do not follow this procedure will be held personally responsible and must compensate for the loss.

VISITORS All visitors to the school must sign in at Reception and wear a “Visitor” name tag issued to them upon arrival. Faculty and staff are encouraged to politely question any stranger without a “Visitor” name tag about his/her reason for being in the School and inform the individual of the School’s policy for visitors.

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RECORDING STUDENT ATTENDANCE Student attendance is recorded daily by each dean and classroom teacher for grades 6-12. It is imperative that all faculty members adhere to appropriate procedures in order to maintain accurate records and locate missing students in a timely fashion. Please see page 50 for specific guidelines.

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COMMUNICATIONS The Communications Office is responsible for managing all internal and external communications.

This includes producing publications (Dwight Today alumni magazine, The Dwight School Foundation’s Annual Report, Student Handbook, and the School Calendar. It also includes managing the website, social media, and photo archive. Finally, the Communications Office oversees all visual communications – everything appearing on bulletin boards and the walls of the School.

Any and all communications to parents and the general public, as well as anything that you would like to post or hang on a wall, should be referred to the Director of Communications before production and/or mailing. It is not necessary to submit individual emails to parents for approval, but any emails going to entire grade levels must be sent through the Communications Office. This procedure helps ensure consistent, accurate, and appropriate communication of the Dwight image.

MEDIA/MARKETING Avoid areas where a conflict of interest may occur. In order to protect the integrity of Dwight School, faculty may not speak to the media, lawyers, etc. regarding Dwight matters without the consent of the Head of School and the Director of Communications. All faculty and staff must abide by all applicable laws concerning copyright protection.

MAILINGS All weekly mailings will be in an email form (Monday Mailer). If you would like to have something emailed to student homes, it must be submitted to The Director of Communications for approval. Submissions for the electronic weekly newsletter must be received at least three days before distribution.

NEWSLETTERS ECD class teachers are expected to write a weekly newsletter called “The Friday Fives,” informing parents of all the exciting things that have happened in their class over the course of the week as well as events to look forward to in the week ahead. Teachers should also post daily notes of activities and highlights outside of their classroom.

The Parents Association sends a monthly newsletter via email once a month to showcase their events for the upcoming month.

MYP teachers produce a newsletter that is sent out via email once per trimester reviewing all of the MYP-related initiatives that students participated in.

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STUDENT POLICIES Please familiarize yourself with our policies for students and parents. These are described fully in the Student/Parent Handbook available for download from MyDwight.

STUDENT DISCIPLINE PHILOSOPHY Student discipline at Dwight School plays an important role in the moral, ethical, and social education that the School provides its students; it also plays a major role in establishing and maintaining the high moral and ethical standards that are essential to the quality of our community life. The School’s philosophy is premised on the fact that we are dealing with young people; people who are in the process of forming their values and the behaviors that go with those values. We do not expect perfection from the start, but we do believe that one can be educated through discipline, and thereafter be held accountable for one’s actions. We need to be active in many instances, then, to model, encourage, and define proper behavior, as well as to discourage, prevent, and punish improper behavior. From individual interactions to discipline responses, we strive to educate through our responses. We urge you to keep in the forefront of your mind the idea that we cannot really condemn a student for misconduct until we have made an effort to teach that student about options in a situation, the impact on others as a result of an action/behavior, and the impact of that action on himself or herself. Overall, we are most compelling when we can articulate why behavior is acceptable or unacceptable.

As we are educators in the classroom, we are educators in all the other “classrooms” the School offers, and we should explain why rules exist, rather than expect passive acceptance of precepts.

Whenever you are in the presence of students, you are “on” and must be ready to deal with disciplining (and praising!) students. Failure to respond to a student’s infraction of the rules causes two untenable results. When students are dealt with inconsistently by the faculty, they receive mixed messages about our expectations. Also, failure on your part to address an infraction means that some other faculty member will have to address the problem; this is a serious breach of professional responsibility and collegial support. If you observe a minor infraction, address it immediately, but try to be considerate of the student’s feelings yet be firm. In most instances, the situation will be resolved with more equanimity when the student is addressed privately.

It is critical that you set an appropriate example of modeled behavior for students by always remaining in control of yourself, no matter how upset you may be by a student’s conduct. The same conduct is appropriate with parents when discussing a student’s needs.

In the Timothy House, all discipline and behavior issues should be communicated to the Head of Lower School. In the Bentley, Franklin, and Anglo Houses, all discipline and behavior issues should be communicated to the appropriate dean. In all cases, teachers, deans, and administrators will work together to determine the course of action that is best for the health of the School and our students.

STUDENT CONDUCT Faculty and administrators are responsible for modeling professional conduct and monitoring student behavior inside and outside of the classroom. Students who display willful disobedience (obscene language or gestures, vulgarity, harassment of other students, etc.) must be disciplined and reported to the appropriate dean. Threats, verbal or written, against another student or the School must be taken very seriously, as would the possession of any weapon, tool or gadget that might be considered dangerous. Carefully read the specific section on Student Conduct in the Dwight School Student/Parent Handbook.

COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY Care must be taken at all times to ensure the privacy and rights of the residents of the block.

For this reason, students are not permitted to loiter in the doorways or on the stoops of buildings on the street. Teachers are obliged to take action if these rules are being broken. We only occupy the daytime hours in this area; others make a permanent home here.

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ACADEMIC POLICIES AND STUDENT LIFE Dwight School believes in Mastery Teaching with multiple forms of assessment. Faculty are responsible for ensuring that multiple forms of assessment are used in every course ensuring that students with a wide range of learning styles have the optimum opportunity to demonstrate mastery of a given topic.

WRITTEN CURRICULUM All subject teachers in grades N-12 are responsible for ensuring that the online curriculum maps (hosted by Rubicon Atlas) are complete, maintained and accurately reflect what is taught.

Teachers must work closely with their Head of Department in posting this information, which should include links such as student work exemplars. No teacher is to leave for summer break without a review of curriculum maps by the Department Chair.

PROGRESS REPORTS AND COMMUNICATION We pride ourselves in maintaining excellent internal and external communications regarding students’ academic progress. When a student is struggling academically, teachers should communicate with each other and with a student’s family to try to find ways to help that student succeed.

Furthermore, no family should learn about a student’s poor performance in any class for the first time via his or her report card. Because every student and every family defines “poor performance” differently, it is often best to contact the families of students whose grades are below an 80 average long before the end of a trimester. Doing so can allow teachers and families to work together to help students succeed. Communication with the family is important to quickly address a student’s needs.

Quest reports are distributed periodically and must be returned in a timely manner.

PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES Dwight School students benefit most when parents and teachers work together. ParentTeacher Conferences are designed to share observations about student progress. Keeping this connection strong benefits students both at home and at School.

Conference days, comprising of a series of five-minute (grades 6-12) or twenty-minute meetings (N5), are scheduled two times during the year. Parents and teachers may request additional conferences and progress reports at any time through the appropriate grade level dean or head of department.

These provide the opportunity for parents and teachers to communicate at regular intervals.

Guidelines Please note that in each of the following cases, parents must be contacted in advance of ParentTeacher Conferences: • A student’s work is sufficiently incomplete that it will noticeably impact the grade • A student is grossly underachieving • A student’s grade has fallen below 75, which is our college recommending grade • A student’s attendance or punctuality has greatly impacted the grade Always bear in mind that when discussing a student’s current progress with parents, Dwight uses a trimester system where there is plenty of room for future improvement in grade average.

It is only the average of all three trimesters that appears on the transcript.

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During the conference, if a question arises that you feel you cannot answer, direct that parent to the respective Department Chair.

Please ensure that you restrict each conference to a maximum of five minutes (grades 6-12) or twenty minutes (N-5). We wish to avoid parents having excessive wait times. Should a more lengthy discussion be called for, the teacher should make arrangements to contact the parent at a later date.

In the case where a student is experiencing academic problems, present possible solutions to the parent and, if necessary, enlist the parent’s help with such a solution.

GRADE REPORTS As we near the end of each trimester, the Administration and Registrar will distribute a calendar to ensure that reports are generated and distributed efficiently. It is essential that all members of the faculty submit information through MyDwight according to this schedule.

GRADING SYSTEM (K-12) Timothy House The following modes of assessment are utilized: • Self-Assessment: Students analyze what they know and what they need to know. This is demonstrated in portfolios, written self-evaluations and reflections.

• Teacher Assessment: Teachers evaluate each student, commenting on how he or she is progressing in the continuum of skills, topics, and concepts that are crucial to academic and life-long success. Teachers devise rubrics for specific assignments to make expectations and criteria clear. This is documented in report cards, which include a record of student progress and goal setting.

• Standardized Assessment: Standardized, norm-referenced tests give indications of how students compare with those of similar grades across the United States.

• Formal Assessment: Timothy House has four assessments – two Parent-Teacher Conferences, one student-led conference, and three narrative reports. Additional meetings with parents to discuss progress or concerns are encouraged.

Bentley, Franklin and Anglo Houses There are three marking periods in the school year. Report cards are distributed at the end of each trimester. Trimester grades are based on student work and reflects the following levels of proficiency.

Grades Used on Report Cards: 90...............High Honors 85 – 90.......Honors 75 – 84.......College Recommending 65 – 74.......Minimum Passing Grade < 65............Failing P.................Pass (course taken pass/fail) INC............ Incomplete (two weeks to complete) WD............ Withdrawn from course IP............... In Progress (extenuating circumstances) MED..............Medical Excuse (doctor’s note procludes a student from participating in physical education) 36

International Baccalaureate Grading System The following conversion chart illustrates the approximate equivalence of traditional numerical and IB grades at Dwight: 7 98-100 3 75-82 6 94-97 2 65-74

5 90-93 1 64 or less 4 83-89 A failing grade in any subject must be remediated in summer school. A student who receives a grade of 70 or below in any academic subject is strongly recommended to do summer work to improve that grade. The Dwight Intensive Summer School may be used for this purpose (the summer school grade is normally averaged with the year end grade). It is important to note that up to 20% of the total grade value in any given subject may be based on participation. Students whose absence or lateness exceeds 12 days of total class time may be requested to attend summer school or may not be invited to return to Dwight. Students who receive two or more failing grades or three or more minimum passing grades may be requested to repeat a grade or may not be invited to return.

A subject-specific review of student progress takes place twice a year, prior to Parent-Teacher Conferences. These reports include a variety of criteria on which the student has been assessed, using the 1-7 IB grading system. Students are given an opportunity to reflect on these reports.

The passing grade is 65%. A failing student should receive a grade of 55% or 60% in our MyDwight system. Grades should be allocated with this in mind to give students an accurate assessment of their likely performance. Consult the IB Coordinator or Registrar for advice in this respect. A college recommending grade is 75% and above.

IB Grade of 7 (Highest Distinction) The student has exhibited consistent evidence of critical reflective thinking and a high level of proficiency in analyzing and evaluating data or problem solving. The work has exhibited knowledge based on personal research of the subject, awareness of alternative points of view and subjective and ideological biases. The student has illustrated advanced skills of synthesis and evaluation. Excellent work has been produced in all areas of assessment, including a high level of ability to provide answers that are fully developed. The knowledge learned is readily applied in new situations.

IB Grade of 6 (High Honors) Indicates that the student has consistently demonstrated a thorough under-standing of the content and can effectively apply the skills defined in the program objectives, in a wide variety of situations. A student attaining a Grade 6 will have demonstrated originality, understanding and insight. The student regularly produces work illustrating the skills of synthesis and evaluation, and has met all program objectives. The knowledge learned is applied in new situations.

IB Grade of 5 (Honors) Indicates that the student has regularly demonstrated a thorough understanding of the content and can effectively apply the skills defined in the program objectives. The student can produce work showing originality and insight. The student may occasionally, though not consistently, produce work illustrating the skills of synthesis and evaluation.

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IB Grade of 4 Indicates that the student has in general demonstrated a good understanding of the content and can effectively apply the skills defined in the course objectives. There is occasional evidence of originality and insight.

IB Grade of 3 Indicates achievement in most areas of assessment. The student has demonstrated a limited understanding of the content but can apply the skills defined in the course objectives with support.

IB Grade of 2 Indicates limited achievement in all areas of assessment. The student has difficulty in understanding the content and applying the skills demanded by the course even with support.

IB Grade of 1 Reflects minimal achievement by the student in terms of the objectives identified within the program.

ASSESSMENT POLICY The foundation for a Dwight education can be found in the School’s Mission and Three Pillars. These in turn, are buttressed by the IB learner profile and IB Mission Statement.

When viewed together, these provide a rich set of operating principles that underpin Dwight life.

Dwight School’s mission statement states that: Dwight School, an internationally recognized IB World School, is committed to finding and igniting the “spark of genius” in every child. Kindling their interests, we develop inquisitive, informed, selfaware, and ethical citizens who will build a better world.

Purpose of Assessment At Dwight we believe, that assessment is a vital part of the school’s teaching and learning program. It provides information about student learning and development as well as a framework for curriculum planning, self-reflection and collaboration. We aim to support and promote effective teaching and learning in the classroom by offering a variety of assessments.

We realize that children learn in different ways, at different rates and at different times.

Assessment should be a supportive and positive process. It should help students to improve their learning, teachers to improve their teaching and for parents to be able to follow up and provide support to their children’s achievements.

This assessment policy aims to inform and reflect to all of the Dwight community (students, teachers and parents), the school’s assessment philosophy and process. It outlines a common, collaborative understanding of why we assess, how we assess, record and report on a student‘s progress. It also highlights expectations we have for the Dwight community in relation to assessment and how it applies across the continuum of the three IB programs taught.

This assessment policy will guide the Dwight community through each program’s assessment requirements and expectations. Each program will clarify the assessment process pertaining to: 1. IB principles and requirements 2. Grading 3. Testing and Reporting 4. Self-Reflection 5. Homework 38

International Baccalaureate – Assessment and the Continuum Dwight School offers all three IB programs from N-12. PYP (Primary Years Program, 3s-grade 5), MYP (Middle Years Program, grade 6-10) and the DP (Diploma Program, grade 11-12). IB sets out key principles of assessment that are common to all three programs: • Assessment is integral to planning, teaching and learning.

• The assessment system and assessment practices are made clear to students and parents.

• There is a balance between formative and summative assessment.

• Opportunities for peer and self-assessment are planned for.

• Opportunities for students to reflect on their own learning are planned for.

• Students’ current knowledge and experience are assessed before embarking on new learning.

• Students are provided with feedback as a basis for future learning.

• Reporting to parents is meaningful.

• Assessment data is analyzed to provide information about the teaching and learning, and the needs of individual students.

• Assessment is used to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum.

Dwight’s purpose of assessment and the IB assessment principles apply to all three programs.

There are key differences in the assessment systems, in order to: • Meet the needs of students at particular ages and stages of development • Meet the requirements of higher education institutions around the world.

There is a progression from wholly internal assessment in the PYP to largely external final assessment in the DP, with the MYP bridging the gap by keeping final assessment internal but ensuring that it is externally validated by IB. Characteristics of Effective Assessment Assessment is aimed at determining the learners’ level of understanding. It is essential that teachers determine from the beginning what kind of assessment will allow learners to show that understanding. A distinction can be made between: • Pre-Assessment: Occurs before embarking on new learning to uncover prior knowledge and experiences • Formative assessment: Woven into the daily learning process it aims to identify the learning needs of students. It provides teachers and students with information about how the learning is developing.

• Summative assessment: aimed at determining a student’s achievement level, generally at the end of a course of study or unit of work.

There are a range of assessment tasks that can be used by faculty to enhance the learning of students:

Tests Group work/Class activities

Unit tests/exams Short exercises/discussions

Quiz Portfolios

Lesson reviews Homework

Investigations Standardized testing

Essays Practical/Experimental work

Research projects Field work

Journal writing/Design Oral presentation 39

Dwight faculty will gather evidence and information from ongoing formative assessment, summative assessment tasks, previous summative records and portfolios, parent consultations and the student as a learner to determine appropriate curriculum goals.

Assessment expectations for the Dwight School Community Students should: • Have a clear idea of the knowledge and/or skills that are being assessed and the criteria against which they are being assessed.

• Be aware of the weighting of each assessment in the overall assessment scheme.

• Receive clear and timely feedback regarding assessment outcome.

• Be given advance warning of any assessment for which preparation is necessary and be clear about the date of the assessment.

• Be aware that failure to meet set deadlines could result in reduced effort and achievement grades.

• Engage in self-reflection to identify challenging goals for their own learning • Keep track of their own performance and learning goals Teachers should: • Clearly define common assessment benchmarks within subjects for each grade level.

• Use student performance as a feedback mechanism to initiate development or changes to the curriculum and its delivery.

• Be aware that assessment instructions can be culturally biased and therefore use a variety of assessment strategies to thoroughly evaluate student progress.

• Agree to deadlines in light of the students’ other workload and give adequate time for the completion of out-of-class assignments. See “Grade 6-12 Major Assignments grade level calendars” below.

• Engage in self-reflection on their own practice in order to enhance effectiveness.

• Seek input from families on ways of developing informal assessment strategies.

The School should: • Monitor a master calendar to ensure an even distribution of assessment tasks with enough notice for students.

• Ensure a periodic review of the curriculum master map and the assessment benchmarks to ensure student progress • Keep records of achievement.

Parents should: • Support all policies of Dwight and the IB, particularly those that relate to learning.

• Support student adherence to set deadlines for work.

• Help motivate their children.

• Help create an informative environment that is to the benefit of their children.

Grade 6-12 Major Assignments grade level calendars Hoping to avoid unreasonable academic loads for our students each day, teachers list all major assignments on a google calendar for internal use, and they check this calendar in their unit planning. The definition of a ‘major assignments’ is, of course, contextual, 40

and varies by department, but, generally speaking, these include tests, formal essays, oral presentations, lab reports, and other tasks that will take our students more than a single night’s worth of time. These are the kinds of assignments for which students have over a week’s notice in advance.

Formatting and procedures: To ease use for all faculty, inputting teachers should use the following format: Department Grade level, teacher, nature of assignment (number of students) Department abbreviations: ENG – English SS – Social Studies/History SCI – Science MATH – Mathematics PE – Phys Ed and Health

FL – Foreign Language ARTS – Visual and Performing Arts TECH – Technology TOK – Theory of Knowledge and Contemporary Civilization

Examples: ENG 11, Wiesenfeld, five-page essay (54 students) MATH 8, Levin, unit test (35 students) FL 12 French, Chambart, ten-minute oral exam (25 students) Teachers will typically take a ‘first-come, first-serve’ approach to scheduling major assessments and try to cap a student’s number of major assignments per day at two. That said, the purpose of this system is to encourage planning and collaboration across departments, and the students’ learning should be paramount in these discussions.

Assessment and Special Needs Requirements Extra Time Protocol for Middle and Lower School Students: 1. Students who are eligible for extra time need to have documentation on file two weeks prior to the exams. It must be indicated if the students receive time and a half or double time. Testing needs to be current or must have been performed within twenty-four months of the testing date. Students with incomplete testing or notification may be denied extra time on the date of testing.

2. The Middle School and Lower School list will be posted in a place accessible to all faculty.

3. Scheduled testing times and room assignments will vary according to grade level.

4. On testing days, a Quest teacher will be provided and designated as the “extra time” proctor. We will have a quiet section of the school specifically for this purpose should a student not complete their test in the allotted class time. Tests can be turned in to Quest teachers, who will return them to classroom teachers.

HOMEWORK POLICY Dwight’s Homework Policy aims to help students establish a healthy balance between commitments in school, after school and at home. The policy also aims to aid students in planning their work time more effectively.

Dwight believes that homework provides reinforcement for the day’s lesson and assists teachers in evaluating mastery of course content. Homework encompasses a range of activities but in general refers to subject work to be completed outside of class. This includes tasks such as students reviewing their notes after each class, study time for 41

reviews, quizzes, tests etc. Students should be aware that assessment activities that have been signaled well in advance, a test for example, may require some additional preparation time in addition to regular homework time.

Recent studies such as Cooper, Robinson and Patall (2006) have examined the causal relationship between homework and student achievement by comparing experimental (homework) and control (no homework) groups. The research suggests that the relationship between the amount of student homework and achievement is positive and statistically significant. Dwight believes that well prepared homework tasks can stimulate creativity, critical thinking and awareness that learning can take place outside of the classroom. The expectations below indicate how students, parents and teachers all have a responsibility for the success of homework.

The Dwight Homework Policy expects students to: • Write down and organize homework assignments as soon as they are assigned.

• Set aside a regular time for studying • Work on homework independently whenever possible, so that it reflects their true ability • Produce quality work • Abide by the Dwight Academic-Integrity Policy in relation to plagiarism • Ensure all assignments are completed according to the given instructions and completed on time The Dwight Homework Policy expects parents to: • Be familiar with the philosophy and the guidelines of the homework policy • Establish a quiet, well-lit study area that is conducive to studying • Monitor student’s organization and daily list of assignments where necessary • Be supportive and supervise homework completion but not do the work for them • Contact the teacher with questions or concerns, to stay well informed about the student’s learning process The Dwight Homework Policy expects teachers to: • Assign relevant, challenging and meaningful homework that reinforces classroom learning • Give clear instructions and ensure students understand the purpose • Give timely feedback and/or correct homework • Communicate with other teachers • Involve parents and contact them if a pattern of late or incomplete homework develops • Make sure assignments are done according to the given instructions and completed on time • Publish major assignments and tests on internal calendars for grades 6-12 so teachers can collaboratively plan With these expectations in mind, and following recent educational research, we have established the following guidelines regarding homework in each grade level. Please note that the hours of work listed here are recommended on the belief that they are uninterrupted and focused. Long term assignments (over two to three weeks or more) also require careful planning and forethought.

Timothy House Homework in Timothy House is primarily focused on the preview, reinforcement and practice of skills learned, long-term projects, unfinished class work assignments, and enrichment activities.

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Homework may be assigned in math, writing, units of inquiry or from any of the specialist classes.

Students are expected to do recreational or assigned reading each night. Parents should check student folders nightly for messages and assignments.

The following times are meant to serve as guidelines for the amount of time Timothy House students should be spending on homework. Any problems or concerns should be communicated to the classroom teacher.

On average, uninterrupted homework time: • Grade 1: 15-20 minutes • Grade 2: 20-30 minutes • Grade 3: 30-40 minutes • Grade 4: 40-50 minutes • Grade 5: 50 minutes-1 hour Specialists may also assign homework in addition to that of the homeroom teachers. Homework will not be given over the winter and spring vacations. Exceptions may occur: • Where Grade 5 PYP students are required to continue working on their Exhibition during the spring break • Where reading assignments over the spring break are deemed necessary.

Bentley House All Bentley House students are required to have a Dwight School Assignment Book and Schedule with them every day. Each class teacher will remind students to ensure that the day’s assignment has been recorded. Parents are strongly encouraged to review assignment books with their children on a nightly basis. The following times are meant to serve as guidelines for the amount of time Bentley House students should be spending on homework. Any problems or concerns should be communicated to the subject teacher or Head of Department for that subject.

On average, uninterrupted homework time: • Grade 6: 1 hour • Grade 7: 1-1 ½ hours • Grade 8: 1-1 ½ hours Dwight School recognizes the importance of winter and spring breaks for familial relationships and religious celebrations. To that end, Bentley teachers will only assign reading assignments during these important times.

Franklin House All Franklin students are required to have a Dwight School Assignment book and schedule along with a graphing calculator for class each day. In addition to completing specific assignments, students are expected to review the key content of each course nightly.

The following times are meant to serve as guidelines for the amount of time Franklin House students should be spending on homework. Individual needs should be taken into consideration. Any problems or concerns should be communicated to the subject teacher or head of department for that subject.

On average, uninterrupted homework time: • Grade 9: 2 hours • Grade 10: 2 hours 43

Dwight School recognizes the importance of winter and spring breaks for familial relationships and religious celebrations. To that end, homework assignments in the Franklin House will be limited to approximately two nights worth of assignments. Exceptions may occur: • Where remediation cases are considered for MYP students during winter and spring break.

• Where Franklin students are working on extended assignments such as: the Grade 10 MYP Personal Project or the LaGuardia Research Paper Anglo House All Anglo students are required to have a Dwight School Assignment book and schedule for class each day. In addition to completing specific assignments, students are expected to review the key content of each course nightly.

The following times are meant to serve as guidelines for the amount of time Anglo House students should be spending on homework. Individual needs should be taken into consideration. Any problems or concerns should be communicated to the subject teacher or head of department for that subject.

On average, uninterrupted homework time: • Grade 11: 2-1/2 to 3 hours • Grade 12: 2-1/2 to 3 hours Because of the rigors of the IB Diploma program, eleventh and twelfth grade students in DP classes will be assigned coursework over winter and spring breaks that will help them meet IB requirements.

Resources: • Cooper, H. (2007). The battle over homework (3rd edition.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press • Cooper, H., Robinson, J.C., & Patall, E.A (2006) Does homework improve academic achievement? A synthesis of research, 1987-2003. Review of Educational research, 76(1), 1-62 • Vatterott C (2008) What is effective Homework? Express Newsletter: ASCD

SUBMITTING AND TRACKING STUDENT ATTENDANCE, GRADES 6-12 In the spring of 2012, we made three substantive changes our protocols for submitting student attendance: 1. The term “Parent Aware” replaced “Excused” in MyDwight and in school record keeping.

2. Students who come late to school for 1st period report directly to class, not to Reception; students who are late to school from period 2 onward report first to Reception.

3. Report cards will report the number of times each student has been absent or late to school Categorized by position, the following are our roles and responsibilities for attendance submission: Deans: • Coordinate daily with Reception to determine who will call parents of absent or late students.

These phone calls are very brief—we really only want to know that the parents are aware of the absence or lateness, and that the Health Office is notified of relevant health information.

• Monitor student attendance reports for unreported lates to school and class cuts.

• Contact parents when poor attendance patterns are evident.

Reception: • Enter absences into MyDwight when parents call (“Absent—Parent Aware”).

• Enter late arrivals to school into MyDwight when parents call (“Late—Parent Aware”).

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• Enter late arrivals to school into MyDwight when students check in before going to class. These check-ins will only occur after 1st period. Students who are late to 1st period, advisory, or morning meetings should report directly to these events, where they will be marked late by teachers.

• Coordinate daily with deans to determine who will call parents of absent or late students.

These phone calls should be very brief—we really only want to know that the parents are aware of the absence or lateness, and that the Health Office is notified of relevant health information.

Registrar’s Office: • Maintains accurate records of the following: 1) Late to school 2) Absent from school 3) Absent from class 4) Late to class • Moving forward, includes categories 1 and 2 on report cards.

Teachers: • Enter class lateness into MyDwight. For periods 2-8, this is recorded as “Late to Class (period 2-8)” • Enter class absences into MyDwight.

• Recording period 1 attendance is unique in the following ways: a) It must occur immediately after class—this can take priority over timely faculty arrival to Morning Meeting, etc. b) In order to mark this student as late to school, teachers must choose “Late to School (period 1)” LANGUAGE POLICY We believe that the study of foreign languages provides a powerful means by which one gains understanding of other cultures, and that being able to speak a language indicates deep respect for that culture.

In addition, we believe strongly in preserving and developing a student’s mother tongue, for three reasons: • To foster a celebration of diversity, and develops cross-cultural awareness and understanding • To promote the development of higher-order cognitive thinking skills • To enable students who are members of small subgroups within the multicultural society of a school to better maintain and transmit their own cultural identity The Primary Years Program (PYP) - Preschool 3s-Grade 5 Statement of Philosophy At the heart of the language arts program at Dwight is the goal to foster in our students a life long love of reading. We believe that inquiry based instruction will motivate students to expand ideas whether reading for pleasure or purpose.

A wide range of genres are presented so that each reader has the opportunity to connect to a variety of texts in a personal way. As students embark on their reading journey, they will explore global issues, concepts, and themes that authentically link to the Primary Years Program, Program of Inquiry.

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Language Arts at Dwight Features of the Language Arts curriculum include reading, writing, grammar, spelling, handwriting, speaking and listening. We use aspects of a variety of programs such as; 6+1 Traits, Words Their Way, Handwriting Without Tears, The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, and Guided Reading.

A workshop model is used for our reading and writing instruction. This allows for integration and alignment with the PYP units of inquiry. Classes typically read works of literature as well as non-fiction texts in support of the units. The topics developed in writing often derive from our units of inquiry. Listening and speaking skills are emphasized through individual student reports and presentations in every unit.

Multiple forms of language assessment are built into all instructional practices. Internal assessment tools such as running records, rubrics, portfolios, and checklists are utilized to inform instruction as well as chart the progress of students over time. Standardized testing such as the North West Evaluation Association (NWEA) and ERB WrAP tests are periodically given over the course of the year. These tests provide an external measure of each studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s achievement as well as their personal growth.

Foreign Language Study at Dwight All students in our PYP program are required to study at least one language in addition to English. In grade 1, we offer a choice of Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin), or French. In grades 2 through 5, students take Spanish and Chinese (Mandarin). Some students elect to pursue the study of their mother tongue in addition to their language requirement, through our after-school programs. Once the foreign language choice is made, we expect the students to continue in that language through fifth grade, at which point other foreign language options become available. Students new to Dwight at whatever entry level are asked to make their choice at the start of the year, but they may change language, if desired, by the end of the second week of school. At the preschool, conversational Spanish is taught, and Mandarin is added in the 4s program.

Exposure to these languages is seen to be an important element in preparing young people for citizenship in the developing global community.

There is a section of our Lower School Library devoted to literature in foreign languages.

Students are encouraged to sign out books and enjoy them with their parents at home.

Mother-Tongue Support It is our goal to help international students integrate into our classroom settings by learning English as quickly as possible. Parents themselves express a desire for their children to be immersed in English from the earliest days here at school, taking responsibility for their childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s continuing practice of his or her native language at home.

As studies show, it is imperative that children preserve and deepen their understanding of their mother tongue, for the development of higher-order cognitive skills and for the transmission of cultural identity. We would encourage parents to promote their childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development of his/her mother tongue beyond the proficiency attained by speaking it at home. It is felt that serious, purposeful study must be undertaken in the mother tongue, and at Dwight we stand ready to help families maintain their linguistic and cultural background.

As part of our after-school program we offer mother-tongue support classes to interested students with a tuition supplement. The Director of Lower School Activities is our resource for arranging such sessions, and we are very responsive to parent requests for instruction.

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English as an Additional Language Support Second-language learners enrolled in the EAL program at Dwight School are carefully evaluated through testing at the admissions stage. A determination is made at that time as to whether or not EAL sessions are required, and a language profile is established upon entry into the EAL program.

EAL classes are tailored to the childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs and are typically scheduled during the periods when the other students are learning an additional language. EAL students receive reports and narrative comments in the same format as the other students, three times per year.

The Middle Years Program (MYP) - Grades 6-10 Language of Instruction All classes are conducted in English (Language A).

Foreign Language Study at Dwight (Language B) Our goal is for all students to become proficient by grade ten in a second language.

By grades nine and ten, we have students with a wide variety of background in second language study, depending especially on whether they have progressed from our elementary school grades or have entered the school later. Because of this, the school recognizes that we must be flexible in our student groupings in the MYP years and provide classroom settings that match as closely as possible the level of proficiency of the students.

At Dwight, we offer routinely Language B classes in Spanish and French in grades 6-10; and currently Chinese B 6-7. For classes in German, Hebrew, Italian, and Chinese B 8-10, tutorials can be arranged at Dwight for a tuition supplement with our own teaching staff. For other languages we draw upon the resources of a Manhattan language school to arrange classes for supplemental tuition.

All students in grades 6-10 are expected to study language A English and at least one Language B. Approximately 20% of our students are learning two Languages B during the MYP years. We allow students to begin Italian 1 in grade 10 as a precursor to IB ab initio Italian in grades 11 and 12.

Mother-Tongue Support: Language A Language A instruction is routinely arranged when necessary in French and Spanish. Tutorials in other native languages can be arranged as follows: Italian, German, Hebrew, and Chinese with Dwight teachers for supplemental tuition. Other native language instruction arrangements can be made with a Manhattan school for supplemental tuition.

Language A English Support On request any student in grades 6-10 can have small-group EAL classes arranged that are tailored in scope according to admissions test data, a process overseen by the head of our EAL department.

The Diploma Program (DP) - Grades 11-12 Language of Instruction All classes are conducted in English (Language A).

Foreign Language Study at Dwight All students in grades 11-12 are expected to complete three high school years of second language (Language B) study. However, approximately 80% of the students in grades eleven and twelve take the full Diploma Program, whereby these students must continue the study of a second language in one of the following ways: â&#x20AC;˘ IB Language B higher level or standard level (a language learner who has had three or more years of experience with the language). Students learn to communicate effectively in 47

a number of situations, from everyday exchanges to literary text analysis. In this way they develop mastery of language skills.

Dwight currently offers regular classes in French and Spanish IB Language B in grade 11.

IB Italian, IB Hebrew, IB Chinese, and IB German are offered by Dwight teachers with a tuition supplement. In addition, a few students are taking Japanese, Swedish, Hindi, Arabic, and Swahili through close association with a Manhattan language school and for a tuition supplement. The Head of the Language Department arranges such classes.

• IB Language A2 higher or standard level (for a fluent language user who is proficient at both reading and writing) is generally suitable for bilingual students for whom Language B study would present no challenge. Students study the language at a more complex level, focusing on literature and culture. Dwight offers classes in Language A2 in Spanish and French.

• IB Language ab initio standard level (for a beginner, who has little or no experience of the language). Students gain a basic foundation of communication based on everyday exchanges and prescribed situations. Dwight offers IB Italian ab initio in grades 11 and 12 as a regular class for students who have been enrolled in Italian I in grade 10. A limited number of other languages ab initio can be arranged as private tutorials with supplemental tuition.

Mother-Tongue Support: IB Language A Literature For a fluent language user, studying in his or her most competent language is promoted. This is normally the language of the environment to which the student has been exposed from an early age or for an extended period. Students study literary texts and demonstrate analytical skills in writing and speaking.

Students in the Diploma program study IB English A literature at higher level or IB English A Language and Literature at standard level. However, Dwight also routinely offers classes in Language A Literature in Spanish and French. Italian, Hebrew, German, and Chinese A as small-group classes taught by Dwight teachers, which can be arranged with supplemental tuition. Other languages A can be arranged as private tutorials with a Manhattan language school with supplemental tuition.

Dwight also offers study in other Languages A Literature standard level though the IB schoolsupported self-taught (independent study) option. In this case, students choose a variety of literary texts under the guidance of Dwight’s Head of Language Department. Currently, students are studying native Languages A Literature (self taught) in Portuguese, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Polish and Russian.

Approximately 15% of Dwight students in the Diploma program take two IB Language A Literature courses (one usually being English) thereby earning bilingual IB Diplomas.

Language A English Support In the Diploma Program, Language A (English) support is again provided, upon recommendation, from an EAL specialist.

In the Diploma Program, Language A (English) support is again provided, upon recommendation, by an EAL specialist.

The EAL department also teaches classes in IB English B (as a foreign language) if deemed appropriate. In these cases, the student will take an IB Language A1 other than English in the final examinations. This option is suitable for students who are non-native English speakers who have recently arrived from a non-English speaking country.

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LANGUAGE LEARNING AT DWIGHT SCHOOL PARAMETER

PYP

MYP

DP

We provide for language support in English beyond the classroom.

*

*

*

We realize that students come to Dwight with many different language backgrounds and will need to progress at differing paces.

*

*

*

Students are provided the opportunity to continue the study of their mother-tongue language.

*

*

*

Targeted second language study (regularly scheduled classes).

Chinese (Mandarin), Spanish

Chinese (Mandarin - through grade 7), French, Spanish, Italian (grade 10)

French, Spanish, Italian

Targeted mother tongue language study (regularly scheduled classes).

Available in the afterschool program

French, Spanish

French, Spanish

Additional second language or mother-tongue classes taught by Dwight teachers.

Hebrew, Chinese (Mandarin)

Hebrew, Chinese (Mandarin)

Hebrew, Chinese (Mandarin)

Self-taught Language A option available.

*

ENGLISH AS AN ALTERNATE LANGUAGE PROGRAM (EAL) If students are identified during the application and admissions process as second language learners in English, the EAL department provides appropriate testing to evaluate the level of each student’s proficiency at the beginning of the school year.

On the basis of such testing, the Coordinator of EAL then suggests a program of English language support that can take the following forms: PYP Program (Grades 1-5) We recognize that students of elementary school age learn English more readily through interaction with their peers. Therefore, we include such English language learners in the regular classroom activities for the maximum amount of time possible. Their participation in the exploration of our units of inquiry is considered of paramount importance, and careful placement in groups for research ensures that they are included in all phases of their studies. Wherever possible, EAL classes replace the regularly scheduled foreign language periods, three times per cycle.

MYP Program (Grades 6-10) The EAL instructor works with other subject teachers to assist students with subject-specific vocabulary issues. After the first year of EAL support, students receive further testing to determine when they may no longer require support and return to all ‘mainstream’ classes, or perhaps continue into a second year with EAL support.

Diploma Program (Grades 11-12) Three periods per cycle of EAL support. In addition students receive information and preparation for the TOEFL. 49

GRADING POLICIES It is Dwight School policy that multiple forms of assessment are used in grade calculation, and that many assessments have been given on which to base a grade. For example, it is unacceptable to relate to a parent that a poor grade has been achieved on the basis of just one poor test score.

It is the policy of the school that homework be given nightly and that homework must be completed. A parent should never be informed that a grade suffered because “homework was never handed in.” Teacher detention, SL/SSH and (by recommendation of the Dean) Saturday detention are ultimate tools to use in this case, not a lowered grade. In the case of repeated poor quality homework, the parent should be contacted.

In general, the median grade in most classes should be in the “B” range. You should make every effort to keep your grading system in line with general School standards and find teaching strategies that enable students to learn.

As grading is one of the single most important communications we send to parents, it is essential that we are confident about the grades we award. The issue of grading should be a frequent topic of discussion within and across departments. New teachers should make a special point of discussing grading policies and philosophies with their Department Chairs. Class participation is an important part of assessment and accounts for 20% of a student’s grade.

The following list of policies is intended to provide you with helpful guidelines for your grading: • You should explain your grading policies to each of your classes at the beginning of each term, for example, a percentage breakdown of such assignments as weekly quizzes and bimonthly tests, and class participation. Give students a written explanation of your grading policies, which they can keep in their notebooks, to ensure no misunderstanding about grades. Remember, too, that students’ perceptions of the grades they receive may differ from the message you intend to give. Students receive the published subject-specific MYP or DP assessment criteria at the start of each course in September.

• Email or phone parents immediately if a student performs poorly on a test or is negligent in home assignments. Communications between parents and the School are essential for the student’s success. Please copy house deans on all communication.

• Keep accurate records of student work. Writing brief comments in your grade book next to a numerical grade will help you to extrapolate from the numbers when you are writing comments.

• Be consistent and logical when assigning weights to various assignments.

• Be flexible. Teachers do make mistakes in calculating grades, and students do have the right to ask that a grade be explained. Yes, some students are “grade-grubbers”; however, other students may have a legitimate concern and these students should not be afraid to ask you about your evaluation of their work.

• Make frequent evaluations, at least every week, preferably every day. It is unacceptable to award a midterm or final grade based on too limited a sampling of work. Evaluate students on material assigned for and discussed in class.

• You should evaluate student work thoroughly, pointing out weaknesses and strengths of the work and suggesting ways to improve on future assignments.

• Tests and papers should be returned promptly (within a week at most) if the assignment is to have any value as a learning tool (major term papers and projects may take longer to correct, of course).

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• Be sure that you have made it clear to the students that all assigned work will be graded and whether or not working together on an assignment is appropriate.

• You should determine how you are going to handle the issue of multiple choice tests. While we recognize that it does take extra time to make up multiple tests, not to do so calls into question the very validity of that test as an evaluation tool. You should also recognize that students pass on tests and other assignments from year to year, so avoid the temptation always to “pull one out from the file.”

• Be sure to establish a clear and consistent policy for grading work turned in late. Consult with your Department Chair to ensure that your policy is consistent with generally accepted School practice.

• Students should have a clear idea about what is to be expected of them. Assessment rubrics including IB Rubrics should be shared with students at the start of each course.

• All IB courses emphasize quality written work. It is imperative that all subjects frequently assess students in their writing skills.

• The school recognizes the importance of inquiry-based learning in all three IB Programs.

To this end, the IB Coordinators, Curriculum Coordinator and Heads of Departments work together to ensure that teachers are utilizing a range of pedagogical practices which demonstrably include inquiry.

QUEST All Dwight teachers and staff work collaboratively with our Quest Department, so it is essential that all of us understand how Quest operates. If you have any questions about Quest, please do not hesitate to contact Josh Kigel.

Dwight’s Quest Program is comprised of four branches: QUEST

SKILL DEVELOPMENT

ENRICHMENT

EAL

EXCEPTIONAL TALENT

In one-on-one sessions, Quest provides tailormade skill development and learning strategy tutorials.

Quest provides expert teachers for students who would benefit from enrichment in an academic discipline.

Quest provides English language instruction and support for our non-native speakers.

Quest facilitates flexible learning structures to allow students to pursue exceptional talents.

STUDENT WORK STANDARDS In addition to departmental and teacher expectations, the following standards are requested: • Discuss at the start of the year how you wish work to be kept (in folders, notebooks, etc.).

• Make it clear that written English counts. All students should be required to do the following: a) Write in sentences, using the proper grammar and punctuation. b) Always capitalize proper names. c) Use correct spelling of common words.

• Research Papers – Research papers or extended work projects should be done on standard 8.5”x11” white paper and follow department term paper procedures. Students should follow a consistent method of attribution. All major written assignments completed outside the classroom will be submitted to turnitin.com to avoid possible plagiarism.

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• Neatness – Proper presentation is expected in all classes.

• All student work should include the student’s name, the date and the class name (see the Class Expectations).

• At the teacher’s discretion, a student may use a laptop in class, provided that such use is academic in nature.

STUDENT-ATHLETE/STUDENT-PERFORMER POLICY Dwight’s commitment to nurturing each student’s “spark of genius” requires us to take a careful, thoughtful approach to the education of students whose athletic and artistic development requires them to miss school. We are committed to maintaining the highest academic standards for all its students. These standards apply equally to those students in pursuit of the highest levels of athletic and artistic accomplishment. We expect student-athletes and studentperformers to reach the same level of academic mastery as all students but recognize the added demands of training, competition, rehearsals, and performances.

Student athletes, student performers, and teachers are asked to work together and remain flexible so as to ensure that student-athletes and student-performers receive an equivalent, if not identical, academic experience. Given the nature of the travel, training and rehearsal requirements for student-athletes and student-performers, assignments and due dates may need to be changed to reflect their travel and limited time. To successfully support the unique schedules of student-athletes and student-performers requires extra effort and dialogue on the part of both student-athletes and teachers. It is the student’s responsibility to follow up with teachers and obtain missed classwork. To facilitate communication, both parties are expected to willingly participate in the following process: Obligations of athlete or performer who needs to miss school or class: • Provide their teachers and dean with a written schedule of all possible athletic events or rehearsals and performances as soon as it becomes available.

• Make arrangements and propose an action plan for approval two weeks in advance of leaving, and present this to the appropriate house dean.

• Remind their teachers and dean in writing two weeks before their opening performance.

• Complete all homework and assignments for the period of the athletic event and performance within the time agreed upon with the individual teacher. When possible, the student should complete work in advance.

• Schedule one-on-one conferences with each teacher to review missed class material.

Obligations of coaches, activity leaders, theater directors, etc.: • Minimize disruption to students’ class schedules.

• Help facilitate student communications to teachers.

• Support teachers’ efforts to deliver classroom curriculum to student-athletes or student-performers.

Obligations of teachers: • Provide student–athletes/student-performers with as much advance notice regarding homework, class work, and curriculum as they can provide in the days leading up to an approved absence.

• Grant student–athletes/ student-performers appropriate extensions on all tests and papers due during periods of approved absences.

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• Create alternative assignments (short essays, presentations, one-on-one conferences, etc.) to allow student–athletes to make up missed in–class participation grades.

• Meet with students for one-on-one conferences to review missed class material.

• Communicate with the head coach, Athletic Director, or other relevant staff member when problems arise.

MIDDLE AND UPPER SCHOOL ADVISORY PROGRAM Every student in grades six through twelve is a member of a small advisory group of peers led by an experienced faculty member. Advisory groups in the middle school meet twice per week; in the upper school, they meet once or twice a week, depending on the schedule. The advisory program at Dwight plays a number of important roles. Specifically, advisory groups provide students with: 1. Membership in a small group. Consistent with the School’s ethos and our aim to personalize schooling, the advisory group is a place where students feel connected to a comfortable group of peers and faculty.

2. A connection to the Dwight community. Because many discussions and activities are shared across advisory groups, the program also provides a chance to establish and build a Dwight shared culture based on the School’s mission and three pillars.

3. Problem-solving strategies. Adolescents confront challenges in both academic and social contexts every day, and our advisory program hopes to provide guidance that can help individuals decide which decisions and behaviors make them most happy and most healthy.

4. An individual relationship with a faculty member. The advisor should be an advocate and ally for his or her advisees. As such, the advisory program plays an essential role in the social and emotional health of Dwight students; advisors communicate directly with deans, counseling staff, and other administrators to support advisees.

Dwight School’s “Advisory Resources and Activities” document available for download from MyDwight provides a full description of the program, but advisory discussions and activities generally follow this outline: Theme One: Creating a safe environment Theme Two: The self Theme Three: Interpersonal Relationships Theme Four: Membership in Communities Working with other administrators and the counseling staff, the deans oversee the advisory program for each grade. Each week, they distribute an email explaining the goals and activities of that week’s advisory meeting. Sometimes these notes are shared across the whole program; sometimes they will be specific to a particular age group. Because of the deans’ role in the advisory program, morning meeting discussions and presentations regularly integrate advisory concepts and curriculum.

CAS AND COMMUNITY SERVICE Advisors to students in grades 9-12 are required to approve their advisees’ community service and CAS proposed activities and projects after the students have listed them on their ManageBac accounts. ManageBac is a program which tracks each student’s service and CAS hours and reflections. Information about ManageBac, the CAS (Creativity, Action, Serivce) Program and Dwight’s Community Service requirements is posted on the Dwight website.

Questions concerning CAS and Community Service in grades 6-12 should be addressed to the 53

Activities and Community Service Coordinator. Community Service issues concerning grades 1-5 should be addressed to the Head of the Lower School.

ACADEMIC AWARDS Deans’ List Students who consistently achieve good grades and whose candidacy is ratified by the faculty, are eligible for inclusion in the Deans’ List at the end of each term. A student earns a place on the Deans’ List if he or she obtains a grade of 90 or above in every academic subject taken that term. Please note that any grade improvement from attending summer school does not qualify a student for an academic award for trimester three.

Valedictorian and Salutatorian The awards are given to seniors with the highest and second highest high school averages.

Candidates must have attended Dwight School for at least two years. Only IB Diploma students are eligible, and awards are based on only eleventh and twelfth grades.

Spark of Genius The Mission of Dwight School and that of International Baccalaureate represent far more than just high academic standards. We give students the opportunity to develop an identified aspiration and provide, whenever we can, the stimulation, framework and emotive support for such an endeavor. This is the notion of developing the Spark of Genius.

The Spark of Genius Award seeks to recognize individuals who have identified an aspiration, and made a dedicated and successful attempt to reach this goal. The Award may recognize a wide range of endeavors achieved while maintaining academic excellence in the classroom, examples of which might include: • Creating an outstanding service project • Success in competition (academic, athletic, vocational) • Athletic achievement • Developing a talent to a professional level • Outstanding work on either the Personal Project (grade 10) or the Extended Essay (grade 12) The Award includes many other possible ways in which students have fulfilled the requirements to be recognized in this way for their achievements.

TRANSCRIPTS All subjects are recorded on transcripts. Credits are awarded on the basis of satisfactorily completing the course requirements. Courses which meet at least five or six periods per cycle earn one credit. Courses which meet two or three periods per cycle earn one-half credit.

ACADEMIC OR SOCIAL PROBATION Students are placed on academic or social probation if they have performed unsatisfactorily during the previous term or if their behavior is inimical to the well-being of others. Any student who does not respond to the probationary terms may be asked to withdraw from the School.

INDIVIDUAL EXTRA HELP It is assumed that one of the major advantages of an independent school education is the availability of individual attention and help. Faculty who choose to teach in an independent 54

school, therefore, must be aware of this need and be sensitive to its importance to our students.

For this reason, teachers are reminded that they need to remain in the building until 4:00 p.m. unless they are coaching. In addition to being available after school at assigned times and locations, faculty should, within reason, also be ready to give extra help during their free class periods. In many cases, faculty members must take the initiative and volunteer to help students.

SATURDAY STUDY HALL (GRADES 6-12) Students may be required to attend the mandatory study hall in cases where the grade level Dean has recommended this course of action.

ENROLLMENT IN QUEST The following procedures should be followed for recommending a student for Quest: • The classroom teacher observes that the student may need additional academic/remedial support in the classroom.

• The classroom teacher should notify the head of department of his/her concerns about that particular student.

• The head of department should observe the student to verify the teacher’s recommendations.

• Details must be discussed with the Administration prior to discussing observations and suggestions with parents. A psycho-educational evaluation is only one of many tools to be considered.

• The Head of Lower or Upper Quest reviews the teacher’s observations and outside testing in order to determine the number of Quest periods required. All plans must be discussed fully with both the Dean and the Division Head before recommendations are presented to a family.

• The Head of Special Studies will then notify the parents of the number of required Quest days per six-day cycle.

• Quest may be a condition for continuing at Dwight.

CLASS EXPECTATIONS Teachers should be thoroughly prepared for all classes, meet them punctually, and conduct the class for the prescribed amount of time. Class groups should never be left unsupervised.

In order to create a classroom environment conducive to learning, teachers must establish consistent behavioral guidelines: • Be in the classroom on time. Let the students know you expect them to be seated and ready to start working when you begin class.

• Distribute a printed weekly assignment sheet.

• Place homework assignments on the board and read the assignment aloud. Check to see that students write the assignment in their assignment books. Be consistent in the method you use to assign homework.

• Take attendance and ensure that each student is properly attired.

• Assignments must be completed and given to the teachers on time.

Exams must be conducted under the strictest testing conditions: • Communication among students is forbidden.

• Students must raise their hands if they need to ask a question.

• Discourage students from leaving the room during the exam.

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â&#x20AC;˘ Students must not have access to cell phones, computers, or other communications devices during tests, quizzes, or examinations. All teachers must be vigilant and ensure compliance with this policy.

Most important, be consistent. Do not make unrealistic threats; be sure you can follow through on penalties. Students must know ahead of time what penalties they face if they fail to meet your requirements. Ask your department head for help if you feel you need it.

You should not hold students after the end of a class period causing them to be late for their next class. This is a matter of common courtesy to your colleagues. If you must detain a student for some reason, be sure to write a note to the teacher whose class the student is missing, indicating why the student was delayed and what time the student was sent on.

STUDY HALL GUIDELINES Talking: Students are required to work alone during study halls. Please allow students five minutes at the beginning of study hall to ask to borrow books, use the rest rooms and to get assignments. After this five-minute grace period, please enforce the no talking rule.

Many students are in the same classes and therefore will want to work together. Unfortunately when two or three students study together, those nearby are often distracted. Therefore students who wish to study together should make arrangements with their classroom teacher to meet with him/her during study hall in a separate location.

If a study hall is held in the Quad and the mezzanine is not being used or if another location is available, the proctor may, at his/her discretion, allow up to three students per group to study together within his/her sight if they are able to do so quietly and productively. It is suggested that you have the students who plan to work together write their names and what subject they will be working on a piece of paper before allowing them to begin.

Computer Use: Students are permitted to use their personal computers in study hall for academic purposes. All computer screens should face the proctor.

Any student who does not have a laptop of their own, may ask the proctor to use a library computer if one is free and no classes are being held in the library. These students should check in with the librarian on duty to verify they are in the library.

Because the tech lab is used for classes, students may not use the tech lab during study hall unless they obtain a note in advance or receive specific permission from one of the tech staff.

Keeping students on task: Periodically proctors should walk around the room to ensure that students are working on appropriate academic assignments.

Know where your students have been: If a student is late to Study Hall, he/she must present the teacher with a note stating the reason, date and time, signed by the previous teacher or be marked as late without an excuse.

When a student wishes to meet with another teacher during Study Hall, he/she should bring a note from that teacher giving permission to not be present. If the student asks to see a teacher during study hall, please require him/her to either bring you a note by the end of study hall or have the teacher they are going to see send you an email. If they do not comply, feel free to mark them as absent without excuse.

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iPods: Students may use their iPods during study hall. They may not share headphones, and their music must not be audible to those around them.

Cell Phones: Cell phones may not be used during the school day. If a student has a cell phone that doubles as an iPod he/she may use the iPod feature but not the other features. If a student violates this rule, please confiscate the phone and turn it into the studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dean.

Food and Drinks: Students may drink water or juice during study hall. Food and soda are not permitted.

Behavior: Please demand the same level of behavior you would in your classroom. If a student refuses to comply, please notify his/her dean. If a student consistently has nothing to do (or says he/she has nothing to do) during your study halls, please notify the HODâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s by email.

Please do not excuse your study hall until your students have thrown away/recycled all of their papers and trash. It is our responsibility to teach our students to pick up after themselves.

Study halls on days before a major vacation: Study halls during the days before Thanksgiving, Winter and Spring vacations are unique in that students often do not have any assignments.

On those days please allow the students to talk quietly and use their computers recreationally.

Likewise you might want to bring in a movie for the students to watch and allow food but please be sure that the students clean up thoroughly before they are excused.

Also keep in mind there are many long term assignments such as the Extended Essay, LaGuardia, Doris Post, etc that many of the students could use their pre-vacation study hall time to work on.

Attendance: Attendance should be entered on my.dwight.edu after each study hall.

EXCUSED STUDENT ABSENCES Athletic/Performance Coaches and directors will distribute to the Main Office, the appropriate dean, and to the faculty, comprehensive practice, rehearsal, event schedules at the outset of each season.

Reminders must be published in the daily bulletin each week. Coaches and the Athletic Director are expected to coordinate the times with the beginning and end of classes if possible.

Medical A student may not be excused for illness unless he or she has gone to the Main Office and appropriate arrangements have been made. A student who has been excused from any class for medical reasons may not participate in after-school extracurricular activities on that day (in unusual circumstances permission to participate may be given by the House Dean).

Activity sponsors should be sure to explain this rule to students, and they are asked to monitor compliance.

College Representative Visits Seniors (and in a few cases, juniors) may miss class to meet with college representatives.

To do this, a senior must present a note signed by the Head of College Guidance at least one day in advance to the teacher(s) whose classes will be missed. To visit college campuses during the academic year, seniors must submit to the House Dean a form signed by the Dean of College Guidance, preferably two weeks in advance of the proposed trip. Seniors must also speak with each of their teachers to secure homework assignments well in advance of departure.

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MAKE-UP WORK A student with an excused absence from class is not excused from the work assigned for that class or future classes. It is the student’s responsibility to take the initiative to get assignments and to make up work for missed classes within four days. A student who misses quizzes or tests must make arrangements with subject teachers immediately upon returning to School to make up work. However, you should try to be helpful to the student who is making a good faith effort to catch up by making yourself available for reasonable assistance. If a student is absent for more than two weeks, you may be asked to provide the house dean with materials to be sent to the student, and you should expect to correct papers and tests when they are returned.

ADDING AND DROPPING COURSES Before a student may add or drop a course, permission must be received from the Director of Scheduling. Depending upon the nature of the request, the student will be required to have an Add/Drop Form completed, and the Associate Head of the Middle and Upper School will consult with the classroom teachers who are affected by the switch, the adviser, and the parents.

This is especially true when a student wishes to drop a year-long course. It is imperative that you continue to report a student absent from your class until you receive official confirmation from the Director of Scheduling that the student is no longer enrolled in your course. Never take a student’s word that he/she has dropped your course. No further schedule changes may be made past the last published date on the School calendar.

MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS The School makes a distinction between full-period tests and short quizzes. In order to avoid scheduling more than two tests in one day for any student, all faculty for grades 6-12 must record major test dates on the appropriate grade level calendar.

FINAL EXAMINATIONS (Grades 6-12) The object of final examinations is to discern whether students can apply the knowledge and techniques learned during the year. Please consult the faculty examination schedule and the final exam cover sheet for information about dates and times of examinations. In all cases, final exams should be weighted as not more than 10% of the year’s grade and must be averaged in with the third trimester grade. All final exams must be submitted to, and received by, the Department Head before they are returned. Mock IB Exams are held in March for eleventh and twelfth grades. All students enrolled in IB courses must take the final IB examinations in order to complete each course.

Final exams cover the full year’s work. All exams must be typed. The greatest care is to be taken with the security of these papers. All copies, including the master sheet, must be secured, and graded final exams should be submitted to department heads prior to summer break.

EXTERNAL EXAMS Ninth, tenth, and eleventh graders sit for the PSATs in October. SAT Reasoning and Subject Tests are taken through Educational Testing Service (ETS) at scheduled times throughout the year. Grade 10 students also sit for the ACT (PLAN) in the fall. The NWEA is given two to three times a year to students in grades K-8 and is primarily for internal use. Comparative data is maintained on each student. ERB writing tests are given annually to Grades 3-10. American College Tests (ACT) are administered through that organization.

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SUMMER SCHOOL (Grades 9-12) Students in grades 9‐12 whose performance in an academic class during the school year warrants remediation or further attention enroll in Dwight’s summer school program. Held during the first three weeks of summer break, the courses in this program provide students with small group intensive review and skill development lessons designed to build from the core curriculum. While the School will require or recommend summer school participation for some students, parents and students are also encouraged to enroll in these courses on their own volition.

Summer school courses include fifty hours of classroom instruction and some homework during the three-­‐week instructional period. Student grades for these courses are not published independently on report cards or transcripts. Instead, these grades are incorporated into revised final grades for the preceding school year. Students’ previous final grades and summer school course grades are averaged to determine the amended final grade published on student transcripts.

In order to ensure that amended final grades are fair and appropriate, final determination of their calculation is made by the relevant department head and the administration. Because of their longer class meeting times and focused approach, summer school classes provide students with an opportunity to build from, and improve upon, the content and skills they learned all year.

PASSING POLICY FOR GRADUATING SENIORS All seniors not taking externally assessed IB or AP examinations are required to take internally assessed final examinations. Any student enrolled in an IB course must sit for the final examination in that subject. If a student misses any final IB Examination, he/she will not receive credit for that subject.

QUALIFYING FOR NON-STANDARD TESTING Students must be pre-qualified for all Non-Standard Testing and must have appropriate documents on file. All documentation should be sent to the Director of Special Studies/Quest, who will oversee non-standard testing.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND THE HONOR COUNCIL While personal integrity is an individual responsibility and students are obliged to be ethical and honest in their academic coursework, teachers have a responsibility to maintain testing and assessment procedures that deter cheating. Specifically, teachers must: • Closely monitor students during quizzes, tests, and exams. As much as possible, teachers should move around their classrooms during assessments.

• Not permit the use of technology unless it is part of a specific assessment. Cell phones should never be out during quizzes, tests, or exams.

• Dissuade students from sharing questions or answers with peers. To do so, teachers should offer multiple forms of assessments that are given to more than one class section. Likewise, whenever possible, absent students should be given alternative forms of assessments as make-up quizzes, tests, or exams.

Instances of plagiarism and academic cheating must be reported both to the appropriate dean and head of department. Teachers, HODs, and deans should discuss and consider these unfortunate incidents individually, but most instances of academic dishonesty result a failing grade for the relevant assignment and a hearing in front of the Honor Council, which is empowered to suggest further consequences.

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TEACHER/RESEARCHER POLICY To support growth in the field of education and the individual development of our faculty, the School invites teachers and administrators who are pursuing graduate degrees to conduct research on campus. In order to ensure the effective, ethical execution of this important work, teachers/researchers are required to have the permission of the Senior Leadership Team before beginning any research project.

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ACTIVITIES, EVENTS, AND TRIPS PROCEDURES FIELD TRIPS In order to create connections between the curriculum and the world outside of school, Dwight encourages teachers to organize field trips that take advantage of the richness of our community.

General Guidelines, Early Childhood Division • Keep in mind the developmental level of the children in the group before planning a trip.

Teachers should test out the trip ahead of time.

• Please ensure that parents sign consent forms for any activities that take place outside of the classroom.

• Trips that require planning in advance need to be discussed with the Curriculum Coordinator prior to making any arrangements. Once the trip is approved, please submit an itinerary with details to the Administrative Coordinator.

• When deciding on the trip date, please liaise with your fellow co-teachers so that trips do not coincide.

• Make sure to notify Reception when leaving the campus (i.e. a walk around the block).

• Depending on the age of the children and type of trip, it is best to have two children per adult • Teachers should take a first aid kit, a cellular phone, and the class set of emergency information on MyDwight.

• Children should wear tags with the name, address and telephone number of the School only (not their own names).

• Parents should be instructed to supervise their charges at all times and never to leave the site with children.

General Guidelines, Grades 1-12 • Have at least one chaperone for every ten students. Assign a group of students to each chaperone. Employ the buddy system.

• See the Field Trip Coordinator for any payments or petty cash.

• When you are on a field trip, you represent Dwight School. Students must be in dress code at all times unless the physical activity involved deems other attire appropriate. Students must obey all Dwight rules (i.e. – no smoking, display polite and appropriate behavior, etc.). Explain the rules to the students before departure.

• Chaperones must remain with their assigned students at all times.

• Take head counts periodically throughout the trip.

• The office must be notified immediately in the case of missing students, student illness, misbehavior, etc.

• Take attendance before leaving trip site.

Trip Request and Planning Processes, Grades 1-12 To propose a field trip, complete the “Field Trip Request Form” linked on MyDwight. To ensure that all field trips are executed safely and intelligently, we require at least ten days advance notice for approval.

If you yourself will miss any classes on the day of your trip, please work with your head of department to ensure that your classes are appropriately covered. Once you do so, please notify the Office Manager of your arrangement.

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Before proposing a trip, please check internal calendars to determine the most convenient time for students to miss classes. In general, field trips should not take place during exam weeks or the final ten days of a term.

In the days leading up to a trip, please ensure that all impacted faculty members are reminded of the fact that students will be missing their classes through both direct email and the Daily Bulletin.

Prior to the trip, please check with the Healthcare Provider to identify participating students with specific medical needs.

If you are a class or grade arranging for any field trip or athletic activity for grades 1-12 you must send an email through Communications notifying parents in advance that students will be attending this field trip. If this trip is a grade 9-12, please indicate if the students be dismissed from the off campus site. This communication should be sent to the communications office at least one week in advance.

Dismissal procedures, Grades 1-12: Grades 1-8 students may not be dismissed from any field trip location. The group must be escorted to Dwight for dismissal.

Grades 9-12 students can be dismissed from site only when: 1. The trip ends at regular school dismissal time.

2. Parents have provided permission using our online forms 3. Clear notification has been received from the trip coordinator.

When dismissing from an off campus site, please have the student sign out and note the time.

If a trip ends early, students must be escorted by chaperones back to Dwight school campus.

No trips can be dismissed earlier than the end of the school day from a field trip location.

If an event time or date changes in advance of the trip, please communicate changes to parents.

OVERNIGHT TRIPS Dwight is committed to giving its students opportunities to participate in overnight educational experiences both in the United States and abroad. To propose an overnight trip involving students, complete the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Student Overnight Trip Request Formâ&#x20AC;? available from MyDwight. In order to ensure that all student overnight travel is executed safely and intelligently, we require three months advance notice for international travel and two months notice for domestic trips.

If you yourself will miss any classes on the day of your trip, please work with your head of department to ensure that your classes are appropriately covered. Once you do so, please notify the Office Manager of your arrangement.

Before proposing a trip, please check internal calendars to determine the most convenient time for students to miss classes. In general, field trips should not take place during exam weeks or the final ten days of a term.

In the days leading up to a trip, please ensure that all impacted faculty members are reminded of the fact that students will be missing their classes through both direct email and the Daily Bulletin. Prior to the trip, please check with the Healthcare Provider to identify participating students with specific medical needs.

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THE ATHLETIC AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENTS ATTENDANCE IN P.E. Students in Physical Education classes are expected to follow the Dwight School Attendance Policies, as well as the following Physical Education Department standards: • A student who is unable to participate in class activities must have a note from a parent or guardian.

• A student who is unable to participate in class activities for more than three consecutive meetings must have a doctor’s note.

• Students must be dressed in physical education uniforms and sneakers in order to participate in class activities.

• Students unprepared for class will receive a lower grade.

MISSED CLASS POLICY Faculty members who coach inter-scholastic sports will occasionally find that scheduled games require an early departure and missed classes. It is the responsibility of the coach and Athletic Director to communicate the travel information several days prior to departure. Athletic coaches should refer to “The Dwight School Coaching Manual” for further information regarding policies.

ACCIDENTS OR INJURIES Do not leave the injured student until trained help arrives. Do not move a student with a major injury. If the injury is not serious, have the injured student move slowly and carefully off the playing area. Send another student to the Main Office for help if necessary. Qualified medical personnel must check all injuries, however slight. Take no chances. Report the injury to the Healthcare Office and Athletic Director in writing by submitting an Accident Report Form (available online).

TRAVEL CONSIDERATIONS Please take the following steps when traveling for athletic events: • Confirm the transportation details with the Directors of Athletics the week before travel.

• The vans may transport fifteen students plus the driver. When using a van or bus, teachers and coaches have a legal duty to see that all students are safely transported to and from their destinations. Teachers and coaches are also responsible for the cleanliness of the vehicle after usage.

• Turn in all expenditure receipts to the Athletic Office.

• Make sure your athletes’ dress and conduct before, during, and after the contest are above reproach.

• Athletes will not be allowed to drive or ride in any private vehicle to or from any athletic contest unless they bring a permission letter signed by a parent/guardian.

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ADMISSIONS AND ENROLLMENT As no School can exist without students, no Admissions Office can operate without the involvement of the faculty. This involvement occurs in a variety of ways such as a friendly greeting to a family visiting the campus, or explaining new curriculum developments to the Admissions staff.

Obviously, the environment each teacher creates in his or her classroom has an effect upon admissions: A student talks to a friend about the exciting projects going on in your class; prospective applicants spend several periods attending classes and take those academic “first impressions” home with them. One of the primary reasons a family selects one school over another are the qualifications, professionalism and involvement of its faculty and administration.

The Admissions procedure is as follows: • Application completed • Transcripts reviewed • Tour and interview • Class visit • ERB/ISEE (Independent School Entrance Exam) If there is a test or a field trip scheduled during a visit, you must notify the Admissions Office immediately. Faculty should prepare for the visitor by setting up an extra desk near their assigned student ambassador. They should also take a moment to welcome the applicant to the class and answer any questions he or she may have about Dwight School. Any faculty member with a previous or current affiliation with a public or private school, youth organization, or educational association is encouraged to be the liaison between Dwight and that institution.

Please be aware of your conduct in the North Campus waiting area at all times. This area is very often occupied by prospective families. In a very real sense, every member of our community is urged to become involved in recruitment. We share a concern about how we present ourselves to visitors and a desire to attract the very best students to Dwight School.

STUDENT CONTRACT RENEWAL A student on academic or social probation may be removed from the School during the academic year, or his contract may not be renewed at the recommendation of the Administration. The Administration reviews all student records and determines which re-enrollment contracts should be withheld or conditional.

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THE DWIGHT SCHOOL FOUNDATION’S OFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT The Advancement Office of The Dwight School Foundation oversees all fundraising and alumni affairs for Dwight. The Foundation is governed by an eighteen-member Board of Trustees which includes six committees: a) Executive Committee, b) Finance Committee, c) Development Committee, d) Scholarship Committee, e) Other Grants Committee, and f ) Committee on Trustees. The Advancement Office welcomes questions and suggestions about these efforts.

FUNDRAISING Fundraising is coordinated by The Dwight School Foundation, a 501(c)3 entity established in 1969 to provide financial aid to Dwight students, professional development grants to Dwight faculty, and other enrichment. The generosity of our parents, alumni, and friends ensures that Dwight students and faculty will have access to the best resources possible. The three main sources of fundraising revenues, each coordinated with volunteers, are: • Capital or Major Gift Campaigns: These are undertaken periodically to raise funds specifically to enhance facilities or increase endowment. Donations to the Foundation for facilities enhancements are provided to the School in the form of a market-rate loan, not a direct contribution.

• Annual Fund: This is the main fundraiser at Dwight and provides funds for student financial aid, faculty professional development, and other enrichment to improve the Dwight experience. The Annual Fund Committee oversees this initiative.

• Senior Gift: This is simply the Annual Fund dollars raised from twelfth grade families.

Based on the dollars raised by the twelfth grade families – who are asked to give above and beyond what they have contributed in prior years – the School will name a space in honor of the graduating class. The Senior Gift Committee oversees this initiative.

• Spring Benefit: This has taken different forms over the years, but ultimately serves as both a friendraiser and a fundraiser. A live and silent auction may be part of the event. The Benefit Committee oversees this initiative.

Note: All fundraising efforts by faculty, staff, or students should be approved by the Director of Annual Giving. This is very important to avoid duplicate efforts and confusion among donors.

If you are approached by a parent about a possible gift-in-kind, please refer the donor to the Director of Annual Giving for proper follow-up.

ALUMNI The Alumni Office oversees all efforts to build and strengthen the alumni network so that alumni can be a valuable resource for the School as well as a valuable resource for each other.

Dwight has over 5,000 alumni around the globe. Dwight represents three schools historically: Franklin, founded in 1872; the Anglo-American International School, which Franklin became in 1980 when it adopted the International Baccalaureate curriculum; and Dwight, founded in 1880 on the East Side and which merged with Anglo in 1993 when it relocated to its present sites on 89th and Central Park West.

The Alumni Office works with a fifteen-member Alumni Council as well as class representatives to host reunions and other events throughout the year designed to engage and reconnect alumni to Dwight. If you are aware of alumni who would be interested in participating in something related to Dwight, please let the Advancement Office know. Similarly, if you are planning an activity which might benefit from alumni participation (speaker, etc.), please contact the Advancement Office.

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HUMAN RESOURCES AND BENEFITS At Dwight School we strive to create an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual respect.

Flexibility is essential to the company’s ability to respond to the changing needs of our organization and employees. We therefore reserve the right to revise, eliminate or reconsider any of the guidelines listed at any time.

Important Contact Information Paychex PBS Employee Service Center: 800.741.6277 Employee Assistance Program: 800.327.2255 Paychex PBS Website: www.benefits.paychex.com EMPLOYMENT Dwight School has entered into a strategic relationship with Paychex PBS. Paychex PBS is a human resources management firm in a business popularly referred to as a “Professional Employer Organization.” With the ever-changing pattern of employee relations, Dwight School has enlisted the services of Paychex PBS to help administer payroll, provide employee benefits and assist with human resources and risk management. Under this arrangement, both Dwight School and Paychex PBS are your employers and have certain rights and responsibilities with respect to your employment.

ID CARDS It is important to us that our employee’s work in a secure and protected environment. All employees shall be issued an ID (identification card) which must be displayed at all times during work hours.

If your ID is lost or destroyed, please contact the Communications Department for a replacement ID. Please note that you will be charged a $10 replacement fee.

PERSONAL RECORDS Dwight School collects and maintains job-related information about each employee to satisfy government reporting requirements for payroll, performance evaluations and benefit processing.

All personnel records are confidential and kept locked in the Human Resources Department. It is important to notify Human Resources immediately if you have a change in your personal information – such as your name, family status, address, telephone number or emergency contact information.

HEALTH RECORDS Based on article 43.11 and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene/Board of Health, all new and returning faculty/staff are required to submit a health form and emergency contact information to Human Resources. This information shall be kept confidential, and shall be kept separate from all other personnel or employment records.

We, as a school, must be responsible for ensuring that all individuals employed at Dwight or any school setting meet hiring requirements as well as required legal conditions.

Having these forms and information will ensure that all students, faculty and staff are working in a safe environment.

OPEN DOOR POLICY Dwight School believes in an open and honest discussion at every level. As a Dwight employee, you have the right to raise concerns, suggestions or questions and receive a quick and accurate 66

answer. You should speak with your Department Head; however, if you do not wish to discuss the matter with this individual, you can speak with the Human Resources Department.

A WORKPLACE FREE FROM VIOLENCE Dwight School has zero tolerance for fighting, harassment, and intimidating behavior in the workplace. Such behavior will be met with appropriate corrective action up to and including termination of employment. It is important to us that we act in a responsible and careful manner at all times and exercise reasonable judgment.

ADVANCED DEGREE COMPENSATION POLICY Beginning with the 2013-2014 school year, teacher’s completing their Master’s Degree will receive an additional $2,500. Teacher’s should forward a copy of their official transcript noting their degree to the Human Resources Department to have the stipend added to their salary.

If Dwight School has paid for the teacher’s degree, then the additional compensation will be $1,000. If a teacher receives a doctoral degree, then an additional $4,000 will be added to their salary upon receipt of an official transcript noting the degree. If Dwight School has paid for the degree, then the additional compensation will be $2,000.

Please note that the additional compensation for an advanced degree will be effective at the beginning of September of the contract year. Compensation will not be added to your salary during the contract year.

SAFETY ON THE JOB Safety is every employee’s responsibility. If you become aware of an unsafe condition or emergency situation, please contact the Facilities Director, Director of Business Office, Human Resources Manager or the Head of School.

DRUG AND ALCOHOL POLICY Dwight School is a drug-free workplace. You agree to work under the conditions requiring a drug-free workplace, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. All employees pursuant to the School’s policy and federal, state, and local law, may be subject to urinalysis and/or blood screening or other medically recognized tests designed to detect the presence of alcohol or illegal or controlled substances if there is reasonable suspicion that is impacting the workplace.

LACTATION BREAK Dwight School will accommodate a female employee’s need to express breast milk for the employee’s infant child for up to three years from the birth of the child during a scheduled break. The designated area is private and provides the necessary items needed (i.e. chair, small table, electrical outlet, sink, small refrigerator for storage). Please contact the Human Resources Department if scheduling assistance is needed or if you have any additional inquiries.

SOLICITATION/DISTRIBUTION Solicitation of an employee by another employee during work time is prohibited. Distribution or posting of advertising material, handbills, or other materials in any work area or via company email is also prohibited.

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MATERNITY/PATERNITY LEAVE Dwight School will provide five (5) days of paid maternity/paternity leave to all full-time employees. Employees whom have been employed with Dwight School for three (3) years or more, will receive an additional five (5) personal days to be used for maternity/paternity leave. Unused sick/vacation/personal days may be used to supplement paid leave days. Full time employees are eligible for maternity benefits under Dwight’s short term disability policy (administered by Standard Insurance Company). All eligible employees will receive weekly disability pay of up to 60% of their weekly pay ( not to exceed $500 per week).

The disability term is determined by the insurance company after reviewing information provided by your physician. Please contact the Human Resources department for claim forms and additional information.

Please note: The first (5) days you are out on disability is not paid by The Standard (Disability Insurance Company) The employee contribution of your medical/dental/vision premium will be paid by Dwight during your leave. This contribution may be directly remitted to Dwight School while you are out on leave or can be deducted from your salary once you return to work.

Newborns are automatically added to an employee’s medical coverage and will remain on your policy for 30 days. If you have other medical coverage, please contact Human Resources within 30 days to cease coverage. Birth certificates must be presented to Human Resources within 30 days of birth to continue medical coverage for your newborn child.

DATING/FRATERNIZATION POLICY We encourage our employees to develop friendships and share a spirit of teamwork and camaraderie both in the workplace and outside of work. In instituting this dating or fraternization policy, it is not your company’s goal to interfere with the development of co-worker friendships and relationships. This policy identifies when these relationships are appropriate and when they are not.

Dwight employees may date, develop friendships and relationships both inside and outside of the workplace as long as the relationships do not negatively impact work.

Any relationship that interferes with the company culture of teamwork, the harmonious work environment or the productivity of employees will be addressed. Adverse workplace behavior or behavior that affects the workplace that arises because of personal relationships will not be tolerated.

The exception to this policy relates to managers and supervisors. Anyone employed in a managerial or supervisory role needs to heed the fact that personal relationships with employees who report to him or her may be perceived as favoritism, misuse of authority, or potentially, sexual harassment. Even if no improper conduct occurs, the relationship may cause gossip, hard feelings, dissatisfaction, and distraction among other employees in the workplace. The relationship may appear to other employees as an inappropriate use of position power. Additionally, any fraternization with any employee who reports to the manager or whose terms and conditions of employment such as pay raises, promotions, and advancement are potentially affected by the manager, is prohibited. The fraternization that is prohibited by this policy includes dating, romantic involvement, and sexual relations; close friendships are discouraged in any reporting relationship.

If a manager decides to pursue a close relationship with an employee, he or she needs to inform their manager and Human Resources immediately. The company will then decide what, if any, actions are necessary to take in regard to assignments and jobs. Under no circumstances may 68

a manager date, become romantically involved with, or have sexual relations with a reporting employee. Employees who disregard this policy will be disciplined up to and including employment termination.

We recognize that employees have different definitions and understandings about what constitutes a close relationship, a friendship, or romantic involvement. Consequently, if you have questions or need further clarification, please speak with your Human Resources department. Their goal of implementing policies consistently and fairly will help inform your choices.

SUMMER VACATION TIME Full-Time Exempt Employees: If you are a full-time exempt employee in a Senior Leadership/Director/Assistant Manager/ Manager role, you are eligible for the following summer vacation time: • Four (4) weeks summer vacation per contract year If you are a full-time exempt employee in a Staff role, you are eligible for the following summer vacation time: • Year 1-Year 4 = Three (3) weeks summer vacation per contract year • Year 5+ = Four (4) weeks summer vacation per contract year

Full-Time Non-Exempt Employees: If you are a full-time non-exempt employee in a Staff/Clerical/Administrative role, you are eligible for the following summer vacation time: • Year 1-Year 3 = Two (2) weeks summer vacation per contract year • Year 4-Year 10 = Three (3) weeks summer vacation per contract year • Year 10+ = Four (4) weeks summer vacation per contract year PAYROLL SCHEDULE All School employees are paid on a semi-monthly basis on the 15th and 30th of each month.

Direct bank deposit can be arranged through Paychex PBS. Faculty and staff are paid on a twelve-month basis and receive regular semi-monthly paychecks over the summer.

Payroll deductions are made by Paychex PBS for social security and Medicare, federal income tax, state income tax, and other School-approved optional health insurance, or retirement plans. As permitted under Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code, employees may elect to have deductions for health insurance contributions made on a pre-tax basis. Employees are advised to see the Director of Finance or Human Resources Manager in the Business Office with questions regarding withholding or social security taxes.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY In order to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals, employment decisions at Paychex PBS and Dwight School will be based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. Both Paychex PBS and Dwight School are equal employment opportunity employers and do not discriminate against any person because of race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, or any other characteristic protected by law (referred to as “protected status”). This nondiscrimination policy extends to all terms, conditions and privileges of employment as well as the use of all company facilities, participation in all 69

company-sponsored activities, and all employment actions such as promotions, compensation, benefits and termination of employment.

Paychex PBS and Dwight School will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would result in an undue hardship. This policy governs all aspects of employment, including selection, job assignment, compensation, discipline, termination, and access to benefits and training.

Any employees with questions or concerns about any type of discrimination in the workplace are encouraged to bring these issues to the attention of their immediate supervisor at Dwight School or the Employee Service Center at 800.741.6277. Employees can raise concerns and make reports without fear of reprisal. Anyone found to be engaging in any type of unlawful discrimination will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

NON-HARASSMENT We prohibit harassment of one faculty or staff member by another faculty or staff member, supervisor, or third party for any reason based on a â&#x20AC;&#x153;protected class.â&#x20AC;? Harassment of third parties by our team members is also prohibited.

In New York, the following are a protected class: age (18 and over), race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, sex, disability (including use of a guide dog, hearing dog, or service dog), predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, marital status, victims of domestic violence or stalking, and previous conviction of criminal offenses, unless directly related to employment or would involve an unreasonable risk to property, or to the safety or welfare of specific individuals, or the general public.

The purpose of this policy is not to regulate the personal morality of faculty or staff members.

It is to ensure that in the workplace, no team member harasses another for any reason or in any manner. The conduct prohibited by this policy includes conduct in any form including but not limited to email, voice mail, chat rooms, Internet use or history, text messages, pictures, images, writings, words or gestures.

While it is not easy to define precisely what harassment is, it includes: slurs, epithets, threats, derogatory comments or visual depictions, unwelcome jokes and teasing.

Any team member who believes that (s)he has been harassed should report the situation immediately to the Director of Finance or Human Resources Manager. The School will investigate all such reports as confidentially as possible. Adverse action will not be taken against a team member because he or she, in good faith, reports or participates in the investigation of a violation of this policy. Violations of this policy are not permitted and may result in disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT Any type of sexual harassment is against corporate policy and may be unlawful.

We firmly prohibit sexual harassment of any faculty or staff member by another, by a supervisor, or by a third party. Harassment of third parties by our team members is also prohibited.

While it is not easy to define precisely what sexual harassment is, it may include: unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and/or verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature including, but not limited to, sexually-related drawings, pictures, jokes, teasing, emails, text messages, uninvited touching or other sexually-related comments.

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The conduct prohibited by this policy includes conduct in any form including but not limited to email, voicemail, online chat, other Internet use or history, text messages, pictures, images, writings, words, or gestures.

Sexual harassment of a team member will not be tolerated. Violations of this policy may result in disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal. There will be no adverse action taken against team members who report violations of this policy in good faith or participate in the investigation of such violations.

Any team member who believes that (s)he is a victim of sexual harassment should immediately report such actions in accordance with the following procedure. All complaints will be promptly and thoroughly investigated as confidentially as possible.

1. Any team member who believes that (s)he is a victim of sexual harassment or has been retaliated against for complaining of sexual harassment, should report the situation immediately to either the Director of Finance or Human Resources Manager.

2. The School will investigate every reported incident immediately. Any team member, supervisor, or agent of the School who has been found to have violated this policy may be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including immediate dismissal.

3. The School will conduct all investigations in a discreet manner. The School recognizes that every investigation requires a determination based on all the facts in the matter.

We also recognize the serious impact a false accusation can have and trust that all team members will continue to act responsibly.

4. The reporting team member and any team member participating in any investigation under this policy have the Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assurance that no reprisals will be taken as a result of a sexual harassment complaint. It is our policy to encourage discussion of the matter to help protect others from being subjected to similar inappropriate behavior.

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION Paychex PBS and Dwight School are committed to complying fully with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and ensuring equal opportunity in employment for qualified persons with disabilities. All employment practices and activities are conducted on a nondiscriminatory basis.

Hiring procedures are designed to provide persons with disabilities meaningful employment opportunities. Pre-employment inquiries are made only regarding an applicantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to perform the duties of the position.

Reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities will be made unless to do so would be an undue hardship. All employment decisions are based on the merits of the situation in accordance with defined criteria, not the disability of the individual.

Qualified individuals with disabilities are entitled to equal pay and other forms of compensation (or changes in compensation) as well as in job assignments, classifications, organizational structures, position descriptions, lines of progression and seniority lists. Leave of all types will be available to all employees on an equal basis.

Paychex PBS and Dwight School are also committed to not discriminating against any qualified employees or applicants because they are related to or associated with a person with a disability.

Paychex PBS and Dwight School will follow any state or local law that provides individuals with disabilities greater protection than the ADA. 71

This policy is neither exhaustive nor exclusive. Paychex PBS and Dwight School are committed to taking all other actions necessary to ensure equal employment opportunity for persons with disabilities in accordance with the ADA and all other applicable federal, state, and local laws.

CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY The teacher acknowledges that any work product, including but not limited to papers, curricula, manuscripts, course guides, printed or electronic material, created by teacher, in whole or in part, for use by Dwight School during the course of the teacher’s employment by the school or partly funded by the School or any affiliate thereof, in money and/or services, shall remain the property of the School. The teacher further acknowledges that during the course of employment, (s)he may obtain and have access to confidential information that is important to the School’s business. This confidential information includes, but is not limited to, matters relating to its students, parents, employees, donors, benefactors, and may include student, parent, employee, and donor names; academic records; addresses; financial information; and other personal information. The teacher may also become aware of marketing and academic plans and other information that is deemed pertinent and proprietary to the School. This is all herein collectively referred to as “Confidential Information.” The teacher acknowledges that such Confidential Information is worthy of protection and is the sole property of the School.

The teacher agrees that during the term of his/her Agreement and thereafter, for so long as the pertinent information or data remains Confidential Information, the teacher shall not divulge or otherwise make use of any Confidential Information, directly or indirectly, personally, or on behalf of any other person, business, corporation, organization, or entity, without the prior written consent of the School.

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS PROGRAMS Eligible employees at Dwight School are provided a wide range of benefits. A number of the programs (such as Social Security, workers’ compensation, state disability, and unemployment insurance) cover all employees in the manner prescribed by law.

The following benefit programs are available to eligible employees: • Medical Insurance - Aetna Medical Plans • Dental Insurance - Aetna Dental Plans • Vision Care Insurance - Eye Care Plan of America • Life Insurance - $15,000 coverage through Dwight School; $10,000 coverage through Aetna if you are enrolled in an Aetna medical plan • Voluntary Benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Flexible Benefits Plan • 401(k) Savings Plan - UBS • Long-Term Disability • Short-Term Disability Once enrolled, employees may view their current benefit elections online at www.benefits. paychex.com. Employees with questions regarding their benefit elections should contact the Paychex PBS Employee Service Center at 800.741.6277.

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WORKERS’ COMPENSATION INSURANCE Paychex PBS provides a comprehensive workers’ compensation insurance program at no cost to employees. This program covers any injury or illness sustained in the course of employment that requires medical, surgical, or hospital treatment. Subject to the applicable legal requirements, workers compensation insurance provides benefits after a waiting period.

Employees who sustain work-related injuries or illnesses should inform their supervisor immediately. No matter how minor an on-the-job injury may appear, it is important that it be reported immediately. This will enable an eligible employee to qualify for coverage as quickly as possible.

Neither Paychex PBS nor the insurance carrier will be liable for the payment of workers’ compensation benefits for injuries that occur during an employee’s voluntary participation in any off-duty recreational, social, or athletic activity sponsored by Paychex PBS or Dwight School.

BENEFITS CONTINUATION (COBRA) The federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) gives employees and their qualified beneficiaries the opportunity to continue health insurance coverage under Paychex PBS’s health plan when a “qualifying event” would normally result in the loss of eligibility. Some common qualifying events are resignation, termination of employment, or death of an employee; a reduction in an employee’s hours or a leave of absence; an employee’s divorce or legal separation; and a dependent child no longer meeting eligibility requirements.

Under COBRA, the employee or beneficiary pays the full cost of coverage at Paychex PBS’s group rates plus an administration fee. Paychex PBS provides each eligible employee with a written notice describing rights granted under COBRA when the employee becomes eligible for coverage under Paychex PBS’s health insurance plan. The notice contains important information about the employee’s rights and obligations.

Please refer to the Summary Plan Description or contact the Paychex PBS Employee Service Center at 800.741.6277 for additional information.

SHORT-TERM DISABILITY POLICY Policy • Dwight School provides a Short-Term Disability Program available to eligible full-time regular employees as approved by Dwight School designed to assist those regular employees unable to work due to extended illness or disability lasting up to six months.

• All regular employees with more than thirty days of continuous service based on date of employment as a regular employee are eligible for consideration of Short-Term Disability benefits.

• This plan is to be integrated with Dwight School’s Employees’ Long-Term Disability Plan, which provides benefit payments to regular employees with at least 30 days of service, after six months of total disability.

• Any illness or impairment of health verified by a certified doctor’s written statement, that requires an employee to be absent from work for 5 or more continuous working days, qualifies the employee for consideration of benefits under the Short-Term Disability Program.

• Benefits are available only to an employee who is under a certified physician’s care. A doctor must certify the starting, continuing, and ending dates of the employee’s disability on Disability Certification Form. Payment of the employee’s Short-Term Disability benefits will be delayed or denied if we are unable to certify the initiation or continuing status of the disability period.

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• Short-Term Disability benefits must be approved before benefits are paid. The fact that an employee presents a doctor’s certificate indicating an illness/disability does not in and of itself establish eligibility for Short-Term Disability benefits.

• Benefits under this program must be requested by the employee through Human Resources and approved by Human Resources.

• Dwight School may place employees on a medical leave of absence without pay if doubt exists as to the bona fide nature of the illness/disability or if additional medical information is required to substantiate the claim. When additional medical information is requested, employees remain on medical leave of absence without pay until the illness/disability is certified and an effective date obtained based on the additional information from the employee’s physician or a physician of Dwight School’s choice.

• Reconfirmation of disability or long-term illness by the patient’s physician will be required

by Dwight School every two weeks unless a physician is able to project at the outset a total period of disability. These re-certifications may be subject to review by a physician called in at the company option and expense.

• Short-Term disability benefits start on the date of the doctor’s certificate or the first day of the disability period as indicated by the effective date of the doctor’s certificate, whichever is earlier.

• Maximum benefits under the Short-Term Disability Program are 60% of weekly full pay with a maximum of $500 per week. Benefits are paid directly to the employee by the Presidential Life Insurance Company.

• At the end of six months of continuous disability, an assessment will be made to see if the employee qualifies for disability benefits under Dwight School’s Long-Term Disability Plan. If at that time, the employee cannot be certified disabled by the Long-Term Disability Plan Administrator, his or her employment may be terminated with the option for rehire when the employee’s health allows. If it becomes clear that the employee’s return to work is imminent, after paid Short-Term Disability benefits lapse, a leave of absence without pay may be authorized by Human Resources.

• Dwight School bases disability payments on an incident of disability, rather than on a calendaryear basis. A period of disability begun in one year could extend into the following year.

• When the employee returns to work following a period of extended disability or illness and has subsequent absences related to the original disability within thirty calendar days of the return to work, those absences will be considered part of the original disability period.

• Pregnancy is treated the same as is any other illness under the Short-Term Disability Program. Commencement of Short-Term Disability benefits for a maternity leave must be based on actual disability of the individual, not the mere fact of pregnancy.

• If the request for Medical Leave is determined by Human Resources to be unwarranted, the employee will be notified of the denial of the request. If the employee is not actively at work at this time, his/her failure to return immediately will be considered a resignation.

• If false claims for Short-Term Disability benefits are discovered at any time, or if an employee fails to report to work on the first regularly scheduled workday following absence under the Short-Term Disability Program, he/she will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.

• Employees receiving benefits under Dwight School’s Short-Term Disability Program will be eligible to continue participation in the the Dwight School’s Health and Life Insurance plans.

• The company may require periodic verification of an employee’s inability or ability to work (including, for example, examination by a doctor designated by the company).

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• Company policy provides that an employee’s position may be filled while on a leave if this is necessary in order to meet business requirements. If this occurs, upon conclusion of the medical leave, every reasonable effort will be made to return the employee to the position formerly held or to one of similar responsibility and salary level.

• Exceptions to this policy will be determined by the Chancellor and/or Head of School.

Responsibilities • The employee is responsible for completing his/her section of the Disability Certification Form, and ensuring the timely completion of the physician’s statement, who must certify the nature, extent of illness or injury and projected duration of the employee’s disability.

• Human Resources and Paychex PBS is responsible for monitoring an employee’s eligibility for the Short-Term Disability Program.

• Paychex PBS and Presidential Life Insurance Company are responsible for the calculation of benefits under the Short-Term Disability program.

• Human Resources is responsible for initiating the appropriate Personnel Status Change form for any employee who becomes eligible for the Short-Term Disability Program and for obtaining approval of the change.

Procedures • Employee obtains physician’s statement (Disability Certification Form), certifying nature, extent and duration of illness/disability and forwards it to Karen Suazo, Human Resources Manager.

• Human Resources will notify Paychex PBS as to the change in status of the employee and will send the completed Disability Certification form (including employer’s statement) to the Paychex PBS short term disability department.

• Paychex PBS will coordinate benefits with Presidential Life Insurance Company.

• Employee will be paid directly by Presidential Life.

• Employee will be on inactive status with payroll, but health benefits will continue.

Employees will be responsible for paying the employee contribution of medical, dental, and vision benefits while on disability.

LONG-TERM DISABILITY POLICY If you are unable to work due to illness or accidental injury that lasts longer than 180 consecutive days, you may be entitled to benefits under the Dwight School Long-Term Disability (LTD) Plan. Qualifying employees who are totally disabled receive a benefit equal to 60% of basic monthly compensation ( not to exceed $2,000 per month) as defined in the Plan.

Copies of the LTD Plan document are available from Karen Suazo, Human Resources Manager.

FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE (FMLA) The Leave Policy Regular full-time employees are eligible to take up to twelve weeks of unpaid FMLA Leave within any twelve-month period and be restored to the same or an equivalent position upon your return from leave provided you: (1) have worked for an otherwise covered worksite employer or for Paychex PBS for at least twelve months, (2) have worked for at least 1,250 hours in the last twelve months, and (3) are employed at a worksite that has 50 or more Paychex PBS employees within 75 miles from the location from which you were assigned. A “rolling” twelve-month period 75

measured backwards from the date you take leave will be used for computing the period within which the twelve weeks of leave may be taken. If you and your spouse both work for Client Name, the maximum amount of FMLA Leave available to you and your spouse for reasons (1) and (2) below is a combined total of twelve weeks. If you live in a state, county, or city which provides more generous benefits, you will be given those benefits. Please check with the Employee Service Center at 800.554.1802 for any local variations applicable to this policy.

Reasons for Leave You may take FMLA Leave for any of the following reasons: (1) the birth of a son or daughter and to care for such son or daughter; (2) the placement of a son or daughter with you for adoption or foster care and to care for the newly placed son or daughter; (3) to care for a spouse, son, daughter or parent (“covered relation”) with a serious health condition; or (4) because of your own serious health condition which renders you unable to perform an essential function of your position. Leave because of reasons (1) or (2) must be completed within the twelve-month period beginning on the date of birth or placement.

Notice of Leave To request leave, you must notify Paychex PBS and/or Dwight School of your need for leave by completing a Request for FMLA Leave Form available from your supervisor or Paychex PBS Human Resources professional. You should give 30 days’ prior written notice, or as much advance written notice as possible, to your supervisor and/or your Paychex PBS Human Resources professional. However, if it appears that you may be absent due to a FMLA-qualified event or serious health condition, Paychex PBS or Dwight School may, but is not required to, preliminarily designate your time off as FMLA Leave, pending the receipt of documentation from you. Failure to provide requested FMLA Leave documentation and certification within the time limits requested will result in Paychex PBS and/or Dwight School making a determination on your leave status without such documentation. Paychex PBS and Dwight School may delay or deny leave, demand that you return to work, treat absences as unauthorized time off, which could subject you to discipline up to and including termination, and/or discontinue your FMLA Leave.

Medical Certification If you are requesting FMLA Leave for a serious health condition [reasons (3) or (4)], you and the relevant health care provider must supply appropriate medical certification. You may obtain the Medical Certification Form from your supervisor or your Paychex PBS Human Resources professional. Whenever possible, the Medical Certification should be supplied before the leave begins. Further, Paychex PBS and/or Dwight School, at no expense to you, may require an examination by a second health care provider designated by Paychex PBS and/or Dwight School.

If the second health care provider’s opinion conflicts with the original medical certification, Paychex PBS and/or Dwight School, at no expense to you, may require a third, mutually agreeable, health care provider to conduct an examination and provide a final and binding opinion. Paychex PBS and/or Dwight School may require a subsequent medical recertification.

Failure to provide requested certification within fifteen days, if such is practicable, may result in delay of further leave until it is provided, and/or may subject you to discipline up to and including termination for taking unauthorized leave or excessive absenteeism.

While On Leave If you take leave because of your own serious health condition or to care for a covered relation (reasons (3) or (4)), you must contact your supervisor or your Paychex PBS Human Resources professional on the “first and third Tuesday” of each month regarding the status of the condition 76

and your intention to return to work to see how you are progressing and so that we are upto-date on any new developments. In addition, you must give notice to your supervisor and Paychex PBS Human Resources professional as soon as practicable (within two business days, if feasible) if the dates of leave change, are extended or initially were unknown.

Intermittent and Reduced Schedule Leave Leave because of a serious health condition [reasons (3) and (4)] may be taken intermittently (in separate blocks of time due to a single health condition) or on a reduced leave schedule (reducing the usual number of hours you work each workday) if medically necessary. You will receive your current rate of pay for hours worked and time spent working will not count against your available FMLA Leave. In addition, while you are on an intermittent or reduced schedule leave, Paychex PBS and/or Dwight School may temporarily transfer you to an available alternative position which better accommodates your recurring leave and which has equivalent pay and benefits.

Leave is Unpaid FMLA Leave is unpaid leave. Pay that will end during Leave includes all forms of compensation paid

by Paychex PBS and the School to you, including but not limited to wages, bonuses, commissions and discounts. You are required to use any accrued paid time off for the applicable FMLA Leave, unless you are currently receiving workers’ compensation benefits. FMLA Leave does not affect your eligibility, if any, for short or long term disability payments and/or workers’ compensation benefits under those insurance plans. For more information regarding use of your accrued paid time off, or eligibility for disability and/or workers compensation insurance payments, call the Employee Service Center at 800.554.1802 and/or refer to the plan documents (which are controlling).

FMLA Leave runs concurrently with any other applicable paid or unpaid leave. Using available paid time off, short-term disability or workers’ compensation will not extend your leave time beyond the maximum time allowed of twelve weeks of FMLA Leave per twelve-month period.

Medical and Other Benefits During an approved FMLA Leave, Paychex PBS and/or Dwight School will maintain your health and other benefits, as if you continued to be actively employed. However, you must continue to pay your portion, if any, of the group health plan premiums or your benefits may be cancelled.

Accrual of benefits such as paid time off will be suspended during the duration of the leave.

Accrual of seniority will also be suspended during the leave and your annual review date will be adjusted accordingly. If you return to work owing any employer-made contributions to your insurance premiums to maintain coverage during your leave, you will be required to reimburse Paychex PBS and/or Dwight School through payroll deduction immediately upon return. If you elect not to return to work at the end of the leave period, you will be required to reimburse Paychex PBS and/or Dwight School for contributions to the health insurance premiums made to maintain coverage during your leave, unless you cannot return to work because of a serious health condition or because of other circumstances beyond your control.

Returning From Leave When you are able to return to work following a leave because of your own serious health condition, you should attempt to give the School at least one week’s notice by mailing or faxing to your Human Resources Department or Paychex PBS Human Resources professional a medical certification stating that you are able to resume work. However, you must make sure that the company receives this notice no later than two business days before your return to work at the conclusion of your leave. If your FMLA Leave resulted from 77

a workers’ compensation injury, your health care provider may send an updated medical work status form to your Case Manager as soon as your return to work date is known, even if less than two business days before your return to work. You may obtain Return to Work Medical Certification Forms from your supervisor or local Paychex PBS Human Resources professional. This is important so that your return to work is properly scheduled.

Extended Leave for Serious Health Condition Leave taken because of your own serious health condition may be extended under certain circumstances. If you cannot return to work at the end of your FMLA Leave due to your own serious health condition, please contact your supervisor and/or the Employee Service Center at 800.554.1802 to see if you are eligible for extended leave. Please understand that reinstatement from an extended leave of absence (beyond twelve weeks of FMLA Leave) is not guaranteed and will depend upon the availability of a vacancy for which you are qualified.

MILITARY LEAVE A military leave of absence will be granted to employees who are absent from work because of service in the U.S. uniformed services in accordance with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). Advance notice of military service is required, unless military necessity prevents such notice or it is otherwise impossible or unreasonable. The leave will be unpaid. However, employees may use any available paid time off for the absence.

Continuation of health insurance benefits is available as required by USERRA based on the length of the leave and subject to the terms, conditions and limitations of the applicable plans for which the employee is otherwise eligible.

PREGNANCY-RELATED ABSENCES Paychex PBS and Dwight School will not discriminate against any employee who requests an excused absence for medical disabilities associated with pregnancy. Such leave requests will be evaluated according to the medical leave policy provisions outlined in this Employee Handbook and all applicable federal and state laws. Requests for time off associated with pregnancy and/or childbirth, such as bonding and child care, not related to medical disabilities for those conditions will be considered in the same manner as other requests for unpaid family or personal leave.

BEREAVEMENT LEAVE All employees who wish to take time off due to the death of an immediate family member should notify the Office Manager and their Department Chair immediately. Up to three (3) days of paid bereavement leave will be provided to full-time employees. Bereavement leave will normally be granted unless there are unusual business needs or staffing requirements.

Employees may, with their supervisors’ approval, use any available paid leave for additional time off as necessary.

VACATIONS AND SCHOOL HOLIDAYS Scheduled School recess periods are considered paid vacation time for all teaching faculty.

The Human Resources Manager will coordinate vacations for administrators. In each case, the length of the paid vacation for staff member depends on that individual’s agreement with the School. Vacations must be taken during the fiscal year earned. Administrators and staff are required to work one week over the winter break. Winter break days off must be used over winter break and cannot be carried over. This policy applies to all vacation periods including 78

Summer Break. If days off are not used during the corresponding break periods (unless previously authorized by the Head of School) they will be forfeited.

PERSONAL DAYS AND JURY DUTY When absence is anticipated due to personal reasons or jury duty, requests must be submitted in writing to the Head of School’s Office and HR Office for approval at least one week in advance. Teachers who receive notice of jury duty must notify the Assistant to the Head of School and the Human Resources Manager upon receipt. If there is an emergency that requires one to be out of school, a request in writing must be made and approved by both the Head of School and HR Manager. The teacher is expected to arrange for a substitute teacher after the discussion with the Department Chair.

A person may not have more than two personal days each year, and they are not carried over from one year to the next. After the second personal day, the teacher will not be paid for any subsequent personal days. The Head of School reserves the right to deny any personal days exceeding the allotted two (2). Personal days combined with absences should not exceed five days in any school year and is a cause for loss of prorated compensation. Personal Day and Jury Duty request forms can be obtained on MyDwight.

TRAVEL POLICY This policy governs all professional development trips and day conferences. All employees whose expenses will be covered by Dwight School must adhere to this policy.

• Please fill out an online Professional Development Request Form. No approvals or reimbursements will be processed without the signatures of the Head of School. The online form can be accessed from the faculty portal on MyDwight.

• All travel arrangements for faculty in grades 6-12 must be made by Azra Osmanovic. Travel for faculty in grades N-5 should be made by Sorush Panahi. Please check and approve your preliminary itinerary (name, dates, and times) carefully before the purchase is made. Any changes or upgrades after the final purchase will not be reimbursed by the school.

• Each conference attendee will receive a $50 per diem meal allowance. Taxi/car service to and from the airport will also be reimbursed upon presentation of a receipt. We ask that faculty and staff use airport/hotel shuttles when available. Groups traveling to the same conference are encouraged to ride together. For local conferences, please use public transportation when possible. The 2013 IRS business travel mileage rate of 55.5 cents per mile will be reimbursed to employees who travel using their personal automobile. Please submit documentation of mileage (i.e. printout from mapquest.com). Automobile rentals will not be reimbursed without pre-authorization from Azra Osmanovic. Cash advances cannot be given for any reason.

• All receipts for reimbursable expenses must be turned in to Azra Osmanovic within two weeks following the conference. Receipts submitted after that date will not be honored.

Please allow two weeks after submission for processing and payment. Please submit original receipts. Reimbursements cannot be made without original receipts.

SCHOOL-ISSUED CELL PHONES Dwight School provides senior administrators and other employees who need after-hours communication a mobile phone with data access, either in the form of a school-owned Android phone or iPhone or in the form of a total reimbursement not to exceed $70 per month for 79

voice and data access. Employees with a school-issued or school-financed mobile phone are expected to be “on call” during off-hours and weekends and, depending on the situation, are expected to reply promptly to phone calls, messages, and emails.

Employees who choose reimbursement for a individually-owned mobile phones can expect that their personal phone number will be published in directories and contact lists, and although technical support will be provided for school-related services accessed on a personal device, the general operation and upkeep of that device will be the responsibility of the owner.

TERMINATION Although the School does not expect to terminate a teacher or staff member during the period of his or her contract, it reserves the right to do so for unprofessional conduct or at the will of the Head of School in collaboration with the senior leadership team of administration. Upon termination, the person must clear all accounts with the Director of Finance, return any School keys to the Director of School Services, grade books to the Department Chair, and any school property.

EMPLOYMENT OUTSIDE DWIGHT Permission from the Head of School must be obtained by any faculty member, administrator or staff member if he or she has or takes another job during the normal school year, including tutoring of Dwight students by his/her spouse. When a teacher is also employed elsewhere, it is expected that he or she will give priority to Dwight School.

EMPLOYEE REFERRAL PROGRAM Purpose As part of our recruitment strategy, it is the policy of Dwight School to encourage employees to participate in the recruitment of quality candidates. All applicants shall receive equal consideration without regard to race, religion, sex, marital status, or disability. To reward employees for referring qualified candidates who subsequently are hired, the School will pay the referring employee a cash bonus of $500 for each successful referral made in accordance with this policy.

Referral Eligibility 1. To avoid a conflict of interest, all administrators and human resources staff are not eligible for paid referrals.

2. The referral must represent the candidate’s first contact with the School. Temporary employees, summer, contract and former employees of the school are not eligible for referral awards.

3. To be eligible for an award, the referral must be submitted to the Head of School and must include a Candidate Referral Form and a resume.

4. The referring employee must agree to have his/her name used for introduction.

5. All candidates must meet the stated qualifications for the position and are required to demonstrate their skills or aptitude to perform the job.

6. All candidates will be evaluated for employment consistent with Dwight’s hiring policy.

7. Employees are reminded that Dwight does not hire spouses or close relatives for any position that would involve a supervisor-subordinate relationship or otherwise create the appearance of a conflict of interest.

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Payment Provisions 1. Once the final decision about the candidate is made and communicated to the applicant, the referring employee is informed of the final decision.

2. Employees who refer a qualified candidate who is subsequently hired and remains employed for at least six months are eligible for a referral-bonus payment. This bonus is paid in two installments: i. One-half of the award is paid after the new hire completes three months of employment. ii. The remaining one-half is paid after the new hire completes six months of employment.

3. The referral bonus payment is $500.

4. To be eligible for the referral-bonus payment described herein, the referring employee must still be on Dwight School’s payroll at the specified time period. The referred candidate will be required to complete a Candidate Referral Form during the interviewing process and if hired will be included with their new hire paperwork.

5. Dwight reserves the right to deny bonus payments to any employee who improperly makes promises or assurances of employment to prospective or actual candidates, or otherwise engages in improper or inappropriate conduct related to this policy or other workplace activities.

6. Immediate supervisors/managers and department heads will be required to sign off on all referrals. The Candidate Referral Form includes a section for payment approval.

Human Resources will review the request and approve before sending it to Accounting for processing.

JOINT FACULTY APPOINTMENT WITH THE ANGLO-AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL As part of their contract, faculty hold a joint appointment with the Anglo-American International School for International Baccalaureate programs given in association with Dwight School.

FACULTY CHILD SCHOLARSHIP POLICY Assuming that all academic scholarship requirements are met, School policy states that priority will be given to a Dwight faculty member’s child in the scholarship process. All faculty members must complete the SSS parent financial statement (available at www.sss.nais.org). 100% of demonstrated need will be funded; however the faculty member must pay a minimum of $1,000 + $100 parent association fee. This policy applies to one child per faculty member. Additional scholarship applications from the same faculty member will be included in the general scholarship pool and subject to the availability of funds. This policy relates to grades N-12.

FACULTY CHILD QUEST SCHOLARSHIP POLICY No scholarship funds will be made available for Quest services for faculty children. Faculty members are advised to go through the normal NYS funding process, pay for the services, and get reimbursed by the State if the child qualifies.

DWIGHT EMPLOYEE/PARENT POLICY We are proud of the number of employees who believe so strongly in our mission that they register their children at the School. These meaningful endorsements speak volumes, but they also require specific policies and procedures. To ensure that all of our students are treated fairly, to avoid the appearance of favoritism, and to allow for the comfort of teachers who work with an employee’s son or daughter, we have established the following policy: 81

When the need arises for communication regarding a Dwight employee/parent’s child, the nonemployee spouse will serve as the primary contact for school correspondences. If the School needs to contact the family regarding academic growth, social health, behavior management, or any other school-related issue, the contact will be made through the non-employee spouse first. The employee will act as a secondary contact person.

Employee children are expected to maintain the same academic and behavioral standards as all registered Dwight students. Should an employee’s child at any time not meet these requirements and after careful review and counseling by the administration, the child will be counseled out to seek a school environment more appropriate for them.

This policy will be in effect for the duration of the time when the employee’s child is a Dwight student.

Knowing that every family is unique, though, we are willing to discuss the primary contact parent on a case-by-case basis. For example, should the Dwight employee/parent be the primary and only guardian of the child, the administration will work closely with the employee/parent to ensure a positive learning environment for the child and all of our students. We simply ask that employee/parents meet with the administration as close to the beginning of the school year as possible to discuss and clearly define the primary contact parent.

TALK TO US We encourage you to bring your questions, suggestions and complaints to our attention. We will carefully consider each of these in our continuing effort to improve the School. If you feel you have a problem, present the situation to your head of department or supervisor so that the problem can be settled by examination and discussion of the facts. We hope that your head of department or supervisor is able to satisfactorily resolve most matters.

If you still have questions after meeting with your head of department or supervisor, or if you would like further clarification on the matter, request a meeting with the appropriate division head; (s)he will review the issues and meet with you to discuss possible solutions. Consult the organizational chart included in this handbook for clarification.

Finally, if you still believe that your problem has not been fairly or fully addressed, request a meeting with the Head of School.

Your suggestions and comments on any subject are important, and we encourage you to take every opportunity to discuss them with us. Your job will not be adversely affected in any way because you choose to use this procedure.

If at any time you do not feel comfortable speaking with your head of department, supervisor, or the next level of school administration, discuss your concern with any other member of the School’s administration with whom you feel comfortable.

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APPENDIX - GROUPS/COMMITTEES Senior Leadership Team The Senior Leadership Team includes the Head of School, Head of Lower School, Associate Head of Lower School, Head of Middle and Upper School, the Associate Head of Middle and Upper School, and the Early Childhood Division Director, and it meets once per week.

The committee makes decisions on school programs, and it works to ensure effective teaching and learning and smooth day-to-day operations.

The Deans’ Council The Deans’ Council is comprised of all the deans that oversee the academic and pastoral functioning of the middle and high school student population. The Deans Council meets regularly to address prominant pastoral issues in order to foster administrative communication and comprehensive decision-making.

The Dwight School Board of Governors and Foundation Board of Trustees Dwight School is governed by a seven-member Board of Governors, and The Dwight School Foundation is governed by a ten-member Board of Trustees. Both entities advise and work in conjunction with the Chancellor to think critically about the future of the School to ensure that a Dwight education is of the highest quality.

The Dwight School Foundation The Dwight School Foundation, a separate 501(c)(3) entity, was established in 1967 to receive charitable gifts to provide additional funding to help Dwight School fulfill its mission.

Head of Department Committee The chairpersons of all academic departments meet once per cycle to plan curriculum, assessment, school policies, and program implementation. As the supervisors of all classroom instruction, the members of this committee act as advocates for student learning.

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Dwight School • 291 Central Park West • New York, NY 10024 212.724.6360 • www.dwight.edu