SCHOOL POLICIES
In order to ensure a smooth, safe, and
productive year for everyone at Concordia
International School, parents and students are asked to read and
familiarize themselves with the following policies and rules and to sign at the "Registration and Consent Slip"
to indicate they would follow school rules and policies and to abide by them. This document should be kept in the
student binder for easy reference.
- 1.0
ATTENDANCE
All students must be in regular attendance to be eligible for
promotion/graduation. A student who
is not in regular attendance may not be offered a position in the school in the
next term. A student is not in regular attendance if the sum of lates and unexcused absences exceeds
5% of the total days in the Term. Students arriving after
Students who plan to be away during
regularly scheduled classes must first complete the proper form and seek
approval from the Principal before any
travel plans are made. Only
once the Principal is satisfied that adequate plans have been made for missed
school work, will approval be granted.
Parents are asked to make such plans only for serious reasons. Such time may be counted against the 5%
of sessions that students are allowed to miss each term. Students who have poor attendance will
normally not be granted approval to miss more classes.
It
is the responsibility of the Parent/Guardian to make sure that the school is
contacted when the student will be late or absent for that day.
This should be done by contacting the school on 2789-9890 between
Please note that students are expected to
remain at school and review their day's work during the Homeroom sessions at
- 2.0 HOMEWORK
Each course designates a certain part of
the course grade to homework, usually 10 - 25%.
Homework that is not complete, not done, or done poorly carries consequences. All teachers want to see students do
work of outstanding quality for which the student could be proud. Aiming low (i.e. just to complete
something), is usually a waste of time for both the student and teacher. Developing a regular habit of reviewing
the day's work, in a quiet, uncluttered space, can bring the student greater
academic success and personal satisfaction. Students who do not do homework may be
assigned a detention by their
subject teacher. It is a serious
offense to miss an assigned detention and will normally result in a meeting
with the Discipline Committee. A
student could be given Demerit Points
(see section 5.0 'Demerit System') if the situation does not improve.
- 3.0 SCHOOL FACILITIES
Students must take care when using school
facilities and equipment. If a
student damages school equipment or facilities they must immediately notify the
teacher or the General Office of the damage. Repair will be made and a bill for the
cost involved will be issued to the Parent/Guardian who would be expected to
pay the full amount for the damage within one week (for careless or wilful damages only). Students are required to report any
damage they become aware of, to the General Office.
Students are responsible for school
equipment and materials that they sign out from the General Office. If borrowed equipment is lost or
damaged, the student responsible for signing the equipment out will be charged
for replacing the loss. Should
school facilities or equipment be damaged maliciously (i.e. not by way of
accident), then the damage would have to be paid and disciplinary action would
be taken against the student.
- 4.0 CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR
Students at Concordia pay fees and thus
have the right to expect to be able to hear the teacher and other classmates
who are participating in the lesson.
Students must behave in classrooms in a way that promotes the learning
of other students. This means that
there should be no disruptive behavior
in class. Specifically, if the
teacher clearly asks a student to be quiet or to stay in a particular seat or
to refrain from certain actions, then the student must follow this direction by the teacher.
Students who do not follow clear and
realistic instructions by their classroom teachers can expect the following
sequence of discipline: a first warning by the teacher; a final warning by the teacher; a detention issued by the classroom
teacher; a dismissal from class and
being sent to see the Principal.
The Demerit System (see
below) will then come into effect.
In the most serious cases, a student might be suspended or expelled from
the school.
Concordia has
excellent teachers who enjoy presenting ideas to students. All students in school must make this
teaching possible. There are as
many as 15 students in each class and generally only one teacher. It is important that all students
cooperate with and respect the teacher in each class for the teacher to
successfully perform his/her functions.
When teachers make realistic demands of students those must be followed
without question. Failing to do
so will result in serious consequences at Concordia as the Principal realizes
that teachers must devote their efforts principally to teaching and should not
be distracted by students who cannot control their actions in class.
- 5.0
THE DEMERIT SYSTEM
However the Demerit Points can also be removed
by a student-initiated project/plan to improve the school environment. This gives students time to reflect on
past mistakes while providing an opportunity to do something positive. The Demerit-Point system only comes into
effect when the Discipline Committee or the Principal becomes involved in the
situation. Most discipline
situations will be handled directly by the teacher, through conferences and/or
detentions.
Misconduct Criteria
|
Categories of
misconduct |
Description |
|
Behavior (B) |
A
misconduct is issued when a student:
|
|
Uniform (U) |
A
misconduct is issued when a student: (a) refuses to wear his/her uniform
properly despite being warned by teacher(s). This may include, but not
limited to the following:
(b) wears jeans or other improper clothing
to YMCA, or in R&S classes |
Misconduct
Tallies and Consequences
|
Misconduct Tally |
Consequences |
|
5 |
|
|
10 |
|
|
15 |
|
|
20 |
|
|
25 |
|
|
30 |
|
|
35 |
|
|
Serious
Offences: Smoking
in Uniform Anywhere Plagiarism Gambling Chronic
Lateness Truancy Fighting Bullying Stealing
(at school or outside of school) Vandalism |
For each offence a
demerit will be given immediately. |
REMOVING
EXISTING DEMERIT POINTS
|
The
Student initiates the process |
METHOD: It is student driven.
If a student has a Demerit Point and wishes to remove it he/she must first
approach the Discipline Committee with a constructive idea which can be put
into action by the student. If the plan/idea is acceptable to the Discipline
Committee and it is carried out by the student to the satisfaction of the
Discipline Committee, then the Demerit Point will be removed from the next
report card. Only one demerit
point can be removed per constructive idea. **Demerit
points are carried over in school records from year to year so DON'T get a
demerit point.** |
- 6.0 RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER STUDENTS
AND STAFF
Concordia is a small school and students
get to know each other very well.
It is important that students act in ways that enable everyone to learn
as much as possible. Everyone
should enjoy going to school. Each
student at Concordia has the same basic rights as any one else in
As in any school, particularly because
Concordia is a small school, the spreading of rumours and/ or lies about other
students or their friends and family is a very serious offense because it can
cause real problems among many students.
The school is particularly concerned about the professional standing the
school and its staff has in the community.
If students become aware of legitimate unprofessional conduct or
practices by staff this should be brought to the immediate attention of the
Principal, but, the spreading of untruthful and professionally damaging
comments about staff will meet with serious disciplinary action. Students will have difficulty working with
staff that they do not respect and all staff at Concordia are expected to
demonstrate the highest standards of professional conduct. To maintain our high standards, all
reports of professional misconduct will be immediately and thoroughly
investigated and for this reason rumours and untruths spread about staff will
be dealt with very severely.
Fighting
in school is strictly prohibited
and will lead to Demerit Points and/or immediate suspension/expulsion of a
student. Serious disagreements
should be reported to a teacher or the Principal who will then assist with a
resolution. In no case should a
student attempt to resolve difficulties with another student through the use of
force or intimidation of any kind.
Three
Positive Goals for everyone to aim for at
Students who attend
- RESPECT
- RESPONSIBILITY
- SELF-DISCIPLINE
- 7.0 SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Students at Concordia are strictly
prohibited from using alcohol, tobacco or illegal drugs on school premises or
while on any school trips.
Concordia has a zero tolerance for
drugs. This means that any student caught possessing or using
drugs at school or away from school at any school event will be expelled from
the school.
Smoking is not allowed on school
premises. Every year,
In the event that the school suspects a
student is taking illegal substances, the school reserves the right to demand
that the student undergo a drug test with a doctor designated by the
school. Failure to agree to undergo
a drug test will result in immediate suspension until such time as the required
test is taken. Should the results
of a test prove positive it is school policy to immediately expel the
student. Parents/Guardians should
understand that under such circumstances there will be no refund of school
fees.
- 8.0 PHONES, iPODS,
ELECTRONIC DEVICES, ONLINE GAMES and PORTABLE ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEMS
Helping us to communicate or distracting
our attention?
Today modern society encourages people to
be technologically "networked".
This trend can ensure that it makes it easy to reach people anywhere and
at anytime. Such a phenomenon can
improve human communication, or not.
For example, "text-messaging" or listening to iPODS requires some
attention. But if it happens while
a student is in class, during lesson time, then any benefits of the electronic
devices start to diminish. Though
we understand that many of our students have mobile phones/devices and that
they like to keep in contact with their parents and friends, the school strictly forbids the student to
have these turned ON while in the classroom or hallways. The same rule
applies to electronic entertainment devices like iPODS or portable electronic
games. No one should take an
image or record a video on classroom teaching with a phone or other electronic
devices (unless permitted by a teacher). If
a mobile phone or electronic device is found/seen in class (even turned off already), the classroom teacher will take possession
of the device and keep it until the end of the day. Repeated violations of this rule will
result in the student losing the device for increasingly longer periods of time. At some point, the Principal will become
involved in helping the student to become more self-disciplined. No one should lose self-control or harm
their own educational opportunities when using technology. A 'balanced' use of technology is a wise
approach to development.
Students are permitted to contact their
families using mobile phones during break periods. This may be done quietly at designated
locations on the G/F viz. outside the campus or at the front of the school, near the tree but beyond the first wooden door.
Phones and any electronic devices should be kept in lockers during class hours.
The school is not responsible
for any mobile phone that a student brings to school. Please note that over the past couple of
years, some mobile phones have gone missing at school. Concordia aims to have a community of
trustworthy/honest individuals and it does not tolerate any kind of theft. However, the reality is that students
are putting their valuables at risk when mobile phones/portable devices are
left alone in classrooms or outside. Students are required to give the school
the contact number for any phone they bring onto school premises and must inform the school of any change in numbers that occur
as the year goes on.
Electronic Dictionaries:
Electronic dictionaries commonly available
from the market have multiple functions. Besides being a dictionary, such a device MAY
also provide entertainment to the user. Therefore, if a student contemplates to bring an electronic dictionary
to school for learning purposes, only models with no entertainment functions are allowed. Electronic
dictionaries brought to school should be approved by the Principal in advance.
Online Games:
School will not allow students to play
online games at school. Breaktime,
lunchtime, and afterschool sessions should not be consumed by obsessive online
game playing. Lunchtime, in
particular, should be an enjoyable time to socialize and relax in the
Cybercafe, board games like Chess and
Scrabble are available there.
As a place specializing in a formal
education,
Students caught playing online computer
games (or abusing their computer rights), will have their computer passwords
blocked for a ½ day, a day, or possibly longer. Consequently, such students would not be
able to use any computers in the school during this time. This too is part of the
"Self-discipline" goal we are all striving to develop.
- 9.0 THEFT AND LARGE
LOANS
Students
are not encouraged to bring
large sums of money (i.e. in excess of HK$ 500) to school unless absolutely necessary nor should they lend other
students large sums of money.
Concordia can bear no responsibility for recovering any money that has
been loaned. If students wish, they
can leave large sums with the Principal's Administrative Assistant for
safekeeping. Students should not share lockers.
If a student becomes aware that their
property or money is missing, it is very important that this be reported immediately to the teacher or
the Principal. It is very important
that all cases of theft be reported no matter how late after the event. If the student suspects another student,
this matter should be reported to the classroom teacher or the Principal
first. The suspected student should
not be confronted directly. The
Principal or the Discipline Committee will investigate the matter.
Students
should not leave money or valuables in the classroom at any time.
Students are encouraged to
remove the risk of becoming a victim of theft by safeguarding their
personal property. Everyone
should carry their valuables with them, keep them in school lockers or, better
still, leave the valuables at home.
No one has ever lost a wallet or mobile phone at Concordia that was kept
with the owner at all times.
- 10.0 PARENTS AND
GUARDIANS
All students at the school must have a
parent or guardian that can be contacted in the case of emergency or any other
school-related issues. Please clearly
understand that students will not be kept at the school nor will they be
offered future places in the school if no adult can be contacted for the
student. Concordia is not a place
where students can be "dumped off" and left for the school to worry about. Concordia expects and appreciates the
cooperation of all parents and values the working relationship the school has
with the various families. Students
must clearly understand that if a
problem should arise and the school cannot contact a parent or guardian, the
student will be suspended until such time as a responsible adult can come into
school to discuss and resolve the issue.
- 11.0 SCHOOL UNIFORM
AND DRESS CODE
Students in all grades are admitted with
the understanding that they will wear a school uniform as outlined in the
information sheets given to the parents on or before the school year begins. If
a student does not meet the dress requirements of the school, the student may
be asked to return home and will not be allowed to continue their studies until
the dress code is met.
Students must be clean and tidy at all
times. Students are encouraged to
present their positive self-image to others. Students
should not wear any facial jewelry. The hair should not be tinted to multi-colour
and should be well groomed and of reasonable length for boys.
While it is difficult to predict every
variation of the uniform and appearance, the Principal, at his discretion,
reserves the right to determine when a student's dress and appearance is
considered inappropriate for a student attending Concordia. Things like wearing a tie undone, or
wearing running shoes instead of dress shoes, will only aggravate the situation
and draw unnecessary attention to the student. Failure to meet the changes in dress and
appearance will result in Demerit Points and/or suspension until the change is
effected. Please read the Discipline Commitee's guidelines 7.4 on Hair and Appearance for more information.
- 12.0 EXTERNAL
EXAMINATIONS
To evaluate the performance of its
students, teachers, and programs of study, Concordia reserves the right to
require its students to sit external examinations of the school's choice (i.e.
PSAT, SAT I, SAT II, TOEFL).
Students and parents must understand that if a student does not sit the
required external examinations, the school reserves the right not to promote
the student.
All
students intending to graduate from this school must have SAT and TOEFL scores
for their academic records. Excuses such as illness or travel
problems will not be accepted for any external examinations that are missed.
- 13.0 CHEATING AND/OR
PLAGIARIZING
Students who cheat during examinations or
tests or who submit material that has been copied from sources without
specifically referring to the author and source, are subject to zero grades for
the examination or material involved. Depending on the seriousness of the
situation, the Principal may deem it necessary to apply Demerit Points and/or a
suspension. If a student is unclear
about what constitutes plagiarism it is the student's responsibility to clarify
such issues before submitting any
material. We encourage students to
engage in research and investigative studies; such activities require proper
citation and referencing of sources.
Learning good research techniques early can benefit students who plan to
attend university.
- 14.0 LANGUAGE POLICY
Students
should speak English in the school at all times.
Anyone who wants to improve in a new language must use it. Concordia provides a safe environment in
which students have many opportunities to improve in their English language
skills. Almost 100% of our students
are learning English as a second or third language. Everyone is working diligently at
improving their English in this school; thus no student should feel shy or
isolated when using English. Making
mistakes with English is a necessary part
of this learning process. A
student's determination to improve their English language skills will carry
them far. Our teachers have
designed highly interactive programs and expect student participation; these
are essentially invitations for students to become confident and fluent users
of English. Students should
proactively 'switch their channel" to
English when in the school.
Students should understand the truth of the simple rule: If
you want to improve your English language skills, then you will need to use it
as often as possible.
To monitor compliance in Campus
Language Policy, the school maintains an up-dated non-compliance list on
students. Students who do not
comply with the policy will be sent to the Detention Class on Wednesday
after-school (
- 15.0 CREDITS FOR CORE
SUBJECTS
A student at Concordia has to pass the 4 core subjects (defined as the
Mathematics, Science, English and Social Science/Studies courses) in both terms
of the school year and obtain full credits from these courses before he/she
could be promoted to a higher grade or to graduate. A student passes a course studied in a
school term if he/she obtained an overall grade in the course of 50%. A 0.5 credit will be granted for each
course passed at Term 1 or at Term 2 when a student is in regular attendance
(as defined by rule 1.0). At the
discretion of the Principal, students who have not failed more than 2 core
subjects may be allowed to write a supplementary examination for the subject
failed. Supplementary examinations
are graded as pass/fail only in school's records and credit may be granted
for a pass. Students need to
understand clearly, that supplementary examination results will be strictly
used to determine student progress, especially as it applies to promotion to a
higher grade, continuation of studies at the school, or graduation from the
school.
- 16.0 SCHOOL REPORTS, TRANSCRIPT AND LETTER OF
ATTENDANCE / RECOMMENDATIONS
School Reports: School reports are usually issued at the end of each quarter. The school
will not issue any of these reports for the second time, hence parents and students should keep their school
reports properly for future use.
Should a certified copy of a report or any other school documents be required, $50 per copy will be charged.
Transcript: A transcript is issued only when a student applies for colleges/universities or schools in overseas. Such
a document is highly confidential and will only be issued directly to the institutes named. Hence when applying for
a transcript, the name and address of the institute must be provided. Transcripts are sealed under school cover, any unsealed
transcript becomes void.Transcripts are issued free, but parents/students may have to pay for the overseas postage.
Letter of Attendance/Recommendation: Students may apply for a letter of attendance to certify their study at
Concordia. However, recommendations are written only for students who deserve it. The first 5 copies of a Letter of Attendance/Recommendation
are free, the charge for extra copies is $50 per copy.
- 17.0 STUDENT
INFORMATION
It is the responsibility of the
parent/guardian to inform the school of any changes in student information that
occur over the course of the year.
For example, if a student is given a new mobile phone, this number
should be reported to the school.