A “Code of Conduct” is a statement about how we work together. It outlines both our rights and our responsibilities as members of Spencer School. A committee of students, parents, and school staff developed our “Code”.  Information was collected from all groups and put together to make the Code of Conduct. 

STUDENTS’ RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

 Students choosing not to meet or accept these responsibilities may lose the right to attend Spencer Middle School.

ATTENDANCE

You must attend school daily and you must be on time. Failure to attend school means that you are in violation of the School Act, School Board policies, Spencer’s “Code of Conduct”, and school rules. We know that students who do not attend school are much more likely to fail subjects, and eventually drop out of school. School becomes increasingly more difficult if you miss all or part of your lessons.

You must be excused for all absences. If you are absent for all or part of a day, you need to bring a note from your parent or have your parent call the school. You are responsible for completing any missed work. If there are specific events in the evening, such as dances or concerts, you must attend school that day and the day proceeding the event.

Your family may decide to take a vacation during the school year. Legally, the school cannot give you permission to leave. That decision has to be made by your parents. If you will be missing school for a vacation, you need to complete all missed work.

Bussing is a privilege, not a right. Students are expected to behave in a safe and responsible manner while riding the school busses. Failure to do this will result in the student not being able to ride the school bus.

Students are expected to treat all individuals, and to be treated themselves in a courteous, respectful manner. They should use language that typifies this. Students are expected to arrive to class on time and attend all classes. Students should not enter the central pods, open teacher desks, or enter storage areas. Headphones/CD players, ipods etc may be used only in special circumstances with teacher permission, otherwise they should not be used at school. Cell phones/pagers are not permitted in classes and must be kept in your locker during school hours. The use of washrooms should be confined to class breaks except in emergency circumstances. Students are expected to arrive with appropriate equipment. Students are expected to be on task during instructional time.

Spencer is a closed campus. This means students must remain on the school grounds throughout the day. Students who go home for lunch are required to bring a note of permission from their parent. This permission does not extend to friends.

At Spencer, our students have access to the internet, as a resource in their studies.  Supervision and guidance, students have a massive amount of current information at their fingertips that can be valuable for many different school applications. However, we recognize that there is the availability of material, on the web, that is not considered educational. Therefore, students will only be allowed on the web if both student and parents read, and agree to the conditions set out in “Spencer Middle School’s Internet Acceptable Usage Policy.”

Students at Spencer need to know that Cyberbullying is stictly against our code of conduct. Cyberbullying is when insults, threats, hateful or harmful messages are sent via e-mail, text messaging, websites or other electronic means. It does not matter whether the message was sent from school or not. Any breaches of this code will be treated very seriously by Spencer and by our School District.

If you leave school early, you must “sign out” at the office. You will need a note or a call from your parents confirming permission to leave. Failure to sign out will mean that the absence will be treated as “unexcused”.

Items must not be brought to school that could cause a disturbance or potentially create safety concerns. Examples of the above might include fireworks, stink bombs, water pistols, bingo dabbers, laser pointers etc. The use of lighters or matches at school is strictly prohibited. Also cell phones are not to be taken to class. They must be left in your locker. Cameras are not to be brought to school.

Students must line up in an orderly fashion when waiting for the bus. Skateboarding, roller blading, and recreational bike riding are not to be used on the school grounds.

Smoking is not permitted on school property, in front of the school on Goldstream Avenue, or in the wooded areas behind the school. All SD62 schools are Drug Free. This means there will be no toleration for drugs or alcohol used or distributed at school, or in the vicinity of the school.

Students are expected to be well groomed and wear clothing appropriate for the activities of the day. The following regulations pertain to the dress of students.

- Clothes and appearance must not create a distractive or disruptive situation in the classroom or present a hazard to the students or others.

- Clothing with thin straps, bare midriffs, short shorts, or low-cut fronts is not permitted.

- Clothing/jewelry with references to drugs, alcohol, sex, prejudice or profanity; metal studs are not permitted.

- Footwear must be worn at all times.

 - Head gear is not to be worn in school, and should be taken off prior to entering the school, and worn only after leaving the school.

- Outside jackets and back packs are to be left in lockers.

Discmans, MP3 players and any other listening devices should not be brought school.  If they are brought to school they are to be left in the student’s locker. They may not be brought to the classroom or used in the hallways. Confiscated items will be taken to the office and then returned to the student after school. After the first incident, a parent will be required to come to the school to get it.

Cell phones and hand-held communication devices are not to be brought to school.  If a parent deems it important for a student to bring a cell phone to school, it must be turned off and kept out of sight until the end of the day. The first time a cell phone or hand-held communication devices is confiscated it will be returned to the student. The next time a parent will need to come to the school to get it.

The school will not be held responsible for any misplaced, lost or stolen items that have been confiscated.

                  " Harassment

Teachers will assist students to understand and follow school’s Code of Conduct through the use of positive management strategies and classroom discipline processes. Parents will be contacted as needed. Students may be referred to the office if problems are persistent or serious. Spencer School uses a process of progressive discipline coupled with restitutional practice.