current 10/25/2006
Welcome to St. Catherine School!
Discipline Policy and Behavioral Expectations
This handbook is published to provide a reference to the school’s operating policies and procedures. It is important to note, that this handbook is meant to be used as an informational guide and subject to revision when necessary.
| Victoria Ries |
Pastoral Life Director |
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| Steve Mezich |
Principal |
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| Nancy Wilson |
Vice Principal |
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| Chris Burr |
Secretary |
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| Tammy Matusak |
Pre-School |
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Kindergarten |
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| Kathleen Conklin |
First Grade |
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| Jennifer Foisy |
Second Grade |
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| Chris Meter |
Third Grade |
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| Kathleen Lofstedt |
Fourth Grade |
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| Deborah Werner |
Fifth Grade |
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| Renee Acosta |
Sixth Grade |
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| Sarah Kheriaty |
Seventh Grade |
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| David Buerge |
Eighth Grade |
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| Barbara Shafer |
Learning Specialist |
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| Nile
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Physical Education |
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| Margaret Hartley |
Art/Library |
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| Judy Sheridan |
Study Skills |
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| Victoria Jensen and Becky Glad |
Spanish |
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| Stacey Sunde |
Music |
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| Kathy Moser |
Classroom Aide |
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Classroom Aide |
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| Lori Knoblich |
Classroom Aide |
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| Teri Derouin and Christina Hammond |
Extended Care |
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| Fran Robbins |
Custodian |
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| Leslie Bartlett |
Development Director |
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| 8:25 am |
First
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| 8:30 am |
Tardy
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| 10:35-10:50 am |
All School Recess |
| 11:30 am |
AM Preschool dismiss |
| 11:50-12:20 pm |
First Lunch/Recess (K-4) |
| 12:20-12:50 pm |
Second Lunch/Recess (5-8) |
| 12:30 pm |
PM Preschool Begins |
| 1:50-2:00 pm |
Recess (K-4) |
| 3:00 pm |
Dismissal |
Each class is assigned an area on the grounds for recess activity. Students requesting to go inside to use the restroom or see the secretary must first get permission from the playground supervisor or teacher and then must go in with a classmate for safety purposes. Upon returning, the student must check back with the playground supervisor.
Playground Rules: The following playground rules are to be adhered to:
Jewelry can be worn but is limited to one watch, one small post earring in each ear, one finger ring, and one lightweight metallic necklace (primarily to hold a religious medallion). The use of makeup, nail polish, perfume and sunglasses is not permitted. Students are to be in uniform at all times, unless the principal announces a “dress-up” or “free-dress” day. There is no uniform for preschoolers.
School uniform for girls:
Grades K-4: Jumper-Burgundy plaid*, skort-Burgundy plaid*, navy skort**
Grades 5-8: Skirt-Burgundy plaid*, skort-Burgundy plaid*, skort (navy-grade 5, khaki 6-8)**
Grades K-5
Walking shorts: Navy**
Slacks: Navy cords or twill**
Sweaters:
Sweatshirts: Navy**
Grades 6-8
Walking shorts: Khaki**
Slacks: Khaki slacks (no khaki colored jeans, slacks cannot be baggy, hip huggers,
bell bottoms or cargo pants)**
Sweaters:
Sweatshirts:
Grades K-8:
Socks: White, gray, navy, or burgundy, or white, navy or gray tights
Blouse: Any white blouse/shirt with a collar or solid white turtleneck
without any emblems.
Girls are expected to wear shorts under their uniforms on PE days.
School uniform for boys:
Grades K-5:
Slacks: Navy cords or twill**
Walking shorts: Navy twill**
Sweaters:
Sweatshirts: Navy**
Grades 6-8:
Slacks: Khaki slacks** (no khaki colored jeans, slacks cannot be baggy, hip huggers,
bell bottoms, or cargo pants)
Walking shorts: Khaki**
Sweaters:
Sweatshirts:
Grades K-8:
Shirt: Any white shirt with a collar or white turtleneck (no emblems)
socks: white, gray or navy
Basic to the mission of
Our philosophy and expectations:
Teachers are responsible for the safety and care of our St. Catherine students. Therefore, they must:
Discipline Policy: The purposes of the discipline program at St. Catherine are to:
Some discipline interventions may include but not be limited to the following:
Detention: After school detention for disciplinary reasons begins at 3:05pm or five minutes after the last scheduled class period. Failure to attend on the day assigned results a potential suspension from school. Detention lasts no longer than 45 minutes per day.
Lunch Duty may be assigned for minor infractions, tardiness, or disruptive behavior.
Behavioral Contract: A management plan is developed jointly between the student, teacher and parent consisting of expectations of performance and provisions for periodic evaluation. The contract is specific, positive, and affirming for the purpose of improving behavior/performance.
In-School Suspension: In some cases where actions may warrant, a student may be withheld from the classroom during the day(s). The student is removed from the classroom and detained in the office, or suitable location, with class assignments expected to be completed.
Suspension: Suspension from school is a serious intervention and will be issued when other forms of intervention have failed to correct a behavior. For behaviors that are more serious, such as, willful disobedience, accumulated offenses, fighting, harassment, possession of illegal material, theft, and damage to property, a suspension may be issued. Students receiving a suspension forfeit participation in school activities for the length of the suspension.
Additional suspensions may result in dismissal
from
Behavior Expectations: Because our students range in age from preschool through grade eight in most cases, consequences for not following the rules will be determined by grade level and age appropriateness. A letter informing parents of the classroom management plan is sent home from each homeroom teacher the first week of school.
An important element in Catholic education is helping students learn to make responsible choices and learning how these decisions impact the greater community. However, there are times when some choices of behavior are inappropriate which will result in disciplinary action. Teachers, staff other students and visitors are to be shown respect at all times. When behavior has been unacceptable the following interventions may occur:
If a child is required to stay after school for insufficient academic work or because of violation of school rules, parents will be advised of the reason for detention s well as the date and time of the detention. Students should be picked up promptly.
Students will be referred to the principal’s office immediately for:
Sexual Harassment Policy: Sexual harassment is defined as: (1) threatening to impose adverse sanctions on a person unless a sexual favor is given, and/or (2) conduct containing sexual matter or suggestions that is considered offensive.
Sexual harassment includes, but is not limited to, the following behaviors:
All allegations shall be reported to either the teacher or principal. The school administrator and or pastoral life director will promptly investigate the allegation. Confidentiality shall be kept throughout the investigation process. Sexual harassment and other forms of demeaning behavior cannot be tolerated and guarding the dignity of all members of our school community will remain paramount.
Due Process Procedures
St. Catherine School, as part of St. Catherine Parish and the Archdiocese of Seattle, is committed to an open, honest, and fair communication process. Issues brought to the attention of the teacher, administrator, or pastoral life director will be addressed as promptly as possible and in complete confidence.
When an issue/incident occurs, parents or guardians should first talk directly and privately to the staff member with whom they have a disagreement. If, after this conversation, the issue remains unresolved, the principal should be contacted. If necessary, the pastoral life director will be responsible for issuing a final determination.
It is important to note that the school PTO and Commission have no role in the due process procedure and exist for the sole purposes of program development, policy recommendations, promotions, and fundraising. Members of these organizations should defer policy, program, or personnel issues to the principal or pastoral life director.
Absence/Illness/Tardiness: Regular attendance is important to the success of our students. Normally, illness, medical appointments, and family emergencies are the only acceptable form of excused absence. If your child is ill and will be absent from school, please call the school office (525-0581) between 8:00-8:30 AM or leave a message on our voice mail prior to that time. If you know that your child will be tardy, the office must be notified for the tardy to be excused. The school will call the home regarding an absence to verify the child’s absence.
Arrival on time and attendance in class are an integral part of a student’s success. Therefore, any student with numerous absences or tardiness during a trimester or year may be subject to failing grades and/or retention.
Doctor Appointments: Every effort should be made to schedule doctor and dentist appointments outside of school hours. If this is unavoidable, please call or send a written note to the office the morning of the appointment so that teachers can be informed in advance.
Illness at school: Students who become ill at school will be cared for temporarily in the school office until parents or emergency contacts are notified and the child is picked up. Any student with a fever will be sent home. It is required that each family have an emergency form on file with current numbers to call and indicating the procedure for desired care.
A child should not return to school after an illness unless he or she is well enough to go out at recess time and no longer poses a risk of exposing other students. The school does not have adequate personnel to supervise children staying indoors at these times. On rare occasions, an exception to this policy may be granted if the child has a chronic condition that is not severe, such as asthma. In these cases, permission must be received from the office because the student will come to the office during recess periods. In no case shall the child be unsupervised.
Tardiness: A child arriving after the 8:30 bell is considered tardy. The child is to report the school office first, get a note initialed by the secretary or the principal, and then proceed to the classroom.
A student is given an EXCUSED TARDY if the reason for being late is beyond his/her control (car breaking down, traffic). If this is the case, the parent is asked to write a brief note to the teacher or stop into the school with the explanation.
A student is given an UNEXCUSED TARDY if the reason for being late is within his/her control (getting up late, not leaving on time, leaving school grounds after arriving.) If the parent is not aware the student will be tardy, the secretary will ascertain the reason. If a child accumulates three unexcused tardiness, he/she can be placed into after school detention. Chronic tardiness may require a parent conference with the principal and disciplinary intervention.
Family Envelope: A family envelope, the principal means of communication between school and home, will be sent to each family by way of the youngest child every Wednesday and must be returned the following day. Many times you will be asked to sign various notices and return them to school Prompt cooperation will save follow-up phone calls. Information to be included in the envelope must be submitted by noon on Monday. A second family mailing is available at a cost of $25.00 per year for postage.
Auction and Volunteer Service Hours: Our tuition does not cover the total cost of educating
students at
In addition to the tuition and fees, all families commit to:
1. 45 Volunteer Service Hours between July 1st and June 30th (end of the current school year) given to the school and/or St. Catherine Parish activities. Families are responsible for keeping track of their service hours and will be asked to report these hours each trimester. The family should report all hours to the school by the end of April including projected hours though June 30th. Families who are unable to meet their service hour requirements may be excused by paying $15.00 per hour (up to $675.00)
2. Auction: Each family is to donate a new item or service to be sold at the Auction that has a retail value of at least $150.00. Items of lesser value may be grouped together to equal $150.00. Each family is required to give a minimum of five (5) volunteer service hours to the auction as part of their 45-hour volunteer service hour requirement.
3. Families that do not fulfill commitments for volunteer service hours or action procurement will be charged a fee to match the commitment ($15.00 per service hour and $150.00 for the auction).
4. Each family is required to participate in the PTO SCRIP program by purchasing a minimum of $750 of SCRIP between July 1st and June 30th of the following year. In lieu of the $750 SCRIP purchase, families may pay a buy-out fee of $100 for this obligation. Preschool families are required to purchase $250 of scrip.
Volunteerism:
It is an expectation that when a family commits to
Forms to make volunteer commitments are contained in the registration packet. This information goes into a database for retrieval at an appropriate time. Volunteer opportunities for helping on fundraisers are distributed through the Family Envelope. When we work together, we are successful.
Extended Day Care Program: A before and after school child care service is provided for families enrolled in St. Catherine for students in grades K – 8. Information regarding this program is sent home periodically or can be obtained through the school office (525-0581). The Extended Day Care Program call phone (719-3913) is for after school use.
Dismissal and Early Dismissal: Children are dismissed at 3:00 PM each day. Unless a child remains after school for a supervised activity, he/she is expected to go home immediately and directly. Students may not leave the school premises at any time without the written authorization of parent or guardian and the permission of the principal. Any pupil releases during the school day must be signed out at the office by a parent, guardian, or delegate for the safety of the child.
No child will be released from the classroom without notification from the office.
Sending Children Home: No child will be sent home without proper parental notification. When we encounter such a situation (e.g., illness, discipline, etc.) the school office makes every effort to contact one of the child's legal custodians. For this reason, it is imperative that home and work numbers contained in our file are accurate and current. Please update them immediately upon their change. If we are unable to contact parents, the child remains in the office until such time that we notify the parent or the school day ends.
Inclement Weather/Closure of School: When inclement weather makes it necessary to close
the school, parents will receive notification over the radio and are asked
to listen to early morning broadcasts on all major radio stations (KOMO,
KIRO, KJR, KUBE). Seattle Archdiocesan schools
normally follow the Seattle Public Schools' schedule for emergency closure.
We will usually close when
If St. Catherine should have a late start, it will be announced on the local radio stations. In this case, every effort will be made to begin the Extended Care program on time, but hazardous road conditions will affect the Extended Care staff, too.
If we must close school early because of hazardous weather conditions, an announcement will be made on radio and TV. Additionally, all classrooms will have a phone tree established and parents will be notified by phone if possible. All other school programs will be canceled.
Classes may be canceled due to special circumstances (e.g. inclement weather, severe illness outbreak, mechanical problems, situations involving staff attendance, etc.). State approval for independent schools requires operation of the educational program for EITHER 180 days OR 1000 HOURS. Every effort will be made to complete a minimum of both. The principal makes the final decision.
Bikes, Skateboards and In-line Skates: Students who use bikes, skateboards, scooters or rollerblades to travel to and from school are expected to follow appropriate safety procedures and to take personal responsibility for the item's security. Helmets are required. Bikes must be locked to the bike rack during the day. Skateboards and in-line skates can be left in the school office in the morning. To ensure the safety of others, none of the above may be ridden on school property between 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM on any school day. Disregard can lead to loss of the privilege to use these items on site. The playground is reserved for use by extended care students from 3:15 to 6:00 PM. All students on the playground will be assigned to Extended Care before 8:15 or after 3:15. This includes the use of the basketball hoops on the far field.
Liturgical Services: School masses and liturgies are celebrated regularly. Since it is important that families regularly join the school community in celebrating our faith, parents are welcome to attend all school functions held during the day. Attendance at Sunday services may be required for special celebrations. Adequate notice will be provided. Students are to wear full dress uniforms on the days when we celebrate all-school liturgies.
Medication at School: State law (RCW 28A.210.260 and 28A.210.270) requires that:
Lost and Found: Lost and found items can be claimed from the basket located in the lunchroom. Due to extremely limited space, these items are donated regularly to the St. Vincent de Paul organization. Notification of a pick-up will not always be given in the family newsletter.
Car Pool Pattern: Parents and carpool drivers are asked to remember that the east side
of
Crosswalks: Students and parents are reminded to cross at marked crosswalks and intersections for safety.
Personal Belongings: Please place your child's name on all clothing and personal items such as paper lunch sacks, backpacks, clothing. The school and parish shall not be responsible for lost or stolen items or money brought to school unsolicited or kept in an unsecured place. Children should not bring money to school except for specific need (e.g. lunch, fine, fund raising, bus fare, etc.).
Outside of times when items from home could be brought to enrich learning, students are asked not to bring personal belongings (e.g. toys, radios, tape players, etc.) to school. We cannot be responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items and their very nature often causes a disruption. If an item causes a problem, the classroom teacher may confiscate it.
Telephone: The school telephone may be used by students to contact parents and for school related matters.
Parties and Events: Classroom parties are not encouraged as a regular practice. On special occasions, a simple party may be arranged through consultation with the teacher and with the help of the room parent. A small treat may be brought to celebrate a child's birthday. Please contact your child's teacher should you desire to do this. Invitations to parties are not to be passed out in school unless everyone is invited: either all the boys or all the girls or both. Please use the mail or telephone outside school hours. Hurts feelings result when it is obvious that some children are not included in an invitation.
CYO Athletic Program: Cross-country, Track, Basketball, Soccer and Volleyball are offered for parish and school students through the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) Athletic Intramural Program. Practices and games take place outside of school hours. Participation is governed by policy from the Archdiocese. Sign-up information will be handled through the classroom as well as the parish bulletin.
Extra-Curricular Activities:
Field Trips: Field trips are designed to provide opportunities to enrich learning. All students are expected to participate unless specifically released by the principal. Parents wishing that a child not participate in a specific event must notify the coordinating teacher and the school office in writing sufficiently in advance to allow for a timely decision.. As a rule, we do not have the resources readily available to provide supervision for a student not participating in a field trip.
The Archdiocese of Seattle and its insurance agency require the use of an official Parental Authorization form provided by the school. A form signed by the parent or guardian is to be on file at the school for each student leaving the school campus on a school sponsored excursion. If this form is not received prior to departure time, the student will remain at school under the supervision of the staff. Verbal permission over the telephone is not sufficient.
Each child riding in a vehicle on a school sponsored trip must be provided with and wear a seatbelt. Each driver is required to provide information when volunteering to drive for an outing verifying that he/she has adequate liability insurance coverage. This information needs to be submitted only one time per school year and is valid until expiration date of the policy. Confirmation of renewal will continue validity until the next renewal date.
Performances are an integral part of the curriculum. Attendance will be required at class performances, those presented by the band, drama, Christmas Program, Spring Program, etc. These presentations teach teamwork, poise and public speaking skills. Attendance is expected and will be incorporated into the grade for the course.
School Dances:
Seventh and eighth grade students from St. Catherine and from invited schools
(primarily within the North Seattle Deanery) are eligible for school dances.
Sixth grade students for St. Catherine may be invited to the last dance
of the school year if the overall behavior of the sixth grade class has
been sufficiently mature and appropriate, in the judgment of the middle
school faculty and the school administration. Students attending these dances
are expected to follow
Testing: One
of several standardized tests approved by the Archdiocese for measuring
student achievement will be used at
Learning Difficulties: When a student experiences difficulty in learning in the classroom, testing may be recommended to determine whether a specific learning or language disability is present. It is to the child’s advantage to be identified early enough so that modifications in the instructional program can be made to accommodate the difficulty where possible. If it is determined the child has a disability of specific need that makes it difficult for him/her to be successful in the regular classroom, the recommendation for services from the Learning Specialist will be made. The child may be tutored during release time in the school day. If further services are necessary, it must be arranged and financed by the family of the student. Community resources may be recommended for counseling, tutoring, or other services.