1.    Code of Conduct

Rosemere High School is a school that is dedicated to providing a positive and cooperative learning environment that promotes tolerance, self-esteem, respect for others and a strong sense of community.

At Rosemere High School, the pursuit of appropriate conduct is a shared responsibility among students, parents and the school. This Code of Conduct establishes clear guidelines for a safe, caring, and orderly environment that promotes purposeful learning.
 

2.   STUDENTS' RESPONSIBILITIES

Students must demonstrate respect for themselves, for others and for the responsibilities of citizenship through acceptable behaviour. Respect and responsibility are demonstrated when a student:

- shows respect for himself/herself, for others and for those in authority

- comes to class prepared, on time and ready to learn

- refrains from bringing anything to school that may put the safety of others at risk

- follows the established class and school rules and takes responsibility for his/her own actions

3.   Behavioural Expectations

Every school has a set of rules designed to ensure the safety of students and staff as well as promote student learning. Students are held to our school’s motto of “Respect – Honesty – Service” at all times.

Academic Integrity:

All students must be honest and forthright in their academic studies. To falsify the results of one’s research, to steal the words or ideas of another, to cheat on an assignment or evaluation, or to allow or assist another to commit these acts corrupts the educational process. Students are expected to do their own work and neither give nor receive unauthorized assistance. Any student who fails to live up to this expectation will be given a grade of “0”. Furthermore, Administration reserves the right to impose additional sanctions if necessary.

Attendance:

There is a clear relationship between regular attendance at school and student success. Parents are asked to notify the school of a student’s absence by calling the school at 450-621-5900, or by e-mailing rhsattendance@swlauriersb.qc.ca .

For all absences, it is the student’s responsibility to find out what work has been missed and to get caught up by communicating with the teacher and attending remediation. 

Vacation: The administration, teachers, and support staff encourage parents to refrain from taking additional holidays at times not scheduled on the school calendar. Students must communicate with the teacher well in advance. Teachers are not obliged to prepare packages for students prior to departure.

Suspension: Students who miss school as a result of a suspension will be responsible for getting caught up on any missed work upon their return.

Any test missed due to absence may not be rescheduled unless the absence from school is validated by the parent/guardian for a justified reason (e.g. illness, appointment) or by a medical certificate.

Borrowing equipment & materials

All students will be held financially responsible for any materials that they borrow from Rosemere High School. This includes but is not limited to library books, text books, musical instruments, etc.

Cleanliness

Students share a responsibility for maintaining a clean school environment inside and outside and are asked to use the litter receptacles for their garbage.

Students are expected to clean up after themselves in the cafeteria and other areas where eating is permitted in the school.

Cafeteria trays must remain in the cafeteria at all times and any student wishing to bring food out of the cafeteria must purchase the pre-packaged items.

Food is not permitted on the synthetic field at any time.

Vandalism, graffiti, and the destruction or careless use of school property is not permitted and the student and parents will be expected to pay the costs of any wilful damage.

Community service (i.e. cleaning up halls, cafeteria or outdoors) may be assigned to students by administration.

Drugs and Alcohol:

Possession, use, distribution, showing evidence of having consumed, selling, soliciting, or facilitating the sale of alcohol or drugs is prohibited. Possession of drug paraphernalia or any item purported to be such is also prohibited.  This policy is in effect at all times on school property and at all school-sponsored events.

Students understand that the community encourages them to report any situation which poses a danger to the health and safety of themselves and fellow students or which represents a violation of the law and the code to which RHS is committed.

Students who violate the Drug and Alcohol Policy will be subject to the following disciplinary and guidance actions.

A report will be submitted to the parents, School Board and/or police.

The student shall be suspended for 5 days for possession and up to 5 days for other related offenses. 

The student will be restricted from all school activities during the suspension.

In addition, the following action may be taken:

Recommendation to extend the suspension may be made to the SWLSB.

An action plan of referral to an appropriate counseling program and doctor will be recommended with the expectation that at least one session will be held during the suspension. The cost of this counselling is to be incurred by the student.

Recommendation of expulsion.

Transfer or alternative placement subject to consultation with the SWLSB.

Electronic Devices:

During class time, electronic devices are strictly prohibited unless the teacher’s explicit permission is given.

Personal electronic devices may be used during unstructured time in school and on school grounds.

Students found in contravention of these rules will have their devices confiscated. 

Students are strongly encouraged to not bring their devices to the locker rooms during gym class, but to lock them into their regular school lockers. The school is not responsible for lost or stolen devices or for damage incurred while at school.

The misuse of technology to threaten, ridicule, spread rumours or defame character will not be tolerated and represents a violation of school safety protocols and as such may warrant suspension, police involvement or expulsion.

Emergency Procedures:

During all emergency procedures, students are expected to remain silent and follow the instructions of the trained staff members. Practices for Fire Safety and Lockdown are held yearly.

Using the fire alarm or any other safety equipment without just cause is not permitted and the authorities will be summoned.

Hallways

Pushing, shoving, rough play, running or shouting are not permitted.

Excessive displays of affection are not tolerated.

Students are required to have a hall pass whenever given permission to leave class during class time.

Lockers & locks

Each student will be assigned a locker and a lock for personal use during the year. Sharing of lockers is prohibited. Students are advised not to reveal their lock combinations to ANYONE. If a student’s lock is defective or damaged through no fault of their own, the school will replace it at no charge. For any other reason, students will be required to pay a replacement fee of $10.

The locker remains the property of the school and the school reserves the right to search any locker when reasonable grounds indicate that the locker may contain anything that could violate school rules or the law.

The school assumes NO responsibility for articles lost or stolen.

Punctuality:

Rosemere High School believes that success in school is dependent upon punctual, regular attendance. We also believe punctuality has a direct impact on student performance.

Punctuality is defined as being in class, at the student’s desk, with all the necessary materials when the 2nd bell rings.

For each late arrival in a day, the student must attend a detention from 12:00 - 12:30. Should the student be late to more than one class in one day, he/she must serve a full-lunch detention.

Consequences for a student who is chronically late to class may include meeting with parents, class suspension, or school suspension.

Prohibited Items and Activities

Purses, backpacks, school bags must be kept in the student’s locker at all times during the school day. This includes recess and lunch unless special permission is given by administration under particular circumstances (e.g. injury).

Gambling of any kind is not permitted at school

Weapons (real or replica) are not permitted in school and the police will be involved in the interest of school safety.

Laser pointers, lighters, water guns, fire crackers, caps, stink bombs, spray paint and other hazardous materials are not allowed on school property.

Skateboards, long boards and rollerblades cannot be used on school property at any time.

Students may not sell any items at school for personal gain.

Respecting our community

Students in Secondary 1 and 2 are NOT permitted to leave school grounds during school hours. This includes the morning bus arrival time, lunch time and afternoon bus departure time.

Secondary 3, 4 and 5 students are permitted to leave school grounds but are expected to continue to represent the RHS values in the community.

The local depanneur welcomes the business of RHS students, but students may only enter the depanneur two at a time and cannot loiter on their property.

Students will not loiter on the private property of our neighbours in the community.

Students will not visit Dog River or be found in the woods to the north of the football field.

Students will not travel on Montee Lesage beyond Grand Cote.

Students will not assemble at any public parks in the area as they are generally used by the community and younger children who feel intimidated by high school students, generally use them.

Students will not visit the area around the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board or the back or front parking lots.

Students using scooters will not loiter in their designated parking area.

School Visitors

Students from other schools or former graduates are not allowed in the RHS building or anywhere else on school property during the day without written permission of the administration.

Smoking:

Smoking in school and within 9 metres of school grounds is illegal. This includes all types of smoking devices, including electronic cigarettes. The school grounds include the football field on the northern side of Northcote, adjacent to McCaig Elementary School.

Any cigarette, e-cigarette or smoking paraphernalia visible on school property will be confiscated

Transportation

Cars, motorcycles and bicycles

Students are to respect all the safety rules, especially the one way entrance at the northeast side of the parking lot.

Parking is limited and only a few spaces are available for students along the street adjacent to the school board building. All student vehicles must be registered with the administration and require a special permit issued by the school.

The parking lots located at the front of the building on Northcote and the back of the building (entrance from Montee Lesage) are intended for the use of school personnel and visitors. Students who own cars and drive to school may NOT park in these lots. In addition, student vehicles may not occupy access lanes in and out of the lots. Such action may result in the vehicle being towed at the owner’s expense.

Helmets must be worn by students who ride and park their bikes or scooters at school. Reserved parking is available for scooters in the front parking lot.

Not adhering to these rules may result in loss of parking privileges.

Changing school buses

School buses are not to be confused with a public transit system. Careful consideration is given to the number of students allowed in each bus. Requests to change buses should be limited to educational purposes, and should be made in writing at least 24 hours prior to the date requested.

Public transit

It is possible for students to obtain a student bus pass for reduced fare on city buses. The application forms are available at the secretary’s office.

4.  PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND DANCE COURSES

All students are expected to participate in Physical Education and Dance classes unless excused for medical reasons. Such exemptions must be supported by a letter from a physician. Our outdoor education program runs all year long. These important units sometimes have our classes outside during cold and damp weather. For these reasons students need to be dressed accordingly

The RHS gym uniform is required. Please see “Dress Code” section

Being “on time” for Physical Education and Dance class means being changed and in the designated gym by the time the 2nd bell rings. Students are expected to use the recess time to change for class.

It is recommended that students: bring no watches, rings, earrings, etc.; wear hair tied back;

Students must dress appropriately for all outdoor activities and must be prepared to participate in these activities.

Gym lockers are only available for student use during the period they have gym or an activity. Students must bring a lock to place on a gym locker during class time.

Students should not place valuables in their gym lockers as RHS is not responsible for any lost or stolen items.

A medical note is needed after the 2nd missed class.

We are now enforcing a policy requiring the obligatory use of safety glasses for all racquet and stick sports.

School Run: Please be aware that all students will be jogging in the streets of Rosemere for our running unit. Students will be preparing for our annual school run which takes place in October. If you have any concerns please contact the school.

5.  DRESS CODE

Students must dress appropriately for school. It is expected that student dress and be neat and clean so that each student may share in promoting a positive, respectful, healthy, and safe atmosphere.

Student dress will be the responsibility of the student and of the parents, within the following guidelines:

All students must wear shoes, boots or other types of footwear.

Pajamas and house slippers are not appropriate for wear at school unless they are a part of a school sponsored activity.

Clothing with undue exposure of the body or undergarments is not permitted: midriff shirts, spaghetti-strap tank tops, muscle shirts, camis, ripped clothing, and see-through clothing worn without proper undergarments will be considered inappropriate.

Shorts and skirts must extend to mid-thigh.

Articles of clothing with insignias or slogans that are disruptive to the educational process are not permitted. This includes clothing and accessories that display information about alcohol, drugs, profanity, violence, or sexually suggestive slogans or drawings.

Students are not to wear any kind of headgear in school including hats, hoods, head bands, bandanas, visors, sunglasses (Exception: for religious purposes)

Students should respond appropriately to any reasonable teacher or administrator request involving the dress code. When, in the judgment of administration, a student’s appearance or mode of dress is considered inappropriate, the student will be required to change before attending any classes. Appropriate clothing may be provided by the school.

Students who do not adhere to these guidelines will be disciplined according to the Code of Conduct.

Physical Education Uniform: Students are expected to change for all Physical Education classes (including Soccer Concentration) and to wear appropriate footwear.

The RHS Phys Ed uniform is required for all gym classes. The uniform consists of a RHS T-shirt and RHS shorts. A hoodie and black sweatpants may be worn in colder weather.

Dance class students must wear the following apparel to class: t-shirt or sweatshirt (round neck), tights, sweatpants or shorts.
 

*Administration has the final decision on whether certain attire is acceptable.*

6.  CONSEQUENCES

Should any student at Rosemere High School not live up to these behavioural expectations he/she understands that he/she must accept the responsibility for his/her actions and any of the following sanctions will be applied:

 

DETENTIONS / COMMUNITY SERVICE

Detentions may be assigned by a teacher and take precedence over all other personal circumstances of students. Moreover, further detentions and community service may be assigned in addition as deemed appropriate by the administrator. A student who disagrees with a detention cannot unilaterally decide not to attend.

Missing a detention is a serious offence. Arriving late for a detention will result in having to make up the time. It is the responsibility of the student to notify teachers when there is a conflict.

Any student who misses a lunch detention given by a teacher will be referred to administration.

REASONS FOR IMMEDIATE SUSPENSION (INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL)

In the event of:

- gross disrespect

- profanity directed at a staff member

- violence

- fighting

- vandalism

- smoking on school property

- violation of certain clauses in the electronics policy

- skipping class

- leaving school grounds (Cycle 1 students)

- bullying (refer to page for further information)

- consumption and/or possession of alcohol and/or drugs

- failure to submit to any consequences given by an administrator

OR

- any behaviour that violates the civil or criminal code of Canada or Quebec

In certain cases, parents may be required to meet with administration prior to their son/daughter’s return to school

7.  BULLYING

Bullying runs contrary to the values of the RHS community. Everyone at Rosemere High School has a right to attend school without being demeaned or abused. Parents, students and staff will do their utmost to ensure that the dignity of all individuals is maintained. We also understand that an effective deterrent to bullying is education aimed at the bully, the bullied and the bystander. The bully must accept responsibility for his/her actions with the full understanding that such contempt for the dignity of others carries swift consequences.

A. What is bullying?

“Bullying” is defined as any repeated direct or indirect behaviour, comment, act or gesture, whether deliberate or not, (including in cyberspace**), which occurs in a context where there is a power imbalance between the persons concerned and which causes distress, injures, hurts, oppresses, intimidates or ostracizes.

The following actions constitute bullying if they meet the above-mentioned criteria:

Direct (Physical):

- Hitting, kicking, punching

- Pushing, shoving, spitting

- Forcing others to hand over money or possessions

- Forcing someone to do something they don't want to do

Direct (Verbal):

- Name calling

- Teasing, insults, putdowns

- Threats of any kind

- Making fun of someone because of their appearance, physical characteristics or cultural background

- Making fun of someone's actions

- Hurting others based on gender, sexual orientation, religion or ethnic background

Indirect: (social and psychological)

- Excluding others from an activity or a group

- Spreading hurtful/inappropriate stories about others

- Making inappropriate gestures

- Taking, hiding or damaging something which belongs to someone else

- Sending offensive emails or text messages

- Inappropriately using websites, chat-sites or camera phones

B. What is cyber-bullying?

Bullying also can happen on-line or electronically. Cyber bullying is when children or teens bully each other using the internet, mobile phones or other cyber technology. This can include:

- Threats, insults, rumors

- Identity theft

- Harassment, discrimination, denigration, defamation

- Filtering or online blocking

- Inappropriate messages (mean, violent, sexual)

- Posting fights/incidents, or pictures about others on any social media platform.

The misuse of technology to threaten, ridicule, spread rumours or defame character will not be tolerated and represents a violation of school safety protocols and as such may warrant suspension, police involvement or expulsion.

The lists above are not exhaustive. They are intended to provide examples of the various types of bullying.

* As per LAW 19, please refer to RHS’ Anti-Bullying Anti-Violence (ABAV) Plan at:

 http://www.swlauriersb.qc.ca/schools/rhs/News Flash.HTML

**Cyberspace reference means over and above school premises and hours

8. PROMOTION POLICY

Every class is important and students are expected to take responsibility for their learning and always perform to the best of their ability.

The following conditions must be met in order to move up to the next level:

- Each student must earn a minimum of 26 credits. (Credits are calculated based on the number of periods in a 9-day cycle.)

- Each student must have an overall average of a minimum of 60%.

- Each student must pass at least 2 out of the 3 core subjects (English, Math, French)

The decision of the final placement of the student rests with the Principal.

 

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