All registration forms clearly indicate the timelines and deadlines for school enrollment. In order to ensure an efficient process, deadlines must be met. Please refer to the registration agreement in regards to the method of payment and deadlines.

An application for admission with unpaid fees will be returned to the applicant. Financial terms will then be reviewed and established with parents. New students must provide access to the School authorities in regards to previous school records or any other relevant information.

Registration / Admission

All registration forms clearly indicate the timelines and deadlines for school enrollment. In order to ensure an efficient process, deadlines must be met. Please refer to the registration agreement in regards to the method of payment and deadlines.

Applications for admission, whose fees are not paid, will be returned to the applicant. Financial terms will then be reviewed and established with parents. New students must provide access to the School authorities in regards to previous school records or any other relevant information.

Attendance and punctuality

Every child has the right to quality education. Attendance is essential and an absence from class is destructive to a student’s academic progress. During repeated and unjustified absences, parents will be contacted and met.

Students must arrive on time for class. Latecomers must report to the principal’s office and justify their delay. It is recommended to make any appointment with the doctor and the dentist after school hours or on pedagogical days.

When a student has to leave before the end of a class, a written request, indicating the specific date and time of the departure, must be signed by the parent or guardian and must be presented to the teacher, the secretary or the administration. The campus secretary can call to ask the reason of the student’s absence. The School may request a medical note to justify an absence during an exam. Neither the administration nor the teachers are required to repeat exams for unexcused absences. Vacations are not deemed as valid reasons.

It is expected that the student is punctual in the morning as well as for each course, plus for all other activities organized by the School. If school attendance is not considered sufficient, the School’s administration will notify the parents and decide with them on the means to fix the issue.

Arrivals

When the bell rings, students must meet in silence in the schoolyard to enter with their respective classes. Supervision of students begins only ten (10) minutes before the start of classes; therefore there is no oversight before this time. For safety reasons, students cannot enter the campus before the beginning of the school’s regular schedule.

Punctuality is compulsory in our School. Delays have a negative impact on students and the classroom. Latecomers receive a letter addressed to the parent or guardian, and a copy remains in the personal file of the student.

Departures

At the end of class, students are monitored until the departure of the school’s buses. Parents are responsible to inform the School, in writing, of any change in the transportation plan for their child (e.g.: school bus routes, the authorized person to pick up the student or the means of transport).

School schedule

The school schedule will be included and written in the student’s agenda. In search of forgotten equipment, students and parents are not allowed to enter the school premises after classes. Only students enrolled in the extracurricular program may remain in the building after school hours, the supervision being limited to these activities.

Safety in the parking lot

In order to ensure safety in the campus parking, students should never be alone and / or unsupervised. Furthermore, it is forbidden to block cars, congest traffic and to enter or leave the parking lot when students ascend or descent the busses.
At the end of the day, parents are required to leave immediately. The schoolyard is reserved for students of childcare.

Activities during breaks and lunch

Only the school’s equipment and material can be used in the playground, unless specifically authorized by the teacher and principal. Monitors of the balloons must be in possession of the ball before and after recess time. One must not kick, throw or bounce the ball after the bell. Students must remain on the field of play and not leave the playground to retrieve a ball that goes over the school’s fence. The loss must be reported to the superintendent of the schoolyard.

Fire Drills

Evacuation drills are held regularly without notice, as required by the fire department to ensure timely and systematic evacuation of the building in case it becomes necessary.

Telephone messages

Students have the right to use the office phone of the campus in the case of any illness or emergency. Students can use the phone with the authorization of the office staff or the class teacher. The use of cellular and / or other mobile devices by students is prohibited.

Library Policy

The library period is part of the student’s program. Out of respect for others, the School requires that each student be responsible for the return of borrowed material; such return is deemed to be on time and the material to be in good condition. A small fee is required for books returned late.

A letter will be sent home for any late, lost or damaged book. At that time, the library privileges will be suspended until the book is returned or payment is received.

Lunch box Policy

• Fast Foods are not allowed in school.
• Chocolate and candy are not allowed
• All kinds of nuts are strictly prohibited.

Parents’ Committee

A committee of 25 parents represents each campus of the École Socrates-Démosthène. At the beginning or just before the end of each school year, the campus principal assembles a general meeting of the parents and informs them of the responsibilities of the parents’ committee, conducting the elections of the president, secretary, treasurer and members.

The responsibilities of the parents’ committee are to enrich the academic and social lives of students, as well as the physical environment of the campus. Meetings are held once a month, or as needed, and are accessible to all parents.

Volunteer parents and visitors

The École Socrates-Démosthène welcomes and encourages the participation and help of all parents. The School firmly believes that “the involvement of a family is essential to raise a child.” All parents wishing to volunteer are asked to notify in advance the campus principal or a school teacher before intervening in the campus. Volunteers are asked to sign and carry proper identification when on campus grounds. They must also respect the privacy of all students and follow the School rules. The lives of children are enhanced by the making of a better environment. Volunteers who do not comply with the policies and regulations of the École Socrates-Démosthène can have their rights as volunteers revoked.

Lost and found objects

Each campus classifies a repository for lost and found objects. Parents are asked to check the designated area from time to time to seek for your child’s lost objects. Unclaimed items will be distributed to charitable societies or families in need at the end of the school year. It is suggested to take the time to check for the objects during scheduled parent / teachers meetings.

All items brought to school must be identified by the name of the student. A lost and found object can be retrieved at the campus office.

Closing of schools

In case of a storm, listen to the radio or television to receive information about the closing of schools. A list of radio stations will be sent at the beginning of the school year.

Policy on homework

The primary purpose of homework is to reinforce learning. It is also to solidify and deepen several skills learned in class. Assignments allow teachers and students to understand more content while teaching students initiative, independence, responsibility, and studying skills. Assignments demand an application or adaptation of the experience in the classroom. They are planned, thoughtful and relate to the knowledge, the skills and the curriculum expectations of MELS.

An important aspect of assignments at home is that they create a link between home and school by providing parents with the information about the concepts studied and learned in class. They also offer an opportunity for parents to be part of their child’s school life and strengthen parent/school collaboration.

The School reserves the right to penalize any student who does not do his homework.

Relations with the School – expanded

• Parents will be informed of the school life by e-mail or in a letter delivered by the student.
• The School requests parents to leave messages to their children through the campus secretary, in an emergency only.
• In case of absence, parents should notify the campus during the first hour of class of the day.
• Parents can use the agenda as a communication tool.
• Other useful information is available on the school’s website: www.socdem.org.