Parent-Student Handbook

Selwyn House Policies

Preamble

Selwyn House School applies educational and developmental approaches to promote learning, growth, and social responsibility. Selwyn House prides itself on being an inclusive community that values diversity and recognizes that acceptance of diversity enhances innovation and learning. These approaches to community building and learning are guided by VERITAS, meaning Selwyn House School is a community that values truth and learning.

As a member of the Selwyn House community, you have made a lifelong commitment to VERITAS, which represents the values of the school. VERITAS has three interconnected principles: True to Yourself; True to Others; and True to Your School and Community. Thus, VERITAS offers a guide through which we make decisions related to our daily interactions.

For the most part, we are able to interact with each other and respect differences without the need for rules; however, sometimes these differences can cause conflict. Conflict means to cause someone (adult to adult, student to adult, or adult to student) to feel uncomfortable or unhappy by actions such as: attacking someone physically or verbally, making threats, spreading rumours, excluding someone from a group on purpose, stealing, not respecting our differences, or mistreating someone using technology. As a community, we take an active role in addressing these challenges on a daily basis. VERITAS offers a path to intervene in these conflicts. The policies below represent three intersecting areas: academics, community and technology. This model acts as a guide for our behaviours and for how conflicts will be resolved. Although these policies have been written with a focus on the students, it is expected that all members of the Selwyn House community uphold the spirit of these policies in their words and actions.

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School Rules and Expectations

True to Myself

I will respect myself by doing my best in school and by living safely, healthfully, and lawfully.

I will
- Complete my work as assigned to the best of my ability;

- Complete my work on my own and honestly;
- Use technology to do my work well;
- Not plagiarize (use other people's words or ideas without giving them credit);
- Not consume harmful substances such as drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes;
- Seek help if needed;
- Accept responsibility for my actions and try to fix my mistakes.

True to Others

I will respect others by being accepting, supportive, and kind.

I will
- Do my best to speak and act in ways that are not hurtful or harmful;

- Do my best to understand and accept differences;
- Do my best to make others feel safe in my presence;
- Try to help or seek help for others if needed;
- Not hurt others with words or actions in person or with technology.

True to My School and Community

I will give my best effort in all my activities and do my best to represent my school and community well.

I will
- Arrive to school and class on time;

- Keep a clean and tidy school;
- Ask to borrow before using something that is not mine;
- Wear my uniform with pride knowing I represent myself and my school;
- Not leave the school grounds unless given permission to do so;
- Respect the teachers and staff in person and online.

Social Responsibility

True to Myself

I will grow to know myself and to contribute to the greater community.

I will
- Ask for help;

- Do my part to make a safe community;
- Leave places when I feel unsafe and tell a trusted adult;
- Speak up for what I think is right.

True to Others

I will take care of those in our community while respecting our differences.

I will
- Tell a trusted adult when I think something is wrong or bad;

- Listen to what another person has to say;
- Try to understand what another person is saying or feeling;
- Respect what another person is saying or feeling even if it is different from what I say or feel;
- Not act in a way that makes a situation worse;
- Ask others if they are okay if I think they are hurt or in need of help.

True to My School and Community

I will use my passion to make my school and community a better place.

I will
- Take pride in belonging to the school community;

- Take an active and positive role in representing my school inside and outside of the community;
- Take advantage of opportunities to make our community a better place;
- Take responsibility to reflect on my actions and correct them when necessary.

Digital Responsibility

VERITAS is the guiding principle through which we make decisions, including decisions related to our daily use of technology. The word technology includes any device that is used now (or will be used) to record, research, share, store, or communicate information. Selwyn House School promotes the use of technology to support our curriculum and enhance the educational experience by enabling the following: communication, collaboration, research, critical thinking, global citizenship, and lifelong learning.

True to Myself

I will
- Protect myself by not sharing my passwords with others without good reason;

- Protect myself by not sharing personal information or photos online;
- Protect myself and devices by using security software, privacy settings, and apps;
- Only share online what I would share in person;
- Produce my own original ideas and work when using electronic resources;
- Give credit to all the sources (e.g. websites, pictures, documents) used in my work;
- Follow the laws about technology use and act ethically using technology;
- Know that my actions online can have offline consequences;
- Know that anything shared through technology is public and permanent;
- Tell a trusted adult when I am not comfortable or not sure about something that happens when I

use technology.

True to Others

I will
- Respect others by not sharing their passwords and personal information online;

- Respect others by not sharing photos online without their permission;
- Respect the devices of others by not using or touching or altering them without permission;
- Respect the devices of others by not damaging them on purpose;
- Communicate using technology as I would in person;
- Stop communication immediately when I become uncomfortable;
- Not bully, shame, or act aggressively using technology;
- Seek out a trusted adult when I am worried about technology use that may be causing harm to

someone else.

True to My School and Community

I will
- Know that how I behave when I use technology reflects on my school, family, and community;

- Respect the limits put in place to make sure I use technology appropriately and safely;
- Respect the programs and software on school-owned devices;
- Access only trustworthy websites with accurate information;
- Use technology for educational purposes.

Report

When any of these policies has been broken, actions will be taken with the goals of education and reconciliation within our community. Education involves learning from the incident in order to prevent it from recurring in the future. Reaching reconciliation involves compassion, fairness, empathy, and understanding.

These actions are not linear and may occur in any order.

Report

● If a policy has been broken, I will exhibit VERITAS by telling a trusted adult. In cases where illegal activity is suspected, the adult will/should report it to the Headmaster.

Recognize

● If a policy has been broken, I will exhibit VERITAS by being honest about my actions so that all the facts can be known in a timely fashion.

Mediate

● If a policy has been broken, I will exhibit VERITAS by cooperating, while meaningful consequences for the behaviour are determined and explained.

Educate

● If a policy has been broken, I will exhibit VERITAS by working hard to make things right in a timely fashion and to learn from the situation.

Reconcile

● If a policy has been broken, I will exhibit VERITAS by not repeating the behaviour, and I will participate in three follow-up sessions.

Although Selwyn House will do its best to embark on a process of reconciliation, this process is not guaranteed as it requires a commitment by all parties involved. Upon failure to find a reasonable solution, or if an act is so egregious it is not resolvable, a student is liable for more stringent disciplinary action. This action may include detention, suspension, academic or disciplinary probation, or expulsion. Parents enrolling their sons at Selwyn House do so with the knowledge that the school reserves the right to require withdrawal of any student who violates the letter or spirit of the school’s policies by his conduct or general attitude.

Please note that these policies work in conjunction with the Mutual Respect Policy and Bill 56.