2015-2016 Allendale Columbia School Student Parent Handbook
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2015 - 2016 Student /Parent Handbook 2015-2016 STUDENT/PARENT HANDBOOK Table of Contents Section 1: General School-Wide Information 3 - 34 Welcome from the Head of School 4 Disclaimer 5 Mission/Core Values/Diversity Statement 5 History 6 – 8 Non-Discrimination Policy 8 Essential School/Parent Expectations 9 Harassment Policy 9 – 10 Social Media Policy 11 – 15 Health and Safety 15 – 20 Campus Map 21 Drop Off and Dismissal 22 – 25 Lunch Program 25 Snack and Break 25 – 26 Communication with Faculty 26 Dress Code 26 PACK 27 – 30 Special Events and Traditions 31 – 34 Section 2: Pre-Primary and Lower School 35 - 56 Welcome and Introduction 36 Pre-Primary School Framework for Learning 37 – 39 Lower School Framework for Learning 40 – 56 Section 3: Middle School 57 - 91 Welcome and Introduction 58 Middle School Philosophy 59 Who’s Who 59 Common Situations and Who to Contact 60 – 61 General Information 62 – 63 Expectations for Middle School Students at Different Times of the Day 64 – 65 Lockers 65 Middle School Announcements 65 Communication Home from the Middle School 65 Contacting the School 65 Schedules and MyAC 66 Planners and Organizational Tools 66 Library 66 Homework 66 Exams 67 Attendance Policies 68 – 69 Emergency Procedures 69 Illness During School 69 Medication at School 70 Snow Days 71 Lost Fobs 71 Messages and Cell Phone Usage 72 1 to 1 iPad Program 73 – 75 Allendale Columbia School 1 2015-2016 STUDENT/PARENT HANDBOOK Middle School Academic Program 76 – 80 AC Encore Program 80 HAC Sports Program 81 – 82 Middle School Advisory Program 83 Middle School Club Program 84 Middle School Advocacy Time 84 Middle School Disciplinary Policy 85 – 89 Chemical Substances Policy 90 Middle School Dress Code 91 Section 4: Upper School 92 - 167 Welcome and Introduction 93 Whom to See 94 Academics 95 – 98 Daily Schedule 99 – 100 Attendance/Lateness/Early Dismissal 101 Where Upper School Students Can Study Quietly When Not in Class 101 Dining on Campus 101 Expectations for Upper School Students at Different Times of the Day 102 Student Extracurricular Opportunities 103 Upper School Policies/Rules 104 Upper School Dress Code 105 Driving Privileges 105 Fire Drills 105 Lockers 105 Lounges 106 Lunch 106 Personal Technology Devices 106 Upper School Overnight Trip Guidelines 107 Discipline 108 – 110 Academic Integrity 111 Chemical Substances 112 Emergency Procedures 113 Residential Life 114 - 119 Upper School Curriculum Guide 120 - 167 Allendale Columbia School 2 SECTION 1 General School-Wide Information 2015-2016 STUDENT/PARENT HANDBOOK Welcome from the Head of School Dear Students and Parents, I am delighted to welcome you to Allendale Columbia School for the 2015-2016 school year! This is an especially exciting year as we celebrate AC’s 125th anniversary. Our preparations for this year have long been underway, and it is thrilling to see our plans come to life as students and families return to campus! During the upcoming school year we are also looking forward to launching a strategic plan and a bold, new vision for Allendale Columbia School. Inspired by our mission and grounded in our Core Values, our new strategic plan will enable us to achieve our vision, strengthen our financial sustainability, and ensure that we are educating students to make an impact for another 125 years. I’m sure that you have many questions as we approach the new school year. We have made an effort to compile many details that AC students and parents need to know into this one convenient handbook. Here you will find information about a variety of topics – such as important policies, health and safety information, details about our curriculum, dress code guidelines, and more – that will be helpful to you throughout the year. This guide has been designed to serve as a resource for you, and we encourage you to refer to it frequently! We truly appreciate you putting your trust in us and for your commitment to AC. Please don’t hesitate to contact us as questions arise! Sincerely, Mick Gee Head of School Allendale Columbia School 4 2015-2016 STUDENT/PARENT HANDBOOK Disclaimer The Student/Parent Handbook provides essential information about the school for students and parents. It is meant to be both a reference and a guide for you. As a reference, the Handbook provides answers when a specific question arises. As a guide, the Handbook is where you will find the school’s expectations, and the names of the people who can help you meet those expectations. This electronic document is also subject to change during the academic year to meet the needs of the school. The Allendale Columbia School Handbook is intended to provide information and guidance to all members of the Allendale Columbia School community. It is not a contract. Provisions may be changed at any time at the sole discretion of the administration of Allendale Columbia School. Mission/Core Values/Diversity Statement The Mission of Allendale Columbia School Allendale Columbia offers a strong coeducational liberal arts and sciences program for students in Nursery through twelfth grade. Our college preparatory curriculum allows teachers to challenge students to reach their potential and gain a sense of responsibility to themselves, the school community, their families, and society in general. We foster scholastic and personal independence within a structured atmosphere in which students can experience confidence and trust. Such trust enables students and teachers to be responsive to each other and to take risks. We believe that structure should liberate, not confine. Excellence is our goal. Core Values We live our core values daily. At Allendale Columbia we believe in: • The importance of connections. • Mastering strategies for learning. • Minds that are curious and creative. • Developing a resilient spirit that dares to take risks. Diversity Statement Allendale Columbia is a community that affirms the dignity of each person. We believe the best education takes place when academic standards are high, individuality is supported, and diverse populations are understood and respected. We aspire to reflect our metropolitan area and to enroll and employ individuals drawn from a variety of social, religious, racial, cultural, and economic backgrounds. We value a school community where individuals may share and express a variety of perspectives in ways that enhance the education and experience of everyone within the community. We are committed to an environment of equality, dignity, and respect, all of which will enhance the mission of the school. Allendale Columbia School 5 2015-2016 STUDENT/PARENT HANDBOOK History The history of Allendale Columbia began in the fall of 1890, when Miss Caroline Milliman and Miss Alida Lattimore opened the doors to what would go on to become the Columbia School. Starting with 13 students in the elementary grades attending classes in a private home located on Brighton Street in the Park Avenue area of Rochester, the Columbia School soon expanded to become a Kindergarten through grade 12 women's preparatory school with its own facility, known for its quality academics. In only five years, the school’s growing enrollment required a need to move to larger facilities. Land was purchased on North Goodman Street and noted architect J. Foster Warner was commissioned to draw plans for what would become the Columbia School. As the 20th century arrived, grade levels were added. Boys were included through the third grade, but Columbia School earned its reputation as a women’s preparatory school, “pioneering in the field, with wonderful results in the record of their graduates.” The Collegiate Course was arranged to meet the highest requirements made by any colleges in Latin, French, English, German, history, science, and math; Greek was optional. In 1905, Miss Lattimore sold her interest to Mary Milliman Woodbury, who joined her sister as co-proprietor of Columbia School. In 1926, a group of Rochester businessmen and other interested individuals founded the Allendale School for Boys on a 24-acre site on Allens Creek Road. The opening enrollment was 64 boys in grades four through nine, and Barclay H. Farr was named first headmaster. The objective of the new school was “to assist a boy toward attaining his maximum as a useful and respected citizen of a democracy. To this end, the school pays strict attention to thoroughness, accuracy, reliability, character training, self-discipline, and community responsibility.” The boys' school espoused the innovative “country day” philosophy that was then in vogue: students spent mornings studying academic subjects, early afternoons participating in athletics, and late afternoons completing their homework in a supervised setting. Different grade levels were added, and Allendale gradually became a college preparatory school like its sister school, Columbia. A Short-Lived First Merger The Great Depression affected both schools, both dropping in enrollment and facing financial strain. In 1936, Miss Milliman and Mrs. Woodbury announced their retirement, and for the next three years, the schools were merged under one Board of Trustees. The two schools parted again in 1939, and remained separate for the next 30 years. The two schools continued to exist separately, with Allendale on its original site on Allens Creek Road, and Columbia moving to the Wareham Whitney Estate on South Goodman Street. Mrs. Della Simpson was named headmistress of Columbia, and John R. Webster succeeded Farr as Allendale headmaster. Each school pursued its independent mission for the next three decades. During that time, Allendale headmasters were Hollis Scofield, Peter A. Schwartz, and Buell Critchlow. Joan Twaddle replaced Mrs. Simpson in 1964. Fiery Disaster Leads to Rebirth The most dramatic event in the school's history occurred on Thanksgiving night 1966, when a fire destroyed all the original buildings on the Allendale campus. Only losing one day of school, classes were held in the surviving gym and science building, and in the neighboring Baptist church.