Secondary School Expectations and Guidelines

Secondary School Expectations and Guidelines

Our Core Values

As members of the Strothoff International School community, we embrace core values that will help us become internationally-minded lifelong learners. Therefore, we expect all members of our Secondary School community to be:

Inquirers

❖We are curious about our world and constantly ask questions so that we may learn new things every day.

❖When we do not easily find answers to our questions, we search for answers in many different ways.

❖We do not expect teachers and administrators to direct our learning; we seek their help so that we may direct our own learning.

Knowledgeable

❖We explore significant global issues.

❖We are never satisfied with simple answers, but rather, try to seek deeper understanding to better answer our difficult questions.

❖Our overall goal is to engage in lifelong learning and develop greater understanding about many different aspects of our world.

Thinkers

❖We thoroughly examine information and creatively try to solve problems.

❖We always attempt to use logic and thoughtful consideration of others when making decisions.

Communicators

❖We recognize that working positively with other members of our community requires strong communication skills.

❖We aspire to communicate effectively with each other in multiple languages while also recognizing that English is our common language at school.

Principled

❖We highly value honesty, integrity, fairness, and justice within our community.

❖We always show respect to all members of our community.

❖We take responsibility for our actions and the consequences that arise from them.

Open-Minded

❖We value our own identity, culture and values as well as the identity, culture and values of all members of our community.

❖We enjoy analyzing issues from many different perspectives.

Caring

❖We show great respect and concern for the thoughts and feelings of all members of our community.

❖We commit to serving our school, local and global communities so that we may make a positive contribution to society and the environment.

Risk-takers

❖We view challenging situations as opportunities for us to grow.

❖We thrive on exploring new ideas and situations so that we may develop independence.

❖We defend what we believe is right even if it is not popular to do so.

Balanced

❖We realize how important it is to expand ourselves intellectually, physically and emotionally.

❖We strive to be involved in different pursuits so that we can develop a well-rounded personality.

Reflective

❖We constantly think about our actions and behavior so that we may benefit from our experiences.

❖We recognize and celebrate our strengths and achievements.

❖We recognize our mistakes as learning opportunities and our weaknesses as chances to seek support from others.

Reinforcing Our Core Values

Homeroom

During daily Homeroom meetings, teachers and students will engage in activities to promote our core values. These activities will help us think about the guiding principles behind our educational system and build a collaborative community. Each month, we will focus on one of our core values and celebrate our unique approach to learning as follows:

Month / Core Value
September / Inquirers
October / Knowledgeable
November / Thinkers
December / Communicators
January / Principled
February / Open-Minded
March / Caring
April / Risk-takers
May / Balanced
June / Reflective

Throughout each month, we will collectively assemble a collage in the Secondary corridor promoting the featured core value and post outcomes from the activities we complete during Homeroom and Lifelong Learning Seminar meetings.

Lifelong Learning Seminar

The purpose of the Lifelong Learning Seminar is to further reinforce our core values and encourage students to examine issues that may not be addressed in subject-area classes. During weekly Seminar meetings, students will engage in different units of inquiry that are also tied to our core values. At the end of each unit, MYP students will come together as a community in an assembly to share what they have learned in their Seminars. Reflection and service-learning will be active components within the program.

Mentor Program[1][2]

To further support students to be successful at Strothoff International School, the Secondary School has implemented a Mentor Program. At the beginning of the school year, all Secondary students will apply to have a faculty Mentor. The Mentor may be a faculty member in the Primary or Secondary School. Mentors will be open to meet with their student mentees as needed throughout the year to discuss academic, social or emotional issues whenever mentees request meetings. At minimum, Mentors will meet with mentees quarterly as part of the Lifelong Learning Seminar to discuss their mentees’ progress. Mentors may also be available as an advisor or resource to their mentees during the Sanctions process described later in this document.

CAS Program

Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) is a fundamental requirement within the IB Diploma Programme. Participating in the CAS programme helps students apply our core values to extracurricular activities. Therefore, Strothoff International School has implemented a CAS program throughout the Secondary School programme to encourage students to live our core values both in and out of school. The CAS Coordinator will be working with Secondary students to develop a robust programme with many opportunities for students to actively participate in every year.

Learner Profile Awards

During periodic assemblies, we will continue our tradition of rewarding students who consistently demonstrate one of our core values with Learner Profile Awards. All members of the community will be invited to nominate students for these awards. At the end of the school year, teachers and administrators will also nominate and select outstanding students who consistently demonstrate all of our core values for the SIS Learner Profile Award.

Student Council

The Secondary School has established a student council program designed to develop student leaders in our community. At the beginning of the year, elections will take place for class and Secondary School officers. These student leaders will work with students, administration and faculty to create programs to build a positive school community and celebrate our core values.

Sanctions Policy

When students do not adhere to our core values as stated in the IB Learner Profile, it makes it difficult for our community to learn and thrive. In cases where students do not live up to our core values, there must be consequences so that students learn from their mistakes and experience restorative justice within our community. Since no two cases are necessarily the same, Strothoff International School has developed a Sanctions Policy that sets general guidelines for Secondary students, teachers, administrators, and parents to work constructively together to address violations of our core values.

Level One

At the beginning of the school year, the Secondary School community works together to establish how our core values will be implemented in our various school settings. If a teacher or administrator believes that a student has violated one or more of our core values during the course of any school activity, the teacher or administrator has the responsibility to address the student about the violation directly. Depending on the violation, this could involve a conversation with the student on-the-spot, an appointment to meet with the student during the school day, or a required meeting with the student during break or Tutorial. Based on the teacher’s or administrator’s judgment, the violation may be documented on a Behavior Report Form (also referred to as a discipline referral form - see Appendix A) and collected in the student’s permanent file in the Secondary Principal’s office.

Once a student has been cited on multiple occasions by teachers or administrators for violating our core values, the student will be required to meet with the Secondary Principal to discuss the violations in further detail. Together, the Secondary Principal and the student will create a Behavior Management Plan to prevent future violations. The Behavior Management Plan will be communicated to the student’s parents and teachers, and they will be invited and encouraged to support the student to carry out his or her plan. During the process, the student and Secondary Principal will meet regularly to discuss how the plan is progressing and determine when formal supervision of the plan is no longer necessary. This behavior management plan might involve collecting teacher signatures as a reflection of appropriate classroom behavior and sharing this with the secondary principal at prescribed times. (See Appendix B).

Level Two

For a student who is cited for violating our core values while on a Behavior Management Plan, a Disciplinary Panel consisting of three faculty members will be convened by the Secondary Principal to discuss the violation(s) with the student and determine appropriate sanctions. The student’s Mentor will also be invited to the meeting as an advisor and resource for the student during the meeting. If the Disciplinary Panel is convened to consider a student’s violations, it demonstrates that the student’s behavior is consistently disrupting learning within the community and more serious consequences may be prescribed by the Panel as a result. After considering the student’s case, the Disciplinary Panel will agree on sanctions, and the Secondary Principal will schedule a follow-up meeting with the student and parents to discuss the Sanction Plan. Sanctions at this level may include in-school or out-of-school exclusion and/or service within the school community. After this meeting, the faculty will be invited and encouraged to support the student to successfully follow the Sanction Plan, and the Secondary Principal will follow up regularly with the student and parents to ensure that the Sanction Plan is implemented fully and the student’s behavior consistently improves as a result.

Level Three

In cases where a student’s behavior remains unchanged after the implementation of a Behavior Management Plan and a Disciplinary Panel meeting, the student will be referred to the Head of School. At this stage in the process, the Head of School will meet with the student and parents to determine whether continuing at Strothoff International School is in the student’s and the school’s best interest. Sanctions at this level may include probation or permanent exclusion from the school. In cases of probation, the student must work closely with the Secondary Principal and faculty to demonstrate full compliance with our core values. Any further violations during the probation term will result in permanent exclusion. In cases where students are permanently excluded from the school, the administration will promptly inform the German school authorities of the student’s exclusion so that the student may have the support necessary to explore educational options elsewhere.

On occasions where a student engages in extreme behavior that violates our core values, such as violence, bullying, vandalism, theft, the commission of a crime in or out of school, or blatant disrespect of school staff or property, the Secondary School Principal and the Head of School reserve the right to prescribe sanctions that reflect the nature of the violation regardless of whether it is the student’s first violation or not. Cases like these endanger the safety and security of all members of the community and seriously disrupt learning. Therefore, they are unacceptable and will be managed accordingly to protect the school community.

CODE OF CONDUCT

➢Respect for Self

➢Respect for Others

➢Respect for Environments

CORE VALUES

SIS community members strive to be:

✓Inquirers

✓Knowledgeable

✓Thinkers

✓Communicators

✓Principled

✓Open-Minded

✓Caring

✓Risk-takers

✓Balanced

✓Reflective

EXPECTATIONS

1. Observe our Code of Conduct and Core Values at all times.
2. Behave in an orderly and safe manner in the school building by staying to the right on the staircase, storing your belongings in lockers, and lining up quietly when required outside classrooms.
3. Only enter classrooms with staff permission and supervision.
4. Any form of aggression or abuse to others is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
5. Strothoff International School promotes healthy lifestyles for all students and is a smoke-free, alcohol-free and drug-free campus.
6. Electronic devices, excluding laptops, may only be used for academic purposes with teacher permission.
7. Eating and drinking are only allowed at break times, except chewing gum and energy/soft drinks. Drinking water is permitted in classrooms as long as it does not disturb lessons.
8. Take pride in your appearance by observing the school uniform policy at all times.
9. The elevator may only be used by students with permission.
10. Students who are not timetabled for language classes must report to the MYP/DP Library for supervision.

Bistro Policy

Rules for students:

●Meals are to be eaten in peace, the noise level is to be kept down so that everyone can converse normally.

●Generally speaking, students must be polite to each other and to the bistro staff.

●Please only ask for as much food as you are really hungry enough to eat.

●Within the course of the new 6-week menu there are now 60 new and known dishes. To be able to assess the taste and decide with us whether the recipe can be kept in the 6-week menu, all the dishes should be tried.

●In exceptional cases (allergy/intolerance/pseudo-allergy) it is possible to do leave out certain components of the meal, such as a sauce, for example.

●After you have finished your meal, you are welcome to write an entry in the evaluation book. It is also possible to complete a questionnaire at intervals.

●Desserts are only handed out by bistro staff or educators after the children have finished their main course. There is a dessert and/or a piece of fruit available for everyone.

●There is a full bottle of mineral water on every table. When this is empty, it can be returned to bistro staff in exchange for a full one.

●Food, crockery etc. must not be played with. Nothing may be put into the salt and pepper pots or the water bottles, for example. For reasons of hygiene, there should be nothing on the tables except for food, drinks and crockery.

●After the meal has been finished, the tray with the plate, cutlery glass etc. must be placed on the tray cart.

●The mineral water and fruit in the baskets are intended for those students who are registered for lunch. Those who are not registered for lunch or eat their packed lunch in the bistro building must pay € 0.40 per glass of mineral water and € 0.60 per piece of fruit. Please ask bistro staff.

●Anyone who does not keep the rules can be excluded from meals for some time.

School Uniform Policy

It is our expectation that every pupil is neatly turned out in clean, full School Uniform. A student who is unsuitably dressed may be asked to return home to change clothing.

PYP students are expected to wear our long or short sleeved poloshirt and/or the hooded sweatshirt and the dark-blue trousers.

MYP students are expected to wear our long or short sleeved blue or white shirts, the red or navy-blue pullover or tank top, the hooded sweatshirt and the dark-blue trousers or skirt for girls.

In case the trousers are not fitting well, other dark-blue trousers are accepted, including jeans which are free from holes and excessive wear and tear.

Shirts should be tucked in.

Scarfs are not allowed.

For PE students should wear the sport polos, navy blue soccer shorts and indoor training shoes with non-marking soles.

Shoes must be of formal style and in good repair. They must be dark leather, plain type. Training shoes are not accepted. Girls are not allowed to wear stiletto heels; maximum 4 cm.

Hair must be kept clean, neat and tidy. Boys’ hair should be of moderate length. Gel may be used in moderation. Girls with long hair must use a slide clip or small ribbon if necessary; long hair must be tied back whilst near the food services, during games or in Science labs, for hygiene and safety reasons. Hair should not be visibly dyed or bleached; dramatic haircuts and use of colorants are not acceptable. Headgear may not be worn.

Jewellery – Girls may wear one discreet ring, bracelets, a plain silver or gold chain and one pair of stud. Other jewellery is not acceptable. Only discreet make-up is allowed.

Boys may wear one discreet ring, no other jewellery is allowed.

Information Communication Technology (ICT)

Information Communication Technology is part of the IB Programmes from Kindergarten to grade 10. The school is extremely well-equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including wireless access throughout the building and Activeboards in all classrooms. All students are required to adhere to the school´s Code of Conduct.

ICT Code of Conduct

●Remember that Internet access is a privilege, not a right and that access requires responsibility at all times.

●Students are responsible for the use of their individual ICT account on the school network.