St Margaret College

Secondary School, Alexandra Street, Cospicua, BML1723

T 21820300 F 21821742 E

W

Growing up Together

The Aim of the School

  1. Our school embraces the principle of inclusion. This means that all our students, irrespective of where they come from and their various abilities, have pride of place in our school. This is the place where students come to acquire knowledge and education as well as develop their character and talents. Nothing and nobody shall be allowed to interfere in this process which is theirs by right.

Respect

  1. All our students have the right to be respected. On the other hand, they have the duty to show respect towards each other, towards their teachers and the administration and also towards all the other school staff. Students must use good manners at all times and interact with others politely and responsibly. Any sign of lack of respect will be considered a serious infraction.

No type of bullying is acceptable and if it occurs, it needs to be reported immediately.

School Hours

  1. School starts at 8.10 am and finishes at 2.31 pm. Students need to be prepared for assembly at 8:10am, i.e.as soon as the first bell goes off. All the students are expected to be punctual for lessons. Those who arrive late without a valid reason will be given a detention during mid-day break.

Attendance

  1. Attendance will be recorded during assembly. When a student is absent, the parents will be informed by means of an SMS. Any students who arrive late for school have to inform the school secretary immediately on arrival.

When a student is absent from school due to ill-health, the parents or guardians are obliged to inform the school by calling on the following number: 21820300. A medical certificate for each day that the student is absent from school needs to be presented.

Discipline

  1. For this scholastic year, the school is going to operate on a system ofhome classes whereby students will have their own fixed classroom. However, students still need to vacate the classroom between lessons. This must be done in an orderly fashion and with the minimum of noise. The students are expected to wait for the teacher of the next lesson quietly and by forming a straight line in the corridor near the class. Students are expected to stand up when a teacher or an SMT member walks into the classroom.

The school is primarily a place where teaching and learning takes place. As such, all students are expected to do their utmost by paying attention during lessons, diligently doing any homework given and presenting it neatly and on time. Parents should ensure that homework is done properly and if this is not the case, a report will be written and inserted in the students’ records.

All students are expected to bring their textbooks and any other materials which are deemed necessary during lessons. If they do not comply, again a report will be written and inserted in the students’ records.

  1. No student is allowed out of the classroom without the teachers’ permission. Teachers are expected to keep a record of attendance in their files; over and above the official school attendance. Students caught loitering in the corridors or skipping classes will be kept after school hours (till 3:15 p.m.).In this case, it is the parents/guardians who are responsible for their transport back home.All teachers will be using a set of permission cards (one for speaking to the SMT, another to go to the toilet and a third to go to the guidance) to ensure this.
  1. Students will be suspended from school for the following infractions: fighting, using violence on other students or members of staff, swearing or using foul language inside the school premises, being insolent and offensive towards teachers and/or other students.
  1. Parents/guardians will be informed if/when any student is going to be kept at school after school hours or is going to be suspended and they may be asked to come to the school to discuss their children’s misbehaviour.
  1. Lockers mayONLY be used before assembly and during breaks.
  1. Nobody is allowed to go to the toilet during the first lesson or during the lessons immediately after breaks; unless a special permission is accorded by the teacher.
  1. Eating is only allowed during break time, unless a medical certificate states otherwise.
  1. Students need to use any study lessons wisely. They can, for instance, catch up on homework, read or do some craftwork.
  1. Playing with balls is not permitted at any time during the day and balls are not allowed at school, unless part of the P.E. lesson.

The School Uniform

  1. Students have to come to school wearing the full school uniform as presented in the table below:

Summer / Winter / PE
Polo Shirt / Long-sleeved shirt / Tracksuit
Trousers / Bow-tie (girls) / T-shirt and P.E. shorts underneath
Black or dark blue socks / Tie (boys) / White socks
Black shoes / Trousers (boys and girls) / White trainers
Sweater
Blazer
Black or dark blue socks
Black shoes
  • No type of jewellery is permitted, except for a watch.
  • Students must keep their hair a natural colour and long hair needs to be tied back.
  • Extreme crewcuts or extravagant hairstyles are not allowed.
  • Nails are to be kept short and natural. False nails, nail extensions and gels are not allowed either.
  • No type of make-up is permitted.
  • Students cannot come to school with handbags or trainers.
  • Trainers can only be worn with the P. E. Kit and they have to be white.
  • Football shoes are not part of the uniform and thus not allowed.

General Notes

  • Students will be asked to remove any piercings which will be confiscated by the SMT

for a whole term. These will be returned to the parents/guardians who need to come and

collect them.

  • Anystudents who come to school in an incomplete uniform, will be kept from their lessons until a parent/guardian brings the missing item/s.
  • Students with unacceptable hairstyles will be sent back home.
  • Caps and beanies cannot be worn.
  • It is very important that students take care of their own personal hygiene.
  • When a student is sent home because s/he has failed to comply with the uniform regulations, it is the parents/guardians responsibility to pick up the student from school.
  • From time to time, spot checks will be carried out regarding uniform.

In winter

In case of very cold temperatures, we advise students to wear winter undervests which do not interfere with the school uniform. Additional items of clothing over the uniform are not allowed.

In summer

A sleeveless undervest needs to be worn by all students.

Mobiles

  1. Mobile phones, cameras and any other digital gadgets are not allowed at school. These items will be confiscated upon discovery and returned to the parents after one week. In special cases, parents/guardians have to contact the school to explain the circumstances.

Mobiles can never be used during school hours. Parents/guardians will be contacted by the school in case of emergency.

The SMT will conduct regular spot check to enforce this regulation.

Food

  1. A nutritious breakfast is a must for students before they come to school.
  1. Students are encouraged to bring a healthy packed lunch to school. This should be in a reusable lunchbox to help maintain the level of litter at school as low as possible. Fresh fruit and water should ideally form part of this lunch.

Cleanliness and Vandalism

  1. The school environment deserves to be kept clean. Any students caught littering will be made to clean up as well as being given a detention during break as punishment.
  1. Anybody caught damaging school premises or textbooks, has to pay for the damage and will incur disciplinary actions, such as an after school.

Homework

  1. All students are expected to do all the homework assigned to them. This has to be presented on time.
  1. Work assigned for home needs to be done carefully and neatly.
  1. Copied work or work done by someone else will not be accepted. In case of difficulties, parents/guardians are encouraged to communicate with the teachers by means of the school diary.
  1. Students who fail to present their work will be kept working during break and this will be noted in their records.
  1. It is up to the students to make up for work lost when they were absent as quickly as possible.

Outings

  1. All outings planned by the school are directly related to the curriculum. As such, they are to be considered as normal school days and everyone is required to attend.
  1. Everybody is expected to be on his best behavior at all times.

Rewarding Positive Behaviour

  1. Teachers will identify those students who deserve to be rewarded according to the following criteria :

- students who regularly present extra work, thus showing interest in learning;

- students who help others;

- students who show substantial progress or place first in tests or half yearly exams;

-students who demonstrate that they are doing their best to progress in the learning process.

(These achievements will also be logged in the students’ records under the category

outstanding behaviour):

  1. A certificate of merit will also be awarded to those students who accumulate ten outstanding behaviour reports.

At the end of it all, schooling should be considered as a positive experience. For this to occur in a healthy and protected environment, we appreciate everybody’s cooperation.

Regards,

Doreen Costa

A/Head of School

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