CODE OF CONDUCT

John Grant students conduct themselves with dignity by...

• Being present, on time, ready to learn with all necessary materials.
• Behaving in a civil manner. Students should walk calmly and quietly in the hallways, use kind and appropriate language, and follow instructions from staff.
• Being responsible for their own words and actions.
• Making good decisions in and out of school.
• Spending time with and encouraging people who are doing positive things.
• Maintaining a positive attitude and a healthy and active lifestyle.
• Maintaining good hygiene and abiding by the uniform or dress code.
• Being resilient.

John Grant students treat others with dignity by...

• Treating others with kindness and acceptance.
• Not acting in a violent or aggressive way towards others, ever.
• Not disrespecting, harassing, or bullying nor tolerating disrespect, harassment or bullying by others.
• Respecting other people’s privacy and property.
• Asking for permission from the staff before inviting others into the school or opening the door to friends, parents or strangers.
• Being patient with those around them.

John Grant students respect the environment by...

• Helping to maintain a clean school by cleaning and tidying it up, whenever possible. To that end, all food must be eaten in the cafeteria, unless a teacher makes an exception in their classroom.
• Prioritizing the use of reusable water bottles on campus. Water may be consumed in most locations in the school.
• Supporting our green initiatives, such as recycling, and reduction of waste.
• Not vandalizing anyone’s personal property or that of the school.
• Behaving as a responsible citizen in the wider community.

John Grant students follow school rules by...

• Only being in the corridors during class time with a hall pass.
• Only using the locker assigned to them for the year, and keeping personal possessions safe and secure. The school is not responsible for lost or stolen items. Lockers are not to be shared by students. Students should keep a lock on their locker to secure their possessions.
• Leaving backpacks or handbags in lockers during the school day.
• Never using electronic devices in class without permission from the teacher.
• Never smoking or vaping on or near the school’s premises and never being in possession of drugs or alcohol on school premises or during a school event or trip. Note: if medication is required, please inform the administration and an agreement regarding the storage and use of the medication on school days will be reached between concerned parties.
• Students under the age of 16 are not permitted to leave school property without direct supervision. Students aged 16 and over are eligible to leave school during lunchtime. Regardless of age, if a parent does not want their child to leave the premises at lunch, they must advise the school in writing. Students are responsible for their own conduct and safety while off of school property.

•  A number of planned fire drills, evacuations, and lockdowns will be held during the school year in order to practice the correct emergency procedures. All drills must be taken seriously by staff and students, and students must follow the staff members’ instructions carefully.
•  During any emergency procedure, students are to follow their teacher’s directions and to move quickly and quietly. The use of electronic devices by students is strictly prohibited during any emergency procedure.
•  School closures due to weather or other unavoidable circumstances will be announced via School Messenger (the school board’s mass notification system) and will be posted to our social media accounts. School closures due to weather are also usually announced on the local radio station CJAD 800.
• An emergency or dangerous situation may require staff to institute additional safety measures or modify the rules of the code of conduct to ensure the safety of all. These rules must be followed by all students.

John Grant has a community approach to discipline that includes all parties involved in the student’s life: students, parents, staff, and community stakeholders.

• It requires a culture of mutual respect.
• It begins with ensuring students understand the expectations placed upon them.
• It celebrates positive student behaviour, and builds upon strategies that promote positive student behaviours.
• It immediately addresses inappropriate student behaviours before these behaviours become more serious.
•  It applies disciplinary measures within a framework that shifts the focus from one that is solely punitive, to one that is both corrective and supportive.
• Its intent is to help students make good choices moving forward.

All interventions are aimed at reinforcing expectations for the behaviour, and providing the opportunity for students to reflect on and adopt behaviours and attitudes that allow them to meet these expectations.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCES

Attendance at every class, by all students, is mandatory. It is the parents’/guardians’ responsibility to call and advise the school secretary if their child will be absent and to justify the absence. An answering machine is available to accept calls outside of office hours.

Students and parents/guardians must accept full responsibility for work missed during absences. Due to the experiential nature of many of the courses, alternative assignments or assessments may not be possible for students who are absent. Long-term illnesses exceeding 5 consecutive days require medical certification. If any condition requires a student to miss school regularly (for medical treatments, for example, or due to a judgement by a court), documentation to that effect should be provided to the school and the parents should schedule a meeting with the school team to determine the best course of action for the student.

Parents of students under eighteen years of age, attending work-study, must report any absence to the main office. If the student is an adult (18+), they are encouraged to make the call themselves. Students, regardless of age, are responsible for notifying their employer prior to any absence from work-study, regardless of their age. Unexcused and/or frequent absences from work-study or school are not tolerated, and may result in failure to qualify for their WOTP, DEFIS or APP certificate.

LATE ARRIVAL: THE LATE SLIP

Any student arriving to school after 9:20am must proceed to the office for a late slip. If the late is due to a planned appointment, students should present their signed and dated note to the office upon arrival to have their late justified. Students may not enter class without a late slip. Throughout the day, teachers take attendance each period. Students who are late for class will be indicated as late and students arriving late to class will face consequences.

EARLY DISMISSALS

Any student who requires an early dismissal should present a note, signed by a parent/guardian, with a valid telephone number, indicating the student’s name, the date and the desired dismissal time to the school’s main office by 9:20 am. The student will receive a departure note, and the student’s parent/guardian may be called to verify the early dismissal.
Any student who is ill or injured, or who needs to leave the school early for any valid reason, must report to the main office so that a parent/guardian can be notified. An email can be provided in lieu of a written note: please email the secretary, Fatemeh Dashti, at fdashti@emsb.qc.ca.

REGULAR SCHOOL DAY SCHEDULE

• 09:00  Doors are unlocked and students may enter the building from entrance ‘C’ only. Students are not allowed in the building before 9:00am due to lack of supervision. All students must proceed to, and remain in, the cafeteria until 9:15am with their bags and outdoor clothing.
• 09:15 🔔 Students go to their lockers to put away their bags and outdoor clothing and gather their materials for period 1.
• 09:20 🔔 Students should be in their first period class. Students arrive to class prepared. “Prepared” means: in uniform, with homework completed, and with all materials needed for class.
• 09:20-10:35 🔔 PERIOD 1. Students should be seated and prepared at the beginning of every class. The teacher will take attendance within the first 5 minutes of every class.
• 10:35 - 10:50 🔔 RECESS. Students should put their materials away in their lockers and gather their snack, if they have one, for recess. A healthy snack is provided for all students in the cafeteria. Students can choose to stay in the cafeteria, or they may go outside, if they have clothing appropriate to the weather. If they go outside, they must remain on school property and within view of the staff member on duty in the schoolyard. At the warning bell, students go to their lockers and prepare for class.
• 10:50 - 12:05 🔔 PERIOD 2.
• 12:05 - 12:25 LUNCHTIME. All students must proceed to the cafeteria at 12:05 to eat their lunches. All food must be eaten in the cafeteria.
• 12:25 -12:55 🔔 ACTIVITY TIME. Students who are finished eating may proceed to activities being held in designated areas of the school, or outside, when dismissed by the staff member on supervision. Students participate in extracurricular activities or social time. At the warning bell, students go to their lockers and prepare for class.
• 12:55 -14:10 🔔 PERIOD 3.
• 14:10-14:15 🔔 Passing time. Students proceed to their period 4 classes.
• 14:15 - 15:30 🔔 PERIOD 4.
• 15:30 Students should proceed to gather their things from their lockers to go home. All students must exit via the ‘C’ door. Students whose buses have not yet arrived must wait by the office.

Students in the Modified Academic Program (MAP), Competency-based Approach to Social Participation (CASP) Program, and DEFIS (Demarche Educative Favorisant integration Sociale) Program are required to wear the John Grant High School Uniform to School each day.

DRESS CODE

Students in the Work-Oriented Training Program (WOTP) and in the Autonomy Preparation Program (APP) attend school 2-4 days per week and complete work stages 1-3 days per week. On work stage, students must wear the uniform or dress code stipulated by the employer. While at school, students may opt to wear the JGHS uniform, otherwise, they must dress in clothes appropriate for the workplace, in accordance with the following dress code:

PHYSICAL EDUCATION UNIFORM

The John Grant Physical Education Uniform consists of:

Junior students (CASP, MAP) must wear the white uniform t-shirt while senior students (DEFIS, WOTP, APP) must wear the black uniform t-shirt. Students may choose between the athletic shorts or pants with the John Grant logo. Students must wear athletic shoes while in the gym.

Both the school uniform and physical education uniform as well as clothes worn as part of the dress code must be kept clean and in good repair. Students cannot wear tops or bottoms with rips or stains, whether these are deliberate or unintentional, they must be repaired or replaced.

The school uniform top and physical education uniform are available from
Huss Sports Ltee. 21 Crestwood Ave, Montreal West, Qc H4X 1N3 Tel: (514) 489-7767 Website: www.sportsrhuss.com

An order form is available at the main office on demand. Uniform pieces are delivered to the school at no charge for convenience. Orders are made to order and are not refundable or exchangeable. Please verify sizing carefully prior to placing an order.

PREVENTING & STOPPING BULLYING

What is bullying?

According to the Ministry of Education, bullying is, “any repeated direct or indirect behaviour, comment, act, or gesture, including in cyberspace, whether deliberate or not, which occurs in a context where there is a power imbalance between the persons concerned and which causes distress and injuries, hurts, oppresses, intimidates or ostracizes.”
Bullying:

• Is when someone is being repeatedly made fun of, called names, excluded or threatened with violence.
• Is between two or more people, in person, online, by text, or by telephone.
• Keeps on happening, day after day.
• Is when someone feels weak and helpless.
• Is not teasing or a joke that is meant to make the person laugh.
• Is not a short-lived argument between friends.

What can a student do if they witness bullying?

*If you are a witness to bullying, you have a huge responsibility*

• If you feel safe, use your words to tell the person to STOP.
• Get help by talking to an adult that you trust.
• If you just stay and watch, you are part of the problem. DO SOMETHING!

What can a student do if someone is bothering them?

Use your W.I.T.S.!
Walk away
Ignore the person
Talk it out
Seek help

REGARDLESS OF TIME, LOCATION OR MEANS, JOHN GRANT HIGH SCHOOL WILL TAKE MEASURES AGAINST SUCH ACTS IN ORDER TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF OUR STUDENTS.

As a rule, we try to prevent bullying before it starts. This is a process in which all stakeholders have responsibilities.

Students are responsible for their choices and must abide by the code of conduct. When an issue arises, they must cooperate with all parties involved to try to rectify the problem and maintain a safe and respectful environment.

Parents/guardians are encouraged to speak with their children about respect for others, take appropriate action at home when there are problems of this nature, and cooperate with the school should an incident arise. This includes informing the school when incidents of aggression or bullying affecting members of the school community are discovered.

School personnel must be vigilant during their instruction and supervision time and must address any issues brought to their attention. School personnel will educate students through classroom visits and awareness campaigns such as lessons, activities and assemblies. When necessary, the guidance counsellor will mediate conflicts between students in a safe and respectful environment.

The school community is invited to consult our safe school action plan, available on our school website.

COMMUNICATION:

The school will send home notices and correspondence via email. It is important for parents/guardians to have a valid email address on file. At the start of the year, a verification form will be sent home with students. These forms list the personal and emergency contact information for parents/guardians as well as the official email address on file. Please take the time to verify all information and make any necessary changes to the form. Once the information has been verified and signed, this will be considered valid for the school year. Changes to addresses, phone numbers and email addresses should be made in writing to the main office as soon as the information becomes available.

Parents may also choose to follow the school on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) as well as consult the school website www.emsb.qc.ca/johngrant

VISITORS:

All visitors, including parents or guardians, social workers, or other professionals, must immediately report to the main office. The visitor must sign in to the Visitor’s Log Book and show identification. A staff member will give them a hall pass that they must wear so that it’s visible to all, for the duration of their stay. Students who wish to invite a visitor must seek permission from the office prior to admission. Before leaving, the visitor must sign out and return the Visitor’s Pass.

STUDENT PICKUP and DROP-OFF:

Students and parents must not enter the parking lot by motor vehicle during the school day. Students who get driven to school may be dropped off by their parents on foot, in front of Door B. Parents may park on the street in front of the school or in the lot adjacent to the school (in front of the Aquatic and Community Center) for a short period of time when dropping off a student in the morning or picking up a student at the end of the day. Students use the parking lot as a recreational area during the school day and thus circulation must be limited for safety. Students may not park in the school parking lot. During parent-teacher interviews and special indoor school events, the parking lot is exceptionally open to accommodate parents and students.