ST. CATHERINE SCHOOL 

3RD-8TH GRADE DISCIPLINE/HOMEWORK POLICY

 

St. Catherine students have always understood that their time at school should be devoted to learning the things they will need to be successful in the future. Teachers create an atmosphere of respect and should expect this in return from their students. Because each class and teacher are different, the discipline policies should reflect their diversity while maintaining consistency across the grade levels and subject areas. In all cases, students are expected to come to each class ready to learn and give his/her teacher and fellow classmates the respect they deserve. Each teacher will work with his/her class to come up with a discipline plan that is acceptable and appropriate for them. Once established, these guidelines will be monitored by the classroom teacher. If a child chooses not to follow the class rules, discipline measures will be taken. 

Homework is an integral part of a child's education. It is intended to allow students to apply concepts learned in the classroom and show the teacher that the content was understood. At St. Catherine, all students are expected to do their homework every night. Effort should be made to insure that the student does the best they can on their homework to give a realistic view of their understanding. In the event that a child does not complete their homework, the disciplinary procedures below will be used. The purpose of these procedures are to help the student understand the importance of homework while at the same time, teaching them to be responsible for their education that is necessary in high school. Parents are expected to be actively involved in their child's homework. While it is the student's responsibility to do their homework, parents are encouraged to check the homework each night to insure completion and quality.

Discipline and Homework Remediation Procedures

The following discipline procedures will be used for all students in grades 3-8 but will differ using the following timeframes: 

  1. First Offense - Reason is discussed with the student and suggestions for remediation are given. Student is given a verbal warning and fills out parent communication sheet giving reason for missing work. Communication sheet must be taken home, signed by parent, and returned to teacher the next day.

  2. Second Offense -  Reason is discussed with the student and suggestions for remediation are given. Parents are contacted and the child sits out of recess for one day and fills out parent communication sheet giving reason for missing work. Communication sheet must be taken home, signed by parent, and returned to teacher the next day.

  3. Third Offense - Student is assigned detention for next scheduled date. Detention will not be rescheduled without permission from the principal and then only for a scheduled appointment or family emergency. Extracurricular activities (sports, play, dance, etc) are not an excuse for missing detention.  Detention slip must be filled out by the teacher and sent home to be signed and returned. In detention, students are to go through the homework process (see below) and create a remediation plan to keep the problem from continuing. 

  4. Fourth Offense - Same as above. Teachers must contact parents personally to discuss the problem and come up with a remediation plan to correct the behavior. Parents will also understand that the next offense may result in Saturday school.   

  5. Fifth Offense * - Parents are contacted and asked to sign agenda every night. Student will also be required to get each class homework assignment entry in agenda initialed by the regular classroom teacher and will also meet with a staff member at the end of the day to have agenda checked to insure that the student has everything needed to do homework that night. In addition, the student will be assigned Saturday School from 8:00-12:00 on Saturday of that week.

  6. Additional Offenses * - If additional offenses occur, the parents will meet with the school administrator to discuss alternative consequences and develop a remediation plan to help the student.

* The teachers and administrator have the flexibility to assign detention in this case if the student has completed homework for an extended period of time in between the fourth and fifth offense. In all cases, decisions will be made that are in the best interest of the child.

Homework Process

  1. Student should be actively involved in the classroom so that they have an understanding of the concepts discussed and academically prepared for the homework assignment.

  2. The student must write down, in their agenda, all of the necessary directions for the homework assigned in class.

  3. At the end of the day, the student must use their agenda to insure that they take home all necessary papers, books, etc. to do their homework that evening. All worksheets, test to be signed, and other paperwork should be kept in the first pocket of their portfolio. This should be labeled as "Homework".

  4. Once home, the student must use the agenda to  systematically complete their homework. When each assignment is completed, the student should highlight or check off that the particular assignment has been completed to the best of their ability. If the student does not understand a particular assignment, they are responsible for getting the help they need by contacting either a parent, sibling, or fellow student who can give them the help they need.

  5. Once all homework assignments are completed to the best of their ability, the student should ask their parent or other responsible adult to check their homework. This should include checking the agenda to insure that all assignments are completed along with a check that the homework was done correctly. If it was not, the adult should point out the incorrect information and allow the child time to correct it. If the child is unable to do this, the parent needs to re-teach the concept to help the student understand and correct the mistakes. Under no circumstances should answers be given to the student. Once all homework is satisfactorily completed, the parent should sign off on the agenda.

  6. The student must pack up all homework assignments and other material that will be needed at school the next day. All papers completed as homework should be returned in the "Homework" pocket of their portfolio. This is best done the night before school, not in the morning of the next day.

  7. Finally, the student should make sure that all homework is taken to the appropriate class that day.

The Principal’s Role in Discipline 

In any school, the discipline process should be very clearly stated with the types of infractions and subsequent forms of remediation clearly spelled out. Parents, students, and teachers should be familiar with the process and refer to it when problems arise. The referring teacher is expected to follow these procedures as stated and document all of the steps of the process. In all cases, the parents should be aware of the process and work together with the referring teacher to resolve the issue and take steps to see that the problem behavior does not continue. The principal should be seen as the final authority in discipline cases and become involved only under certain conditions. While the principal may be used as an advisor to the referring teacher if requested, he/she should only be brought into the discipline process under the following circumstances: 

·        Level I and II behavior (see below) continues and all discipline measures attempted by the teacher and parent have failed.

·        A level III infraction (see below) takes place where Suspension or Expulsion from school may be necessary.

 Group Punishment 

The purpose of discipline is to deter unwanted behavior or keep it from repeating. To be affective, problem behavior needs to be clearly defined and remediation needs to take place. Remediation is the process of discussing the causes for the problem behavior and developing specific steps that can be used to keep the behavior from reoccurring. When problems occur within a class or large group, remediation is much more difficult due to the fact that the problem behavior may happen for many reasons and there may be people within the group who do not exhibit problem behavior at all. Group punishment therefore becomes ineffective and should not be used if at all possible. In some cases, remediation may be used as a way of teaching things such as conflict resolution to a group but punishment without remediation should be avoided at all costs and should never be used for anything but minor problems such as too much talking. Whenever possible, teachers should identify only those students who exhibit specific problem behavior and deal with these students as stated in the discipline policy. 

LEVEL I INFRACTIONS

WILL BE DEALT WITH BY CLASSROOM TEACHER IN COOPERATION WITH PARENT

Not prepared for class: no book, pencil, paper, etc;

All dress code infractions

Inappropriate classroom behavior; out of seat, talking, not paying attention, etc.

Inappropriate conduct outside of classroom: messing around in hall, bathroom, cafeteria,

        recess, etc.

Not performing teacher assigned duty

Chewing paper or gum

Books not covered

Incorrect homework or homework not brought to class from locker or homeroom

LEVEL II INFRACTIONS

WILL BE DEALT WITH BY THE CLASSROOM TEACHER IN COOPERATION WITH PARENT

Continued Missing or incomplete homework. Click here for Homework Policy.

Disrespect to any adult staff member or student

Harassment of any student

Defiance of any adult staff member; teacher, cafeteria or recess monitor, principal, etc.

Cheating, Lying

Minor Vandalism (defacing)

Continued or repeated Level I infractions

 

LEVEL III INFRACTIONS

WILL BE DEALT WITH BY THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR

Fighting

Physical Assault

Sexual Harassment

Vandalism to school property (excessive and intentional)

Continued or repeated Level II infractions

 

As with all discipline, each case will be looked at individually and decided on by teacher with input from administrator as needed. Infractions not listed will be evaluated as needed.