Veritas Academy Handbook

1002 West Maple Ave.Adrian, Michigan 49221(517) 486-2187 x. 304

www.veritaslenawee.com

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Contact Information:

Rose Hudson - (517) 403-2080 Julie Burkeen - (517) 902-7557email - rose@veritaslenawee.com email: julie@veritaslenawee.com

Marcy Grimmer - (517) 260-0724 Kirsten Stiver - (517) 442-8275marcy@veritaslenawee.com kirsten@veritaslenawee.com

Website: www.veritaslenawee.com

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Table of Contents

Philosophy of Education 4

Faith Statement 4

Mission Statement 4

Attendance 4-5

Illness/vacations/make-up work 5

Discipline 6

Anti-bullying 7

Technology 7

Academic Honesty 7-8

Dress Code 8

Non-Discrimination Policy 9

Parent/Teacher Conferences 9

Head Lice 9

Abuse 9

Prohibited Items 9

Lunch 9

Bad Weather 10

Tuition Payments 10

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I. PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION Our belief is that learning is best accomplished in an environment that promotes learning throughout the use of project-based, hands-on, creative, multi-age teaching. Learning is best facilitated through relationship. Therefore, it is of prime importance that the teacher knows his or her students and be able to navigate through their individual likes, dislikes, passions, and fears.

II. FAITH STATEMENT• We believe the Bible to be the inspired, infallible, authoritative word of God.• We believe that there is one God, the source, support, and end of all things, eternally ex-

istent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy spirit.• We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in

His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return to power and glory.

• We believe that for salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.

• We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.• We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is

enabled to live a godly life.

III. MISSION STATEMENTOur primary purpose is to guide students in developing a lifelong personal relationship with Je-sus Christ and to grow in biblical knowledge. The responsibility of the Christian educator is to help children discover who they are in God’s eyes, and what He desires of them.

IV. ATTENDANCE POLICYSCHOOL HOURS are from 8:10 a.m. until 3:10 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Students who need to arrive early for any reason may do so as early as 7:45 a.m. and are re-quired to report to the gymnasium or chapel room in the upstairs hallway. Opening ceremonies will begin promptly at 8:10 a.m.

The school dismissal time will be at 3:10 p.m. Your student(s) must be picked up by 3:15 p.m. unless previously arranged with the teaching staff. Students are not allowed to use the play-ground or play outside while waiting for school to begin, waiting for rides, or following dismissal unless their parent is present.

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Consistent attendance is important to student academic success and also promotes good work habits and discipline.

Veritas operates on a trimester schedule.

Please communicate all prearranged absences with the teaching staff.

If you need to contact your student during the school day, you may call or text Mrs. Hudson at 517-403-2080, or Mrs. Burkeen at 517-902-7557. Please do not phone or text your student di-rectly, as it can be disruptive to the learning environment.

ILLNESS/VACATIONS• In the event that your child has had a fever, please do not send him or her to school until

he or she has been fever free for 24 hours. To report an absence, please email info@veri-taslenawee.com or rose@veritaslenawee.com before 9:00 a.m. You may also call either Mrs. Hudson or Mrs. Burkeen.

• If a student arrives after 11:15 AM or leaves before 11:15 AM, the student’s record will re-flect a half-day absence.

EXTENDED FAMILY VACATIONS • Parents are strongly urged to plan trips and vacations when school is not in session. When

this is not possible, parents should send a written notice to the school at least two weeks prior to the trip.

• It will be the student’s responsibility, with the assistance of his/her parents, to make arrange-ments with the teacher for any missed assignments and to complete all assignments upon his/her return to school. Prior to the vacation parents may request from the teacher some of the schoolwork that will be covered during their absence. The student is to complete all as-signments within the same number of days as the length of the vacation.

• Students who miss any test during their absence will take the test at school when all missed work is completed and within the same number of days missed due to the vacation.

ILLNESS DURING THE SCHOOL DAYIf a student becomes ill during the school day, he/she should notify the classroom teacher. Ar-rangements will be made for the student’s care. If necessary, a call to the parent will be made to determine if the student needs to be picked up.

MAKE-UP WORK DUE TO ILLNESS Students have an obligation to complete assignments missed during illness or unexpected ab-sence from school. In order to encourage responsibility in our students, we expect them, with their parents’ help, to contact their teacher to secure missed assignments. Students are guaran-teed one school day to make up their work for each day absent from school. Students who miss any test during their absence will take the test at school when all missed work is completed and

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within the same number of days missed due to their illness. Additional time may be given at the discretion of the teacher.

V. DISCIPLINE POLICYThe role of discipline at Veritas Academy is to create an environment conducive to learning and physical/emotional safety for all students. Respect will be given to teaches and individual stu-dents, as well as to all school and private property.

The following Disciplinary Procedures will be followed at Veritas Academy:

Level One The teacher or staff member will address the inappropriate behavior. If the inappropriate behav-ior continues, the student may be required to call or write a letter home to parents.

Level Two If the inappropriate behavior continues or a more serious act of misconduct occurs, a conference with the parents, teacher, and student will be called in addition to level one. The purpose of this meeting will be to develop an action plan to correct the inappropriate behavior.

Level Three If the action plan does not effectively work, or a major act of misconduct occurs (i.e. blatant defiance of authority), the student may be suspended from school, not to exceed ten school days. The parents will be informed of the suspension and the incident will be docu-mented in writing. The parents will receive a copy of this letter and a copy will be placed in the student’s personal file.

Level Four If all the actions taken in levels one through three have not corrected the inappropriate behavior and/or if the misconduct is so extreme that it threatens the safety of other students (i.e. bringing weapons to school or physically assaulting others), the student may be expelled from Veritas Academy. If this course of action is being considered, a meeting with the parents will be called to discuss the plan of action. In the event of expulsion, a written notification will be sent to the parents, informing them of the decision to expel the student.

ANTI-BULLYING POLICYIn order to provide a safe environment for our students, we will maintain a ZERO TOLERANCE for bullying. Bullying is defined as anything that causes emotional and/or physical discomfort to another student both on and off school grounds.

VI. TECHNOLOGY

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At Veritas, we utilize technology often in the classroom. Each student is encouraged to have a device to be used at school each day. Devices can include tablets, laptops, iPads, iPod, or cell phones. Devices smaller than a tablet, however, are not ideal for student learning.

If the student’s use of an electronic device disrupts school activities, violates someone’s privacy with inappropriate pictures, creates a safety issue, or demonstrates rudeness towards others or other improper conduct, appropriate disciplinary action may be taken.

Students are not allowed to text, call, and/or communicate with people/groups/entities that are unnecessary to the student’s education during the school day, as this can be a disruption to the learning process. Students are to utilize technology to increase learning, not be a distraction to themselves or others in the school environment. If there is a family issue where immediate communication is needed or other extenuating circumstance, it is best to contact Mrs. Hudson or Mrs. Burkeen to communicate with the student.

Students are prohibited from the following activities: • Disengaging from the learning community by using headphones or earplugs without teacher

approval during school hours. • Accessing, distributing, or storing electronic material which is immoral, obscene, gratuitously

violent, racist, hateful or lewd. • Using social networking sites in the classroom. • Using technology to waste time in the classroom. • Playing unauthorized games in the classroom. • Texting/Twitter/Instant Messaging in the classroom. • Utilizing digital imaging/video recording devices on campus unless explicitly authorized by a

teacher or administrator linked to a specific educational objective.

VII. ACADEMIC HONESTY Veritas Academy values academic honesty. Teachers will clearly define honest and dishonest academic work in their classes by discussing expectations and the importance of honest effort. They will inform students of procedures and practices relating to examinations, homework, and class work. Academic dishonesty occurs when students obtain or assist others in obtaining credit for work which is not their own. Students must conduct themselves according to the highest standards of personal integrity. Whenever students have a question about this or any other procedure they should ask their teachers, not their peers. Study or homework collaboration is not considered academic dishonesty, unless it is explicitly prohibited or limited by procedures/expectations established by the teacher. Teachers shall guide students in understanding when collaborative efforts are not appropriate.

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Plagiarism is the act of taking and using as one’s own work another’s published or unpublished thoughts, ideas and/or writings. This definition includes computer programs, drawings, artwork, and all other types of work not one’s own. The types of plagiarism include the following: word-for-word plagiarism, mosaic plagiarism (rearranging or rewording without documentation), and indirect plagiarism (paraphrasing of a passage without documentation). Material taken from an-other source without adequate documentation may include, but is not limited to, the following: 1. Presenting another person’s creative work or ideas as one’s own in essays, poems, music, art, computer programs, or other projects.2. Failing to cite with quotation marks the written words or symbols of another author. 3. Failing to identify and give full credit to the author and sources whose words and/or ideas are paraphrased or directly quoted used in a speech or in a written document. 4. Failing to list all titles and authors of source materials in a bibliography.

VIII. DRESS CODEGeneral dress should be modest and God-honoring.

Dresses, skirts and shorts should come below student’s fingertips when hands are at their side.

Unacceptable items include:• Athletic shorts

• Sweatpants

• Hats/hoods

• Pants with writing across the seat

• Yoga/tight fitting pants. In grades Kindergarten through 3, these pants can be worn. From 4th grade through 12th grade, these can only be worn if covered by a shirt or skirt that meets the length requirement for skirts and shorts.

All shirts must be free of inappropriate graphics/words, fall below the waistline, and be modest. • no midriff showing,

• no spaghetti straps,

• no sheer blouses,

• no low-cut tops

• no tight fitting clothing

IX. NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICYVeritas Academy admits students of any race, color, national, and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities made available to students at the school. It does not dis-criminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educa-

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tional polices, admissions policies, tuition assistance, athletics, or any other school-administered programs or hiring practices.

X. ADDITIONAL POLICIESA. PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES During the first trimester, time will be set aside specifically for parents to meet with teachers and discuss the progress of their sons and daughters. However, Parent-Teacher Conferences are not limited to these special days. Conferences and other con-tacts between parents and teachers are encouraged at all times throughout the school year and may be initiated by either parents or teachers. Unscheduled meetings are very difficult for the teachers. If you need to have a meeting about your child, please send an email or text the teacher with whom you would like to meet. This allows the teacher to set aside time specific to your student.

B. HEAD LICE POLICYVeritas Academy has a head lice policy that requires students be removed from school for the entire time of infestation. We realize that an infestation of head lice requires hours of work in order to stop it from spreading, but students must remain out of school until they are properly treated and are nit-free. If your student has an infestation, please no-tify the school immediately.

C. ABUSE POLICYVeritas Academy is required by law to report suspected, observed or evidence of child abuse or neglect to the proper governmental authority of the State of Michigan.

D. PROHIBITED ITEMSSince safety is very important to our students and staff, any items that have the potential to cause harm to our people are strictly prohibited at Veritas. Items of a dangerous na-ture that are prohibited may include guns, ammunition (spent or live), slingshots, knives, CO2 containers, alcohol, controlled substances, cigarettes, lighters, matches, fireworks and all such items. Such items are prohibited in all locations including the parking lot.

E. LUNCH POLICYStudents are asked to bring a packed lunch Monday through Thursday. A refrigerator and microwave are available for student use.

Every Friday will be Pizza Friday for our students who choose to participate. For a small fee per trimester, Veritas will provide pizza, drinks, cookies, and a healthy snack for stu-dents.

F. BAD WEATHER POLICY

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In the event of inclement weather, you will receive a text or email advising you of delays and cancellations. Families will also receive a phone call from Adrian Public Schools. Although Veritas follows many of Adrian’s closures and delays, we may not follow all of them. Veritas Academy will send out our own texts alerting parents to closures or de-lays.

G. TUITION PAYMENTSTuition payments are divided into ten equal payments and are distributed throughout ten months, from August through June. Payments are expected on or before the 20th of each month, beginning on August 20th and ending on June 20th. In the event of extenu-ating circumstances that impact these payments, please contact the school at (517) 486-2187 x. 304.

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