ATTENDANCE POLICY
If you are absent from school due to illness or other valid reason, your parent or guardian must telephone and notify the school immediately. If a call is not received, you will be considered as skipping. Please schedule medical and other appointments outside school hours. Parents are asked to respect the school calendar when scheduling vacations, so students are not absent unnecessarily. It is the student’s responsibility to catch up with missed work or assignments; tests, however, will not usually be rescheduled.
LATE POLICY
Classes begin at five minutes past the hour by which time students are expected to be present. Teachers will close their doors at this time and those left outside will be listed as having skipped. Your parent / guardian must call before 9am or students will receive a lunch time detention. If the student is consistently late and receives lunch time detentions, administration can rule to suspension.
Also, Late policies with regards to assigned work will be applied at each individual teacher’s discretion. Late work may not be accepted or marks may be deducted.
AWARDS NIGHT /GRADUATION CEREMONY
At the end of each school year, MIND students are honoured for their academic and community accomplishments at our Awards Night. Although students from all grades participate in this event, the highlight of the evening is always the Graduation Ceremony for our Secondary V graduating class.
BOOKS
Most required books will be loaned to the student, who will then be responsible for them. If books are lost or damaged, they have to be replaced or paid for before the final grades will be released. For certain courses, students may need to purchase a workbook. Please record your name on the inside covers of all books and workbooks so that they may be returned to you if misplaced.
BUS PASSES – Societé de transport de Montréal(STM)
All Montreal residents who are under 18 years of age, and who live more than two miles from the school, are eligible for a student bus pass. If a student needs a pass before or after this time, the school secretary can provide a form to take to the STM.
CELL PHONES AND PAGERS
Cell phones and pagers are strictly forbidden within the classrooms. They should be turned off and left in a locked locker. Failure to comply with this rule may result in confiscation.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS AND/OR TELEPHONE
Please notify the school immediately of any change of address or telephone (home or work) to ensure that we have up-to-date contact information at all times.
COMMUNITY ANIMATOR
Our community animator is available to help students develop their spiritual lives. Emphasis will be placed on fostering relationships and promoting student involvement in society.
COMMUNITY MEETINGS
These have been an integral part of our school since its beginning, and they help promote a feeling of community. These meetings provide a forum for teachers and students to make announcements, requests of the rest of the community, and where necessary, to attempt to resolve problems. Community meetings are generally brief, and occur in room 320 at the beginning of the weekly Seminar Series on Thursdays at 7:00 a.m. Attendance at these meetings is mandatory.
COMPLAINTS AND PROBLEMS
If you are experiencing a problem with a schoolmate, a teacher, or anyone in the MIND community, we hope that you will take the initiative to talk it over in a reasonable, polite manner. Most problems can be resolved in this way. Failing this, talk to your advisor and/or the Head Teacher, who can mediate. MIND is a safe space where violence of any kind will not be tolerated.
COMPUTERS
Computers are available at the school in room 301 and in some classrooms. Students may use the computer facilities, including access to the Internet, for academic purposes. Any student using the computers in an inappropriate or offensive manner will have his /her computer privileges revoked until further notice.
COURSE CHANGES
If you wish to change a course you must do so before September 30th. Remember that you must retain the required number of courses. We will do our best to accommodate your course selections, but due to scheduling constraints, your course options may be limited.
DISCIPLINE
Disciplinary action is not often necessary at MIND as the students tend to be responsible members of our school community. Emphasis is placed on effective communication and most matters are dealt with directly by each individual teacher. If required, the Head Teacher and/or Principal may become involved and the student’s parents/guardians contacted. Students may be asked to attend a meeting with the Staff, and in certain cases, suspension or expulsion may be imposed.
DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
No drugs or alcohol are permitted in the building or on the school grounds. It is also forbidden to come to school under the influence of illicit drugs or alcohol. The same policy holds for any school trip, outing, or function. It is the duty of the staff to enforce this rule. Violators will be dealt with severely, and may be requested to leave the school.
FEES
The school fee of $200.00 is charged to partially cover a number of expenses not subsidized by the Ministry of Education’s budget. School fees help to defray the cost of the following: Student Agenda, Grad/Award Ceremonies, School Yearbook, Study Guides, Field Trips (partial) and photocopying.
GUIDANCE
A professional guidance counsellor is available one day a week for career, academic and personal counselling. Secondary V students should make an appointment to see the guidance counsellor in September to check credits and CEGEP pre-requisites. Our guidance counsellor, is available on Thursdays. Her office is Room 323.
HEALTH SERVICES
A registered nurse is in the building once a week to advise on health, nutrition and sexuality. The school is not permitted to dispense medication of any kind. The school should be made aware of any student’s health problems, such as allergies. Our nurse, Marie Annick, is available on Wednesday mornings.
HOMEWORK
Homework is an integral part of the learning process. The amount of homework varies from course to course, but in all cases is valuable and necessary. Use your agenda to take note of all your assigned work; use your spare periods to get a head start and make homework a part of your regular routine. We encourage you to use evenings and weekends on which there is no assigned homework for work on long-term assignments and independent review.
LATE POLICY
Classes begin at five minutes past the hour by which time students are expected to be present. Teachers will close their doors at this time and those left outside will be listed as having skipped. Late policies with regards to assigned work will be applied at each individual teacher’s discretion. Late work may not be accepted or marks may be deducted.
LIBRARY RESOURCES
The school has a small library located in Room 320. It contains French and English literature as well as some reference materials. Our library technician, Anne Stoger, will be available to assist students on Mondays. Students misusing these resources and facilities may have their library privileges revoked. It is recommended that students make use of their community libraries to supplement the one at MIND.
LOUNGE
Although there is no cafeteria, the lounge in Room 300 is made available for students. It has a large fridge, a microwave and running water. It is each and every student’s responsibility to ensure that this shared space is respected and kept clean. You may also use this room as a study hall.
PARENT-TEACHER-STUDENT INTERVIEWS
Regularly scheduled interviews are held twice a year, coinciding with the Term 1 and Term 2 report cards. Parents and students should attend these interviews which occur from 3:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Parents may call the school at any time during the year to discuss a student’s progress or to meet with a teacher.
SCHOOL TELEPHONE
The school has only two telephone lines. Only official business will be conducted on the school’s phones. Outside of emergency situations, it is not possible to take messages for students and no one is permitted to make personal calls. A pay phone is located outside the student lounge.
SEMINAR SERIES
Guest speakers usually present their topic for about 45 minutes and then make themselves available for questions. This is a good opportunity to meet interesting people. On occasion, we will use the time for school activities such as pot luck lunches, films, field trips, etc. Given that the Seminar Series is a credited course, attendance is compulsory as with all other classes.
SMOKING POLICY
Smoking is prohibited by law in the building and on school property. They are asked to smoke (if they must) out of sight of the building. If you are found smoking on school property, you will be suspended until a meeting with your parent or guardian and the head teacher can be arranged to discuss your future at the school.
SOCIAL WORKER
A social worker is available if needed. If you would like an appointment, please see the head teacher. Our social worker, Françoise Pepin, is available on Thursdays.
SPACE IN THE BUILDING
In order to maintain good relations with the other occupants of this building, use only those facilities available to us. MIND students are to access the third floor using the north entrance and north stairwell only. Students are not permitted anywhere other than the third floor except when using the Gym. We have access to the Bancroft gym only for regular Phys. Ed. classes. School Board regulations insist that, at those times, students be supervised by a teacher. It is important that we respect this policy, as we insist that the Bancroft students respect our space.
TIMETABLE
MIND runs on a fixed Monday to Friday schedule. Classes are 55 minutes long starting at 5 minutes after the hour and finishing on the hour. Students have spares when they are not in class. Such times can be used for projects, homework, seeing tutors or teachers for extra help, computer room use, committee work, etc. Please note that the school day runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Part-time jobs should not be scheduled during this time period. Although students may have spares, the school may use these periods to schedule activities (e.g. individual tutoring, field trips, presentations).
TEACHER AVAILABILITY
Each teacher at MIND has a designated classroom. You may want to meet with a teacher for extra course help, to resolve a problem, or just to have a chat. Each teacher also has a mailbox in the main office where you can drop off messages.
VISITORS
MIND High School is reserved for MIND students only. Please arrange to meet your friends from outside the school elsewhere.