Handbook / Conduct

AGMS CODE OF CONDUCT 2023-2024

Arbutus Global Middle School Mission Statement: Our Roots

Students approach their learning and community with passion and purpose, treat themselves and all members of the learning community with empathy and understanding, and conduct themselves as respectful and responsible global citizens.

Statement of Purpose:

At Arbutus Global Middle School, we seek to make our school a safe, caring, and sustainable environment for all learners. We aim to develop an appropriate balance between individual and collective rights, freedoms, and responsibilities.  These expectations apply to behaviour both on school premises and during school-organized activities that are off campus and behaviour beyond these times when it affects the safe, caring, and orderly environment of the school.

Conduct Expectations: Acceptable Behaviour

Students, staff, and parents will all practice the following rules and expectations which ensure that Arbutus remains a safe place and a place where each student has an opportunity to learn and to strive to do their best each day. These codes of conduct describe how students are expected to conduct themselves at school throughout the day, while in the school building, on school grounds, attending a school function, on a school field trip, or when engaging in other conduct that impacts the safe, caring, or orderly nature of our school.

    • Be respectful of self, others, and the school.
    • Help to make the school a safe, caring, and orderly place.
    • Arrive on time and attend school regularly.
    • Bring all necessary materials to each class.
    • Be attentive in class.
    • Work independently and cooperatively.
    • Give your best effort to everything you do.
    • Hand in work on time.
    • Contribute positively to the school environment and our community.
    • Show respect for our community, our neighbours, and the plants and wildlife in our area.
    • Be responsible for your own learning.
    • Solve conflicts using peaceful strategies.
    • Inform an adult in a timely manner of incidents of bullying, harassment, or intimidation.
    • In keeping with the use of technology for learning, from time to time teachers may allow students to use their personal electronic devices for educational purposes in class. Students are responsible to use electronic devices in an ethical manner that is respectful of self, others, and the community at all times. Please note: Should you choose to allow your child to bring expensive devices to school; it is his/her sole responsibility to ensure the security of their devices at all times.
    • Wear clothing appropriate for a school environment.
    • Remain on school property throughout the school day. The only exceptions are:
      1. Students going home for lunch with parent permission. Students are not permitted to go to a friend’s house for lunch.
      2. Students leaving the grounds for appointments, etc. A parent note or call must accompany this, and we want to know where the student is going, when they are leaving or returning, and with whom they are traveling.
    • Students may be in the gym only when supervised by an adult.
    • Stay away from parking areas, except when leaving or entering the school.
    • Use crosswalks and traffic lights when crossing roads.
    • Students are expected to do ‘authentic’ work for all assignments. Plagiarizing (copying the work of others without citing the author) is not acceptable.

Device Use:

  • Devices such as phones, tablets and iPads may be used in classrooms for educational purposes, if allowed by the teacher.
  • Devices should be put in lockers at the breaks, or carried in a pocket if travelling between classes.
  • Devices are not be used for entertainment or social purposes during the school day (8:35 am – 2:45 pm).
  • Devices are not allowed to be used in hallways, while walking, or taken outside during breaks. 
  • Students needing to communicate with family should come to the office to use a school phone. All unacceptable behaviours are not listed in the code, but those cited below are examples that are unacceptable for everyone in our community:

Conduct Expectations: Unacceptable Behaviour

  • Behaviours that interfere with the learning of others, including their emotional well-being. According to the BC Human Rights Code, we prohibit discrimination on the basis of an individual’s or a group’s race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sex or sexual orientation, and age. We also prohibit discrimination as set out in the BC Human Rights Code in respect of discriminatory publication and discrimination in accommodation, service, and facility in the school environment. We also prohibit discriminatory publication and discrimination in accommodation, service, and facility in the school environment.
  • Behaviours that create unsafe conditions.
  • Acts such as bullying, harassment, or intimidation. Behaviour that intimidates or exposes students or staff to physical harm, ridicule, hatred, or contempt, whether it occurs at school or off school grounds, is unacceptable.
  • Physical violence, rough play or play-fighting.
  • Retribution against a person who has reported incidents.
  • Illegal acts, such as possession, use or distribution of illegal or restricted substances.
  • Possession or use of weapons. Weapons, or anything that looks like a weapon, are not permitted.
  • Theft of, or damage to, property.
  • People being harmed, threatened or harassed- physically, verbally or emotionally.
  • Cyber-bullying – making threats or disrespectful comments about students or staff via the Internet or other electronic devices that negatively affect members of our school community and student learning.
  • • Bicycles may be ridden down to the bike racks with care along the service entrance driveway remembering that bike riders must yield to cars. Bikes must be walked on all other parts of the property. Helmets must be worn if you want to ride your bike to school. Lock your bike to the bike racks during the day.
  • Skateboards and scooters are to be carried inside the building at all times and walked on the school grounds. Rollerblades are removed before you enter the building.

Rising Expectations:

  • As students become older and more mature, there is a progression of expectations that call on students to be more responsible and to demonstrate safe and respectful behaviour independently, with fewer reminders and less supervision from staff. 

Consequences:

  • Responses to unacceptable conduct will be pre-planned, consistent, and fair.
  • Disciplinary action, and wherever possible, consequences will be preventative and restorative, rather than merely punitive.
  • As often as possible, students will be encouraged to participate in the development of meaningful consequences for violations of the code of conduct.
  • Consequences will take into account students’ age, maturity, and special needs.
  • Students using devices inappropriately will have their phones confiscated for the remainder of the day. The length of the confiscation may increase with repeated incidents.

Notification:

 The school will take all reasonable steps to prevent retaliation by a person against a student who has made a complaint of a breach of a code of conduct.

Retaliation Prevention:

All students, staff, and parents will be given a copy of our Code of Conduct at the beginning of the year. Students and parents will be expected to return a form indicating that they have read and discussed the Code of Conduct and agree to abide by it. Students, staff, and parents should know that school officials have a responsibility to advise other parties of serious breaches in codes of conduct.

Our school is committed to creating a learning community that values diversity and is free from all forms of discrimination in accordance with the BC Human Rights Code. Everyone is expected to model respectful conduct and no one should tolerate discrimination of any kind. For further information, please refer to Policy and Regulation 4303, which can be found on the Greater Victoria School District website, www.sd61.bc.ca

WE ASK THAT YOU READ AND DISCUSS THE CODE OF CONDUCT WITH  YOUR SON / DAUGHTER AND DETACH, SIGN AND RETURN THE SIGNATURE  FORM TO THE ADVISORY TEACHER.