Introduction from the Director General We hope that all our students will enjoy their year at Ecolint and thrive with us. We also hope that our parents will feel engaged with the life of the school and pleased with their child's progress. In order to achieve our broad educational aims for our students in a climate of respect and consideration, the Foundation has developed a number of policies of which some key ones are presented here: A vision for an International education Pastoral Care Policy Foundation Policy on Student Discipline Considerate Working Community Policy Complaints Policy The Director General’s note regarding absences You can find a full set of policies on our website. With all good wishes Vicky Tuck Director General Introduction from the Campus Principal Dear Parents, Welcome to Campus des Nations. We are delighted that you have decided to entrust us with your child's education and we will do all we can to ensure that during his or her time with us is both happy and successful. For those of you who know the school we hope that this handbook will act as a useful reminder of our policies and procedures. For our new families it should provide much of the essential information needed for a smooth transition to your new school. However, if at any time you have questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us directly and we will do our very best to help. We look forward to working with you. Best wishes, Lesley Meyer TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction from the Director General............................................................................. 2 Introduction from the Campus Principal ........................................................................... 2 School Calendar 2013 - 2014 .......................................................................................... 6 Campus des Nations and the International Baccalaureate (IB) * ..................................... 6 The IB Learner Profile .................................................................................................. 7 The Primary Years Program (PYP) .............................................................................. 8 The Middle Years Program (MYP) and Areas of Interaction ......................................... 8 The Diploma Program (DP) ......................................................................................... 9 The IB Career-related Certificate (IBCC) ................................................................... 10 Essential Information ..................................................................................................... 10 Absences ...................................................................................................................... 10 Non-medical absences .............................................................................................. 10 Unauthorised absence ............................................................................................... 10 Year 12 and 13 students ............................................................................................ 10 Academic Honesty ........................................................................................................ 11 Accidents during school hours....................................................................................... 11 Address, change of ....................................................................................................... 11 After School Care Programme ...................................................................................... 11 Alumni ........................................................................................................................... 12 Annual Fund .................................................................................................................. 12 Arrival and departure times ........................................................................................... 12 Assessment .................................................................................................................. 14 Bookroom...................................................................................................................... 14 Camps........................................................................................................................... 15 Campus Development Group ........................................................................................ 15 Campus Administration ................................................................................................. 15 Careers and University Entrance ................................................................................... 15 Codes of Conduct ......................................................................................................... 15 Anti-Bullying Statement ............................................................................................. 16 Anti-Drug Use Code................................................................................................... 16 Non-Smoking Campus ............................................................................................... 16 Dress Code................................................................................................................ 16 Technology for Learning Agreement .......................................................................... 17 Communication ............................................................................................................. 17 Community and Service ................................................................................................ 18 Creativity, Action, Service .......................................................................................... 18 Curriculum..................................................................................................................... 18 IB Regulations ........................................................................................................... 19 Emergency Cards ......................................................................................................... 19 Equipment ..................................................................................................................... 19 Extended Support Programme ...................................................................................... 19 Extra-Curricular Activities .............................................................................................. 19 ECA Music Programme ............................................................................................. 20 Food and drink .............................................................................................................. 20 Cafeteria .................................................................................................................... 20 Governing Board ........................................................................................................... 21 Guidance Counsellor (careers and university) ............................................................... 21 Health and Medical ....................................................................................................... 22 Allergies..................................................................................................................... 22 Illness ........................................................................................................................ 22 Contagious diseases ................................................................................................. 23 Infirmaries .................................................................................................................. 23 Medication ................................................................................................................. 23 Homework ..................................................................................................................... 23 Primary School .......................................................................................................... 23 Secondary School...................................................................................................... 23 Identity Cards ................................................................................................................ 24 Language support ......................................................................................................... 25 Dual Language .......................................................................................................... 25 EAL (English as an Additional Language) .................................................................. 25 Mother Tongue Education.......................................................................................... 26 Learning Support........................................................................................................... 27 Leaving School/Transfers .............................................................................................. 27 Libraries ........................................................................................................................ 27 Lockers ......................................................................................................................... 28 Lost property ................................................................................................................. 28 Lunch supervision ......................................................................................................... 28 Music Band (Primary) .................................................................................................... 29 Outdoor Education ........................................................................................................ 29 Winter sports programme - Primary ........................................................................... 29 Parking .......................................................................................................................... 29 Photocopies .................................................................................................................. 30 Psychologists ................................................................................................................ 30 Parent Teacher Association PTA................................................................................... 30 Reports ......................................................................................................................... 30 School Fees .................................................................................................................. 30 Additional Costs ......................................................................................................... 31 School Trips .................................................................................................................. 31 Security ......................................................................................................................... 31 Sports competition ........................................................................................................ 31 Student Councils ........................................................................................................... 32 Technology ................................................................................................................... 32 -4- IT software ................................................................................................................. 33 Transitions .................................................................................................................... 33 Transport....................................................................................................................... 33 Public transport.......................................................................................................... 33 By car ........................................................................................................................ 34 Transport Services..................................................................................................... 34 Website ......................................................................................................................... 35 World of Work Week (Year 11) ...................................................................................... 35 Visitors .......................................................................................................................... 35 -5- Welcome to Campus des Nations School Calendar 2013 - 2014 1st TERM: 28 August - 20 December 2013 Orientation Day for new students Thursday 29 August - Pregny - 14:00 - 15:30 Friday 30 August Primary 11:00 - 12:15 Secondary 13:30 – 14:30 Term starts for staff Wednesday 28 August Pedagogical Day Thursday 29 August (no classes) Pedagogical Day Friday 30 August (no classes) Classes begin Monday 2 September Jeûne genevois Thursday 5 September (no classes at La Grande Boissière or the Campus des Nations) Jeûne fédéral Monday 16 September (no classes at La Châtaigneraie Half-term Monday 21 October through Friday 25 October Pedagogical Day Monday 28 October (no classes) Classes resume Tuesday 29 October Classes end Friday 20 December (at 12 noon) Winter break Friday 20 December through Friday 10 January 2nd TERM: 13 January - 11 April 2014 Classes resume Monday 13 January Pedagogical Day Friday 14 February (no classes) Half-term Monday 17 February through Friday 21 February Classes resume Monday 24 February Classes end Friday 11 April Spring break Monday 14 April through Friday 25 April 3rd TERM: 28 April - 27 June 2014 Classes resume Monday 28 April Ascension Thursday 29 May and Friday 30 May Whit Monday Monday 9 June (no classes) Pedagogical Day Tuesday 10 June (no classes) Classes end Friday 27 June (at 12 noon) Campus des Nations and the International Baccalaureate (IB) * The International School of Geneva was founded in 1924 to pioneer international education. The Foundation has three campuses and welcomes around 4’400 students. The Campus des Nations is the only school in the Foundation which offers all four programmes of the International Baccalaureate: PYP Primary Years Programme for students from 3 to 11 -6- MYP Middle Years Programme for students from 11 to 16 DP Diploma Programme for students from 16 to 18 IBCC International Baccalaureate Career-related Certificate for students from 16 to 18 It is accredited by the Department of Public Instruction of Geneva, by the Council of International Schools (CIS) and by the Middle States Association (MSA). “The International Baccalaureate Organization (IB) is a recognized leader in the field of international education, encouraging students to be active learners, balanced individuals and engaged world citizens.” The IB Learner Profile The IB Learner Profile is valid for all our students and is central to the values of the school. It is a keystone of the continuity and consistency of the learning experience at Campus des Nations. IB Learner Profile The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet help to create a better and more peaceful world. As IB learners, we strive to be: Inquirers We nurture our curiosity, developing skills for inquiry and research. We know how to learn independently and with others. We learn with enthusiasm and sustain our love of learning throughout life. Knowledgeable We develop and use conceptual understanding, exploring knowledge across a range of disciplines. We engage with issues and ideas that have local and global significance. Thinkers We use critical and creative thinking skills to analyse and take responsible action on complex problems. We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions. Communicators We express ourselves confidently and creatively in more than one language and in many ways. We collaborate effectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups. Principled We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences. Open-minded We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience. Caring We show empathy, compassion and respect. We have a commitment to service, and we act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the world around us. Risk-takers (Courageous) We approach uncertainty with forethought and determination; we work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and -7- innovative strategies. We are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change. Balanced We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives—intellectual, physical and emotional—to achieve wellbeing for ourselves and others. We recognize our interdependence with other people and with the world in which we live. Reflective We thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development. The Primary Years Program (PYP) The IB Primary Years Programme, for students aged 3 to 12, focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. The Written curriculum The most significant and distinctive feature of the IB Primary Years Programme is the six trans-disciplinary themes. These themes are about issues that have meaning for, and are important to, all of us. The programme offers a balance between learning about or through the subject areas, and learning beyond them. The six themes of global significance create a transdisciplinary framework that allows students to "step up" beyond the confines of learning within subject areas. Who we are Where we are in place and time How we express ourselves How the world works How we organize ourselves Sharing the planet Student understanding of these themes is important to overall student success in the PYP. This understanding is demonstrated in the completion of an extended, collaborative inquiry project, known as the exhibition, in Year 6. The Middle Years Program (MYP) and Areas of Interaction Five Areas of Interaction provide the learning context for students in the MYP: Environments Human Ingenuity Health and Social Education Community and Service Approaches to Learning Environment, Human Ingenuity, and Health and Social Education are broad areas of inquiry where personal, societal and global issues are explored. With Community and Service students become aware of their roles and responsibilities as members of communities. -8- In Approaches to Learning students learn about – and take increasing responsibility for – their own learning. These are assessed regularly via the school reports. Approaches to learning include: organizational skills and attitudes towards work collaborative skills communication information literacy reflection problem-solving and thinking skills subject-specific and interdisciplinary conceptual understanding. When appropriate these five areas of interaction are interwoven throughout the subject groups taught in the MYP. Student understanding of the areas of interaction is crucial to overall student success in the MYP. Understanding of the areas of interaction is demonstrated in the completion of a Personal Project in Year 11 – successful completion of which is required for the MYP certificate. The Diploma Program (DP) The IB Diploma Programme is designed as an academically challenging and balanced programme of education with final examinations that prepares students, normally aged 16 to 19, for success at university and life beyond. The programme is normally taught over two years and has gained recognition and respect from the world's leading universities. The curriculum IB Diploma Programme students study six courses at higher level or standard level. Students must choose one subject from each of groups 1 to 5, thus ensuring breadth of experience in languages, social studies, the experimental sciences and mathematics. The sixth subject may be an arts subject chosen from group 6, or the student may choose another subject from groups 1 to 5. In addition the programme has three core requirements that are included to broaden the educational experience and challenge students to apply their knowledge and understanding. The extended essay is a requirement for students to engage in independent research through an in-depth study of a question relating to one of the subjects they are studying. Theory of knowledge is a course designed to encourage each student to reflect on the nature of knowledge by critically examining different ways of knowing (perception, emotion, language and reason) and different kinds of knowledge (scientific, artistic, mathematical and historical). Creativity, action, service requires that students actively learn from the experience of doing real tasks beyond the classroom. Students can combine all three components or do activities related to each one of them separately. -9- The IB Career-related Certificate (IBCC) The IB Career-related Certificate (IBCC) increases access to an IB education and is specifically designed to provide a flexible learning framework that can be tailored by the school to meet the needs of students, normally aged 16 to 19. The programme is normally taught over two years. *This information is copyrighted by the IBO and further information about these programmes can be found at: www.ibo.org Essential Information Absences All absences should be reported by phone or e-mail to the Welcome Desk at Saconnex +41 (0)22 770 47 00 or [email protected]) or the Pregny School Office +41 (0)22 748 14 50 or [email protected]) as soon as possible on the first day of absence. It is also a good idea to inform the class or homeroom teacher as well. If the child returns within three days, a written explanation is required giving the reason for the absence. After the third day, a medical certificate is necessary. Non-medical absences Absence during term time is strongly discouraged since attendance at school is a legal requirement. Participation in activities not organised by the school (such as sports tournaments) require permission by the School Principals. In advance of planned absences, parents should address written requests for the absence to the relevant School Principal, specifying the periods and days of absence. Absence from school represents lost learning time that cannot be replicated outside the classroom setting. Absence from school is disruptive for the child who is absent but also for their classmates. The School Calendar is posted a year in advance to allow ample opportunity for families to plan their vacation accordingly. Extending school holidays unnecessarily is to be avoided. Unauthorised absence Where absence is ‘unauthorised’, i.e. unexplained, the school is unable to assist with setting additional work to enable students to catch up. ‘Unauthorised’ absence can also have implications for students’ ability to graduate with a high school diploma or to complete an IB Diploma course. Excessive absence from school may result in slower academic progress causing the necessity of repeating an academic year. In some cases it may result in the withdrawal of the child's place within the school. Year 12 and 13 students Students in Years 12 and 13 are required to be on campus when they have lessons. If their first lesson does not start at 08:10 they may ‘sign in’ at the Welcome Desk before the start of period 3 (homeroom period). All students in Years 12 and 13 are required to attend homeroom period. If their last lesson finishes before the end of the normal school day they may ‘sign out’. Students in Years 12 and 13 may not, however, leave the campus between their first and last lesson except during lunchtime. If parents of students in Years 12 and 13, who are under the age of 18, do not wish their child to leave the campus during the school day, the parent should write to the Secondary School Principal. - 10 - Academic Honesty "Academic honesty is a set of values that promotes personal integrity and good practice in learning and assessment, and in the MYP is part of approaches to learning." Academic honesty can be demonstrated through the dynamic relationship between personal, social and technical skills." Personal skills - discussions on integrity, confidence in one's own work, willingness to work independently, self-evaluation skills, determination to achieve individual potential Social skills - discussions on how to work collaboratively, how to contribute to a group or a team, how to acknowledge work by other group or team members, peer-evaluation skills Technical skills - recognition of when others' ideas, physical siklls and/or techniques should be acknowledged, which sources of information should be acknowledged, understanding plagiarism, how to construct a bibliography, how to reference correctly. Accidents during school hours For any major and some minor accidents, the infirmary will call parents and a form will be sent home with details of what happened and the action taken for parents to sign and return. Address, change of Parents are requested to inform Campus des Nations administration of any change of address, before or during the academic year. The new information should be sent to either: [email protected] (Saconnex) or [email protected] (Pregny). After School Care Programme The After School Care (ASC) programme provides students from Year 1 to 6 with a secure environment after school hours, allowing children to have a snack, participate in a variety of activities including sports, crafts and games. Students may be registered on a regular basis or may avail of the ASC service occasionally. In any event, only students who are registered in ASC are admitted to the programme. Information about registration, terms and conditions are to be found in the Beyond the Classroom website http://beyond.ecolint.ch. After School Care is centralised at the Saconnex Campus on Level 1 at the PYP Library. Pick-up point after ASC is at Saconnex. The ASC programme is available to children from Years 1 – 6 from the end of the academic day until 18:00 each weekday. Hot lunch can be provided on Wednesday afternoon in the Saconnex cafeteria by subscribing to the restaurant service. Students in Reception class are eligible for ASC only on Wednesday until 15:30. As ASC takes place at the Saconnex site, a shuttle bus will transport the ASC Pregny students, accompanied by staff members, to Saconnex after the end of the academic day. - 11 - There is no ability to keep Early Years children in school beyond the normal school hours at Pregny. Parents must make suitable arrangements to pick their children up on time. At Saconnex, any primary child remaining at school past 15:30 and not involved in an extra-curricular activity will be sent to the After-School Care program and parents will be billed accordingly. Any questions regarding the After-school Care program can be addressed to: Mrs Annie Schad, ASC Supervisor, [email protected] Please note that there is no ASC or supervision for students in Years 7 – 11 between the hours of 15:30 and 17:00. Students remaining on campus between these times are expected to work in the Library, which closes at 16:50. Alumni Visit the link: http://alumni.ecolint.ch and register on the site to access all the facilities. Alumni Office 62, route de Chêne 1208 Geneva - Switzerland Contact: [email protected] Tel: +41 22 787 25 55 Fax: +41 22 787 26 35 Annual Fund Every year, the three campuses of the Foundation choose a project that will directly improve or add to our students’ learning environment. The Foundation will solicit parents, staff and alumni, so that these projects are brought to life over the summer holidays and students are able immediately to benefit from the changes. Arrival and departure times Pregny arrival times 08:15 School doors open 08:30 Instructional day begins At Pregny students arriving after 08:30 must be signed in at the School Office. Signing in is to assure the safety of your child so that we can be certain, in the unlikely event of an evacuation, that your child is registered as being in school. Parents who have children at both sites are asked to drop off and pick up their older children attending Saconnex first and then proceed to Pregny. Parents may accompany their child to the classroom or preferably allow the staff on duty in front of the school to see the children safely indoors. Parents are encouraged to use this “drop-off” service so as to ease congestion in the parking lot. Pregny departure times At Pregny, please follow the direction of the classroom teacher for pick up. In some cases children will be dismissed through their classroom exterior door. Other students are dismissed at the exit closest to the parking area. Pick up at the main entrance should be avoided due to traffic congestion at the main gate. - 12 - There is no ability to keep children in Pre-Reception or Reception classes in school beyond the normal school hours. Parents must make suitable arrangements to pick their children up on time. Pre-Reception Monday-Wednesday-Friday 12:15 Tuesday-Thursday 15:15 Reception, Years 1 and 2 Monday to Friday 15:15 Wednesday 12:15 Children who travel home on the school bus will be transferred to Saconnex to catch their bus home. Transfer buses Monday to Friday Wednesday 15:25 12:30 Saconnex arrival times 08:00 Arrival time (Primary students in Years 3-6 will be supervised on the school playground) 08:10 Homeroom (Primary Years 3-6) or Instructional day (Secondary) begins Students arriving later than 08:10 must sign in at the Welcome Desk, at the main entrance, and then proceed to lesson 1. Year 12 and 13 students must sign in when they arrive and sign out when they leave. Late arrivals are disruptive for the other students and staff and seriously impact on a child's ability to settle into the school day, resulting in lost learning time. Saconnex departure times Parents are requested to respect arrival and pick up times. Primary students must be picked up at the Primary Pick-Up point (upper entrance) exclusively. Pick up at the main entrance should be avoided due to traffic congestion at the main gate. All primary students must be picked up at relevant departure times unless they are attending the After School Care programme or Extra Curricular Activities. Primary Years 3-6 Monday to Friday Wednesday 15:10 12:10 Parents who have children in the Secondary School can arrive at 15:30 to pick up all their children. Primary students in Years 3-6 who have siblings in Secondary will be supervised on the playground until 15:30. Students who take the school bus will also be supervised on the playground until it is time to board the bus at 15:30. All primary students must be picked up at this time - 13 - unless they are attending the After School Care programme or extracurricular activities. Any child who has not been picked up within ten minutes of the times specified will be sent to the After School Care programme and parents will be billed accordingly. Secondary Years 7-11 Monday to Friday 15:30 Parents can pick up their children at the main entrance. Students who take the school bus should proceed directly to the bus area by 15:40. Buses leave promptly at 15:45. Students who are not on the bus by this time will be left behind. The buses also cannot wait for students who arrive late for pick up in the morning. Parents can pick up their children at the main entrance. For parents who have children in Years 7 – 11 and a child in Year 12 or 13, please note that there is no supervision for students between the hours of 15:30 and 16:15. Students in Years 7 – 11 should work in the library while they wait for their older siblings. Secondary Years 12-13 Monday to Friday - school ends at 16:15 All students must leave the campus by 17:00 unless they are participating in an extracurricular activity. Please also note that there is no school transport after 15:45 which may affect Years 12 and 13 students on days when they may have classes until 16:15. There are excellent public transport facilities serving Campus des Nations. For more information about public transport, please go to www.tpg.ch and/or www.sbb.ch/fr. Assessment Students are assessed regularly in a variety of ways against specified learning objectives. The learning objectives for the four programmes at the Campus des Nations, the Primary Years, the Middle Years, the IBCC and the Diploma Programmes are set by the International Baccalaureate and are programme specific. Student performance is not measured against that of other students and therefore the students are not ranked. As an IB authorised world school assessment in the Middle, IBCC and Diploma Programmes is monitored by external moderators and examiners. The information from these assessments is used to compile two detailed annual reports for Early Years and Primary and three for Secondary. There are internal exams for Year 11 and Year 12. These form part of the overall assessment at the end of the year. There are no external examinations until the end of Year 13. Further information about assessment in the IB can be found at www.ibo.org. Bookroom Saconnex: School books, supplies and PE uniforms may be purchased at the Bookroom, Room 403, Level 4. Opening hours Monday to Friday 7:30 – 16:00 Wednesdays closed - 14 - Camps The International School of Geneva offers challenging and exciting activities to students during term breaks and summer holidays. Activities take place both on and off the campus. The teachers and coaches for these activities are all specialists in their respective field and are often bilingual in English and French. Information about registration, the activities, terms and conditions, are to be found in the website http://www.ecolint-camps.ch. Contact: Mr Antoine Laffay at [email protected] Campus Development Group Each campus of the International School of Geneva has a Campus Development Group (CDG). This is an advisory group consisting of elected parents, staff and student representatives that consults with the senior management of the campus on key features of campus life. Details of elections for the CDG will be communicated to parents. Campus Administration Campus Administration is responsible for building maintenance, security, cleaning, preparing rooms for special functions, managing the school bus transport and registering prepaid cafeteria users. It is also responsible for Extra Curricular Activities, After School Care, Camps, Competitive Sports, Music and Mother Tongue programmes. Contact: Mr Martial Thévenaz at [email protected] Careers and University Entrance From 2014 Year 11 students have a week of work experience as part of their career guidance programme, in order for them to experience the world of work, preferably in an area in which they already have an interest. The school has Guidance Counsellors working with students on their course choices, career possibilities, summer school opportunities, as well as university requirements and applications for universities in the UK, USA, Switzerland and in many different countries. Students can participate in exam preparation sessions (SAT). Furthermore all campuses receive visits from many university admissions representatives. Students can also participate in an ISG (International School of Geneva) led tour of British universities. Contact: Dr Mark Grant at [email protected] or Mrs Ellyn Levin at [email protected] Codes of Conduct The code of conduct represents the central values of the school and is based on the belief that one of the school‘s main aims is to support the development of decent, respectful and caring citizens of the world. Parents and Students are asked to sign the code of conduct. All members of the community are expected to treat each other with respect. This means listening to others carefully, acting with good manners and avoiding aggressive behaviour. Students are expected to follow instructions given by adults regardless of their role. The teachers and other adults in the school community, including parents will treat the students and each other with respect. Discipline in the school is of a high standard. Isolated infringements of the code of conduct are usually dealt with through discussion and usually involve a written reflection by the student. Sanctions for more serious or repeated infringements of the Code of - 15 - Conduct may include any one or a combination of the following: detention, warning letter, parent meeting, suspension from school, denial of access to school events, exclusion from activities or, in extreme cases, an expulsion from the school. Staff address students by their first name and students usually address members of staff as Mr/ Ms/ Mrs/ Miss/ Dr/ M/ Mlle/ Mme etc. followed by the first name or the family name, for example Dr Smith or Mme Danièle or Señora Teresa. Students are actively discouraged from public displays of affection. Items like iPods and phones should be marked with a name and the serial numbers should be recorded. The school is not responsible for any lost, broken or stolen personal items such as ipads, phones, etc. Anti-Bullying Statement Bullying of any kind is not tolerated. Bullying is always taken seriously. Members of the school community who are aware of bullying have a responsibility to report it. A student who is being bullied can ask for help from any member of staff. Incidents will be investigated with the aim of stopping the bullying and reconciling the students. The school will decide on appropriate steps to take in response to the bullying. Parents will be called to the school for a meeting to discuss the issues. Serious cases may result in suspension or exclusion. The school also reserves the right to involve the police when it is deemed necessary. Once cases of bullying have been dealt with, there will be monitoring to check that the problem has been permanently solved. Anti-Drug Use Code In reality young people themselves decide to use or to abstain from usage of drugs. Their choice should be made in full knowledge of the medical, academic and legal consequences and hence the central aim of our drug policy has to be one of education. To this end the academic curriculum and the pastoral care system includes a number of elements concerning drugs awareness. The school, however, takes a firm line in drug usage in school. The foundation is now working together with a group in Geneva called Fondation Phenix to aid students who may already have or develop issues with substance abuse. Students may not be involved in any activity that leads to drugs being on campus, even if the activity took place off campus: such activities include using buying, selling, giving, lending, storing or transporting such substances. These activities may lead to the need to follow a program with Fondation Phenix in order to remain in school or suspension, a final warning, or immediate permanent exclusion. Non-Smoking Campus We recognise that adults and older students are seen by younger members of the community as role models. For this reason, despite the fact that some of our older students may be of an age at which they may legally smoke cigarettes, the school stipulates that students and adults may not smoke at any time during the school day. Furthermore, given that younger students often see older students on the way to or from school, students may not smoke in the vicinity of the school campus. Dress Code Standards of dress are expected to be appropriate for a learning environment. Deliberately torn clothing, offensive slogans and visible underwear are not allowed. Specialist learning environments like science laboratories and the gym have additional - 16 - clothing and footwear rules for safety reasons. Details will be given from the teachers concerned and safety rules are posted inside the specialist rooms. If jewellery is worn, it should be minimal and objects of value should not be brought to school. Technology for Learning Agreement Teachers, parents and students are asked to sign the Technology for Learning Agreement. ICT/media tools such as computers, the Internet, television, DVD players, cameras, video cameras, and so on provide possibilities and opportunities, but also require respectful manners and behaviour. At Campus des Nations ICT/media tools are provided for staff and students as a resource to enhance teaching and learning opportunities. Also, beginning this year, secondary students will be bringing their own devices to school (BYOD Programme) to increase their technological opportunities. Technology integration is a key part of classroom programs. All students have access to computers with Internet connections. Use of ICT/media tools comes with obligations, and expectations of appropriate behaviour. Communication Each school within Campus des Nations will post a regular parent bulletin on the Ecolint website with important and timely information. Regular communication between the school and home is essential. Parents and members of faculty are encouraged to communicate important information regarding a child’s progress (academic, behavioural, or social-emotional). If needed, a meeting can also be scheduled. Regular meetings are scheduled through the school year between parents/students and teachers to discuss progress. Parents wishing to make appointments to see individual teachers about academic or pastoral concerns should first contact the classroom teacher (PYP) or the homeroom teacher (Secondary) by e-mail or by leaving a phone message at the Welcome Desk Saconnex or at the Pregny School Office. Sensitive information or concerns are best discussed in face to face meetings rather than by lengthy correspondence. Communication is a two-way process. Parents are welcome to contact teachers through their Ecolint e-mail address which can be found on the Campus website. Ecolint e-mail addresses follow the following format: [email protected] Early Years and Primary parents are encouraged to first address their communication to the relevant teacher. Secondary parents may find the following steps helpful: Academic concerns Step 1 subject teacher Step 2 homeroom teacher Step 3 heads of department Step 4 assistant principal Mr Jamie Williams at [email protected] - 17 - Welfare and personal issues Step 1 homeroom teacher Step 2 head of year Step 3 assistant principal Mr Robin Smith at [email protected] At the start of the academic year, you will receive a listing of all staff members positions and contact details. These details can also be found on the website. Unresolved concerns may be brought to the attention of the respective principal: Mrs Lisa Belfry – Early Years – [email protected] Ms Elyane Ruel – Primary – [email protected] Mrs Lesley Meyer – Secondary – [email protected] Communication to your children during the school day In the event that you have an urgent message to pass on to your child, please contact the Welcome Desk at Saconnex (+41 (0)22 770 47 00) or the Pregny School Office (+41 (0)22 748 14 50 ). Depending on the urgency, we will endeavour to communicate the message to your child in a timely fashion. Community and Service The MYP Community and Service programme (C&S) of Campus des Nations is an integral area within the Middle Years Programme. Students receive guidance throughout the year to help them meet the requirements which are one long-term and two short-term activities for MYP. Contact: Ms Sandra Steiger at [email protected] and Mrs Covadonga Rezola at [email protected] Creativity, Action, Service In Years 12 and 13, CAS is at the heart of the Diploma Programme. It involves students in experiential learning through a range of artistic, sporting, physical and service activities. Students should complete a total of 150 hours over the two years of the programme (three to four hours per week) with a reasonable balance between creativity, action and service. Successful completion of CAS is a requirement for the award of the IB diploma. (Students need to document their activities and provide evidence that they have achieved eight key learning outcomes). Contact: Mrs Angelica Bernellon at [email protected] Curriculum Please see the website www.ecolint.ch for the school curriculum. We are an authorised IB World School and offer the programmes for Primary Years, Middle Years, Diploma and IBCC. Please feel to contact our curriculum coordinators with any related questions: Contact: PYP Coordinator – Mrs Nikki Ross at [email protected] MYP Coordinator – Mrs Fiona Davison at [email protected] DP Coordinator – Mrs Alexandra Juniper at [email protected] IBCC Coordinator – Mr Conan de Wilde at [email protected] - 18 - IB Regulations Campus des Nations is an authorised school for the International Baccalaureate for the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the International Baccalaureate Career-related Certificate (IBCC) and the Diploma Programme (DP). As such, you need to be aware of the regulations of the IBO. The IB regulations can be consulted on the IBO website: http://www.ibo.org/documentlibrary/regs_ibworldschools/ Campus des Nations is the only school within the Foundation of the International School of Geneva that offers all four IB programmes. Emergency Cards Each student will be issued a partially completed emergency card with the data found in the Campus des Nations database. Parents are kindly requested to correct the data, fill in missing information and return the card to the classroom/homeroom teacher at the start of school. This card requires an identity photo. The information is needed in case the school has to contact parents or another nominated adult during the school day in case of illness or accident. Parents are responsible for updating information regarding change of address or contact numbers. Equipment Detailed information about equipment, books, etc., will be sent to parents separately and will be available for consultation on the website (http://www.ecolint.ch/). Extended Support Programme There are four Extended Support Programmes (ESP) for children with a range of learning needs, one each for Early Years, Primary, Secondary and Post-16 for students aged 16-20 years. Programmes are individualised, thus maximising each child’s potential and allowing for a flexible approach. Every child is part of a mainstream or homeroom ensuring that opportunities for inclusion are always sought and welcomed. English is the main language of instruction. However, many staff are bilingual English/ French. Applications are made through the Admissions Office and you should include as much information about your child as possible. Contacts: Early Years (Pregny) - Ms Heidi Lothspeich at [email protected] Primary (Saconnex) - Ms Hazel Balti at [email protected] Secondary – Ms Lesley Berridge at [email protected] Post-16 – Ms Catherine Newton at [email protected] Extra-Curricular Activities Extra-Curricular Activities take place outside the regular curriculum and usually involve after school sports, arts, cultural activities or clubs. They are billed separately. Places are filled on a “first come first serve” basis. All activities take place at the Saconnex site or off-campus. Students from Pregny will be shuttled between the two sites by a school bus accompanied by members of staff. Pickup point after activities is at Saconnex unless otherwise specified. Information about registration, activities, terms and conditions are to be found in the Beyond the Classroom page in my.ecolint.ch - 19 - Please note that ECA is only open to children in the Reception class on Wednesday afternoons. ECA is currently not available to children in pre-Reception. Contact: Mr Martial Thévenaz at [email protected] Sports: Mr Antoine Laffay at [email protected] Non-Sports: Ms Florence Ursenbacher at [email protected] ECA Music Programme Individual and group music lessons are available as extracurricular activities at Campus des Nations. One of the school's priorities is to offer our students an outstanding quality of musical education with an emphasis on enjoyment and development of musical skills. Our curriculum follows the programme as outlined by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and students interested in taking the ABRSM exams are fully prepared by their teachers. Internal exams are also held at the end of the school year. Recitals will be held once per term for performance opportunities and to allow students to experience a musician’s life. These recitals will be in small groups or in more formal concerts. Regular assessments on student performance will be given to parents. Information about registration, activities, terms and conditions are to be found in the Beyond the Classroom page in my.ecolint.ch Contact: Ms Florence Ursenbacher at [email protected] Food and drink Students can bring snacks and their own lunch as desired. However, the school does not allow carbonated beverages containing caffeine. The school does not allow baked goods to contain nuts. Any parents helping their children with bake sales are asked to remember the school’s “nut free school” policy. Cafeteria NOVAE is responsible for catering to Pregny and Saconnex as well as the other cafeterias of the Foundation. The campus has been awarded the “Fourchette Verte”. Hot beverages and snacks are available during break times for students from Year 5. The emphasis is on healthy eating so the availability of fried food and fizzy drinks is very limited. The cafeteria does not offer Halal or Kosher food, but there is always a vegetarian option. Students have three options for lunch: Bring own lunch (microwave ovens are available to heat food at Saconnex Primary students must ask for assistance from the lunch supervisor, but there is no ability to heat food brought from home at Pregny) Pay as you go Parents pre-pay for the term and students need to present their ID card at the cash desk Saconnex Opening hours: 07:30 – 16:00 Parents wishing to register their children with the hot meal service should complete the application form online by logging in at the www.ecolint.ch website and clicking Campus Info – Cafeteria (https://my.ecolint.ch/Foundation/registration/cafeteria). After registering online, please print the PDF confirmation of your registration which should be signed and returned to the Campus Services office. Your child will be enrolled once the signed copy - 20 - has been received. Online registration may also be done in person at the Campus Services office. Detailed information about the rates and registration process can be found in the ‘General & Financial Conditions’ booklet. Cancellation and changes to the Lunch enrolment will be possible only with a two week written notice before the end of term. Failure to comply with this condition will mean that the school has the right to charge the whole term. Children without a subscription can purchase a hot meal lunch ticket at the Pregny School Office or pay cash directly at the self-service check-out in the Saconnex cafeteria. Pregny: Hot meals served in classrooms: 12:15 - 12:45. Saconnex Hot lunches at self-service cafeteria: Primary 12:00 - 12:30 Secondary 12:30 - 14:00 The school employs lunchtime supervisors and many of the staff eat in the cafeteria. Parents who are in school for appointments or functions are welcome to use the cafeteria during opening hours. Contact: Ms Brigitte Lowe at [email protected] Governing Board The Governing Board of the Foundation consists of twelve elected members, one member appointed by the Federal Council, one member appointed by the Canton of Geneva and one appointed by the Canton of Vaud. The Board also exercises its powers of co-option by inviting the United Nations to nominate a representative. Elected members are chosen by an electorate which consists of parents, members of staff, former members of staff, Board members, former Board members and former students. Votes are cast either by postal ballot or in person at the annual Consultative General Assembly which is held in May. The Board is responsible for the appointment and the evaluation of the Director General, the executive head of the Foundation, approving the organisational structure of the Foundation, supervising the Foundation’s finances and making all major decisions regarding the objectives, policies and programmes of the Foundation including its Strategic Plan. The Board is not involved in the detailed management of individual campuses and schools. The minutes of the monthly meetings are posted on the website http://www.ecolint.ch/ Guidance Counsellor (careers and university) The two Guidance Counsellors in the Secondary School provide help and advice for university and career choices and the IB. Please refer to - 21 - Careers and University Entrance. Contact: Dr Mark Grant at [email protected] or Ms Ellyn Levin at [email protected] Health and Medical In line with cantonal regulations, all new students require a medical certificate. Your family doctor should complete the green form sent to you by the Admissions Office. This should be returned to the infirmary within one month of the start of the school year. Failure to provide this certificate could result in the exclusion of your child from school. New students coming from countries with a moderate to high level of tuberculosis are required to have a TB (Mantoux) test. If you are in doubt as to the status of your last country of residence, please contact the Nurse. If the required Mantoux test has not been taken before the start of school, the student will have one month to have the test completed. If not completed by the end of September, the student will not be allowed to attend school. Allergies Any existing medical condition including allergies must be declared on the application form. An appointment with the nurse should be made to discuss care provision. Children who are highly allergic and at risk of anaphylaxis are advised to bring in any necessary prescriptions to the school nurse as well as being advised to bring packed lunches to avoid exposure to allergens. All Schools adhere to the Foundation Allergy policy. Parents need to be vigilant that no food containing nuts or nut products should be brought into school for any reason including events such as bake sales, birthdays or other special events. Any food brought into school which may contain nuts or nut products will be returned home. This is for the protection of students and staff who have serious nut allergies and will be strictly enforced. Illness Saconnex employs a full-time and a part-time nurse and Pregny has a Child Welfare Assistant . Students with contagious diseases or head lice should be kept at home and the nurse should be informed. If medication is prescribed and a child is well enough to attend school, the medication (with physician prescription) should be given to the nurse with clear instructions for administering the medicine. Students should only have medicines with them (such as an asthma inhaler) which have been discussed with the Nurse. At Pregny all medication must be given to the Child Welfare Assistant and stored in the Infirmary. No medication should be left in children’s school bags. If a child feels unwell at school s/he is sent to the infirmary. An assessment is made and either the student is allowed to rest, or sent back to class or the parents are contacted. In the case of more serious illness, parents are asked to pick their children up from school as soon as possible. Older students may go home alone if the Nurse has spoken with the parents and both parties are in agreement. Please ensure that your child is able to cope with the regular school programme(including outdoor recess and physical education) before allowing her/him to return. If a course of medicine is prescribed, please follow the guidelines given by your doctor. - 22 - Contagious diseases Students who have infectious diseases should not be in school. Please inform the school immediately if your child has a contagious disease. After a serious illness, a doctor should confirm in writing that the child is fit to return to school. Contact Pregny: Mrs Helga Renganathan at [email protected] Saconnex: Mrs Virginia O’Dell at [email protected] or Mrs Christine Blom at [email protected] Infirmaries The Nurses (Saconnex) and Child Welfare Assistant (Pregny) are responsible for the health and well-being of the student community. This involves giving treatment for sickness and accidents, administering medication prescribed by a doctor, promoting a healthy lifestyle and organising outside speakers on health-related topics. Contact Pregny: Mrs Helga Renganathan at [email protected] Saconnex: Mrs Virginia O’Dell at [email protected] or Mrs Christine Blom at [email protected] Medication Students who need medication on a regular or episodic basis, (for example, for headaches or menstrual cramps) require a doctor’s prescription and a supply of the relevant medicine. When a child is on a course of medication for an illness, it is often better to keep him/her at home until s/he feels better. If the doctor recommends a return to school while still taking prescribed medicine, this medicine (with prescription) must be given to the Nurse or Child Welfare Assistant in its original package labelled with the student’s name and with clear written instructions for administering the medicine. Students should only have medicines with them (such as an asthma inhaler) with which they are familiar and feel confident to use, after having discussed with the Nurse. All other medicines should be handed in to the Nurse or Child Welfare Assistant. Epi-pens, insulin and other medicines should be clearly labelled with the student’s name and dosage. They will be stored as appropriate in the infirmary. At Pregny and for Saconnex Primary students, all medicine, including inhalers, should be given directly to the Child Welfare Assistant or Nurse to be stored in the Infirmary. No medicine should be kept in children’s school bags, cubbies or lockers. The teaching staff is unable to dispense medication for fever. Homework Primary School Students in the Primary School will be assigned homework on a regular basis. The purpose of homework is to provide students with the opportunity to revise, practice and consolidate independent learning skills and knowledge. We recommend that parents take an active interest in what their children are studying and monitor the completion of set work. Students are also encouraged to read each evening. Secondary School Homework is an important activity in the learning cycle. It is used by teachers to reinforce the work carried out in class, to prepare students for a future class and to give - 23 - students practice in particular skills and approaches. However, a balanced student’s life should consist of more than schoolwork. Students work at very differing rates and to very differing depths of complexity. It is also the case that there will be some fluctuation of quantity of homework from a specific subject depending on the material being covered at a particular time. It is, therefore, difficult to set absolute guidelines. However the following homework load table gives an indication of time spent on homework for the majority of students at Campus des Nations. Homework should be handed in on the due date given by the teacher. Subject departments and teachers decide how to penalise students for work submitted late and this is communicated to the students by their subject teachers. Homework Load Year Hours Hours level each over night week end 7 1 1 to 1.5 8 1 to 1.5 to 1.5 2 9 1.5 2 10 2 2 to 3 11 2 3 12 2 to 3 4 to 6 13 3 to 4 6+ Total Time per weekly subject per hours week 6 to 6.5 40 mins 7 45 mins 9.5 12 to 13 13 1 hr 1 hr 20 mins 1 hr 25 mins 2. 5 to 3.5 hrs 3.5 hrs + 14 to 21 21 + MYP student diaries are made available to all Year 7 students free each term, however, a replacement diary costs 2 CHF. These are used by teachers to send information to parents. The diaries should be signed by parents on a weekly basis. For students in Years 8-11, homework information will be noted in managebac (a software program to which students, teachers and parents have access). Identity Cards An ID card will be given to all Saconnex students at the start of the academic year. This is used as a lunch card. Each damaged or lost card should be replaced. Replacement cards cost CHF 5 each and may be obtained at the Campus Administration (Level 4, Room 411) in Saconnex. No meal will be served without presentation of a valid card. If a student has forgotten their card, they will be given a temporary lunch ticket for a maximum of three times. - 24 - Language support Dual Language Early Years In the Early Years Centre at Pregny we welcome children ages 3 to 7 in our Prereception through to Year 2 classes. In our Pre-reception and Reception classes children learn in a bilingual environment, where teachers and classroom assistants speak English and French throughout the day. Beginning in Year 1, children attend French lessons with specialist teachers in small groups designed to meet their individual language needs, whether they are at a beginner level or French is their mother tongue. Primary Although the majority of the teaching is in English, most lessons benefit from the presence of a francophone teaching-assistant. The students also have French language lessons each week. The French language lessons allow for students to learn specific language skills as well as explore the classroom curricular focus through French instruction. The students have access to a range of Anglophone and Francophone resources in their classrooms and the school library. Secondary Students may choose to take courses in the dual language programme. Dual language options are available in French in years 7 to 9 (corresponding to a student’s language level and ability) in the following subject areas: Sciences (little to some knowledge of French), Mathematics (some knowledge to a good level of French) and humanities (good to advanced level of French). Some subjects are also taught in French where appropriate: Technology, Art and Physical Education - allowing for additional exposure to French. EAL (English as an Additional Language) There are many students at Campus des Nations who do not have English as their mother tongue. Our aim is to provide the necessary support to help these children gain the language skills they need to access the curriculum and integrate into the social life of their school. The school has three EAL programmes: Early Years (Pregny) - pre-reception to year 2 Primary (Saconnex) - years 3 to 6 Secondary (Saconnex) - years 7 to 13 At Pregny, pre-reception and reception EAL learners have support in class from specialist assistants. Then depending on need, children in years 1 and 2 come out of their homeroom class for additional support with the EAL teacher. The primary and secondary programme is flexible and is designed to suit the needs of each individual student. These range from total beginners requiring intensive English through to advanced students who just need some help from time to time. Support is provided by EAL teachers and EAL assistants. We have EAL classrooms which offer a secure and safe environment for the students. EAL staff work closely with all the homeroom and subject teachers to link into the inquiry and skill based learning of the PYP and MYP programmes. Students learn language that is meaningful and relevant to them. They are very much active learners with every - 25 - opportunity taken to connect their prior knowledge and personal experiences to the curriculum. We use a variety of materials and resources to develop the language skills of speaking, reading, writing and listening. They are intended to suit different learning styles and are carefully chosen to provide differentiation and a balance between the need to establish fluency and accuracy when using the language. We want our students to be happy, to enjoy learning English and to be suitably challenged whatever their linguistic ability. So, while they are learning this new language, we also encourage them to be critical thinkers and decision makers so that they can explore and solve problems. We actively encourage students to use and develop their own mother tongue language. This promotes the self-esteem of EAL learners, allows us all to value cultural differences and helps students along the pathway to becoming confident users of the English language. Contact: Early Years (Pregny) - Mr Alexandre Sabbag at [email protected] Primary (Saconnex) - Ms Sarah Edwards at [email protected] Secondary - Mrs Karen Procter at [email protected] Mother Tongue Education There is increasing evidence of the benefits of bilingual studies, even multilingual learning. Students more than ever are confronted with the need to master additional languages to access the best academic, educational and professional opportunities. The society we live in is already multilingual and at our school this is an opportunity rather than a challenge: the International School of Geneva celebrates this with a Mother Tongue Programme on each campus. Students that practice their native language have the opportunity to access the curriculum and demonstrate their progress while not relying on acquiring a new language of learning. MTP teachers always look for similarities and differences between languages and create ways for students to feel more confident and proud of who they are. This in turn motivates them to want to achieve and progress. Encouraging young children to learn their mother tongue helps them develop confidence, self-esteem and their unique identity within today's multicultural society. This helps them learn to withstand pressure from peer groups of different cultures in schools, work places and society and become a better integrated individual. The Mother Tongue Programme provides learning opportunities in 19 languages (Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, Dutch, Farsi, French, Finnish, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish). We celebrate with the whole school on Mother Tongue Day when all courses present their work and achievements. Apart from the classes, which are already in place, we will endeavour to facilitate a class in any language in which parents are interested. Lessons can take place immediately after the school day or during free periods for DP students. There is no need to shuttle children to another location. It is possible to take advantage of affordable group rates by getting other families with the same mother tongue to join the programme. If you are interested in group lessons, please inform the MTP Coordinator so that she can contact similar families. - 26 - Registration, terms and conditions are available on-line at my.ecolint.ch Contact: Mrs Mara Marino at [email protected] Learning Support The Learning Support teachers are specialists who are trained to identify specific learning needs provide support to students who are experiencing difficulties with their learning. Students may be withdrawn from a lesson to attend Learning Support, or assistance may be given within the mainstream classroom. Some available supports: Group tutorials Peer tutor groups (organized by secondary students) Special needs and language profiles should be disclosed upon application. Students are placed in age-appropriate classes. For information on which support programmes are included in the fees, see ‘General and Financial Conditions 2013-2014’ Contact: Early Years (Pregny) – Mr Mario Gagné at [email protected] Primary (Saconnex) – Ms Ana Low at [email protected] Secondary – Ms Karina Hockley at [email protected] For classroom assistant support, parents and students can contact the assistant principals. For private tutorials in specific subjects, parents can contact the subject teacher or the head of department. Financial considerations apply. NO PRIVATE TUITION OR SUPPORT CAN take place on the school premises without the written authorisation of the school principal. Leaving School/Transfers Parents are asked to inform the school as soon as possible of children who are leaving the school. Students wishing to transfer to another campus of the International School of Geneva are kindly requested to fill the ‘Request for Transfer’ form (available from Saconnex Welcome Desk or the Pregny School Office). Interested families should make this request by the end of February for the following academic year. Libraries We encourage the entire community, including students, staff and parents to use the resources available. Families are welcome before and after school hours. Our main library goals include: to help students become effective and efficient users of information; to provide print and digital resources to classroom teachers to enhance their curricula and support student learning; and to promote a love of reading, learning, languages, and libraries. Opening hours - 27 - Pregny Open for parents Monday through Friday: 08:15 – 08:30 Monday, Thursday, Friday: 15:15 – 15:30 Wednesday closed Primary (Saconnex) 08:00 – 15:30 Secondary Monday to Friday: 08:00 – 16:50 Please note that the libraries are also closed to students on Pedagogical training days and during the school vacations. Overdue resources from the library E-mails are sent to parents and students when resources are overdue Once books, etc are overdue by more than 28 days there is a 3 CHF fine to pay. Overdues of more than 42 days will have an additional charge of 0.25 cts per day. Lockers Students from Year 5 and up are provided with lockers. Secondary students, who are now being asked to bring their own devices to school should have a locker key to keep their devices safely stored. All students will receive a key once they have returned the signed form. Any key not returned at the end of the year will be charged the replacement cost of CHF 25. Lost property At Pregny, there is a Lost & Found hamper beside the stairs to the gym. At Saconnex, all items should be brought to the bookroom on level 4, room 415. Non-valuables These items should be placed in the Lost & Found box near the bookroom. The box contents will be moved to the Lost & Found room on level 0 every Friday. The Lost & Found room will be open upon request at the Welcome desk during the LAST WEEK OF THE MONTH except Wednesday and weekends, from 11h to 14h. Valuable items These items should be handed to the bookroom with a Lost & Found tag filled in. These items will NOT be moved to the Lost & Found room. Unclaimed articles Non-valuables will be sent to charitable organisations around Geneva during each vacation period. Lunch supervision At Pregny, children eat lunch in their classrooms under the supervision of classroom assistants and lunch supervisors. - 28 - Students are supervised during lunch in the cafeteria and during their play. Campus Administration is responsible for monitoring this programme and responding to issues or concerns: Contact: Early Years Pregny: Ms Heidi Lothspeich at [email protected] Primary and Secondary Saconnex : Mr Martial Thévenaz at [email protected] Music Band (Primary) All students in year 5 (from term 3) and students in year 6 take part in the PYP Band Programme. Students receive weekly instruction from specialist music teachers as part of their curriculum entitlement. They will have the opportunity to develop their musical skills and to take part in large and small ensemble performances. All students are required to either buy or hire a musical instrument from a choice of four (flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, or trumpet). The school recommends the services of Servette Music www.servette-music.ch for the hire or purchase of musical instruments and the music shop offers competitive rates. More details regarding the programme will be sent home to parents of year 5 and 6 students. In addition to the PYP Band Programme, the school offers opportunities for students to take individual instrumental lessons. There is a charge for these lessons. For further details of the extracurricular music programme please see http://beyond.ecolint.ch. Outdoor Education Students in Years 7-12 will have a mandatory Outdoor Education Programme specific for their year group. The activities will have inter-disciplinary links and will be used for further academic projects within the classroom. Outdoor Education activities will take place during the following two weeks of the academic year: 23-27 September 2013 27-31 January 2014 These activities are a fundamental part of the school programme. There will be a one time fee of 845 CHF for Years 7-11 and 675 CHF for Year 12. Contact Mrs Angelica Bernellon at [email protected] https://sites.google.com/a/ecolint.ch/outdoor-education/ Winter sports programme - Primary From January to March there is a Winter Sports Programme with tuition from the Ecole de Ski Français. This takes place during school time. There is an extra charge for this Programme. Parking Limited short term parking is available at both sites. After filling in the online request form “Visitor Parking Sticker” which will be sent to parents, a parking sticker will be given to the parents by the Welcome desk or School Office. This sticker must be placed on the windscreen of their car. When using the parking, parents must place the “blue disc” indicating the time of arrival of the vehicle. Failure to place the blue disc may cause the driver to be fined by the Geneva authorities. - 29 - The parking time limitation is set to 1 hour, except for Pregny which is limited to 15 minutes at the UN Tennis club and Chateau de Penthes parking zones. Visitors such as suppliers, meeting attendees, etc. will not be given a parking sticker and should collect a parking pass from the reception. Together with the parking pass, the visitor will place the blue disc on their windscreen indicating the arrival time. Again, failure to place the blue disc may result in a fine. Campus des Nations is not responsible for parking fines issued by neighbouring properties, such as the World Council of Churches, Crêche des Morillons, Château de Penthes, UN Tennis club, etc. Students are not allowed to drive to school. Photocopies Students may obtain photocopy cards at the Welcome Desk in Saconnex upon presentation of a student ID card upon which parents will be billed. Cards may be recharged with cash at the machine in the cafeteria. Psychologists There is a full time psychologist at Saconnex and a part-time Psychologist at Pregny who undertake a variety of support activities, such as counselling students, assessing students and advising parents. The psychologists also organise a programme of outside speakers on topics related to the emotional and social aspects of growing up. The psychologists are available to staff members, parents and students and can be consulted in all confidentiality by any party. It is, of course, often very beneficial to share the relevant information with the teacher of your child. Contact Pregny: Ms Keira Keenan at [email protected] Saconnex: Mrs Tania Rudermann at [email protected] Parent Teacher Association PTA The PTA supports the school in many invaluable ways; through social activities, by being homeroom/ classroom parent representatives, helping organise student events, aiding channels of communication and fundraising to provide ‘extras’ beyond the normal school budget. The PTA organises regular general meetings and coffee mornings in the cafeteria at the Saconnex site. Electronic newsletters and classifieds bulletins are provided on the school website. Contact PTA President, Mr Ruvan De Alwis at [email protected] For general information contact: [email protected] For the PTA eNews or eClassifieds: [email protected] Reports See Assessment. School Fees Please refer to the ‘General & Financial Conditions, School Year 2013-2014’ for detailed information. - 30 - Additional Costs There are costs incurred by students in addition to the tuition fees as outlined in the above mentioned booklet and throughout this handbook. These range in general as follows: Years PR-2: CHF 200 to 450 Years 3-4: CHF 650 to 700 Years 5-8: CHF 650 to 2,000 Years 9-10: CHF 850 to 2,000 Years 11-12: CHF 850 to 1,500 Year 13: CHF 500 to 1,000 These costs may vary between different classes in the same year group. School Trips The school organises a wide range of educational visits and outings to places of historical and cultural interest in Switzerland and beyond as well as outdoor education and sporting events. Primary School students often participate in a half or full day trip to places of interest in the community or surrounding areas to explore concepts or questions that arise during their Units of Inquiry. PYP parents will be billed a one time fee of 140 CHF for the school year to cover the cost of these excursions. The cost of trips for Secondary students is notified to parents when the students ask for permission to participate on the trip. The cost is then put on the school bill, so there is no need for students to take money to school to pay for trips. Where parents agree to transport other ISG students to and from school trips, or other school events, they do so at their own risk and must ensure that they have adequate insurance cover. The school’s insurance does not cover such journeys. There is a Foundation policy which sets guidelines for trips and visits. Normal school rules apply on all on school trips. Security In order to create a safe and secure learning environment the school offers: Supervision of play areas and the cafeteria at break and lunch times Supervision of arrival and departure times Trained bus drivers Regular practice of emergency procedures High expectations of student behaviour Visitors sign in and out at the Pregny School Office and Saconnex Welcome Desk Regular inspection and maintenance of building safety and security measures A small number of external surveillance cameras are in operation. Sports competition This is a programme for students with a high level of performance who wish to represent Campus des Nations or the International School of Geneva (ISG/EIG) Foundation at a competitive level. The Structure of the Programme Campus des Nations is a member of a number of major sports associations. In addition, there are intercampus Foundation sports within the ISG/EIG Foundation. - 31 - Sports: Ski Team Selection Trials will take place at the start of each sports programme. A student may attend trials for more than one school team. Coaches will consider various aspects including skills, attitude, team spirit, cooperation, respect of others, etc. when making their selection. Selected competitors must be committed to attending training and matches. Involvement on a school team requires the commitment and support from parents as well. Enrolment Every selected athlete must submit a completed information form to the coordinator at the first training session. All competitors must maintain good academic records while participating in Competitive Sports. A class teacher may refuse a permission request from a competitor to attend tournaments if she/he fails to meet good academic standards. Cost Parents will be asked to pay for transport, food and hotel accommodation related to sports activities and a contribution to training costs (to pay coaches, pitch hire outside school, etc.). There is an extra charge for those competing in the ski programme. Families will be charged directly through the ISG/EIG billing system for costs incurred. The calendar for competitive sport events may be found at the Beyond the Classroom website http://beyond.ecolint.ch/sports-competition Contacts: Primary: Mr Kevin O’Byrne at [email protected] Secondary: Mr Antoine Laffay at [email protected] Student Councils There is a Primary Action Group and a Secondary Student Council (MYP & DP). The Primary Action Group is an interested group of students representing each of the classes who meet weekly with the assistant principal during a morning recess. In the primary school, there is also a Green Team which meets to discuss environmental issues within the school on a regular basis. The Secondary Student Council meets every half term. Each class elects one representative to their council to forward and discuss the concerns of the student body. Technology The Campus is equipped with a range of computers, laptops, iPads and smartboards. This year, in the secondary school, we are starting the ‘Bring your Own Device’ programme. Secondary students are asked to bring in a device which meets the specifications: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The device has a minimum diagonal screen size of 24.6 cm (9.7in). The device has minimum screen resolution of 1024 by 768 pixels. The device is 802.11n Wi-Fi capable. The device has a minimum workable battery life of 3 hours. The device can run the latest version of the Chrome Internet browser. - 32 - 6. Students are required to have a pair of earphones/earbuds with their device. It is strongly recommended that the following advice is taken into consideration: It is recommended that older students (Year 10/11 onwards) will benefit from a device that allows multiple ‘windows’ and multi-tasking when it comes to the production of extended assignments such as the personal project, extended essay and internal assessments. Therefore a laptop would be better than a tablet. It is recommended that the device is carried and stored in a case that protected it from daily risks of a school environment. The device must be covered by a family/personal insurance scheme. The school cannot be responsible for accidental damage to devices. It is recommended that parents consider extending the warranty on the device to cover all of its intended lifespan in school. If you have any questions about the ‘BYOD to School Programme’ please don’t hesitate to contact Richard Allaway, the ICT Coordinator, via email: [email protected] Students have access to wireless internet throughout the school using their school provided ID. IT software Campus des Nations encourages families to have access to the internet, so that their children can benefit from email and resources available. If you already have a computer at home, it would benefit students greatly if you could install an Office productivity suite which allows them to save their work as Microsoft Office compatible files. For the new ‘BYOD’ Programme, please take a look at the Digital toolbox that has been set up to aid parents and students in finding the necessary software. It can be found at this link: http://ictnations.ecolint.ch/byod-to-school/digital-toolbox Transitions The three schools (Early Years, Primary and Secondary) work collaboratively to ensure a smooth transition of students leaving Year 2 at Pregny and entering Year 3 at Saconnex. An introduction meeting for parents and school tours are arranged in June. The Primary and Secondary schools also work cooperatively to ease the transition of students entering Year 7 from Year 6 by organising opportunities through the year for Year 6 students and their parents. Year 11 students are given support when choosing their DP options. There is a comprehensive induction program at the start of Year 12. Transport Public transport By bus to Saconnex Bus line Stop 5 or 28 Crêts de Morillon 8 BIT F Vie des Champs By bus to Pregny Bus line Stop - 33 - V or Z Penthes Note: Buses denoted by letters are cross border buses. Buses 5 and 28 from Saconnex go to the airport. Further information: www.tpg.ch. Students who travel to school by public transport should obtain a monthly ticket from TPG available at Cornavin station or Rive. By car To Saconnex From the autoroute/motorway take the Grand Saconnex exit and follow Genève Centre or Place des Nations, take the route des Morillons on the left, signposted BIT. From the centre of Geneva follow Place des Nations, then continue straight on towards Ferney/Airport, turn right by the World Council of Churches, signposted. To Pregny From the autoroute/motorway take the Grand Saconnex exit and follow Genève Centre or Place des Nations, take the route des Morillons on the left, signposted BIT. Follow the route des Morillons to the Avenue de la Paix and turn left. From the centre of Geneva follow Place des Nations, take the Avenue de la Paix towards Chambésy/US Mission. Transport Services Parents wishing to enrol their children with the Transport Service should complete the application form online by logging in at the www.ecolint.ch website and clicking ‘Campus Info – Transport (https://my.ecolint.ch/Foundation/registration/transport). After registering online, please print the PDF confirmation of your registration which should be signed and returned to the Campus Services office. Your child will be enrolled once the signed copy has been received. Online registration may also be done in person at the Campus Services office. Each inscription will be checked individually in order to propose an adequate stop for each pupil and will be confirmed in writing before the start of school. No modification of bus route will be made except for exceptional cases with the agreement of Campus Administration. According to the Financial Conditions, cancellation and changes of the Transport Services should be made in writing two weeks before the end of the term. Failure to comply with this condition will mean that the school has the right to charge the whole term. Shuttles between Saconnex and Pregny (included in the transport inscription) operate, morning and afternoon except Wednesdays when the return will be made at 12:20. Children not enrolled in the general Transport Services will be able to use this service and will be billed for the school year. Online registration procedure is the same as for the school bus. Parents wishing to use the Transport Service on an occasional basis should send a written request to the Campus Administration 48 hours in advance. Places are limited and the possibility of obtaining an occasional seat is not guaranteed. There is a charge for this service, payable in cash to the Campus Administration office. Rates vary according to the bus zones. All students who are registered for the Transport Services, including the PregnySaconnex shuttle bus, should inform the school in writing or by email at least 24 hours in advance if they will not be using the service for a particular day or days. If you are unable to inform the school with 24 hours notice and an emergency occurs, please telephone the school. - 34 - Please note children must be five years of age to travel on the school bus or shuttle. Contact: Ms Brigitte Lowe at [email protected] Website The Foundation website is at www.ecolint.ch where cross-campus information, activities and services are posted. All parents have been issued with a login and password to the Campus des Nations’ website. All schools place important information in the School Principal Note each week. It is strongly recommended that parents check the School Principal Note as well as other important pages of the website weekly to stay up to date with all school information. Calendar events and other information related to the students’ academic life is available. Registrations for After School Care, Extra Curricular Activities, Camps, Music Programme and Mother Tongue Programme may be done on-line at www.ecolint.ch. World of Work Week (Year 11) Students will be guided through career choices in Years 11 to 13. As of 2014, the work experience week for students in Year 11 is useful preparation for making subject choices for the IB Diploma Programme and for the careers guidance programme. Students are taught to prepare their CVs and to look for work. The student must not be remunerated in any form. Assessment is done by the employer, a member of the Campus des Nations staff and a student self-evaluation. Visitors All visitors and volunteers must report to the Welcome Desk at Saconnex or the Pregny School Office, sign the visitors’ book and obtain a visitor’s badge. - 35 - - 36 -
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