The uniform of a Saint Catherine Academy student is the outward symbol of school loyalty and pride. It is an honour to wear it, yet a student’s conduct is more easily marked everywhere because of it. To the critical eye of the outsider, it stands for the ideals this Academy is endeavouring to teach and to foster.

The administration reserves the right and responsibility to determine what is acceptable with regard to uniform and grooming.

• Such codes give specific identity to students as members of SCA.
• Research has shown that the dress code enhances student performance.
• Students should have at least three sets of uniforms. Every student must come to school in uniform and must wear uniform properly at all times, on and off campus.
• Parents/Guardians are expected to co-operate in ensuring that students are not in uniform late in the evening after leaving school.

Regular Uniform
These must be worn to and from school and to every official school function.

• White dress with short sleeves and a hem which extends below the knee
• Tie: colour of the class fastened with a school pin (green – freshmen, yellow – sophomores, blue – juniors, red – seniors)
• Socks: plain white, two inches above ankle bone to mid-calf
• Enclosed, black shoes

Note:
A student will not be allowed to enter her homeroom unless she has on the full uniform or if she has a uniform violation slip signed by the Dean of Discipline. Uniforms that are too short do not meet the requirements for being in uniform and the student will be required to lower the hem to the required length immediately and will receive a demerit. She will also be required to report to the Dean of Discipline every morning for one month to ensure that she is in uniform. If, for any reason a student will be unable to wear any part of the uniform she must present a letter from her parent/guardian to the Dean of Discipline before 7:55 am. She will receive a uniform, tie, and/or socks to wear for the day and she is responsible to wash and return them within five school days. If regulation school shoes cannot be worn, the student must wear her tennis shoes. If a student reports to school out of uniform without a note, she will receive a demerit the first time and a demerit plus one hour of after school detention for each succeeding violation.

• regulation t-shirt a (white with Saint Catherine Academy logo)
• regulation shorts (navy blue with Saint Catherine Academy logo)
• socks: white socks (same as worn with uniform)
• tennis shoes

(If a student has P.E. twice in the week she may wear her House T-shirt the second day; freshmen may wear a solid colored T-shirt of any color – no designs)
Students are not to walk from or to home in their PE Uniforms. Exception students who are on school teams who stay late for practice.

This includes any occasion when students are not required to wear uniform.
a. Slacks or jeans are allowed, no shorts, or hip-huggers, capris or rolled up pants.
b. Skirt/Dress the same length as the uniform
c. T-shirt/blouse (with sleeves), length must exceed the waistband (blouse should not be transparent)
d. Tennis or sandals
e. Jewelry same rule applies as on regular days.
/p>Restrictions:
Pictures, emblems, clothing, or writing on clothing

• are lewd, offensive, vulgar, or obscene
• depict the occult
• have sacrilegious signs or symbols
• represent gang membership
• see-through clothing
• advertise any form of drug or illegal substance

Violations:
Students will receive a school uniform to wear for the day, be issued a demerit, and lose her right to wear casual dress the next casual day.

Repeat offence:
Two demerits and may not participate in any other casual days for the remainder of the academic year.

Third violation:
Two-day suspension and parent/guardian conference. Restricted materials will be sent to the Dean of Discipline to be claimed by a parent at the end of the semester.

Shorts, blouses with thin straps, transparent clothing, and any clothes that promote a non-Christian philosophy (e.g. T-shirts with gang, warfare, or sacrilegious signs or symbols) are considered inappropriate school attire.

Students are encouraged to accept themselves as God created them and not as the materialistic world dictates.

• Students are encouraged to accept themselves as God created them and not as the materialistic world dictates.
  a. no unusual hair styles, hair pieces, dyed hair or multi-coloured extensions
  b. no hair curlers, bandanas, caps, warm caps, headbands with 3D flowers, patterned headbands or doo rags
  c. no make-up or nail polish may be worn at any time
  d. no acrylics, gel tips or false nails may be worn
  e. hair accessories must match the color of your tie or be neutral colours (brown/black) and of simple designs.

While at SCA, a student is not allowed to get any tattoo on any part of her body. Any previously acquired body marks must be registered at the school prior to her admittance to SCA. Failure to adhere to the Tattoo Rule will warrant a suspension.

• a. one bracelet/bangle

• b. one watch

• c. One pair of SMALL stud earrings

• d. one chain

e. sun glasses may not be worn in the classroom

Students may not wear jewelry on the tongue, eyebrows, nose, navel, upper earlobe or any other part of the body. The first instance that a student wears jewelry as mentioned above they will be called to task, 1demerit given and one hour immediate PT. For a second offence, the matter will be referred to the disciplinary committee. The result may be a suspension.

Excessive jewelry will be confiscated and logged by the teacher at the Accounts Office. These items may be picked up by parents within two weeks and a fee of $25.00 paid per item. Unclaimed items will be disposed of. The school will not be liable for damage or loss of confiscated items after the two-week period. Students will receive two demerits for the first offence. Demerits given will be doubled for each subsequent incident.

If a phone is available, a parent/guardian should call in an absence before 12:00 noon on the day of the absence. When a student returns to school, she must bring a written excuse signed by her parent or guardian. The written excuse must be specific, properly addressed, and enclosed in an envelope to be given to the homeroom teacher on the day of return. If a student needs to be out of school for a prolonged medical reason, a medical certificate needs to be presented. If she comes to school without a not or a medical certificate, the student will be sent back home.

The place where Mass is celebrated or where any religious ceremony is held, such as Rosary, Stations of the Cross, and Crowning of Mary, becomes a sacred place. A student must show the reverence she owes to our Creator and Redeemer by taking an active part in the prayers and singing. A student must maintain a proper posture – kneeling standing, sitting up straight, facing forward, without touching the chair beside or in front of her. No student should speak to another student or to a teacher except in the case of an emergency. Hymnals must be brought to all religious ceremonies; no other materials may be brought. Non-Catholics must attend Church services and maintain a reverent attitude at all times. When a student is attending a lecture or any other assembly in the hall she must show proper respect by sitting up straight, facing forward, without touching the chair beside or in front of her. No student may speak to another student or to a teacher during the entire assembly except in the case of an emergency.

Students are expected to be on campus by 7:50 am every morning.

• A student must be seated in her homeroom by 7:55 am (standing in the circle on Mondays)
• A student who is not seated in her homeroom by 7:55 am must report to the Dean of Discipline to sign in and receive a late slip.
• She must bring a letter from a parent/guardian no later than the following morning explaining the lateness. Failure to bring a note will result in a demerit the first time and a demerit plus one hour of after school detention each succeeding time.
• A student who is late three (3) times within a month will receive a demerit. After two demerits in the semester, the student will receive a referral form. Two referrals within the semester will result in a two-day, in-school suspension.

Cutting Classes
The cutting of classes is considered a serious offence. A student will receive a 0 (ZERO) grade for all tests and quizzes given for the class/classes missed that day, with no chance to make up the grade, and will receive double hours of detention.

Truancy from School

• Truancy is a serious and dangerous decision for a student to make. It will result in a suspension.
• Once a student arrives on campus, she may not leave the campus for any reason without written permission from the Dean of Discipline or a School Administrator. If the student has permission from her parent/ guardian, that permission must be presented in writing to one of the above-mentioned persons before she leaves the campus. Failure to follow this policy will result in a suspension.
• If a student feels sick on the way to school, she should return home immediately and ask her parent/guardian to call the school or come to school and ask to be dismissed in the usual way. Failure to follow this procedure will result in a referral and a parent/guardian conference. A second violation will result in a suspension

All students are required to participate in school-sponsored activities such as Coastal Clean-up, Foundation Day Projects, Valentine Fair, Sports Days, Open House, and the Guadalupe Procession or to give four hours of community service at a site to be determined by the school administration in consultation with a parent/guardian. Failure to attend the activity or the alternative service project will be treated as truancy and the student will receive a two-day in-school suspension.

Fighting, verbal or physical, will not be tolerated. Obscene, immoral, or offensive language may not be used at any time or in any place. Students who witness such behaviour have a responsibility to report it to the Administration as it reflects negatively on the whole Academy. The matter will be referred to the Disciplinary Committee and the student may be suspended or expelled.

From 8:00 a.m. until dismissal, the students are the responsibility of the school and its administration. Permission to leave school during this time will not be given. Appointments with doctors, dentists, and business firms, or renewing of licences or driving tests are to be made outside of school hours. No one will be excused during school time unless the case is urgent. If the case is urgent, a parent/guardian must notify the principal. A call and a written note from the parent must be presented to the principal at least one day before the appointment.

• Students are not allowed to talk during announcements.
• Students should be in their assigned seats during announcements.
• Students should not leave the classroom during announcements.
• The administration reserves the right to call students over the intercom system. A student who is not seated in her homeroom by 7:55 am must report to one of the Prefects to sign in as late.

No student may go to the library during recess to recreate or to eat. No student is allowed to eat in classrooms during break. No student may leave the grounds during a free period or break. Chewing gum is not allowed on campus at any time.

The café provides a variety of foods in adequate amounts on a daily basis. Since the profits from the café are used to supplement the school and to improve the existing facilities, students are expected to patronize the café, and no food should be brought from outside businesses.

Students are NOT permitted in the faculty room. If a teacher is needed please either knock and wait for an answer, or students should ask another teacher for the teacher they wish to see.

Information posted on bulletin boards is provided exclusively as a service to students. Information posted on bulletin boards include notices addressed to students through the offices of the Academy, student organisations, the Student Council, and, periodically, by members of the general student body.

Notices will generally require approval by the VP Office for their posting. Any student who defaces a sign or tampers with notices will be served disciplinary action that can range from a warning to a dismissal.

Letters of standing for the purposes of facilitating students in their requests for visas and other identification purposes can be obtained through the offices of the Principal or the Vice-Principal. Requests for visas will only be met if the student has no outstanding arrears with the school. There is a $5.00 fee for such printed documents furnished by the school.

Change of a student’s address and/or telephone number must be reported to the Business Office immediately.

• Students may not use the pay telephone from 7:55 a.m. until noon break nor from five minutes before afternoon classes begin until dismissal. Such calls must be made from the Administrative Office.
• Students are not allowed to make phone calls during class time except for an emergency.
• Students must get written permission from a teacher to make emergency calls during class time.

The good order and neatness of the school depends upon all. Out of self-respect and respect for each other, school property such as desks, chairs, lab equipment, sports equipment, computer equipment, bathrooms, walls, and all other school equipment must never be defaced or marked in any way.

A student who damages school property in any way will pay for all expenses incurred in repairing these damages. In addition, this student will be accountable to the Principal and a Disciplinary Referral From will be issued.

Books rented from the school are to be considered school property. It is expected that these books are to be kept covered and well maintained. No writing must be done in these books.

• Radios, tape recorders of all types (including Walkman type and compact disc players) are strictly forbidden during school hours and may be allowed with the permission from the principal or vice-principal on special occasions. Pagers, beepers, cell phones and any other electronic devices that may disrupt classes are strictly forbidden.
• Failure to comply will result in confiscation of the equipment/device until the end of the semester after a fine of not less than $5.00 has been paid.
• Electronic devices needed for classroom presentations must be left in the secretary’s office until the presentation and returned to the secretary’s office immediately after the class.

Reading material other than that prescribed by the school or an individual teacher is not allowed during class time.

The library carries numerous periodicals, encyclopaedias, magazines, books, computers hooked to the Internet, and other reference material. All students are encouraged to make use of the available material in the Library and to use the facility for quiet study and preparation. The library is open during all study periods and after school each day. Students who wish to use the library must obtain a pass from the study period supervisor and present it to the librarian when she enters the library. The librarian will sign the pass when the student is ready to leave. Entire classes that need to use the library must check with the librarian to see if space is available.

Library Rules
The following regulations are outlined for the proper use of the library facility:

• The library is a place for private study and research; the library is used for doing preparatory course work and assignments, preparing for tests and exams, engaging in reflections by means of articles in magazines and periodicals, and engaging in other quiet study activities.
• All students have library access and privileges and they are expected to use the available resources at all times; students may be denied access to the library and library resources by the librarian in those instances in which there is repeated non-compliance with library rules. Each student of Saint Catherine Academy is allowed to check out a maximum of two books at any one time.
• Each library book has a book card that must be signed by the student and handed to the librarian before a book is taken out.
• Books will be considered overdue the day following the “Date Due” as marked on the inside cover of each book.
• Encyclopaedias, dictionaries, magazines, and special materials that do not have checkout cards cannot be taken out at any time; these resources must be used in the library only. All books with cards may be taken out for a period of two weeks; students wishing to hold books beyond this time must return the books so that they can be renewed.
• Students must return all books checked out in their names to the Librarian’s Desk.
• Each student is to make sure that the librarian checks returned books so as to avoid other students borrowing those books while they are still in her name, resulting in fines levied against her. Both the student and the desk attendant have responsibility for exercising care.
• Students will be charged book fines, payable to the librarian, for overdue books as follows: 10 cents per day for each overdue book. Fines must be paid to the librarian; students owing fines cannot check out books.
• Students will be charged for lost books at the price of books plus an additional fee of $5 for processing re-orders.
• Students are not permitted to eat or drink in the library at any time; care must be exercised by each person using the library to ensure the availability of a quiet place of study for the entire Academy.
• Library furniture should never be removed from the library without the librarian’s permission.
• Photocopies may be done in the library at a fee of 25 cents per page.

No student, group, or any person may collect or solicit money on behalf of the school without the express permission of the Principal. If a student does not adhere to this rule, a Disciplinary Referral Form will be issued to the Principal’s Office. This is a serious offence and could warrant a suspension and/or action brought by SCA’s disciplinary committee.

Students must:

• 1. Enter labs quietly and in an orderly fashion.
  2. Obey safety rules.
  3. USE only mechanical pencils in the Labs
  4. NOT disfigure the surface of tables.
  5. NOT throw garbage in the sinks.
  6. NOT destroy lab equipment.
  7. NOT take food into, eat, or chew in the labs.
  8. NOT enter the labs without permission, nor remain in the labs unless a teacher is present.
  9. As a precaution and to protect the reputation of the Teacher and the student, a student must not be alone in any of the labs with a male teacher.
  10. Lab books must be requested through your teacher and should never be taken out from the lab. No page is to be torn from another person’s lab book. No copying another persons’ work.

Students must:

• Be quiet and orderly.
• Obey rules set by teacher for proper use of computers.
• Take care of computer equipment and accessories.
• Leave food, drinks, and gum outside the lab.
• Obtain permission to use the lab. They can only use the computers in the presence of a teacher or prefect.

Students may request photocopies for a fee at the Library. If a student officer or club president needs multiple copies for school activities, she should request them from the faculty member supervising the activity. The photocopy machine in the library is available, at a small fee, to students who need copies.

Discipline
Each year the student is given a conduct card with 25 demerits on it. For every five demerits she receives, a student must report to PT to do some assigned task. PT is defined as reporting every day after school for one week and completing the assigned task. PT is defined as reporting every day after school for one week and completing the assigned task for that day. If a student accumulates 25 demerits in a year, she will be suspended for two weeks. A new card will be issued with 15 demerits. If a student accumulates 40 demerits in a year, she will be asked to withdraw or face expulsion.

Behavioural Expectations
Mutual respect and a healthy relationship are expected between students and teachers. Students are required to respect themselves, respect one another, and respect their teachers.

In the event of overt immoral misconduct that reflects grave discredit upon the school and is not in conformity with the philosophy or objectives of the school, the sanction will be determined by the Board, with the maximum penalty being expulsion.

Violations of the above rules will be sanctioned by use of demerits, PT, and suspension as the gravity of the matter requires.

The principal, in consultation with the disciplinary committee may expel any student who, in the perception of the Board, exhibits behaviour and attitudes that are not in conformity with the philosophy and objectives of SCA and which bring grave discredit upon the Institution.

Disciplinary Agreement
At the time of registration, ALL students and their parents/guardians are requested to sign a Discipline Agreement, which states that the student and her parents/guardians are fully aware of the school rules and implications and consequences of violating these rules. The agreement forms are issued at registration. (See Appendix III)

Conduct: Explanation of Conduct Card

Suspension
After 25 demerits, a student may be suspended. Suspension is defined as a two-week period of work on campus with the student making up missed work on her own. Note that a student can be suspended only once in her four years. A second suspension means expulsion.

Disciplinary Probation
Students who have repeated infractions of school policies and/or procedures may be placed on Disciplinary Probation. Probation status is determined by the Disciplinary Committee and will extend for a minimum of 20 school days to a maximum of one semester. Conditions and improvements that must be met will be clearly specified in a Disciplinary Contract that must be signed by the student and her parent/guardian and returned to the Dean of Discipline the following school day. Failure to comply with any of the terms of the contract may result in suspension from school or requested withdrawal from the Academy. At the end of the probationary period, if appropriate, the student will be removed from Disciplinary Probation.