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Policies

ADMISSIONS

The Admissions process begins in November and all applications must be complete by December 31. Prospective students are encouraged to visit the school by appointment and to attend the Open House held in November. All applicants must complete an application, submit three required recommendations and grade reports, and take the entrance exam which is administered at St. Thomas in early December. More information is available at the St. Thomas website, www.stalux.org, or by calling the Admissions Office at 603-742-1324.

ENROLLMENT AND ENROLLMENT CONTRACTS

An Annual Enrollment contract is required and must be returned by May 1 to reserve a place for the following school year.

Enrollment at St. Thomas Aquinas is provisional for the first year of enrollment. In addition to other factors specified in these policies and in application documents, admission and membership are subject to periodic review. Families and students for whom St. Thomas is not a good match may be counseled to find an alternative high school setting. Continuing membership is ultimately the decision of the school.

ACCIDENTS

All incidents involving property damage or personal injury are to be immediately reported to the Dean of Students.

ASSEMBLIES

• School assemblies are held at various times during the school year. The following rules of etiquette are to be observed:

• Courteous attention must be given to the speakers or performers.

• Appreciative applause is welcomed, but boisterous conduct of any nature is out of order.

• Students are to sit in the designated areas with their Faculty Advisor.

BEVERAGES

Students are not allowed to have beverages in the classroom at any time.

CAFETERIA/RULES

The cafeteria area requires much care and cooperation by the students to maintain order and keep the area clean. Cafeteria proctors will issue passes in and out of the cafeteria. Cell phones, cameras, radios, iPods, CD players, and musical instruments are not permitted in the cafeteria. All games are prohibited. Students are not allowed to sit on radiators or tables. Students may not cut in the lunch line. Failure to follow all directions given by cafeteria supervisors may result in disciplinary action.

CELL PHONES

Cell phones, beepers, pagers may be carried but must be shut off during school hours. Use of cell phones for any purpose during school hours will result in confiscation and detention.

COMPUTERS/INTERNET

St. Thomas provides filtered access to the Internet for its students. The primary goal for use at school is to support the regular classroom resources and student research related to academic studies. Recreational “surfing” of the Internet for non-academic use of resources is forbidden. St. Thomas may, at any time, review the subject, content, and appropriateness of student usage, files and communications. The following regulations apply and each student is expected to comply by being a responsible user.

• Students accessing the Internet from St. Thomas are expected to be good citizens of the Internet. All communication must be polite. Offensive, inappropriate and malicious behavior will not be tolerated.

• As a basic foundation of network and Internet security, it is important that students protect their computer passwords. With this in mind, students may not share their network, website or email account passwords with each other. Students caught accessing the accounts of other students, with or without the permission of the account owner, will be considered in violation of this policy and may be subject to disciplinary action.

• Email accounts should be accessed for school purposes only.

• Instant message programs (AIM, Yahoo, etc.) are forbidden on school computers.

• Students are not allowed to enter live online chat rooms except those specifically set up for a class by a St. Thomas teacher.

• Students are not allowed to play online games or visit online game websites. Students are allowed to play the games that are already loaded on the computers (freecell, solitaire, etc.) but may only do so before and after school. Students using the computers for games before and after school have a lower priority than those students who need a computer for academic work and will be bumped accordingly should there be a waiting list for computers.

• Students are not allowed to install software on the school computers. Students attempting to disrupt the school’s computer network through hacking or wares will be subject to disciplinary action.

• Downloading, using or conveying any inappropriate materials (vulgarity, pornography or any illegal material) is strictly forbidden.

• Students should never reveal personal information about themselves or other individuals on the Internet.

• Students should be aware that St. Thomas takes plagiarism very seriously and that “borrowing” information from the Internet or other online resources without giving proper credit to the source will result in severe disciplinary and academic action.

Any violation of these rules or other standards of computer etiquette will result in revocation of Internet access. This notification is your only warning. Serious violations may result in suspension or expulsion from school and/or reporting to law enforcement officials.

DAMAGE TO PROPERTY

Accidental damage to school property will be paid for by the parents of the student responsible. Students are asked to inform the Dean of Students of accidental damages. (See also “VANDALISM” in Discipline section.)

DANCES/COFFEEHOUSES/SOCIALS (see Daily Eligibility in Attendance Policies section)

School regulations are in effect during all social functions. The club sponsoring a social function is required to adhere to these regulations.

• Eligibility for attending a social function is according to school guidelines published in the Handbook. (See “Daily Eligibility.”)

• All events are closed to the public unless otherwise stated. A limited number of guests will be allowed at certain events, subject to approval of the Dean of Students. Students are responsible for the behavior of their guests. All guests must be registered with the Dean of Students by the last school day before the event.

• Students may not loiter in the parking lot or in vehicles at any time.

• Students must remain at the event until one half-hour before it ends.

• No one will be admitted to an event after 9 pm unless previous arrangements have been made with the Dean of Students.

DRIVING/PARKING PERMITS

Due to a limited number of parking spaces, only junior and senior students may drive to school. Ninth and tenth grade students are not allowed to drive to school under any circumstances. The use of perimeter on-street parking is not allowed. The school will notify parents of reports of unsafe driving in any location.

Authorized students are allowed to drive to school and use the student parking lot provided they:

• Operate their vehicle safely and in accordance with school rules.

• Obtain a school issued parking permit (permits are $75) annually for each car. No car is allowed on campus without a parking permit. Vehicles without stickers are subject to towing. Daily permits are required and may be obtained in the Attendance Office for any unregistered vehicle.

• Park, lock, and vacate their vehicle immediately. Students should bring all needed belongings into school upon arrival.

• Report any changes in vehicles or license plates to the Dean of Students.

ELECTRONIC DEVICES

The school prohibits the use of tape players, iPods, CD or DVD players, with or without earphones, during school hours except for curricular purposes.

FIELD TRIPS

Students wishing to go on field trips must submit a completed school permission form. All school regulations, including dress code, are in effect on field trips. Cell phones and/or other electronic devices are not allowed on field trips.

FIRE/EVACUATION DRILLS

Periodic drills will be conducted. Fire exit instructions are posted in each room. Students must be silent, orderly, and remain with their classroom teacher during a drill. No one should re-enter the building until the signal bell is sounded.

GYMNASIUM CONDUCT

Students will not play on the gym floor in dress shoes. Students must behave in a mature fashion when viewing a game or taking part in activities conducted in the gym. Vulgar and/or unsportsmanlike cheers and gestures will not be tolerated. Violators may be suspended from attending games. Students are not allowed use of the gym without adult supervision.

LIBRARY

The library is open daily from 7 am to 4 pm. Books are loaned to students for two weeks. The student is responsible for the return or replacement of the book. Students may also borrow audio-visual materials for a length of time to be determined by the librarian. Under no condition may students remove reference books, magazines, newspapers, or computers from the library. A quiet atmosphere is maintained in the library at all times.

MEDICATION

No student will be given any kind of medication by the Nurse or other school personnel without written permission from his/her parents. Please contact the Nurse for the appropriate permission form. Medication must be brought to the Nurse’s Office in a container appropriately labeled by the pharmacy. The school will not supply medication for students, including aspirin or any other over the counter medicine.

PASSES

A student who leaves a class or assigned location for any reason must secure a pass from the teacher/proctor.

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is the submission of someone else’s ideas or words as one’s own. This refers to oral and printed material as well as anything found on the Internet. Students are taught how to properly quote and/or cite/footnote another’s ideas or words. Students are also provided reference books and materials to use as reference when writing papers or projects. Failure to use proper form, either in electronic work or on written work, will be treated seriously. See “CHEATING” in Discipline section for consequences. Consult the Writing and Research Standards in the Appendix for further information.

SEARCH POLICY

School property, including student lockers, is subject to periodic, random searches by school administrators. Students can be subjected to a search by school officials if reasonable grounds for suspicion exists. Reasonable searches may include student vehicles, pockets, purses, book bags, and other personal property. The existence of reasonable suspicion may warrant the search of a student’s person. Personal searches will only be conducted by a school administrator in the presence of a police official.

SENIOR PASS

At the discretion of the Administration and with parent permission, seniors may be granted the Senior Pass. This privilege allows seniors to make choices, without a student pass, to go to selected locations within the building during their lunch period. This privilege will be revoked if it is abused in any way. Parents will be notified at the time the program is begun for the current senior class.