We ask that you look at your E-mail the evening prior to all classes. There will be times that Mass will be cancelled because of a funeral or some such issue. If you do not have e-mail, please have a friend who will inform you of last minute changes (as well as send along all other information.)
Dress Code
• Dress for Boys—dress slacks; light-colored plain dress shirts, always tucked in. No polo shirts, fleeces or jackets may be worn in class. Sweaters are OK. Hair should be trimmed fairly short and neat. No undershirts worn as sports clothing. Dress shirts should be on, buttoned, and tucked in by the time boys pass beyond the Boys room.
• Dress for Girls—Modest skirt and blouse or dress—all below the knee. Tights, knee high socks or nylons must be worn. No skorts. No flip-flops. Loose blouses are to be worn, up to the collar bone. No form-fitting cotton/spandex shirts, no T-shirts showing, etc. The top layer of clothing is the longest.
• Shoes must be smooth soled; absolutely NO sneakers, sport shoes or boots in the buildings.
Building/Property Rules
All families agree to follow these rules as well as any others set by Old St. Patrick’s Parish, which insists on the following rules:
1) No Lower or Middle School student may cross either Whitmore Lake Rd. or the road between the parish hall and the church at any time without an adult supervising.
2) No boys may enter the girls’ bathroom and no girls may enter the boys’ bathroom at any time for any reason.
3) Students and parents should not congregate at the front entrance to the parish hall. They may either be at the south end of the hall (near the woods) or in the back fields. If they are waiting for a pick-up they can look out the main hall windows to avoid rain or snow.
4) Students should be accompanied by an adult at all times, in all parts of the Parish property. The exception is that US III and IV students may go to the Church for individual prayer.
5) Adults who supervise children 4 hours a month on parish property must receive VIRTUS training within the first semester.
6) SHOES: All shoes worn in the buildings must be smooth soled to keep the property clean. Boots or sneakers must be changed before you enter the buildings.
Tuition, Attendance & Homework
• Tuition is nonrefundable, even if a child is “rusticated” for behavior issues.
• Please do not send your student to the program if he is sick. Appropriate arrangements can be made to help any student catch up with missed work.
• Participation in the program requires regular work in the home on assigned readings and writing tasks. Families of students who do not hand in the required homework on time more than twice in a row should be contacted to help their student become more responsible. If homework continues to be missed, other than for sickness or extraordinary family events, the student may be asked to stay out of the program for a day. Continued lateness of assignments may lead to a consideration of leaving the program.
Pick-up & Drop-off
• Students may be dropped off any time between 7:50 for Mass and 8:50AM. If your student is dropped off before 8:50 but not for Mass, he or she should come in quietly and sit in the back rows of the Church until Mass is over or until there is someone supervising in the Parish Hall. Unsupervised students are not to be left at the parish hall. All children must be dropped off by 8:50 so the day can start promptly.
• Wednesday regular pick-ups start at 3:25; Fridays at 3:10PM. These extra minutes are provided so that students may finish the clean-up of the rooms used. Wednesday St. Cecilia pick-up starts at 4:15 and Friday Drama pick-up begins at 5:00PM. Students must be picked up within 15 minutes after the start of pick-up. Anyone who comes later than 20 minutes after the start will be charged a $30 fee. Father demands that an adult remain on site with the children, so that time must be compensated.
• Children should be picked up on the parish hall side, south end of the parking lot and not the Church side.
• Every child must aid in the clean up of the facilities before going outside for pick-up.
Medicine/Food & Drink
• We cannot distribute medicines. Each child must be responsible for carrying necessary inhalers, EpiPens, etc.
• We cannot ensure an allergen-free environment. We will not ask that foods not be brought to the program site. On the other hand, parents are invited to be considerate of other families’ needs.
• There will be no eating or drinking during seminar time unless there is an approved medical need. Students are given 5 minutes at the end of each class hour for snacks and exercise.
• There must be no eating in any space except the main Parish Hall or outside if the Parish Hall is not available. This is to prevent there being food for rodents, insects etc. Wrappers etc. should be disposed of in the cans in the Parish Hall.
• All lunch or snack foods must be brought by the children. Students may not leave campus to buy food or beverages and then return without special permission. No food or drink can be consumed except during approved times. No gum at any time.
Classroom Behavior
• Students must remember that we are guests in parish property and working near professional offices. Courteous quiet is to be observed in the halls, bathrooms, and on the way in or out of the building. Noise should not be loud enough to disturb people at their work.
• There is little storage space available so each child must have a backpack sufficient to hold all books and materials. During seminar all but necessary items should be in those packs, not on the seminar tables.
• No child will be humiliated for any reason.
• Our behavior policy is to talk to a child confidentially once, call his parents if there is a second occasion, and move for suspension or removal if there is a third.
• Bathroom and snack/drink breaks will be given at 5 minutes before the hour. All drinks and necessary trips should be completed in those five minutes. Our policy is not to allow students to leave the tutorial without unavoidable reason.
• At lunch time, sports should be vigorous and fun and encourage equal participation of all skill levels. All boys participate in a sport unless there is medical need. Girls should be outside and at least walking in all but the worst weather. Play wear and sport shoes should be brought for lunchtime.
• There should be no electronic games, cell phones, iPods or any other such devices at St. Augustine’s. Tutors will provide phone access if there is an urgent need. An on-site administrator may store cell phones from the time of arrival to the time of departure for those students whose parents deem them necessary.
• We seek active and spirited discussion in seminars. Students must learn how to be active, spirited and vocal while respecting the right of others to be heard and the necessity of a seminar to be focused and on topic. Tutors will become ever-more adept at helping to create this balance.
Snow Day Policy
In general, St. Augustine’s will cancel classes if the Whitmore Lake School District cancels theirs. If they are only declare a delay or a half-day schedule, then we meet as usual, with appropriate judgments being made by our long-commuting families and faculty based on their locations. If we see that there is no need for closing we will alert families by the phone chain and e-mail. It is especially important that tutors make every effort to be here when we meet. The Whitmore Lake District closings are broadcast on 89.1 NPR and posted on their website. It is best to check your email before heading out in the morning or assuming that classes will be cancelled.
Advent and Easter Concert Expectations
All students are expected to show quiet and respectful behavior in every Schola rehearsal. The concerts are a community effort where all rely on everyone else for a good outcome. Accordingly, if a student misses either the Dress rehearsal or the semester’s concert, his final Schola grade will be reduced by 5 points for each absence. Any exceptions must be arranged for at least 45 days in advance. Dress for the concert is as specified by the conductor. Dress for the dress rehearsal is regular St. Augustine’s dress code.
