* (1 required) | Student Agreement
As a student participating in Surprise Scholé Academy (SSA), I realize I am God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that I should walk in them, and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Ephesians 2:10, Philippians 4:13).
Thus, I agree to wholeheartedly enjoy a safe and supportive learning environment free from discrimination, harassment, and bullying, and acknowledge that I take a proactive part in making this environment safe, too. Therefore, I will become familiar with what is appropriate behavior and conduct myself accordingly. Moreover, I agree to understand the heart and goal of this agreement, which is to build one another up to become more Christ-like, growing and maturing in our faith.
The Bible says “Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men, because you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward” (Colossians 3:23-24), thus I will:
- Complete all assignments for my classes thoroughly and on time.
- Give my best effort.
- Be a positive example.
- Adopt a servant’s heart and attitude.
The Bible says “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9), therefore I will:
- Be peacemakers with all peers; resolve conflicts peacefully, and avoid fighting inside or outside of Academy Days;
- Adhere and practice the Conflict Resolution Guidelines outlined in the Surprise Scholé Academy Handbook.
The Bible says “And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14-15), thus I will:
- Be an encouraging voice* to peers, other students, class mentors and others I encounter on Academy Day.
*An encouraging voice does not make fun of another person, including when they make mistakes, struggle, or are different from you.
*An encouraging and helpful comment might look like: “I struggle with this too, but let’s try together to [insert goal].”
*An encouraging comment is not given with sarcasm, discouraging body language, nor a harsh tone.
- Ask God how I can help my peers stay on task, and become more Christ-like, looking at my own faults before correcting another.
The Bible says:
“Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers” (1 Timothy 5:1);
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another” (John 13:34–35); and
“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:8-9), thus I will:
- Speak with kindness and gentleness to each person I encounter during all SSA events and activities.
- Show respect for all members of the learning community; behave respectfully, without arguing or talking back, and cooperate when a class mentor, parent or other adult gives direction or makes a request. I understand that I will be given an opportunity to voice my concerns at an appropriate time if I do not agree with the request.
- Refrain from gossip, unwholesome talk, slander and negativity about other members of the Surprise Scholé Academy community both during SSA activities and when engaging with other members of Surprise Scholé Academy outside of SSA meetings, activities, and functions.
- Share information with parents and SSA leaders that might affect the health, safety or welfare of the SSA community.
- Do my best to keep my parents/guardians informed about SSA related matters and make sure I give them any information sent home.
I will also:
- Take responsibility for my personal belongings and respect other people’s property, including this church campus;
- Abide by campus rules (buddy system, walking,) for my own safety and the safety of others;
- Raise my hand to request help;
- Keep all four legs of chairs on the floor;
- Be forthcoming with any questions to assist in my learning;
- Dress appropriately as is indicated in the uniform policy;
- Speak with reverence (quiet voices) while in the church building;
- Clean up after myself.
- Make every attempt to come to class prepared, on time, and ready for work;
- Bring appropriate materials and assignments for all classes;
- Not bring weapons, illegal drugs, controlled substances and alcohol;
- Refrain from bringing personal possessions, especially and including those that are disruptive (e.g., phone, entertainment devices, toys) to Academy Day.
- I will be obedient and respectful to my academic mentors & all adults.
- I will interact with fellow students with kindness and respect.
- I will not run in the building.
- I will speak with reverence (quiet voice) while in the church building.
- I will arrive on time, in dress code, and ready to fully participate.
- I will clean up after myself.
Student Relationship Policy
We recognize that decisions regarding opposite-sex student relationships lie with the individual families, however, if SSA students are dating, we should not be able to discern as much from their conduct while participating in any Surprise Scholé Academy events including, but not limited to meeting days, other events, field trips, or other activities.
Physical contact, including but not limited to, hand-holding, hugging, kissing, walking, leaning, or sitting with arms around another, between young men and women is not appropriate or acceptable conduct.
Inappropriate Classroom Behavior
The Bible says:
“Listen to your teacher and learn all you can” (Proverbs 23:12), thus I will:
- Respond cheerfully and quickly to my class mentor’s requests to get back on task in class;
- Speak in respectful tones to mentors and others in the classroom;
- Be respectful of the classroom environment, otherwise I may face the following actions:
- Given a warning/reminder/redirection.
- My on-campus parent may be alerted to the behavior.
- If I need another correction, I acknowledge I will be escorted back to my on-campus parent on campus, therefore missing the rest of my class time.
- If repeated corrections are needed or there is no change to my behaviors, I will be held accountable as follows below.
Accountability
The SSA Governing Board desires to respond to policy violations with grace and gentleness while being mindful of the impact violations have on both the engaged student(s) and other members of SSA. We recognize that we are born as sinful beings into a fallen world, and therefore recognize that students will not always act perfectly in accordance with SSA policies. The Governing Board also recognizes that policy violations can provide opportunity for student character growth and virtue formation and we approach infractions with this in mind. Our goal is to redeem the student to appropriate conduct by encouraging the student to listen and respond to the Holy Spirit. In order to limit distractions, as well as safeguard our environment, church relationship and student engagement, the following procedures may be used in any order as determined appropriate by the governing board:
- Notification to student(s) and parent(s) of the violation.
- Notification to student(s) and parent(s) of the violation; within one week of the violation the student(s) involved will submit a written document detailing their plan and resolve to refrain from the behavior and/or actions in question. This document must be signed by the student and the parent.
- Notification to student(s) and parent(s) of the violation and meeting with the SSA Governing Board* to address the infraction and develop a plan to restore the student to fellowship with the community. The SSA Governing Board may impose suspension or dismissal of the student from this community.
*The SSA Governing Board reserves the right to apply discretion and forgo any policies as deemed appropriate in individual situations, which may result in immediate suspension/dismissal of a student or family.
|