The American School of Grenoble 2006-2007 We are pleased to welcome you to the American School of Grenoble. Our school is a pedagogically-independent entity within the International Collège and Lycée of Grenoble. We are housed in and legally bound to the Cité Scolaire Internationale, whose head is the proviseur (Mr. G. Maleck), who is legally responsible for the school. As such, all rules and regulations of the International Collège and Lycée apply to the American School. The American School is headed by Dr. S. A. Magnier, who is assisted by a liaison officer, Ms. J. Corbineau, and run administratively by a board of directors which delegates its authority to the head of school for the daily management of the school. Special issues, must however, be addressed directly to the board of directors (a list of whose members may be obtained upon request). The American School offers classes from grades 6 through 12. In middle school, grades 6-9, the students are strongly encouraged to be part of the regular French collège, while in high school, grades 10-12, most of the classes are held within the American School. All courses given in the American School are taught in English and are accredited by the NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges). Funding for the school is provided in part by the French government through the Rectorat de Grenoble (Academic commission). Additional funding is nonetheless required to cover the expenses of pedagogical materials (books, workbooks, etc.), additional teaching hours, staff development, extracurricular activities, and administrative management of the school. Without these additional funds, the American School cannot exist, which is why parents must pay entrance fees for the school. These amount to 2400 euros for school year 2006-2007.
Please take a moment to read the following pages which outline the rules and regulations that are applied in the school. We require that a copy of the last page be handed in to the pedagogical director with your signatures (parents and student).
RULES AND REGULATIONS. The school is open 6 days a week, Monday through Saturday. Parents are asked to make an appointment to enter the school. The director’s office is open on a “walk-in” basis from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM and from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM. Should you need to see the director or the liaison officer beyond these hours, we ask that you call and make an appointment. Students in college (6th-9th grades) are not allowed outside of the school grounds during regular school hours, including lunchtime, unless parents have signed the required authorization slip. Students in lycée (10th-12th grades) can leave the school whenever they have a gap in their schedule. The school cafeteria is open from 11 AM to 2 PM. Lunch breaks vary. Students are thus strongly encouraged to eat on school premises, especially when they have very short lunch breaks (half-hour). The school requires that only school-bought food be eaten on school premises. Packed lunches may only be eaten outside of school.
Communication: We strongly encourage communication between students, parents, faculty and managerial staff. Messages between parents and faculty are sent via the “carnet de correspondance” given to the student on the first day of school. This “carnet” or notebook is a personalized document which students must carry with them at all times in school. Teachers may request to see it at any time. Both parents and teachers may write in it whenever needed and must sign any messages addressed to them thereby agreeing that they have received the message. The carnet therefore keeps a written record of all communication between parents and teachers. We ask that parents check this “correspondance” notebook on a daily basis. All information pertaining to the school will be included in it. If parents wish to set up an appointment with the teacher, they can do so via the carnet (the preferred method), or by email or phone. All teachers are provided with a school email address. Absences, Tardiness: If a student is absent, parents MUST call the “Vie Scolaire” (office of Student Life) before 8:30 AM; the phone number is 04 38 12 25 78. Most of the staff in the Student Life office understand sufficient English to be able to note your child’s name, grade/class, and reason for his/her absence. We ask that absences be also registered with the American School by calling us or sending an email. Our number is 04 38 12 25 47 or 04 38 12 25 60.
All unexcused students noted as absent from roll call will be reported to the Vie Scolaire and parents will be notified of their absence. All absences must be justified. All unjustified absences/tardiness will be kept track of and may be taken into account for grading purposes. Upon return from his/her absence, the student must first check in with the collège Vie Scolaire (located on the ground floor in building E) and justify his/her absence by presenting a signed note from his/her parents. These predefined, pink-colored notes can be found in the back of the “carnet de correspondance.” This note will be stamped by the Vie Scolaire supervisor and the student will then need to show this stamped note to all teachers concerned. Medical, dental, and other essential appointments must be made outside of regular school hours. Parents who know about an absence in advance should notify Vie Scolaire and the American school office, as well as notify all teachers concerned via the carnet de correspondance so that they can plan assignments and/or homework accordingly.
Students are required to be on time for their classes. When a student is late for class, he/she must first go to the Vie Scolaire to get the requisite tardy slip (pre-printed on blue paper in the “carnet de correspondance”) stamped by the Vie Scolaire supervisor before going to class and presenting the tardy slip to the teacher. Students must get their tardy slips signed by their parent(s) and must return them to the Vie Scolaire the NEXT school day before going to class. The following rules will be applied to students of the American School: 3 unexcused tardies will result in one hour of detention 1 unexcused absence will result in one hour of detention Any skipping of class will result in an automatic detention. Teacher’s absence: All teachers’ absences are posted on a bulletin board outside the Vie Scolaire. Students must check this bulletin board as often as possible (morning, afternoon). When a teacher is absent, a college student (6th –9th grade) who has not been authorized by parents to leave school boundaries will be required to go to “permanence” (study hall, which for collège is in building E by Vie Scolaire, and for lycée is in building C; both are on the ground floor). If, on the other hand, the student has shown proper authorization to the school authorities, he/she may leave school if this teacher’s absence takes place after all other classes are finished, or right before the student’s lunch break. In all other cases—i.e., a teacher’s absence in between other classes—collège students must go to the collège study hall; students in lycée have the right to go study in the library (CDI). If a teacher is late, students are to wait by the assigned classroom door for 15 minutes, after which they must go to the appropriate study hall room and wait for the teacher to come for them.
Cell phones and other electronic devices: Cell phones MUST be turned off during class time. All students found with active phones may have their phones confiscated. Parents will then be asked to come and get the confiscated phone and remove it from school premises. All electronic devices (CD players, MP3, gameboys, etc.) are prohibited from school. They will be automatically confiscated from students and parents will be asked to come and get them. We strongly suggest that students not be in possession of valuables as these may be lost or stolen and the school will not be held responsible for any such loss. Dress code: Proper dress attire must be worn at all times. The Cité Scolaire Internationale and the American School are secular organizations and as such will not tolerate any ostentatious political or religious apparel (t-shirts with symbols or slogans, religious jewelry or headgear, etc.). Behavior: Students are expected to display respectful behavior at all times. All forms of violence and verbal, physical, or mental abuse (including bullying and theft) are strictly prohibited from school. Students exhibiting any such behavior will be automatically excluded from school for a period of time. In the case of repeated offenses, the student will face permanent exclusion from school. Student representatives: Students can elect two representatives per homeroom class. They will in turn, represent their respective class at all administrative meetings.
I, _____________________________, hereby understand and agree to comply with the rules of the American School
Student (signature and date)
I _____________________________, parent/guardian of ____________________________, hereby understand and agree to comply with the rules of the American School
Parent/guardian (signature and date)
I _____________________________, parent/guardian of ____________________________, hereby understand and agree to comply with the rules of the American School
Parent/guardian (signature and date)
