Our Student-Parent Handbook and School Policies equip us to pursue our school mission.

Dear Parents,

The relationship between school and home is best seen as a partnership.  You trust us with the formative years of your children’s development, and we commit ourselves to maximizing all available resources to their education.  Working together, parents and teachers are capable of understanding and responding to the unique needs, passions, and ambitions of each child.

As parents, you are invited to participate in the activities of the Friends of ZIS, a parent-run group that works to enhance school events and school development.  If you haven’t yet considered joining a meeting, please don’t hesitate to attend a meeting at the earliest available opportunity.

Download a copy of the ZIS Student and Parent Handbook 2022 23 and read on to learn more about some of the protocols that help to guide our daily workings.  Much is addressed here, from school uniform to inclement weather, but please don’t’ hesitate to inquire in order to seek clarification or to learn more about our programmes.

 

Warmest regards,

Andrew VanderMeulen

Head of School

You are always encouraged to contact the school. We welcome appointments to visit campus as well.

Your child’s teachers are reachable by email as are the Heads of Section, Curriculum Coordinators, and the Head of School.

Every question and all feedback and concerns are welcome – do get in touch.

School Uniform

The school uniform shows our colours and suits our lovely climate.  Clean cut and comfortable, the uniform helps to share our school identity and allows us to focus on the big questions of the world.

As part of the school fees you are provided with one complete summer uniform set and one complete winter uniform set.  In addition, remember to collect your PE kit and house T shirt. We respectfully ask you to purchase sufficient further items of uniform so that your child is always properly attired in the correct dress for school and always has the correct dress for PE.  Purchases can be made through the school office.

The weather is sometimes unpredictable – you decide on which uniform to wear each day, summer or winter.  If it’s cool outside, wear your school vest or school sweater!

In the Primary School students wear their PE uniform on days when they have PE scheduled on their timetable. This uniform should be worn with white socks and appropriate sports shoes.

Secondary students wear their regular uniform to school each day and change into PE kit when required.  We will help students to take responsibility for organizing their daily schedules.

Please note that PE kit is required for PE class and Sports.

House T shirts are worn for house competitions – we will give advance notice of these days!

If, on any occasion, it is not possible to send your child in the proper school uniform, please give your child a note, briefly explaining the circumstances.

Please note that we require students to wear black footwear (or nearly black) and plain dark blue, black or white socks.  We do not allow flip flops, sandals, or other less protective footwear.

Labeling

Parents are respectfully requested to put a label with their child’s name and class on each item of uniform written clearly in indelible ink.  This will assist reception in returning items of clothing which are found in the school.  (Labels with names and class on other items brought to school e.g. bags, personal books etc would also help.) 

Please do not send your child to school when (s)he is sick. Infection spreads very quickly amongst school children (and staff !) and in cases of sickness, however slight it may seem at times, it is best to keep your child at home.

In the case of sickness preventing your child’s attendance, please:

  1. Communicate with your bus monitor.
  2. Use the SchoolPal interface to report the absence
  3. Indicate in SchoolPal or call the school to explain the duration of absence and the cause
  4. If this is not possible (e.g. you are taking him/her to the doctor before making a decision) please advise the school later in the day (before 16.00) about the duration of absence
  5. If the absence exceeds 3 full consecutive days, please send in a doctor’s certificate and sick note with your child when (s)he returns

If your child has a fever, please keep him/her at home until fully recovered.  In cases of contagious illnesses e.g. mumps, measles, chicken pox etc the local health education service prescribes mandatory times for student absence.  Please check with the school if you are unsure about these.

In cases of extended absence, the school will be pleased to advise you of missed work and will do everything possible to minimise the problem with regard to your child’s academic progress.

The school appreciates that there may be personal instances when you may need for family or other reasons to keep your child off school. In cases where such instances are predictable, please contact the school to discuss the issue in advance. Again, if the time out is substantial, the school will do its utmost to assist with the continuation of any programme of work your child is on. We would hope any such instances are kept to an absolute minimum; a school can be sympathetic to such requests but can never be indulgent of them.

Where absences amount to approach 10% of the school year, parents will be asked to meet and discuss the matter.

Our COVID-protocols remain focused on prevention, carrying out the requirements of the regional health and educational authorities.

ZIS Fever protocol

COVID prevention and control: http://zischina.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Epidemic-Prevention-and-Control-Summary-August-2020.pdf

Health and safety is our highest priority and risk assessments are carried out in order to review all aspects of the student experience of school.

The school has a full-time, fully-qualified nurse on site. Should your child receive an injury in any way, the school reserves the right initially to judge the seriousness of the case and act accordingly. Obviously, you will be contacted immediately in serious cases, but you will always be advised even of the slightest injury to which the nurse has had to attend on any given day. This will be written in the Communication Book/Student Planner.

If your child is on medication you MUST advise the school and ensure the nurse is given the correct medication to issue to your child at the right time(s). Children MUST NOT carry any medicines on them around the school or feel they can administer their own medications during the school day. Students will always be allowed out of classrooms to receive medication and clearly it is common sense not to have prescriptive drugs of any kind other than in professional, adult hands within the school environment.

First Aid kits are carried on all buses and are taken on all school trips.

Resources:

头虱 Head Lice Information

Physical Education is an integral part of the school’s Curriculum for all year groups. If at any time your child is unable to participate in these subjects, you must provide him/her with a note clearly indicating the reasons for not taking part. A note is acceptable for a period of two weeks only after which the school expects substantiation via supportive medical documentation for a period of prolonged absence from the P.E. programme.  Again, we would hope such instances are kept to a minimum since protracted absence from this area of the curriculum will mean your child is not completing the school’s requirements.

Students who are not able to participate in P.E. lessons will be accommodated during these lessons according to school and Physical Education department policies.

Secondary students must not wear P.E./Games kit to school.  For all P.E./Games lessons secondary students will be expected to bring the kit with them and change into (and out of) it for the duration of the lesson.

Please note that swimming is an integral part of the P.E. programme and parents will be duly advised as to when the programme operates for the student year groups. The school’s objective is to ensure that every student in Zhuhai International School is a competent swimmer.

The school runs teams in many different sports and students are actively encouraged to participate in these.  Full details of these are sent out in advance to parents.

Throughout the year, the school will be holding various internal sporting competitions (e.g. swimming galas, cross country events, athletics day etc) to which parents will be invited.  News of these will be circulated via the Parent Newsletter and in Student Planners.  Parents are also welcome to attend any sporting fixtures, home or away, in which our school teams are competing.

Books being studied in class may be issued to students to take home. These books remain the property of the school and should be cared for carefully. The school reserves the right to charge parents for serious damage to or loss of school texts which obviously results in replacement costs to the school.

At times, worksheets will be issued to students.  Parents are welcome to discuss with the relevant staff matters relating to books and worksheets and will be given access to inspect classroom books and materials accordingly.

 

Equipment

You must provide your child with the following equipment only to bring to school daily or to leave in your child’s locker in his/her classroom:

 

Year 1 – 6 inclusive  :

An English Dictionary

A plastic/zip pencil case with 3 or 4 graphite pencils, a pencil sharpener and Rubber

A plastic 6 inch (15cm) ruler (that fits inside the pencil case)

2 good ball point pens (black or blue ink) for Years 5&6 students only

 

Secondary Department  :

An English Dictionary

A plastic/zip pencil case with pencils, ball point pens (blue and black only), a pencil sharpener and a rubber

A basic geometry set

A non-programmable scientific calculator (including functions sin,cos,tan etc)

A 12 inch (30cm) ruler

 

We strongly urge you NOT to provide your child with a bilingual dictionary (and/or) mini-computer for translation purpose. This could seriously hinder their progress in acquiring and developing language skills.

Please note that coloured pencils, crayons, felt tips etc will all be provided for students for use as appropriate in classrooms. They therefore DO NOT need to bring their own. Often students who do bring their own lose them, lend them to others etc and this creates problems. Since it has long been acceptable to write in biro (and the quality of these is constantly improving) we discourage the use of fountain pens. Tippex (whitener) must never be used in school or on any submitted school written work. (It is strictly forbidden to take Tippex [whitener] into any internal or external examination.)

Students will be encouraged to complete assignments using computers or tablets where appropriate. There may, however, be specific occasions when this will not be recommended or permitted.

Any Internet use by students during the school day will always be closely supervised and directed by members of staff and will be used only in specific relation to curriculum needs.  Students are never allowed to use the Internet without such supervision.  Parents are also respectfully advised to supervise their children at home when they are accessing the Internet.  For students in Years 5-13 there is an acceptable use agreement to be signed with regard to proper  use.

Students should carry their books and materials in appropriate, protective bags/cases. Book bags will be issued to primary students and must be brought and used for borrowed library books.  Please ensure the bag being used is a sensible one. There will be storage space in all classrooms and your child should not be unduly burdened with materials to carry to and from school daily. If your child brings a packed lunch, please ensure it is very carefully sealed inside the bag, especially if it contains a drink or a yoghurt.

It is in your child’s interest not to bring personal belongings of an expensive nature to school. The school also discourages the bringing of mobile phones to school and therefore retains the right to confiscate such items [if used inappropriately during the school day] and return them as convenient. Your child should also not bring large sums of money for personal use to school.  Please note that the school absolves itself with regard to any loss of a student’s personal belongings or money.  Secondary students are encouraged to use their lockers (to which they are given keys) for security of their personal belongings and not to leave their bags or any personal possessions unattended.

There is a collection of lost property in the school and parents should contact reception if they feel their child may have left something at school inadvertently.  Lost property is not held indefinitely (for obvious reasons). At the beginning of each term, the school donates all stocks to charitable organisations. Before stocks are being donated, parents have the opportunity to browse through Lost and Found stock at the termly Friends of ZIS Coffee Morning.

Primary : Ever since WeChat was introduced as a communication tool between classrooms and home it has been welcomed and celebrated.  Thank you to our families for helping to keep these class groups positive forums for the sharing of photos and updates from the teachers.  Matters of an individual nature should be emailed to appropriate staff – thank you for your cooperation.

Secondary : ManageBac is the foundation of communication between home and school and parents are provided with login credentials to allow for their participation.  If in need of ManageBac guidance, please contact the Head of Secondary or view the helpful tutorial support provided online.  Email is also used by the school to communicate on individual matters.

ManageBac

This is an assessment and reporting system for students which is used to offer direct and comprehensive information with regard to a student’s performance throughout their time at the school.  It is currently used for MYP and DP students by the staff and is used by the PYP teachers for curriculum planning.  It is fully endorsed by the IB with regard to their programmes.  All secondary teaching staff are familiar with its use and are responsible for keeping the information about students fully updated so that parents have instant access to their child’s academic performance.  There will be workshops for parents to become familiar with the use of this system early in the school year and parents are strongly encouraged to use the system as a means of checking their child’s progress.

Zhuhai International School firmly believes it is definitely not in your child’s interest to have private tuition in school subjects.  Our educational reasons are as follows :

(a)     By its very nature, private tuition is different from classroom tuition.  Even though the tutor you employ may be completely au fait with the school curriculum and methodology it is likely that the individual (1:1) method of teaching used by the tutor may have slight differences from what your child is receiving in school and this will serve to confuse your child and consequently hinder her/his learning.  Please remember, the greatest hindrance to learning is learning itself : try saying the alphabet backwards and you will see what is meant by that.

(b)     Children who know they will get private tuition in a certain subject (or subjects) are very likely to lose concentration more quickly in the classroom at school.  All children are intelligent enough to ask themselves : Why should I go through this now in class when I know my tutor will do this with me ?  They will therefore not get true value from lessons and may well not only ‘switch off’ from the lesson themselves but seek to distract others.  This, of course, is unacceptable conduct.

If the above two sound educational reasons do not convince you, then the more direct and simple financial one should : you are paying to have your child educated at Zhuhai International School so why pay twice by employing a private tutor ?

Remember, we have an open school policy and you may approach the school at any time on matters of concern relating to your child’s education.

Your child will be allowed to travel on school buses to and from school daily as this is charged separately. Pick up points will be clearly advised and we will try to plan routes such that the time travelling on buses is kept to a minimum. You will be advised of morning pick up times accordingly. Safety and security on buses will be monitored and, in the event of traffic problems, you will be advised as promptly as possible of delays. It is important the school is fully advised of who may call at the school to take the child home (on occasions) and who will receive each child off the homebound bus or if a parent wishes the child to go home with a friend.

All students are required to wear seat belts throughout their journeys on school buses.  All buses have a school appointed monitor who will record and report any misbehaviour by students on buses.  In such cases, parents will be informed and the school reserves the right to disbar students from using a school bus for any period of time it sees fit and this may include a permanent ban.  If a student damages any part of the bus, parents will be held responsible for paying for the damage.  We know you will support our efforts to ensure student behaviour on buses is exemplary as it is not only in their own personal interest but in the health and safety interests of all passengers.  If a student is banned from using a bus, the parents are responsible for ensuring he/she gets to and from school on time.

If parents require their son(s)/daughter(s) to travel on a bus other than their usual designated one (e.g. to go home with a friend) notice IN WRITING must be given AT LEAST 24 hrs IN ADVANCE.  Failure to do so may mean your son/ daughter is not permitted to change buses.

The student agreement for behavior on buses which has to be signed by the student and the parent is to be found in the appendices.

 

Educational Visits

The school actively promotes educational visits for the students. However, there are two types of such visits:-

(a)    Those integrated with the curriculum and seen as an absolutely essential part of the course. As such they are compulsory and students (and parents) will be made aware of this element and a large proportion of the costs of such visits is incorporated into the school fees.  In such cases where substantial travel is involved parents may be asked to cover the fares for the cost of the journey.

(b)   Other visits are entirely optional. Naturally, the school will always point out the benefit of such visits and would always encourage parents to send their child(ren) on the trip. However, we recognise we cannot insist on this. Students, who by parental request, do not go on trips will be fully supervised in school and follow as normal a course of study during the day as possible.

Parents are welcome to give practical support to the school on educational trips. Those who wish to do so should give their names and contact phone numbers to the classroom teacher or leader of the excursion   and when a trip is arranged contact will be made to see if you are able to attend and assist the staff during the visit. We would welcome this as active participation and assure you that should you be involved in this way you will naturally be covered under the school insurance regulations.

The attributes of the IB Learner Profile provide a benchmark for our words and actions.  It is important still to clarify foundational parameters for maintaining a safe and accepting school climate.  These expectations are outlined in “ZIS Safe and Caring Learning Community”.

ZIS Safe and Caring Learning Community

Introduction

ZIS students, teachers, and other staff members have the right to study and work in a safe, orderly and respectful school environment. It is expected that students will be composed, courteous and caring towards other students, staff members, and visitors to the school. Cooperation with and respect for teachers and other school staff members is expected. Students are encouraged to utilize self-control, develop a sense of regard for fellow students, and take pride in their school and community.  One of the goals of education is self-discipline, so parents, teachers, and administrators work with students to establish and reinforce guidelines for acceptable behavior.

Parents and students are required to be familiar with this policy and to share the responsibility for maintaining a healthy educational environment. Appropriate action will be taken by the school administration, in consultation with parents, when inappropriate behavior of a student continues to disrupt the educational program. Where necessary, the school may also consult with other professionals and appropriate authorities.

Although rare, persistent conduct issues and/or dangerous, unsafe or illegal actions may necessitate expulsion.

In considering students’ conduct, the school day begins the moment a student leaves their home to come to school and ends when they return.

In all cases the school’s administration reserves the right to determine the appropriate course of action.

What happens when students’ conduct themselves poorly or inappropriately?

Learning is the key reason that children come to our school. The IB’s Learner Profile describes the attributes of a successful learner, and provides a positive framework of shared ideas and language with which ZIS teachers and students can consider and discuss conduct.

(http://profesorbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/learner_profile_puzzle.jpg)

The attributes of being Principled, Open-minded, Caring, Balanced, effective Communicators and able to Reflect are readily involved when considering students’ conduct. The Learner Profile will also be used at ZIS to praise and reinforce good and appropriate student conduct.

ZIS understands that Primary and Secondary students, whilst being considered maturing children and emerging young adults, will make mistakes, behave thoughtlessly at times, and not always conduct themselves in a composed, consistent and caring way. Much of this behaviour can be readily resolved and improved by the intervention of a responsible adult (teacher). The learning relationship between teachers and students is critical, and poor conduct can create distraction and conflict to this relationship.

Teachers and students are expected to make a serious and consistent effort to develop and maintain this learning relationship. Teacher intervention in student conduct should be

  • positive
  • constructive
  • as private as is possible
  • based upon developing and maintaining a respectful and effective learning relationship
  • of a counseling nature.

Student Conduct Review Process

The following Student Conduct Review Process is for both Primary and Secondary students. A Homeroom teacher is the Secondary equivalent of a Classroom teacher in Primary. Where a Principal is referred to this will be the relevant Primary or Secondary Principal.

Each arrow indicates no change in the student’s conduct and therefore means the process moves to the next phase.

Stage 1

Stage 1 intervention should include:

  • A discussion between the relevant teacher and student, whereby the teacher describes the conduct they have observed.
  • A reflective question put to the student regarding what is appropriate and expected conduct.
  • A confirmation from the teacher of what is appropriate and expected conduct.

Stage 2

If classroom or home-group teachers observe repeated poor conduct they may:

  1. Liaise with parents.
  2. Counsel students further outside of class time. The aims of these discussions is to prompt students to reflect upon their conduct and make a statement about future conduct that they wish to be held to.
  3. Communicate with Homegroup teachers.
  4. Make a pastoral care note and add to student file.

Stage 3

If a student’s conduct is considered to be serious nature, or if the student significantly breaches the verbal agreement they made in Stage 2, the classroom and/or homegroup teacher will meet with the student out of class time. Parents will be consulted prior to this meeting and may be invited to participate in it.  The outcomes of this meetings should include:

  1. The student’s conduct is reflected upon and understood.
  2. Appropriate and expected conduct is described and understood.
  3. Students make a statement/s about future conduct that they wish to be held to. These statements will be recorded by the Homeroom/classroom teacher, who will then email them to the parents and student. All parties must confirm that they agree with the distributed statement/s.

A pastoral care note will added to the student’s file.

Stage 4

If a student’s conduct is of a particularly serious or unchanging nature (they have not been able to live up to their commitments as documented in Stage 3), they and their parents will need to meet with the Principal.

The outcomes of this meeting should be:

  1. That the student and parents have a clear understanding of the significance of this stage of the Student Conduct Review Process – the conduct at issue is serious and/or unchanging.
  2. Students make a statement/s about future conduct that they wish to be held to. These statements will be recorded by the Principal, emailed to parents and student, and must be confirmed by all parties.

Suspension may be appropriate at this stage. A meeting with parents and the student may precede or follow this meeting.

A pastoral care note will added to the student’s file.

Stage 5

Stage 5 is for unchanging/repeated conduct at issue and addressed in Stage 4, or for particularly serious misconduct. At this stage students and parents negotiate a Conduct Contract with the Principal.

The outcomes of this meeting should be:

  1. The student and parents have a clear understanding of the significance of this stage of the conduct policy – a repeat of the conduct at issue will lead to the final stage.
  2. The student, Principal and parents agree on written statement/s about future conduct that the student will be held to. These statements will be noted as a Conduct Contract and signed by the student, parents and the Principal.

Suspension may be appropriate at this stage. A meeting with parents and the student may precede or follow this meeting.

Copies of the Conduct Contract will be kept by the student and parents, and will be placed on the student’s file.

Stage 6

Stage 6 is for unchanging/repeated conduct at issue and addressed in Stage 5, or for very serious misconduct. At this stage students and parents negotiate a Conduct Contract with the Head of School.

The outcomes of this meeting are:

  1. The student and parents have a clear understanding of the significance of this stage of the conduct policy – the student’s place at ZIS is at stake and a repeat of the conduct at issue will likely lead to expulsion.
  2. The student, Head of School and parents agree on written statement/s about future conduct that the student will be held to. These statements will be noted as a Conduct Contract and signed by the student, parents and the Head of School.

Suspension may be appropriate at this stage. A meeting with parents and the student may precede or follow this meeting.

Copies of the Conduct Contract will be kept by the student and parents, and will be placed on the student’s file.

Suspensions & Expulsions

The school reserves the right to suspend temporarily or, in serious cases, exclude permanently a student whose conduct is totally unacceptable within the school community.  It also reserves the right to stop re-registration of students. Naturally, before embarking on such action all possible avenues to prevent what is the school’s severest disciplinary measure will have been discussed with the parents and attempted with the student.  However, parents must realise that should a student be involved in any of the following activities, (s)he may be instantly excluded permanently and there will be no right of appeal :

  1. Bringing narcotic substances or alcohol into the school either for her/his own use and/or for distribution to other students
  2. Any deliberate action that endangers the well-being of any member(s) of the school community. This includes cyber bullying on social media e.g. twitter, facebook etc
  3. Bringing offensive weapons into the school
  4. Criminal damage to any part of the school or its property
  5. Theft of any item or money from the school or any member of the school community

In such cases there will be NO refunds of fees paid.

Parents should also note that it is made very clear to students that their actions inside and outside of school are equally as important and that any behaviour outside of school that the administration deems unacceptable and brings the school into disrepute will merit disciplinary action in school and that could involve suspension, exclusion or refusal to allow re-registration.

Please understand that the school does not discuss the merits or demerits of any action it may take against individual students with parents other than those of the individual student with which it is dealing. For further information please consult the Student Conduct regulations.

When determining school closure, we are required to follow the government’s weather warning system.  Warnings are published online here: http://zhmb.gov.cn/

For a detailed description of warning symbols, please view:

Weather Warnings from Government 2018

When faced with air quality concerns, we follow the following guidelines:

ZIS Air Quality Procedures