Pope Francis G lobal Academy
Student H andbook
2017-2018
The s chool policies and p rocedures contained i n this h andbook m ust be p laced in the p roper p erspective. T he
education of e ach child is the j oint responsibility of the h ome and the school. Recall the words you as parent
heard w hen y our child w as b aptized: “You w ill b e the f irst t eachers of y our child in the w ays o f the faith. M ay
you b e the b est o f t eachers by what you say a nd d o.” C ontinuous a nd r espectful communication and c ooperation
between the s chool a nd h ome w ill b est a ssure a quality education for each c hild e nrolled at P ope Francis G lobal
Academy School.
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Greetings,
I am pleased to welcome you all to the 2017-2018 school year. A great deal of work was performed
over the summer in preparation of year two for Pope Francis Global Academy, and more projects are in
the works.
Each campus had i mprovements m ade t o the physical space.
At the S outh C ampus:
● The g ymnasium is now handicap a ccessible for p arish events.
● The t hird floor hallway and c lassrooms h ave been painted.
● Four classrooms have n ew window b linds and new whiteboard s kins.
● The teacher’s lounge i s b eing u pdated.
● We m ade more l ibrary u pgrades - including an e lectronic library d atabase.
In t he works at South:
● A new s ecurity d oor s ystem w ith key c ard access is b eing installed and w ill be completed s oon.
● The b ase of the s tatue in the front e ntrance i s being tiled t o enhance the a esthetic p resence.
At t he N orth C ampus:
● Rooms 2 05 a nd 3 05 w ere cleared of a ll u nneeded i tems.
● Room 305 has b ecome a n ew t hird grade c lassroom.
● The defective s erver a t North has b een r eplaced a nd t o date, t here h ave been n o i ssues.
● On the 1st f loor, t he t errazzo f loors h ave been s tripped of all t he layers o f dirt and sealed.
In the works a t North:
● The junior h igh s tairwell cracks are being r epaired.
● New safety barriers are being installed outside the gym to prevent cars from the alley cutting
across t he s idewalk.
● Architectural drawings are being made for potential relocation of the main school entrance
which w ould b e o ff of Ardmore a nd would include i mproved c ontrolled access.
Both Campuses:
● We are a dding m ore wireless access p oints t o i ncrease the f ootprint f or d evice connectivity.
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● All technology devices have been serviced with the addition of a new device management
protocol.
● Each campus is creating an enrichment and innovation space (think Google Headquarters office
space) for junior high students; the rooms will eventually have small libraries, computers, iPads,
beanbag chairs, Lego robots, and drones with live camera and HD picture capability. The drones
will also be utilized with our new Broadcasters Club. Students will be able to take video of
outside a thletic e vents a nd p ost t hem to Y ouTube.
This year, I will be increasing my presence at Pope Francis Global Academy both in the classroom and at
events in order to b e be m ore a vailable t o s tudents a nd families.
In lieu of a “World Language” class, we are implementing a “Transformative Period” which will include a
blend of enrichment and resource time. Enrichment will include work in the computer labs, additional
foreign l anguage exposure, and so m uch m ore.
All students in grades 4-8 will be assigned school Gmail accounts and will be taught the Google Suite
spectrum including H angouts, Docs, S heets, e tceteras.
We w ill b etter inculcate t he S piritual Charter a cross t he curriculum a nd in all that w e do.
We have plans to expand our global outreach by working in cooperation with other Pope Francis
schools including one in Massachusetts and two in Canada. A newly formed Instructional Leadership
Team (ILT) will be tasked with incorporating more global initiatives across the curriculum and better
instill t he Spiritual C harter i n all w e d o.
We have welcomed three new Pastors Fr. Elliott Dees (St. Pascal), Fr. M ikel Grisolano (St. Tars), and Fr.
Mike Wyrzkowski (OLV) who, like Fr. Dan Fallon (St. Cornelius), have a great deal of passion for the
Catholic Faith and for Catholic education and will certainly be an asset. They are working with Mrs.
Thyen and our Parent Ambassadors, as well as our Catholic Identity teams to develop stronger ties
between church and school.
As reflected in the year one surveys, while there were undoubtedly challenges, the positives far
outweighed any difficulties. This is a true testament to our families and children who recognize the
importance of C atholic e ducation a nd h ave p ut t heir faith in Pope Francis Global A cademy.
As w e l ook f orward t o an exciting y ear, God Bless you and your f amilies.
Best Regards,
Terrence K. O ’Rourke
Head of S chool
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Table of C ontents
Mission Statement . ..................................................................... 9
Spiritual C harter…………………………………………….……….. 9
Philosophy ................................................................................. 10
Non-Discrimination Statement . ................................................ 10
Administration a nd S taff
Head o f School/Deputy P rincipal/School Board …….…... 10
School P ersonnel … ……………………………………....…… 1 1
O ffice Staff ……………………………………………….…...…. 1 1
S chool Personnel - N orth Campus … ………………..……… 1 2
S chool Personnel - S outh C ampus ………………..……...… 13
Spiritual Stewardship
P astors ................................................................................... 1 4
Board of Specified Jurisdiction (School B oard) ……..…….14
Policy a nd R egulations
A dmission Policy .................................................................. 14
G eneral I nformation . ............................................................. 14
Age R equirements . ............................................................... 15
Priority o f Admission . .......................................................... 1 5
Financial O bligations
Tuition ………………………………………………...…………...15
Raffle . ..................................................................................... 1 6
P arent Service H ours C ommitment..................................... 17
FACTS Payment Process . .................................................... 17
F inancial A ssistance …………………………………………... 1 8
Parent Information
G eneral Expectations ............................................................ 1 9
Adult/Parent E xpectations..................................................... 1 9
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P arent/Guardian Conduct ..................................................... 2 0
Communications w ith Parents .............................................. 21
S chool M essenger Blasts a nd W eekly News U pdates ….... 2 1
I ndividual E mail ...................................................................... 2 2
G uidelines for Communicating E lectronically with M inors .22
A cceptable Use Conduct … …………………………..………... 24
Parent – T eacher Conferences .............................................. 2 5
P hone C alls . ............................................................................ 25
Forgotten Articles a nd Messages ......................................... 25
Volunteering a t S chool
V olunteers . .............................................................................. 2 6
R oom Parents … …………………………………………...…….. 2 7
P arent V olunteers/Lunch/Recess Supervisors … …….…..… 2 7
F ield T rip V olunteers … ………………………………...……….. 27
Lost and F ound . ........................................................................... 2 9
Legal Issues (Child C ustody) ..................................................... 2 9
Student R ecords . ......................................................................... 2 9
School Information
C alendar … ……………………………………………...…………. 30
S chool H ours............................................................................ 3 0
Curriculum … ……………………………………………...………….. 31
Safety Programs ……………………………………………...……... 36
Technology … …………………………………………………………. 36
Attendance
Absence.................................................................................... 38
P artial A bsence/Tardies........................................................... 3 9
E arly D ismissal ........................................................................ 3 9
S pecial Appointments ............................................................. 39
Extended Absence/Vacations ................................................. 39
S udden I llness o r Accident ..................................................... 40
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Emergencies/Disasters . ................................................................ 40
Emergency N otification ................................................................. 4 0
Special S ervices
G uidance a nd C ounseling ........................................................ 40
L unch P rogram … …………………………….……………………. 4 0
Weather / Recess P olicy … ……………………………………… 41
E DP T itle 1 Services . ................................................................ 41
Band/Music Program … ………………………….………………. 41
Discipline P olicy . ............................................................................ 4 1
All School Rules.......................................................................... 4 2
Major Incidents . .......................................................................... 4 3
S chool-wide D iscipline Cycle: . ................................................. 44
S earch a nd S eizure … ………………………………..……………. 46
S exual H arassment … ……………………………………..……..... 4 6
Cell P hone P olicy ……………………………………………..……. 4 6
Student L ife ...................................................................................... 4 6
Homework P olicy ........................................................................ 46
L ate Work Policy . ........................................................................ 4 7
Student Assessment
T esting . .................................................................................... 47
R eport C ards . .......................................................................... 49
Grading Scale .......................................................................... 49
Academic Policy .......................................................................... 51
P romotion/Retention ................................................................... 51
After S chool A ctivities ............................................................... 5 1
Student C ouncil .......................................................................... 5 2
Shadow Days . .............................................................................. 52
Student P arties ............................................................................ 5 3
Toys/Electronic Devices . ............................................................ 53
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Bringing M oney to School . ....................................................... 5 3
A thletics ...................................................................................... 53
Academic/Behavior Eligibility f or Extracurricular A ctivities/Field T rips ....... 5 4
Medical I nformation
I mmunizations and School P hysicals ...................................... 5 5
Medical T reatments . ................................................................... 56
Medication . .................................................................................. 57
A dministration ............................................................................ 5 7
S elf-Administration ……………………………………..………….. 57
Appropriate C ontainers . ............................................................. 58
Storage of M edication ................................................................. 58
Returning to School a fter an Illness................................................ 58
Physical E ducation and R ecess E xcuses ...................................... 58
Guidelines for Students w ith Food Allergies ................................. 58
Sudden Illness o r A ccident . ............................................................ 6 1
Hearing and Vision S creening . ........................................................ 6 1
Head L ice ........................................................................................... 6 1
Transportation/Safety
M orning Arrival a t S chool ……………………………………...….. 6 2
Drop-Off a nd Pick-Up P rocedures …………………………......… 6 2
Bicycles ........................................................................................ 6 4
D ogs .............................................................................................. 64
Emergencies/Disasters
Fire a nd Tornado Drills ................................................................ 6 5
Tornado W arnings . ....................................................................... 6 5
Snow . ............................................................................................. 65
F ederal Asbestos P rogram .......................................................... 6 5
R eporting C hild Abuse ................................................................. 6 5
Dress Code … ……………………………………………………………... 6 6
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Physical Education U niform ( K-8) … …………………………….... 66
O ut o f U niform Consequences . ................................................... 6 8
Closing Statements ........................................................................... 6 8
Amending Handbooks ....................................................................... 6 8
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Mission S tatement
Pope Francis Global Academy is c ommitted to reaching out through p rayer, service,
and education to t he n eeds of the community. I n t his s upportive atmosphere, s tudents
are encouraged and challenged by the partnership of p arents a nd teachers t o u se their
unique a bilities t o b e lifelong, contributing C atholic C hristians.
Spiritual C harter
Pope F rancis G lobal Academy i s dedicated t o forming students i n t he spirit o f the
Gospel a nd preparing them t o be committed d isciples of J esus Christ. T o that end, the
purpose o f a spiritual c harter is to help our s tudents to connect t he dots between the
content o f our Catholic faith, their prayer a nd service, a nd t heir life e xperience, which
includes relationships with family a nd f riends, leisure a ctivities, t heir s uccesses and
failures, their d reams a nd hopes f or t he future, and their e xposure t o t he c onflicting
values i n s ociety. O ur teachers a nd administration u tilize this information t o h elp s tay
focused o n the g oal. T he c omplete d ocument can b e downloaded HERE.
Our Spiritual Charter f ocuses o n 6 m ajor t enets:
● Encounter the Living C hrist
● Go t o God T ogether
● Follow the C atholic W ay o f Life
● Meet C hrist i n Prayer a nd Worship
● Be Committed Disciples
● Be Global C itizens o f t he World
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Philosophy
At Pope Francis G lobal Academy we b elieve t hat education s timulates t he natural
inquisitiveness of children and f ocuses their d esire t o learn. We believe that e ach
student is a unique i ndividual who m ust b e e ncouraged t o a ct p ositively a s p art of the
Christian c ommunity a nd s ociety in general. W e believe t hat through a n e nriched prayer
life, an awareness of t he n eeds of o thers, a nd s tudy o f o ur f aith, the s tudent w ill g row in
his/her Catholic life. O ur ultimate goal i s to involve t he students in the m ission of Jesus,
love o f God, and l ove of t heir neighbor, a nd t o promote i n each o f o ur s tudents a healthy
self- concept and respect f or s ociety a t large. To reach this g oal, w e s et the f ollowing
objectives:
● To a ssist p arents, w ho are the p rimary educators of t heir c hild’s growth.
● To develop s pirituality through daily p rayer, the s tudy o f t he Lord’s w ork i n
Scripture, and liturgical celebration.
● To a ssist and g uide parents in the preparation of t heir children for t he reception
of t he S acraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist, a nd C onfirmation.
● To r ecognize a ll a spects of s tudent g rowth: s piritual, moral, emotional, p hysical,
and intellectual.
● To design a curriculum which meets t he d iverse n eeds o f children with p rovisions
for different styles and m odes o f l earning.
● To c reate a n a tmosphere w here learning i s fostered b y c reative methods
encouraging t he child t o b e a s elf-initiated learner.
Non-Discrimination Statement
Pope F rancis G lobal A cademy does not discriminate o n the b asis o f race, color, sex, or
national or ethnic origin in t he a dmission p olicies, hiring p ractices, a dministration o f
educational policies, l oan programs, a thletics, or other s chool a dministered programs.
Administration and S taff
Head of School a nd Deputy P rincipal
The H ead o f School and D eputy P rincipal are the administrators of the s chool.
The Head of School i s the e xecutive o fficer o f t he S chool B oard. I n this l atter capacity,
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the H ead o f S chool a long w ith t he D eputy Principal a re r esponsible for i mplementing
Archdiocesan p olicies and policies w hich h ave b een established b y the S chool Board
and a pproved b y t he pastors.
Director o f Operations
The Director of O perations serves as p rofessional administrator and strategic leader f or
Pope Francis G lobal Academy. S /he i s a ccountable for school f inancial and o perational
management and r eporting, working closely with the H ead o f S chool, R egional Director
and P astoral C enter F inance Office t o drive p ositive financial p erformance of t he school.
S/he a ssists t he H ead o f S chool w ith the s tewardship o f the p hysical, financial and
personnel r esources o f the school, i n accordance with A rchdiocesan p olicies and
guidelines. T he D irector of O perations is responsible for e stablishing and t racking t he
budget of t he s chool, m aintaining t he f acilities at b oth campuses, administering the
technology infrastructure, a nd providing f iscal s trategic planning, a nd ensuring l ife
safety.
Director o f Admissions and A dvancement
The Director of Admissions and Advancement is r esponsible f or t he strategic planning
for growth a nd p romotion of our s chool t hrough m ission-appropriate relationship building
and t he execution of such plans. T his incorporates planning for effective
communication with parents, prospective p arents and all s takeholders; brand-building
and brand-awareness w ithin t he neighborhoods, t he A rchdiocese and t he broader
Chicago c ommunity; m arketing for r ecruitment, enrollment a nd reenrollment, as w ell a s
supporting the m arketing and e xecution of f undraising e fforts and s pecific program
offerings; planning a nd e xecuting all a dmissions events and o utreach activities.
School Personnel
All newly assigned teachers a re r equired t o meet t he p rofessional s tandards set by t he
Archdiocesan School Board. T hese include a B achelor’s D egree w ith a minor i n
Elementary E ducation and S tate Certification.
Office S taff
A school s ecretary is located at b oth North a nd S outh Campus. The s taff a t b oth o ffices
are available f rom 7:30 a .m. until 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
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Pope Francis Global Academy
North Campus
Faculty/Staff Homerooms and Rooms 2 017-2018
Alyssa R iehle Room 1 01 (Aide-)
PRE-KINDERGARTEN Liane Skolak Room 106
Laura B artuce
KINDERGARTEN N ancy W idlowski Room 201 (Aide-
Mary E llen G old Room 2 04
Room 2 06
GRADE 1
GRADE 2
GRADE 3 Eliza Hamer
Eilish S cott
Room 3 06
Room 3 05
GRADE 4 Jean F ortini Room 304
GRADE 5 Melissa P owers Room 3 01
GRADE 6 Kelly S zlak-Aimone Room 3 09
GRADE 7 Nicole DalSanto Room 3 07
Michele D emavivas Room 2 09
GRADE 8 Mike W uich Room 208
Kathy D ati Room 2 07
Room 2 00
ART Florinda N itti Room 202
MUSIC Briana Calhoun Room Gym
PHYSICAL E DUCATION Lori Jensen Room 3 02
SPANISH Conrad W ojnar
SCHOOL C OUNSELOR Kathleen O’Neill Room 304A
SPECIAL E DUCATION Molly Pyzyk Room 2 04A
EDP Dorrie H augen EDP Room
EDP/CAFETERIA Barbara Ledenbach EDP/Cafeteria
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Sandy Czyz Office
DIRECTOR O F O PERATIONS Mary L ubben Office
DIRECTOR O F ADMISSIONS Jodi T hyen Office
& A DVANCEMENT
BOOK K EEPER Jerri P abst Room
HEAD OF S CHOOL Terrence O’Rourke Office
DEPUTY P RINCIPAL Margaret K inel Office
(Link to North C ampus Teacher P ages o n School W ebsite)
(Link to Administration Page of t he S chool Website)
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Pope F rancis Global A cademy
South C ampus
Faculty/Staff H omerooms a nd Rooms 2017-2018
PREKINDERGARTEN Misty Mescall Room 105 Aide-Michelle T rigo
Amanda P antle Room 104 Aide-
KINDERGARTEN A ngela Gorski Room 1 06 (Aide-)
Paulina W agner
Melanie R oman Room 1 02
Danielle W ade Room 101
GRADE 1 Room 1 03
GRADE 2 Room 202
Room 2 01
GRADE 3 Sarah L ancaster Room 203
GRADE 4 Jessica Schwent
GRADE 5 Alexandra Z elinski
GRADE 6 -8 MATH/SS Bryanne V incent Room 4 03
Room 401
GRADE 6-8 - M ath/SCIENCE Dennis Conley
GRADE 6-8 - E LA Catherine Drougas Room 405
Room 3 05
ART Florinda Nitti Room 304
MUSIC Briana Calhoun Room G ym
PHYSICAL EDUCATION Lori J ensen Room 3 03
SPANISH Conrad W ojnar
SCHOOL COUNSELOR Kathleen O ’Neill Room
RESOURCE Kate Fuller Room 402
EDP/CAFETERIA Susan Conneely Room Cafeteria
ADMINISTRATIVE A SSISTANT Linda Garrett Office
DIRECTOR O F O PERATIONS Mary Lubben Room
DIRECTOR O F A DMISSIONS Jodi Thyen Room
& ADVANCEMENT
BOOK K EEPER Jerri Pabst Room
HEAD OF S CHOOL Terrence O ’Rourke Room
DEPUTY P RINCIPAL Margaret Kinel Room
(Link to S outh Campus T eacher Pages on School Website)
(Link to Administration P age of the S chool Website)
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Spiritual Stewardship
Pastors
The f our f ounding p astors are o ur primary s piritual l eaders o f t he p arishes and, as such,
have the r esponsibility of f ostering, g uiding, a nd c oordinating the e ducation ministry a t
the p arishes.
Governance
Board o f S pecified Jurisdiction ( School Board)
Pope F rancis Global A cademy shall b e responsible f or t he development of p olicies t o
govern t he operation o f the s chool. A ll such p olicies must be in a ccordance with t hose
established by t he A rchdiocesan S chool B oard and s ubject t o t he pastor's’ a pproval.
The pastors, i n collaboration with the B oard, shall s creen, interview, and hire the H ead
of Schools. I t s hall b e t he responsibility o f t he Board to review and a dvise on the a nnual
budget prepared by t he Head of S chool and Director o f O perations. Final approval o f
this budget i s the r esponsibility of t he H ead of School and p astors. T he Board s hall also
be responsible for working w ith t he p astors a nd the H ead o f S chool to set t uition r ates
and develop a nd s upport f und-raising necessary f or operating the s chool. The Board
operates u nder t he guidelines p rovided b y the O ffice of Catholic S chools for a B oard of
Specified Jurisdiction.
Board o f S pecified Jurisdiction
Policies a nd Regulations
Admission Policy
General I nformation
Pope F rancis Global A cademy i s operated u nder the a uspices o f the C atholic B ishop o f
Chicago, a corporation s ole, in t he A rchdiocese o f Chicago. P ope Francis Global
Academy a dmits s tudents o f a ny race, color, s ex, n ational a nd e thnic origin t o all the
rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally a ccorded or made a vailable to
students of t his s chool. Registration f or s tudents is ongoing a s well formally h eld t he
week following Catholic Schools’ W eek.
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Age Requirements
The State o f Illinois S eptember 1 c ut-off d ate will b e observed. A c hild e ntering our 3
and 4 year o ld P re-Kindergarten p rogram must be t hree by S eptember 1 st o r four b y
September 1st. A c hild e ntering kindergarten must be five b y September 1st. A c hild
entering f irst g rade m ust be s ix b y S eptember 1 .
Admission
Admission will b e determined both b y resource c apacity and a c omprehensive r eview o f
the s tudent’s academic s tanding (for g rades 1-8.) Applicants must b e i n good
academic, disciplinary and financial s tanding in t heir current s chool for t heir a pplication
to b e considered. Students applying to Grades 1 - 8 will b e a lso assessed b y a P ope
Francis G lobal A cademy l earning s pecialist to determine h is/her a cademic f it within our
program.
Once all of the necessary m aterials are s ubmitted, a pplications and m aterials will be
reviewed b y t he P FGA A dmissions t eam.
Classroom spaces at e ach campus w ill b e filled on a first-come, f irst - served b asis.
Students will be a dmitted to Pope Francis G lobal A cademy provided space is available
and the school c an meet the child’s educational needs.
Priority of A dmission
1. Currently e nrolled s tudents o f families w hose f ee and tuition p ayments a re
up-to-date. 2. S iblings of currently e nrolled s tudents of families whose fee and tuition
payments are u p-to-date. 3 . Children of p arishioners, n ot currently e nrolled. 4 . Students
transferring f rom other C atholic s chools and/or students whose c urrent p arish h as n o
school. 5. Children f rom non-parishioner families.
Waiting List
A wait list w ill b e c reated f or those who h ave n ot b een accepted in t he first r ound of
admissions due t o limited s pace i n the applicable c lassroom. F amilies will b e n otified i f
placed o n a wait list and again if/when a s pace b ecomes a vailable f or their c hildren.
Transfer Students
Students who t ransfer i n f rom another Archdiocesan s chool m ust h ave all o utstanding
debt to that institution paid in full.
Financial Obligations
Tuition f or 2 017-18
Tuition rates are evaluated a nd revised each year b ased o n enrollment, e xpenses, a nd
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other c onsiderations. B ecause tuition a nd fees o nly cover a portion o f the c ost of
educating each c hild, we rely on f undraising and other contributions to m ake-up t he
difference. I n compliance w ith Archdiocesan P olicy 1 400 and t o assure best p ractices,
parents/guardians w ill be required to sign a t uition and f ee agreement annually. Tuition
increases a verage 2 -6% annually.
For t he 2 017-2018 school y ear, tuition is as follows:
K-8 T uition
1st child: $5,350
2nd c hild: $ 3,600. D iscount o f $1,750 (34%) total f amily c ost: $ 8,950
3rd child: $ 2,600. Discount of $ 4,500 (54%) t otal family cost: $ 11,550
4th child: $ 2,600 D iscount o f $ 7,250 ( 54%) total f amily cost: $14,150
Pre-K T uition
In order to support the s chool’s P re-K sustainability g iven t he higher c osts o f education
and c are for these s tudents, a m ulti-sibling d iscount i s n ot a pplicable to Pre-K s tudents.
3 days p er week, half-day: $2,850 a nnually
5 days p er week, half-day: $ 3,575 a nnually
3 days per week, full day: $3,950 annually
5 days p er w eek, f ull d ay: $5,400 a nnually
Fees for 2017-18
Registration f ee: $ 200 annual non-refundable f ee p er f amily.
Curriculum R esources/Book/Material Fee: $ 250 annual fee p er student, w ith t he
exception of Pre-Kindergarten. F ees g o t oward materials e ach year t hat are p art o f t he
curriculum.
Raffle
Each f amily i s required to p urchase $ 400 (40 tickets a t $ 10) in f undraising r affle t ickets.
Cash p rizes w ill be awarded through m onthly d rawings d uring the school y ear ( October
- M ay.) Families p ay f or t heir t ickets u p front b efore s chool b egins, o r i t is a dded t o their
tuition a nd b illed t hrough FACTS. O nce t he $400 fee has b een paid, tickets w ill be
distributed and f amilies m ay e ither sell the t ickets, t urn in completed t icket s tubs ( the
part with seller’s n ame, e tc.) keep m onies from t he r affle t ickets s old t o friends a nd
family o r s ubmit t icket stubs that a re completed with t he f amily n ame and information.
For f amilies h aving only a h alf-day P re-K s tudent e nrolled at PFGA, the r equirement i s
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$200 i n r affle t ickets (20 t ickets at $10 e ach)
Parent S ervice H ours C ommitment
The g oal o f t he P arent Service Challenge i s t o encourage a s pirit o f s hared commitment
among a ll f amilies f or the benefit o f the school, s tudents a nd community of Pope
Francis G lobal Academy. Each family is r equired to complete 1 5 hours o f s ervice
between A pril 1 st of the current school year a nd M arch 31st o f the f ollowing y ear.
There is a v olunteer h our submission form o n the s chool website (HERE.) Families who
wish t o opt-out of t he s ervice c hallenge will b e a ssessed $225 a nnually in April. I f hours
that w ere committed b ut not completed, t he fee or a portion t hereof w ill b e a ssessed i n
April.
FACTS Payment Process
PFGA has e ngaged FACTS Mgmt, an o nline tuition m anagement s ystem, f or all s tudent
billing. FACTS p rovides flexible payment o ptions, o ptions for payment m ethods
(automatic deduction f rom c hecking and statement s avings a ccounts, c redit c ard o r
e-payment) and 24 hour account access a nd w eb s upport.
Tuition m ay be p aid i n a dvance or in ten or eleven equal m onthly i nstallments. The f irst
payment i s d ue in A ugust a nd t he last p ayment is d ue by M ay 1 5th.
All fees including curricular m aterials/books/ fees, fundraising f ees, and any other f ees
are d ue i n f ull a nd p ayable b y J uly 15th v ia y our F ACTS account.
No s tudent w ill b e p ermitted t o begin the school year u ntil all fees a nd t he f irst month’s
tuition has b een paid.
Prorated tuition
Late enrollment: Students e nrolling a ny t ime i n t he f irst m onth of t he s chool year will p ay
the f ull-year t uition r ate. A fter the first four weeks of school, tuition m ay b e p rorated b y
week. A ttendance for a ny day in a week c ounts a s a f ull w eek.
Early withdrawal: For s tudents on the m onthly p ayment plan, no refunds will be m ade
because the payment plan is essentially p ay-as-you-go. U pon notification of w ithdrawal,
the Business O ffice w ill c ancel f uture F ACTS d rawdowns.
Fees a nd r affle tickets cannot be prorated and a re non-refundable.
Tuition Delinquency
Paying tuition o n time i s important t o the f inancial o peration of the school. A ll tuition
payments a re expected to b e m ade in accordance w ith stated deadlines. P ope F rancis
Global Academy u nderstands that at t imes, f amilies m ay e ncounter unforeseen
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circumstances that t emporarily m ake timely p ayment difficult. W e a re willing t o work
with f amilies w ho f ind themselves in t his situation. T he f amily should c ontact e ither the
Bookkeeper o r t he Head of S chool t o d iscuss adjusting payment o ptions.
● If a FACTS payment fails o r is r eturned, FACTS w ill m ake up to 2 m ore
attempts t o process t he payment. Each returned c heck/debit incurs a $30 fee t o
the family. If an a ccount r emains u npaid a fter 3 attempts b y F ACTS, the school
Bookkeeper will contact t he family t o attempt r esolution.
● Accounts w hich b ecome 3 0 d ays past due w ill receive a d elinquency n otice
from t he B ookkeeper. Within 5 d ays of t he notice, parents must contact t he
Bookkeeper t o make a rrangements t o p ay. I f p arents f ail t o respond to t he
30-day d elinquency n otice, at 3 0 days + 2 w eeks, students w ill b e r estricted f rom
participation in e xtracurricular activities a nd a thletic programs u ntil p arents
contact the B ookkeeper and make a rrangements to pay.
● If a n account becomes 4 5 d ays p ast d ue, t he f amily will receive a delinquency
letter from t he Head of S chool s tating that s tudent(s) w ill continue t o b e e xcluded
from e xtracurricular a ctivities a nd t hat if acceptable a rrangements are n ot made,
the student(s) w ill b e e xcluded f rom school. The p arents w ill be r equired t o meet
with the Head o f S chool t o make a greeable p ayment a rrangements.
● If a n a ccount b ecomes 6 0 days past d ue, the s tudent(s) will be e xcluded f rom
school u ntil a ppropriate p ayment arrangements are m ade.
Additional for 8th g rade
● Tuition payments a nd a rrangement must be c urrent in o rder to p articipate i n a ny
graduation a ctivities, including t he g raduation ceremony, and f or a student t o
receive her/his c ap and gown.
● Diplomas w ill n ot be awarded u ntil a ll f inancial o bligations a re p aid in f ull.
● Official student records will n ot b e sent to high s chools until all f inancial
obligations a re paid in full.
No students may register for the following school y ear u nless their t uition account is
current a nd no s tudent w ill receive a c lassroom placement or b e p ermitted to a ttend f or
the following year u ntil t he current y ear f inancial o bligations h ave b een paid.
Financial A ssistance
Financial assistance may b e available for families who q ualify. To be c onsidered for
financial a ssistance, you must submit a FACTS Grant and A id Application, u pload all
required s upporting (tax) d ocuments, a nd pay the o nline application f ee to F ACTS
through your F ACTS a ccount. T his m ust be done every year that you would l ike t o b e
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considered for aid. The deadline t o a pply for f inancial aid f or the n ext s chool y ear i s
usually m id-March of the current year.
Completion o f a n annual FACTS G rant a nd Aid Application is required for ANY o f form
of financial a ssistance.
I f y our f amily c urrently h as a Caritas Scholar, y ou w ill be eligible to reapply b ut you you
must re-submit a new application each y ear.
Additional financial assistance m ay occasionally b ecome available through
outside/private scholarships w hich will b e a nnounced t o those who m eet eligibility
requirements.
Parent Information
General Expectations
It i s expected t hat each family b ecome a ctively i nvolved at Pope F rancis Global
Academy in order t o r einforce t he values a nd a ttitudes for living a t ruly C hristian l ife. O ur
families and t heir children a lso a gree to act, at a ll times, in accordance with these
values and attitudes. Failure of a f amily to c ooperate with P ope Francis Global
Academy may lead to the r emoval or n on-registration o f t he f amily m ember(s) a ttending
the school.
Adult/Parent Expectations
The e ducation o f e ach c hild i s t he joint responsibility of t he home and the school. B eing
the b est example for your c hildren r einforces t he values a nd attitudes for living a t ruly
Christian life. In p artnership, our f amilies, their c hildren and t he f aculty and staff of P ope
Francis Global A cademy agree t o a ct, a t all t imes, in accordance w ith these values and
attitudes.
All parents o f a child e nrolled a t Pope Francis Global Academy a re e xpected to
understand t hat teachers a re p rofessionals and s hould be given d ue respect for their
training and c ommitment t o t he e ducation of y our c hildren. Appropriate language should
always be u sed in parent/teacher i nteractions, v erbal abuse i s n ever a cceptable. A gree
to d isagree respectfully.
When t here is a c oncern please follow this p rocedure:
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1. B ring your c oncerns d irectly to the teacher(s) i nvolved w ith a s cheduled conference.
Unscheduled visits to classrooms w ill n ot b e a ccommodated. D istracting t eachers a t
drop off or pick up i s p rohibited a s teachers have a responsibility t o k eep f ull attention
on t he children during these transitions.
2. I nform the H ead of S chool or D eputy P rincipal by phone o r email a nd s chedule a
conference if necessary.
Direct c ommunication with the t eacher and administration i s t he best o ption for
problem solving.
Likewise, t he f aculty o f P ope Francis Global A cademy understands that parents a re t he
primary e ducators o f their c hildren a nd will:
● Use a ppropriate language in all parent a nd s tudent interactions, u nderstanding
that v erbal abuse of another p erson i s n ever a cceptable. A gree to disagree
respectfully;
● Respond to p arent l etters, p hone calls, and e mail c ommunication in a timely
manner; invite parental p articipation and maintain o pen c ommunication;
● Properly prepare for e ach c lass in order to attain c urricular o bjectives a nd w ork
with each c hild to foster a spirit of achievement;
● Provide a s afe a nd c aring environment;
● Structure discipline a nd c lassroom environment w ith a Christian, C atholic
attitude.
Parent/Guardian C onduct
As p artners in the e ducation o f c hildren, P ope Francis G lobal Academy
parents/guardians are e xpected t o d emonstrate respectful b ehavior a t all times with
faculty, a dministration, s upport staff, s tudents, and volunteers whether on o r off s chool
grounds or a t s chool-related e vents. If i n t he o pinion of the administration, t hat
partnership is n o longer v iable, t he school reserves the right to require t he
parent/guardian t o either r emove t heir c hild(ren) from t he s chool or n ot accept
registration f or t he n ext s chool year. U nacceptable behaviors i nclude, but are not limited
to: harassment, v erbal a buse, a ssault o f o r threats to the f aculty, a dministration, s taff,
students a nd v olunteers of the school. Parents/guardians who p ost defamatory or
threatening s tatements about the school, i ts s taff o r students on s ocial media may b e
required to r emove t he offensive material o r w ithdraw their child(ren) from the school.
Every effort w ill be made so t hat a s tudent i s not d eprived of a Catholic school
education on grounds relating t o t he actions/attitudes of a p arent/guardian. In s ome
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cases, o ne of the following actions may permit the c ontinuation of the student in t he
school:
• Schedule meetings between school staff and t he parent/guardian outside o f r egular
school h ours i n a m onitored setting.
When, in t he j udgment o f t he H ead of School and of t he pastor, the behavior of a
parent/guardian seriously i nterferes w ith t eaching, learning, and a positive s chool
environment, t he administrator may:
• I nform p arents that t he r ight o f t he p arent/guardian to be present on school grounds is
temporarily or p ermanently suspended.
• Dismiss t he c hild(ren) of the parent/guardian temporarily o r permanently from the local
Catholic school. A ny instance of u nacceptable conduct ( as noted above) should be
reported to t he Office o f Catholic Schools Regional Director i mmediately.
Communications w ith P arents
Thursday Folder
Stay up to d ate with a ll P FGA Happenings w ith the Thursday Folder! T he PFGA
Thursday Folder is a g reat place f or c ommunication b etween h ome a nd s chool t o i nform
you o f many p rograms a nd e vents t hroughout the year.
Please note: All l etter or notices from p arents or notices from P arents/Parent
Groups/Outside G roups g oing home through the school r equire prior a uthorization t he
Head of School/Deputy Principal. A ll L etters o r notices m ust be submitted n o l ater than
8:00 am o n the T uesday that the information i s b eing s ent h ome.
Please send y our i nformation t o [email protected] f or approval. P lease n ote that
all planned a ctivities c an change. S chool administration will do their best t o a dvise
parents of c hanges.
School Messenger Blasts a nd W eekly News U pdates
Communication between home and s chool i s e ssential t o t he e ffectiveness o f t he s chool
program; most communications b etween s chool and home w ill be delivered
electronically. The Howler w ill b e sent h ome w eekly via o ur S chool M essenger
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notification system and a ll i tems included in t he weekly mailing will be accessible
through t h e Howler l ink on o ur w ebsite. A r eminder o f s chool e vents i s i ssued in the
Howler so t hat p arents will be adequately informed a s t o current happenings i n t he
schools. I n a ddition, newsletters a nd teacher communication a re u pdated o n t he
teacher's i ndividual w eb pages found o n o ur website.
Individual E mail
Pope F rancis Global A cademy has i mplemented s chool-wide use o f e mail t o improve
the c ommunication between parents, faculty, and s taff. E ach faculty member will h ave
the option o f u sing email to communicate w ith p arents. E mail a ddresses are p osted on
the school’s website. T he address format i s first i nitial last [email protected].
Email g uidelines f or P arents & Faculty: Email usage i s at the d iscretion o f e ach
individual f aculty m ember. Many t eachers p refer t o u se t he phone to s peak directly t o
parents. P lease send only n on-vital messages b y email. F or e xample, do not use email
to inform a teacher t hat y our c hild/ren w ill n ot b e a ttending s chool t hat d ay. A teacher
may n ot have t ime t o read y our message in a timely f ashion. Instead, call t he o ffice t o
be s ure your message i s received and c learly understood. Y our child’s a cademic
progress, l earning e xpectations, or b ehavioral i ssues are best a ddressed through a
telephone c onversation o r b y s cheduling a p ersonal c onference w ith a t eacher. A n
email m essage on these m atters i s n ot appropriate. U sing email t o s chedule a
conference o r m eeting is a ppropriate. P lease r emember that e mail is n ot guaranteed
confidential. C onfidential i nformation ( such a s medical o r h ealth concerns) s hould be
conveyed by p hone o r personal c ontact. Please i dentify y ourself in the s ubject l ine of
your e mail message and, if appropriate, the n ame of the child and phone n umber where
the parent c an b e reached. J okes, amusing o r special stories, c hain letters, or
commercial solicitations and in g eneral non-school related emails a re inappropriate and
reduce valuable t eaching time. Faculty a nd s taff agree to r eturn p arental email
messages w ithin 24 hours during the s chool week. F aculty m embers may opt to return
messages via email, p hone, or in writing. E mail access t o faculty a nd staff will not b e
available d uring weekends, h olidays or vacation.
Guidelines f or C ommunicating Electronically with Minors
The A rchdiocese of Chicago formulated t he f ollowing Guidelines f or C ommunicating
Electronically w ith Minors. B asics: E lectronic communication i ncludes ( but i s not limited
to) u se of cellular phones, webcams, email, text m essaging, i nstant messaging, and
electronic publication of content on w ebsites, message b oards, blogs, a nd social
networking s ites. All d ecisions related t o t he m eans u sed to c ommunicate e lectronically
with m inors s hould b e made b y Administration, r ather t han by individual e mployees o r
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volunteers. B efore c ommunicating with minors electronically, t eachers w ill obtain written
permission f rom p arents t o do so. Please i ndicate, in w riting, which forms of
communication they p refer t o be u sed to contact t heir children. T eachers, c atechists,
coaches, youth ministers, a nd o thers should n ot c ollect s tudent personal email
addresses a nd p hone numbers f rom students; t his i nformation m ust be p rovided, i n
writing, b y parents i f they have agreed t o do s o. I n t he event m inors are contacted
directly b y e mployees o r v olunteers, p arents m ust b e c arbon copied ( cc’d) o n t he
content o f a ll messages ( although duplicate m essages need n ot b e sent u sing the same
means o f c ommunication used t o c ontact the minor). The content o f e lectronic
communication s hould be brief and on t opic. When communicating w ith a minor,
teachers will w rite or speak as if they are a lso communicating w ith p arents; the
boundaries t hat must be respected i n o ral c ommunication extend to electronic
communication. All communication must c onform to A rchdiocesan Safe Environment
Training and the C ode of Conduct.
Communication that violates the Code o f C onduct will n ot be t olerated, regardless of the
medium u sed to convey it.
Cellular Phones/Text M essaging:
• W henever possible, teachers will use s chool or office l ines to c onduct
ministry/school-related c onversations w ith f amilies.
• School w ill n ot call m inors directly (e.g. o n a minor’s c ellular phone)
• Staff will n ot communicate w ith m inors via text m essages or t hrough s ocial media
sites.
Email:
• S taff w ill contact minors through their parent's e mail address p rovided o r i f a vailable a
school email address. O nly official A rchdiocesan o r parish s taff accounts should b e
used f or c ommunication w ith p ersonal e mail.
• If possible, staff will copy p arents o n emails sent to minors.
• School will n ot add m inors t o p ersonal electronic m ailing l ist (e.g. W hen sending or
forwarding a n email unrelated to e ducational o r m inistry-based a ctivities, s taff w ill n ot
add m inors to the list of r ecipients.)
• Employees o r v olunteers s hould n ot use personal s ocial networking site a ccounts t o
contact minors. I nstead, a p arish or school c an c reate a group o r organization p age
used strictly for e ducation o r m inistry-related c ommunication. T hese accounts must b e
registered t o the school or parish, and n ot t o individuals w ithin a n organization. All group
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pages o r ministry/education-related accounts should b e titled to reflect their o fficial
nature. Passwords t o s uch a ccounts s hould b e a ccessible t o a t least t wo e mployees.
• No p ersonal contact information s hould be listed in t he profile f ields. O nly o fficial email
addresses, office phone numbers, and j ob titles should b e l isted.
• A ccount settings s hould b e set t o m aximize p rivacy.
• While schools a nd parishes are f ree to p ublicize their p resence on social n etworking
sites, minors should n ot b e sought o ut as “friends” (i.e. i ndividually i nvited via site
communication t ools to associate with the group or page).
• School will not p ost pictures of m inors with f ull names or “tag” p ictures of m inors (i.e.
label p hotos t o increase t heir a ccessibility or visibility o n a s ite).
• School will n ot u se i nstant messaging programs (e.g. F acebook c hat).
• Official w alls a nd pages will be frequently m onitored for i nappropriate posts.
Inappropriate posts will be promptly r emoved/deleted. A specific i ndividual will b e
responsible for m onitoring sites and r emoving inappropriate content.
• I f t hird p arties create unofficial groups or fan p ages about o ur s chool, staff w ill
periodically r eview them for i nappropriate c ontent ( e.g. unauthorized u se o f l ogos,
bullying, harassing or d efamatory l anguage, e tc.). You may r eport t hese
pages/groups/users t o t he hosting site a nd ask that they be removed.
• All c ontent p osted b y employees a nd volunteers m ust reflect C atholic teachings and
values.
Students’ A cceptable Use o f T echnology
Pope F rancis G lobal Academy provides t echnology resources t o i ts s tudents s olely for
educational purposes. T hrough t echnology, P FGA provides access f or s tudents and
staff t o r esources f rom a round the w orld. E xpanding technologies t ake students and
faculty b eyond the c onfines o f t he c lassroom a nd provide tremendous o pportunities f or
enhancing, extending, and r ethinking the l earning process. The goal in p roviding these
resources is t o p romote educational e xcellence at b oth c ampuses b y facilitating
resource s haring, innovation, and communication with t he s upport a nd supervision of
parents, teachers, and s upport staff.
Please c lick H ERE f or t he s chool’s A cceptable U se P olicy that all students a nd p arents
in g rades 4-8 will r ead, s ign, a nd return t o the s chool.
Technology Use Outside of S chool
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Parents/Guardians are primarily r esponsible for t he s tudent’s appropriate and e thical
use o f t echnology o utside of school. H owever, the inappropriate use o f t echnology
outside o f s chool m ay s ubject t he student t o d isciplinary action. I nappropriate u se of
technology m ay i nclude, but is n ot l imited to harassment o f o thers, use o f the school
name, r emarks directed to or a bout t eachers a nd staff, o ffensive c ommunications
including videos/photographs and t hreats. U nauthorized c osts incurred f or o nline
purchases charged t o the school a re the r esponsibility of t he s tudent and her/his f amily.
Parent – Teacher Conferences
A m andatory conference i s held e ach s chool year after t he first trimester. This g ives
parents a nd t eachers a n o pportunity to discuss the student’s rate of progress in school
and o ther m atters of concern. A dditional c onferences may be arranged at t he r equest of
parents, t eachers, or s tudents, s hould the n eed arise. T here are no impromptu
conferences. If p arent – t eacher c oncerns arise, please make a n a ppointment b y
sending a note, email, or by p lacing a telephone c all t o that particular teacher. D o not
come t o t he classroom u nless there i s a scheduled a ppointment time. There are no
conferences before or a fter school w ithout an a ppointment. A dditional p arent-teacher
conferences a re h eld i n M arch by request.
Phone Calls
Messages m ay b e left for t eachers a t t he offices at a ny time. T eachers will not h ave t he
time, during the instructional day, t o respond to a phone message. Your child’s
academic p rogress, learning e xpectations, o r b ehavior issues are b est a ddressed by
scheduling a personal c onference w ith a teacher. When l eaving a message, p lease
identify yourself, the name of t he c hild, and a phone number w here y ou can b e r eached.
Faculty and s taff a gree r eturn calls to p arents within 24 h ours in a school week.
Parents, p lease n ote t hat voice m ail a ccess t o f aculty a nd staff w ill not b e available
during weekends h olidays o r v acation.
Forgotten Articles a nd M essages
Forgotten a rticles such as, h omework, gym c lothes, o r projects, w ill b ecome the
responsibility of the s tudents. S tudents will not b e a llowed t o call home f or these i tems.
Pope F rancis Global Academy asks t hat p arents/guardians d o n ot deliver them to the
school after d rop-off i n the m orning. F ast f ood l unches may only b e brought once a y ear
on the c hild’s b irthday and o nly f or that c hild. Delivery of f lowers or other g ifts for
students i s extremely d isruptive during the s chool day. I f t hey a re delivered, s tudents
may p ick them u p in the o ffice a fter d ismissal.
Parents/guardians a re a lso asked n ot t o c all t he school o ffice with m essages f or student
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except in e xtreme emergencies. Information regarding w ho w ill p ick u p the s tudent,
where t o go after s chool, e tc. should be a rranged b efore the child comes t o school. T he
school a ssumes n o r esponsibility for p assing m essages t o the s tudent during t he s chool
day.
Volunteering at the S chool
Volunteers
A p rivate school c annot operate w ithout v olunteers. Hopefully, each parent w ill be able
to offer t he full 1 5 hours of volunteer work a sked in t he P arent S ervice Challenge. R oom
parents, teacher a ides and c lerical h elp a re s ome of the possible areas where
assistance i s n eeded. I t is necessary f or a dults w ho volunteer with c hildren t o c omplete
the Archdiocese of C hicago Form #7703 – A pplication o f E mployment/Volunteer
Service a nd they will b e asked to c omplete a n o nline Criminal B ackground Check, t o fill
out DCFS a nd Code o f C onduct f orms, a nd to attend V irtus t raining. All volunteers need
to s ign in at the appropriate office where t hey w ill b e working, either the north or south
campus, likewise, v olunteers n eed to s ign out at t he office at the end of t heir service.
Volunteers are required t o w ear a visitor pass while i nside the school building(s). While
at Pope F rancis Global A cademy, v olunteers are expected to adhere to school p olicies.
Archdiocese of C hicago Office o f Catholic Schools Requirements for
School V olunteers O ver 18 Y ears of Age
1. C omplete t he Archdiocese o f Chicago application f or E mployment o r Volunteer
Service. ( Office for t he P rotection o f Youth a nd C hildren)
2. Complete an online C riminal Background Check ( eApps). A ll volunteers who work
with children must c omplete a n o nline b ackground check. No one m ay volunteer unless
the c riminal background check h as b een c ompleted a nd a pproved. V olunteers a re
required to complete the e AppsDB f orm online.
3. A ttend V irtus/Protecting God’s Children for Adults™. All v olunteers o ver 1 8 m ust
pre-register o nline to attend t his one t ime, 3 hours t raining before t he f irst chaperone
event or a ctivity is scheduled.
4. Code of Conduct: All volunteers who work with children m ust r ead, sign a nd date t he
Code of Conduct Personnel Acknowledgement form.
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5. Child A buse a nd Neglect Tracking S ystem ( CANTS): All volunteers who work w ith
children must c omplete t he I llinois Child Abuse a nd Neglect T racking S ystem ( CANTS)
paper f orm a nnually.
Applicants for a chaperone volunteer p osition s hould use t he Checklist for S chool
Volunteers Over 1 8, complete t he requirements, attach the r equired documentation and
return t he c omplete checklist to t he Head of the school.
Room Parents
The Parents’ Club o rganizes the room p arents to a ssist the teachers in c lass a ctivities
such as field t rips, parties, t elephone r elays, etc. Room parents are required t o f ill o ut
Archdiocese o f C hicago F orm #7703 – Application of E mployment/Volunteer S ervice
and w ill be a sked to c omplete an o nline Criminal B ackground Check, to f ill out DCFS
and Code of C onduct forms, a nd to attend Virtus t raining.
Parent V olunteers/Lunch/Recess Supervisors
Parent Volunteers a re welcome to a ssist students i n t he lunchroom a nd at r ecess. A ll
Volunteers are required to f ill out Archdiocese o f C hicago Form # 7703 – Application o f
Employment/Volunteer S ervice and w ill b e a sked t o complete an online C riminal
Background Check, to fill out DCFS and C ode o f C onduct f orms, and to a ttend V irtus
training.
Field Trip Chaperones
Field trips p rovide a valuable educational e xperience f or s tudents. Without the h elp of
volunteer c haperones, m any f ield trips w ould not b e possible. O ur school c ommunity i s
grateful f or y ou g iving o f y our time a nd support t o these important a ctivities and learning
experiences for our s tudents.
To a ssure t hat s chool-sponsored f ield trips are safe a nd rewarding experiences f or all
participants, t hese g uidelines h ave been p repared to p rovide i nformation a bout
volunteering as a field trip c haperone.
Becoming a V olunteer F ield T rip C haperone
Chaperones m ust be at l east 2 1 years o f a ge a nd m ust complete the Archdiocese o f
Chicago O ffice o f Catholic S chool R equirements f or S chool Volunteers b efore t he f irst
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event/activity is s cheduled. Chaperones m ust b e a pproved b y t he Head of
School/Deputy Principal o f the school for e ach s chool field trip.
Guidelines for Volunteer Chaperones
Prior t o t he field t rip, t he lead teacher w ill provide you w ith i nformation r egarding the t rip,
expectations f or s upervising students, and emergency procedures. T he following
general guidelines w ill h elp y ou p erform your duties as a c haperone.
1. School r ules apply o n s chool-sponsored e vents. Chaperones a re expected to
comply with school policies, follow t he d irections given by the school’s lead
teacher, work c ooperatively w ith o ther staff and v olunteers, a nd model
appropriate b ehaviors for s tudents. C haperones a re r esponsible f or student
behavior, b ut i t is the responsibility o f the t eacher to d iscipline a student.
2. Chaperones will b e a ssigned to a specific p osition a nd group o f students o n a
school trip or activity. D ue to t he n eed f or c lose s upervision o f participating
students, no o ther children ( infants, non-school s iblings, visitors, r elatives or
friends) will b e p ermitted on t he f ield trips. The focus o f the chaperone must be
on a ctive s upervision of h er/his g roup o f students a t all t imes. A s a c haperone,
you w ill focus o n and be responsible f or a s mall g roup of students, helping t hem
learn and m aking s ure they b ehave appropriately at all t imes. “ If you can’t see
the s tudent, y ou are not s upervising!”
3. Students must stay w ith you at a ll times. G o o ver t he b uddy s ystem w ith students
in your care. A ccount for y our group r egularly and b efore m oving to n ew
activities. Take attendance t hroughout the day!
4. Be s ure y ou know w hen and w here t o m eet t he r est o f the school g roup at the
end of t he day. B e r eadily available, b e mindful o f safety concerns and r espond
to student needs. F ollow t he directions o f the lead teacher. D o not use your cell
phone for non-emergency o r n on-trip related purposes. It is not acceptable f or
outside work or reading to be completed while y ou are supervising s tudents.
5. Student b ehavior is y our responsibility. School rules related to student b ehavior
apply. G o o ver rules and standards o f b ehavior, safety rules, a nd a ny s ite
specific r ules with s tudents. D o not p ermit students t o g et involved in any e xtra
activities n ot p re-approved b y a dministrators a nd p arents, s uch as p urchasing
anything f or s tudents without the t eacher’s p ermission.
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6. Eating and drinking are n ot p ermitted o utside of d esignated a reas and
predetermined t imes.
7. For the protection o f both, t he student and the chaperone s hould n ot place
themselves in s ituations i n w hich they are alone w ith a s tudent.
8. In o rder to comply w ith school p olicy, chaperones m ay n ot use, sell, provide,
possess or b e u nder the influence o f drugs or alcohol. U se tobacco or t obacco
products in t he p resence o f, or within t he s ight o f, students Possess a ny w eapon
or f irearm, o r administer a ny m edication, prescription o r nonprescription, t o
students.
Questions r egarding t hese guidelines should b e directed to t he H ead o f School o r the
teacher.
Lost a nd Found
Students s hould check t he Lost a nd F ound a s soon as a n item i s noticed missing. All
belongings brought to s chool s hould be c learly m arked w ith t he student’s name.
Unclaimed a rticles will be d onated to charity a fter a s ufficient time. Lost a nd Found
articles are located i n each o f t he school office.
Legal I ssues/Child Custody
Pope F rancis G lobal A cademy a bides by the p rovisions o f the F amily Educational
Rights and P rimary Act with regard to parents’ r ights o f access t o t heir child’s school
records. T he s chool a lso a bides by the p rovisions o f t he I llinois l aw regarding t he right
of a ccess o f a n on-custodial p arent to h is o r her c hild’s r ecords. Release of copies of
school records t o the n on-custodial p arent i s g ranted u nless t here is a court o rder t o t he
contrary o n file i n the school office. It is the responsibility o f the c ustodial p arent to
provide t he H ead of School with t he o fficial c opy o f the court o rder. Unless i nformed in
writing with adequate e vidence t hat a parent is not permitted t o have u nqualified a ccess
to the c hild(ren), t he s chool may release a child t o a non-custodial parent. P ope Francis
Global Academy w ill g ive a non-custodial p arent t he opportunity f or a P arent – T eacher
conference u pon r equest, a t a time other than t hat of the custodial parent. If P ope
Francis Global A cademy has on record a c ourt order indicating limited v isitation rights or
non- v isitation rights, a nd a p arent m akes a pplication t o volunteer s ervice in the school,
this application w ill not b e a ccepted.
Student Records
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A file o f a ttendance, achievement t est s cores, h ealth records, a nd r eport cards is kept in
the s chool o ffice. P arents/guardians a re welcome t o r eview this information. R equests
to examine a file s hould b e made to t he Head o f School. T he Office of C atholic
Education h as established guidelines f or s chool r ecords o f s tudents.
Right to i nspect: I n accordance with l ocal s chool procedures, parents/guardians have
the right to look at the child’s r ecords m aintained i n t he c hild’s p ermanent r ecord. A p rior
appointment must be m ade with the Head of S chool.
Right to p revent d isclosures: The school will not d isclose a nything t o t hird parties f rom
the child’s records unless:
● the parent/guardian consents in w riting p rior to the disclosure;
● the information i s d irectory information which t he parent/guardian has n ot
requested b e kept confidential;
● request f or i nformation is f rom a s chool to w hich the child is transferring a nd the
school has received a written request for release;
● the r equest for t he information meets o ne of the limited circumstances described
in the Guidelines f or S chool Records.
Right to r equest c orrection: The p arent/guardian h as the r ight to p resent evidence t hat
the school s hould amend a ny p art o f the c hild's record which the parent/guardian
believes to b e inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise i n v iolation of student r ights. I f the
school decides n ot t o change t he record, t he p arent/guardian m ay i nsert a n explanation
in the record.
School Information
Calendar
A t entative a nnual c alendar f or the n ext s chool year, i ncluding scheduled h olidays,
vacations, i n-services, a nd standardized testing dates will be o n t he school website in
early spring. A n o nline c alendar o f current events and various school functions o n a
month-by-month b asis i s also a vailable o n t he w ebsite. I t i s important t o read and r efer
to t he c alendar t o b e a ware o f d aily, w eekly, a nd m onthly e vents. The Head of S chool
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reserves t he r ight t o amend t he a nnual calendar and p arents w ill b e notified of such
changes.
School H ours
Outdoor supervision o f the d esignated drop o ff a rea o f e ach campus w ill begin a t 7:45
a.m. e ach school d ay. The exact s chool hours f ollow:
Kindergarten t hrough 8 th g rade, Monday - Friday
First B ell - 8 :00 a.m.
Late Bell - 8:05 a.m. Tardies issued
Dismissal - 3:00 p .m.
Half-Day Pre-Kindergarten, Monday - F riday
Arrival & Dismissal - 8 :00 a .m. – 11:30 a.m.
Students in k indergarten and grades one through eight are provided w ith a l unch a nd
recess break. There i s no student supervision o n the s chool premises after school,
except at school-sponsored activities a nd t he E xtended Day Program. The s chool i s not
responsible f or student supervision a fter the conclusion o f scheduled activities.
Curriculum
Pope Francis G lobal Academy h as many n ew resources a nd materials to s upport t he
implementation of a rigorous, common core-aligned curriculum. The new resources
support t he M ath, L iteracy, and S ocial S tudies c urricula. Teachers have b een provided
with intensive professional d evelopment t . Teachers a lso participated in g rade level a nd
content area collaborative planning a cross the t wo c ampuses. The p rofessional learning
is a continuation o f p rofessional development provided during the 2 017-2018 school
year. O ngoing p rofessional development will b e p rovided throughout t his school year.
RESOURCES
Mathematics
Pope F rancis G lobal A cademy h as s elected Eureka Math f or our new math c urriculum
and n ew math materials for K -8 students. E ureka Math connects math t o the r eal w orld
in w ays t hat t akes t he fear out o f math a nd builds student confidence a nd understanding
of mathematical c oncepts. The t eam of t eachers and m athematicians w ho w rote
Eureka Math t ook care to p resent mathematics i n a l ogical p rogression from Pre-K
through Grade 1 2. Based o n a nalysis o f several m ath c urricula as reported i n
EdReports, Eureka M ath f ar s urpassed the other curricula i n terms o f focus and
coherence, rigor and usability. I t w as designed s pecifically f or the c ommon core.
PFGA teachers participated in a three-day w orkshop o n t he Eureka M ath curriculum
and i nstructional practices. Teachers were also provided w ith a p lanning s ession with
our M ath Consultant, to s upport collaborative p lanning for t he f irst m odule. T eachers
will continue ongoing p rofessional d evelopment i n the implementation o f the n ew math
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curriculum. E ureka M ath p rovides online support f or p arents i ncluding homework help
and tip s heets. G reat Minds E ureka M ath Parent and S tudent E ureka M ath
Website
Global P rojects
We have plans to expand our global outreach by working in cooperation with other Pope
Francis schools including one in Massachusetts and two in Canada. A newly formed
Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) will be tasked with incorporating more global
initiatives across the curriculum a nd b etter i nstill t he Spiritual C harter i n all we do.
Literacy
A t argeted professional d evelopment p lan a nd supportive materials a nd r esources a re
needed to m eet t he demands of a c omprehensive literacy program a nd to address t he
challenges a nd needs of P FGA s tudents. In a c omprehensive approach to l iteracy
development, t eachers i nclude instruction in r eading comprehension, w ord study and
phonics, writing and g rammar, speaking and l istening. I t i s e ssential that w e build a
system t hat is c oordinated, c omprehensive a nd s ustainable. PFGA teachers have been
provided with a multitude o f new r esources t o s upport a c omprehensive literacy
curriculum. The following is a s ummary of t he n ew l iteracy materials.
Primary G rades
All K -2 teachers were provided g uided r eading m aterials from P ioneer V alley
Publishers. T he m aterials include over 1 50 books and lessons for d ifferentiated s mall
group instruction. Each g rade level set p rovides a w ide r ange of high-quality leveled
texts i n a variety of genres. The l esson cards t hat a ccompany the b ooks p rovide
direction for t eachers to include phonics a nd w ord s tudy d irectly related to the t exts the
students w ill b e r eading t hus reinforcing the application of p honics to the r eading. The
materials provide a teacher r esource kit which i ncludes p rofessional b ooks o n Guided
reading, C Ds f or e xample lessons, magnetic l etters to a ctively involve students in the
process of l earning the alphabetic principle and a lphabet cards to reinforce sound /
symbol relationships. K -2 t eachers also r eceived phonics lessons for i solated p honics,
sight words and w ord study (spelling).
Grades 3-5
Teachers h ave r eceived W ords Their W ay t eacher resources to plan word s tudy and
spelling f or grades 3 – 5 . B ased on a p re-assessment, the l essons w ill b e differentiated
to address s tudents’ developmental l evels. S tudents w ill b e i nvolved i n word s orting,
word games, a nd e xercises to determine a nd learn spelling p atterns. E ventually
students w ill study increasingly c omplex p atterns, w ord parts ( prefixes a nd s uffixes) a nd
derivational spelling.
Schoolwide L iteracy Units f or Grades 1 -8
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Elementary classroom teachers a nd junior high s chool language arts t eachers h ave
been p rovided w ith S choolwide Literacy Units f or r eading, writing a nd g rammar.
Reading F undamentals U nits of S tudy provide teachers with mentor t ext t o s upport
teachers as t hey teach r eading c omprehension strategies and skills, shared texts f or t he
gradual r elease of responsibility, a nd s uggestions for s tudents to a pply the s kills a nd
strategies to b ooks t hey r ead ( at an appropriate l evel) i n s mall g roups a nd
independently. The m aterials are aligned to t he CCSS and i mprove students’ ability to
identify key ideas, t hemes, and i mportant information, t o r ead closely a nd t o d raw
evidence f rom l iterary or i nformational t exts to s upport a nd j ustify i nterpretation.
Writing F undamentals U nits o f s tudy for w riting include 6 u nits p er grade level and
include mentor texts a nd s upport for t eaching w riting in a w orkshop format. The
materials support student writing in a variety of f ormats and g enres. T he lessons
provide t eachers with s tep-by-step d irections f or t eaching the writing process a nd f or
addressing the C CSS.
Grammar Fundamentals Units o f s tudy use t he s ame f ormat used for t eaching w riting.
The g rammar lessons are t aught u sing mentor texts, s tudent w riting, and demonstrate
the i mportance o f understanding grammar as a m eans of c ommunicating c learly and
meaningfully i n writing. Teachers m odel the c onventions o f standard-English g rammar,
usage, a nd mechanics in c ontext.
Schoolwide provides t eachers w ith online resources i nclude s ample lessons, sample
student papers, a nd assessment s uggestions.
Ebooks – Z ing G rades K - 8
Zing is S chool Wide dynamic n ew digital eBook library featuring thousands of
high-quality fiction a nd n onfiction t exts. H ighlights a nd k ey features are:
● Unlimited, s imultaneous a ccess t o t housands of authentic eBooks and s hort
digital texts
● Embedded eLearning t eaching points
● eLearning a ssessments ( multiple choice, r eading r esponse, a nd constructed
response)
● eReader t ools (note taking/annotating, h ighlighting, bookmarks, and a n
interactive dictionary
● Audio e Books a nd audio eLearning
● Access to student r eading l ogs a nd r eading p rogress monitoring
● Web-based a ccess
Classroom L ibraries Grades 3 – 8
Each t eacher and classroom w ill r eceive a classroom library of a nywhere f rom 160 –
200 b ooks. B ased o n recommendations f rom t he C CSS, the classroom l ibraries
provide a t rue b alance of literary (50 %) a nd informational (50%) t exts. T he c ollections
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include t he newest a nd m ost popular titles, s eries, and a uthors a s well as tried and t rue
classics, favorites, and a ward winners. The libraries i nclude t exts a t s tudents’ r eading
levels a nd texts with c omplexity levels that c hallenge a nd m otivate s tudents. S tudents
will use the books to a pply t he comprehension a nd vocabulary strategies from the
Schoolwide Fundamentals U nits o f S tudy for R eading.
Social Studies
Pope F rancis Global Academy will be u sing T CI History Alive S ocial S tudies program
for grades 5 through 8 . T his program w ill ensure t he d elivery of i mportant c ontent while
addressing E LA c ommon c ore s tandards f or reading, w riting, speaking and l istening.
The TCI programs t ransform s ocial studies c lass into a multi-faceted l earning
experience. T CI lessons s tart with a b ig idea — Essential Q uestion — a nd i ncorporate
graphic note t aking, group work, a nd s tep-by-step d iscovery. Students a re t he center o f
instruction that taps a variety o f l earning s tyles, a llowing s tudents of a ll a bilities to learn
and s ucceed.
Students will not j ust b e reading textbooks and answering questions, they will discover
information f or t hemselves. through simulations, t hey w ill f eel t he emotions of h istorical
figures, reason through p roblems and d ebate complex issues. In TCI activities,
students interact i n p airs a nd g roups s o they a re e ngaged i n t heir o wn l earning. T he
interactive a pproach p rovides students w ith a v ariety of ways to experience c ontent that
helps them r etain and recall k ey information. T CI's p rograms h ave been e ffective i n
raising student achievement a nd t est scores, w hile inspiring s tudents and e ducators
alike with a p assion f or learning. Online r esources are provided for teachers. The
grade l evel a reas of study i nclude:
Grade 5 – America’s Past
Grade 6 – T he A ncient Past
Grade 7 – The M edieval World a nd Beyond
Grade 8 - T he U nited States Through I ndustrialization
TCI D igital R esources
● An online s tudent text in addition t o a print version i s available.
● The Interactive S tudent N otebook c hallenges s tudents with writing a nd d rawing
activities b ased o n t he C ommon Core s tandards.
● Game-like R eading C hallenges motivate s tudents to learn.
● Older s tudents learn t o s olve i nvestigations w ith p rimary sources.
● An interactive l earning environment i ncludes audio tools, r ich i mages, on-line
vocabulary, S panish, a nd more.
Science
Currently publishers are w orking to a lign resources t o the N ext Generation Science
Standards ( NGSS). These m aterials will be available in t he f uture. Pope Francis
Global Academy teachers h ave developed a scope a nd sequence f or t he S cience
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curriculum t hat reflects t he NGSS . J unior-high s tudents d isplay their s kills through
participation i n t he I llinois J unior A cademy o f S cience Annual Fair, and o ther l ocal
Science c ompetitions. Participation i n the yearly s cience f air is MANDATORY for t he
7t h and 8th graders.
Religion
Our religious program i s rooted i n the r ich and d iverse t radition of the Catholic f aith. Our
program provides an excellent foundation for a l ifetime o f f aith. Our p rogram invites t he
students to b egin their j ourney of faith through a n exploration of S cripture a nd t radition
using r esearch-based e ducational strategies a nd a ge-appropriate techniques. O ur
program h elps form the whole student with cross-curricular a ctivities and inquiry-based
learning so each student i s encouraged to encounter Christ, serve t he Church, a nd
become disciples i n o ur d igital age. T he g oal for t he religion curriculum is to i nstill i n
students a n enthusiasm f or l iving t he Christian f aith, w hile p roviding a n in-depth
religious education, including e xperiences i n prayer, the sacraments, and s ervice.
Religion is integrated t hroughout t he c urriculum. S tudents participate i n liturgies,
celebrating a v ariety o f themes directly r elating to everyday living, a s well a s special
occasions s uch as feast days of s aints. In a ddition s tudents a re required t o a ttend
Weekly School Mass.
Christian Doctrine - E ach child shall be i nstructed i n the truths o f the C atholic f aith
according to guidelines set down b y t he A rchdiocesan R eligious Education P rogram.
Through t his instruction, t he s chool makes known t o the students, t he person and t he
message of C hrist, as w ell a s a n u nderstanding o f t he Catholic C hurch.
Sacramental Preparation - In keeping w ith the m ost r ecent r ecommendations o f t he
Archdiocesan O ffice o f Religious E ducation, the c hildren o f P ope Francis Global
Academy participate i n a p rogram of sacramental preparation which is b ased on
parental i nvolvement a nd r esponsibility. I nstruction is p rovided in a group s etting b y the
classroom teacher a nd the p arents on a n i ndividual b asis. The parents, teachers, a nd
parish p riests d etermine readiness of the c hild for the sacraments.
Preparation for reception of E ucharist a nd Reconciliation t akes place in s econd g rade.
Confirmation p reparation a nd r eception is a 2 year c ommitment a nd takes p lace in b oth
7th a nd 8th grade.
Sacramental guidelines a re given at parent meetings. M eetings are a nnounced by email
to parents and o n school c alendars.
Liturgical Involvement - An i mportant aspect of t he Religious E ducation Program o f
the school i nvolves participation in the l iturgy of the C hurch. I n o rder to m ake t his as
meaningful a s p ossible, provisions a re made for p rayer s ervices and liturgies at which
the whole s chool p articipates.
Many o pportunities are provided f or t he s tudents to put i nto p ractice, on a n individual or
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small g roup basis, the p rinciples of Catholic Social T eaching that a re discussed in
school. Occasionally, the s tudent b ody as a w hole engages i n s pecial p rojects of a n
apostolic nature.
Practical/Fine Arts
Art - T he a rt program at P FGA allows s tudents to g ain a n appreciation f or t he a rts with
a w ide v ariety o f projects a nd m ediums such as: p ainting, s culpture, drawing, weaving
and photography. S tudents are a lso introduced to a n array of a rtists a nd c ultures f rom
around the w orld through t he l ense o f art history. Each week students h ave t he
opportunity t o e xpress t heir creativity w ith w ell balanced c ross-curricular units.
Music - T he m usic program a t PFGA a llows students to g ain a cross-curricular
appreciation f or m usic and t he arts t hrough singing, moving, playing instruments,
learning how t o read music, and listening t o and studying a variety o f musical genres.
Students are i ntroduced t o m usic, c omposers, a nd i nstruments throughout all musical
eras from numerous cultures a round t he world.
Spanish - The Spanish p rogram is designed to f amiliarize and make students
comfortable with r eading, w riting, u nderstanding a nd speaking the S panish language.
Although not an immersion program, the g oal i s to m ake students f amiliar w ith the
sounds, basic vocabulary and s entence structure, s o that a seamless transition t o high
school l anguage programs c an be a chieved. Meaningful communication in the t arget
language is emphasized at a ll grade levels.
Physical E ducation - Grades K -2 work a l ot o n l earning general a nd p ersonal s pace
through t ag games. They also w ork o n g ross m otor s kills. T hey p lay c ooperative g ames
and l earn a bout showing g ood s portsmanship. G rades 3 -8 p lay a l ot of team s ports as
well a s c ontinue t o work on sportsmanship.
These c lasses a re an i ntegral part of t he c urriculum.
Safety P rograms
In a ccordance w ith t he Archdiocese of Chicago,Pope F rancis G lobal t eaches t he Child
Lures Safety P rogram. These personal s afety p rograms, designed f or students of all
ages, a re an e ssential p art of t he s chool c urriculum. T hese p rograms p rovide v aluable
information f or children a nd p arents and are part of a c omprehensive i nitiative to u nify
and e nhance existing efforts t hroughout the Archdiocese to p rotect c hildren a nd y oung
people f rom p hysical and sexual abuse.
Technology
Pope F rancis Global Academy b elieves t hat, while technology i s e ssential t o education,
it is a privilege to r eceive a ccess t o computers a nd to t he Internet. Teachers, students,
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and p arents w ill be required t o a gree t o and sign an Acceptable Use Policy before
entering Pope Francis Global A cademy. A copy o f t hat policy follows.
Internet A cceptable U se Policy Computer N etwork and Internet a ccess i s a vailable at
Pope F rancis Global A cademy. W e are very pleased to bring this access to o ur s chool
and b elieve t he I nternet offers v ast, d iverse, and unique resources to both t eachers and
students. Our g oal in providing this service i s to promote and enhance educational
excellence f or all members of t he s chool community by f acilitating i nformation a nd
resource sharing, problem solving, a nd communications. S tudents w ill have t he
opportunity t o search a nd o btain i nformation f rom a round the w orld t o s upplement
school p rojects and assignments. Since the I nternet c onnects computers a nd individual
users a ll o ver the world, p arental p ermission is n eeded before a s tudent m ay use this
resource. W ith t his a ccess a lso comes t he availability o f m aterial that may n ot b e
considered t o b e of educational value in the c ontext o f t he s chool s etting.
The s chool b elieves that t he advantages and opportunities the I nternet provides far
outweigh t he disadvantages. H owever, it i s the parent a nd/or g uardian’s d ecision a s to
whether their child receives a ccess to t he I nternet. W e respect t he family’s d ecision on
this i ssue. T he s mooth o peration of o ur computer r esources relies u pon t he proper
conduct o f the users. Guidelines are provided h ere s o that the s chool c ommunity w ill be
aware of the responsibilities t hey a re about to acquire. We ask t hat t he p arent/guardian
read o ver the document with h is/her child a nd d iscuss the terms, c onditions, and
significance o f acceptable b ehavior.
Technology Use Outside o f School
Parents/Guardians are primarily responsible for the student’s a ppropriate a nd ethical
use of t echnology outside o f s chool. H owever, t he i nappropriate use of t echnology
outside of school may subject the student t o disciplinary a ction. Inappropriate use o f
technology may i nclude, but is not l imited t o harassment of others, use of t he school
name, r emarks directed t o o r a bout t eachers a nd staff, offensive communications
including videos/photographs and t hreats. Unauthorized costs incurred for online
purchases charged to t he s chool a re t he r esponsibility of t he s tudent and her/his f amily.
Resource Classes
Pope F rancis Global A cademy t ries t o meet t he n eeds of i ts students through its
Resource C enters. P ope Francis Global A cademy has resource t eachers to help
facilitate a ll o f the students’ learning. T itle 1 a lso p rovides on-site s ervices for t hose
students w ho q ualify for s ervices.
Foreign L anguage Program
Spanish language c lasses a re p rovided weekly f or s tudents i n grades Kindergarten
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through 5 th g rade a nd twice a w eek f or g rades 6-8.
Field T rips
Field t rips e nrich c lassroom l earning and o pen n ew a reas of interest for t he student.
Those field trips, which are e ducational a nd r elate to t he t otal curriculum, a re
encouraged and are p art of the t otal school p rogram. Parent-signed permission slips,
provided b y the s chool, m ust be turned i n b y t he d esignated d ate b efore a student may
go o n a t rip. V erbal p ermission i s n ot a cceptable. No other a ctivity i s planned for
non-participating students s ince t he f ield t rip is considered p art o f t he e ducational
process. N o o ther children m ay a ccompany parent chaperones. All students
participating i n a school s ponsored field t rip must r ide o n s chool provided t ransportation
only. F ield trips a re e xtensions of the s chool’s p hilosophy, and t herefore, students’
conduct m ust reflect earning the privilege t o r epresent t hemselves as members of P ope
Francis Global A cademy C hristian c ommunity. I ncidents that are of t he most serious
nature, a s d etermined b y s chool administration, a nd is i n d irect c ontradiction to t he
school’s p hilosophy, d emonstrates that students have not earned t he o verall p rivilege to
represent Pope F rancis Global Academy at s chool s ponsored o ff campus a ctivities.
School a dministration is directed t o p rovide notice that any s erious i ncident that singles
out a fellow student a nd/or disrespects the v alues of the school a nd/or parish
community m ay result in s uspending s tudents f rom school related e vents o n or o ff
campus, outside of t he school d ay. This s uspension w ill r emain i n e ffect until there can
be a period of t ime t o e valuate student b ehavior and the a dministration f eels
comfortable t hat these students’ future c onduct a t school-sponsored e vents o n a nd off
of school g rounds will r eflect the s chool’s v alues.
Attendance
Absence
Students n eed to a ttend s chool daily. The s chool office should be notified by phone
before 9 :00 a .m. on t he d ay o f a s tudent’s a bsence. F or l ong term a bsence from school
a p hysician's note i s required b efore a student may r eturn t o s chool. F ive absences
within a trimester w ill result i n a t elephone call f rom t he administration for students i n
grades kindergarten t hrough eighth. After administrative r eview, a detention may b e
given. S tudents a re r esponsible f or any m issed c lass/homework. Students s hould be
fever free for 24 hours before r eturning t o school or a release from a medical d octor.
Excused Absences from s chool may include:
1) Illness (verified by the p arent/guardian; i f more than 3 consecutive days, verified
by p hysician;
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2) Death i n student’s immediate f amily; o ther emergency b eyond the c ontrol o f t he
student’s f amily: f ire, flood, n atural d isaster, accident, or mandated court
appearance f or which d ocumentation is required;
3) Extraordinary educational opportunity for t he student p re a pproved by t he Head
of School (e.g., s tate s cience o r history fair f inals; debate team finals, e tc.)
Unexcused Absences f rom school are d efined as a n absence without a valid cause.
Partial Absence/Tardies
Any a bsence, a t a ny part of t he d ay, is d isruptive to t he homeroom and/or classroom
setting. A p artial absence i s d efined as missing less t han half a day o f s chool. T his c an
result f rom a rriving late, leaving for s pecial a ppointments, o r leaving early. Any s tudent
absent p art of the day must c heck in or o ut a t t he office. A n A dmit/Re-Admit S lip m ust
be h anded to t he c lassroom t eacher b efore b eing admitted t o c lass. Copies o f t hese
slips follow. F ive partial absences within a t rimester w ill r esult in a communication from
the administration for students in grades kindergarten t hrough eight. A fter a dministrative
review, a d etention may b e given. Students a re r esponsible for a ny m issed
class/homework.
Early D ismissal
The Head of S chool is a uthorized t o g rant e arly dismissal t o a pupil provided a written
request is supplied b y a parent. Early dismissal i s considered a p artial absence. U nder
no c ircumstances may a c hild b e released t o anyone, other t han t he p arents or
guardians a s listed o n t he child’s e mergency form, w ithout p arental authorization.
Parents are a sked t o p ick up their c hild and s ign them out.
Special A ppointments
Parents/guardians are encouraged to make d octor/dental a ppointments a fter school
hours in o rder to prevent a d isruption of the s tudent’s school day. If this i s not possible,
children must have a w ritten request to b e e xcused and m ust b e s igned o ut by the
parent/guardian. This will be considered a p artial a bsence.
Extended Absence/Vacations
If parents/guardians wish to take t heir children out of school for a period of time
because o f f amily p lans, t he p arents/guardians, a nd teacher shall discuss t he possible
effect of the absence on t he student’s s choolwork. The r ecommendations s hall be
documented. The final d ecision, h owever, shall be the r esponsibility o f t he
parent/guardian. Vacations are s trongly d iscouraged w hen c lasses are i n s ession.
However, i f t he vacation i s u navoidable, w hen the student r eturns, he/she will be given
missed class a ssignments. No homework/assignments w ill be given prior to a n
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extended absence. T he s tudent will make up t he missing work u pon their r eturn
corresponding to the n umber of days a bsent.
Sudden Illness or A ccident
Parents w ill be n otified of s ickness or an accident a t school. A second p hone n umber
must be on file f or emergencies o nly. Names and p hone n umbers of family physicians
should a lso be r ecorded o n the e mergency form.
Emergencies/Disasters
An E mergency F orm is k ept on f ile in b oth school offices. S tudents will only b e r eleased
to i ndividuals listed o n that form.
Emergency Notification
Pope Francis Global Academy u ses t he S choolmessenger notification s ystem. At
registration, p arents/guardians a re asked t o provide t hree phone c ontacts a nd t wo email
contacts. I n the event o f any e mergency s ituation ( example- school c losed due t o snow)
all t hree p hone numbers will b e called with the emergency m essage.
Special S ervices
Guidance and Counseling
Catholic C harities s ervices a re available t o c hildren with e motional a nd behavioral
disorders. T he pupil’s p arents must initiate a n a pplication. Services are also a vailable
through t he s chool’s l ocal school district i f a disorder impacts a student’s educational
experience. P ope Francis G lobal Academy p rovides o n-site services for students in
need of a S chool C ounselor.
Lunch P rogram
All students m ust remain a t s chool f or l unch. The lunch period is a t ime f or i nformal but
safe socializing a mong students. Behavior that r esults in t he v iolation of t he rights a nd
privileges of others cannot be tolerated. Students whose behavior i s r ough, q uarrelsome
or d isorderly may b e s uspended from participating in recess a ctivities. S tudents w ill
remain i n the designated areas. T hey are e ncouraged t o p articipate i n games a nd g roup
activities. D uring t he winter months, i t i s f orbidden for children to t hrow snow. O n bad
weather d ays, s tudents w ill have recess indoors. T here is to be n o l oitering in the h alls,
stairwells, or w ashrooms a nd p roper classroom behavior i s t o b e observed. Students
may b ring t heir own l unch or p re order f rom o ur f ood s ervice F SP. Y ou c an find more
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information on our website. Teachers a nd v olunteers w ill supervise the l unchrooms and
the play areas.
Weather/Recess Policy
It i s the school's policy that d uring cold weather, the decision for o utside r ecess based
on w eather factors s uch a s wind c hill, snow, rain, cloud cover, w ind e tc., w ill determine
whether o r not i t w ill b e beneficial for students t o g o o utside. W hen the air temperature
and/or w ind chill is b elow 15 d egrees F ahrenheit t here w ill not be outdoor r ecess.
Extremely c old w eather can be very d angerous. P arents should be certain t hat t heir
children are appropriately c lothed with m ittens, hats, c oats, and b oots, that a re labeled
so t hey can be comfortable outside.
Extended D ay Program (EDP)
Extended d ay care is available for s tudents in grades Pre-K through 8 th, from 6:30 a .m.
to 8:00 a .m. and from 3 :00 p.m to 6 :00 p . m. o n all f ull-session school d ays. R egistration
information i s available i n t he school o ffice.
Families a re invoiced electronically, monthly, in arrears, for use o f t he E DP p rogram.
Payment i s d ue within 1 0 d ays of i nvoice r eceipt. I f payment i s not m ade in f ull b y the
end o f t he month f ollowing u sage, the family will be excluded f rom f urther E DP
attendance until t he c harges are p aid in f ull.
Band P rogram i s provided b y Band for T oday.
Students may participate in a b and program. D etails w ill b e m ade available t o families at
the beginning o f t he s chool year. S tudents practice throughout the day.
Strings and G uitar L essons are p rovided b y J udi Lei
Students may participate in s trings or g uitar l essons. C ontact Judy L ei a t
[email protected]
Discipline P olicy
Our p hilosophy is b ased on the gospel v alues o f Jesus. P ope F rancis G lobal A cademy
is a school community o f i ndividuals who h ave r ights—to l earn, t o feel c omfortable and
safe, and to have opportunities t o r each their f ull p otential. We r ecognize t he d ignity and
equality of all p ersons. To f unction as a s uccessful e ducational C hristian community,
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each child h as t he r esponsibility to r espect t he rights o f o thers. O ur g oals, a s educators
and p arents, must b e t o consider t he common good a nd t o ensure that our actions and
treatment o f o thers w ill help create G od’s Kingdom on E arth. The s chool a nd parents
must share the responsibility f or p romoting p ositive student b ehavior at a ll times in a ll
places. A dministration and teachers m ust m aintain a safe school a tmosphere. While a t
Pope Francis Global Academy this supervision c an be maintained a s s tructured
classroom m anagement. O ff-campus school s ponsored e vents a re extensions o f the
school’s p hilosophy and t herefore students’ c onduct must reflect e arning t he p rivilege t o
represent t hemselves as members o f o ur Christian community. Consequences occur
when a ctions t ake a way another person’s rights a nd opportunities. Teachers w ill
articulate and d isplay rules and expectations that a re necessary f or successful
classroom management. Children will b e a ware o f t he consequences for t heir chosen
actions. I t is important that parents, t eachers, and s tudents have a common
commitment to e nsure a p eaceful a nd p roductive environment. Our School p laces a
strong e mphasis on student discipline. T he s chool and the parents must s hare t he
responsibility for promoting positive student b ehavior. T he s hared goal is to c reate a
safe a nd o rderly school environment i n w hich t eaching and learning are the highest
priorities.
All School Rules
As s tated i n the s chool’s m ission s tatement, t he school i s c ommitted t o r each o ut
through p rayer, s ervice, a nd e ducation. T his D iscipline P olicy will foster o ur m ission
through respect of s elf, o thers, and the environment. R espect of Self, O thers, and the
Environment:
• Students w ill b e courteous, r esponsive to f aculty, s taff members, l unchroom
supervisors, and e ach other.
• Students w ill r espond silently, immediately, a nd r espectfully when g iven a direction.
• S tudents w ill e xhibit c ourteous, r espectful, and n on-abusive l anguage a nd g estures in
school, or a t s chool e vents, acting as r epresentatives of t he school at a ll times.
• Students will l isten and follow directions o f teachers, s taff, a nd s upervisors.
• Students will keep h ands, f eet, and a ll other objects to t hemselves.
• Students will d o their o wn work a nd r espect the w ork of o thers.
• S tudents w ill accept r esponsibility for their actions.
Contribute t o the Learning E nvironment
• S tudents will come to s chool p repared t o learn.
• Students w ill a rrive p romptly at designated areas.
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• Students will l eave and enter class i n a q uiet a nd orderly manner.
• S tudents w ill display a positive attitude.
Follow All School Procedures:
• Students will wear t he proper u niform.
• Students will know a nd follow l unch a nd playground rules.
• S tudents will follow and respect a ll c lassroom r ules. Incidents of i nappropriate a nd/or
disruptive b ehavior a re dealt w ith i n t he classroom w henever p ossible. The t eachers
work w ith the children to m ake s ure that c lassroom a nd s chool rules are understood a nd
the r easons f or the r ules are t aught. C hildren learn that each adult may h ave d ifferent
procedures t o help t hem follow t he r ules.
Major I ncidents
These require immediate r emoval f rom the classroom o r environment where the
incident t ook p lace. These i nclude: P hysical or P sychological Danger Examples i nclude:
● Fighting.
● L eaving s chool without permission.
● Possession, u se, sale, or d istribution of dangerous, n oxious, o r unlawful o bjects*,
including pornography.
● Tampering with p rotective fire e quipment, v iolating fire codes o r e mergency
services s ystems.
● Students s hall n ot carry, possess, o r u se weapons in s chool, o r o n school
premises. W eapons i nclude, but are not l imited to the following: k nives,
handguns, brass knuckles, “billy c lubs,” b ats, p ipes, s ticks and any o ther object
that causes bodily h arm. School a uthorities h ave t he r ight to i nspect and s earch
lockers, desks, parking lots, a nd s chool p roperty. P arents/Guardians o f a ny
students i nvolved shall be notified a s s oon a s p ossible. S tudents w ho v iolate
these directives are subject to s uspension a nd/or e xpulsion. School o fficials are
required to r eport w eapon v iolations to t he l ocal police. T he weapon i s t urned
over t o t he l ocal p olice j urisdiction.Unlawful o bjects include, b ut are not l imited to,
cigarettes, chewing tobacco, smoking materials, alcohol, c annabis, d rugs or
related p araphernalia, matches, l ighters, knives, weapons, Chinese s tars,
fireworks or related items, r azor blades, l aser p ointers, e tc.
● Abusive i n tone, gesture, or language e xamples i nclude a ny form o f o bscene or
vulgar language, including r acial, sexual, o r e thnic slurs. P hysical contact.
Stealing. D eliberate d amage t o school or personal p roperty. Wearing g ang
related c lothing or colors, or using g ang s igns.
● Bullying. Out of C ontrol, Or Unwilling t o G ain Self-Control Despite Request T o D o
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So, examples include: T ruancy, c utting c lasses. D isrespect for t eachers.Chronic
classroom disruptions.Provoking b ehavior. Unwilling t o t ake direction and failure
to f ollow the t erms of the I nternet A ccess P olicy.
In a ddition to the a bove, a Major Incident m ay b e anything t hat, i n the opinion of t he
Head of School, constitutes a s erious a nd significant d isruption o f l earning, e ndangers
the s afety o f students or staff, o r u ndermines t he s chool’s philosophy and g oals. An
Office Referral Form w ill be c ompleted a nd a ction w ill b e t aken b y s chool a dministration
that m ay r esult in s uspension/expulsion.
School-wide D iscipline Cycle:
First Step: Violation o f a c lassroom/school rule may r esult in the s tudent r eceiving a
Disciplinary F orm. The violation is n oted, a ction taken by t eacher i s listed, a nd student
and parent s ign a nd return the f orm to t he i ssuing teacher. S tudent m ay b e asked t o see
administration. D etentions are not taken lightly. Upon receiving a third detention w ithin
one t rimester, the student will h ave a conference scheduled w ith t he administration and
his/her p arents.
Second Step: C ontinual violation o f a classroom/school r ule or major incident may
result i n the student r eceiving an O ffice Referral F orm. The v iolation i s noted a nd the
student i s s ent to the o ffice. Teacher, s tudent and a dministration m ay d esign a n a ction
plan in c onsultation with p arent. A conference m ay b e s cheduled a nd b oth s tudent and
parent sign and return the f orm.
Third Step: T he third step o f t he D iscipline Cycle b egins when a student i s sent to t he
office a third t ime, within t he same trimester, or in extreme c ases when t he teachers and
administration determines the s eriousness o f the action warrants beginning at this step.
Forms a re c ompleted, t he student meets with administration, a conference with
parent/guardian a nd student is held, and an a ction plan with m easures f or progress t o
assist the student i n d eveloping self-control is i nitiated. Treatment and counseling f or
students and/or the entire family u nit s hall have p riority over punitive a ction w hen
appropriate a nd shall be the s ole f inancial responsibility o f the family. A serious v iolation
of s chool rules m ay r esult i n suspension/expulsion from s chool. Mitigating
circumstances (seriousness o f offense, number o f prior offenses, cooperation and
attitude of parents a nd students, e tc.) shall be considered p rior to the d ecision of
suspension o r possible e xpulsion.
Bullying P revention A s Catholics we b elieve i n t he d ignity and respect o f each individual
created in t he i mage of G od. B ullying is contrary to Gospel v alues and has n o p lace i n
the Catholic s chool community. Bullying i s:
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• a ny intentional, repeated, h urtful act or c onduct ( physical, v erbal, emotional, o r sexual)
including c ommunications made in w riting or electronically, occurring on campus o r off
campus d uring non-school time,
• directed toward another student or s tudents, t hat h as or c an be r easonably predicted
to p lace the s tudent o r students i n an u nreasonable fear of h arm t o t he student o r
student’s p erson o r property; c ause a s ubstantially detrimental e ffect o n t he student or
student’s physical o r mental health; interfere substantially w ith the s tudent o r s tudent’s
academic p erformance; interfere substantially w ith the student’s ability to p articipate i n
or benefit from t he s ervices, activities, o r privileges provided by the s chool.
Bullying can t ake m any forms, i ncluding v iolence, h arassment, t hreats, intimidation,
stalking, cyber stalking, theft, public h umiliation, a nd r etaliation for a sserting or a lleging
an act o f bullying. C yber b ullying can include all of t he a bove a s well as the u se o f
electronic t ools, d evices, social media s ites, b logs and w ebsites t o h arm a student or
students w ith e lectronic t ext, photos, or v ideos. Bullying acts or conduct d escribed
above c an include t he f ollowing:
• P hysical which i ncludes, b ut i s not limited to, p unching, poking, stalking, destruction o f
property, s trangling, h air pulling, beating, b iting, spitting, s tealing, p inching, and
excessive t ickling;
• Verbal w hich i ncludes, but is n ot l imited t o, n ame-calling, teasing, taunting, g ossip, a nd
threats whether i n p erson o r through a ny form of e lectronic c ommunication a nd the
Internet;
• E motional which includes, but is not l imited to, i ntimidation, rejecting, terrorizing,
extorting, d efaming, h umiliating, blackmailing, r ating/ranking o f p ersonal c haracteristics
such a s r ace, d isability, e thnicity, perceived s exual o rientation, manipulation o f
friendships, i solating, o stracizing and peer p ressure;
• S exual which i ncludes, but is n ot l imited t o, m any o f t he e motional a cts o r c onduct
described a bove a s w ell as exhibitionism, v oyeurism, s exual propositioning, s exual
harassment, and abuse i nvolving actual physical contact o r s exual assault. N o student
shall be subjected to b ullying:
• D uring a ny s chool sponsored education program or activity, w hile in s chool, on school
property, on school b uses or school vehicles, at school bus stops waiting for t he s chool
bus, o r at school s ponsored or school-sanctioned events or activities
• T hrough t he transmission o f information f rom a s chool o r h ome c omputer n etwork, or
other s imilar electronic s chool o r h ome e quipment. All members o f the Catholic school
community, parent/guardians, teachers, staff, administrators and others, are e xpected
to w ork together in p reventing b ullying and p romoting G ospel values in a C hrist
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centered environment. S tudents are expected to participate i n a ge appropriate
educational programs developed by the school t hat a ddress bullying and teach respect
for all. B ullying by a s tudent or students may result i n detentions, suspension a nd/or
expulsion from t he s chool.
Search and Seizure
The s chool retains t he right t o s earch a nd s eize drugs, weapons, and other contraband
when there is belief such c ontraband i s i n t he p ossession of a student. Such possession
is i n violation of the r ules of Pope F rancis G lobal A cademy. T he school will assist local
government authorities b y reporting such possessions, and when r equested by t he
authorities, t he s chool w ill c ooperate fully with t he p olice a nd other g overnment
authorities. D esks a nd l ockers are school p roperty, which t he s chool e xpressly r etains
the r ight t o search a t a ny t ime.
Sexual H arassment
The A rchdiocese o f Chicago and P ope F rancis Global Academy are c ommitted to
maintaining a s chool environment free o f sexual harassment. Physical contact o f a
sexual nature, l ewd or s uggestive remarks and such conduct t hat s erves to create a n
intimidating, hostile, or o ffensive l earning e nvironment may b e c onsidered s exual
harassment o n the part of adults o r children. I f any i ndividual b elieves t hat h e or she h as
been s ubjected to c onduct w hich may c onstitute sexual h arassment, t hat individual i s to
immediately r eport the o ffensive conduct to t he pastor o r Head o f S chool. Sexual
harassment o f a ny f orm, v erbal, t ouching, e tc., may r esult i n d etentions,
suspension/expulsion.
Cell Phone P olicy
Any c ell phone b rought to s chool m ust remain in the student’s locker o r b ackpack a nd
be powered OFF. Cell phones m ay n ot be used during school hours. This i ncludes t he
hours that a c lass may be on a field t rip, unless specific d irections are g iven by a
teacher. If cell p hones a re used b efore o r a fter s chool hours, calls must b e made
outside of t he s chool b uildings. I f a c ell p hone or a ny electronic communication device is
confiscated for misuse o f the above p olicy, the d evice must b e picked u p in t he s chool
office b y a parent/guardian.
Student Life
Homework P olicy
One o f t he m ost important objectives o f education i s t o teach the c hild h ow t o s tudy.
Homework i s a ssigned as a m eans to h elp s tudents review and enrich t he subject
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matter taught i n c lass. T his m ay t ake t he f orm o f e ither a written o r u nwritten
assignment. I t i s t he s tudent’s a nd/or p arent/guardian’s r esponsibility t o obtain
assignments i n case of a bsence, H omework will b e a vailable for pick up in t he
designated areas l ocated o utside of each school o ffice f rom 3 :15 - 3:30 PM on e ach f ull
day of school. Homework a ssignments c an a lso be o btained by v isiting t he teacher’s
website. F or extended a bsence, the s ame number of d ays as the absence w ill be g iven
to c omplete t he w ork. (For example, two days a bsent, t wo d ays to complete
assignments.)
Students a bsent in the morning, b ut present i n the a fternoon, are responsible for the
entire d ay’s a ssignments, b oth c ollected a nd a ssigned. Upon r eturn from a one-day
absence, s tudents are r equired to take a ny t est that was g iven d uring the absence.
Special t esting a rrangements will be m ade for l ong-term a bsences.
Late Work Policy
In order f or students t o accomplish a cademic success, i t is e ssential t hat homework, as
well as s hort- term or long-term a ssignments, be completed on time. It is the
expectation of all subject area and special area teachers t hat homework and
assignments be c ompleted a nd turned i n at the designated time o n t he d ue date.
HOMEWORK, SHORT-TERM, AND L ONG-TERM ASSIGNMENTS ARE
CONSIDERED L ATE I F NOT TURNED IN AT THE DESIGNATED T IME ON T HE
DATE THEY A RE D UE. D aily H omework Assignments: A ll homework a ssignments
should b e completed a nd t urned i n o n t ime. Short-term A ssignments/Long-term
Assignments: A ll a ssignments must be turned i n at t he d esignated time on the day t hey
are due.
Grades 3 - 5 I t i s expected that h omework be c ompleted o n t ime. Each
teacher/grade/unit will set t heir own policies a bout i ncomplete assignments a nd inform
the students a nd p arents/guardians at the beginning of the school y ear.
Grades 6 - 8 I t i s expected that h omework be completed o n time. Each
teacher/grade/unit w ill set t heir own p olicies about incomplete assignments a nd i nform
the s tudents and parents/guardians a t t he b eginning o f the school y ear. N o c redit c an
be g iven for w ork t hat i s not t urned in. It is understood that there are t imes w hen
circumstances may disrupt the education p rocess. I n those cases,
student/parent/guardian will need t o make special a rrangements and c onference with
teachers a head of t ime.
Student Assessment
Testing
Some f orm of evaluation is e ssential i n order to d etermine, as m uch as possible, the
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general scholastic ability of s tudents, to a scertain the p rogress being made w ithin the
total e ducation program, and as a t ool for d iscerning areas in need o f improvement.
Achievement tests with n ational norms a re g iven to s tudents i n grades three, t hrough
eight.
Teachers administer assessments a nd use informal m ethods o f e valuation a s part of
the r egular s chool p rogram t hroughout t he year. Re-assessing students w ho
performance b elow grade l evel i n an assessment i s a t t he d iscretion of t he t eachers.
Reassessment c an t ake various f orms, a retest can be o ffered as w ell as r eteach
session or corrections f or t he a ssessment. Our g oal i s t o ensure s tudents are proficient
with t he c oncepts t aught in the c ontent a reas.
•If a student s cores l ower on the retest, t he original t est g rade w ill stand.
•The maximum g rade r eceived for retest will b e a 7 8%, The c ampus p olicy will b e
consistent a cross c ontent areas and a ll c lasses. Example: If the student retakes a nd
receives a n 82 % on the retest, their f inal g rade w ill b e a 7 8% on the test.
•All t rimester f inal exams are ineligible for r etest.
Tests and quizzes t hat a re m issed due to a bsences will b e m ade up upon r eturn with i n
the t esting windows. S tudents are r equired to take any t est t hat was g iven d uring t he
absence.
Academic H onesty
Academic d ishonesty by a s tudent degrades h is/her c haracter a nd reputation, i mpedes
the t eaching-learning p rocess, and i s i n opposition t o the values i nherent in the
philosophy o f P ope F rancis Global Academy.
Cheating: Cheating i s a s erious o ffence. Cheating i s p ersonal dishonesty a nd is a n
injustice t o o thers. Cheating w ill b e dealt with i n a swift a nd formative m anner as is
appropriate f or the a ge and experience o f the student i nvolved. Continued or p rofound
acts of cheating may result in d ismissal from P ope Francis Global Academy.
Cheating i ncludes t he sharing o f any c lass w ork i ncluding, b ut n ot l imited t o, homework,
papers, a nd p rojects i s c onsidered c heating. In addition, s haring information,
transmitting a nswers to a t est, possessing testing materials, removing o r s haring a ny
testing material in any way i s cheating. C oding answers o r u sing technology i n a way
not s anctioned by t he classroom teacher i s also c heating.
Plagiarism: To c opy the i deas or w ords of a nother p erson a nd to present the w ork as
one’s own constitutes plagiarism. W hether i ntentional o r u nintentional ( for e xample,
because of i mproper citation) p lagiarism i s a s erious o ffense and detrimental to one’s
moral and educational d evelopment and must, therefore, b e avoided a t a ll t imes.
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Because it d oes not r epresent o ne’s own personal w ork, work that is p lagiarized c annot
be a ccepted for c redit.
Consequences f or plagiarism will b e d ecided on a c ase-by-case b asis by the t eacher, i n
consultation w ith the s chool administration, d ependent o n t he nature of t he p lagiarism
and the experience o f the s tudent.
Report Cards
Report c ards a pproved b y the A rchdiocesan Office a re i ssued three t imes a year.
Marking c odes and guides f or different g rade l evels are p rovided o n the c ards. The
Archdiocesan R eport C ard is a record o f w hat a s tudent knows, is a ble t o d o, a nd needs
to a chieve. Y ou a re e ncouraged t o review y our child’s p rogress along with o ther
performance information, w hich may include: P owerSchool, s tandardized t est r esults,
quizzes/tests, projects, d aily w ork, teacher notes, etc.
Grading S cale
All s tudents a re evaluated on skills m astered. General descriptions of t he l evels o f
achievement are provided below: A ssessment Descriptors for L evels o f P roficiency
Grades 1 -8
Grading Scale f or G rades 1-5
GRADE CUTOFF DESCRIPTION
%
A+ 95 Outstanding
A 93
A- 90
B+ 88 Excellent
B 85
B- 82
C+ 80 Good
C 77
C- 74
D+ 72 Poor
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D 69
D- 66
F 0 Very Poor
Grading Scale f or Grades 6-8
GRADE GRADE P T CUTOFF % DESCRIPTION
A+ 4.33 99 Outstanding
A 4.00 95
A- 3.67 93
B+ 3.33 91 Excellent
B 3.00 87
B- 2.67 85
C+ 2.33 83 Good
C 2.00 79
C- 1.67 77
D+ 1.33 75 Poor
D 1.00 71
D- .67 69
F 0 0 Very P oor
Jr. N ational H onor S ociety
Beginning with the 2018-2019, Pope Francis Global Academy will be a part of the National Junior
Honor Society. The Faculty Council of IC School invites students in 7th and 8th grade who have a
cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.6 or higher(since sixth grade).The Faculty Council then
evaluates each candidate’s performance in the areas of: Academics, Leadership, Service,
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