Saint Nicholas Orthodox Academy

STUDENT/TEACHER HANDBOOK

Welcome to St. Nicholas Orthodox Academy.

This handbook has been designed to outline the policies and procedures for the current school year. Please review the following information carefully. Keep this handbook for future reference throughout the school year. Students and parents are reminded that by your decision to attend St. Nicholas Orthodox Academy you agree to abide by the policies and procedures as outlined in this handbook. 

Founding Principals:

·       St. Nicholas Orthodox Academy is a ministry of St. John the Wonderworker Orthodox Church in America. As such the educational philosophy, policy and procedures, and all operations are guided by the dogmas of the Orthodox Church of America.

·       Prayer and worship are integral to our lives. School commences daily with prayer in our school at 8:00 am. At noon we again gather in the church for the traditional prayers of the hours.

·       This Academy embraces an educational context in which our faith will be upheld and the souls of our students and staff will be nourished together with their minds and bodies.

·       Our Orthodox confession of faith, the Nicene Creed, explains the Christian truth upon which we believe and act:

THE NICENE CREED

I believe in One God the Father Almighty Creator of heaven and earth and all things visible and invisible.

And in One Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten, not created, of one essence with the Father, through whom all things were made. Who for us and for our salvation, came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man. 

And He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and He suffered and was buried. On the third day He rose according to the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. His Kingdom will have no end. 

And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets

In one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.

I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins.

I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

We ask our students to adhere to the following:

 CODE OF HONOR: 

Each person will speak respectfully to the other at all times: 

 teacher to student, student to adult, student to student.                                 

There will be no bullying or harassment. 

Accreditation and Enrollment:

St. Nicholas Orthodox Academy is Accredited with Distinction by the Georgia Accrediting Commission and provides an accredited course of study from kindergarten through twelfth grade. All students enrolled for credit shall take a standardized test during the year. The Iowa Basic Skills Test and PSAT are administered at St. Nicholas. Full enrollment and partial enrollment are available.

Home Schooled Students:

Individual courses as well as a program of accreditation are available for home-school students. As a home school resource center, St. Nicholas Orthodox Academy has a file of curriculum catalogues available as well as a library of favored textbooks for review that we have used and can recommend to inquiring home school families.

St. Nicholas Orthodox Academy, through the Georgia Accrediting Commission, offers accreditation to home school students who have a parent or mentor with an undergraduate degree. To begin this process of accreditation, a “Home Studies Accrediting Information Form” must be filled out and turned in with a registration form and a yearly fee of $300 to the administrator. For each home study course the home school student shall take a test on campus proctored by the administrator at least once per quarter to confirm progress.  The test is designed by the home mentor and a test key is provided to the proctor.

After a home-schooled student has been enrolled in this program for one academic year (nine months) and has successfully completed the work that he or she has set out to accomplish, Saint Nicholas Orthodox Academy can give the student credit as well as transcripts for the level of work demonstrated.

Student Evaluations:

St. Nicholas Orthodox Academy is on a semester system.  Semester reports are sent out in mid-January and June. Students also receive progress reports at the end of each quarter.  Both semester reports and progress reports must be signed by a parent and returned to the school except the June report card.  The teaching staff is available at any time during the school year to discuss your child’s academic work or behavior at your request.

 Conduct and Behavior:

Neatness in dress and adherence to our dress code is expected

·      Courtesy and respect towards teachers and classmates

·      An attentive attitude during prayers and lessons

·      Preparedness for studies with proper supplies and assignments

·      Restraint in speech, gestures, and actions which could undermine the teaching environment

Disruptive behavior that interferes with the integrity of the classroom will not be tolerated.  Therefore, communication, consistency, and cooperation between parents and staff in matters of discipline are imperative. In order to prevent a student’s behavior in the classroom or elsewhere during school hours from becoming a consistent problem, we will follow the disciplinary procedures outlined in this handbook. By enrolling your student in St. Nicholas Orthodox Academy, you are giving full consent to the following: Dress Code, School-wide Rules, and Discipline Procedures.

Disciplinary Procedures:

Both major infractions and chronic misbehaviors (e.g. calling out, being crude or ill-mannered, clowning around during lessons, disrespect towards staff members, taunting or intimidation, willful opposition, coming to class late and/or unprepared, not completing assignments, etc.) will be handled swiftly. When a student’s behavior interferes with the integrity of the classroom, the following steps will be implemented.

 1. Parent Notification: Communication regarding the behavior or incident will be made through a note home, a phone call, or personal contact. A parent conference may be necessary in order for staff and parents to discuss the needed improvements. If necessary, a probationary period will be set up during which the student’s behavior will be expected to improve. Parents’ cooperation and support are essential in resolving behavioral issues. An incident report will be placed in the student’s file.

2. Suspension from School: If the problem behavior is not sufficiently resolved, the Administration will determine if suspension is in order. A parent conference will be held at the earliest convenience to discuss the reasons for removal and the length of the suspension. Certain incidents may necessitate parents’ picking up their child immediately. The grounds for suspension will be noted in the student’s file. Should a student’s behavior be determined at any time to be physically dangerous to him/her self or others, the student will be suspended at once and a parent conference held as soon as possible.

3. Expulsion from school: For major infractions or chronic unresolved misbehavior, expulsion from school may become necessary at the determination of the school administration and faculty. A formal letter will be sent to the parents and placed in the student’s file.

School Wide Rules

·      Be on time to school and to each class

·      Complete homework assignments and turn in on time

·      Do not plagiarize

·      Do not cheat on tests or homework

·      Adhere to the dress code

·      Deal courteously with peers and respectfully and cooperatively with teachers

·      Obtain permission from a teacher to leave a room for a specific purpose or to go to other areas of the church building between classes

Procedures For Specific Infractions Of These Rules:

1.  Be on time to school and to each class and activity

  • A student is tardy for the school day at 8:16. A student is tardy for class if they are ten minutes late. Two tardies will be counted as an absence and receive the same penalty.

  • An absence is defined as any time a student misses class.

  • Parents must call the school or administrator by 9:30 am the day of the absence and shall send written notification via email to pamela.showalter@gmail.com or handwritten note on the day of their return.

  • When a student returns from their absence, they are responsible for the work missed. To insure that this work is completed, the student will be required to stay after school on the day of their return and subsequent days until the assignments are completed and have been signed off on by the teacher.

  • An absence, for whatever justifiable reason, impedes the progress of student learning therefore

    • The administrator will contact parents after five hours of absence from a core academic class to discuss a course of action and the possible consequences of continued absences.

    • Ten hours of absence from a core class in two consecutive quarters must result in an administrative conference and an academic probation for said course.

    • In the event of an academic probation parents are responsible to meet with the administrator and teacher to arrange the means by which the student will achieve the credit.

·      These means may include but are not limited to; tutoring and Saturday School.

·      These options will be at the expense of the family.

2. Complete homework assignments and turn them in on time.

·      The consequence for not turning in completed homework is a detention to be served the day the assignment was due. 

·      The consequence for chronic failure to turn in homework complete and on time will be a parental conference to create a plan to assist the student in building successful academic habits.

3. Do not plagiarize. Do not cheat on tests or homework.

·      The consequence for cheating on tests or plagiarizing is receiving a zero for the work with no make-up allowed, a conference with parents, same semester probation, and a record of the incident in the student’s permanent file. A second incident of cheating results in suspension and possibly expulsion.

4. Adhere to the dress code

·      The consequence for a first time infraction of this rule is a verbal warning.

·      The consequence for a second or subsequent infraction is that the student must wear appropriate clothes available at the school clothes closet.

5. Deal courteously with peers and respectfully and cooperatively with teachers. This means that students do not bully, belittle, grab, hit, poke, lean on, intimidate, ostracize, or sexually harass each other. Also this means that students do not take or destroy each other’s property. Additionally this means that students do not use profane, vulgar or abusive speech in or around school nor do students have knives, firearms or lighters at school. This means that students do cooperate with each teacher’s rules for their classroom and that students only use headphones or cell phones when permitted by their supervising teachers.

·       The consequence for violence or serious abuse of another person, even a first infraction, shall be at the discretion of the administration and shall include: a parental conference, a report on the student’s permanent record, probation, suspension, or may be an expulsion from school.

·       The consequence for a less serious first time infraction of any aspect of this rule is a verbal warning; the second time infraction results in a written warning and parental notification; the third infraction results in a parental conference, a behavior plan established, probationary status and possibly suspension. 

·       The consequence for damaging, stealing, or destroying property is after-school detention, a report on the student’s permanent record, and to be liable, along with your family, to restore or replace such items, a probation and possible suspension

6.   Obtain permission from a teacher to leave a room for a specific purpose or to go to other areas of the church building between classes.

Dress Code and Appearance:

The dress code of St. Nicholas Orthodox Academy is a reflection of the values of our Orthodox Church community of which our school is a part. As such, the student should be modest in appearance. Any teacher may, at any time, ask the student to conform to the dress code, and the code will be affirmed cheerfully. Any questions about its implementation will ultimately be decided by the pastor.

All clothing must be clean, neat and modest, without any words, logos, advertisements, or media images. The clothing will be neither too loose nor too tight, and not frayed or torn. Our community does not wish to promote media advertising; therefore, media images will not be on any items of clothing, book bags, or lunch boxes. However, we realize that some clothing has brand logos on it and as such may be worn if the logo does not exceed 2 inches in length.

For the boys, dress should be as follows: button-down oxford, polo, or turtle neck shirts, pants and a belt. The shirts must be tucked in at all times. Hats are not permitted to be worn in either school or church. Socks must be worn with shoes. 

For the girls, skirts and dresses must fall below the knees when standing or sitting. Modest blouses or sweaters should be worn with no cleavage or midriff showing. For warmth, girls may wear leggings or tights under their skirts. Also for warmth, girls in all grades will be permitted to wear sweat pants under their dresses when walking to and from the Boys and Girls Club, several blocks away.

Blue jean pants for the boys and blue jean skirts for the girls may be worn but may not be worn-out or frayed. Sandals are permitted, but flip-flop sandals are not permitted for either boys or girls.

No shorts for the boys or pants for the girls will be permitted during school, with the exception of the K-6 students who may change into shorts when they go into the park for recess.

For our sports program, appropriate gym clothes without stripes or patterns, or logos are required. Sneakers should be worn with sports socks. 

For outdoor gardening activities, students should wear modest pants and shoes that can get wet and muddy.

Parental Responsibilities:

Volunteer effort propels this school to a major extent and the participation of every family is needed. Please contact Pamela Showalter to discuss volunteer opportunities needed by the school. 

Tuition: payments must be made by the fifth of the month or a late fee will be charged.  Full up-to-date payment of fees is required before student transcripts will be released. 

Lunches: All lunches and snacks should be fully-prepared at home and should not require kitchen preparation or microwaving.

Birthdays: It is requested that student birthday-gift exchanges take place after school hours.  In-school birthday celebrations may occur only with the prior approval of the teacher in whose class the party is to take place.

School Supplies: All school supplies should have solid colors or display scenic views only; commercial or pop-culture logos or characters are not permitted. It is the parents’ responsibility to keep track of and replace their student’s supplies throughout the school year. 

Parking Exception: Please avoid parking in the one car space across the street from the school entrance. This space is next to the large water oak tree. When we asked neighbors to sign a petition requesting City Hall to give us a parking variation (zoning permission) for school parking, we agreed to leave this space available for our neighbor living across the street. A promise is a promise; help us keep it.