HKIS Community Expectations and Communication Guidelines

Introduction

HKIS as a community is committed to building and sustaining a welcoming and secure learning environment in which individuals can fully realize their potential in a climate of mutual respect. HKIS believes that parents and educators share the responsibility for creating a partnership that fosters children’s learning. Together we play a formative role in the development of a child’s sense of justice, equity and the worth of all members of our school community.

It is our hope that these guidelines will provide a useful framework to promote effective and appropriate communication within the HKIS community, and will support the HKIS policy Promoting a Culture of Respect (Policy 3170, available on DragonNet).

Working in Partnership

We recognize that effective partnerships are characterized by clearly defined responsibilities, a shared commitment to collaboration, open lines of communication, mutual respect and a common vision of the goals to be achieved.

The responsibility of the school (teachers, administrators and support staff) is to:

• Provide a safe environment that supports the development of positive learning attitudes, habits and values that are consistent with the mission of the school.
• Provide high quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive environment.
• Encourage students’ growth as responsible, independent and respectful individuals.
• Model integrity, academic curiosity, responsibility and creativity.
• Communicate and work with parents as partners in ensuring student achievement reflective of the HKIS Mission and Student Learning Results.
• Provide timely and clear information about school programs and events.

The teacher’s responsibility is to:

• Explain the curriculum and approach to learning in the classroom, expectations, methods of assessment and reporting of learning to students and their families.
• Report student progress regularly to parents (the frequency of communication is determined by each division).
• When appropriate, work with parents, counselors or learning specialists to provide a team approach to support for students.
• Communicate how parents can support what is going on in the classroom.
• Share observations, interests and concerns during emails, meetings and parent- teacher and student conferences.
• Invite parent involvement in the learning process, for example, participating in class activities, attendance at school events, invitation for guest speakers or connecting with the wider HK community.
• Respect family needs and values.
• Invite input and feedback from parents.
• Respond in a timely fashion to emails or phone calls from parents.

The parent’s responsibility is to:

• Provide a home environment that supports the development of positive learning attitudes, habits and values that are consistent with those of the school.
• Play an active part in their child’s learning (monitoring attendance).
• Help their child capitalize upon successes and learn from setbacks and failures as part of his or her growth process.
• Review, with the child, information provided by the school that provides insight into student learning and growth, for example, assignment feedback, report cards, conference information, emails.
• Communicate with the teacher, as developmentally appropriate, if the child is having problems with learning.
• Inform the school of any family or home situation that may affect a child’s learning or behavior.
• Participate in the decisions about their child’s education.
• Be responsive to requests for input, feedback or opinion.
• Stay informed by reading the school newsletter, class updates or accessing the website.
• Attend, as family responsibilities allow, parents’ events or education evenings. These include: parent coffees, division parent forums, parent-to-parent meetings, curriculum nights and parent feedback.
• Participate, as family responsibilities allow, in school organizations such as PFO, PAG and Booster Club and events.
• Respect a teacher’s academic efforts by minimizing a child’s absence from school for non-critical reasons.

Expectations for Communication at HKIS

It is expected that all members of the HKIS adult community will abide by the following principles for verbal and non-verbal, written and oral communication at HKIS:

• All communications demonstrate the assumption of good intent and the goal to be constructive.
• The tone of all communications demonstrates care, respect for others and sensitivity for diversity.
• Email is the preferred form of contact, unless an issue is urgent or would be better addressed through face-to-face or phone contact.
• Reasonable time is allowed for responses to communications.
• Confidentiality is respected.

Sequence of Communication Channels for Parents

Our school has established a protocol for whom to contact should a concern arise. This provides an opportunity for the people closest to the issue to resolve it together before involving a supervisor. At HKIS, our teachers are committed to working with parents to ensure children’s success.

• Contact the teacher directly if you have questions or concerns about your child or the instructional program in your child’s class. Our teachers care about each child’s whole development and want to work in partnership with you to ensure that your child is successful in school. Parent conferences take place regularly to discuss your child’s progress in school, during the first and second semesters, for all grade levels. Report cards are sent home in December and June. See “Reporting on Student Learning” for more details. If you have further questions or are not satisfied with the response, please contact the respective supervising administrator.
• Contact the principal or associate principal if the teacher’s response to your first contact does not sufficiently address your concern or if your concern is at the divisional level.
• Contact the Head of School if the Administrator’s response does not address your concern or if your concern is at the school wide level.

Addressing Disagreements

Dealing with disagreements requires respect and discretion by both the school and parents. Both parties should respectfully seek to gather accurate information and resolve problems through appropriate channels of communication. Each adult shares the responsibility to provide a collaborative decision-making model in the best interest of the child – be prepared to listen, contribute, negotiate and support decisions and operate from the assumption of good intent.

Confidentiality contributes to maintaining trust between parents, teachers and administrators. All adults should use discretion about when, where and with whom issues are discussed. It is important that all adults do not discuss individual children, teachers or families in inappropriate public and social situations.

Harassment

(Policy 3170, available on DragonNet)

HKIS is committed to building and sustaining a culture of respect, care and safety that is free from any form of harassment, bullying and intimidation. All members of our community – students, parents, faculty, staff and visitors – have a right to feel safe and protected and share the responsibility to build and maintain an environment in which everyone feels respected. Offensive, harassing, bullying or intimidating behaviors will not be tolerated or ignored and will be dealt with appropriately and expeditiously.

Across the school, both prevention and intervention strategies are in place for our student and adult community, and will be published and reviewed annually, to encourage empathy and respect and to respond appropriately to any acts of bullying and harassment.

Any repeated behavior that offends, upsets, embarrasses, frightens, excludes or hurts another person is bullying and/or harassment. HKIS recognizes that these behaviors can take many forms including:

Verbal Bullying and/or Harassment

• Language – name-calling, spreading rumors, and/or directing insulting, teasing, threatening comments to another person.
• Virtual – harassment or spreading rumors by email, instant messaging, blogs or any other media form.
• Religious – putting down or ridiculing another’s religion, stopping an other from expressing their beliefs.
• Racial – making hurtful comments or discriminating against someone based on their nationality, race or culture, color of their skin or language spoken.
• Intellectual – making hurtful comments based on someone’s intellectual or academic ability.
• Sexual – making hurtful comments or discriminating against someone based on their gender or sexual orientation.

Non-Verbal Bullying and/or Harassment

• Physical – hitting, kicking, pushing, spitting or any other form of physical behavior which is deemed to be aggressive in nature.
• Personal property (real or virtual) – taking, damaging or trespassing another’s property. This includes entering another student’s email account, personal belongings, or school locker without permission.
• Indirect – intentionally excluding someone from a group, discussion or team.
• Graphic/vandalism – defacing another’s property, projects or photographs.
• Sexual – making offensive gestures about another’s body, touching or maintaining unwelcome closeness to another person or discriminating against someone based on their sexual orientation.

Each division will implement age and stage appropriate prevention strategies aimed at developing an ethos of caring and empathy to reduce the likelihood of bullying and harassment.

The school will respond to incidents of bullying and harassment promptly and with sensitivity toward both the victim and the perpetrator recognizing that often those who bully others have been prior victims of bullying and/or harassment.

School specific interventions and consequences for incidents of bullying and/or harassment will be published in school handbooks and on the school website.