available Annual General Meeting (TBC

COMMUNICATION CHANNELS AND GUIDELINES

Channels for Healthy Communication

Learning about Waldorf education, partnering with your child’s teachers in your child’s education and fostering healthy communication provide a strong foundation for a healthy, mutually supportive social life among children and families. If you have questions or concerns regarding your child’s experience at school, the following steps are recommended: • If the concern involves the class teacher or your child, speak to the teacher directly. All teachers welcome parents to promptly address any issue, large or small. • If the concern involves a specialty teacher, speak directly to the specialty teacher involved. If concerns persist, speak to the

Director. All teachers can be reached by • email or by calling the office. The teacher will return your call as soon as possible. Individual class teachers may inform parents of specific hours during which they welcome direct calls at home. • If the concern involves another member of the community, please see the following guidelines for building a ‘conscious community.’ These guidelines were developed through several meetings between class parents in an effort to ensure a healthy learning environment of the children.

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Parent/Guardian Code of Conduct Guidelines for Building A Conscious Community

I recognize that to successfully build and sustain a healthy community/parent body, I will have to act in an uplifting and honourable manner. Therefore, I will:

COMMUNICATE with the relevant party (parent, faculty, administration, class rep) any questions or concern about actions or behaviour for which I have concern.

DISENGAGE from communications with fellow parents that place blame.

REFRAIN from ‘third party talk’, i.e., the passing on of second hand information, hearsay, rumours, or speculation.

CONSIDER before I act or speak, the question “Is what I am about to do or say healing or hurting?”

LISTEN to what others have to say with an open heart, and allow space for healthy disagreement.

MODEL in myself those behaviours that I encourage and expect in my children.

PROMOTE all these principles in my fellow parents.

ASK FOR HELP if behaviours persist and contact the Director who can organize a facilitated conversation or involve the appropriate persons in the pursuit of a resolution.

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Examples of Inappropriate Behaviours Include, but are not limited to: • Exhibiting disrespect towards members of the school community, especially school employees and other persons in positions of authority. • Exhibiting conduct injurious to the moral tone of the school or to the physical or mental well-being of others. • Bullying, intimidating, or threatening a member of the school community. • Uttering a threat to inflict bodily harm on a member of the school community. • Harassment (defined as engaging in vexatious comments or conduct against a worker in a workplace that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome) of any kind. • Using email lists for advertising/soliciting or to discuss matters unrelated to the curriculum of Waldorf Academy.

Parents/Guardians exhibiting detrimental behaviour will be called to meet with the Director and/or a manager to conclude a plan for resolution and repair. Failure or refusal of the parent/guardian to meet or conclude a plan for resolution and repair may result in an immediate or future termination of enrolment of the parent/guardian’s child/children.

It should be noted that all parents/guardians sign an enrolment contract with the following statement in it:

By signing this Agreement, the Parent/Guardian understands that Waldorf Academy may require the withdrawal of or may dismiss a student at its sole discretion. The Parent/Guardian further understands that a positive and constructive working relationship between Waldorf Academy and a student's parents (or guardians) is essential to the fulfillment of Waldorf Academy's mission, and agrees that Waldorf may terminate enrolment, or decline re-enrolment, if Waldorf Academy, in its sole discretion concludes that the student's action or inaction is detrimental to Waldorf Academy, or whose

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