Maternelle and Lower School Academic Integrity Practices

An Honest Student: 

Academic integrity is respecting your teachers, peers, and yourself by completing your work individually,  when requested by your teacher. Complete your work truthfully, by avoiding asking/using any source for help when individual work is expected.

Honest students: 

• Try their best and set realistic goals.
• Ask the teacher if they do not understand topic/assignment.
• Keep their work to themselves; other students need to learn as well.
• Work without using online tools unless teacher authorized (not all online tools are reliable).
• Manage their study time as well as time during summative assessments.
• Accept mistakes as a normal part of learning and learn from them.

Show your steps/processes of your work and honestly report your own results. This helps you understand your weaknesses and helps the teacher evaluate your misunderstandings as well as your strengths. 

Be a thinker and use appropriate materials. 

Communication between students, parents, and teachers will ensure that our common philosophy is respected.

From the Maternelle and Lower School Code of Conduct: 

We are expected to be safe, kind, and helpful members of our community as we do our best to be inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced, and reflective. 

Respect for Self and Others 

• We are expected to demonstrate respect, courtesy, and understanding in their words and actions towards self and others. Students are encouraged to talk with an adult at school if they need help or know someone who does.
• We are caring; we treat others fairly and do not use words or actions that injure, hurt, put down, embarrass, exclude, or threaten others. 
• We are reflective and thoughtful, thinking before we act. 
• We are open-minded, listening to others’ ideas and not telling others how to be or what to do. 
• We are risk-takers, finding ways to include and stand up for others when they need our help.

Possible Consequences for Negative Behavior 

At times reminders and positive reinforcements are not enough to teach children positive behavioral choices and consequences are needed. Consequences are given depending upon the child’s developmental level, and upon the danger, severity, or repetitive nature of the behavior. While children and circumstances are individual and unique, often requiring that the consequences be tailored to the situation, we strive to maintain fairness and consistency in our responses. Staff members will not share information about a student’s behavior, academics or consequences to adults other than that student’s own parents or guardians and involved staff members. 

Examples of possible consequences that may be used: 

• Verbal warning 
• Removal of privilege
• Conversation with teacher
• Incident Report written; meeting with Division Head if needed 
• Restorative justice action assigned 
• Meeting with parent/guardian 
• Suspension (in or out of school) 
• Expulsion

Lower School Responsible Use Agreement for Digital Tools 

At French International we are committed to providing an environment that encourages the use of digital tools as essential to support our educational mission. Students are responsible for their use of digital tools, and the Code of Conduct must be followed at all times. Digital tools refers both to hardware (including chromebooks, desktop computers, printers, scanners), and to software, apps, French International network and internet resources. This agreement applies to any use of French International digital tools whether this access occurs with school-owned equipment or personal devices. This applies both on and off campus. 

Students are expected to be responsible, digital citizens while using French International digital tools, and are asked to sign an agreement with the following statements at the start of each school year: 

Kindergarten-Second Grade Agreement

Using school technology is a privilege, and any privilege comes with responsibility. Here are
the expectations when you are using school devices.

How should I use technology?

• I will use a device when a teacher asks me during class.
• I will put the device away when a teacher says it’s time for a device break.
• I will take care of any school devices as if they were my own.
• I will only use the app I have been asked to use.
• I will ask before using a device.

What should I do with technology?

• I will use a device to learn new things.
• I will check information to verify that it is true.
• I will give credit to the creators of content that is not mine.
• I will follow the French International Academic Integrity Policy.

How should I interact with other people?

• I will not share personal information (like home address or birthdate) about myself or others online.
• I will give feedback and comments in ways that make others feel supported.
• I will use appropriate language and won’t make others feel uncomfortable because of the things I say.

What happens when something goes wrong?

• When I do something that is not in line with this agreement, I will talk to a teacher or trusted adult who will help me figure out how to make it right.
• I will immediately stop and tell a trusted adult if anything happens in an app or online that does not seem right or makes me feel uncomfortable.

I understand that using any school technology is a privilege I must earn. If I don’t keep my part of this agreement, I understand that privileges may be removed for a time and that I may face additional consequences.

Third-Fifth Grade Agreement

When I receive a school-issued device I agree to: 

Be a principled digital citizen

• I will use FI-issued devices  and school apps and accounts for school work and school-related activities only.
• I will adhere to the FI Academic Integrity policy.
• I will  follow copyright laws, and give credit to the creator of materials, ideas, photos, images, music or videos I use in my school projects by creating a properly formatted bibliography.
• I understand that failure to properly cite my sources of information is called "plagiarism" and is a form of cheating.
• I will fact-check the information I am sharing digitally.

Be respectful

•  I will respect the work and files of others, and agree not to open, copy, change, delete or damage files or folders that are not mine.
•  I will communicate and collaborate online responsibly and respectfully.

 Be responsible

• I will handle my school-issued chromebook and other technology devices carefully.
• I will not damage, change or tamper with the hardware, software, settings of computer hardware or the network.
• I will only print what is needed for my school work on campus.

Be safe

• I understand that I am responsible for all activity in my FI accounts and will not share my login credentials.
• I will not use others’ FI accounts.
• I will contact a teacher immediately if I cannot access my own accounts.
• I will report evidence of cyberbullying to a teacher, counselor or administrator.
• I will log off a computer and close the lid or shut down a chromebook before I step away.
• I will not give out personal information about myself, my peers or my school on a public Internet site, including full names, passwords, home address, phone number, photos, audio files, or videos.
• I will not sign in or create new accounts for online resources not provided by the school.

Take care of my school-issued device

• Restart chromebook every day.
• Place the chromebook in the charging cart at the end of each day.
• Clean screen at least once a week.

We all make mistakes. When I do something with my device that is not in line with this agreement, I will let a trusted adult know and ask them to help me make it right. If I can’t consistently keep my part of this agreement, I understand that privileges may be removed for a time and that I may face additional consequences. If I violate this agreement, consequences may include: 

• temporarily disabled French International account 
• loss of digital privileges 
• other appropriate consequences