Choosing to Attend Holy Cross

The choice to come to Holy Cross is a conscious decision to enter into a community that is Christ-centred and devoted to providing students with a Catholic education. This is what distinguishes our school from the neighbouring public high schools. When you accept the invitation to attend this school, you are entering into a covenant with the members of our school and greater Catholic community. A part of that covenant is to be open to the teachings of Christ, to participate as actively as possible in the faith life of our community and to dedicate oneself to the service of others. We accomplish our mission in a number of ways: religious education classes; our teachers incorporate Catholic teaching into the daily curriculum; we pray at school regularly; our students and staff actively participate in charity work; and our staff and students regularly attend Mass and other liturgies. It is not possible to opt out of any of these activities and we will not give permission to students to be absent or to not participate. If you have made the choice to attend Holy Cross, then you must understand and be accepting of our mission and our expectations for you in this regard. No one is required to attend a Catholic school, therefore having made the decision to do so, you must be prepared to meet the obligations that accompany that decision.

Student Timetables

Student schedules are enclosed. There may be some changes which have occurred since the June run of timetables. Counsellors will be available from Tuesday, August 25th to Thursday, August 27th for students who need to discuss timetable changes regarding course level changes or elective changes. Students who wish to make a course level change or change an elective, should phone to schedule an appointment with Student Services at 613-384-2023. Timetable changes will not be given priority for students wishing to change classes due to staffing. Students who have a timetable and have decided not to return to Holy Cross for this September are asked to notify Student Services as soon as possible. Early notification to Holy Cross by students who are not returning allows the school the opportunity to plan more effectively to meet the needs of all students.

You can see your timetable as well as other information by following this link to the Maplewood Parent and Student Information Portal. Once there, you will be prompted for your user name and password. Contact Student Services to if you cannot remember your password or did not receive one.

Student Activity Fees

• Grade 9 Students
  A student activity fee cheque of $85.00 payable to Holy Cross. Included in this fee are the following: Holy Cross Agenda, Students' Council ID Card, School Lock for lockers, Grade 9 French Cahier, Holy Cross Spirit T-Shirt or drawstring backpack, two Twonie - No Uni Days to support cancer research, and a personalized, Award Winning 2009/10 Holy Cross Yearbook.
• Grade 10-12 Students
  For students in Grades 10-12 the fee is $66.00 reflecting the lack of need of a French Cahier and school lock. This fee is to be paid when you pick up your textbooks. The value of the items purchased individually is much greater than the actual comprehensive fee. By ordering in bulk, Holy Cross is able to pass on savings to the community. With all students purchasing a Student Card, the Students' Council will be able to support the extra-curricular activities that make Holy Cross such a great place to be. The Student Card also entitles our students to many discounts at local stores. The Crusader Activity Fee is mandatory for all students. Students may opt out of receiving the Holy Cross yearbook by completing and signing the opting out form at the time they pick up their textbooks.
• Graduating Students
  In an attempt to minimize the amount of times students are asked to bring in monies, graduating student activity fees this year will also include the $30.00 Graduation fee, bringing the total to $101.00 for any students planning to graduate in June 2010.

For parents with more than one child at Holy Cross, a reduction of $4.00 per additional child is available.

Textbook Pickup

Students will be able to pick up their next year's First Semester textbooks as of the last week in August. The textbook room will be open on Wednesday, August 26^th to Friday, August 28^th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will also be open in the evening of Thursday, August 27^th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, August 26^th is reserved as a "Grade 9 only" day. Other students can pick up their books on any of the other days.

In order to get textbooks each student's account of the previous year must be clear. Student must have their green textbook card to be validated. (New Grade 9 students will be given their cards at textbook pick-up time.) A separate textbook deposit cheque must be submitted. This cheque is to be made out to Holy Cross Secondary School, in the amount of $100, postdated to March 1^st, 2010, and should have the students full name printed at the top left of the cheque.

Please be advised that any textbook account problems that have not been resolved from the previous semester will not be able to be addressed during the busy textbook pick-up days. Replacement green textbook cards are $5.00 and cannot be issued the same day. In order to avoid delays please ensure that all textbooks are returned on time and that lost textbook cards are replaced before the end of June.

Holy Cross Uniform Policy

Students are to wear the Holy Cross uniform at all times during the school day, including the lunch hour and during spare periods. Some students wear clothes other than their uniform in the morning, on the bus, at lunch, and before leaving the school in the afternoon. Although no doubt unintentional, to do so works at cross purposes with the intent of the uniform policy. In addition there are not enough areas available for students to change, thus precipitating a situation where students are changing in the hall. This is not an appropriate situation and is not permitted. Students should arrive at school in their uniform or use change rooms and washrooms for changing into their uniform on arrival.

The uniform provides many advantages to our students, including safety, pride, and equal status. All of our students are dressed identically so that our staff can easily identify any person who does not belong in our building. Our students who wear their uniform proudly definitely experience feelings of belonging to a larger group. Our uniform allows our students to be on equal footing, as family income is not transparent. Our students are more easily able to concentrate on their classroom activities as various attire is not an obstacle for learning.

The fall/winter uniform is in effect from September to June. Acceptable fall/winter items are listed below:

• Girls: solid grey Holy Cross dress pants, kilt (hemmed to 2 inches above the knee), white button-down collared or French cut blouses with monogram, black leotards or tights (must not be leggings which don't have feet), black (polishable) dress shoes;
• Boys: solid grey Holy Cross dress pants, school tie, white button-down collared shirt with monogram, black (polishable) dress shoes;
• Unisex: school crested vest / pull-over. Undershirts or T-shirts which are worn under uniform shirts are to be entirely white.

The spring uniform is in effect for May and June only. Acceptable spring uniform items include green school crested golf shirt, tan knee length school crested walking shorts (with no alterations or rolling allowed), deck shoes, running shoes, sandals with strap. The items from the spring uniform are not to be mixed with the items from the winter uniform at any time. The spring uniform may be purchased at Holy Cross in April of 2010.

Students must present themselves in good repair at all times during the school day. Ball caps, hoodies and offensive clothing are not permitted in the school at any time; if found, they will be seized and reissued at the end of the semester. Appropriate attire for shop, gym, drama, and art will be determined by the teacher and worn for that period only. Students are not to accessorize their uniform. Excessive jewelry, studded arm bands, necklaces and/or belts, or bandanas are not to be worn. One warning will be issued to students who are not in compliance with these rules and on second offense the items will be confiscated for the term. Students who choose to be out of uniform or who dress unsuitably, will receive one warning after which they will read the Holy Cross uniform policy. On second offense students will serve a lunch-hour detention and their parents will be notified. On third offense students will be sent home to change. Persistent violations of the uniform policy will be interpreted as an unwillingness to comply with the policy of the school. This progressive system of intervention will be incorporated to deal with students who do not comply with the uniform policy. Students who habitually work against the spirit of the uniform policy will be suspended. Students who display an unwillingness to co-operate with school authorities will not remain at Holy Cross.

Transportation

Bus routes and times are usually available at the school after August 28^th and will be posted on the lower windows immediately to the left of the Main Entrance so they can be viewed from outside the building. If you require transportation information, please call Tri-County Transportation at 613-354-1981 ext 352. Please note that the school does not create schedules or approve transportation requests. It always takes some time to normalize bus routes at the beginning of a school year. Students are advised to arrive at their pick up location a little early for the first few days. In the event that you are at the stop at the correct time and the bus does not arrive, please contact the school so that other arrangements can be made.

Student Parking and Traffic

Student parking is only available in the west parking lot adjacent to the gymnasiums. Parking is not permitted anywhere on the property except in designated areas. Fire routes and bus zones must be kept clear of vehicles at all times. Disabled parking is available; only those vehicles with appropriate stickers are permitted in designated spots. Parking in these areas will result in fines and/or towing of vehicles at the owner's expense. Vehicles parking on school property are not to be used as gathering points for students. Students are not permitted to remain in parked vehicles. Vehicles are not to be used for "joyriding" on school property at any time. Actions of this kind jeopardize the safety of students, staff and visitors to our property. Failure to comply with the above provisions will result in the suspension of parking privileges. Vehicles left overnight on the school property without the approval of administration will be towed at the owner's expense.

Holy Cross Catholic School Council

The HC Catholic School Council forms an advisory body that provides ideas and opinions to assist the Principal and, where appropriate, the Board in their decision-making on educational issues. The advice is based on the general views of the school community and in the best interest of Holy Cross students. Membership of the Council reflects the diversity of the community and includes parents/guardians of students enrolled at the school, students, teachers, non-teaching staff, a parish representative, a community representative and the principal.