Health, Safety and Discipline

CANTEEN POLICY

Objective:

• Provide attractive, nutritious and healthy meals at an affordable price.
• To act as a supplement to food that students bring from home where needed
• When at times they are unable to get a proper healthy meal from home, then they can buy it from the canteen.

Applicable to:

This Policy applies to all students, staff and parents.

Value (s) guiding policy:*

a) Value Term: Excellence

b) Why: I always implement practices that continue to produce valued outcomes.

Rationale:

In case of students’ stay back or in case of middle year students who are here till later, it can act as supplementary food.

1. Apply high standards of hygiene in relation to the preparation, storage and serving of food at the canteen.
2. promoting healthy eating habits in line with the School’s educational programs
3. designing nutritious seasonal menus

Pantry Facility:

We have a school canteen for the convenience of students, staff and parents. The school canteen stocks healthy food only. Presently our Canteen menu includes the following:

Items	Cost *
Vegetable Sandwich – whole wheat bread	25
Vegetable Cheese Sandwich – whole wheat bread	35
Cheese Sandwich – whole wheat bread	22
Bread Butter – whole wheat bread	12
Cheese Slice	10
Butter Milk	12
Lemonade	5
Flavored Milk (Kesar, Rose)	20
Flavored Lassi (Mango, Plain)	20
Peanuts /Popcorn	10
Banana (2 pieces)	5
Today’s Special (as per the menu)**	15

* Costs are subject to change based on input costs.

** Present Today’s Special Menu is given along with the monthly food menu. This menu is subject to change.

• We have added healthy food items in school menu . Canteen working hours are from 8:00-11:30 am and 2:00 – 4:30 pm. Students of Grade 1-10 can buy these items from canteen during the First Meal Break only and then after 2:00 pm (only for Grade 1-6 students who are staying back and all Middle Year students).

• Please note that some parents give far more money/coupons for the canteen and other things than they should.

This sort of parenting is not good for your children and you need to make sure that there is a clear understanding about what is necessary and give only that much coupon. Further, this will also present a problem to other parents who do not give unnecessary money/coupons as their wards will say that their friends are getting a lot more money/coupons. Please note that instead of giving in or complaining about the school’s canteen facility, use this opportunity to discuss the importance of money and set essential agreements with your children and discuss with them about how they can avoid falling into the trap of undesirable peer pressure.

Coupon System:

Pantry coupon system has been introduced to avoid loss of cash by the students and also possible misuse by them. Now onwards instead of item mentioned in the coupon along with price, we will have only price mentioned on the coupon (denomination – Rs. 1/2/5/10/20/30). This will also help whenever there is a revision in selling price of any item.

The process of coupon system will be as under:

We have introduced a new system for purchasing pantry coupons through online payment.

Step to be followed for Online Payment:

• Click on the link “Online Payment Option“
• Click on “Pantry Coupon”
• To confirm, click on “continue”
• Enter the Details
• To confirm, click on “continue”
• Confirm and click on “Pay Now” button
• Choose the payment option and click on “Make Payment”
• After getting the payment confirmation, the coupons will be handed over to your child in a sealed envelope within working days and confirmation will be sent to the parent through communication diary.

Online Payment Charges:

1. Debit Card Gateway Facility Fee (Visa, MasterCard)

1.00% of Transaction amount for value upto Rs. 2000.00

1.25% of Transaction amount for value above Rs. 2000.00

Will be charged to the customer (parent)

2. Net Banking Facility Fee

Rs. 35/- per transaction processed

Will be charged to the customer (parent)

3. Credit Card Gateway Facility Fee (Visa, Mastercard)

1.75% of the Transaction amount

Will be charged to the customer (parent)

Please Note: – * Service Taxes as applicable will be charged on the above

Apart from the online payment option, coupons can also be purchased through cheque payment option.

Step to be followed for Cheque Payment:

1. Parent has to collect the coupon requisition slip from the conductor of the respective bus.
2. Fill the required information in the coupon requisition slip and put in the envelope along with the cheque.
3. Cheque has to be drawn in the name of “Fountainhead Education LLP”.
4. The envelope has to be submitted to the conductor of the respective bus.
5. After getting the cheque clearance, the coupons will be handed over to your child in a sealed envelope within 7 working days and confirmation will be sent to the parent through communication diary.

PS:

1. The minimum limit for coupon purchase is Rs. 500/- for both the options mentioned above.
2. Middle Year students can purchase the coupons through cash from the Pantry In-charge with a note from their parents via Communication Diary. Timings to purchase coupon is 9.00 am to 11.30 am (Monday & Thursday) from the dining area.
3. Cash will not be accepted for buying pantry items, students have to buy items through coupons only.
4. The school takes no responsibility of the safekeeping of the coupons by the students.

Since now we do not have item names mentioned in the coupon, the student can buy anything using the required amount of coupon. Hence the parent & student will be responsible for the choice of item.

Consequences: *: NA

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CELEBRATION POLICY

Objective:

While we understand that birthday is a special day in child’s life, the objective of this policy is to encourage parents to celebrate the birthday of their child in an austere and simple manner.

Applicable to:

This policy applies to all students.

Value (s) guiding policy:

a)Value Term: Fairness, Excellence

b)Why:

• My action must be not discriminate or give undue advantage to anyone.
• Always implement practices that continue to produce valued outcomes.

Rationale:

• Celebrations promote unnecessary competition between the parents and children by giving return gifts, and birthday cake.

• Due to this competition the children may feel bad or biased if their return gifts or cake were not as good as compared to other children.

• Celebrations are time consuming, the time which can further be used productively for learning, which is what the school is meant for.

• In the name of celebration, parents often send unhealthy food items like cakes, chocolates, muffins, etc. which is also not aligned with our school food policy.

Policy Guidelines:

• Parents cannot send chocolates or gifts for the children or the staff. Any gifts / eatables sent will be collected and given away to needy children.

• Apart from your child’s birthday also, sending of gifts / eatables to any Fountainhead staff member is strongly discouraged for any occasion, reason or purpose.

• If you want to do something for your child, then the school suggests that you donate a book to the library that every class has.

• Parents cannot invite teachers or any members of the school staff for birthday celebrations unless they share a personal relationship with the person. Personal relationship is defined as knowing the concerned person in an individual capacity not resulting from interaction in school.

• Parents cannot request the class teacher to distribute birthday party invitation cards in class or in the bus.
• Birthday invitations should be made by phone call/sms/email.
• To be fair to all students, it is advisable that invitations should be given to all the children’s in the section.

A NEW PROPOSAL FOR STUDENT-TEACHER GENERAL CELEBRATIONS

• Students can celebrate on the last day before the 2 major vacations (Diwali and summer) by bringing home-made food (whether junk or otherwise depends on the day on which the last day falls). They can eat it in the classroom. The respective teacher and the students must take responsibility of ensuring that the classroom is cleaned after the meal.
• Apart from this, the students in agreement with any teacher and after taking permission from the Academic Coordinator can use the following outdoor areas for celebrations with food: the story wells, the amphitheatre, any outdoor area in the school (jungle gym, eucalyptus forest, football ground etc.).

At school, each teacher will make effort to celebrate the birthday of a child special by meaningful celebrations that in fact celebrates the uniqueness of the child and enhances their relationships with those around them.
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CODE OF CONDUCT FOR PARENTS

Objective:

To set clear guidelines for parents on expected behavior with school staff (teachers / admin)

Applicable to:

This policy applies to all parents.

Value (s) guiding policy:*

a) Value Term: Respect
b) Why:

• Show respect and concern for others.

• Analyze and evaluate your actions

Rationale:

Considerate behavior and courtesy to others are essential for the success of a child and with the help of this they form relationships in and out of school, to later succeed in life. It is the role of all parents to model the behavior they expect to see in their children. The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines to all parents of our school, about expected conduct, so that we can work together to ensure a positive school environment for our children.

Policy Guidelines:

As a school value, we place great emphasis on respect for students, parents and the school staff and also expect the same from parents. The school expects high standards of behavior from parents within the schools premises as they are the role models for their children. But it has been observed that in certain situations, parents do not adhere to the values and start misbehaving, with behavior that compromises or demeans the dignity of individuals or groups, including stalking, harassment, discrimination, taunting, ridiculing, insulting, threatening or other acts of violence.

RESPECT AND CONCERN FOR SCHOOL STAFF AND THEIR RIGHTS

This guidance supports the implementation of this policy and we expect parents to show respect and concern for school staff by:-

• Parents have to present themselves in a lawful, ethical, and responsible manner that recognizes and respects the rights of others.

• Parents have to cooperate with the school staff to achieve the best outcomes for any related issue.

• Parents have to treat all individuals and property of the school with dignity, courtesy and respect at all times.

• Parents have to initiate and maintain constructive communication and relationship with school staff regarding issues/concerns related to their child’s learning, well being and behavior or any other related to the school.

• Parents have to emphasize on the importance of values like respect and cooperation with school staff at any point of time. They can escalate the issue to the higher authority if they feel they are not being heard or are not satisfied with the conversation or decision.

Consequences for Unacceptable Behavior: The school will not accept any unwanted behavior in order to promote peaceful school environment. This follows :

• Any kind of disruptive behavior which interferes with the school operation i.e. classroom, administration area or any other part of the school.

• Using loud and/or offensive/abusive language or displaying temper.

• Threatening or the use of physical aggression towards staff.

• Threatening to make a police complaint, media or using the name of an authority (school related or outsider) to get their work done.

• Abusive or threatening emails or phone calls, whether implicit (indirect) or explicit (direct).

• Damaging or destroying school property.

• Usage of mobile phones in the restricted areas.

• Passing derogatory remarks about the school policies in public e.g. to transport staff or other parents regarding transport policy.

• Arguing with the front desk representative over the phone, insisting to talk to the teacher which is not possible during school time.

The above mentioned behaviors on school premises will be reported to the appropriate authorities, who can take following action(s) based on the severity of the misconduct.

• If the parent is misbehaving or using bad language (Walk-in or Phone call), they will be given a warning and will be asked to leave.

• If they continue misbehaving or using bad language, Rs.5000/- fine will be imposed and they will be asked to write an apology letter to the school.

• In extreme cases, school has the right to issue a Leaving Certificate to the student.

In case of any issue/concern related to academic or administration, we strongly suggest to all parents to write in the Communication Diary or send an email to surat@fountainheadschools.org.

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Discipline Policy

Objective:

The objective of this policy is to establish a safe and positive learning environment for the students in the school, teaching the students appropriate behavior and helping them become independent and responsible people.

Applicable to:

All Students

Value (s) guiding policy:

a) Value Term: Responsible

b) Why: Student will maintain a high standard of behavior by adhering to the values & principles and respecting the rights of others.

Learner Profile Responsible, Balanced

Rationale:

Good discipline is fundamental for the achievement of the school’s learning objective and mission statement and smooth running of the school. Students are required to abide by the school’s rules and to follow the direction of teachers and other staff members. When a student disregards rules, disobeys instructions or otherwise engages in conduct which causes or may cause harm, inconvenience or embarrassment to the school staff members or other students, then this will lead to disciplinary action taken by school.

Policy Guidelines:

Anti-Bullying Policy:

Content: This policy covers details about: What is Bullying? Different types of bullying Possible signs of bullying Why do people bully? Target of bullies How to face bullying? Why not to bully others What actions can be taken if you see others bullying How to handle bully and victim What are the consequences of bullying Anti-bullying policy of FS Steps to be taken in the school for Setting up a bully-free classroom Consequences for the student who bullies others

Objective:

The objective of this policy is to address disciplinary issues of the students in schools.

Rationale:

The aim is to develop self-discipline in students to take responsibility for their own actions. However, the school recognizes that some students will step outside the realm of acceptable behavior. Consequences must be applied against such individuals, but those consequences must be just, fair and appropriate.

Policy Guidelines:

The guidelines given in this policy are to be implemented only after

• The school and/or the teacher have made the best efforts to implement the right procedures and routines, which ensure that many of the issues don’t even arise in the first place.
• And the student concerned has already been counseled and warned beforehand and this policy addresses those students where regular consequences or talks have not had the desired results.

This policy will be brought into implementation only if a student is found by any teacher/staff/support staff member doing the following things:

1. Bullying in any form as communicated during class session

2. Using abusive language, gestures and body language

3. Hitting, pushing and beating another student either from his /her grade or any other grade.

What is Bullying?

Bullying is intentionally aggressive behavior that can take many forms (verbal, physical, social/relational/emotional, or cyber bullying or any combination of these); it involves an imbalance of power, and is often repeated over a period of time. Bullying is generally unprovoked and can consist of one child bullying another, a group of children ganging up against one lone child, or one group of kids targeting another group.

Bully: A person who threatens, hurts, or scares other people so they will do what the bully wants.

Victim: Person who is being bullied.

Bystander: People who watch bullying happen or hear about it but do not play a major role in preventing the bullying.

Types of Bullying:

Possible signs of Bullying

A child might have been bullied if he/she shows some of the following signs.

Adults should be aware of these possible signs and they should investigate if a child:

• doesn’t want to get on the school bus; begs to be driven to school;
• changes their usual routine;
• becomes withdrawn anxious, or lacking in confidence;
• starts stammering;
• attempts or threatens suicide or runs away;
• cries themselves to sleep at night or has nightmares/bed wetting
• feels ill in the morning;
• begins to do poorly in school work;
• comes home with clothes torn or books damaged;
• has possessions end up “missing”;
• asks for money or starts stealing money (to pay bully);
• has unexplained cuts or bruises;
• comes home starving (money / lunch has been stolen);
• becomes aggressive, disruptive or unreasonable;
• is bullying other children or siblings;
• stops eating;
• is frightened to say what’s wrong;
• Gives improbable excuses for any of the above.

These signs and behavior could indicate other problems, but bullying should be considered a possibility and should be investigated.

Why do people bully?

a) People bully to avoid facing up to their inadequacy and doing something about it.

b) A person also bullies others because he may think that he is much superior to them.

c) Some people bully others because they desperately want something they cannot achieve or obtain, something which other individuals have, such as study notes or electronic gadget.

d) To reduce their fear of being seen for what they are, namely a weak, inadequate and often incompetent individual.

e) Many people bully in order to attract attention from others.

Who do bullies target?

• People who don’t stand up for themselves
• People who are quiet and won’t tell on them
• People who are on their own away from kids or adults
• People who get upset easily or cry

What can you do if someone is bullying you?

• Tell someone you trust or approach the authority. It’s not easy to solve the problem on your own.
• Stay away from the bully as much as you can.

If a bully tries to hurt you, stand up for yourself, but try not to fight. Walk away or yell to get help.

What should you do if you are bullying others?

• Hurting other people doesn’t make you important, it just makes you mean. Think about ways you can be a leader without hurting, like getting involved in sports, school groups and community activities. If you need advice, talk to someone you trust.
• People who bully often end up in gangs, or having other serious problems. There’s nothing good about being a bully.
• Remember the golden rule; treat others the way you would like to be treated.
• ‘Everyone has the right to be respected and the responsibility to respect others.’

What should you do if you see bullying happen?

• Go to the person who is being bullied and lead them away, without looking at the bully.
• Don’t make the bully feel important by paying attention to them. When you ignore bullies, you take away their power.
• Bullies like to look tough in front of others, so they have an audience when they are being mean, if not always.

• Most of the time the bullying will end if someone like you steps in to stop it.

What to do with the Bully and the Victim?

Minor issues of bullying could be dealt in the classroom by the respective grade teachers. But if bullying persists and/or you come across serious incidents of bullying the matter needs to be reported to the authority (Head of the school). The victim is sent to the counselor and the bully is dealt with by the school authority. Necessary disciplinary measures are taken as per the severity of the incident.

Consequences of Bullying

Bullying has a destructive and harmful impact on the lives of children and young people, not only on those being bullied but also on those who bully and those who stand by. It can lead to feelings of self-doubt, lack of confidence, low self-esteem, anxiety, depression and sometimes even suicide. It can also affect the ability of a child or young person to enjoy and achieve.

Anti Bullying Policy of Fountainhead School

This policy will be implemented in cases where:

1. Children are heard using abusive or derogatory words towards others – it could be peers, teachers, support staff or any other person from school community.
2. Children are seen hitting another child which could be harmful to that child – on the playground, in the classroom, on the stairs. This could also be extended to pushing or shoving on the jungle gym, on the stairs or a dangerous place.
3. A group of children are bullying an alone child – either from the same grade or other grades.

The words we will be using often and what they mean is as below:

Complainer (suggest if you have a better word) – The child / didi / teacher who reports the incident

Faultier – the child who has used abusive words or displayed aggressive behavior.

Arbiter – The victim is sent to the counselor and the bully is dealt with by the school authority. Necessary disciplinary measures are taken as per the severity of the incident.

If a child is found in any of the above situations the following steps will be taken:

1. The incident will be expected to be reported to the Arbiter on an immediate basis. In case there is a 2 working day delay in reporting the incident no attention will be paid to it.
2. The HRT will record this in the logbook (which will be available as a soft copy on the Gdoc); this will help to establish that the incident did take place. This will also help us to maintain a record regarding which child was reported the most for a particular period of time.
3. A joint meeting will be conducted between the complainer, faultier and arbiter. During this meeting the arbiter will try to find out the authenticity of the incident and see if they can find any witness who would support the complainer and help resolve the case.
4. In cases where clear evidence is found against faultier s/he will bear the consequences. If no such evidence is found then both the faultier and complainer will have to face the consequences. The consequences as mentioned in Order of Consequence in ‘Discipline Policy’

Steps forward:

1. Copies of this policy can be pasted in each classroom and on all the notice boards.
2. It could also be verbally communicated to all the children.

STEPS TO BE TAKEN IN THE SCHOOL:

Setting up a bully-free classroom

• Give the students a list of anti-bullying rules that you can also hang somewhere in the classroom
• Talk and train your students about bullying and how to deal with it.
• Regular follow up session on bullying should be done during the circle time.
• Have the students sign an anti-bullying class pledge on a banner and hang that banner in the classroom
• Do activities that promote class unity
• Have an anonymous ‘notes-to-the-teacher’ box
• Take every student’s complaint seriously
• Get students involved in an anti-bullying campaign
• Get parents involved

Keep your eyes and ears open at all times!

Consequences: Order of Consequenceas mentioned in ‘Discipline Policy’

 

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FOOD POLICY

Objective:

The objective of this policy is to inculcate healthy eating habits and good food practices in school.

Applicable to:

This policy applies to all students and staff.

School’s Value (s) guiding the policy:*

a) Value Term: Excellence, Fairness

b) Why:

• Always implement practices that continue to produce valued outcomes.
• Every student and staff has to follow the same food policy.

Rationale:

• Food policy is formulated keeping in mind the short-term and long-term health issues for the children.
• Junk food can causes a lot of health problems in growth and development for children like obesity, being and overweight and being underweight, due to lack of the right nutrients in their diet. Such issues can have severe emotional impact also because of the unwanted attention that such children get.
• Junk food does not provide an individual with the nutritional requirements which a growing body requires.
• Studies have shown that the onset of chronic degenerative diseases such as diabetes, heart ailments, cancer etc. is closely linked to the quality of nutrition that an individual gets through their lifetime. Childhood is the time when the right eating habits needs to be set otherwise the risk in the middle and senior years of their life increases significantly.
• By having the school made food, a child learns to eat green vegetables, cereals and pulses.
• Any food prepared for a large number of people cannot cater to individual tastes. It is in fact important for children to learn to eat things that they may not like in terms of taste, as long as it is healthy and nutritious.

Policy Guidelines:

About The School Food:

• The school provides regular food (pure vegetarian food without eggs) as well as Jain version of the same food from its own kitchen. However, the school shall not force the student to eat Jain food if he/she does not wish to. The school takes no responsibility in this matter.
• The home room teachers and other teachers will do their best to monitor the food eaten by the students. However,

1. The school will not force students to eat.
2. The school will not force students to finish their tiffin / served portions.
3. The responsibility for the above has to be taken by the students themselves at relevant ages. Taking this responsibility is a learning process for them and please keep in mind that it takes different children different periods of time to learn
4. The school at no point of time will be in a position to report the amount of food eaten by your child in school. Please do not ask the teachers/staff for a report of the same.

• We do not serve any special food during any Jain religious festivals. Students can bring home made food during those days.
• We have provided a list of food items that can be brought by students as well as food items that are not allowed. If you send a food item that is not allowed, the school will confiscate it and your child will have to depend on his/her classmates to share their tiffin with him/ her.

About Home Made Food:

Guiding Principle:

• Students should bring nutritious, home cooked and freshly prepared food.
• Students should learn to eat variety of food items including vegetables and preparations which they are not necessarily used to.
• Students may bring only pure vegetarian (without eggs) food in their tiffin for their first break. The quantity of food sent should be such that your children are able to finish it comfortably on their own. The quantity of food should be based on what your children eat on a regular basis rather than the quantity that you as parents expect them to eat.

When students are going for competitions outside of school, whether in Surat or outside:

• The school will provide bananas / other healthy items for competitions.
• The students may bring from their home or purchase from the school canteen, healthy food items to take with them – which include fruits, healthy nutrition bars, peanuts, homemade khakras, and other health snacks. Students are not allowed to bring junk food items for any events.
• It is the responsibility of the accompanying PE Staff Members / any other staff member to instruct the students 1-2 days before the competition to bring food in compliance with the above.
• In the rare case that the students run out of healthy food options, they may or the responsible staff member on their behalf may buy food from the locally available stores – the choice again should be healthy food to the extent possible. If only junk food is available, then that is also acceptable in rare cases.
• They are expected to comply with the school’s healthy food policy to the extent possible.
• At nature camp, Jain food will be served only as per availability. School does not take any responsibility for the same.

Things that are allowed	Things Never allowed	Things allowed on Friday/ Saturday
Roti items:Roti/ Thepla/ Stuffed Paratha/ Koki/ Paneer Kathi Roll or Wraps made of whole wheat/ Thalipeeth/ Genuine Whole wheat Bread/ Puri Bhaaji (occasionally)	Any type of biscuits Chocolates, Nutella Packed wafers/ Chips like Ruffles, Uncle Chips, Kurkure, etc. Chocos & variations All sorts of pastries, cakes with any cream (chocolate, vanilla flavor etc. Aerated Drinks (Coca Cola, Pepsi, Mirinda, Tang, Orange juice or any packaged fruit juice etc.) Maggi (regular or atta noodles) Eggs & non-vegetarian food (as per school policy) Chocolate / Vanila Khakhra	All homemade white bread items such as bread roll, Pav Bhaji, Dabeli, Burgers, Sandwiches, Pizzas Homemade fried items such as French Fries, Chips, pakoras etc. Tomato Ketchup, Jam Homemade Pasta & Noodles (even if the pasta or noodles are ready made and contain maida) Cornflakes (not chocos), Nachos Homemade chaat items such as papdi chat, pani puri, sev puri, bhel puri. Homemade Sweets / Baked items: Cream less cakes or muffins of any flavor, Laddoos, Halwa, chikki, cookies. Smileys, Caramel popcorn Sev, Bhujiya, Gathiya
Rice items:Pulao, Khichdi, Biryani, Dal Chawal, Curd rice, Bisi Bele Bhaat, Fried Rice
Snacks:Poha, Upma, Handvo, Idadaa, Khaman-Dhokla, mathri, chakri, Patra, Khakhra, Sprouts, Cutlets, Fruits, Dry Fruits, Muesli, Oatmeal, Cereal (not chocos) Curd and Milk (no dry cereal), Chila (besan, moongdal), Mamra, Salad, Idli, Dosa, Uttapam, Chana-Sing daana (peanuts), Popcorn, Makhana, Sabudana Khichdi, all kinds of chutney; pickles, chunda, homemade Sweets i.e all types of laddoos, halwa, chikki, sukhri, sheera, salam pak, methi pak, aam papad Homemade Drinks such as:Milkshakes (non chocolate), Nimbu pani, Aamras

Note: Dry snacks such as chevda, mamra, khakra, popcorn etc. are highly discouraged. We encourage parents to beProactive and cook/prepare a fresh & healthy lunchbox for their child.

1. Why are some things never allowed in school:
   The reasons why some food items are never allowed in school or less the consumption is discouraged by the school is because each of these food items contain one or more of these items:
   • high amount of preservatives
   • sodium (in the form of salt)
   • sugar
   • oils containing saturated or trans fats.
     All these items (typically known as junk foods) are harmful when consumed regularly over a period of time.
2. Why are eggs or non-vegetarian food not allowed in school:
   Please note that if consumed in the right manner, Eggs & non-vegetarian food are healthy food items. However these food items are not allowed in school due to the school policy.
3. Why does the school allow home-made junk food on Fridays / Saturdays?
   Our past experience tells us that in spite of having a strict food policy; parents still send junk food with their children. We have now decided to allow certain homemade junk foods only on Fridays. The rationale for this is that Children learn that what they are eating is junk and can be enjoyed only once in a while. Studies have shown that current generation of children cannot even tell if a particular food item is junk or healthy and allowing certain junk foods only on Friday is our way of helping them discern between healthy and junk food.

Consequences: *:

In case of non adherence to the food policy the food will be taken away by the kitchen incharge.
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BUS – FOOD POLICY

Objective:

The objective of this policy is to allow students to eat food (as per food policy) in bus but with expected behavior e.g. no littering and spreading dirt.

Applicable to:

This policy applies to all students

Value (s) guiding policy:

a) Value Term: Excellence

b) Why: Always implement practices that continue to produce valued outcomes.

Rationale:

We have received feedback from students and few teachers that the students get hungry after the school and therefore wanted permission to be allowed to eat in bus during travel time.

Policy Guidelines:

We have considered the suggestion and decided to lift the ban of eating in the bus.

The students will have to follow rules mentioned below to maintain cleanliness and discipline in bus.

• Only healthy foods like fruits, peanuts, brown bread items will be allowed in the bus.
• All junk food like wafers, biscuits, white bread items, chocolates, and liquid items will not be allowed.
• No sharing of food or passing of dabba in bus
• No throwing of food at each other or throwing anything out of window.
• If anything is dropped/spilled then the student responsible has to clean the same

Consequences:

Didis will have full authority in the bus to:-

• If students are found misbehaving, throwing around food at each other, didis will immediately report it to Operation Manager and Home room teacher.
• Confiscate prohibited items
• If any student is found doing the above mentioned things, first warning (by driver/didi) will be given and particular student will not be allowed to eat in bus.
• 2^nd warning – Student will be referred to the principal.
• 3^rd warning – Parents will be called and disciplinary action will be taken.

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HEALTH EXCLUSION POLICY

Objective:

The objective of this policy is to standardize health related exclusion of students.

Applicable to:

All students & parents

Value (s) guiding policy:

a) Value Term: Responsible

b) Why: Student will maintain a high standard of behavior by adhering to the values & principles and respecting the rights of others.

Rationale:

If a child is identified as having any health related condition which requires immediate, temporary exclusion is necessary until student is normal.

Policy Guidelines:

Certain symptoms in children may suggest the presence of a communicable disease. Children who have the following symptoms should be excluded from the class room setting or from other kids until

• A physician has certified the symptoms are not associated with an infectious agent or they are no longer a threat to the health of other children at the center,
• The symptoms have subsided for 24 hours or the treatment has started, using the following guidelines.

If your child develops	Then keep him/her home until
FEVER – A temperature of 100 Fahrenheit auxiliary of higher, before fever reducing medication is given	The fever is normal for 24 hours without fever reducing medication
RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS -Difficult or rapid breathing or severe coughing that is constant and prevents the child from participating in activities	Coughing, breathing difficulties and/or other symptoms no longer affect normal activity
VOMITING -Vomited two or more times OR any vomiting if it is accompanied by other symptoms such as fever, behavioral changes, abdominal pain, or diarrhea	24 hours after vomiting has stopped
DIARRHEA -An increased number of abnormally loose stools in the previous 24 hours. Observe the child for other symptoms.	24 hours after the last loose stool
RASH or SKIN PROBLEMS –	Rash disappears or is diagnosed as not contagious. Impetigo – 24 hours after treatment begins and lesions are dry or can be covered with bandages.Scabies – 24 hours after treatment beginsChicken Pox – until blisters have dried into scabs, about 6 – 10 days after onsetRingworm – 24 hours after treatment begins
CONJUNCTIVITIS (Pinkeye)Tears, redness of eyelid lining, irritation followed by swelling and discharge of pus.	24 hours after treatment begins
HEAD LICE –	First treatment is completed, no live lice are seen, and you have removed ALL nits (eggs)
STREP THROAT / SCARLET FEVER –	24 hours after treatment begins AND child is without fever
GENERAL LETHARGY -When a child is not able to participate in activities with reasonable comfort and requires more care than the program staff can provide without compromising the health and safety of other children.	Condition improves

Your cooperation in these health matters is greatly appreciated. If all parents keep sick children at home, Fountainhead families and staff will remain healthier and happier. This will mean fewer missed classes/work days and illnesses for parents.
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INDEMNITY POLICY

Objective:

The objective of this policy is to indemnify parents against any claims made by them from any accident or incident that may occur during the course of normal school activities.

Applicable to:

This policy applies to all parents and students.

Value (s) guiding policy:

a) Value Term: Responsibility

b) Why: To inform parents beforehand about situations which may arise in future?

Rationale:

This policy ensures that parents and students are aware of the conditions / expectation from them before any trip/camp/picnic.

Policy Guidelines:

• We agree to my child’s participation in all activities in house and outbound field trips for educational purposes, as a part of regular school programme.
• We understand that adequate and appropriate supervision will be provided. We recognize, however, that unanticipated situations and problems can arise on any trip, where situations or problems are not reasonably within the control of the supervising teacher(s) or staff (including volunteers). We further agree to release and hold harmless the school authorities, staff, teachers and volunteers, & vendors conducting the field trips/ camps from any and all liabilities, claims, suits, demands, judgments, costs, interest and expense arising from such activities, including any accident or injury to the student and the costs of medical services. In the event of an injury requiring medical attention, we hereby grant permission to the supervising teacher(s) or staff (including volunteers) to attend to my son/daughter.
• For all outbound (out of Surat) field trips /camps/ picnics etc., the school will only seek permission for going to the same from the parents. Once the permission is given, the indemnity clause as stated here in the above will apply to all such trips. No separate consent form /indemnity form will be sent for the same.
• We agree to all the above points mentioned herein above the indemnity form and school will not held responsible for any loss or damage or injury of whatsoever nature caused to the student in school or during outbound field trips.

We have understood all the sections and points above and we fully agree to abide by the same:

Name of the child:_____________________________

Seeking Admission to class: _____________________

PLACE: __________________________

DATE: ________________

NAME AND SIGNATURE:FATHER’S or GUARDIAN’SNAME AND SIGNATURE:MOTHER’S

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TRANSPORT & RELATED BEHAVIOR POLICY

Objective:

The objective of this policy is to make sure that parent and children are familiar with and abide by the code of conduct and bus safety rules.

Applicable to:

The policy applies to parent and student.

Value (s) guiding policy:

a) Value Term: Responsible

b) Why: I will maintain a high standard of behavior by adhering to the rules & procedures.

Rationale:

The policy determines the transportation guidelines set by school and behavior expected by students to ensure safe and secure to and fro journey for students.

Policy Guidelines:

· It is compulsory for all students to avail school transport facility. Using mass transport while coming to school means reducing our carbon footprint and instilling in students a sense of equality. At the discretion of the Head of School, students having genuine medical or other concern may opt out of school transport. In all such cases written application must be filed with Administrative Department well in advance and approval sought from the Head of School.

· The other exception to compulsory transportation is for those students who come from such areas where coverage is not being provided by the school. Coverage is defined as a stop not further than 2 km from the student’s house. If your house lies outside this coverage definition, then you must get in touch with the transportation officer at the school for options.

· Routes & stops of the buses or vans have been fixed for all major catchment areas of the city. Since the school wants to ensure that the time taken from the first stop to the last stop is fixed & limited, new stops / routes cannot be added for every request.

· The school takes no guarantee of the maximum distance from your house to the nearest stop. The list of stops has been given to you. You may take admission only if you find one of the given stops convenient for pick-up & drop.

· The bus/van will drop and pick up students at the assigned, designated pick-up / drop-off point only.

· Since the school does not provide gate pick up or drop off facilities, your child may have to walk (and for younger children till age 10 dropped off and picked-up) to and from the common convenient place in his / her residence vicinity. The pickup / drop off timings, as will be communicated before the start of the academic session , will be based on trial / dry runs and therefore may get affected due to traffic situation or restriction in vehicular movements. Students are expected to be at the bus stop ten minutes before their standard bus timings, and if parents/guardians are picking up their child, then they are also requested to be at the stop 10 minutes before the expected arrival time.

· Switching buses/vans on your own is not allowed without prior permission during regular bus/van routes as well as for any after school activities. Prior permission may be given only if a seat is available in the bus on the requested route.

· Buses/vans will not stop along the way to pick up/drop off students who have missed the bus/van at the designated stop. Parents cannot stop the bus by honking/overtake etc. on the way to pick /drop their child if they miss the bus. However, a student who misses the bus at a previous stop may be dropped off at a further stop on the same route.

· Students are not allowed to board the bus other than their regular school timings by any of the staff members as transport staff will not allow any other student who is not supposed to travel in it unless they have a written approval from HRT/Front desk.

· Before changing your address, please make sure that you identify your stop from all the existing routes and confirm with the school that a seat is available on that route. It is infeasible to create new stops / routes in the middle of the year because the address could be far from the existing routes or else even for a location falling on the route (because every new stop adds to the time taken by the vehicle and we intend to keep a maximum limit for the time taken).

· The school takes no guarantee of providing service in an area not covered by the given routes.

• If we receive a request for change in bus stop after reopening of school then there will be no change in the first 30 days because of operational constraints Thereafter, the request will be processed subject to our transport policy and seats availability. If seats are not available then the request will not be accepted.
  

• Request regarding change of bus stops for few days (upto 4 days) will not be accepted. In case of emergency you will have to pick-up your child from the school.

· Year on year, the routes and stops are surely going to change as there are shifts & changes in major residential addresses. Therefore, apart from adding new routes, we may also have to modify existing ones, or delete existing ones completely if that is the need. The school will try not to disrupt an existing stop, but please note that under unavoidable circumstances, the school may have to change the stop location.

Consequences:*

Violations:*

Students are not allowed to do the following in the bus:

1. • Eating junk food

   • Fighting e.g. kicking, punching, beating

   • Any kind of teasing (physical) like pulling hair, snatching/throwing shoes, bags etc.

   • Not wearing seat belt (it is compulsory for all students, irrespective of their grades)

   • Running, standing in the bus

   • Putting hands, head or any body part out of the window

   • Throwing things out of the window

   • Standing on the seats

Any violation of these rules will lead to consequences. In case of any misconduct by student in the bus the didi / conductor / staff has to inform transport incharge.

Steps will be taken:

1st Instance – Warning to be given by transport incharge to the student.

• This has to be done in the same day i.e. for morning routes, it has to be done in the afternoon route and for afternoon route, it has to be done in the next day morning route.

2nd Instance – Warning to be given by HOA to the student.

3rd Instance – Parents to be called by HOA to be advised.

4th Instance – HOA has to recommend the case to the HoS and action will be taken on case to case basis.

• After each warning, a slip will be given to the student to be countersigned by the parent and submitted to the transport dept. within 3 working days otherwise it will be treated as 2nd warning.

• The data will be recorded in a spreadsheet and notified to the HRT/TL/Coordinator/PSP through automated notification.

• HRT/TL should make an entry of these instances into the student behaviour log for record.

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