Section 1:  Administration

 

History

Trinity Catholic School was born through the merger of St. Peter’s/Sacred Heart Catholic School in Auburn, St. Joseph’s and Holy Cross Catholic Schools in Lewiston.  The first year of Trinity Catholic School was 2006-2007.  Trinity Catholic School is the continuation of over 125 years of Catholic education in the Lewiston/Auburn area. 

 

Mission

Trinity Catholic School’s mission is to provide a comprehensive educational program with contemporary instructional methods, rooted in traditional Catholic teachings and values.  The mission of the Catholic Schools in Maine is to strengthen the Catholic Church and to create an environment in which the faith is preserved, nourished, shaped and communicated to foster values that give meaningful direction to the Christian family and society. This is accomplished through dedication to the growth, development and formation of the student by proclaiming the message, creating community, providing service and celebrating worship so that our students will become faith-filled Christians, creative and critical thinkers, life-long learners and confident contributors.

 

Admissions

 Trinity Catholic School admits students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students of the school.  TCS does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, athletic and other school-administered programs.

Birth Certificates and Baptismal Certificates (if applicable) are required documentation.  Office staff will arrange the collection and filing of these documents. 

Emergency Contact Cards (photo/publicity release)

Parents must complete an emergency card for each child with all contact information and parent/guardian preference regarding photos of their child(ren).  Cards are available in the office.

Health Forms

Each student is required to have a health information form which declares important health-related information.  (see Student Health for details)

            Immunization Records

All students must submit proof of current immunizations.     

Registration Process

Registration drives are conducted annually each spring for the following school year.  Registration is also on-going throughout the year for new students (pending availability).  The order of acceptance is: current students and siblings of current students, Catholic families, non-Catholic families.  Registration packets are available in the office, online at www.trinitycatholic.us, or at the Catholic Center.       

            Student Transfers

Whenever a student transfers from TCS, parent/guardians must contact the school office to arrange for the transfer of records.  Students transferring to Trinity Catholic School are required to follow the above registration process.

            Teacher Requests

Class lists are determined on the basis of student gender, performance strengths and socialization factors contributing to a productive classroom.  Parents need not request a certain teacher for their child as each of our teachers is state certified and qualified to facilitate an excellent educational experience for our students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuition

TUITION & FEES SCHEDULE

2009 – 2010

                                   

                                    Kindergarten – 8^th Grade

          Pre-Kindergarten (Age 4 by October 15^th)

Payment Information

Pre-K – 8^th Grade

·         Financial aid applications are due to FACTS by April 17^th

·         All tuition payments must be made through FACTS

·         3% Discount if paid in full to FACTS by May 30^th

·         Initial monthly FACTS payment on July 5^th or July 20th

·         Final monthly FACTS payment in April

 

Special Notes

·         Students transferring before October 15 may be given a prorated refund.  Refunds after October 15 will be resolved on a case-by-case basis.

* The Catholic tuition rate is reserved for practicing members of contributing, local Catholic Churches.

           

Tuition (Parish) Subsidy

Catholic education in Lewiston/Auburn is funded through tuition payments, parish support, endowments and fund-raising activities.  Participating Catholic families may be eligible for discounted tuition.  To receive the discount, a family must be Catholic, registered in a Parish, active and regularly contributing financially and spiritually to that parish.  Each parish may have other specific requirements with which parents should become familiar.  Your parish reserves the right to review your contributions on a periodic basis to verify continued support.  Details may be obtained by contacting your parish office.

 

Affiliations

Trinity Catholic School maintains a Development Office, a Parent-Teacher Organization (P.T.O.) and a School Board. 

Development Director

The TCS development office, under the direction of the Principal and with the support and assistance of the School Board, manages marketing, fundraising and development for the school. 

            P.T.O.

The purpose of the Parent Teacher Organization is to support the education of the students by fostering relationships among the school, parents, staff, and community, as well as raising funds for special programs and the school budget.  The PTO consists of five officers: chair, vice chair, secretary, treasurer, and past chair.  Any parent or guardian of a student at the school may be a member of the P.T.O. and shall have voting rights. The administration and any teacher employed at the school may also be a member. 

School Board

This Board shall advise, support, and aid the Pastor and the Principal or their delegate, in the definition of policy and plans for the effective operation of the Trinity Catholic School. The Board exercises the necessary function of communicating to the Pastor and the Principal the interests of the parishioners in matters pertaining to the school, subject to regulations emanating from the Ordinary of the Diocese of Portland, The Catholic Schools Office, the State Department of Education, and the general policy statement of the Diocesan Board of Education.

 

Governance

            Administration

Trinity Catholic School is owned and operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, Maine.  The school is administered by the Pastors of the supporting Parishes, their Priest Delegate, the school Chaplain and the Principal.  Administration for the 2009-2010 school year includes:

Priest Delegate             Fr. Joseph Daniels (oversees all school administration)

School Chaplain          Fr. Nathan March (oversees school Religion program)

Principal                      Paul Yarnevich (oversees all school administration)

Key Staff

Administrative Assistant-Elementary Campus Cecile Langlois (registration and purchasing)

Administrative Assistant-JH Campus               Marlene Barrows (records and reporting)

Development Director                                     Elizabeth Gaudet (marketing, development and fund raising)

Athletic Director                                              Marc LePage (oversees the athletic program)

Before/After School Program Director             Deborah Blais-Simoneau

Receptionist                                                     Jocelyn French

 

            Office hours

Office hours on school days are 7:00am-4:00pm.  School offices are closed during school Masses, on non-school days and during the month of July.  Summer office hours are 8:00am-2:00pm.

School Hours

School Hours are 7:45am-2:35pm

Student Records

Complete student records are maintained by school personnel and stored at the school.  Upon withdrawal and parent request, records may be mailed to another school.

 

 

 

Section 2: Daily School Operation

 

Arrival and Departure

School at both buildings begins at 7:45am and ends at 2:35pm daily. 

At the Elementary campus (Pre-K-4), students will proceed directly to their classrooms between 7:30am and 7:45am.  A warning bell will ring at 7:40am each day and the late bell will ring at 7:45am.  School will begin with morning prayer and announcements at 7:45am.  Students arriving after 7:45am will proceed directly to the office for a late slip.  Office staff will send late students to their classroom with a pass. 

At the JH campus, (5^th-8^th) drop off is on the playground between 7:30 and 7:45 with teacher supervision.  A warning bell will ring at 7:40am each day and students will proceed to the cafeteria for morning prayer and announcements.  A late bell will ring at 7:45am.  Students will proceed to class at 8:00.

            Departure

School ends at 2:35pm.  Walking and bus riding students are dismissed first.  All other students will be escorted to the playground by their teacher for pickup. Students must remain with the teacher until excused to his or her parent or designated escort.  Pre-K students may be picked up as early as 2:45, but parents are urged not to interrupt learning by picking up older siblings at this time.  Playground supervision for students in the afternoon ends at 2:50pm.  At 2:50pm, JH teachers will escort any remaining students to the office and elementary campus teachers will escort any remaining students to the Before/After School Program.       

Changes to 'normal' dismissal procedure for your child

Whenever the dismissal procedure for you child will change, parents are required to write and sign a note to the office detailing the change.  The change will be relayed to the teacher, all other responsible parties and filed for reference.  Written parent permission must be turned into the office for aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends and non-custodial parents to pick up a student.

            Early Dismissal

Students may not leave campus unless their legal parent, guardian or designee signs them out in the office.  Parents are asked to plan vacations, trips and appointments outside of the school day.  Early dismissal causes class disruption and is a detriment to learning for all of the students in the class.   

            Weather

See School cancellation/inclement weather, under Miscellaneous,

 

Attendance

Parents are asked to plan vacations, trips and appointments outside of the school day.  When a student arrives late but before noon, he/she is tardy.  When a student arrives after 12:00 and is present the rest of the day, he/she is absent ½ day.  When a student arrives on time and is dismissed before 12:00, he/she is absent ½ day.  When a student arrives on time but is dismissed after noon, he/she is considered early dismissal.  The only consequence for missing school is the missed opportunity for learning.  For all absences, students will receive 2 days to make up each days worth of missed school work.  Parents should notify the office ahead of time whenever they know that their child will be absent from school.  The office will notify the teacher and the teacher will prepare work which will be given when the student returns.  When possible, a teacher may prepare work ahead of time for extended absences.

 

Buses

The safety of the children is the primary concern for both Trinity Catholic School and Hudson Bus Lines.  In all cases of concern regarding the timeliness of Hudson buses, parents are urged to contact Hudson Bus Lines directly at 783-2033.  When in doubt or for all other concerns, please contact the school office.  Parents are asked to review the bus policies with their bus riding children on a regular basis.  Student transportation on school buses is considered part of the school day.  Therefore, all school rules and consequences are in effect on school buses.  Further, school bus transportation is a privilege paid for by the City of Lewiston.  Trinity Catholic School students are expected to behave in an exemplary manner at all times on Hudson School Buses. 

            Behavior

Students should line up quietly and orderly before loading the bus.  Students are to remain seated until arrival at their stop.  Eating and drinking are not allowed on Hudson buses.  Once loaded, the driver is responsible for the students. Students must follow the appropriate directions of the bus driver without dispute. If a student does not understand the reason for the direction, he/she should discuss it with a parent.

     

Discipline

Because bus rides are considered part of the school day, all school rules and disciplinary consequences are in effect.  Hudson bus drivers will utilize the Lewiston School Department Bus Discipline Reports.  These reports allow drivers to document and report student misconduct.  Reports will be given to Trinity Catholic administration and parents will be notified. Trinity Catholic School will record violations and apply consequences based upon documentation from either Hudson Bus Lines or Trinity Catholic School personnel.  Consequences will follow the guidelines outlined on the Lewiston School Department Discipline Reports (forms available in the office).  A student who acts inappropriately or in an unsafe manner on the bus may have his/her bus privilege revoked by Hudson Bus Lines.

 

Dismissal

Students who ride the bus will be called, by bus number, to load their bus.  Students who normally ride the bus, but are not taking the bus home on a given day, must have a note signed by their parent and turned into the office.  Office staff will notify the teacher, the duty teacher and the bus driver (see Arrival and Departure, Changes to 'normal' dismissal procedure for your child).

            Loading and unloading

Whenever loading a Hudson school bus, Trinity Catholic School students will fill from the front first.  This will place all of our students as close to the front as possible, allow better supervision by the Hudson driver, speed both entrance to and exit from the bus and prevent students from being alone and out of sight or sound of others.

 

Behavioral Expectations/Discipline

Student behavior should reflect our Christian beliefs and support a safe and productive learning environment. Students will be held accountable for their behavioral choices.   In addition, the faculty and staff will model and instill patterns of positive behavior and apply consistent expectations and consequences to help students succeed.  Expectations for proper school behavior are based on common sense, conventions of courtesy, age-appropriateness and our moral/ethical beliefs.  They are focused in these three areas: 

1. Respect your own learning and safety.
2. Respect the learning and safety of others.
3. Respect your school and its property.

 

At all times; Students are expected to:

1.      Listen, follow directions, and complete requested tasks in all school-related activities.

2.      Work and play safely and respectfully.

3.      Enter, exit, and travel on campus in an orderly and quiet manner.

4.      Care for school and personal materials and help keep them neat and orderly.

5.      Exhibit courtesy and use appropriate language and manners.

6.      Move around campus under the supervision and with the permission of your teacher.

7.      Include other students in play, conversation, and activities.

Classroom

Teachers will maintain and consistently enforce age appropriate expectations and consequences for student misbehavior such as talking out of turn, not paying attention, minor disruptions or not following directions.  Teachers may issue detentions for minor offenses, or students may receive an administrative detention through an office referral.  Teachers will use these guidelines:

1.      Students are given a verbal warning for less serious misbehaviors. This warning may be repeated.  If the student does not respond appropriately, the teacher will issue appropriate consequences.

2.      Reoccurrence of misbehavior may result in a recess detention and/or parent notification.

3.      Continued misbehavior will result in an after school detention. Parents will be notified by the teacher.

4.      Continued repetition of a minor offense will result in a referral to the office.

Cafeteria-students are expected to:

1.      Follow directions.

2.      Consume food while seated at assigned areas.

3.      Use appropriate manners and a conversational voice level.

4.      Clean up spilled food.

5.      Remain seated until directed to line up by a faculty or staff member.

6.      Remain in the cafeteria until dismissed by a faculty or staff member.

7.      Lunch tables are to be left clean at the end of each lunch session.

Playground-students are to:

1.      Follow directions.

2.      Remain in assigned area(s).

3.      Play away from cars, dumpsters and places where they cannot be seen.

4.      Play safely at all times.

5.      Use only school equipment or equipment approved by a faculty or staff member.

6.      Always use equipment properly.

7.      Include others in games and conversations.

8.      Line up quickly and quietly when signaled to do so.

            Unacceptable student behavior

Unacceptable student behaviors (listed below) will normally result in an immediate referral to the office and further disciplinary consequences.  Parents will be notified.  For all office referrals, an administrator will investigate the incident by interviewing appropriate parties and/or witnesses, determine consequences and notify parents.  Listed below are behaviors that normally warrant a referral to the office.  These behaviors may result in detention, suspension or expulsion from school.

• Physical Aggression- pushing, shoving, hitting, spitting, biting, etc.
• Verbal Aggression- gossiping, spreading rumors, ethnic slurs, harassment, intimidation, disrespect, exclusion, mocking, name calling, teasing, swearing, threatening, etc.
• Cheating- attempting to receive credit for someone else’s work, forgery, copying another’s work or allowing yours to be copied, using crib notes/cheat sheets, etc.
• Defiance of Authority- refusing to comply with the reasonable request of a faculty or staff member
• Disregard for Safety- running in the hallways, using equipment improperly, being in unauthorized areas or behaving in a manner which could cause injury to self or others
• Disruptive Behavior-repeated disruptions to learning by speaking out of turn, making unnecessary noise, failing to follow directions, etc., even after appropriate teacher consequences have been issued.
• Harassment- repeated unwanted behaviors, such as threatening, teasing, sexual remarks, inappropriate jokes and acts of religious or cultural bias
• Bullying- attempting to force or deter a behavior or a feeling in another through inappropriate and/or repetitive means

·         Stealing- taking or possessing property that does not belong to you, without permission from the owner

·         Vandalism- damaging or defacing school property

·         Possession of Inappropriate Items- weapons of any kind, inappropriate reading material or illegal materials such as tobacco, alcohol, drugs, etc.

Trinity Catholic School administration reserves the right to report all violations of the law to the proper legal authorities.

 

Guidelines for after-school detention

The duration of all detentions will follow these guidelines:

Grade               Detention Time

K                     15 minutes

1-2                   30 minutes

3-4                   45 minutes

5-8                   1 hour

 

Detentions may be given during lunch or after school, by teachers or by administration and served on any school day.  It is the parent’s responsibility to make arrangements for student transportation.  A detention takes precedence over all other student activities. In all cases, parents will be notified ahead of time.  Students who skip detention or do not return a detention slip with a parent signature may be required to serve an additional detention. Exceptions may be made only with administrative approval.  During detention, students will complete any tasks assigned by the issuing teacher or administrator, or will complete a personal behavioral evaluation form.  Upon completion, students will be escorted to the office for dismissal or escorted to the Before/After School Program.

 

Communication

Communication and collaboration are essential for the success of your child.  To enhance communication between home and school, the following measures are in place:

·         School office hours are 7:00am-4:00pm.

·         Teachers are on campus and available between 7:45am and 3:30pm.

·         School phone numbers, email addresses, the school events calendar, the lunch menu and much more is available on our website at www.trinitycatholic.us.

·         Each Wednesday, your child will receive a folder and containing important school information. 

·         Report cards are issued at the end of each 9-week grading period with Progress Reports issued 5 weeks into each quarter.

·         Parent-teacher conferences will take place near the end of the first grading quarter.

·         The Trinity Times is delivered, cost free to our families and our supporting Parishes.  The Trinity Times is a quarterly publication of collected student works regarding school life. 

Parents should contact their child’s teacher whenever there is a question or comment regarding the welfare of their child.  Whenever there is a question or concern about a decision by a faculty or staff member, parents are urged to contact the office.  All school administrators maintain an “open door” policy, which means that they are available to meet with parents whenever possible, about any concern.  For all matters pertaining to school policy, the Principal should be contacted directly.  The athletic director may be contacted about school sports and the Development Director with all concerns pertaining to marketing, development and fund raising.  

            Calendar

A complete and updated school calendar is maintained on our school website at www.trinitycatholic.us.  Print versions of the school calendar may be obtained in the school office.

            Emergency contacts

At the beginning of each school year, every family is required to complete and submit a student emergency card which requests vital health and contact information.  Parents are responsible for informing the office whenever any of this information changes.

            Family Folder

Each Wednesday, the youngest child in every family receives a family folder.  This folder contains a weekly summary of school-wide activities and upcoming events.

 

Dress Down Days (ddd’s)

Approximately once per month, a grade level will host a dress down day in which all students are invited to participate.  Each grade level will host one per year.  Students from that grade, under guidance from their teachers may determine a theme and promote their ddd.  For $2, any student may dress down for this day.  Funds collected from ddd’s will be used to support each grade level’s retreat, field trip and service project.  Although students especially enjoy the themed ddd’s, participation in them is voluntary.

 

Extracurricular

A well-rounded curriculum includes a diverse assortment of extra-curricular activities.  Trinity Catholic School strives to offer a variety of extracurricular activities for the purposes of creating a stronger school-student connection and for the enhanced development of our students.   A student’s academic responsibility supercedes any extracurricular activity.  If a student’s academic success is in question, the student will be ineligible to participate in an extracurricular activity.  In all cases of academic probation, parents will be contacted and the student will be given a reasonable amount of time in which to address the deficiency (see “no pass, no play, below).

 

Athletics

We offer fall soccer, winter basketball, and spring baseball/softball to 7^th and 8^th grade students.  When necessary to fill these teams, 6^th graders may be eligible to try out. We are a pay-to-play school. A per sport players’ fee is assessed each season and will be announced to students and parents.  Trinity Catholic School 7^th and 8^th grade teams compete within the Pine Tree League, an athletic conference made up of local K-8 public and Catholic schools.  During basketball season, Trinity Catholic School may offer 5^th and 6^th graders participation on a Trinity team as part of the Lewiston Parks and Recreation department.  Students participating on these teams will be responsible for meeting the requirements of both the Lewiston Recreation Department and Trinity Catholic School.

           

 

Drama

Trinity Catholic School may offer a school play as an extracurricular activity.  In the event that a play is offered, eligible students will be identified and may audition.  Practice and performance schedules and fees will be posted and students will be held accountable for all extracurricular participation requirements.

            Music

In addition to mandatory, weekly general music classes for all students, the following are offered this year:  Orchestra for students in grades 4-8, Choir and Band for students in grades 5-8.  Fees and schedules for each of these musical opportunities for students will be determined and shared with parents and students near the beginning of each school year. 

            No pass, no play

Trinity Catholic School maintains athletic policies which are published separately in our Parent/Student Athletic Handbook.  Under this policy, students must be passing all of their classes in order to participate in athletic competitions.

Spectators

Parents and other guests at our extracurricular events, like games and concerts are expected to exhibit positive behavior at all times.  Everyone is invited to attend concerts and contests and cheer on the students.

 

Fire Drills

Fire drills will be conducted on a regular basis, as required by law.  For all fire alarms, students are to:

1. Follow their teacher quickly, quietly and safely to their designated area.
2. Hold the door if they are the first student in line.
3. Turn off the lights and close the door if they are last in line.
4. Familiarize themselves with all exit routes.
5. Remain quiet and orderly during teacher attendance and the remainder of the drill or emergency.

If students are in areas other than classrooms, (bathrooms, etc.) when an alarm sounds, they are to proceed to the nearest exit and once outside, report to the nearest teacher who will report their safety to the office staff and/or classroom teacher.

 

Field Trips:

Trips with an educational and/or religious purpose may be scheduled by the school for students in grades K-8 only.  Buses will be used when motorized transportation is required.  In these cases, all bus regulations will be in effect (see Buses).  Guidelines for field trips are:

1. Students must return a Field Trip Permission Slip and any required fees, prior to the trip.  A Field Trip Permission Slip will be used for all vehicle-based excursions off school grounds. Trip specific permission slips for walking trips which are part of the school program, like Mass, for example, will not be issued.
2. Students attending school-sponsored field trips are representing the school and are expected to behave respectfully and appropriately at all times.
3. Students assigned to adult chaperones are to follow all instructions and listen respectfully to insure safe travel conditions. State law requires that seat belts and child safety seats be used when transporting children in personal vehicles.  Parents driving for field trips must have current licenses, insurance cards and Protecting God’s Children certificates on file in the school office.
4. Students without permission slips will sent home or assigned to another classroom for the duration of the field trip.  Parents will be contacted.

 

Nurse

Hours

Trinity will retain a school nurse for the maintenance of all student health records.  When available, all medical concerns will be referred to the school nurse.  Whenever a nurse is unavailable, all medical concerns will be brought to the office.  For all cases other than minor scrapes, a parent will be contacted. 

            Medical conditions

All medical conditions including serious food allergies and asthma must be described in detail to the school nurse.  All medications must be sent to the school nurse for disbursement.  The school nurse will meet with applicable personnel to plan management of all food allergies, asthma, medical conditions and other special needs.  Trinity Catholic School maintains a food allergy management plan, which is available in the nurse’s office.

 

Parties

Celebrations

At Trinity, we celebrate Christmas, Easter, 100^th day and other religious holidays.  Each of these celebrations will include an educational component.  Secular holidays such as Halloween and Thanksgiving may be celebrated within classrooms with modest, healthy activities tied to curriculum.

            Birthdays

Birthdays or half-birthdays of students will be recognized.  With permission from the teacher, parents may bring in treats for their child’s class.  Treats must be healthy treats and be dropped off in the office.  Students may wear “free dress” on their birthday, the Friday or Monday closest to their birthday if their birthday is on a weekend or non-school day or on their half-birthday if their birthday is over the summer (see uniform policy for “free dress” details). 

            Invitations

Students who bring invitations to events outside of school must invite their entire class, all of the boys or all of the girls in the class.

 

Parking

The elementary campus driveway is reserved for sick child pickup, deliveries, traveling teachers and administration.  At both campuses, parking should occur in designated spaces only.  Double parking and parking illegally present a hazard for children and a liability for our school.  Parents must park appropriately at Trinity Catholic School. 

 

Media and multi-media

Trinity Catholic School maintains useful and appropriate materials in support of our curriculum including the internet, library books, magazines, newspapers and newsletter subscriptions.

Cell phones

We recognize that student cell phones will be used after school or after extracurricular activities for students to contact their parents.  However, student cell phones should be out of sight at all times during the school day.  Teachers will not give students permission to use their cell phone during the school day and teachers will confiscate any cell phone seen during the school day.  It will be returned to the student at the end of the school day.  Recurring problems with cell phone use will be addressed as necessary by school administration.

Internet use

All students will have supervised and filtered internet use.  Students may only access the internet at school while under the supervision of a faculty or staff member on equipment belonging to the school.  Each student and parent will receive our internet use policy and sign off on their acceptance of the policy prior to internet use by the student.    

Library

Trinity Catholic School maintains a library at each building managed by a team of part-time librarians and volunteers.  Students will visit the library on a regular basis in a scheduled library class and may visit at additional times.  Books may not leave the library unless checked out by a Librarian.  In all cases, fees for late or lost books will be assessed and library privileges may be revoked as a consequence for lost/missing materials or for inappropriate behavior.

 

Miscellaneous

Lockers

Students in grades 5-8 will have access to lockers for books and other school items.  These lockers will not be locked.  Students will only visit their lockers at scheduled times and with teacher supervision.  If any student opens, disturbs or otherwise violates another’s locker, disciplinary consequences will apply (see Behavioral Expectations/Discipline). 

Lost and Found

Each Trinity Catholic School campus maintains a Lost and Found bin for unclaimed items.  Parents and students may search the lost and found in attempt to recover lost items.  When necessary, these items may be donated to a local charity to make room for additional items.  

Lunch Program

Trinity Catholic School maintains a federally subsidized, nutritious, hot-lunch program.  Lunches cost $2.50 and a la carte milk is $0.50.  Parents and students are advised of the following:

·         Lunches are prepaid-payment must be made on Mondays or the first school day of each week.

·         Lunch money should be paid with a personal check and sent to school in an envelope with the student’s name, their teacher’s name and the amount written on the outside.

·         Lunch money for a JH student must be sent to the JH office and lunch money for an elementary campus student must be sent to the elementary campus office.

·         Because lunches are pre-paid, an accumulation of unpaid lunches may prevent a student from being served hot lunch.  In these cases, parents will be notified.

·         Parents experiencing financial difficulty are encouraged to apply for free/reduced lunch for their child.  Forms are available in the office.

Recess

Recess is viewed as an important physical outlet for students and occurs as follows:

Pre-K               morning, afternoon and lunch recess

Kindergarten    morning and after lunch recess

Grades 1          morning and after lunch recess

Grade 2            after lunch and afternoon recess

Grades 3-4       after lunch recess

Grades 5-8       after lunch recess

For behavioral expectations and consequences, see Behavioral Expectations/Discipline (above).

School cancellation/inclement weather

Trinity’s annual school calendar mirrors that of the Lewiston School District.  This benefits Trinity through the busing of Lewiston residents and the disbursement of federal Title money for Library materials and textbooks.  As a result, whenever the Lewiston School District is in session, Trinity Catholic School is also in session.  Whenever the Lewiston School District cancels due to inclement weather, Trinity Catholic School is also cancelled.   In any large-scale emergency situation, students will be safeguarded and parents will be contacted by phone.

Spirit Shop- Uniform Committee

Beginning 2009-2010, our spirit shop will be managed by our PTO Uniform Committee.  Hours (if any), responsibilities and procedures will be determined in meetings of this committee.  Membership on the Uniform Committee is available to Trinity Catholic School parents and teachers.

Religion and Service

            Feast Days and Holy Days

Catholic Feast Days and Holy Days will be recognized and celebrated.  Additional annual events and Parish and/or Diocesan events such as May Crowning, Stations of the Cross and Disciples in Mission may be recognized, celebrated and/or practiced.   

Masses

Students will attend Mass as part of their school day.  Currently, each building celebrates Mass every other Friday during most five-day weeks.  Elementary Masses are at 1:30pm in the Holy Cross Church and JH Masses are at 1:30pm in the JH gymnasium.  Holy Days of Obligation will also be celebrated, normally at 12:00 noon Masses.  These Masses may be celebrated in alternate, local churches.  If this is the case, parents will be notified.  For all Masses, parents are encouraged to attend.  Parents will sit in the rear of the church, behind and separate from students.

Religion classes

All Trinity students practice and study Religion according to Diocesan recommendations (200 minutes/week in grades 1-5 and 150 minutes/week in grades 6-8).  Students in grades Pre-K-5 practice and study Religion daily in their classes.  Students in grades 6-8, practice and study Religion as part of their rotating schedule, with a specialized Religion teacher.  Students may pray before eating and prior to each significant learning segment throughout the day.  Our Religion curriculum may be found at blestarewe.com.

 Retreats

All Trinity students (grades Pre-K-8) will experience the benefit of a Catholic Religious Retreat.  Retreats may be conducted on or off campus, may involve volunteers and/or Religious (Priests, Nuns and/or Brothers) and will complement each grade levels Religion Curriculum.  Retreats are organized by the Religion Committee, under the direction of the Chaplain and the Principal. 

 

 

Sacramental Prep-2^nd graders

Dear Parents:

Trinity Catholic School seeks to assist parents and the local parishes in the religious education of their children by offering a quality religious education curriculum pre-K to 8 that makes use of the RCL Benzinger program Blest Are We. Each of our students receives daily instruction in the faith, bi-weekly celebration of the Eucharist, annual class retreats and the opportunity to participate in various other educational and exciting faith-focused events and activities throughout the year.

As you may know, Trinity Catholic School is fortunate to have students from many communities in addition to Auburn, Lewiston, Lisbon, and Sabattus. It is the custom in the Diocese of Portland for students in the 2^nd Grade to receive the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Eucharist in their home parish during a celebration with the bishop or his delegate.

Students intending to receive the sacraments should be registered with their parish and will need to participate in any additional parish requirements beyond the classroom instruction already provided through Trinity Catholic School. These may include parent meetings, parish retreat days, and rehearsal sessions in the local parish.

To help parents and parishes, Trinity Catholic School is currently in the process of notifying the parish Directors of Faith Formation of 2^nd Grade Trinity students who may be eligible to receive Confirmation and First Eucharist in their home parish this year. Trinity Catholic School is also informing the parishes of any students, pre-K to 8, who may be in need of Sacraments. Parishes should be contacting Trinity parents soon to register your children and to inform you of any additional parish based requirements.

It is a great joy to witness so many of our Trinity students complete their initiation into the Catholic faith at Confirmation and First Communion. Trinity Catholic School wants to make this a joyful experience for your child and for your family. Please, feel free to contact me if you have any questions, comments or concerns.

 

Yours in Christ, Father Nathan D. March, Chaplain, Trinity Catholic School

           

Service

All Trinity Catholic School students benefit from service learning as a component of their educational program.  Students will participate in a service project at each grade level (Pre-K-8^th).  Service projects are age-appropriate and connected to the Religion curriculum at each grade level.  Led by teachers and volunteer parents, students will experience the importance of service to others through their own efforts.  Service projects will include planning, organizing, collecting of materials, donating, labor and post-service reflection and evaluation.  

            Uniform

On school days with Mass, students are required to wear their Mass uniforms.  See Uniform Code, at the end of this handbook

 

Visiting the School

All visitors, including parents, must sign in at the office and obtain a visitor’s badge.  Badges must be worn by visitors while they are at the school.  Parents are always welcome to share lunch with their child but must check in at the office before doing so.

 

Volunteer Requirements

All volunteers at the school must have on file in our office, proof of Protecting God's Children attendance and all associated paperwork.  Volunteers must sign in/out of the school buildings each visit.  Field Trip Drivers must have on file in the office a copy of their valid driver's license and a copy of their valid automobile insurance coverage.  Whenever volunteer drivers are utilized for a school trip, parents will assign their child to the volunteer driver of their choice.