College Rules and Regulations

Rules & Regulations of the Schools within the Mikiel Anton Vassalli College

1 – PUNCTUALITY Learners are expected to be punctual for their lessons. Permission to leave early will not be given to learners under 16 unless a note signed by a parent is presented. Parents are kindly requested to collect their child/ren on time. Parents might be requested to provide a copy of their I.D. card to the school for identification purposes upon collection of child/ren.

2 – ABSENTEEISM Attendance is obligatory. Learners should inform the school as early as possible (at least 2 hours before lesson time) indicating learner’s name and surname, and his/her teacher.

• ONE TIME ABSENCE – a note or email is requested to be sent to the school’s administration. For learners under the age of 16 the note/email should be sent by the parent/guardian of
• TWO CONSECUTIVE ABSENCES – a note or email with justification/evidence (eg. a medical certificate or its copy) covering at least one lesson is requested.
• THREE CONSECUTIVE ABSENCES – will result in the termination of the course. Certified medical reasons will be individually considered by the school administration.
• FREQUENT ABSENCES – during the year, may be evaluated by the administration and can result in the termination of the course.
• ABSENCES which are not excused will be allotted 0 marks and this mark will be included in the continuous assessment of those learners following accredited courses. Absences may be excused at the discretion of the administration only on the grounds of health, family and work/lectures against certification or written documentation.

Learners travelling overseas for more than one week need to provide evidence (e.g. a copy of air ticket) and seek exemption via email.

3 – SICKNESS Learners with signs or symptoms of flu are asked to stay at home until they have recovered. This is to avoid spreading the infection as much as possible. The School reserves the right to send the learners back home if they are unwell or run a temperature of above 37ᵒC.

4 – CANCELLATION OF LESSONS Learners will be notified by sms if/when their lesson is cancelled.

5 – BEHAVIOUR Learners are expected to be well-behaved and to show respect at all times. Parents/Guardians are to inform the school administration or teacher of any particular challenge or condition the learner may encounter. This information might be beneficial for the school to be aware of, in order to enhance the learning process.

6 – DRESS CODE Learners are to come to school appropriately dressed. Mini-skirts, torn jeans, beachwear, thin straps, halter necks and other indecent attire will not be allowed. Use perfumes carefully as some individuals are allergic. Dress attire for concerts/exams/exhibitions should be suitable as indicated by the respective school.

7 – MOBILE PHONES The use of mobile phones for texting and calling during classes is NOT permitted.

8 – CLEANLINESS Personal hygiene is essential. Fingernails should be kept short (unless otherwise instructed by the teacher) and clean. Learners need to wash their hands with soap and water before the lesson. Litter and other waste material should be disposed of in the dustbins provided.

9 – STUDY / WAITING AREA Learners and parents are allowed to wait ONLY in the space / room designated as a waiting area. Silence or quiet whispering is appreciated so as to avoid unnecessary distractions.

10 – SMOKING This is STRICTLY prohibited both inside and outside the school premises.

11 – FOOD AND DRINK Eating and drinking is permitted only near the distributors, in the waiting area and in the grounds. No eating is allowed during lessons unless learners have a certified medical condition. Chewing gum and sweets in class are prohibited in class. Only WATER is allowed in the classroom. NO ALCOHOL, NO ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES, and NO ENERGY DRINKS are allowed on the school premises, both inside and outside.

12 – PETS No pets are allowed in the school building. Special concessions may be granted upon request by the school administration.

13 – FIRE DRILLS All learners present in the school are obliged to cooperate in fire drills. The teachers’ instructions must be followed at all times and the safety precautions observed.

14 – RESIGNATIONS The learner / parent / guardian is to inform the school administration by sending an email or signed letter.

15 – SCHOOL CALENDAR is issued on the school website at the beginning of each term and includes dates of Open Days, Class Concerts or other performances/exhibits and particular assessment dates. It also highlights holidays and other dates / times when lessons are cancelled due to staff professional development meetings and internal activities.

16 – BOOKS AND RESOURCES Students are expected to own their own books and/or resources.

17 – JOURNALS / PORTFOLIO / LOGBOOK The learner’s progress and continuous assessment will be logged in their personal journal / portfolio.

18 – PRACTICE AT HOME Practice at home is fundamental. Although lessons at any of the specialized schools within the college is on a part-time basis, the learners are expected to practise DAILY and their full commitment is required.

19 – PRACTICE AT SCHOOL Learners can practice on the premises outside school hours upon confirmation by the respective school’s administration. Use of premises after school hours is at the discretion of the school administration.

20 – CONCERTS / WORKSHOPS / PRODUCTIONS/ EXHIBITIONS Each School within the college staves to create a platform for learners where they can participate in productions as part of their course work. Attendance and participation in these organized activities is highly encouraged. These will be recorded in the journal and carry marks as part of the learner’s portfolio.

21 – COMMUNICATION Please keep communication channels open with teachers and administration. This can be done through: journals; emails; telephone; notice-board; website; social media. Parents/Guardians may also ask for an appointment with their child’s teacher through the school’s administration.

22 – INCLUSION, EQUALITY AND EQUITY Schools within MAVC are inclusive and respect the diversity and dignity of all its members. Learners and any visitors are expected to behave in a manner that reflects this belief and comply with the regulations. The following acts are not accepted and there can be serious consequences which may lead to disciplinary measures:

• All kinds of bullying
• Victimization
• Harassment
• Unfair discrimination based on gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, race and disability;
• Any forms of aggression including physical, psychological and/or emotional.

23 – SPECIAL NEEDS The school will do its utmost to help learners with learning difficulties to adapt to the course work. Since Learning Support Educators (LSEs) are not engaged in these specialized schools, an adult or a carer (identified by the learner), is encouraged to accompany the learner, if and when needed upon discussions with the respective school’s administration.

24 – GRIEVANCES Cases of unfair treatment, misconduct and sometimes misunderstandings may lead to grievances. In many cases, an informal dialogue is highly encouraged as it may lead to a solution. If the learner is not satisfied with the outcome s/he may wish to resort to the formal procedure of writing to the Head of School and requesting a meeting. All grievances shall be dealt with the strictest confidence.

25 – ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL Learners/parents are requested to seek guidance from the respective school’s administration when engaging into visual and/or performing arts’ activities outside of the school. This is important in the learning process of the learner and to give advice on the implications of these extra commitments in the respective discipline.

26 – DATA PROTECTION According to the Data Protection Act, it is understood that students any course/s will consent to photographs or video appearing on the school’s official website or online media and other printed material.

27 – CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT / EXAMS It is advisable that each learner is well versed on the assessment criteria of the selected course, especially if this leads to a formal qualification. Such information about assessments/exams could be acquired from the school’s administration at the beginning of the scholastic year. Continuous assessment (which is referred to as coursework) will take place regularly throughout the scholastic year. All results will be notified through the MAVC MySchool Portal. Learners who attend less than 80% of the lessons will not be eligible to progress to the next level. Learners are expected to attend for their lessons with their homework well-prepared. Careless work will not be tolerated. During assessments, assignments and learning processes, the learner is required to act with honesty and transparency. Failure to do so may lead to disciplinary action.

28 – LETTER OF REFERENCE Learners who require a letter of reference, need to make their request at least three (3) weeks in advance of the deadline when such letters must be received by the receiving institution/company. When making a request, learners need to provide the following information:
• The name of the course(s) and the year(s) these were taken.
• Full information about why the letter is needed and full name & address information about whom to send the letter/form/endorsement to, so this can be addressed accordingly.