ROYAL BRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL

Principal’s Message

WELCOME BACK to RETURNING & NEW STUDENTS for the 2020/21 School Yea

 

September 2023

Each term brings changes, challenges and new opportunities for staff and students alike.  At Royal Bridge, we are very focused on your educational learning as we strive to meet your needs and prepare you for success in both your high school and post-secondary careers. Please remember to COMMUNICATE with us if you have an issue, concern or problem.  We can only help and support you if we know the issue.  Our goal is to serve your needs.

 

Also:

  • Royal Bridge is MASK-FRIENDLY: Teachers may ask you to speak up if you wear one.
  • We will respect other people’s space.
  • We have hand sanitizing stations throughout the school – please use them!
  • Do NOT come to school if sick.

 

Now, some points about the educational part of your school program:

  • Everyone needs to bring a laptop to school each day.
  • Everyone MUST ensure they can access and send in assignments via email & respond to messages from the school or school staff without delay. Saying: “I did not receive the assignment or message,” or “My computer is broken” will not be accepted. Every student receives a course outline with assignments and due dates, and it is your responsibility to follow them and to communicate with the school if needed.  There are many ways to reach the school and/or your teachers.
  • ATTENDANCE is VERY IMPORTANT: Students who attend classes do well in school.  The more you attend, the better you will do.  That is a fact.  We are checking attendance and homework carefully – how well you do this first month will usually predict how well you will do in the entire course.  Good Attendance also means SHOWING UP ON TIME – Do not be LATE!
  • Plagiarism & Copying (Using work that is NOT YOURS) This is very serious and can have serious consequences. We follow the 3-Strike Rule:
  • 1st Offence – 0 on the assignment.
  • 2nd Offence – Fail the Course.
  • 3rd Offence – Fail the Course and possibly be removed from school.

DO NOT DEPEND on AI to do the work – Use your good brain!!!

 

  • SUBMIT WORK ON TIME – You cannot wait until the end to submit all your assignments. When you submit an assignment, the Subject Line must have:

The Course.  Name or Number of Assignment.  Student Name (Students MUST use their ENGLISH or CHINESE names all the time – be consistent!)

  • NOTE: If your attendance and/or achievement is below a certain level (usually 50%) you may be removed from the course.
  • CELL PHONES: Students who use their cell phones in class to email, text or play games while the lesson is going on might lose their phone!   Leave your phones in your backpack, jacket pocket or wherever on SILENT mode (unless your teacher asks you to use them.)  Thanks!

 

Teaching Staff:

  • Vahab Taghizadeh (Sr. Math/AP)
  • Suraci (English/Socials 10/CLE)
  • Janssen (Science, Chemistry, Math, & Physics)

BEGIN getting into your homework and studying routines TODAY.

Study Tips: https://www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/study-and-training/help-with-study/how-to-study-better/top-10-study-tips

 

REMINDERS:

  • DO NOT SMOKE OUTSIDE THE RESTAURANT. You can ONLY Smoke at the SOUTH corner of the building – BUT OFF THE PROPERTY! (Look for the No PARKING sign as the grass is not Building Property)
  • It is against the law to smoke “within 7.5 metres of an entrance to a public building or any air intake vent or operable window for a public building.” (Coquitlam By-Law) There ARE Cameras!
  • The City of Coquitlam can fine you $58.00. Building employees can call the city to come out and check if you are smoking on the property!
  • Royal Bridge has BIG FINES for Smoking or Vaping in or around the school.
  • Please note: if the owner of the property next door (the grass area) tells you not to smoke there, then you have to move OFF THE BUILDING SITE

Smoke near the No Parking Sign – Do NOT stand in the Driveway.

ROYAL BRIDGE SMOKING & VAPING POLICY

  • IF you are caught SMOKING or VAPING inside the building you will be fined and may be asked to leave the school.
  • This is VERY SERIOUS. It is against the Law.
  • IF you smoke or vape outside the school it must NOT be on the property our school building sits on.  You CANNOT be near the restaurant, the corner of Lincoln & Westwood or in front of any shops or stores.  Remember: we have young kids and families going by and into our building.

Fines & Penalties

 

IF you are caught Smoking or Vaping INSIDE the school:

  • First Time: $125 Fine
  • Second Time: $250 Fine
  • Third Time: $375 Fine + Potential Removal from School

IF you are caught Smoking or Vaping OUTSIDE the school on School Property:

  • First Time: $50 Fine
  • Second Time: $100 Fine
  • Third Time: $150 Fine + Suspension from School

PLEASE NOTE:  A suspension or removal from school could occur at any stage if the circumstances are serious enough.

 

Appendix A:

 

POLICY on MISSING EXAMS/TESTS/QUIZZES

 

It is AMAZING how many students get “sick” on exam days.

A detailed Drs must accompany absences on Exam/Test/Quiz Days. Note – and we reserve the right to disregard/refuse the note IF we check the records of these students and find that they have:

  • Missed Test Days Before
  • Not Attended Class Regularly
  • Not Turned in all homework and assignments and are Not achieving at a “minimally respectable level” (60% or more)

 

If a student misses an exam and the doctor’s note (or absence excuse) is not provided or accepted, the student will get a 0 (Zero) on the exam and will not be eligible for a Retake Session.

The BEST WAY to prepare and to be READY to take an exam is to COMPLETE your homework on time, ASK your teacher questions about topics you are not clear about, and NOT WAIT until the night before to study!!

In-Person Exams:  If your teacher requests an in-person exam, it is expected that you WILL make every effort to attend in-person.  We have a lot of space and can have you write your exam safely away from others.

 

REMEMBER:

Plagiarism and Its Consequences: A Guide for High School and College Students

Homework, study time, exams, and student exhaustion may open doors to carelessness or temptation. Under those circumstances, creating original thoughts is one more thing to stretch a person. That being said, plagiarism is a temptation many high schools and college students face. Or carelessness in giving credit where credit is due sometimes is a trap. But there are severe consequences for plagiarism.

For this article, I’m addressing plagiarism when it comes to copying an author’s words. Let’s discuss this important issue together to help our students think from cause to effect.

What Plagiarism Is:

If a student is taking someone’s idea and taking the credit for it, it’s plagiarism

How Plagiarism Looks Among Students

It’s important to know what plagiarism looks like so that one may avoid it by accident. Or so that one may recognize the temptation and choose to use their own words! Below are some examples that I found at Plagiarism.org and you can find more examples on their website:

  • Submitting work to a teacher that someone else wrote is plagiarism.If a student isn’t submitting his own work, he’s not sharing his own thoughts. But instead, he’s sharing the thoughts of someone else and passing them off as his own.
  • If an author’s words make up most of a student’s paper, it’s plagiarism.Plus, students need to demonstrate that they comprehend what they’ve read. It demonstrates that they’re learning.
  • Incorrectly citing the source of information is also plagiarism.Understandably, credit needs to go to the rightful author. Always give credit where credit is due.
  • Paraphrasing without giving credit to the source is plagiarism. Because paraphrasing is close to the original work of an author, a citation must be given.
  • Quotation marks are very important to use when quoting an author.Without them, a person commits plagiarism.

The Consequences of Plagiarism

  • First of all, it’s theft.
  • Secondly, damage happens to relationships. People at school will not be able to trust you.
  • Thirdly, it cheats the student and others from the individual expression of original thought. As an individual, one has different life experiences, and observations and one’s personality can contribute to the conversation.
  • Fourth, plagiarism also prevents a person from processing and internalizing their own thoughts and beliefs on a topic. For its one thing to agree or disagree with someone’s thoughts and to quote them. And it’s an entirely different thing to claim someone’s expression to be exactly like one’s own.
  • Last but not least, immediate consequences for students are failing grades. Additionally, being expelled from class or school is a risk.

What is NOT Plagiarism

  • Knowledge that you possess on a topic that is common, then it isn’t plagiarism. However, if a student learns some facts that are new to him, he needs to cite the author.
  • Obviously, sharing one’s own original thoughts on a topic isn’t plagiarism.

How to Avoid Plagiarism

Here are some questions that individuals can ask themselves:

  • “Do I already know this information?” If not, then the resource needs to be cited.
  • “Am I quoting an author?” If so, a citation must be given.
  • “Have I changed any of the author’s words by using synonyms?” If so, it’s time to give a citation.
  • “Is what I just wrote a complete paraphrase of the author’s words?” If yes, then the need for citing the author is a yes.