St.Lucy
Lightning
After School Sports
Handbook
Revised November 2002
ST.LUCY PARISH SCHOOL
PHILOSOPHY
St.
Lucy Parish School is a Christian Community, which teaches Catholic values as
away of life. Together teachers,
parents and students pursue the educational mission of the Church in
proclaiming the message of the Gospels, fostering the development of community,
serving the community in need and coming together in celebration and
worship. St. Lucy School instills
in its students an appreciation for learning and provides an education
consistent with the highest
standards.
We recognize our responsibility to create a positive academic atmosphere
which maximizes each child's potential and which addresses the spiritual,
intellectual, physical, psychological and social needs of each student.
ST.LUCY AFTER-SCHOOL
SPORTS
PHILOSOPHY AND GOALS
The coaches, athletes and
parents in the sports program are governed by the following philosophy and
goals:
1. To
adhere to the Diocese of San Jose Catholic Athletic League
Handbook.
2. To
ensure that each athlete be given the opportunity to learn the fundamental
skills and philosophy of the game, to experience the nature of competition and
to teach team work, sportsmanship and fair play.
3. To
teach the attitude that winning is not as important as how and in what spirit
the game is played.
4.
To
realize that when and how much an athlete plays in a game depends on the
player's attitude, respect, attendance at practices and games, and the
willingness to follow the coaches instructions. Conduct should be above reproach.
5. To
have respect for teammates, coaches, referees and opposing players.
SPORTSMANSHIP CODE
FOR THE DIOCESE OF SAN
JOSE
CATHOLIC ATHLETIC LEAGUE
WEST DIVISION
A MISSION STATEMENT
Adopted by the Diocese of San
Jose for implementation by all divisions in which Diocesan schools participate.
The
after-school athletic program is an extension of the educational mission of a
member school. As such, it
enriches the life of the school community by providing for interscholastic
athletic competition within a context of Gospel values.
The
success of an after-school athletic program is dependent upon the active
support of the administration, teachers, coaches, parents, spectators, and the
student-athletes. It places its
focus on developing an atmosphere in which children learn about and enjoy
sports, rather than on developing winning teams. While every coach, player, and
supporter want his/her team to win, a programÕs
Philosophy keeps this goal of winning in perspective.
Catholic elementary schoolsÕ sports are primarily recreational and they
dedicate themselves to providing a positive athletic experience for children of
all ability levels.
An
after-school athletic program has as its goals the following:
1. to
develop an atmosphere in which children learn about and enjoy sports, rather
than to develop winning teams;
2. to
teach students the skills necessary to participate in and appreciate team
sports;
3.
to
provide an opportunity for every eligible student to participate
Interscholasticcompetition;
4. To
instill in the student-athlete a sense of responsibility by demanding
consistently high standards of behavior and making the student-athlete aware
and respectful of the needs of others;
5. to
nurture unselfishness in the student-athlete by requiring that his/her actions
on the playing field be consistent with the goals of the team as a whole and
not be directed towards individual honors;
6. to
generate in the student-athlete a willingness to sacrifice his/her time and
energy towards the fulfillment of shared goals;
7. to
provide for interscholastic competition that displays good sportsmanship.
WHAT IS SPORTSMANSHIP?
Sports'man¥ship' (n.)
the practice of playing
fair, of taking loss or defeat
without complaint or
victory without gloating and treating opponents with fairness, generosity, and
courtesy.
The promotion of
sportsmanship is integral to the functioning of our after-school athletic
program. Sportsmanship
demonstrated by all involved in athletics is perhaps the clearest sign of the
understanding and commitment to treating athletic participation as integral to
the common Catholic mission of our schools.
RESPONSIBILITY
1. Everyone
associated with an athletic event- Coaches, athletes, officials, athletic
directors, parents, spectators and school administration plays an important
role in seeing that standards of sportsmanship are upheld before, during, and
after a contest is played.
2. Each
person in attendance should strive to meet ideals of sportsmanship:
A. Show
respect for the opponent at all times. The opponent should be treated as a
guest, greeted cordially on arriving, given the best possible accommodations
and treated respectfully at all times.
B. Show
respect for the officials. The
officials should be recognized as impartial arbitrators who are trained to do
their job and who can be expected to do it to the best of their ability. Sportsmanship implies the willingness
to accept and abide by the decisions of the officials.
.
C. Know,
understand, and appreciate the current rules of the contest. A familiarity with the current rules of
the game and the recognition of their necessity for a faircontest is essential. Good sportsmanship suggests the
importance of conforming to the spirit as well as to the letter of the rules.
D. Maintain
self-control at all times. A
prerequisite of sportsmanship requires one to understand his/her own bias or
prejudice and the ability to prevent the desire to win from overcoming rational
behavior. A proper perspective
must be maintained if the potential educational values of athletic competition
are to be realized.
E. Recognize
and appreciate skill in performance regardless of affiliation. Applause for a good performance of an
opponent is a demonstration of generosity and good will. The ability to recognize quality in
performance and the willingness to acknowledge it without regard to team
membership is one of the most highly commendable gestures of sportsmanship.
3. Within
the framework of these basic fundamentals are the specific responsibilities,
which each individual must bear.
THE PRINCIPAL AND ATHLETIC
DIRECTOR
1.
The
principal and athletic director must subscribe to and promote the ideals of
sportsmanship.
A. The
quality of the sportsmanship displayed at athletic contests reflects the
leadership provided by the principal and athletic director.
2. The
athletic director in collaboration with the principal should...
A. Proactively
promote sportsmanship.
B. Be
sure parents and students thoroughly understand what the school expects of its
athletes and its spectators.
C. Take
responsibility to inform patents and other spectators of acceptable and
unacceptable behaviors and to insure that all spectators abide by these
expectations.
D. Take
an active role in the development of athletic policies and provide support for the
implementation of these policies.
E. Establish
and enforce consequences for students and athletes who violate expectations of
sportsmanship.
THE COACH
The
coach bears the greatest burden of responsibility for sportsmanship. The influence of the coach upon the
attitudes and behavior of the players, the student body and the community is
unequaled in order for sportsmanship to become a reality. It is essential that the coach
subscribes to the values of sportsmanship and teaches its principles through
words and actions.
1. The
coach should:
A. Always
set a good example for others to follow.
B. Teach
the values of honest effort in conforming to the spirit as well as the letter
of the rules.
C. Instruct
the players in their sportsmanship responsibilities.
D. Discipline
those students who display unsportsmanship behavior.
E. Bean
accommodating host to opponents; treat them as guests.
F. At
every opportunity, remind the student body that the opposing team is their
guest, and that as hosts; they should be polite and courteous.
G. Respect
the judgment of the officials and their interpretation of the rules. Public protests can only lead to
similar behavior by the players and spectators.
H. Publicly
shake hands with the officials and opposing coach before the contest. After the contest, sincerely
congratulate opposing coach and team on a good effort.
I. Be
sensitive to score and game conditions so as not to embarrass or belittle an
opponent.
THE ATHLETES
The
responsibility of the athletes for sportsmanship is second in importance only
to the coach.
Because athletes are
admired and respected, they exert a great deal of influence over the actions
and behavior of the spectators.
The athletes should:
A. Accept
seriously the responsibility and privilege of representing the school and
community
B. Cooperate
with the coach and fellow athletes in trying to promote sportsmanship.
C. Treat
opponents with the respect that is due them as guests and fellow competitors.
D. Exercise
self-control at all times, accepting decisions and abiding by them.
E. Respect
the judgment of the officials and their interpretations of the rules. Never argue or make gestures indicating
dislike for a decision.
F. Accept
both victory and defeat with pride and compassion, never be boastful or bitter.
G. Congratulate
the opponents in a sincere manner following either victory or defeat.
H. Never
taunt an opponent or celebrate an accomplishment in such a way as to "show
up" the opponent or demonstrate a lack or respect or provoke another team
or its spectators.
THE STUDENTS, THE PARENTS,
AND OTHER SPECTATORS
Spectators
share a significant responsibility for sportsmanship.
Their habits and reactions
determine the quality of sportsmanship, which reflects upon the reputation of
the school they are supporting.
The
students, the parents, and other spectators should:
A. Know
and demonstrate the fundamentals of sportsmanship.
B. Censure
fellow spectators who display negative behavior.
C. Cooperate
with school officials.
D. Show
respect for an injured athlete when he/she is removed from the contest.
E. Never
criticize the athletes, coaches or officials.
F. Respect
the judgment and strategy of the coach.
G. Never
use profane language or obnoxious behavior, which are contrary to sportsmanship
including comments with racial or sexual overtones.
H. Respect
school property. Never engage in
acts of vandalism.
I. Never
participate in an unauthorized visit to another school.
VIOLATIONS AND SANCTIONS
Should any school identify
a violation of the Sportsmanship Code by another member school, the following
process shall be followed.
1. Every
effort should be made to resolve the concern at the lowest level; that is, a
contact should be made between coaches, athletic directors, and/or principals
to articulate the concern. The
school that is contacted about a violation has the responsibility to
investigate and respond appropriately and to then inform the other school of
the action taken.
2. If,
after step one is taken, the principal of the school initiating the complaint
feels that the concern has not been addressed adequately, the principal shall
make contact with the principal from the school with whom the dispute
exists. If the dispute or the
concern is not resolved then, the principal from the complaining school shall
write a formal letter documenting the concern to the Diocesan Grievance Board
for Athletics.
3. The
Diocesan Board of Appeals for Athletics will investigate the complaint and
facilitate an appropriate resolution. If, upon completion of the investigation,
the Board concludes that there has been a serious violation of the
Sportsmanship Code, one of the following actions may be recommended to the
Superintendent.
A. That
formal letter of reprimand be sent to the violating school and that
notification of such be made to all schools in the league.
B. That
the school be placed on probation for a period of not more that one-year and
that notification of such be made to all schools in the league. During the period of probation, any
further breeches of the Sportsmanship Code may result in the violating school being
removed from competition in the
league for a specified period of time.
C. That
the school and/or specific teams be removed from competition for a specified
period of time.
THE DIOCESAN BOARD &
GRIEVANCE BOARD FOR
ATHLETICS
The Diocesan Board of
Appeals for Athletics shall make recommendations to the Superintendent for
action in response to violations of the Sportsmanship Code.
1. Upon
receipt of a formal letter of complaint from a member school, the
Superintendent or her designee shall establish the membership of the Diocesan
Board of Appeals for Athletics as follows:
A. Four
principals: one from each league
B. The
four league commissioners: one from each league.
C.
Chairperson
of Diocesan Athletic Advisory Board.
1.
No
commissioner or principal may vote on issue if member school is from that
division.
2.
The
Board shall, in a timely fashion, investigate allegations of violations of
sportsmanship.
3.
Upon
completion of its investigation, the Board will rule
And its
decision will be final.
SAN JOSE CATHOLIC
ATHLETIC LEAGUE WEST DIVISION
St.Lucy
School is a member of the San Jose Catholic Athletic League- West Division.
This Division serves to promote interscholastic athletic competition between
schools. Within the context, it
means to serve as an integral part of the educational programs of its member
schools and to promote the development of community.
Member
schools administer their own programs; but each shares a commitment to the
development of a quality, competitive program, consistent with the teachings of
Christ.
There are 7 schools in the
West Division:
¥ St. Lucy School ¥ Sacred Heart
¥ St. Andrew ¥ St. Clare
¥ St. Mary Los Gatos ¥ St. Frances Cabrini
¥ Holy Spirit
The sports program is open
to all eligible students in grades 5-8. The league schedules games for the
following sports:
Fall: Boys
Football
Girls
Volleyball
Winter Boys
and Girls Basketball
Spring: Boys
Volleyball
Girls
Softball
Boys
and Girls Track (One meet in the spring)
***The Athletic Directors distribute sports
sign-ups prior to each sport.
Parents/Athletes must turn in a completed
emergency form and consent form with their sports fee by the stated or printed
deadline to be eligible to participate.
St.Lucy School
General Sports Policies
A. New
Eligibility
All
students participating in sports are expected to reach their full academic
potential. Students with lower
that a C average in the core subjects on their progress report or report card
will be placed on probation. The
core subjects are: Religion, Language Arts, Spelling, Math, Social Studies,
Science and Spanish (in the Junior High). Students must also maintain a
"B" or better in Conduct and Effort.
During
the probationary period, students may participate in their sport while
continuing to improve their core subject grades and their conduct and effort.
At
the next progress report/report card period (approx. 5 weeks) if significant
progress has not been made, than the student will be ineligible to participation
their team until the next grading period.
At
the end of the grading period (approx. 5 weeks) in which a student has been
ineligible, he/ she must petition both the Principal and Athletic Director by
letter to be reinstated to their team.
B. Sports
Sign-ups
A
sign-up sheet will be distributed prior to each sport.
Fall sports: Sign-up
sheets will be mailed home in August.
Winter sports: Sign-up
sheets will be distributed in homeroom classes the first week of November.
Spring sports: Sign-up
sheets will be distributed the first week in March.
To be
eligible to play the emergency form, and parent consent form must be signed and
returned to the Athletic Director by the stated or printed deadline.
C. St.Lucy
Handbook
All
St. Lucy School rules apply to after-school sports. To reiterate a few:
1. No
gum chewing is allowed in the gym, at practices or games.
2. Athletes
must be supervised at all times either in the gym or at an outside practice.
3.
Athletes may never leave
the school grounds before or after a practice or game without their parents or
guardians. Walking to businesses
across the street from St. Lucy School will not be allowed.
D. Attendance
1. Athletes
will attend their scheduled practice time and be on time to all practices and
games. Extended Care is available
before and after most practices. Siblings may not attend practices.
2. Excused
absences at practice/game must be cleared with the coach or Athletic Director
the day before.
3. Athletes
may not participate during practice/game on the day of an absence from school.
An exception will be made for 8th grade
shadow days.
4. Athletes
are expected to attend all practices/games. The following attendance requirements
will be enforced:
***** ¥ One (1) unexcused absence:
Athlete will not start in the next game.
¥Two (2) unexcused
absences: Athlete will not play in the next game but will be expected to
attend the game, in uniform and sit on the bench.
¥Three (3) unexcused
absences: Athlete will be removed from the team.
**An excused absence is
timely notification to the coach, before a practice or game.
5. If
a St. Lucy athlete is playing club ball or another outside sport, their St.
Lucy playing time will be modified.
E.
After
School Sports and Extended Day Care (EDC)
1. Students may
either attend a 3:00pm practice, go directly home with their carpool or check
into EDC after school.
2. Only parents or
coaches of the St. Lucy athlete or the Athletic
Directors may sign student
athletes out of EDC before a practice or game.
All
athletes must:
1. abide
by the Diocesan Sportsmanship Code
2. support,
respect and encourage teammates at all times
3. be
supportive of the coach(es)
4. use
proper language
5. respect
coaches, referees and opposing teams
G. Uniforms
1.
Athletes
should care for the uniform/practice jersey distributed. Never alter the
uniform in any way. Uniforms must be returned in the same condition as when
they were distributed.
**** ¥Mustard, Ketchup, and Gatorade are
known to stain the new basketball/football uniforms.
****Uniforms must be
washed in cold water and hung to dry.
Do not eat /drink these
items when wearing a basketball /football uniform or you will be responsible
for its replacement.
2. The
issued uniform is the assigned shirt/shorts, white socks and athletic
shoes. If no shorts are assigned
the athlete will wear the St. Lucy school P.E. shorts.
3. Athletes
may not wear jewelry of any kind during practices or games.
4. Athletes
must be properly dressed for both practices and games. P.E. uniforms or non-uniform shorts and
tee shirts are proper attire for
practices.
5. Longhair
must be tied back.
All athletes are expected
to care for all equipment.
NO leather volleyball
/basketballs may leave the gym.
I. Playing
Time
An athletes playing time
is determined by his/her attendance, attitude, sportsmanship, conduct and the
size of the team.
Taking the above into
consideration the minimum playing time according to the DSJCAL-West Division
By-Laws:
5th/6thgrade
athletes will play in at least 1/4 of each game.
7th/8thgrade
athletes will play in at least 1/4 of the season.
J. Sports
Penalties
1. The
after-school sports fee will not be refunded to students who become ineligible
to play due to grades, disciplinary action or conflicts with scheduling.
2. An
athlete who uses profanity during practice or a game will be suspended from the
present and next game.
3. An
athlete who is ejected from a game for unsportsmanlike conduct or unnecessary
rough play will be suspended from the next game.
4. If
an athlete becomes a disciplinary problem at practice/games then the athlete
will be benched or the parents will be phoned to pick them up.
5. Athletes
who leave the school grounds before practice/game or without their parent will
be suspended from a practice or a game.
6. Athletes
without proper practice attire will not be allowed to practice on that day and this
will be counted as an unexcused absence.
7.
Any
damaged or lost uniforms/equipment must be paid for by the athlete.
K.
Transportation
1.
Schools/Coaches
arranging for the transportation of teams to practices and games must follow
all the field trip policies at St.Lucy School.
2.
A copy of a Drivers License and proof of adequate insurance
must be on file in the SLS office.
3.
All
athletes traveling by car must be in a seatbelt!
4.
Students
must be adequately and effectively supervised.
5.
Parents
may not make a stop anywhere when driving St. Lucy students to or
from practices/games.
PARENT EXPECTATIONS
Parents as well as
athletes have responsibilities to the team as well as to the school.
Responsibilities of the parents:
1. Parents
are encouraged to attend games and to support their child and the school in
athletic events.
2. Parents
are responsible for transportation
to and from practices and games.
3. Parents
are asked to volunteer as team parents whenever necessary.
4. Parents
are encouraged to help athletes care and return of their uniforms.
5. ParentÕs
conduct at practices/games is to be supportive and positive towards the
athletes, coaches, referees and the opposing team.
6. There
is $60.00 sports fee per sport for
each athlete.
7. Parents
are encouraged to join the Booster Club.
St.Lucy School
My
child ________________________ has permission to participate in the
after-school sports program at St. Lucy School. We understand that both parents and students have
responsibilities to the team and school. I agree that he/she will participate
all season for whichever sport he/she has chosen. I understand that I may take my child from that team after
consultation with the Athletic Director.
I
understand that as part of the after school sports program my
child_________________ will be transported by parent drivers or by the coach. I
give my permission for my child to be transported to and from away games.
Responsibilities of the parents:
1. Parents
are encouraged to attend games and to support their child and the school in
athletic events.
2. Parents
are responsible for transportation to and from practices and games.
3. Parents
are asked to volunteer as team parents whenever necessary.
4. Parents
are encouraged to help athletes care for their uniforms and return them in the
same condition that they were received on time.
5. ParentsÕ
conduct at practices/games should be supportive and positive towards the
athletes, coaches, referees and the opposing team.
6. There
is a $60.00 non-refundable sports fee per sport for each athlete. No sport
fee for Track.
7. Parents
are encouraged to join the Booster Club.