Guidelines for Staff Rep

• Fill out appropriate paperwork
  • Offsite approval form 
  • Informed consent form
  • Parent approval form 
• Responsible for emailing the school staff about team excused absences for league/tournament play
• Announce the team's accomplishments on the morning announcement the next day
• Must attend zone and provincial tournaments, or arrange for a teacher to go in their place
• Assist in set up for home games
• Ensure uniforms are returned at the end of the season

• Register teams for tournaments
• Register students/teams in the SSA system for zones/provincials
• Attend relevant zone athletics meetings
• Conduct the season opening parent meeting\
• Ensure coaches have required certifications
• Stock first aid kits
• Create team roster lists and determine fees and put on the appropriate spreadsheets
• Advertise beginning of seasons
• Create team budget
• Ensure all uniforms are accounted for

• Ensure every player has a ride to the game/tournament in a joint effort with the coach
• Coordinate with the Staff rep and AD booking of hotels for overnight stays
• Create a contact list of all parents to be used to facilitate communication

All gym usage shall be booked through Administration and/or the Athletic Director 

League games and home tournaments have booking priority over practices 

Junior teams have priority for after school practice times 

Any activity under way shall have priority over the following season of play (e.g. volleyball over basketball) 

There must be a coach or staff rep present at all practices and games. 

Coaches and teams need to ensure they are leaving the gym in good condition. No garbage on the bleachers, extra belongings are put in the lost and found bin and equipment is put away properly.

Eligibility

Students must be in attendance in school on the day of a practice or game in order to participate in that practice or game. They must also be in school on the Friday preceding a weekend game/tournament that begins on Saturday.  Legitimate reasons for an absence, which would allow a student to participate on the same day as the absence, are:

• School Sanctioned Activities
• Appointments with health professionals
• Emergency Situations
• Planned absence for personal or educational purposes that have been approved by the school administration.

Students who are absent from classes for a portion of the day due to illness are not eligible to participate for the remainder of that day/weekend. 

Students must be in good standing in all classes. This means that they must be working diligently in class.  Students on all school teams must also ensure that their academic performance as well as their behavior in school and their attendance is at acceptable levels.  Furthermore, all course assignments must be complete and handed in and be considered up to date.

If a student is falling behind in their course studies, their teacher shall inform the Athletic Director. That student will receive one warning from the Coach or Athletic Director to get caught up on missing assignments. Failure to do so may result in one of the following consequences:

• Suspension from practices, games, tournaments and all team activities until all assignments are completed and their mark is acceptable
• Suspension from the team for the remainder of the season
• Suspension from all Manning Aurora Composite School sports activities for the remainder of the year

Playing Time

Manning Aurora Composite School participates in competitive leagues and tournaments. As such, there will be few, if any instances where playing time for each player on the team will be equal. 

• The amount of playing time may vary from game to game, or from week to week. 
• Neither the player’s grade nor prior years of playing experience with Manning Aurora Composite School teams will be a factor in determining playing time. 
• Factors other than skill and ability that a coach may consider are practice attendance and effort. 

MACS strongly encourages that fair playing time occurs at the Junior High level. Senior athletics are competitive. It is expected all players will have an opportunity to play in at least one tournament; however, the amount of playing time is at the coaches’ discretion given the game situation.

Conduct

Student athletes are representatives and ambassadors of Manning Aurora Composite School, the community of Manning, and Peace River School Division.

Student athletes are expected to provide strong examples of leadership and citizenship both on and off the court/field of play, and both in and out of the classroom.

Regardless of when or where an athletic event occurs, it is a school sponsored activity. The use of tobacco, drugs, e-cigarettes (vaping), or alcohol is prohibited and consequences shall be strictly enforced.

If a student athlete does not conduct him or herself in a manner that reflects favorably on the school, the privilege of participation may be suspended or revoked by a Coach, the Athletic Director, or Principal.

Injury

Injury is a possibility in all school sports and all athletes need to understand the risks.

It is required that the student athlete or their parents indicate all medical conditions that could have an impact on the safety and well being of the athlete while at practice or in a game situation.

Any student injured on or off the field of play, and requiring medical attention, must present a note from a physician indicating when it that student is eligible to return to play.

Commitment

Being a member of any school team is a privilege, which each athlete must earn. A key to earning that privilege is commitment to the team. Team success can only be achieved if all participants are committed. This type of commitment includes;

• Attendance at all practices, games, and team events.
• Providing the coach with advance notice of absences from practices or games, and an explanation of that absence.

Bullying and Cyber-Bullying

MACS is a place where students should be able to go to feel safe and secure. Therefore, the Raiders' sports programs will not tolerate any form of bullying or cyber-bullying.

Bullying is defined as “an act of repeated aggressive behavior in order to intentionally hurt another person, physically or mentally. Bullying is characterized by an individual behaving in a certain way to gain power over another person.”

Acts that will be considered bullying include:

• Repeated negative comments about another player’s skills or other personal qualities, in the player’s presence or not.
• Physical intimidation of another player during practice, in the locker room, in the school or any other environment.
• Use of social media, text messaging, the internet or any other form of electronic communication to spread derogatory comments about a teammate’s skill or other personal qualities.
• Any other act, as determined by the Coach, Athletic Director or Principal to be detrimental to the physical or mental well being of a teammate.

• Suspension from the team for a period of time determined by the Coach/or Athletic Director (this includes all games, practices and team functions).
• Removal from the team for the remainder of the season.
• Removal from all Manning Aurora Composite School sports for the remainder of the year.
• Removal from all Manning Aurora Composite School sports for a period longer than the remainder of the year. This could include the remainder of the athlete’s school career.
• Suspension from all Manning Aurora Composite School activities for a period not exceeding 5 days.
• Other consequences as determined by the Coach, Athletic Director or Principal.

Hazing

Hazing or negative initiation activities are considered to be an act of bullying and as such prohibited by Manning Aurora Composite School. The planning, initiation of, or participation in such activities shall be dealt with under the behavioral expectation of Raiders Athletics and may lead to suspension or removal from a team and/or school.

The above Athlete Code of Conduct was created in accordance with the following PRSSD Administrative Procedures:

• AP 146 Responsible Use of Social Media
• AP 350 Student Conduct
• AP 352 Student Harassment and Bullying
• AP 355 Student Discipline
• AP 356 Alcohol, Restricted and Illicit Drug use by Students

Athlete Guideline Agreement

The following guidelines are to be considered a code of conduct for Manning Aurora Composite School coaching staff.

The Coach is foremost a teacher. The chief objectives of school athletics are to build leaders and to develop athletic skills. Winning games is secondary to these objectives. Coaches who do not make a positive contribution to the total educational process are not meeting their obligations.

Manning Aurora Composite School coaches are required to follow the "RULE OF TWO" when having one on one conversations with athletes. Following the Rule of Two means that any one-on-one interaction between a coach and an athlete, both on and off of the field of play, must take place within earshot and view of a second coach, adult or the team, with the exception of medical emergencies. One of the adults should be of the same gender as the athlete. 

The Coach should be diligent in attention to routine details. This includes, keeping necessary records, promptly emailing results to the AD, and forwarding any receipts when required.

The Coach should instill in the team an attitude of sportsmanship on and off the court, during the game and afterwards, in school and out.

The Coach should use acceptable language at all times. Vulgarity and profanity have no place on the athletic field or court, in the gym or in the classroom.

The Coach shall not use alcohol or non-prescription drugs in any form while with the team.

The Coach should, when faced with unpredicted disciplinary situations, let the common law prevail. Situations are to be assessed on a rational basis.

The Coach should accept the responsibility as a counselor to the athletes under her/his direction. The coach is in a unique position among all teaching staff in the relationship with the students. Many students complete their high school program because of, on part, of their interest in athletic participation and the influence of the coach. In this way, the coach can play a major role in the problems now confronting high schools in drop-out rates and related issues.

The Coach should be mindful of their position of guardianship entrusted by the athletes and their parents. While acting as a counselor to the athletes, there must also be a necessary social separation, so that over-familiarity or impropriety does not occur or is not perceived to have occurred.

The Coach should work to instill with their players respect for the officials and establish that they alone shall discuss aspects of the game with the officials.

The Coach will respect the rights and feelings of other coaches and will never use tactics that take unfair advantage of others. The coach should be friendly and courteous at all times and never argue with an opposing coach in front of the team or spectators.

The Coach should teach the team to be respectful of and friendly towards opponents.

Coach Education

All coaches for Manning Aurora Composite School, teachers, support staff and community coaches are required to complete the following courses on thelocker.coach.ca

• “Making Headway”
  • Required for ALL members of  a Senior High School Teams coaching staff
  • Strongly Encouraged for Junior High School Teams
• "Safe Sport- Direct Athlete Contact"
  • Required for ALL members of a Senior High School Team coaching staff
  • Strongly Encouraged for Junior High School Teams
    • Other safe sport/respect in sport courses MAY be acceptable at the discretion of the Athletic Director
• “SSA Coach Information”
  • Required for at least one member of a Senior High School Team coaching staff
  • Encouraged for Junior High School Teams
• "Understanding the Rule of Two"
  • Strongly Encouraged for Senior High School Teams
  • Strongly Encouraged for Junior High School Teams

Team Selection

All activities are open to all students at Manning Aurora Composite School who meet the requirements of grade, gender, and general eligibility.

Coaches must conduct an open tryout and may not make final cuts until after the second practice after the conclusion of the preceding activity.

Final selections should be based on attitude, coachability, and skill.

Once the team has been selected, the coach must promptly submit a roster to the Athletic Director.

Junior High Teams

If there is enough interest to form two teams the first team with consist of Grade 8 and 9 students and the second team will consist of grade 7 and 8 students.

The Grade 8/9 team will be entered into leagues as an 'A' level team, compete in 2 or 3 tournaments and will represent the school at districts and/or zones.

The Grade 7/8 team may be entered into leagues as either an 'A' or 'B' level, based on ability, and compete in 1 or 2 tournaments.

Practices

All practices will be scheduled by the Athletic Director.

A change, addition, or cancellation to a game or practice should be made with as much advance notice as possible. Such changes may affect player and parent commitments and may have an effect on other teams.

Playing Time/Expectations

Manning Aurora Composite School participates in competitive tournaments. As such, there will be few, if any instances, where playing time for each player on the team will be equal. The amount of playing time may vary from game to game, or from week to week. Neither the player’s grade nor prior years of playing experience will be a factor in determining playing time.

During the regular season, coaches are encouraged to consider the following recommendations for minimum playing time for athletes, but ultimately decisions regarding playing time shall be at the discretion of the coach.

Junior B ...............................................  approximately 50%

Junior A................................................  approximately 30%

Senior JV ..............................................approximately 40%

Senior Varsity........................................ approximately 20%

For zone and provincial playoffs there are no recommendations.

Communication

Clear communication between coach and player, player and parent, parent and coach, and between players is critical to avoid misunderstanding. This communication can be initiated and maintained in a number of ways:

• There will be a mandatory parent meeting in the first week of practices
• A parent rep will be identified and will act as a liaison between the school and other parents
• It is recommended that coaches use an application such as TeamSnap to facilitate communication with players and parents. 

It is at times necessary for student athletes to be absent from classes, or to be released from the last class of the day prior to the end of the class. In these instances, coaches are required to provide notice to all school staff through the staff rep.

The notice may take the form of a hard copy to be distributed to all staff members or an e-mail to all staff members. The notice should be provided as early as possible, and must contain the following;

• A list of all students involved
• The date of the Sanctioned Absence
• Periods involved
• When appropriate, time of departure
• The event.

From time to time issues may arise from decisions made by the SSA or the NWASAA zone or other body.  Neither the zone or the province will respond if the complaint or appeal does not come from the school (Athletic Director or Administration).

If there are any complaints or issues regarding the zone this form must be submitted. The Athletic Director along with administration will determine the next steps to be taken.

Budget

The budget will be completed by the Athletic Director prior to the start of the season

Awards

Coaches are required to provide the Athletic Director with their picks for award winners within two weeks of the season ending.

Large teams may select 3 winners, small teams may select 1 winner.  Winners can be from any of the 3 categories, but may not exceed the team limit.

The categories are:

• Most Valuable Player
• Most Improved Player
• Most Dedicated Player

The following are the only banners that will be hung in the gym

• Banners supplied by the SSA for Provincial champions or sportsmanship 
• Banners supplied by the NWASAA zone champions or sportsmanship
• The school will purchase banners for zone champions and provincial participants for sports in which they are not supplied.  
  • Banners supplied by provincial hosts to recognize participation will also be considered.

Complete the form linked below indicating that you have read this page and are prepared to follow and respect the guidelines as laid out. Students will not be allowed to complete until all coaching staff have completed this form.

Coach Guideline Agreement

Parents are an integral part of the Athletic Program at Manning Aurora Composite School. As a part of the Raider program, we ask that you agree to the following:

A Raider Parent will:

• Help your child to follow and uphold the Manning Aurora Composite School athletes’ guidelines for participation.
• Support the goals of sportsmanship and help bring pride and respect to your child and Manning Aurora Composite School. 
• Support your child’s role on the team, even if you don’t understand his/her position on the depth chart.
• Attempts to understand and be informed of the playing rules
• Appreciates a good play no matter who makes it
• Shows compassion for an injured player; applauds positive performance; does not heckle, jeer or distract players; and avoids use of profane and obnoxious language and behaviour
• Respects the judgment and strategy of the coach, and does not criticize players or coaches for loss of game
• Respects property of others and authority of those who administer the competition
• Censures those whose behaviour is unbecoming
• Respects officials and accepts their decisions without gesture or argument
• Support the team, the players, and the coaches.

As your son or daughter becomes involved in the sports programs at Manning Aurora Composite School he/she will experience some of the most rewarding moments in their high school career. It is important to understand however that there will be times when things do not go the way you or your son/daughter wish. At these times, discussion with the coach is encouraged.

We ask that that parents follow the 24 hour rule:

• Please wait 24 hours between the time of the incident that you are concerned about and contacting the coach to discuss the incident. 
• If the incident is of an emergent nature, please contact the AD immediately. 
• We ask that parents communicate with coaches keep the following points in mind when requesting a meeting with a coach:
  • concerns are expressed privately and directly to the coach away from the court setting
  • notification of any scheduling conflicts well in advance 
  • specific concerns in regard to a coach’s philosophy and or expectations
• These are appropriate concerns to discuss with coaches:
  • the treatment of your child mentally or physically 
  • ways to help your child improve 
  • concerns about your child's behavior
  • any influence that the activity is having on your child’s academic performance

These are issues not appropriate to discuss with coaches:

• Playing time 
• Team strategy
• Play calling
• Other student athletes

• call and set up an appointment with the coach 
• resolution, not confrontation is the best approach
• please do not confront a coach before or after a game or practice - these can be emotional times for both the parent and coach, and our coaches are instructed to walk away from such situations. 

• call and set up a meeting with the Athletic Director to discuss the situation
• at this meeting if a resolution cannot be reached, then a meeting between yourself, the Athletic Director and the School Principal is an appropriate next step. 

Communication with Leagues, the NWASAA zone or the provincial SSA

From time to time issues may arise from decisions made by the SSA, the NWASAA zone or some other body.  Neither the zone or the province will respond if the complaint or appeal does not come from the school (Athletic Director or Administration).

If there are any complaints or issues regarding the zone a form must be submitted. The Athletic Director along with administration will determine the next steps to be taken.

Complete the form linked below indicating that you have read this page and are prepared to follow and respect the guidelines as laid out.  Students will not be allowed to complete until the form is completed.

Parent Guideline Agreement

Players can expect to pay the full amount approved by school council.  Every effort will be made to ensure it is as reasonable as possible, following the budget the Athletic Director creates.

Deadline to pay fees

Volleyball - October 1

Basketball - Last day of school before Christmas Break

Cross country, golf, curling, badminton, track and field - as soon as costs are determined

**Any player that does not pay by the deadline will not be allowed to play in tournament or league games until it is paid in full.**

Extenuating circumstances will be considered on a case by case basis.  Students in this situation must talk to the Athletic Director prior to the payment deadline.

• This may include setting up a payment plan or finding a sponsor to support the student.

Refund policy

A full refund will be given if the athlete quits within 2 weeks of the start of season - minus $50.00, kept to cover insurance and registration expenses.

If a player quits after the first 2 weeks but before the half way mark of the season of play a refund of half the fee paid, minus $50.00, will be given.

There will be no refunds after the half way mark of the season.

Injuries or extenuating circumstances will be dealt with on a case by case.  This must be discussed with and approved by Athletic Director and Administration

Provincials

For teams qualifying for provincials an additional $50.00 per athlete will be collected if there are not enough funds remaining in the team account to pay for registration fees and coach/staff rep accommodation.

All other fees are the responsibility of players.

All fees can be paid through SchoolCash Online

At the beginning of the season all players on a volleyball or basketball team will be provided with a uniform as follows:

Junior High

The uniforms are a t-shirts which students can choose to either purchase or rent.

If it is purchased players are expected to use it throughout their time as a jr high raider.

If it is rented, a fee of $10.00 will be charge along with a deposit of $30.00.  The deposit will be returned when the jersey is returned at the end of the season.  If the jersey is not returned, the deposit cheque will be cashed.

Senior High

Uniforms are lent to the athlete for the season and must be returned at the end of the season.  A rental fee of $30.00 will be collected along with a deposit of $100.00.  When the jersey is returned the $100.00 deposit will be returned, the $30.00 will be retained by the school so we are able to purchase new uniforms approximately every 3 years.

Badminton

Students are required to purchase a school shirt.  The cost to students will be the cost of the shirt.  Student are encouraged to use the same shirt throughout their time as a raider.

Volunteer (Parent/Private) Vehicle

• Players may not transport themselves to events outside of Manning.
• Family members older than 20 may transport other immediate family members to events.
• Players may be transported to events by Registered Volunteer Drivers

• PRSD Volunteer Form
• Pledge of Confidentiality
• Child Intervention Check
• Submit a Criminal Records Check
• Provide proof (photocopies) of valid insurance, registration, and driver's license

• AP 260 - Off-site Trips, Excursions and Activities
  • AP 260 Appendix A: Prohibited Activities
  • AP 260 Appendix B: Safety Considerations
  • AP 260 Appendix C: High Risk Activities
  • AP 260 Appendix D: Safety Assessment
• AP 563 - Transportation for Off Site Excursions

Decisions regarding the suspension and resumption of practices or contests and/or travel to games/tournaments will be based on the following guidelines:

1. In the event PRSD Transportation Department has cancelled busses in the area of Manning, no Manning Aurora Composite School teams will be allowed to travel to or hold games or tournaments.
2. In the event of weather where the Principal, Athletic Director, or Team Coach feels the weather is not conducive to safe travel, they shall cancel travel to away games.
3. Parents have the right to approach the Athletic Director or Team Coach with their concerns regarding the weather conditions. The Athletic Director and Team Coach are encouraged to take these concerns into account when making the decisions to travel.
4. If a Manning Aurora Composite School team is stranded by a blizzard or severe weather while at a game or tournament, the team will stay in suitable accommodations while waiting out the storm. Decision to travel will always be based on the safety of all involved. Cost for these accommodations will first be deducted from the team's fees account and then the school will assist with the rest.

• Off-Site Trips , Excursions and Activities
• Appendix A
• Appendix B
• Appendix C
• Appendix D