Communications Policy

• Ahliah School is committed to establish a professional, supportive work environment that contributes to the well-being of the school community.
• All Personnel shall promote a caring and nurturing work environment and abide by Ahliah code of ethics :collaboration, Integrity, diversity, respect, excellence and growth mindset
• All Personnel shall respect privacy and confidentiality of colleagues
• Ahliah Heads of departments shall keep all stakeholders timely informed with relevant matters

 

Definitions

• Personnel is used to refer to All employees
• Community member is used to refer to faculty/staff, students, parent/guardian(s), Board of Trustees, volunteers and alumni.
• Collaboration is complementing one another and joining our areas of strength to achieve school goals and objectives. It involves providing support to one another, working co-operatively, respecting one another’s view and maintaining a positive work environment. Therefore, helping others achieving deadlines, working with one another with enthusiasm and appreciation is highly recommended.

• Integrity is being open and transparent in all our dealing and maintaining the honesty at all times. All team concerns are treated constructively with solutions offered. Given that every individual is prone to make errors, he/she is invited to openly admit his/her mistakes as well as accepting others’ mistakes. The acknowledgement of mistakes and the acceptance of others is essential to maintaining a resilient team

• Diversity is a value that promote embracing and learning from diverse aspects it includes nationality, gender, age, color, religion, talents, physical or mental disability, marital status, socio-economic background or political affiliation
• Respect is the value of respecting self and others. It includes creating a respectful learning environment which promotes positive self-image and self-confidence in every employee and student.
• Excellence is always striving for quality in everything we do and committed to Ahliah’s success. Timeframes are always met unless urgent circumstances impose to renegotiate new timeframes with all parties.
• Growth mindset is personal development. Ahliah believes that every person learns and develops through mistakes, feedback, collaboration, coaching and sharing experience.
• School stakeholders are :Board of trustees, students, parents, employee, alumni

 

Purpose

• To create and maintain a school framework where employees fell engaged, consulted and well informed.
• To provide All personnel with a standardized guideline for internal and external communication
• To maintain open channels of two-way communication with parents and All Ahliah Stakeholders

 

Internal channels of communication

• Employee interaction

1. All employee shall ensure a positive, respectful, communication. In line with this, all employee and shall refrain of gossiping, passing  rumors or tolerate it from others
2. All employee shall address any concerns with the relevant Head of department. In case the concern is not resolved refer to the grievance policy

• Meetings

1. The Principal shall schedule meeting with all the school stakeholders to communicate and discuss the schools guiding statements, orientations, plans, achievements  and any other issues
2. The Principal shall schedule a fixed weekly meeting with the Heads of Departments to :
3. To ensure the students’ and Personnel wellbeing
4. To oversee the departments’ operation in alignment with the school guiding statements ad policies
5. To discuss and approve future plans and activities
6. All Heads of departments shall schedule fixed departments meetings to facilitate and promote the  involvement and contribution of faculty and staff
7. All Heads of Department shall structure and document the departments meetings
8. All employee shall contribute to the agenda of the meeting
9. Heads of Departments shall use individualized meeting to communicate individualized concerns
10. All personnel shall communicate urgent matters through face to face meeting or phone calls

• Email

1. All Heads of Department shall communicate departments related information and notification through email
2. All personnel shall effectively use their school email

• Email inbox shall be checked daily on working days
• Any communication that needs to be sent to parents by email must be discussed and cc’d with the relevant Head of division.
• Personnel shall forward all emails from parents to their relevant head of department
• Surveys :All personnel shall obtain the Principal approval before sharing with the school community letters, surveys or formal notifications
• Letters/ Memos : The school Principal shall approve all letters sent to parents
• Digital platforms :Parents may use the digital platforms features to send direct complaint to the relevant Head of Division

• School – Parents communication
  1. All Personnel shall respond to Parents email during working hours in a timely manner
  2. All personnel shall refer specific enquiries from parents regarding administrative, financial, medical matters, to the relevant employee with access to such information.
  3. All personnel shall restrain from discussing matters of private or sensitive nature of the work of others
  4. School receptionist and anyone who answers a phone shall take the caller’s details and deliver the message to the targeted person. If the designated person is not available, parents should be called within the same day to be informed that their concern is noted and will be investigated
  5. The communication coordinator shall answer enquires / concerns on digital platforms after consulting with the relevant department

• School – Student’s communication
  1. Verbal Interaction
     • All Personnel shall maintain a positive, respectful and mindful communication with students. Personnel shall intend to promote the student learning and raise their self-confidence as the outcome of any interaction
     • All Personnel shall provide a safe and positive environment in the classroom that is conducive to teaching and learning, and help promote student ownership by involving them in the use and development of their working environment.
     • All Personnel shall serve as a role model by modeling Ahliah values as per Ahliah code of ethics and treat all students with dignity, respect, fairness and allow for individual differences.
     • All Personnel shall never :
     • touch or speak to a student in a sexual, suggestive, or other inappropriate manner
     • harass students.
     • extend personal contact with students beyond school and professional responsibilities. This includes exchanging phone numbers or making online associations/friendships with current students via social networking including for example Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.
     • post students pictures or any material related to students including student’s work on your personal social media accounts.
     • be alone with a student in a closed room/visually inaccessible room. Always ensure that the curtain is always partially open in order to ensure a visual accessibility
     • inflict physical or emotional abuse on a student, which may include physical contact, humiliation, ridicule, or threats. This involves communicating with students in a demeaning or belittling manner, making jokes or any sarcastic comments at the expense of students.
     • engage in or allow inappropriate language. This includes using profanity/sexual innuendos in the presence of students.

• Gifts
  • All personnel shall not accept regular gifts from students
  • All personnel shall not give students personal gifts unless It is approved by the Head of department and related to learning
• Digital Platforms
  • Ahliah school information administrator shall grant All personnel with digital access and provide them with username and password
  • All Personnel on duty shall use electronic communication for job related purposes
  • Middle and Upper school faculty on duty for extracurricular activities may use communication via groups’ texting instant texts application
  • All Personnel shall remain all time mindful of their digital footprint and exercise caution in all their use of social media or any other web-based presence. In line with this they shall refrain from:
• posting students pictures or any material related to students including student’s work on their personal social media accounts
• making online associations/friendships with current students via social networking including Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat
• contacting with student’s family members, accept or initiate friend requests or follow student’s’ family member’s account on any social media platform.
• engaging in inappropriate use of social network sites which may bring themselves, the school or the school community into disrepute.