St. Matthew Athletic Handbook
Athletic Handbook (pdf format)

Philosophy of the After School Athletic Program

St. Matthew School depends entirely upon volunteers to manage its after school hours athletic program. This program exists in support of and in conjunction with the Catholic School’s Peninsula Parochial School League (PPSL). The program is self-supporting through fees collected. In situations where extraordinary financial obligations arise, funding may be requested from the St. Matthew’s Parent Association or Principal, or acquired through fund raising or private donations.

St. Matthew’s Athletic Board believes:

• that the after school sports program enriches our students physically and socially through organized competition.
• that our program needs to generate the opportunity for participation by all students who wish to involve themselves in sports.
• that parents of participants should themselves participate in the athletic program through coaching, supervising, planning, setting up, cleaning up, etc.
• that participation fees should be kept reasonable.
• That no students should be involved in a conflicting activity when listed on the roster as an active team member. Should a continuing conflict occur between an outside activity and a school team, membership on the school team must be the priority or team membership will be forfeited.
• That coaches of particular teams will be assigned at the discretion of the individual sports directors with the approval of the Athletic Director and the Principal.
• Any student quitting a sport after signing the commitment to participate will not be allowed to participate in the next sport they sign-up for, unless the above action was instigated by illness or some other situation deemed extraordinary by the Principal or the Athletic Director.

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CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I

The name of this organization shall be St. Matthew Catholic School Athletic Board. Membership on this board is open to any adult, who has the interests of the children as first priority and is willing to work within the boundaries of this Constitution and By-Laws.

Section 1

The Pastor, the Principal, the Athletic Director, the Assistant Athletic Director, Volleyball Director, Upper Division Baseball Director, Lower Division Baseball Director, Upper Division Boys Basketball Director, Lower Division Boys Basketball Director, Upper Division Girls Basketball Director, Lower Division Girls Basketball Director, Cheerleading Director, Boys Equipment Manager, Girls Equipment Manager, Publicity, Secretary and Treasurer shall constitute this Board.

ARTICLE II

We, the members of St. Matthew Catholic School Athletic Board, recognize and affirm our commitment to a quality after school athletic program. This program exists in support of, and in conjunction with, the Catholic School’s Peninsula Parochial School League (PPSL).

We intend that this organization, approved and formally established in December 1988, shall, at all times, reflect the apostolic mandate of the Archbishop of San Francisco and the Pastor of St. Matthew Catholic Church, San Mateo, California.

ARTICLE III

St. Matthew School established and will adhere to the following Code of Conduct.

Section 1

Coaches will be expected to:

• Set a good example for participants and fans to follow, stressing the values derived from playing the game fairly.
• Respect the judgment of officials and abide by the rules of the contest.
• Treat opposing coaches, participants, and fans with respect.
• Require good sportsmanship of participants in their charge.
• Coach in a positive manner, reflecting Christian values and emphasizing the proper ideals of sportsmanship, ethical conduct, and fair play.
• Understand and accept the rules of the particular sport, the specific rules of the PPSL, the rules of St. Matthew’s School, and the school and league standards of eligibility.
• Encourage leadership, teamwork, and growth through positive coaching.

Section 2

Players will be expected to:

• Treat opponents, their coaches and fans with respect.
• Respect the judgment of officials and abide by the rules of the contest.
• Respect the judgment and leadership of their coaches and Sports Directors.
• Play in a positive manner that reflects Christian values. Do not taunt opponents.
• Accept the serious responsibility of representing our school in a positive manner.

Section 3

Spectators will be expected to:

• Remember that the players are children and are playing a game; they are to have fun.
• Remain seated in the spectator area throughout the game.
• Respect decisions made by the officials.
• Refrain from derogatory comments or gestures to players, coaches, parents, officials, or league administrators.

Section 4

All coaches displaying inappropriate conduct will be penalized according to PPSL guidelines.

Coaches violating St. Matthew’s guidelines will necessitate a meeting with the Principal, Athletic Director and Sports Director.

Section 5

Spectators and participants displaying inappropriate conduct will be penalized according to PPSL guidelines. Remember we need to represent St. Matthew’s properly.

Section 6

The PPSL has mandated that the home team supply a gym and field and a person-in-charge for all home games. This designated person may request that any spectator displaying poor sportsmanship leave the facility.

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BY-LAWS

ARTICLE IV - ATHLETIC ELIGIBILITY

Section 1 - Statement of Academic and Disciplinary Standards

A student must maintain a C average in academic courses and a C average in Conduct and Effort in order to participate in our athletic program. Students who fail to maintain these standards may be placed on probation at the direction of the Principal. The procedure which will be followed for reinstatement will be set forth in the school handbook.

In the event that a serious violation of school rules occurs, the Principal has the right to bypass the normal procedure and take whatever action is deemed appropriate.

Coaches will be informed by the Athletic Director of a student’s status as soon as eligibility is determined.

Section 2

If a continuing conflict occurs between an outside activity and school team, a membership on the school team must be the priority or team membership will be forfeited.

Section 3

More than three (3) unexcused absences from practices and/or games (with not more than 1 being a game) may result in the dismissal of the student from the team and from participation in the next sport they sign-up for. For our purposes, unexcused absences will include weak excuses (e.g., “I didn’t have a ride”, “I forgot”, “I had a hair appointment”). Excused absences include illness, death, family events that cannot be rescheduled. Should a dismissal situation exist, the Coach, Principal and Athletic Director shall convene and make a decision appropriate to each case.

ARTICLE V - PRACTICES

All teams will practice once or twice a week in addition to games. A coach may have a third mandatory practice only during playoffs, and this is subject to field/gym availability.

Any other third weekly practice must be non-mandatory and is highly discouraged.

Practice games are considered a practice for the purpose of limiting total practices.

ARTICLE VI - COACHES

Coaches are assigned by the Director of the individual sport in conjunction with the Athletic Director. The Principal will be consulted when the above individuals deem necessary or when the Principal so requests.

Parents requesting to coach their child’s team or any other team will be considered equally with all other candidates.

The Principal and the Athletic Director have the final approval of all coaching assignments.

Duties:

• Be responsible for the safety of team members. Be on time for practices. First aid box and permission slips must be at all games and practices. No child may be left unattended. Make sure each parent is aware of the action you will take if they are late to pick up.
• Pass out all of the necessary permission slips, sports regulations, practice schedules, game schedules, etc.
• Collect all uniforms and equipment and give to the Equipment Manager promptly at the end of the sport’s season.
• Notify the Athletic Director of any problems.
• Each coach of 8th grade participants selects an 8th grade MVP and Sportsmanship Award. Report your choice to the Athletic Director at the end of the season. Only the coaches make these choices. Students should never be asked to vote. Grade 6 and 7 will also choose a Sportsmanship Award only.

ARTICLE VII - GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

During the course of the athletic season, questions and concerns will naturally arise. The following is the order in which a concerned individual should seek satisfaction:

First, the Coach
Second, the individual Director in charge of the sport
Third, the Athletic Director
Fourth, the Principal

ARTICLE VIII - FUND RAISING & FEES

Other than controlling fees which should cover most of the on-going expense, the Board shall have the final approval for fund raising. Should funds be necessary for additional expenses and uniform purchases, a request can be made to the Principal, or the Parents Association for supplementation.

Private donations will be accepted on behalf of the Athletic Department.

Once the team rosters are submitted, there will be no refund of fees.

ARTICLE IX - AWARDS

Section 1

Trophies will be presented to all members of a division or league championship team at an Athletic Awards Assembly.

Section 2

MVP trophies will be awarded in each Varsity sport - Baseball, Volleyball, Cheerleading, Basketball and Track - to the participant each coach feels has exhibited the greatest athletic ability. The coach will submit his choice to the Athletic Director for final approval at least one week before the Awards Assembly. One MVP award is highly encouraged. Should a tie occur, a maximum of 2 is allowable.

Section 3

A Sportsmanship trophy will be awarded in each 8th grade sport as well as in the 6th and 7th grades. The reason for each award should be that the athlete has exemplified good sportsmanship, respect to fellow teammates, coaches and officials, and has demonstrated a good attitude and cooperation and represents St. Matthew’s in a positive way.

ARTICLE X - CHEERLEADING

Section 1

Cheerleading will be open to all 8th grade girls. There will be no cuts.

Section 2

Academic and Disciplinary standards shall be the same as other sports.

Section 3

Cheerleaders and their director are under the direction of the Athletic Director.

ARTICLE XI - PLAYING TIME

The self-esteem of the children and their desire to participate and enjoy sports should always come before the philosophy of winning.

St. Matthew’s will always recognize the PPSL playing minimums.

ARTICLE XII - UNIFORMS

Section 1

Uniforms will be distributed before each sport by the Equipment Manager.

Section 2

Uniforms will be accounted for by the Equipment Manager who will levy and collect fines if the uniforms are lost or damaged. If uniforms are not returned, the student will not be allowed to sign-up for the next sport.