Salem Public School

Welcome Back-September 2023

Posted September 3, 2023

We are very excited to see all our students on Tuesday, September 5th and to start the new school year! Thanks to all the staff for their hard work preparing for school start up and to the Custodial Staff for making sure the school gleams! 

Please see the information below for updates and look for the package of forms that will be sent home next week.  Please sign and return all forms to the school by Friday, September 15th.

1.Calendars and Communication

Our school website is a critical tool for communication between home and school. The school website

provides important information such as a link to the Board calendar, start up information, parent council

information, as well as general information about whats going on at Salem.  

Salem P.S. Website: https://www.ugdsb.ca/salem/

Salem P.S. Calendar:https://www.ugdsb.ca/salem/calendar/monthly/

Board Calendars:https://www.ugdsb.ca/schools/school-year-calendars/

2.First Day of School Procedures

• The first day for all students is Tuesday, September 5th
• Teachers will come meet their students outside at 8:40
• Please see signs posted in the yard on the first day of school and go to the sign with your child’s grade level. School staff will be able to direct you to your child’s class.

Daily schedule and Bell Times

All students go outside for recess during the first part of Nutrition break and then eat during the second part..

Yard Duty Times 

The following are the times when our playground is supervised by school staff.  Please do not leave your child(ren) unattended at other times 

8:40 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.            10:40 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.           1:00 p.m. – 1:40 p.m.         3:20 p.m. – 3:35 p.m. 

Notifying the School of a Student Absence – Safe Arrival  

The rules of the Safe Arrival Program state that the school must know why a student is not present on any particular day.  This means that school office staff will continue to try to contact parents until one is reached; we sometimes make four or  five calls for one child. This takes an inordinate amount of time and often stretches the office staffs’ ability to carry out  other duties. Please assist us in speeding this process up and calling the school when you know if your child(ren) is/are  going to be late or absent.  

Taking Students from School To Ensure Student Safety 

If you are taking your child from school during the school day (appointments, etc.) please call the school in-advance to  ensure we have him/her/they ready for your arrival. If you arrive and have not called in advance, please wait outside the  front doors of the school where your child will meet you. Students may not sign themselves out of school. After being  dismissed from class, either at lunch or at the end of the day, students are requested to go directly home or to a caregiver  before proceeding to other activities. Please reinforce this message with your child.  

Students with Life-Threatening Medical Conditions 

UGDSB Policy 518: Students with Life-Threatening Medical Conditions, outlines the roles and responsibilities for all in  the educational community to support students with possible life-threatening medical conditions. The prevalent medical  conditions covered under this policy are Asthma, Anaphylaxis, Diabetes and Epilepsy/Seizure Disorders. If your child  has one of these, or any other life-threatening medical condition, please visit: www.ugdsb.ca/board/policy (and look for  Policy 518) or contact the school as soon as possible. We will work with you to develop a Plan of Care to support your  child.

Peanut Butter and Imitation Peanut Butter  

Please note that peanut butter and imitation peanut butter lunch spreads are not permitted at school. Included in the list of  imitation peanut butter is WOW butter, sun butter and cookie butter. Each of these lunch spreads look, smell and taste  similar to real peanut butter and as a result, make it difficult to tell the difference between each of them and real peanut  butter. As we do have a number of students in the school with life threatening allergies, including but not limited to  peanuts, we are asking parents to refrain from sending imitation spreads to school, instead opting for a healthy alternative.  Thank you for your understanding as we work together to keep our students safe.  

Please label your children’s clothing!

We wanted to pass along the ordering information for our School Council’s Mabel’s Labels fundraiser.  If you are looking to purchase personalized labels for your child’s belongings, please use the link below to support our school.  We always have a very large amount of lost and found because items aren’t labeled and this is one way to ensure your child’s belongings make their way back home again.

https://mabelslabels.ca/en_CA/fundraising/support/

3.Bus Information –https://stwdsts.ca/

Please contact Wellington-Dufferin Student Transportation Services if you have any questions about your child’s

  Bus route or information. Please see links below and sign up to receive emails from the bus company as this is how they communicate when there are bus delays.  

• 2023-2024 newsletter https://stwdsts.ca/newsletter/

•  Parents can opt out of busing here https://stwdsts.ca/opt-out-of-busing/

• First Rider Day info here https://stwdsts.ca/first-rider-program/
•  Parent Portal subscription here https://stwdsts.ca/bus-subscription/

4.School Council 

Our first School Council Meeting for the 2023/2024 school year will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 19th in  the school library. School Council is a great avenue for parents to support the students and staff at Salem PS. It also  provides an opportunity to meet new parents from the school. We look forward to meeting you at a School Council meeting this year! 

5.Board Information

SEPTEMBER COMMUNICATIONS NEWSLETTER –September 2023 Communications Newsletter.pdf

In this month’s issue we have information about:

• Important information to start the new school year
• UGDSB Pathways, a new website to support students transitioning through the grades
• Tips for creating having a healthy back to school
• And some good news stories from around the UGDSB

VTRA NOTIFICATION LETTER 

VTRA Letter 2023-2024 September 5 2023.pdf

SEPTEMBER REORGANIZATION PARAMETERS 

Schools have built class lists based on their tentative organizations. Changes may be necessary at your child(ren)’s school in order that our Board remains compliant with Ministry parameters (see below). Any changes would be implemented by Monday, September 18th. Principals do not have the option of changing the school organization that is set by the District Staffing Committee of the Board. If changes affect your

child(ren), you will be informed by the school.

Ministry of Education Parameters

• Full Day Kindergarten Class Size Average for the Board is 26 students
• 90% of Full Day Kindergarten classes with 29 or fewer students
• 10% of Full Day Kindergarten classes with up to 32 students, under certain circumstances
• 90% of the Board’s primary classes with 20 or fewer students
• 10% of the Board’s primary classes up to a maximum of 23 students
• Grade 3/4 classes have a cap of 23 students
• Junior/Intermediate Class Size Average for the Board is 24.5 students

SEPTEMBER 18, BOARD PA DAY OUTLINE

September 18, 2023 Pa Day Outline 

SCHOOL OPERATIONS START UP LINK

The following webpage has been created to provide common information about this year’s start to school for all members of our school community.   The link and information will be posted to the UGDSB website and each schools’ website.  This will be particularly helpful for families looking for illness prevention supports this fall.   https://www.ugdsb.ca/blog/back-to-school-2023-24-school-operations-and-health-and-safety-information

Categories: Salem Community News • School News