Handbook

Safe Arrival

In order to ensure that all our students are safe, we need parents and guardians to contact the school if a child will be absent. Please call the school at 824-7742 between 8:00 – 8:45 a.m. and leave a message on our voice mail. Our secretary will call the homes or emergency contacts of any students with unexcused absences.

Appointments/Permission to Leave Early

If it is necessary for a child to leave school early or to leave for a period during the day for an appointment, a note must be sent to the teacher. For the safety of your child we request that you pick him/her up at the school office and use the sign out book on the counter.

Custody of Child

Usually, unless otherwise directed by a court of law, both natural parents have full access to the students and their records. If for some reason, these rights are restricted, legal documentation must be on file at the school.
Occasionally, parents may wish their child to assume a name other than that on the birth certificate. If this is the case, we must have a written request for this to be done. Please call the school office for full details.

Medical Alert

We are striving to reduce the risk of allergic reactions to peanuts/tree nuts. We have students/staff with life threatening allergies to peanuts, bananas, tree nuts, peanut butter and eggs. Your support and understanding with NOT bring these food products into our school is appreciated.

Personal Safety Program

The Upper Grand child Abuse Policy 502 includes a Personal Safety Program that should be taught in each grade K- 8, but must be taught in grades one, three, five and seven. The objective of this program is to develop a personal safety awareness and specific strategies to help children recognize and deal with potentially dangerous situations. This program is designed to teach children skills for the prevention of sexual child abuse.

From November to January, the Personal Safety Program will be presented to students in grades one, three and five in our school. The program consists of six lessons as outlined below. Our Child and Youth Counsellor will be assisting our teachers with the delivery of this program. Our Child and Youth Counsellor will be presenting a similar program to the grade seven students.

Lesson 1 “Personal Safety” focuses on the right and responsibility that each of us has to keep our bodies safe.

Lesson 2 “Touching and Feelings” deals with the different kinds of touching (good, bad, and confusing touches) and the feelings associated with these touches.

Lesson 3 “Sexual Assault and the “No-Go-Tell Safety Rule”, introduces the concept of sexual assault and defines it as a bad or confusing touch. The “No-Go-Tell” rule is also introduced as a means of ensuring personal safety.

Lesson 4 “Saying No” emphasizes how we can say “NO” assertively to touches that we do not like.

Lesson 5 “Telling” focuses on “telling” and asking for help, proper use of a telephone and guidelines for staying alone are included in this lesson.

Lesson 6 “Review of Personal Safety” provides a review of all of the personal safety rules and skills learned in the program.

Child and Youth Counsellor

Our school has one full time Counsellor. She helps us to deliver special programs to children with social, emotional and behavioural concerns. She also deliver preventative small group and whole class programs teaching students social skills and how to solve problems. In addition she is available to staff, students and parents to help work through individual problems that occur in the classroom as well as out on the yard. If students require help over a period of time, parents are asked to sign a permission form.

Parent, Student, Teacher Conferences

Teachers will be having Parent, Student, Teacher conferences in the Fall. All parents and children are expected to attend. At these conferences, the parent, student and teacher together will discuss your child’s progress. Students should have ownership over his/her own learning so this is the reason that they will be attending these important conferences.

Transportation Safety

BICYCLES: Students who ride their bikes to school must lock them up at the bicycle stands. Bikes should be locked separately. Once students arrive on school property, they must get off their bikes and walk them to the stands.

SKATEBOARDS, SCOOTERS AND IN-LINE SKATES: These are not permitted on school property.

Drop Off and Pick-Up Zones – Before and After School

Due to the large number of students arriving by buses, taxis and vans, we need parents to drop off their children on Waverley Drive on the east side of the school or on Windsor Drive. Please do not drop off/pick-up students in our parking lot.

Administration of Prescribed Medication

Parents who wish their child to be given any medication, prescription or otherwise, during any part of the school day, must complete a consent form prior to the administration of the medication. Consent forms are available from the office anytime. A staff member supervises the administration of the medication. Please bring the medication to the school yourself or send it with an authorized adult. The medication must be in a tamper-proof container with a pharmaceutical label attached stating the name of the child and the dosage.

Please contact the school office if your child suffers from a condition that may be life-threatening unless medication is administered immediately. A special consent and information form must be completed.

Valuables

Money and other valuable items should not be brought to school. It is impossible for us to make sure that nothing is lost or stolen. Board insurance does not cover the personal property of students and the school cannot be responsible for it.

Personal radios/CD players/electronic games/toys often go astray. We urge students not to bring these items to school. Listening to these on the way to and from school, when crossing streets, poses a safety hazard.

Cell Phones: Students are not allowed to use cell phones on school property from 8:35 a.m. to 3:35 p.m.

School Materials

Basic supplies, textbooks, library books, and workbooks are available to students. The students are responsible for the care and use of these materials. Most, if not all, school property and materials (i.e. texts, library books, etc.) are marked with the school stamp. Please be watchful of such things being left home for extended periods as they may be overlooked and become lost to the school. Rising costs of all materials make it increasingly difficult to replace such items. The handing out of school supplies (pencils, erasers, rulers, etc.) is regulated by the teacher. Students will be expected to replace any school equipment which has been deliberately vandalized.

Inclement Weather

Parents need to listen to a local radio station in the morning in case taxis and buses are cancelled. It is a parent’s responsibility to determine whether or not it is safe for their students to leave for school in inclement or severe weather. A parent must be aware of the following:

A) When a taxi or bus does not travel a route in the morning due to fog, ice or snow conditions, it will not travel that route in the afternoon.
B) If parents elect to drive their children to school, they are responsible for their children’s pick-up at dismissal time.

Should I Send My Child to School?

Many times when the buses/taxis are cancelled, the schools remain open for those students who can safely get there. We receive many phone calls from parents wondering if they should send their child to school The decision has always been and always will be yours to make as a parent. If you feel the weather, road or sidewalk conditions are not safe for your son/daughter, you have the choice/responsibility to keep them home.

Volunteers

Each year numerous parents and other adults work at our school on a regular basis. Some of our parents work in the library where they sort, file and shelve books; some work within the classrooms and others work with individual children. All volunteers must wear a “Volunteer” tag when they are working in our school. They are available in the office. If you would like to help, contact your child’s teacher or complete a Volunteer Form that is included in September’s Newsletter. Your time commitment need not be great – your rewards will be many!

Evaluation and Report Cards

Evaluation of student progress is an important part of the learning process. Teachers will use a variety of methods to determine each student’s achievement throughout the year.

These would include observations of learning, tests (oral & written), assignments, personal interviews, and samples of day to day work. These varied approaches allow teachers to use the method(s) which best suit individual students, subject areas and grade levels.

Report cards (Grades K – 8) will be sent home in December, March and June of each year. They contain an assessment of your child’s progress. Please contact the teacher right away if you do not understand a comment or wish further information.

Please do not wait until report card time to contact your child’s teacher about questions, concerns, etc. you or your child may have. Similarly, teachers will contact parents to inform them of any exceptional progress being made or to seek help in resolving difficulties your child might be having. Through close, two-way communication, report cards should not provide any unexpected “surprises”.

Visiting the School

Please feel free to visit the school at anytime. We request all visitors to check in at the office first and sign the guest book.

If you wish to visit a class, please call the teacher and make arrangements in advance. In order to keep our students safe, we need to know who the adults are in the school.

Personal Information

Personal information about your child is kept on file. This information is confidential, kept secure, and is only available to Board Staff. In September, we send home a preprinted registration form. Please check all information on this form carefully, sign, and return it to the office immediately. We update our school records from this information.

Accident or Illness

Students may become ill or injured at school and it is important that we can reach someone who will take responsibility for them. Please keep the school secretary advised of any changes in the following: your address; your telephone number; places of employment; your doctor; allergies and other medical information; and an emergency contact person.

Every effort will be made to reach you first, however, we would like the name of a relative or friend who can assume the responsibility for your child in case of illness.

If a student requires medical treatment and we cannot reach you or the emergency contact, we will then take the student to the Guelph General Hospital. If the student can walk, a staff car will be used, otherwise, we will call an ambulance. Please let us know if you wish different arrangements.

Schoolyard Boundaries

We have divided the playground into three sections to correspond to our school divisions for recesses. This will ensure that older students do not accidentally hurt younger students while running and playing games. It also gives students in each division their own designated basketball courts, hopscotch games, soccer field and four-square courts. Please encourage your child(ren) to play in their designated areas with children in their own classes or grade level.

Grades 7 & 8 play on the pavement that is along the grades 7 and 8 classrooms up to the cement bunker. These students also play on the field by the baseball diamond.

Grades 4 to 6 students play on the pavement between the cement bunker and the breezeway doors. They play on the field between these areas and on the baseball diamond by the creative playground structure.
Kindergarten to grade 3 students play on the pavement between the breezeway doors and the entrance at the end of the building. They play on the field between these areas, but not on the baseball diamond.

Breakfast, Snack and Lunch Program

Every morning before the first recess, nutritious (nut free) snacks are available for students. Students are encouraged to take a snack if they don’t have one or even if they are particularly hungry that morning. We also serve breakfast every morning starting at 8:15 am for students. Our lunch program includes sandwiches, yogurt, fruit and vegetables that are available to students daily.  If you have forgotten a lunch or don’t have enough in your lunch, please come to the food program room.  We believe a full stomach helps students to learn.

Playground Safety Issues

For the safety of our students, grades 7 & 8 students are required to go home at 3:10 p.m. unless they have an appointment to see a teacher or Principal/Vice-Principal. All students in Kindergarten to grade 6 must go home at 3:10 p.m. unless they have an appointment with a staff member. Children are NOT allowed to play on the playground (that is, the City property/playground on School property) after school, unless they are directly supervised by their parent(s).

Grade 7 and 8 students must wait for their brothers/sisters in the breezeway area. For safety reasons, their friends are not allowed to wait with them.

Grade 7 & 8 students must wait for brothers/sisters in the breezeway area. Their friends are not allowed to wait with them.

Milk and Pizza

Pizza can be purchased using our School Cash On-line system on a monthly basis.  It will be served at the school on Tuesdays and Fridays.  Milk can also be purchased on a monthly basis.   Milk tickets are sold from the Food Program room.

Dress Code and Appropriate Dress

All clothing must be free of symbols of hate, gang membership, or images (pictures) that portray violence, death, abuse, alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, racial, obscene words, political or sexual statements.

Clothes

Muscles shirts and tops/dresses with spaghetti straps under 2 cm are unacceptable. Low necklines, bare midriffs and backs are unacceptable. Shirts must be tuckable and not excessively tight. Shorts and skirts must be a reasonable length. Undergarments should not be visible. Pajama bottoms are not allowed to be worn at school as everyday attire.

Indoor/Outdoor Shoes

If it is possible, we request that students have an extra pair of shoes at school. Students can use these shoes as their indoor shoes. Indoor shoes eliminate muddy floors and keep our students safe from slipping on wet/muddy floors.

Coats, Outerwear, Backpacks, Purses, Hats
These items must be left in lockers or on classroom coat racks. Hats, hoods and bandanas must be removed when students enter the school building and put on only when they are outside.

Lost and Found

During the school year, many hundreds of dollars’ worth of clothing and other items are lost and put into the Lost and Found container. Students are encouraged to search out lost items and are often successful in locating missing property. We would encourage you to check it as well when in the school. Labeling your child’s property is most helpful in returning found property to the proper owners.

Head Lice

The following information may be of some help to you in the identification and treatment of head lice should your child become infected.

Signs and Symptoms:
– persistent itching and scratching of the scalp
– whitish oval-shaped tiny eggs called nits glued to the hair shaft
– most frequent locations are at the back of the head and behind the ears

Treatment:
There are several medicated shampoos on the market: Nix, Para-lice, Kwellada, Bornex, Cuprex. Caution – Please follow the manufacturer’s instructions very carefully. After the hair has been treated, an application of warm vinegar may be used to help loosen the nits which can then be removed with a fine tooth comb.

Pediatrician Moshe Ipp of The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto recommends a 50:50 solution of mineral oil and vinegar. Massage the solution into the hair, cover for 1 hour with a shower cap and then shampoo out with regular shampoo.

Important: Examine the heads of the entire family, as well as close contacts. Thoroughly clean brushes, combs, headgear, all bedding and clothing that have been in contact with the infected person. Children who are infested with lice are sent home and they may return only if all nits (eggs) are removed.

Health Services

Community diseases cause a significant loss of time for school students. Many can be prevented by immunizations.

It is important that school age students not be sent to school when ill or return to school before the isolation period is completed. Observance of these precautions would reduce the number of cases.
The following is the isolation period of students from school of some of the more common diseases:

>> chickenpox no fever; blisters are dry
>> red measles 4 days after onset of rash
>> German measles 7 days after onset of rash
>> mumps 9 days after onset of swelling
>> scarlet fever stay home until 24 hours after starting antibiotics