General Information |
||||||||||||
Balanced Day Schedule:8:45 Yard Supervision before School 9:00 Student Entry 9:00 - 11:00 First Learning Block 11:00 - 11:25 Nutrition Break 11:25 - 11:50 Recess Break 11:50 - 1:50 Second Learning Block 1:50 - 2:10 Nutrition Break 2:10 - 2:30 Recess Break 2:30 - 3:30 Third Learning Block 3:30 Dismissal Communication Between Home and SchoolThe staff at MAC believes that communication between home and school is very important. The staff is able to accomplish this objective through our school website, electronic newsletters(News from the Office) from the office Emailed home, classroom newsletters, written communication in planners, telephone conversations, report cards, and parent/guardian teacher conferences (formal and informal). Open communication between home and school is essential for student success. The first point of contact should always be the classroom teacher. In an emergency or to arrange appointments please contact the main office and we will either pass on the message or have the student speak to the parent/guardian. It is essential for your child's safety that the office staff is aware of any and all issues, so please use the office line to communicate. The Student PlannerThe planner is a tool to organize students' time and work. It is also for communication between home and school. Students and their parents/guardians can keep track of upcoming events, special days, assignments, homework, reminders and notes through the planner. If the planner is lost or destroyed students/parents will be required to pay the full replacement cost. The use of a student planner is decided by the classroom teacher, not all classrooms will utilize a planner. Other methods of communication will be used in the absence of a planner. |
||||||||||||
Visiting the School |
||||||||||||
All visitors, including parents/guardians, entering the school and playground areas must first check in to the office to be registered. As per our safe schools policy, all doors, including the front entrance, will be locked after 9:00 a.m. If you are coming in for an appointment, please present at the front door and buzz the office. ParkingParents/guardians and visitors are asked to park in the staff parking lot or on the street in the front of the school. The drive in front of the school is not to be used by parents/guardians dropping off/picking up their children or for parking while in the school as it is a fire zone area and is used for our buses and special transportation vehicles.
The parking lot to the east of the school near the YMCA is for YMCA customers only. Sir John A. Macdonald staff and parents are not to use this parking lot for pick up or drop offs. Vulnerable Sector Screening / Criminal Background Checks and Offence DeclarationsTVDSB strongly supports the use of volunteers. MAC is most appreciative of volunteers who commit their time to assist with numerous activities in our school, classrooms, and/or as part of school trips. All volunteers must have an original Vulnerable Sector Screening / Police Check on file at the school. It takes approximately two weeks to be processed before it is ready to be picked up and brought to the school. In busier times, it may take longer to process. Once a Vulnerable Sector Screening / Police Check is on file, an Offence Declaration has to be filled out and submitted to the school office each year in order to volunteer at the school, in classrooms or on field trips. If an Offence Declaration lapses, a new Vulnerable Sector Screening / Police Check is required. Parent PortalThe following forms are available for parent authorization in the Parent Portal: Student Information Sheet, Emergency Contact List, Parental Consents for Release of Student Information, and Computer Use Agreement. |
||||||||||||
Attendance |
||||||||||||
Attendance, Absence, Late Arrival or Picking Up EarlyParents/guardians have the primary responsibility to ensure their child's safe arrival at school and to inform the school if a student will be late for or absent at any time. Your child's safety is our primary concern. TVDSB uses SchoolMessenger Safe Arrival Reporting System which allows parents/guardians to report student absences by phone (1-844-305-3756), website (www.tvdsb.ca/schoolmessenger), or smartphone app (App Store: SchoolMessenger, Google Play: SchoolMessenger). If the system does not receive a response from a parent/guardian, the school secretary will contact the parent(s)/guardian(s)/emergency contact(s) using all available contact numbers. Please note: Parents/guardians are still required to personally sign their elementary child in/out at the school office for a late arrival (need late slip) or early departure. If the student is being picked up by another person, please write a note to the school. The student cannot be released to someone without consent. Late arrivals on a continuing basis are a disruption for both the student who is late as well as other students in the class. Leaving School GroundsAll students are to remain on the school grounds at all times. A note of consent signed by a parent must be provided to the classroom teacher and the office before a student may leave the grounds at any time. IllnessStudents who are not well enough to do their work and play outside are encouraged to stay home. If students become ill at school, someone will contact a parent/guardian to ask that the child be taken home as soon as possible. |
||||||||||||
Medical Conditions |
||||||||||||
It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to ensure the school is aware of any special medical needs or allergies of a child. Those parents/guardians who do will receive an Individual Plan of Care link via email to complete in August/early September. Administration of Prescribed and/or over-the-counter Medication to StudentsThe TVDSB has a policy concerning the administration of prescription medication to students by school personnel. Administration of prescription medication at school requires the parent/guardian to complete annually a form Authorization for Administration of Prescription Medication. This form requires a doctor's signature and is kept on file in the main office. All medication is the responsibility of the parents/guardians and must be delivered to school in the original container provided by the pharmacist and is clearly labelled, specifying the student's name, the medication, the prescribed dosage, the frequency, the method of administration, and the dates for which the authorization applies. All medication is stored in a secure location.
Staff will not administer non-prescriptive medication to students. AllergiesThere are students at MAC who are allergic to peanuts, peanut butter, peanut oil, nut products, and all foods containing traces of peanuts/nuts. If these students ingest or come into physical contact with these products, it may trigger a strong reaction (hives, itching, swelling, vomiting, coughing, difficulty swallowing or breathing, and life threatening anaphylaxis). In the event of an emergency, there is an emergency response plan in place and staff has received training on the use of the Epipen. We request that any snacks or lunch items sent to the school are nut free. Please do not send peanut butter substitutes (e.g., Wow butter, Soy butter) to school. These products look like, smell like and taste just like peanut butter. TVDSB Senior Administrators have decided any products considered to be a peanut butter replacement are no more appropriate in schools than regular peanut butter because staff would have great difficulty in being able to differentiate between real peanut butter and the substitute. We continue to stress the importance of children not sharing any food, utensils or containers with classmates during nutrition breaks. In order to comply with Health Regulations, home baked goods are not to be sent to the school for staff or students. In addition, if peanut butter is consumed at home, it is very important for children to wash their hands and face with soap and water before coming to school. Students who have permission to leave for lunch should consume their lunch prior returning to school to avoid the possibility of cross contamination of any allergens. AsthmaParents/guardians of a student with asthma need to complete an IPOC (Individual Plan of Care) by the end of the second week of school. If a student requires assistance with the puffer, authorization for administration of prescription medication form also has to be completed (requires doctor's signature). Student Concussion Polices and ProceduresSchools are required to follow certain steps whenever a student suffers a concussion or whenever a concussion is suspected. Parents/guardians can access Concussion Policy and Concussion Procedure electronically or by contacting the school and requesting a copy. As with any potential injury, our first goal is prevention; concussion awareness and prevention is part of ongoing professional training for staff and is integrated into students' Health and Physical Education curriculum. Since concussion can affect a student's ability to learn or to participate in activities, schools will work with parents/guardians and medical contacts to assist any student who has suffered a concussion. If an injury occurs on a weekend or after school, parents/guardians are asked to inform the school so that appropriate accommodations and support can be provided. |
||||||||||||
Healthy Snack and Nutrition Program |
||||||||||||
MAC offers a well-balanced, healthy snack program, which complies with Ministry regulations, for all students who would like to participate first thing in the morning every school day. Protocols will be in place to be in compliance with Health Unit expectations and restrictions. |
||||||||||||
Emergency Drills |
||||||||||||
According to the Ontario Fire Code, a school must conduct six fire drills, three in the fall and three in the spring. During these drills, students practice exiting the building to a predetermined meeting place on school grounds. Two tornado/storm drills must be practiced, one in the fall and another in the spring. Students will go to a predetermined spot and put themselves in the turtle position. Two code red/lock down drills are performed annually. The goal of this drill is for staff and students to practice how to react should an actual lock down situation occur. This is a drill, not a simulation. In a code red or lock down, all staff and students within the school are to remain in the classrooms. Doors and windows are to be locked. Students and staff are to remain away from windows and doors until otherwise notified. Temperature ExtremesAdministration may consider indoor recesses and cease outdoor activity when the temperature is at or lower than -15 to -20 C (considering the wind chill) or when a heat advisory is issued in the spring. |
||||||||||||
Transportation |
||||||||||||
Inclement Weather Bus ProceduresTransportation delays or cancellations may occur. Please listen to the radio (London based radio stations) for a notice regarding The London Region or use the TVDSB website at www.tvdsb.ca for information regarding transportation. Parents/guardians may sign up to receive email notifications in the Parent Portal. Then, when there is a bus cancellation for your student's bus, you will get an email advising you to check www.mybigyellowbus.ca for details. Decisions to cancel student transportation services due to inclement weather are made in the best interests of student safety. If school vehicles do run, parents/guardians have the final decision whether or not to use the vehicle. If buses are cancelled due to weather, just for the morning, transportation will be provided upon dismissal. In the event of a transportation cancellation, there will be no transportation, morning or afternoon even when the school remains open and it will be the responsibility of the parent to drop off and pick up their child. BUS INFORMATION AND SAFETY EXPECTATIONSInformation about transportation policies and answers to some common questions can be obtained at the STS Southwestern Ontario Student Transportation Services website. STS is responsible for the coordination and delivery of school bus transportation. Please be aware that the school does not have the authority to change riders on the bus or to add riders to any bus for any reason. Please do not send notes to the school asking your child to go home with another student on another bus. Students will only be transported on a particular bus to and from their address/bus stop. Any questions about transportation please refer to the STS website or call 519-649-1160. It is a privilege to ride a school bus. The safety of the students is our goal. Inappropriate behaviour may result in a loss of riding privileges. Students need to:
|
||||||||||||
School Library Learning Commons |
||||||||||||
MAC has an interesting library collection available to students. Children need to treat library books with respect, keep books in a safe place, carry them back and forth to school in a waterproof bag if necessary, and return them to school on time. If a book is lost or damaged, replacement costs will be charged to the student/parent/guardian. The average cost of most books belonging to the school is approximately $10.00 - $50.00. | ||||||||||||
Ontario Elementary Reporting |
||||||||||||
Reporting Student Achievement: "The primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning." (Growing Success, pg.6) Kindergarten students will receive a Communication of Learning: Initial Observations in November and two Communication of Learnings, one in February and in June. All elementary students in grades 1-8 in Ontario will receive an Elementary Progress Report in November and Provincial Report Cards in February and June. As partners in supporting your child's education, parents/guardians are asked to review the reports and complete the bottom sections and return them to school. The signed portion will be filed in the Ontario Student Record. |
||||||||||||
Extra-Curricular Opportunities |
||||||||||||
The school offers a wide selection of extra-curricular opportunities. We have baseketball, volleyball, wrestling, slo-pitch, soccer, track and field, and many other sports and clubs. Most practices occur during breaks throughout the day.
It is a privilege to represent the school and students who are members of a school team must adhere to our code of conduct or risk being removed from the school team. |
||||||||||||
Safe and Accepting Schools |
||||||||||||
|
Contact(s)