School Procedures

SCHOOL ENTRY/EXIT AND HALL AREAS

Students are to enter the school at the bell using the doors assigned for their class. Classes are expected to line up quietly before a designated teacher will escort them into the building. No entry or exit is allowed through the main doors at the front. Students are to exit the school using the doors assigned for their class. An outside meeting place should be arranged for any students who need to meet each other or their parents before going home. This procedure avoids unnecessary wandering and congestion in the hallways. Students are expected to show proper behaviour and courtesy when entering or exiting the school building. Hats and visors are to be removed upon entering the school. Students are asked to stay on the right side when walking down the halls.

ATTENDANCE

If a student is not in school and is not accounted for by a note or phone call, the school will initiate the following steps:
A call home to speak to the parent.
A call to the parent at work.
A call to the emergency number provided by the parent.

These steps can be avoided by parents phoning the office to report absences (519-452-8160).
Please remember to keep the school informed of any changes in home, business or emergency telephone numbers.
To release a student: We request that parents send a note to the teacher should you wish your child to be released early. Please indicate the date, time and reason in your note. Parents are to report to the office to sign their child out before picking them up.

SEASONAL CONSIDERATIONS

For safety reasons, and in case of a fire alarm/evacuation, as well as reducing mud in the school, students are required to have indoor shoes during winter months. Students are expected to dress warmly for outdoor recesses and wear coats/hats/boots that they came to school with. In warm weather, students are asked to be careful of prolonged sun exposure and cover up accordingly with jackets, hats and sun screen.

LOST AND FOUND

A "lost and found" is maintained at the school. Parents and students are welcome to visit this area and search for family possessions. Items not claimed before December holidays, March Break, and the end of June are packed up and given to a charitable organization. Please label all clothing, boots, lunch pails, etc. Items with names usually find their way back to the owners quickly. The school is not responsible for lost or stolen items. Students should not bring valuable items to school.

LUNCH PROCEDURES

Students requiring lunch hour supervision eat lunch in their designated area. At the beginning of the school year you will be asked to indicate if your child will eat lunch at school or go home for lunch on a regular basis. Students are not permitted to combine both options (e.g., eat at school, go to 'Goodies' for a treat, and then return to school). Please send a note in the planner any day you have made different arrangements for your child. A list of routines and expected behaviours is in the planner for you to review with your child.

Below is a list of expectations specific to the lunch room:
•Students are to bring their lunches, all necessary outdoor clothing, and any recess play equipment to the lunch room. The hallways are out of bounds to students at this time.
•Foods that are easy for your child to handle independently and are not messy are recommended. Students are to sit politely and talk quietly to their neighbours as they eat their lunches. Remember, table manners and appropriate topics for the lunch table.
•Ask permission to use the washroom.

Parents are encouraged to send nutritious lunches and snacks for their children to enjoy at school.
Please do not send peanut or nut products with your children as we have students with serious allergies. Students are not allowed to throw out uneaten food items so that parents can' monitor what their children are eating for lunch. As well, Emily Carr prides itself on being 'litterless' during the lunch hour. Please pack your child's lunch in re-useable containers to to reduce the amount of trash created during the lunch hour.

EMERGENCY SCHOOL CLOSING

If the school must be closed because of an emergency, there will be announcements made on the local radio stations. These messages will be broadcast beginning at 7:00 a.m. or when appropriate, if school has started for the day. In the situation where the students are already at school, they will be dismissed according to your wishes on the Emergency School Closure Form.

REPORTING TO PARENTS

Parents of students in Grades 1-8 will receive progress report cards in November, and formal report cards in January and June. Parent/student/teacher conferences will take place prior to the Christmas holidays. Parents of Kindergarten children will have an opportunity for a parent/teacher conference in November with formal report cards in February and June. Depending on the maturity of an individual student, and at the parent's and teacher's discretion, students may be invited to take part in the conference.

BICYCLES, ROLLERBLADES, SKATEBOARDS AND SCOOTERS

Children may ride to school but do so at their own risk. Bicycles, skateboards, scooters and roller blades may not be used on school property. Students should lock their bikes along the blue fence which runs along the front of our school. Please keep an extra key at home. We cannot accept responsibility for the safekeeping of bikes, scooters, boards or blades. Roller blades must be removed before entering the school yard. Bikes and scooters must be walked, skateboards must be carried, not ridden, on school property. Please remind your children to follow these simple rules to ensure safety on our playground.

STUDENT USE OF THE SCHOOL PHONE

Students are allowed to use the school phone in cases of emergency. Students will not be allowed to use the phone to retrieve forgotten assignments or to inform parents of after school events which were previously announced. Students must have a staff member's permission and an explained reason prior to using the school phone.

CELL PHONES AND OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES

In a world of ever increasing technology, it is important to define appropriate usage for these types of devices. If a student chooses to bring a cell phone to school, they do so at their own risk. The school will not be responsible for lost or damaged devices of any sort. In addition, students may only use their personal devices with a teacher's permission for educational purposes. Personal devices are not to be kept in a student's hands during instructional times, and are not to be used in private locations such as washrooms. Student safety and privacy must be protected at all times. Confiscation of electronic devices due to infractions will be at the discretion of the staff and teachers.

SCHOOL ARRIVAL

Students are expected to arrive in class on time. Lateness impinges on instructional time, disrupts the classroom routine and may impact on the student's academic performance. It is very important that students come to school on time. Students arriving after the first bell must report to the office for a late slip. Frequent lates will result in making up time missed during recesses and/orafter school and a possible referral to an attendance counsellor.

ILLNESS OR INJURIES AT SCHOOL

We will make a sick or injured child as comfortable as possible while you are being contacted. In a serious situation, an ambulance may be called. In all cases, we will do our best to contact you or a person you have indicated on the Student Information Form. Please help us by keeping this information current.
Please do not send children to school if they are unwell. Sick students are not able to learn and often spread infections to others. Students are to remain at home until they are well enough to participate in all their regular activities.

SCHOOL SAFETY

The Playground: Supervision is provided before school starting at 8:45 by assigned teachers. Parents are asked not to send their children to school earlier as they will not be supervised by an adult.
Students are expected to play at the back of the school in their designated area. Physical contact, fighting and rough play are unacceptable and will result in consequences.
After Hours: The playground is not supervised after school. Children are required to leave the school property promptly upon dismissal. We wish to promote cooperation between the school and community in keeping our school clean and safe. We need to work together on common concerns such as vandalism, broken bottles, people who do not clean up after pets and loitering at night and on weekends. Please notify the school and/or police if you see anything inappropriate happening during the evening or weekend hours.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

For safety reasons, children must wear clean running shoes in the gym. Children who do not have proper footwear will not be allowed to participate in the class.

FIRE DRILLS

Fire, evacuation and storm drills are held routinely at the school. All persons in the building at the time of a drill are expected to participate as outlined in our emergency procedures.

SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS

There are so many ways to help out that we can create a job just for you! If you have a few hours or a few minutes and would like to contribute your talents, please get in touch with a Learning Support Teacher or leave your name and number in the office and we will give you a call. We are always pleased to have your help. Please note that all volunteers in our school must provide the principal, with a completed volunteer form and a copy of a Vulnerable Sector Screening Check (Criminal Background Check) prior to working directly with students. Such checks can be arranged through the London Police Station (at a small cost). This precaution is for the safety of our students.

CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS

All school volunteers (i.e., field trips, volunteer classroom help, driving to sporting events) must complete a criminal background check in order to assist. Please contact the office for details.

VISITORS TO THE SCHOOL

All visitors to our school, including parents and relatives of our students, must report to the office upon arrival. If you are staying at our school for any length of time, visitors must also sign in at the office. If you come into the school on a daily basis, for the purposes of picking up your child at his or her classroom, please send a note to the teacher informing us that you will be using this procedure. This written note is not required if you are waiting for your child outside the school building or if your child is in kindergarten.

PARKING

Students should walk, or be walked, to school whenever possible. If parents are driving students to school they are reminded to drop off only in the drop off zone and not park in the drop zone. Please do not block/park in the school bus loading zones at the front of the school. Always watch carefully for pedestrians.

HEAD LICE (PEDICULOSIS)

From time to time our students will come in contact with head lice who decide to make their home on your child's scalp. These bugs are certainly a nuisance, but not a health hazzard. However, if your child has head lice, or is suspected of having head lice, the following school procedure will occur, unless otherwise specified through a written request by a parent. Its important as a school to deal with this situation with appropriate action and as discretely as possible for the benefit of the child(ren). The TVDSB has a policy in place outlining the readmission procedure for any student who has acquired head lice. Simply stated, a child may return to school when there is no evidence of lice or nits (eggs).

If reasonable evidence exists (constant scratching of the scalp), a student will be requested by the principal to have his/her head checked. A pre-discussion explaining the brief and simple head check will occur between school personnel and the student, and once agreed to, a quick check will occur. Gloves are worn and wooden 'picks' are used to quickly separate hair strands, so as to determine whether or not the child has head lice. If the child has head lice, it is reasonable to check any siblings, as these bugs have a way of quickly spreading from one child to another through active play. Parents are then notified to come and pick up their child(ren) at their convenience. Students will wait at the office until a parent arrives. Once a child has been treated they may return to school. A readmission check will then occur to determine if the treatment was successful, or if it needs to be repeated. If you have any questions, please contact the school (519-452-8160).

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