Student Handbook Welcome to Grand Bay Primary. We would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to our school and its policies and procedures so that your child’s time here is enjoyable and full of exciting learning opportunities. Your child’s teachers look forward to providing a positive learning environment that encompasses your child’s academic and social development. Security System/School Visitors Please note that the safety of our students and staff is top priority and, as noted above, the school doors are only open during student arrival in the morning. Those students arriving after this time will need to use the school doorbell (as stated above) and will be buzzed in by our Administrative Assistant. Our front door is monitored throughout the day by our Admin. Assistant. Any school visitors must be buzzed in and must sign in at the table just outside the office. Peanut / Nut Free Anglophone South School District Policy states that all schools in the District are Nut and Peanut Free due to life-threatening allergies of several students and staff. Any and all food items which may contain peanuts and/or nuts such as cookies, granola bars; peanut butter, etc. are strictly forbidden in ASD-S. We encourage parents to read ingredient labels to ensure appropriate products are being brought to school. Thank you. Scent-Reduced Anglophone South School District Policy states that all schools in the District are Scent Reduced (students, staff and visitors). Please refrain from wearing perfume or any scented products as best you can, when entering our school. Thank you. Safe Arrival and Absenteeism Our “Safe Arrival Program” will continue throughout the school year. The success of this program is dependent on home and school working together. If your child will not be present due to illness, an appointment, or some other reason, please use the safe arrival program. Please register at: https://go.schoolmessenger.ca. This efficient system gives families 3 convenient methods of reporting a child’s absence in advance. These options are available 24 hours/day, 7 days a week. The SchoolMessenger automated notification system will contact parents whose child is absent when the absence was not reported in advance. Please contact the school directly if you have any additional questions and/or concerns. If your child is experiencing 2 or more Covid-19 symptoms and/or has a fever, please have them stay home. Thank you for your continued cooperation, support and understanding. Changes in After-School Routines Occasionally a child’s after school routine may change, sometimes for a long term but often for just a day or two. Any changes to your child’s dismissal routine (i.e. a relative or friend picking up your child) should be indicated to the teacher in writing and/or phone call to the school. This lets the teacher know with whom the child can leave with. Teachers will not release students to adults they do not know or do not have permission from their legal guardians. NO STOPPING – NO PARKING ZONE Parents are asked to park in the Grand Bay Baptist Church parking lot when dropping off their child as Woolastook Drive (in front of the school) is a NO STOPPING-NO PARKING ZONE. We also ask that you do not use the school/staff parking lot for dropping off or picking up children as there is limited parking for staff and very limited visibility. If you are driving your child to school, please park in the church parking lot and walk your child across the street to the school. The church parking lot can get very congested so please be very careful and cognizant of other vehicles moving about.We appreciate your attention to this matter. Bus Students Students who travel on a school bus must behave in a manner that does not compromise the safety of any occupant of the bus or cause damage to the bus. Students are expected to: Respect each other and obey the driver Stay in their assigned seat Keep their hands to themselves and their voices down Students whose behaviour could endanger the safety of any occupant of the bus or cause damage to the bus will lose the privilege of traveling on the bus. ASD-S Transportation Department states for safety reasons, PLEASE do not send requests to the school asking for your child to go on a different bus after school UNLESS it is an emergency. If your child needs to travel on a different bus that is not part of their regular after school routine, you must fill in an Alternate Bus Form found on the Bus Planner site (asdsbp.nbed.nb.ca) and submit it to the District for approval (must be a regular routine, Monday-Friday). We CANNOT allow a child to go on a different bus because they want to go to a friend’s house after school, for example. Home & School Communication At Grand Bay Primary, we communicate with families in many ways: in person Twitter: Please FOLLOW US!!! @GBPrimaryASDS Open House monthly school newsletters School Cash Online (visit https://asd-s.schoolcashonline.com/ and click “get started today” to register for all school payments such as school fees, hot lunch, school clothing-which will be available soon) notes sent home from the school and from individual teachers teacher websites and emails phone calls home School Messenger (for safe arrival and talk mail system). When we send a school talk mail message, the name of the school or PNB will show on your phone. There is no need to contact the school when you see this, just listen for the talk mail message. If you have given the school your email, you will receive the same message through email as well. through Home and School and PSSC committees Notices to Parents Throughout the year you will receive many notices from your child’s school. It is important that you read every one. These notices may inform you of school closures, special activities or changes in school routines or policies. If you overlook the notices, your child could miss out on some activities. We encourage you to respond promptly to any notice that requires a reply. The only way we can be sure you receive a notice is when we receive your response if required. Emergency Numbers When a child is hurt at school or becomes sick, our first step is to call the parents/guardians. Sometimes however, the parent/guardian cannot be reached by phone. The school requires that you provide an alternate phone number for such an emergency. When considering whom to specify as an emergency contact person, please choose someone who is generally home during the school day and available to pick up the child from school. Please ensure the phone number is a working number and the contact person is aware they have been identified by you as an emergency contact. If the number changes during the school year, please contact the school office. Occasionally, the school must close unexpectedly during the day, perhaps due to a storm, water problem or power outage. We do our best to make parents/guardians aware of early closures through radio announcements and school messenger. If early closure should happen to fall on a day when you are not at home, we need the name and number of someone with whom your child can stay. Preferably this person would be on the child’s regular route home. As well, your child should be aware of these emergency plans. We also ask that you monitor the weather situation in the morning in anticipation of a possible closure due to deteriorating conditions. Change of Address and Phone Number Please advise the office immediately if you have a change of address, phone number or if your child has a change in living arrangements. It is important that the school keep all relative student information up to date and accurate. Indoor/Outdoor Footwear It is recommended that all students have indoor footwear for classroom and gym use during the day that can be kept at school. Please label all personal items with your child’s name. Playground and Other Equipment Students use the playground during recess and noon hour. Students who use the playground after school and in the evenings do so at their own risk. The school is not responsible for incidents that occur on the playground outside of school hours when the area is not supervised by school personnel. When children use the playground during supervised times, the following rules are in effect: Respect area boundaries designated by the school. Do not act in a physically aggressive manner (fighting, pushing, play fighting). Use the playground equipment safely. Do not climb up the slides and take turns on the equipment. Use appropriate language and be kind to others. Lost and Found Primary students tend to misplace many belongings at school. Because many children have similar items, they can sometimes have difficulty identifying their own. Our Lost and Found area is often left with many unclaimed articles. If you label all your child’s belongings, including jackets, snow pants, masks, water bottles, book bags, sneakers, perhaps we can keep these losses to a minimum. We ask you to periodically check our Lost and Found area located outside the school office for lost items. Please check in with the office before doing so. Personal Electronics Grand Bay Primary requests that NO electronics be brought to school. If a child does bring electronics to school, the school will NOT BE responsible if they are damaged, lost, or broken. Children sometimes bring a small toy to play with on the playground at recess and lunch time. Please be aware that should the items become damaged or lost, the school is not responsible. Field Trips Prior to any field trip you will receive notification of its time, place and location. In order for your child to participate, a school permission slip must be signed by parent/guardian. Hand-written notes cannot be accepted. There may be times when students will travel on foot or by bus on field trips. Parent Volunteers Parent volunteers at school and in the classroom can be a valuable experience for all students. We are always in need of volunteers to help prepare lunches for purchase at the school. The time commitment is approx. 10:45am-12:30pm on a day that works for you. Please contact the school if interested. 738.6504 There are many other ways a parent/guardian can volunteer their time and talents. Volunteers can read to children and listen to children read. Parents who enjoy art activities and music are welcome to share their talents with us as well. Parents who don’t feel comfortable in the classroom can help in other ways such as facilitating an interest club during the lunch hour. Please discuss volunteering with your child’s teacher, the school or your Home & School. Provincial policy requires that all volunteers in the public school system must have knowledge of Policy 701 (the Policy for Protection of Students) and present a validation form as well as a current police record check to the school prior to volunteering at school. Grand Bay Home and School is a combined Home and School with Grand Bay Primary and Inglewood School. It’s a very fun and active Home and School that facilitates many student events and fundraising initiatives throughout the school year. Funds raised directly benefit the students at both schools. If you are interested in volunteering (a little or a lot) for Home and School, please visit their Facebook page (“Grand Bay Home & School”). You’ll be glad you did! PSSC (Parent School Support Committee) is another great opportunity for volunteering at Grand Bay Primary! This elected committee meets 4-5 times per school year and is comprised of the Principal (not a member, but attends and participates), a teacher representative and 4-5 parent/community members. The PSSC reviews the School Improvement Plan and school policies and helps to set strategic direction for the school among several additional duties. Please contact the school if you are interested in putting your name forward. The first PSSC meeting will be in October. Hot Lunch Program We have a wonderful hot lunch program at Grand Bay Primary. Volunteers prepare healthy, well-rounded meals in our kitchen for our students several days a week. All lunches are reasonably priced and include milk. Ordering and payments are done once a month on school cash online. The program relies solely on community and parent volunteers to prepare the meals in our fully licensed kitchen (by the Department of Health). We hope to have our program start up soon and more information will be forthcoming. If you are interested in volunteering at any time for this program, please call the school at 738.6504. Any help (a little or a lot) is always appreciated. Reporting to Parents Parents of our students are always very excited to learn how their children are doing in school. Teachers are eager to share information with you. We have parent teacher interviews twice a year – in the fall and in the spring. During this time, the teacher will discuss with you your child’s social and academic progress. We trust that you will make every effort to come to these interviews (in person or virtually – yet to be determined). Report cards will be issued three times a year. If you, as a parent, have concerns about your child’s social or academic progress, please call your child’s homeroom teacher at 738-6504 to make an appointment. We want to help! Homework “Reading aloud with children is known to be the single most important activity for building the knowledge and skills they will require for learning to read” (Marilyn Jager Adams). Families are encouraged to promote a love for books and reading. Please ensure that your child is reading and/or being read to every night. This will be reinforcing the skills that they are learning in school. Your child’s teacher will keep you updated on homework. Other ways to boost your child’s “brain power” outside of school hours is to participate in various activities such as music, sports, guides/scouts, creative play, family time, educational websites, etc. Physical Education and Music Grand Bay Primary is very pleased to have 2 Physical Education Teachers and a Music Teacher. Students are reminded to wear appropriate footwear to gym class. Flip flops, dress shoes, rubber boots etc. are not appropriate footwear for Phys. Ed. class. Long necklaces and/or earrings pose a safety issue in Phys. Ed. class as well and should remain at home.