École Dansereau Meadows School

780-929-1928

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Parent & Guest Expectations

Visiting Our School

Entering the School

  • All VISTORS (including parents, volunteers, and Black Gold employees) who come into the school or classroom will need to use the front door and MUST sign in at the office.
  • Visitors will not have to sign in at the office for public events in the gym. There will be a sign in the front foyer on these days which will inform visitors of this.
  • Parents are asked to not be on the playground during times unless you have signed in as a parent volunteer.

This policy applies to all adults, including parents who pick-up and/or drop off their children, if they are entering the school, however briefly.  Remember, that you must first enter the school through the front doors and stop at the office to sign in.

 

Dropping off or Picking up Your Child

Parking Lot – Please do not drive into the parking lot in order to drop children off.  There also is no parking in front of the garbage dumpster.   Please pass this information on to anyone who might offer to drive your children to school.

Bus Lane – The bus lane that is behind the school is for buses only.  Students need to be picked up and dropped off in the drop-off zone in front of the school.

 

Parking & Student Drop Off

There is no space for parking on school property other than staff and emergency parking.  Vehicles with authorized handicap parking may use the parking lot at the back of the school.

Students should be reminded to look carefully for traffic and to use the crosswalks when crossing the road to get to their parents’ vehicles.

The crosswalk at the side of the school is supervised from 7:55– 8:10 a.m. and 2:55 – 3:00 p.m.

The front of the school is designated as a Kiss-and-Go area with no parking signs.  This means parents can stop and drop off students but are not permitted to leave their vehicle.    If you leave your vehicle, you will be given a ticket by law enforcement.

 

Volunteers (Parents or Guests)

Each volunteer must complete a Volunteer Registration Form.  This registration is for the duration of the school year.  Volunteer registration forms will be sent home in September.

Classroom visits (by volunteers and guests) will be approved by the host teacher.  Classroom visits will generally be by appointment so that meaningful volunteer activities can occur, and also to ensure that student circumstances are appropriate for entertaining a guest.

Confidentiality regarding students must be observed, and disclosure of any information should only be made to qualified professionals or as required by law.

As the actions of school and classroom visitors have great potential to impact students, it is expected that all volunteers and guests will demonstrate active support for teacher efforts and avoid any undermining of school practices and routines.

 

Removal of Outdoor Shoes

In an effort to preserve the cleanliness of our school, we ask that all students, parents, volunteers, and visitors remove their wet or dirty outdoor footwear when they enter the building.  Parents, volunteers and visitors should bring an extra pair of shoes to wear indoors while visiting our school.

General Expectations

Reporting an Absence

  • Please phone the secretary between 7:45 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. if your child is not to be at school that day.   You can also leave a message on the answering machine prior to 7:45 a.m. (State your child’s name, class, date of absence and reason.)

 

Absences for Holidays

It is the expectation that students will attend school on scheduled school days and take holidays according to the school year calendar.

In the event that parents choose to take their children out of school at times other than school holidays, the onus lies with the parents to provide educational activities for their child. (Teachers include curricular expectations in their monthly classroom newsletters or blogs.)   Teachers cannot provide detailed daily homework assignments that replicate missed work.  With this in mind, we would like to encourage families to plan family vacations around the school year calendar.

 

Going Home Arrangements

Please make going-home plans with your child before school.

  • If an emergency change is necessary, please phone well in advance, as the secretaries often cannot reach children just before bus time. Sometimes the children are outside and sometimes they are in classrooms other than their own.
  • If your child usually goes home on the bus, please remember that your child will be put on the bus unless we receive a note or a phone call from you prior to 2:30 p.m.
  • If you need to pick your child up early, please make arrangements for your child to meet you in the office, rather than outside the school. This will enable us to supervise your child and thus ensure his or her safety.
  • After-school arrangements to visit with friends etc., must be made prior to coming to school.

 

Visiting Students

Students who are not enrolled at our school are not permitted to attend our school/classes during the school day.  (For example:  A student has a cousin visiting from Nova Scotia and they want to spend the day at our school.  This is not permitted. )

 

Custody

If a custody order or any other legal document governing the custody or guardianship of your child exists, a copy must be placed in the student record.  It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to provide the school with a current copy of the order.

 

 

Tobacco and Cannabis Free Facilities 

Smoking, vaping or consuming tobacco and cannabis is prohibited in any form.  This includes but is not limited to:  oils, edibles, vaporizers, snuff, electronic cigarettes, water pipes/ pipes, hookahs and other paraphernalia.  All Division premises and vehicles, buses, and all school sponsored activities will be tobacco and cannabis free.  APM162

 

 

Dealing With Concerns

We do our best to be an open and caring school where staff and parents work together for the benefit of the children, however even in the most ideal conditions people have concerns from time to time.  In our experience, these generally arise from misunderstandings, but more serious problems do arise on occasion, no matter how hard everyone tries.

Should you have such a concern, here is the protocol to follow:

  • If the problem concerns an individual class or teacher, contact the teacher concerned. If that does not result in a satisfactory outcome, contact the principal or assistant principal, who will arrange a meeting between you, the member of staff and the administrator.
  • We would prefer that you share your concerns in person or over the phone. It is extremely difficult to resolve an issue via email.
  • Commenting on social media is not the appropriate method for dealing with concerns. 

In order to respect confidentiality, we encourage parents to speak to and/or meet with the teacher/administrator rather than sending an email.  We know that it is difficult to approach people with concerns, but hopefully this protocol helps.  We want the best for your children too!

Please see the Black Gold Schools Parents as Partners for more information on addressing concerns. Parents as Partners Infographic

General Information

Classroom Interruptions

In order for the classroom teacher to deliver the most effective instruction possible for all students, it is important to minimize classroom interruptions.

  • If you need to drop off something for your child during class time, please leave it at the office. If you need to speak to your child during class time, call the office.  The office staff will call the student to the office during break times.
  • If you bring your child late to school, please avoid disrupting the teacher/class by asking to speak to the teacher at the classroom door.
  • Students are welcome to use the office phone.  Students should make play dates prior to the school day rather than calling after school.
  • To allow the students to finish their day uninterrupted, we are kindly asking all parents/guardians to please remain in the front foyer until the dismissal bell rings. Thank you for waiting quietly and respecting the classes which are in session near the front foyer.

Thank you for helping us support the best possible learning environment.

 

Homework

Parents often request homework when their child is ill.  Please be mindful that teachers are teaching in the classroom and do not have time during the day to prepare homework materials on short notice.

It is also important to remember that the classroom instruction and learning cannot always be duplicated with a worksheet.  Teacher demonstrations, instructions, and student discussions are an essential part of the learning process. Parents are encouraged to review previous concepts and read with their child.

 

Pets at School or on School Grounds

We love our pets and we like to read and write about them. We love to see photographs, but pets should not be in school.

  • Please ask your child to choose something other than a pet when it is time for Show and Tell.
  • We have several children with allergies to cats, dogs, birds, and a variety of other animals. Usually other children would not be aware of allergies their classmates might have.
  • Certified Therapy or Service dogs are permitted with principal approval.  (There is a process that must be followed before having a dog come into the school.)
  • Pets are not permitted on the playground or field area during school hours.  We understand that walking to school is a wonderful opportunity to exercise all members of the family including the dog.  If you bring your dog to school in the morning or after school, please keep it on a leash and under control at all times.  The dog should be kept away from the entrance/exit doors so that students may come and go without having to walk by your dog.  A dog doesn’t need to be huge or aggressive to hurt or frighten a small child.  Please never tie your dog up outside the school and leave it while you come inside.

 

Lost & Found

  • If your child has lost something, please check the lost and found. (We seem to accumulate a large quantity of items throughout the year.)
  • The lost and found items are only kept for one month. After this time, the clothing is sorted, washed and donated to charity.

 

Clothing & Belongings

  • Please mark all your child’s belongings with her/his full name. (First names only, or initials, are confusing)
  • Please have your child come to school properly dressed for cool or wet weather. All children are expected to play outside at recess unless they have a note from their parents excusing them due to illness.  On wet or very cold days, recess will be taken indoors.
  • Before the cold weather arrives, please ensure that your child can cope with boots, zippers, shoe tying, etc.
  • Please provide your child with a pair of clean running shoes with non-marking soles, to be worn inside.