Early Years Policies

School Organization

Agenda Books
Bell Schedule
Homework
Inservice Days
Lunchroom
Recess

School Discipline

Dress Code
Playground Supervision
Student Management
Student Responsibilities
Student Safety

Attendance

Attendance & Lates
Callback
Emergencies
Permission to leave

General Information

Communicable Diseases
Lost & Found
Recess, Lunch, Field Trips
Student Patrols

School Organization

Agenda Books

All students from Grade 1 through 5 will keep an agenda book, in which to track assigned homework and other important information from school. Please check your child’s agenda book daily and feel free to enter comments in it. The agenda book is a communication tool between home and school.

Bell Schedule

8:50 a.m. - entry bell
9:00 a.m. - opening exercises
10:20 a.m. - start of morning recess
10:35 a.m. - end of morning recess
11:45– lunch dismissal
12:40 p.m. – PM entry bell
12:45 p.m. – PM classes begin
2:00 p.m. - start of afternoon recess
2:15 p.m. - end of afternoon recess
3:20 p.m. - end of school day

Homework

Homework assigned may consist of practice work (to reinforce skills), project work, and/or incomplete classroom tasks. Parents and guardians are requested to actively encourage their children to complete all assignments and not fall behind in schoolwork. In addition, we strongly recommend that you try to read with your child every evening!

Parents/Guardians: The more you get involved with reading at home and with your child's learning, the better for your child!

Inservice Days

River East Transcona School Division provides ten days during the school year for schools to conduct parent-teacher interviews, provide professional development sessions, and carry out special administrative duties. These days may provide families a convenient time for scheduled medical or dental appointments.

Lunchroom Policy and Rules

It is division policy that all students who choose to stay for lunch will be registered in the community school association’s user-pay lunch program.

All students staying for lunch will:

• eat lunch seated at their desk or table,
• keep peace and quiet in the classroom or eating area,
• clean their personal lunch space and use the bin provided for any garbage,
• follow the directions of the lunch supervisor regarding activities following the eating of their lunch.

Students who stay for lunch must remain on school grounds at all times. Trips to the store are not permitted.

Failure to observe lunch program rules may result in loss of lunch-at-school privileges.

Recess

All students have one fifteen-minute recess in the morning and another in the afternoon. The morning recess is from 10:35 to 10:50 a.m. The afternoon recess is from 2:10 to 2:25 p.m. Recess is outdoors, weather permitting.

School Discipline

Dress Code

School is a special place. We expect students to dress in a manner appropriate for school. We align with our divisional policy, JICA, that we will educate our students about appropriate dress in the school setting.   In particular, clothing which promotes or advertises alcohol products or drugs or contains racists, ethnic, obscene or violent slogans should not be worn in school.  Gang colors, including signs, symbols and other gang representations,  should also not be worn in school.  Administration and Teachers in Charge have the authority to address inappropriate attire. 

Playground Supervision

To ensure the safety of our students before school hours, teachers and paraprofessionals provide outdoor supervision. The supervisors are on yard duty as of 8:40 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Students should not be left unattended in the school yard at times earlier than indicated. Adult supervision is also provided during recess.

Student Management

All students have the right to receive instruction in an atmosphere that is conducive to learning. With students behaving appropriately, the classroom teacher can carry out educational duties to the greater benefit of all.

The classroom teacher sets the tone for his or her class. Students can expect that the teacher will outline, emphasize, and monitor classroom rules. Teachers should need to use only minimal and discreet control statements and actions.

Students who choose to behave inappropriately, i.e., excessive talking or noise-making, wandering about the classroom or corridors, shirking tasks, arguing, disrupting others at work, not complying with reasonable requests, and who cannot resolve the difficulty despite intervention by the teacher, will be referred to school administrators. An incident slip, describing the behaviour(s) or event will be completed for future reference. Behaviour issues that come to the attention of the office are considered serious, as it is understood that the teacher has already attempted to resolve the matter, with limited or no behavioural change.

Consequences vary for inappropriate behaviours, depending on circumstances of the incident, such as the severity of the problem or the number of office referrals for any given individual. Consequences can include reprimands, warnings, detentions, withdrawal of privileges, temporary in-school relocation, restitution, written work (such as a formal apology), and suspension from school. A discipline-profile record is maintained for those students referred to the office for behavioural incidents, and in most cases, the parents/guardians are contacted.

Some serious behaviours which may result in automatic suspensions are as follow:

• fighting (on school property, or to and from school)
• inappropriate language or comments directed towards a staff member
• theft
• willful damage (vandalism)
• leaving the school without permission
• insubordination
• conduct which endangers students or staff.

Any student whose conduct does not improve following a suspension may be referred to the RETSD superintendents department.

Student Responsibilities

Salisbury Morse Place School is a special place, where certain behaviours are both promoted and expected. We expect all students to follow three basic guidelines:

1. be safe,
2. be respectful,
3. be responsible.

Behaviours which will not be accepted at our school include the following:

1. verbal and/or physical aggression
2. insolence and rudeness toward others (peers and adults alike)
3. use of "put downs", harassment, intimidation, and/or threats
4. use of offensive or profane language, including sexist or racist comments, ethnic slurs, etc.
5. the wearing of the following, indoors: caps, toques, hats, hoods, and bandanas
6. attending class in outdoor apparel or in clothing that is immodest or excessively distracting
7. wearing clothing that displays offensive or profane language or images
8. bringing electronic equipment or toys into the classroom

Student Safety

For the safety of all students, certain potentially dangerous areas are out-of-bounds. As well, students must always remain in areas where there is adult supervision.

NOTE: All areas outside the chain link fence are considered unsupervised, and therefore are off-limits to the children when in school. Outside areas include the south side of the school, facing Prince Rupert Ave. Climbing on the school’s playground fence is not allowed. It is also not permitted for children to climb on or play near the electrical transformers .

Attendance

Attendance and Lates

Students are expected to be at school every day, arrive on time, be prepared (all supplies at hand, homework complete), and apply themselves to assigned tasks to the best of their ability. If a student must be absent or late, parents are requested to telephone the school, or provide a note in advance. A 24-hour voice message line is available (668-9390) for parents/guardians to notify the school office of absences and late arrivals. Students are considered late when they fail to arrive in the classroom by 9:00 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. There are consequences for being late. Classroom teachers will be responsible for follow-up. Chronic late-comers will be referred to the administration if needed.

Call Back System

For the safety and protection of your children, it is of utmost importace that both family and school know the whereabouts of students at all times during the school day.

If your child is to be late or absent, please call the school call-back line (668-9304) to notify the office before 8:50 a.m. and 12:55 p.m. In the case of an unexplained absence, office staff will call home and attempt to trace the missing child's whereabouts.

Emergency Procedures

It may happen that because of power failure, watermain break, or other unforeseeable events, the school will have to be closed and the children sent home early. Each family is requested to make before-hand arrangements for such emergency situations.

The school asks that all families provide the name and phone number of someone to contact in case of emergency. This information must be kept up-to-date. Please advise us of any changes to previously recorded contact information.

A child with a minor injury (such as a scrape, bruise, or superficial cut) will be attended to by SMP staff. In the event a child sustains a more serious injury, the following procedures will apply:

1. Every attempt will be made to notify a parent or guardian at their home or workplace. Failing to contact immediate family, the emergency contact person then will be called.
2. In the event that the School is unable to reach any of the contacts provided for an injured or seriously ill child, we then will transport that child to the nearest hospital for necessary medical attention (at the parents’ expense).
3. If required, the school will call for an ambulance to transport the child.

Most accidents occurring in school can be readily handled by our staff. However, we do want parents to know that we will act without delay to ensure speedy medical attention, should an accident of a more serious nature happen at school.

Insurance: Parents are encouraged to subscribe to the student accident insurance plan offered each September through RETSD.

Permission to Leave

For early dismissal to attend necessary appointments (medical, dental), students must provide a note signed by a parent/guardian. Students needing to return home for forgotten supplies, items, or assignments must have permission from the principal or vice-principal. Students must go to the office to sign out, if leaving the building at other than regular dismissal times. Parents/guardians are asked to please contact the principal or vice-principal of the school if a student is to be absent for other than medical reasons during the regular school term.

General Information

Communicable Diseases

Occasionally, we find that cases of communicable disease occur in our school. Pediculosis (head lice), conjunctivitus (pink eye), and various skin infections, are reported to the public health nurse when discovered. Affected children may be required to remain at home until the condition has been successfully treated. The department of health requires us to maintain up-to-date immunization records for all students.

Lost and Found

The EY lost & found for clothing is in a bin located at the corridor intersection nearest to the EY gymnasium. Valuables found should be submitted to teaching staff or to the office. Unclaimed items will be turned over (in December, April and June) to the Mennonite Central Committee Self-Help Store or the Salvation Army Store, both located on Watt St. It is strongly recommended that all clothing be labelled with the name of the child or family to prevent loss.

Recess, Lunch Hours, Field Trips

All student rules, regulations, and consequences are in effect during recess, at lunch time, and on field trips. Students whose deportment during these times is unacceptable will lose these privileges.

Student Patrols

Our student patrol team consists of dedicated students from grades five and six, who pledge to look after the safety of our students on their way to and from school. The Winnipeg Police Service actively supports our safety patrol program. Patrols are on duty at all significant intersections and cross-walks for 15 minutes prior to the entry bell and for ten minutes after dismissal. All students must obey the signals and directions of the patrols, and cross only at designated, patrolled intersections.