Safety

Bicycles, Scooters, Skateboards and Rollerblades

Students riding bicycles must remember to:

• wear a helmet
• always follow bicycle safety rules
• lock bicycles in the bicycle rack at the front of the school
• walk bicycles on school property including all the sidewalks around the school and the school yard 

Students using a scooter, rollerblading, or skateboarding to school must remember to:

• wear a helmet
• follow all safety rules
• use sidewalks
• when rollerblading, change into regular footwear once they reach the school yard
• when skateboarding or using a scooter, put the skateboard or scooter into their backpack once they reach the schoolyard

Bus Students

Arrival - In the morning, a staff member meets the bus students at the front of the school and ensures all students make their way safely to the playground to wait for the entry bell. 

Dismissal - At the end of the day, Kindergarten, Grade 1 and 2 students meet at the front door. When all kindergarten and grade 1 and 2 bus students are at the front door, they are escorted to the bus stop by the supervising teacher. Grade 3, 4 and 5 students are dismissed from their classrooms, go out their designated door and meet at the bus stop. When the weather warms up in the spring, all grade 1-5 students leave out their designated door and meet the supervising teacher at the bus stop. Kindergarten students are escorted to the bus stop. 

Dogs

Dogs, (excluding service dogs), are not allowed on school property unless by special arrangement with administration. 

Doors

Throughout the school day all doors are locked. Any parent or visitor arriving during the school day would enter the main door and report to the office.

Students must use the door designated for their classroom when entering and exiting the school.

Students returning from home at lunch should arrive at 12:30. When they arrive, students will enter in the front door and go directly to their classroom. 

Drop-off and Pick-Up

For Parents Driving Students To and From School – DROP OFF and PICK UP ZONE

Wayoata School has a drop off and pick up zone on Rosseau Avenue along the west side of the playground to allow for the safe drop off and pick up of students. While in the zone, stop, but do not exit your vehicle. At least one staff member will be on duty in this zone from 8:20-8:30 before school and at 3:15 after school to help students make their way safely to and from the vehicles.  As soon as your child exits the vehicle, please leave the zone to reduce traffic congestion. You can be assured that the staff on duty will ensure the children get into the school safely.

To meet the traffic bylaws, parents who are using the zone, MUST stay in their vehicle. The traffic bylaws allow for parents to stop to drop off or pick up students but not to get out of their vehicle.

The following is a map of the zone.  To make this a safe zone, parents should come from Wayoata Street and turn on Ravelston Ave., follow Ravelston Ave. and turn right onto Rosseau Ave as shown by the arrow below.

      Student drop off/pick up point and playground entrance.    Staff will be on duty.

For Parents Who Walk Children To and From School

Parents who are walking to pick up or drop off their children, please remember that parents are NOT allowed on the playground. Parents should stay on the sidewalk on Wayoata Street, or on the east side of Rosseau in the drop off pick up zone. Using these two areas will allow students to avoid crossing in the middle of the street amongst traffic. Following the guidelines for pick and drop off will keep our children safe.

Fire Drills

We are required to have 10 fire drills per year. Regulations indicate that fire drills take place once a month during the school year, where practical.  During a fire drill, all staff, students and visitors practice the procedures that are put in place to ensure a safe, calm and orderly exit.  

Hold and Secure

In the event of an unsafe situation in the community, a "hold and secure" may be activated at the school.  During a hold and secure, all outside school doors are locked and monitored to maintain the safety of occupants. No one is allowed to enter or leave the building.  All regular student activities inside the school continue as scheduled. If the hold and secure occurs near dismissal time, students will remain in the school. We remain in a hold and secure until the police service contacts the school to give the 'all clear' when the unsafe situation is under control.  We are required to have 2 hold and secure practices each year. 

Lockdown

Lockdown refers to the restriction of movement of students and staff due to a threat of violence within the building. The objective of a lockdown is to secure occupants out of sight and in a safe location within the school. During a lockdown, doors will be closed and locked and all students and staff will be seated quietly out of sight. Students upstairs, in open areas, will be moved to a secure location. Prior to a lockdown practice, teachers will review procedures with the students. We are required to have 2 lockdown practices per year.

Patrols

Our safety patrols are on duty 15 minutes before and after school and during the lunch hour from 11:30-11:40 and 12:20-12:30. Patrols are stationed at the front of the school, back lane, and at Ravelston and Wayoata at the above times. Patrols must be dressed appropriately for the weather, which in the winter, includes ski pants, boots, jacket, hat or hood and mittens or gloves and in rainy weather, the school provided patrol raincoat. If patrols are not dressed appropriately, they will not go on post.

When the temperature or wind chill is between -27°C and -34°C, patrols will remain on post for 10 minutes. When it is between -35°C and -39°C, patrols will remain on post for five minutes. At -40°C and below, no patrols will be on duty.  

Supervision 

Once students arrive at school in the morning, they must remain inside the fenced portion of the school grounds. Before school, school staff are on duty on the playground at 8:20. Please ensure your child(ren) do not arrive at school before this time as there is no supervision. After school, teachers are on duty at the front and back of the school until 3:25.    

Traffic

The safety of our students continues to be of concern during morning drop off and after school pick up. Please protect your children's and all other children's safety by not stopping your vehicle at the front door, in the back lane and at the south door.  Families are asked to use the Drop Off and Pick Up Zone. Traffic stopping on the roads to pick up or drop off children while other children are walking to and from school is a very dangerous situation. The signs posted on the streets provide drivers information about where they can legally and safely park.  The sandwich board sign reminds drivers not to park near the school entrance to ensure the safety of our students.  

There are City of Winnipeg "No Stopping Signs" posted on the east and west end of our parking lot in the back lane on the north side of Wayoata School.  These signs apply to the back lane from one end of the parking lot to the other.  According to Winnipeg Parking By-Law No. 86/2016, Section 10, no vehicle may be STOPPED at a place where stopping is prohibited by a traffic control device (such as a sign).  This roadway is for MOVING traffic and you cannot stop your vehicle in a No Stopping area.  It is NOT for loading or unloading passengers or goods. If vehicles are found in violation of this by-law a ticket can be issued. 

The staff parking lot in the back lane is reserved for staff parking only except for the posted times for daycare drop off and pick up.

The City of Winnipeg parking authority and police department help us monitor the traffic issues near the school and in the back lane.

Please put the safety of children over convenience.

Winter

When the temperature is -35°C and/or wind chill is -45°C or colder at The Forks, school buses will be cancelled. A cancellation alert will be posted on the RETSD website by 6:45 and the media will be alerted.  Schools very rarely close during inclement weather. However, if storm conditions develop during the day, it may be necessary to dismiss the students early, to return them home before the weather worsens. In the event that we do need to dismiss students early, please ensure that ALL contact information is always up to date.