Guidelines and Policies

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ARRIVAL CHECK PROGRAM

Parents, guardians and caregivers have the prime responsibility for the safety of their children. Parents are required to inform the school of pupil absences or lateness and be accessible for arrival check contacts.

Parents are expected to:

· Call 905-689-4544 to report an absence by 8:30 a.m. Messages may be left on our school’s answering machine.

· Send a note in the Agenda or phone the school with a reason for absences/lateness.

· Complete the September information sheet indicating the appropriate phone numbers to be called in the case of an unexpected absence.

Students are expected to:

· Bring notes for absences or for being picked up.

· Sign in and out at the Office for appointments and lates.

The school is expected to:

· Receive and record all phone messages regarding attendance in the school.

· Ensure teachers take attendance at the start of announcements.

· Call the parents of students whose absence is unexplained. (The secretary will use home, business or emergency numbers.)

· Inform the Principal or designated teacher immediately if contact cannot be made.

VISITING THE SCHOOL

For the safety of our children, we have implemented an identification badge system. All staff at the school must wear a Millgrove identification badge at all times. Any visitors to the school must sign-in at the office, and either wear a Volunteer badge or a Visitor badge. Any adult in the hallways will be asked to check in at the office if they are not wearing identification. If you are in the school on a regular basis, you are invited to come in on picture day to have a photo taken for your ID badge.

LOCKDOWN

MEDICATION

If your child is taking ongoing medication of any type, which must be administered at school, we are required to have a specific form completed by your physician. This form is available through the Office. Medication is stored in the Principal’s Office and is administered by the Principal or the School Secretary. Students are not allowed to carry medication or self-administer it.

ALLERGY ALERT

At present, we have students who have life-threatening allergic reactions to eggs and nuts. Each of these reactions requires a consistent approach.

Ongoing awareness and education for all involved

Specific avoidance procedures

Prescribed treatment procedures

Reducing and eliminating any risk for a few students will avoid compromising a life. The key to minimizing allergic reactions is to avoid the offending foods. You can help. You are asked to avoid sending nut and egg products to the school if your child is in a class where a child has a severe allergy.

It is recognized that what we are asking is not an easy task. Please try and support us in making our school safe for everyone.

ILLNESS

When your child is ill, he/she should be kept at home or at an alternate location so that the illness is not spread throughout the class. If your child(ren) are too ill to go outside at recess then they are too ill to be at school. Please call the school prior to 8:30 am and leave a message on our answering machine if your child is staying home. Please advise us of the nature of the illness so that we may track any patterns within the school.

PEDICULOSIS

The control of head lice is a shared responsibility in the community. It is the primary responsibility of the parent/guardian to check and treat the child(ren). Parents are reminded to inform the Office if you suspect that your child has pediculosis. Screening will be two or three times a year for all classes. Letters go home to the students in affected classes. When a child has been identified the parent is notified. The child will return to school after the appropriate treatment with a signed information sheet. We work with a retired public health nurse who assists the school in “Pediculosis Screening”.

SAFE PLAY

At Millgrove the staff respond to the behaviours of students involved in rough or unsafe play as follows: the first intervention strategy may be speaking to the child and reminding them of the rules. Further interventions may be notes or phone calls to parents. If the behaviours persist, the student will have a further consequence from the office or may eventually be suspended from school depending on the seriousness of the incident.

At Millgrove we strive for an environment that is safe and secure for everybody. In partnership with our parents we try to reinforce the importance of safety for all students.

HOMEWORK

Good sense and an understanding of your child’s needs must be used in assessing the amount of homework done each night. The location at which the work is done should be consistent and well lit. It should be supervised and free from distractions. Parents should be helpful yet not complete the homework for the child. If a child has made a genuine effort to complete the homework or if extenuating circumstances prevent the homework from being done, a parental note explaining the situation should be sent to the classroom teacher. This type of communication may be written in the students’ agenda by the parent.

Primary Grades:

Homework may be regularly assigned. Nightly reading and number fact games would be an effective way for parents to assist with their child’s homework.

Junior Grades:

Twenty to thirty minutes per day of homework and review will help to maintain and improve student performance. Notebook organization and review should occur regularly.

A general rule for homework is 10 minutes for each grade (Grade 4 = 40 minutes).

Reading for 20 minutes each night is recommended for students in Gr. 4 and 5

INCLEMENT WEATHER (or Emergency Closings)

Board officials will announce on local radio stations whether schools are open or transportation is cancelled. When transportation is cancelled our school is closed.

If it becomes necessary to close the school during the day every effort will be made to notify you through our school emergency phoning committee. (We are always looking for volunteers!)

Please discuss this possibility with your child and explain the procedure that you wish him or her to follow in case the school should close early.

THE MEETING PLACE

The Meeting Place was established in the front foyer for parents to pick up their children after school. Please continue to use this location. This area was developed in consultation with parents for the following reasons:

· To increase safety and security for students

· To reduce hallway congestion

· To improve instructional time

· To improve routines and dismissal procedures

Do not proceed to your child’s classroom door. Anybody going past this point in the school must wear an identification badge from the office. Please do not enter the school by the back doors. You must come in through the front door.

NUTRITION BREAKS

Millgrove School uses a schedule known as the Balanced Day. This includes two Nutrition Breaks. One teacher will be on duty and move from room to room providing “indirect supervision” during the first twenty minutes of both nutrition breaks. Two Grade 5 students will act as “lunch room monitors” in each room to help the children between teacher visits. These monitors assist the younger children to open packages, distribute milk or remind them of safe practice in the lunchroom.

Students are expected to:

· Adhere to the routines

· Use manners at all times

· Remain seated while eating

Please provide reminders for your children to wash their hands before they begin their lunch. We encourage litterless and healthy lunches. Include fruit, sandwiches, veggies or juice. Please limit the amount of candy, pop and junk food.

MILK

We will continue to offer a prepaid milk program. We will be offering white and chocolate milk. Order forms will be sent home every two months.

PIZZA DAYS

This has been a tradition at Millgrove for many years. Pizza will be available during the second Break on Mondays. Orders must be submitted by the previous Friday. It will be possible to pay for several weeks in advance. Watch for the prepaid pizza order form to come home.

PERSONAL PROPERTY

Personal items such as MP3 players, iPod’s, Nintendo DS, video games or expensive toys or jewelry should not be brought to the school. The school is not responsible for lost items. Skateboards, roller blades, shoes with wheels, and trading cards of any sort are not allowed at school.

USE OF PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES

The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board is currently developing a policy for use of personal electronic devices in schools. While the policy is under development, the following guideline will provide direction for students and staff regarding the use of these devices at school:

Electronic devices include, but are not limited to, cell phones, video-recording devices, IPods, MP3Players, text messaging devices. All electronic devices are to be turned off and put away during instructional times. Use of electronic devices that are used in a manner that negatively impacts the moral tone of the school may result in consequences under Part XIII (Behaviour, Discipline, and Safety) of the Education Act.

MONEY

Money sent to school for class trips, book orders or food orders, should be placed in an envelope in the Agenda with the following information on the outside: your child’s name, class, reason for payment.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLOTHING

We promote a healthy and active lifestyle through the teaching of physical education. A 20-minute Daily Physical Activity (DPA) period is now mandated by the Ministry of Education. We recommend that each child wear comfortable clothing for Phys. Ed. and DPA. A pair of running shoes is necessary for gym and DPA. Physical education classes will be held outside as often as possible.

Students should have a pair of indoor shoes at school when the weather is wet, snowy or muddy. Please have your child’s name on all clothing.

LIBRARY

Students are allowed to sign out a total of three books at any one time. The book is to be returned in good condition by the due date.

Students who have overdue materials will not be permitted to take more books from the Library. If books are returned in poor condition or are lost, it is expected that the student will take full responsibility to replace the book.

LEARNING PLAYGROUND

We have a unique Learning Playground area developed in partnership with many parents, staff, service groups and businesses. We have received numerous awards and continue to have international visitors impressed with our facilities. The area promotes active play and has components for academic pursuits. It consists of the following: traditional climbing apparatus, black top games, a Peace Garden, naturalized Carolinian Garden and classroom vegetable gardens. At Millgrove we discuss “safe play” and “care” for our Learning Grounds on “Go for Green Day”.

SCHOOL COUNCIL

Parents represent the majority of the council membership. You are eligible for membership on School Council if you have a child enrolled at Millgrove School and are willing to commit to one evening meeting per month. The executive consists of an elected chair, vice chair, secretary and treasurer. Elections are held within the first twenty school days. The Principal and staff representative(s) participate at each meeting. Please consider joining this hard-working group.

VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers are used throughout the school. These adults may work directly with students in programs such as All Star Reading and classroom support or they may assist students indirectly by working in the Library or the gardens and playground. Our volunteers have made a significant impact on our school environment. The H.W.D.S.B. Policy mandates that all volunteers must have a Police Check.

The Office coordinates the volunteer program. If you are able to share your time and would like to be involved please speak to your child’s classroom teacher.

Please note that only those parents with verified Police Checks may go on class trips or volunteer in the classroom.

CLUBS/ACTIVITIES

· Air Band

· Baseball (3 Pitch)

· Basketball

· Checkers

· Choir

· Cross Country

· Dance Club

· Environment Club

· Food Drives

· Intramurals

· Jump Rope for Heart

· Science Olympics

· Spelling Bee (Rockton Fair)

· Skipping Club

· Theme Days for McMaster Children’s Hospital

· Track & Field

The Millgrove Mustangs are very fortunate to have many skilled and dedicated teachers who give freely of their time for the students.

DRESS CODE

Students are required to wear clothing that is appropriate for school at all times. T‑Shirts with inappropriate “words or graphics etc.” are not allowed. In the hot weather “halter or tank tops” are not allowed. T-Shirts must reach the waistband of pants or skirts. Student cooperation in adhering to the Dress Code is expected.

INTERNET CONSENT

The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board has an Acceptable Use Agreement for the internet that will be explained to your son/daughter. The signatures of the student and parent/guardian on the form are mandatory before access is granted for use of the internet on the Board’s system.

Basic Guidelines are that students:

· May only use software that has been approved by the supervising teacher

· Must use teacher-approved user I.D.

· Will be responsible for any activity that occurs through this I.D.

· Will not post, publish, or display any inappropriate material (inflammatory, abusive, sexually oriented, threatening, racial, offensive, sexist, or illegal).

· Will not harm or destroy the data of any person or computer. (Parents will be notified and the financial costs assessed.)

MONTHLY NEWSLETTERS

Communication between “home and school” is vital to student success. Each month the school publishes a newsletter and calendar of events. Please read the newsletter to stay “informed” of the monthly “happenings” at Millgrove and post the calendar as a reference for your use.

Teachers also publish “monthly” newsletters to keep you informed about what is happening in your child’s classroom.

We encourage you to call the office or your child’s teacher if you have any questions regarding classroom programming.

PASSENGER CODE OF CONDUCT ON BUSES

Each student who is entitled to travel on the school bus will receive a Code of Conduct from the bus line during the summer. This form is also available on the Board’s website. This signed form must be returned to the school as soon as possible in September.

The purpose of the rules is to ensure everyone’s safety while traveling to and from school. The Education Act defines the bus as an extension of the classroom. As such, the Principal is responsible for maintaining an appropriate level of conduct and discipline for all riders.

Any students who want to go home on a different bus other than their assigned bus must bring a note from parents.

For “Birthday Parties etc.” please check with the driver of the bus ahead of time to make sure there is enough room on the bus for extra passengers.

Parents or guardians are requested to contact the Transportation Department with any questions or concerns with respect to the safe operation of the school bus.

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