Central Weekly Update – Nov 21-25, 2022

Central families,

Schools will be OPEN for in-person learning tomorrow, Monday, November 21, 2022. All child care, extra-curricular activities, and rental permits at HWDSB will continue to operate as normal.  Thank you for your patience throughout this time of uncertainty. It has been a difficult situation for students, families, staff and community partners.

A reminder that this Friday, November 25 is a PA day and there is no school for students.

Progress reports went home last Friday. Please make sure to check backpacks and agendas for these and if you did not receive the progress report or if your child was absent be sure to let your child’s teacher know or contact the office at 905 522 9690. If there are any questions or concerns about your child’s progress report please connect with your child’s teacher either by email, calling the office at 905 522 9690 or setting up appointments to discuss any concerns you have. Thank you.

A reminder that this Friday, November 25 is a PA day and there is no school for students.

Our school council meeting will take place next Tuesday, November 29 at 6:30 pm both virtually and in person.  A link will be emailed out to all families next week. Please join us if you are free!

Please be mindful of the ice and snow on the school grounds. We do our best to clear all walkways and entrances but there are often flash freezes that occur unexpectedly and areas that freeze over. Please let the office know if there are areas that need to be cleared or sanded. The sidewalks surrounding the school must be cleared by the City Of Hamilton so if there are any concerns about sidewalks please call 905 546 2489  Thank you!

Central Upcoming Events

Fri Nov 25 – PA Day – no school for students

Tues Nov 29 – School Council meeting 6:30 pm

Wed Dec 7 – Bulldogs Day Game – 10:30 am (certain classes only)

Fri Dec 9 – Photo retake day

Thu Dec 22 – Winter Concert for families (in the afternoon during the school day – stay tuned for the time)

A reminder as the weather turns colder to ensure students dress appropriately for the weather and I encourage families to label all clothing to make it easier to retrieve if lost or misplaced. Thank you. 

Please support us to ensure student safety by exercising caution in our parking lot which becomes a very busy area during arrival and departure. As we have families that need to park in our Accessible Parking spots to drop off students please be sure to not park in these designated parking spots and do not block other vehicles in. If you are dropping off or picking up students please do not block the driveway (either park in a spot or drop off and then exit as soon as possible. Please drive in from Bay St. and make an immediate right turn and follow a circle around the parking lot as it is one way traffic only. Drop/pick up students, make sure that they get to the playground/to your vehicle safely and then circle around the parking lot to exit on Bay St..  Please avoid backing up as this creates a lot of congestion and can be unsafe as many students enter the school through the Bay St entrance. Dismissal is at 3:05pm so please be sure to be at the school to pick up your child or children on time. The alternate is to park on Park St. as there is a 10min drop off zone.

Please be sure to check your child’s backpack and agenda  for important letters regarding school events, field trips, documents needed etc..  Also look daily for memos sent home and read emails sent to you from the school to keep updated. Register on our school website at www.hwdsb.on.ca/central/ to ensure that you stay up-to-date and aware of upcoming events.

Our school day begins at 8:45 am and our staff are supervising their students at this time and do need to get in to their classrooms to start teaching. Those arriving late must check in at the entrance and report to the office. Please contact the school using SafeArrival   (click for more details)to report student absences or if you need to pick up your child from school early for an appointment

1. Go to the website go.schoolmessenger.ca or
2. Call the toll-free, interactive telephone system at 1-844-506-4350.
3. Download and install the free SchoolMessenger app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store (or from the links at go.schoolmessenger.ca).

If you require assistance accessing the SafeArrival app please contact the school at 905 522-9690. The office becomes very busy at the end of the day so it is challenging  to release students before the dismissal bell unless you have entered the dismissal in Safe Arrival or informed the teacher.  Thank you our office staff for their ongoing support with monitoring student attendance and calling families to ensure the safety of all of our students on a daily basis. This is a big job and takes up a lot of time in the morning and at the end of the day with last minute requests from parents to dismiss students just before dismissal so please assist us by using the Safe Arrival app or phone number to report absences. Contact the school if you require support with this.

Please continue to have regular communication with your child’s teacher either by email, calling the office at 905 522 9690 or setting up appointments to discuss any concerns you have. Thank you.

We have supervision on the playground from 8:30am until entry at 8:45am and then again at the end of the day from 3:05 until 3:20pm. Please be sure to pick up your child from the playground at the end of the day. Students not picked up at 3:05 pm will gather in the yellow box by the entrance off the parking lot. If not picked up by 3:20pm students will be escorted to the office where phone calls will be made to alert parents that their child has not been picked up. NOTE: SUPERVISION IS NOT PROVIDED ON THE PLAY STRUCTRE BEFORE 8;45AM AND AFTER 3:05 PM. Parents/guardians are responsible for supervision on the play structure before and after the bell 

Students in grades 4 or 5 that have permission to walk home must have a letter signed by their parent/guardian indicating that they are able to walk home.

We also invite families to keep up with communications from HWDSB by subscribing to email updates by going to our school website at [email protected] or following HWDSB on social media. Please reach out to our school at 905 522-9690 if you have any questions.

Just a few reminders:

Addressing a Concern

Students and families with classroom concerns are encouraged to contact their student’s classroom teacher. School-wide concerns can be addressed by the principal. Addressing a Concern (PDF).

Sincerely,

Mr. G. Carey