Central Welcome Back Memo – Sept 5-8, 2023

Central Families.

Welcome to the 2030-2024 school year at Central Elementary School ! We look forward to seeing our returning students and meeting those new to Central! Our first day of classes is on Wednesday, September 6th as Tuesday is a PA day for staff only.  Students may enter the playground at 8:30 am from Bay St or Park St and proceed to the yard as we do have supervision from 8:30-8:45 am daily on the playground.  Teachers will be in the yard with signs indicating who they are and what class so that students can locate their teacher.  Staff will be available to help find student’s teachers for those that are not sure.  New to Kindergarten families will attend their school visits on Wednesday, Sept 6 as scheduled by their child’s teacher. If your child is new to Kindergarten and you have not been contacted by a teacher please contact the office at 905 522-9690 to arrange a visit for Wednesday.  All Kindergarten students (Year 1 and Year 2) will attend on Thursday, Sept 7th and will drop students off in the Kindergarten area along Park Street. Pick up time for all students is 3:05pm and there will be supervision on the playground for 15 minutes only after the dismissal bell. 

There have been some wonderful renovations happening over the summer and the school looks wonderful! The playground and our main hallway and stairwells are complete however,  gym is still under construction and the anticipated completion date is some time in October. This will mean that students will be participating in Physical Education classes outdoors on our newly renovated playground until the gym is done. Please be mindful of the construction zone around the gymnasium as there will be no access to the gym and there will be some construction staff and vehicles in the area around the gym completing the job. We will ensure the safety of all by blocking off these construction zones and not permitting any access to students at this time.  We appreciate your patience and understanding as this project continues and I will keep you updated as things progress.

A reminder that a weekly memo will be emailed to all families and posted on our school website (click to access –  https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/central/) each Sunday evening and will include the events for that week and upcoming events so please be sure to review each week. Be sure to click on “Subscribe” under the school photo on the far right to receive notifications and updates for Central. Thank you.

If your child has any medical, health, allergies, medications, conditions, food restrictions etc., or if there are court orders (custody/guardianship that we need to know about please be sure to inform the teacher as soon as possible as we must complete the necessary forms for our records and for the child’s safety.  Please be sure to update our school office at 905 522 9690 and your child’s teacher if any of your contact information (phone numbers, emails or addresses) has changed or if you would like to add a contact to your emergency pick up list.  This way we can ensure the safety and supervision  of all of our students. Given that the next few days are going to be very hot please send water bottles, hats, apply sunscreen at home each day and ensure students are wearing appropriate clothing for the weather. Thank you. 

Central Upcoming Events

Tuesday, September 5 th – PA Day – NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS

Wednesday, September 6h – All Grade 1-5 students start school at 8:45am   – Visits with new to Kindergarten students take place throughout the day – no school for Year 2 or SK students

Thursday, September 7th – All Kindergarten students will start at 8:45 am and can be dropped off in the Kindergarten area along Park Street.

Please support us to ensure the safety of all by exercising caution in our parking lot which becomes a very busy area during arrival and departure (especially with the amount of snow recently) . 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 where the entry is at the fence near the front door and then exit as soon as possible).

Please drive in to the school 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 off /pick up students, make sure that they get to the playground at entry and 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.

An important safety reminder to families that we have a crossing guard at Bay and Bold Street every morning and afternoon. Please cross where the crossing guard is for everyone’s safety. Thank you!

Although we appreciate families sending foods in for celebrations/ class parties please ensure that you check with your child’s teacher well in advance before sending in with your child. We have several allergies, food restrictions and food guidelines that must be followed  (no homemade goods – all items must  be in the store purchased package and nut free). Food not permitted will be returned to the parent. We ask that teachers inform families about snack, sweet goods, food items being sent in and that if you would not like your child to eat them you respond to the teacher. Any foods sent in that contains ingredients causing allergies will be returned to you. Thank you.

Please be advised that the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board communications department will send messages directly to families if the weather results in schools closing early and students needing to be picked up.

A reminder that if you need to come to the school please be sure to ring the door bell at the entrance and the office staff will assist you. We ask that parents not enter the building without informing the office. Students and staff have been informed that they are not to allow anyone to enter and as our students from the portables come and go through this entrance we want to ensure  the safety of all and secure access to the school at all times.

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).

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.

The office has become very busy at the end of the day with last minute requests to pick up students early. This requires a lot of interruptions to classes and is demanding on the 2 of us in the office taking us away from our other responsibilities. We ask that families avoid picking up students early unless it is absolutely  necessary or you have entered properly in the safe school arrival app or phone system and informed teachers so that students can be sent to the office to wait for pick up. 

Thank you to 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. 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. A reminder that students are to be picked up at 3:05. We do have supervision on the playground until 3:20pm but please be sure to make arrangements to have your children picked up by this time.

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.

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, Principal – Central Elementary School