Central Weekly Update – Monday, March 25 – 28, 2024

Central Families,

A reminder that there will be no school on Friday, March 29th or Monday, April 1st as this is the Easter Holiday weekend. We wish everyone an enjoyable and safe holiday weekend!  A reminder that Pizza orders are due by tomorrow, Monday, March 25 ($1.00 per slice – cheese only) and Pizza Day is Wednesday, March 27th this month. 

An important reminder to families to not enter the school unless you have buzzed the office. Do not enter the school while students or staff are using the door to come in from outside. For the safety of all students you must buzz and connect with the office before entering the school as we are a secure facility. Also please avoid picking students up early unless they have an appointment as this causes several disruptions within the school.

With the constant changes in weather, please have students dress accordingly, especially mittens and gloves and remind your child to wear their coats on colder days when outdoors as this has become a challenge for staff over the last few weeks with the changes in temperatures. Please ensure that students are picked up at the end of the day at 3:05 pm. There is supervision on the playground from 3:05-3:20 pm but students must be picked up by 3:20 at the latest as supervision ends at this time.  Thank you!

UPCOMING EVENTS AT CENTRAL

Monday, March 25th – Last day to order pizza ($1.oo per slice – cheese only – cash online or give exact amount to your child’s teacher

Wednesday, March 27th – Pizza Day ( no orders on this day )

Friday, March 29th – Good Friday Holiday – NO SCHOOL

Monday, April 1st – Easter Monday – NO SCHOOL 

Friday, April 5th – Last Day to order Popcorn ($2.oo per bag butter only) 

Monday, April 8ty – PA Day – NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS 

Friday, April 12th – POPCORN DAY 

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. As we have school buses that need to enter and exit the lot on a schedule so please do not block buses with your vehicles. We also 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). A reminder that there is 10 minute parking on Park St and parking on Bold St. as well.  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. 

Our play structure is now open to students during the school day.

Please remind students that they are not to climb up slides or jump from unsafe distances. We always have a staff supervisor at the Play Structure during Nutrition Breaks but students must be supervised by an adult before 8:30am and after 3:20 pm as there is no school staff supervisors before or after these times. Please ensure that you are supervising your child/ children closely and that if there is an issue you please ensure that the adult that is supervising the child or children deals directly with their own child or the child that they are responsible for and not other children. We ask that if there are issues or concerns before or after the times stated above please let the office know between 8:30-3:20pm and we will assist you with the proper process. Thank you.

A reminder that we are working hard on our WAIT strategy at Central and promoting positive and respectful behaviour with students (Walk away, Ask them to stop, Ignore or Tell an adult). Please support us by sharing these strategies with your children and reminding them to tell an adult if they are having an issue with another student at school. Please assist us by ensuring that you report the incident or issue to your child’s teacher as the teacher is always the first point of contact or contact the office and we will connect you with the appropriate staff member.  Please ensure that you have a method of ongoing communication with your child’s teacher. This can be through the agenda (be sure to check daily for important messages) , email or arranged phone calls. Thank you!

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. We are experiencing a high level of families arriving late and leaving early without using the Safe Arrival system and this is causing a lot of disruption to student learning and in the office and delays for families that are waiting for their children.  A reminder that we are unable to answer the door during announcements at 9am so please support us by having students at school by 8:45 am.   

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).

Kindergarten registration began on Monday, February 5th for the 2024-2025 school year. This can be done online at: https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/kindergarten/ or by contacting our office administrators at 905 522 9690. There is an HWDSB Child Information Form on this website that can also be competed (it is optional) to tell educators more about your child before they enter Kindergarten. Please be sure to let any family or friends that are in our school catchment know about the Kindergarten registration. Also if you require a language interpreter to support with this process or for any other reason please be sure to let the office know (905 522-9690) and we will book one for you. Information about Before and After Care at Central can be found at:  https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/kindergarten/childcare/  by calling Phone: 905.522.9922. Thank you!

Be sure to check our Lost & Found located just inside the entrance for any missing items. 

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. Thank you.

We do have supervision on the playground from 8:30-8:45am and again from 3:05-3:20pm. Please try to be on time for drop off as the office becomes very busy at this time and students arriving late are missing out on class instruction and interrupting lessons that have already started.  The school day ends at 3:05pm so please be sure to pick students up at this time. All Kindergarten students are dropped off and picked up in the Kindergarten area off of Park St.

A reminder that the our front gardens (along Hunter Street) will continue to be closed for Central students at this time.

We also ask that those driving to the school be mindful of the congestion in our parking lot. Our school buses must be able to enter and depart from the parking lot in a timely manner so please drop and leave as quickly and safely as possible.  We encourage walking where possible and if in the parking lot please park in a spot (not an accessible spot unless you have a permit) if you are escorting your child to the playground so that buses and those dropping and leaving can do so easily and safely.  Please be patient and avoid honking horns and driving around vehicles where possible for safety.  Thank you.

As per our school board Health & Safety policy we will need to practice a  number of lockdown, fire and bomb threat drills over the next few weeks so please let your child’s teacher know if there are any sensitivity issues or concerns and like our teachers and staff pleas discuss the importance of practicing these drills with your children to ease any anxiety or stress. Thank you.

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!

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.

We invite families to keep up with communications from HWDSB by subscribing to email updates on our website:   https://[email protected] . Check out the HWDSB Back-to-School page for general information about the start of school at: https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/back-to-school/ If you have school-specific questions, please reach out by calling us at 905 522-9690 or emailing us at [email protected].

Transportation If your child qualifies for transportation, please follow the steps listed to access your child(ren)’s information via the online portal. Please keep in mind that last minute changes sometimes do occur and that it is important to re-check the information prior to sending your child(ren) to their assigned pickup location on Wednesday, September 6, 2022. Go to: ww.hamiltonschoolbus.ca and click on the “Parent’s Portal” on the Home page, OR “Bus Stop Finder” on the landing page. Learn more here: https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/blog/new-student-transportation-portal/

School-wide concerns can be addressed by the principal. Addressing a Concern : click here – Addressing-Concerns-HWDSB . Please be sure to request an interpreter through the school if you require one. Our staff will happily assist you with ensuring that you are able to effectively communicate with the school at all times.

Please be sure to subscribe to our school website for update and notifications. You will automatically receive emails though our school messenger account if you have provided our office staff with your email address. Please be sure to keep updated by checking your emails for messages from the school.  For assistance using the parent portal or the website please contact our school office at 905 522-9690.

Yours sincerely,

Mr. G. Carey – Principal, Central Elementary