September 2023 Information

August 28th, 2023

Dear Eastdale families,

We are excited to welcome students back to classes with the hopes that everyone had a relaxing and rejuvenating summer break! We know that beginning another school year holds questions and maybe some anxiety around change and what is to come in the days ahead. Please know, that we will do our best to make sure that students feel comfortable and supported as classes begin this September.

We appreciate that families may have a lot of questions as they prepare to send their children back to classes and we are committed to sharing updates as we receive new information. We invite our families to keep up with communications from HWDSB by subscribing to email updates or following @hwdsb on social media or Eastdale’s school website [email protected] or on our Twitter account@EastdaleES or calling the school 905-549-0001 . You can also connect with your child’s teacher with any questions by email. Teachers will share their email with you the first week of September. Many teachers also have classroom blogs that parents will be able to view to stay informed around their child’s expectations and classroom events.

The first day of school will be Wednesday, September 6th. We know that the return to school can be an anxious time for some children and their parents. Outlined below are some routines for the first day and the rest of the school year. Please reach out to the office if you have any questions. The first few days are extremely busy registering any new students but we will return your call or email as soon as we can. Thank you in advance for your patience!

Welcome to new Eastdale staff!

Mr. Martin Anevich is an addition to our Administrative Staff this year. He is a 0.5 VP at Eastdale and a 0.5 VP at South Meadow. Mrs. Gervais and I look forward to working with Mr. Anevich as we increase our administrative team!

Mrs. K. Stansia is also joining the Office Staff every afternoon. She will be working closely with Mrs. Basilio and Mrs. Arsenault supporting our school community!

Mme C. Laroche Intermediate Core French 0.5 PM
Mrs. C. Blunsdon 1.0 Reading Specialist

Mrs. L. Pattenden DECE with Mrs. Vinall
Mrs. M. DaSilva DECE with Mrs. McDonald/Mrs. Sladin

Mrs. M. Youssef LTO for Mrs. Hackenberg grade 3/4
Mrs. B. Nethercot LTO for Mrs. Toth grade 5
Mlle A. Warrener LTO for Mr. Romero grade 7/8 FI
Mr. W. Everitt 0.6 LTO for Mme Mazarese Core French/FDK
Mrs. R. Martin is an 0.5 LTO EA for Mrs. Thompson

There are also some changes in grades for some Eastdale staff:

Mrs. Zister is teaching grade 1/2
Mr. Dicenzo is teaching grade 8
Mr. Tritton is teaching intermediate instrumental music and Core English
Mme Zambakkides is teaching grade 4/5 FI

The complete list of staff is found on the Eastdale website. Our numbers of students continue to be high, so there may be a possibility of a reorganization of classes in the fall. There is another portable coming, to be counted as number 11. This portable will not be ready for the first day so we are making due with the available spaces at the school. I will update the school community once I know more about reorganization in the coming weeks ahead.

Here are some important points for families to remember as students prepare for the start of the school year.

Tuesday September 5th PA day for staff. NO students attend school this day.

First Day Wednesday September 6th
Beginning at 9:00 AM students in grades 2-8 will be able to enter the school to find their classroom. There will be teacher names and room numbers posted on the doors and windows of the school. Students will be able to find their teacher’s name through the web portal or from a staff member located on the back playground with class lists. Once the students have found their classroom, we ask that they stay in the room and do not wander. This will help us with getting everyone organized in a timely manner.

If your child is in grade 1 English or French Immersion and grade 1/2 English, please go to the gym to find your child’s teacher. You can enter the gym, through the back doors, from the back playground NOT through the main door of the school.

If you are registering your child/ren as new enrollments to Eastdale, please go to the main office as they will not have a class assigned.

We ask that parents do not stay once they have dropped their child/ren off. This will help staff with managing students and moving traffic through the survey. We also ask that parents DO NOT park in our neighbours driveways or block their driveways. We need to be respectful of our surrounding community.

School hours are 9:15 AM and dismissal is at 3:35 PM.

Entry after first day
At 9:00 am there will be teachers on the back playground supervising students as they arrive. The students will be expected to wait outside until the 9:15 am bell. Once the bell rings, the doors will open and students will be able to move to their classrooms. If your child is late after the 9:15 am bell then they will have to enter by the office and given a late slip. Being on time, gives each student a calm start to their day. Many students thrive on this feeling, knowing that they haven’t missed anything important at the beginning of the day. Being on time, is an important goal to have for every family!

Exit
At the end of the day at 3:35 pm, parents are welcome to enter the playground and wait on the blacktop. Students Gr.1- 8 will be dismissed to parents from their outdoor designated class location. Upon dismissal, students must leave school property in a timely fashion. Parents if your child is in a portable, please do not wait or knock on the portable door to get them. Teachers will dismiss the students to the back playground at the bell. Thank you!

Kindergarten students
JK Visits are being held on Wednesday September 6th and ALL kindergarten students (including SK’s) come to school for the full day on Thursday September 7th.

The Eastdale parking lot is for staff parking only.
Parents CANNOT park or drive through to drop off or pick up students. Please park on a side street and walk your child(ren) to the playground. The pylons are there as a reminder of this safety request. As well, DO NOT block or park in our neighbours driveways. Be mindful of all the safety rules to keep everyone safe, as the school area is very busy with children, parents, buses and cars.

Buses
School buses will load and unload at the front of the school on Lincoln Rd. Students riding the bus will have a designated area to line up and wait in the school gym at dismissal. Older students will be seated towards the back of the bus and the younger students will be seated nearer to the front of the bus. If buses are late, follow the Eastdale twitter account @EastdaleES as updates will be provided for parents on this site or on the HWTS site.
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Courtesy Transportation will not start until the end of October. Parents can apply for courtesy transportation but there are no guarantees that there will be a seat. It will depend on how many eligible riders there are and then how many available spots left. Consideration will go to younger students first.

Sincerely,
Richelle Bratuz

Principal