Parking Lot Safety Reminder

Thank you for your support in helping to keep Rousseau a safe school. As indicated on the “Procedures” page of our school website, Rousseau has the safety protocols listed below are in place to support student safety. Thank you in particular for your support of our parking and entry protocols. Please contact the school if you have any questions:

Rousseau Safety Protocols

At HWDSB schools the safety, well-being and supervision of students is an absolute priority.

These safety protocols include:

• Closely monitoring when students leave the classroom
• Meeting students outside to bring them inside for morning entry (Kindergarten classes and Primary wing)
• Greeting students in the hallway during morning entry (Junior Wing)
• Using a whistle at the conclusion of outdoor learning time and taking attendance while outside
• Using walkie-talkies or other devices to communicate with the office when outside
• Using additional measures for students who require support to make safe choices

Additional message for Kindergarten classes:

• Classroom doors are closed when there is only one educator in the room
• When outside or in a room without a washroom, students leave and return to the classroom in pairs
• Staff will use a system to track the amount of time students are out of the room (ipad, egg timer, etc.)
• Outdoor learning space boundaries are clearly identified with students and frequently reviewed
• Making safe choices are frequently modelled and discussed
• Ongoing communication with home about safety will continue to happen

Parking:

• Compliance with parking protocols supports student safety. The number of parking spots for Rousseau is in compliance with HWDSB Facilities Management guidelines.
• Parking protocol reminders will be sent to the community twice per school year.
• Parking within the fenced area is for staff only.
• Reversing into parking spaces is expected for safety reasons.
• Visitors must park in designated spaces only. Parking outside of these areas (i.e in the bus lane, in the drop-off lane, in unmarked spaces poses a safety risk for our students).
• Students and visitors are expected to walk on the paths outside the parking lot.
• Additional parking is available on Tuscarora Drive and on Cayuga Avenue. Please do not block driveways.
• Improperly parked cars could be ticketed.

Attendance:

• In compliance with the HWDSB Arrival Check policy, Rousseau School takes attendance twice per day.
• Thank you to families for providing the school with a reason for absence when their child is away.
• Students who arrive late, will be buzzed in through the front door of the school and will come to the office to sign in. They will be given an admission slip to give to their classroom teacher.
• Doors to the school are locked after entry. Visitors will enter through the front doors. Parents and Guardians should not accompany students into the school during morning entry.

Families can support our students’ learning about safety by frequently discussing choices that are made at home and reviewing what is happening at school.

Please feel free to contact the school with any questions or concerns. Thank you for your support in keeping our students safe.

Rousseau is a peanut safe school.

Rousseau is a peanut safe school.  We try to ensure there are no foods containing peanuts or nuts to avoid situations where they may come in contact with students with a life-threatening allergy.

When visiting Rousseau …

Thank you for helping us to keep our students safe. Visitors to our school are asked to please enter through the front door by pressing the buzzer to gain entry and then report immediately to the office. If you are bringing your child to school we ask that you please say your “goodbyes” on the playground and allow students to enter independently with their classes. Please do not enter through the primary or junior doors.

When you are running late, please come in through the front door and bring your child to the office to sign in. You will be asked to say goodbye to your child at this time. Then your child will be given a late slip and they will go to their classroom independently. If your child is in Kindergarten, you will be asked to bring your child to your child’s teacher on your way out.

If you are picking up your child early, please attach a (sticky) note to your child’s agenda so that it can be transferred to the class attendance to inform the office. When you arrive to pick up your child, please report directly to the office. Your child will be called down and you can sign out your child.

Thank you for helping your child to check that they have everything they need before leaving home to come to school. In the event that you need to drop something off, please report directly to the office and leave the item there. Your child will be called down at an appropriate time (so that we minimize interruptions to instruction) to pick up the item.

Parking Lot and School Entry

Thank you for parking outside the fenced staff parking area when bringing your children to school and when picking them up. Reversing into parking spaces is expected for safety reasons. Please give priority to buses and be aware that Bylaw Officers can enforce the “NO STOPPING” signage. The designated “entry” and “exit” locations allow for consistent and safe traffic flow. Thank you for only parking in the marked spots and not in the “entry” and “exit” areas. Since the staff parking lot is entirely fenced in, students should not be walking through this area. When dropping off students, please stop in the drop-off area only and not in the bus parking zone. Dropping off students means that students are walking by themselves to the playground and vehicles are not left unattended. Overflow parking is available on Tuscarora Drive with access to our playground through an easement directly south of the school. There is also parking on Cayuga Avenue that can be accessed by walking along the trail directly north of the school. Thank you for helping keep our students safe.

Winter Safety Guidelines

When snow and ice arrive, students are reminded about our winter safety guidelines:

1. We never throw or kick snow or ice.
2. We stay off of the ice as much as possible so we don’t slip and fall.
3. We invite others to help us build and play with snow.
4. We never break something other people have built but we can break what we have built.

Attendance & Notes

Please call the school if your child will not be in attendance or will be arriving late.  If your child is leaving early or is going out for lunch when they normally stay at school, we must have a note.  When your child returns to school after an appointment, they must come to the office for an admit slip.