Parent Handbook

Agendas

Our grades one to eight students use Premier Agendas to track their homework, provide a vehicle for home/school information sharing, and allow students to assume continued responsibility for their school work and activities. The use of agendas and personal goal-setting is supported by the Ontario Curriculum. This year, agendas cost $9.00. *Please note: as expenses go up, so does the cost of this valuable item.

Alergy Alert

Dufferin School is a Peanut-free School. For this reason, students cannot bring any snacks or lunches which may contain peanuts or nuts. Please read labels carefully.

Attendance / Lates

Students who attend school regularly, with few lates, are more successful in school and feel more involved in their school activities. Please ensure that you have informed the school if your child is absent, or will be late in arriving due to an appointment or other reason. (Our answering machine is on at all times if you wish to call after hours or early in the morning). In addition, for bus students, it is critical that the bus company be informed so that the driver is not expecting your son or daughter at their stop. Students arriving late must report to the office to get their hand stamped (we continue to try to save paper!!) so that their teacher is aware they have been admitted. Because we have over 200 primary students alone, Madame Atkins spends a considerable amount of time in her morning attempting to make a contact regarding absences. Your cooperation in following this procedure would make her day much easier AND put a smile on her face!! Thanks.

Character Education Programme

Our Character Education Programming at École Dufferin includes the Virtues Project, TRIBES, Roots of Empathy, and Five Simple Rules. We know that you believe with us that it is important to treat everyone (students, staff, parents, and visitors) with respect, honour and celebrate individuality, promote problem solving skills, and work towards reducing / eliminating bullying and hands-on behaviours.

Roots of Empathy is a program where students learn about the developmental stages of an infant, using the baby to observe, discuss monthly growth, physically, emotionally, and intellectually. As a result, students learn to empathize & understand individuals. Long-term studies have shown students who participate in this program demonstrate better parenting skills as well!

CODE OF CONDUCT ~ École Dufferin

Contacting Your Child's Teacher

 We are fortunate in our board to have Voice Mail installed in our phone system. All staff members have their own, confidential password which they can access when free, throughout the day. Unless you need to speak directly to a staff member, or relay information of an emergency nature, please leave messages on our voice mail system. You may leave a message for your child’s teacher directly on their voice mail, ensuring that the details are accurate (because you are leaving them!), and messages of a confidential / private kind can be left without the “middle man”. This allows us to be more efficient, accurate, and to reduce the amount of paper we seem to produce.

Hint: Leave a return phone number twice and speak SLOWLY.

From time to time, phone glitches happen. If you get cut off, please call us back.

Dress Code:

Dressing appropriately includes no hats inside the building; no t-shirts with

inappropriate slogans &  covered midriffs. In addition, as we are

participating in Daily  Physical Education (DPA), students must have the

appropriate dress to participate, as detailed in your child’s class newsletter,

and / or  team or club information letters.

Epipen Procedure at École Dufferin - 2009 - 10

 Rationale:

While no one wants a student to experience any difficulty as a result of an allergic reaction, and go into anaphylactic shock, the reality is that with the increased numbers of students at École Dufferin who may require an epipen, this possibility is very real. Storing pens in any location that cannot be reached in a timely, life-saving way by staff supervising students continues to be a concern for us all. The chances of not being able to access a pen becomes greater as our students play outside, go for DPA, or physical education, all areas far from the office. We believe that our students, with some assistance and home encouragement and support, are more than responsible enough to wear their pens in case an emergency does arise.  While we can appreciate the expense of a student losing his/her pen, we feel our students’ safety far outweighs the potential costs.

Student & Community Awareness:

Posters, DVDs and epipen trainers are used in classrooms as a teaching tool to “demystify” the use of epipens, NOT to train students in their use. By explaining what the epipens are used for, students who are wearing their epipens will not be met with  difficult-to-answer questions. Instead, we expect that our students will be aware of the emergency use of the pens, be empathetic to any who might be wearing a pen, and will also be more conscious of the need to get immediate help, should a student have any problem.

Students

Students are asked to carry their epipens on their person, whether in a pouch, purse, or necklace-carrier. 

Class Trips / Outings:

We will remind students if possible but it will be the responsibility of students and their   parents to ensure that they are wearing their epipens for outings.

 2009/10 Kindergarten Registration

If your child will be 4 this year, you may enrol him or her in Junior Kindergarten. If your child will be 5 this year, you may enrol him or her in Senior Kindergarten. Grand Erie Kindergarten is a half-time program. Please contact your school for scheduling information.

Look for more information about Kindergarten on the Home Page under Kindergarten Information Night

Medical Forms

If your child may require emergency medical attention, needs to take medication, or has a medical condition of which we need to be aware, you will need to complete a medical form upon registration. These forms are updated yearly and must be signed by a medical practitioner.

Milk Program

M. Yelle's Grade 7/8 Class will offer Dufferin students the opportunity to order milk. Profits help offset the Grade 8 Graduation costs. Order forms for the second milk period have gone home in December for Jan-Apr. If you have any questions concerning the Milk Program please address them to M. Yelle.

Parking

Parking at any elementary school seems always to be an issue. Older schools and older neighbourhoods seem to find it particularly difficult. We are no exception. Staff vehicles park in the lot and parents are asked to follow city ordinance bi-laws and park ONLY in designated spots. Be particularly mindful of across the street from the school entrance on Chestnut, and the bus drop-off and pick-ups on Edwin. You are also reminded that we are part of a "No Idling" Initiative, supported by GEDSB, Brant Health Unit, and the municipality. See January's newsletter for more information.

Security System

Ecole Dufferin is a secure building, with controlled access through the front doors on Chestnut. We use video cameras to ensure that people entering our building have a valid purpose. When you arrive at the front door, please buzz for admission. Please be patient! The ONE person who mans the door may be dealing with another situation temporarily.

Snack Program

Our Snack Program operates twice weekly, supported by Brant Food for Thought funding, our school funds, and generous time donated by our parent volunteers! (Robyn can always use more helpers) All of our students have access to healthy snacks and are encouraged to "try something new".

Transportation

Busing is provided through the GESDB to all students who qualify.

Dufferin has over 300 students dismissing daily and 7 buses. Each student is listed on a bus list, supervised by a staff member at dismissal. If students are absent, remaining for a school activity, or other pick-up arrangements have been made, that information is noted on the list. As students arrive at their designated bus area and line up, they are ticked off the list. Parents should meet their child at the designated drop-off & should be there before the bus arrival. Drivers are instructed to keep KP students on the bus if no one is there for pick-up. (They wait for 3 minutes only in order to keep with their schedule. KP students are returned to the school & parents will need to come to the school to pick them up.

YOUR cooperation and support is needed. If you decide at the last minute that you will be picking up your child, you MUST speak to the supervising teacher so that we can make sure students are in safe hands. As I am sure you can appreciate, student dismissal is our dismissal too. It becomes quite problematic to contact supervising staff to check the whereabouts of a student, once staff are heading home. Keeping routines the same as much as possible makes for greater safety overall.

Please note: The School AND the bus provider of your route must be informed of any address changes or changes to drop-off / pick-up. As I am sure you can appreciate, these changes cannot be made instantly.

Bus Reports: Bus reports are issued by the driver and sent home for signature. Students are expected to follow the expectations for behaviour and will be suspended from the bus for repeated offences.