Halloween is around the corner

October 31st (Halloween) is a day that many, but not all, children look forward to in Waterloo Region. In order to respect all cultural perspectives on this day we are inviting students and families to select from the following three options:

  • dress in every day school appropriate attire for the entire school day
  • dress in orange and black school appropriate attire for the entire school day
  • dress in a school appropriate Halloween costume for the morning on Monday October 31st at school.

While we want students to have fun, please use the following guidelines when choosing an appropriate costume for school. If your child is not comfortable wearing a costume they are welcome to wear black and orange for the day.

If possible, send your child to school in a spare/used/older costume in the event it becomes damaged. Students should be wearing the costume over their regular clothes as we will only be wearing costumes for the morning ONLY; many children are not comfortable being in a costume all day long. Please send a change of clothes for your child if necessary.

Your child will be attending class, participating in physical education, going outside for recess breaks, and eating their snacks / lunch in their costume – they need to be able to move comfortably.

  • All costumes should be school appropriate.
  • Costumes need to be culturally relevant and appropriate. It is not acceptable to dress up as a person from another cultural background for Halloween
  • Do not send any props (e.g. pitch forks, brooms, shovels, wands, etc.)
  • No fake blood, fake wounds, or scary/ gory costumes will be allowed.

If costumes are inappropriate, the student will be asked to change or will be sent home.

The only mask your child can wear is a usual COVID face covering. Please do not add any makeup to your child’s face while they are at school.

Please do not send in any treats to be shared with peers. This is consistent with our policy of not sharing any food while at school. Students will have plenty of opportunity to collect treats in the community on Halloween. Thank you to everyone for ensuring that school continues to be a positive and safe space for all members of our community. Let’s continue to do the right thing even when it isn’t the popular or preferred thing.

Your understanding and cooperation are genuinely appreciated.

We need your help!

Late Arrivals

Thank you so much for your efforts to have your child arrive to school on time each day. Late arrivals are highly disruptive to the classroom environment so we greatly appreciate every effort to have your child at the school by 9:10am each day to ensure a smooth start for all learners. Research shows that developing positive school attendance habits contributes to greater student achievement.

IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION:

  • all students who arrive to school after the 9:15am bell must report to the main doors of the school to be signed in
  • teachers submit attendance electronically and cannot change this once it is submitted; therefore, we make all changes through the main office to provide an accurate account of each student’s attendance
  • regardless of grade, or where the classroom is located, if a student is late to school they should enter through the main doors of the school where the morning supervisor will sign the student in and notify the teacher the student is coming to class late

PLEASE do everything possible to have your child arrive at school on time each day. We do appreciate that emergencies arise and there will be times that your child will be late due to unforeseen circumstances. In these instances, please have them dropped off at the main doors of the school. Thanks so much for your understanding and help to keep all our students safe upon arrival.

Parking Lots & Late Arrivals

We need your help to ease congestion at the beginning and the end of the day. The parking lot is not solely the school’s property, and therefore, we cannot shut down the parking lot. There are a lot of parents who are dropping off and picking up their children and we are thrilled that you are able to do this! However, we do need your help to make some of these procedures safer for your kids.

Please take notice of the following important reminders:

  • Parking lots are for staff only. This is not meant to inconvenience you but rather to ensure the safety of all our students, including your own children, throughout the entire school day.
  • Wherever possible, please have your child walk to and from school.
  • Please make sure that you are NOT parking in the school/ church parking spaces. This area is very busy and staff have the right to leave safely at the end of the day. Your children should also not be walking between moving vehicles.
  • PLEASE park safely in neighbouring areas around the school according to posted By-Law signs.  You may have to walk a little further, but THIS IS SAFER.
  • Please respect City of Kitchener bylaws when parking on side streets.
  • Do not drive through the parking areas to wait for and/ or pick up your children. This creates a very unsafe environment for many students.
  • Please be extremely careful when walking in the bus loading zone at any time during drop off or pick up. This role modelling is very important for our children.

We appreciate your cooperation as we navigate challenges around the most efficient and safe arrival and dismissal procedures at school. These requests come with one purpose: to keep YOUR children safe. Thank you so much for doing your part to begin and end the day in a positive manner for both staff and students.

We need your help!