PARENT HANDBOOK

Lochearn Elementary School

Wild Rose Public Schools 5416 54th Street Rocky Mountain House, AB T4T 1S6

Mrs. Danielle Spencer

Principal

Mrs. Colleen Sinclair

Vice-Principal

Telephone:

403.845.3721

Safe Phone:

403.845.4068

Fax:

403.845.9685

Email:

lochearn@wrsd.ca

Website:

http://lochearnschool.blogspot.com/

Twitter:

Twitter @ lochearnschool

QR (Quick Response) Code:

Message from the Principals desk . . . On behalf of the entire staff, I extend a warm welcome back to our returning families. For those of you who are new to Lochearn Elementary, I wish you a special welcome to your new school. I hope that you will soon feel that you are an important part of the Lochearn School Community. We are all very excited about beginning another school year at Lochearn. We plan to continue with many of the wonderful programs of the past and eagerly anticipate bringing new activities to our school program. We look forward to getting to know your children, to connecting with each of you, and hope you take an active role in the school. There is no debate about the fact that family involvement in schools boosts student achievement. Families and parents can support their childrens schooling by volunteering, attending school functions, and being aware of classroom activities. They can become more involved by helping their children improve their schoolwork through encouragement, modeling desired behavior (such as reading for pleasure), monitoring and helping with homework, and tutoring at home. When the family is involved in their childrens school, children benefit, schools benefit, and families benefit. We wish both you and your children a very productive and enriching year at Lochearn! Sincerely, Danielle Spencer, Principal
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MOTTO Learning Together We Excel

MISSION Together we develop learning to achieve each students fullest potential.

VISION Lochearn School is a respectful environment with a high standard of learning that is developed through collaboration and through student confidence in learning.

WE VALUE a respectful environment that encourages risk taking and recognition of individual differences inquiry based learning instruction that is focused and outcome based assessment for learning that demonstrates student awareness and responsibility professionalism and excellence through team collaboration and growth opportunities

At Lochearn School we follow a Balanced School day. Students have two breaks to play and to have lunch. With the two eating times, you may want to consider packing your childs lunch differently.

Balanced School Day Monday to Friday Bell Schedule

Please note there is NO outdoor supervision before 8:30 a.m. on school days. Children must not be dropped off before 8:30 a.m.

Enter School Learning Time 1st Break (recess) 1st Break (lunch) Learning Time 2nd Break (recess) 2nd Break (lunch) Learning Time

8:49 8:59 10:43 10:43 11:04 11:04 11:19 11:19 1:07 1:07 1:29 1:29 1:44 1:44 3:33 (Dismissal)

Important dates to mark on your calendar. . . September, 2011 1st First Day for Students th 5 Statutory Holiday 23rd Teacher/CAAMSE PD Day October, 2011 7th No School 10th Statutory Holiday 28th Teacher PD Day November, 2011 4th 9th 10th 11th 17th 22nd Teacher PD Day Portfolios go home No School (In lieu of P/T Interviews) Statutory Holiday Interviews (4:30 7:30 pm) Interviews (4:30 7:30 pm) March, 2012 2nd Teacher/CAAMSE PD Day th 9 Portfolios go home 15th Interviews (4:30 7:30 pm) 20th Interviews (4:30 7:30 pm) 23rd No School (In lieu of P/T Interviews) 26th Spring Break Starts WRPS Speech Contest April, 2012 2nd School Resumes 6th 9th 20th Statutory Holiday Statutory Holiday Teacher PD Day

December, 2011 2nd Teacher PD Day th 20 Christmas Concert Dress Rehearsal 22nd Christmas Concert at noon (K-2 parents) 23rd Christmas Concert at noon (3-5 parents) 23rd Last Day of Classes January, 2012 9th School Resumes 30th Teacher/CAAMSE PD Day February, 2012 9-10th Teachers Convention 17th Teacher PD Day 20th Statutory Holiday Grade 4 & 5 Speech Classroom work

May, 2012 4th Teacher PD Day th 15 Grade 3 PAT (LA, Part A, 9:00 10:10 am) 18th 21st No School Statutory Holiday

June, 2012 1st Teacher PD Day th 12 Grade 3 PAT (LA, Part B, 9:00 10:00 am) 14th Grade 3 PAT (Math, 9:00 10:00 am) 22nd Portfolios go home 26th Portfolios to be returned 28th Last Day of Classes 29th Teacher PD Day

Attendance / Safe Phone Regular attendance is of the utmost importance for your child. Illness, medical and/or dental appointments, religious holidays and family emergencies are excusable reasons for absence. If your child will be absent or late, please contact the school that day via the Safe Phone line at 403.845.4068 by 9:00 am. Please indicate your childs name, class, date, and reason for absence. Students who miss an unreasonable amount of school time place their academic success in jeopardy. The school will notify parents by letter whenever a students attendance becomes a concern. Wild Rose Public Schools employs an Attendance Officer who investigates any unreasonable amounts of absenteeism, at the request of the school. Reporting to the Office Parents/Guardians of all students are asked to report to the office immediately upon entering the school. If you are picking up your child from school during the day, you must sign him/her out using the sign out book on the front counter in the office. If you return your child to school during that day, please sign your child back in. Child Access/Custody In situations where parents are separated or divorced the school MUST, by law, provide access to the child and the childs records to either parent, unless there is a current Court Order on file stating otherwise. If there is a
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custody concern in your family, please ensure that the school has a copy of any Court Order in effect. Students will not be released to anyone other than parents/legal guardians (i.e. friends, neighbors, grandparents, or siblings) during school hours without prior parental/guardian permission. Permission should be given in writing when possible. When not possible, permission by telephone will be acceptable. Safe and Caring School At Lochearn School we participate in the following programs to ensure a safe and caring environment:

Locky Door Seven Habits for Being Green supervisors wearing orange vests supervisors outside at the north end,

south end, playground, crosswalk, and bus lane

adults in our building model respect and

caring ways Locky Door is located at the back of the school by the office. Students are encouraged to use this door during recesses or before school if they are hurt or if they need assistance and are unable to find the outside supervising teacher. If students need to use the washroom, or retrieve something from their classroom, they are to go to Locky table located inside Locky Door where they will get a hallway pass and be signed in before they leave Locky table.

Accident / Illness In the event of an accident, the school office will immediately endeavor to contact a parent/guardian by telephone to ascertain his/her wishes in respect to medical attention for their child. If a parent/guardian cannot be contacted, the school will get help from the emergency contacts on file, the emergency department of the nearest hospital or the emergency medical service (ambulance). When students are ill:

specify the time(s) at which such medication should be administered

specify the exact dosage and method of

administration storage instructions (security, refrigeration, etc.)

specify duration of treatment outline procedure to be followed in case instructions on the use of an Epi-pen (or

of adverse reaction

similar) Peanut Allergies We have students at Lochearn School who are severely allergic to peanut products. Please help keep these children safe by avoiding lunch or snack items, such as peanuts or peanut butter Communication Watch for our school newsletter, on the back of our monthly school calendar. The newsletter/calendar will be published together, once a month, and distributed during the last week of each month. Also look for it on the web page. If the need arises, there will be separate memorandums that will be distributed during the month. We will also communicate through the following means (full contact information on the front page): Web Site, Twitter, QR Code

Good Health is necessary for learning.

Please do not send your child to school if they are ill.

If your child becomes ill during the day

we will contact parents or the emergency contact given to the school. Student Medication If your child requires that medication be administered at school, a Wild Rose Public School Permission/Request form must be completed and returned to the school office. Medication sent to the school must be in the original container dispensed by the pharmacist. Such requests for administering medication must:

be of a simplistic nature that a lay person

could successfully perform (i.e. teacher, teacher assistant, secretary) be in writing issued by a medical practitioner or pharmacist
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School Council / Friends of Lochearn All parents are invited to participate in Lochearn School Council/Friends of Lochearn. The first meeting for the 2011 2012 school year is Wednesday, September 7th, 2011. The following meetings are the first Wednesday of each month at 12:00 noon in the Art/Science room. Student Telephone Use Students may use the telephone in case of illness/injury or when they forget their lunch or some other item of importance. We do not allow students to use the telephone to make arrangements to play at a friends home after school, or for similar reasons. Parents should try to discuss arrangements for after school activities with their child before they leave home in the morning. We realize that sometimes emergencies arise and plans made in the morning must change. In such cases, messages will be given to students at the end of the day before dismissal. Students will not be called from class to the telephone, except in cases of extreme emergencies. Valuable learning time is lost if classes are interrupted. Two-Shoe Policy All students are expected to use two sets of footwear every day to help protect the floors. Outdoor shoes/boots MUST be worn to and from school and for outdoor activities. Indoor shoes are to be worn inside the building and for physical education. They should be non-marking and appropriate for Physical Education. They
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should only be worn outside during an emergency evacuation. With over 350 pairs of shoes, it is imperative that the owners name be clearly identified! Lockers Lockers are the property of Wild Rose Public Schools and school officials have the right to search the locker at any time. This includes the right to have other agencies, including the police, conduct such searches. These searches may occur without notice. Locks are not provided for lockers. Volunteers / Field Trips We encourage parents to volunteer in our school. Please look for the Parent Volunteer form coming home with your child in September. In case of an emergency, all volunteers are required to sign in and out at the school office. All volunteers, including parents/guardians, are required to provide a Criminal Record Check and an Intervention Record Check (Child Welfare), current within six months. Kindly contact the office for further information on obtaining these documents. Once complete, your checks are good for the entire time your child is enrolled at Lochearn School. Emergency Closures and Bus Transportation Announcements regarding the shutdown of the schools transportation system will be made on CHBW 94.5 FM, 98.9 Zed FM, Big 105.5 FM, and KG Country 95.5 FM. Information regarding transportation

system shutdowns due to weather may be obtained from the office of the Transportation Supervisor at 403.845.4255 or 1.866.445.4255 or from the Wild Rose Public School website (www.wrsd.ca). The school will remain open in the event the transportation system shuts down. We would ask parents to please use their own good judgment and care when deciding whether or not to send their children when weather conditions are extreme or when there is a danger of roads becoming blocked, especially for students in kindergarten, grade one and two. Although weather and road conditions can improve markedly during the day, Wild Rose public School Policy states that if a bus does not run in the morning, it will NOT run in the afternoon. Inclement Weather Students are expected to play outside during recesses and at recesses. On some days the weather may be such that this expectation will be altered. Symbols will be placed at the entrances and announcements will direct the student as to what to do. No symbol: normal day students to be outside. Green Circle: students may quietly warm up in their entrance way (-19c). Yellow Triangle: Students are to be in their home rooms as it is too cold (-25c) or too wet to be outside.

Students at Lochearn School are required to wear coats when the temperature is 10c or less.

Computer, Internet and E-Mail Students of Lochearn School are taught the nine elements of digital citizenship: 1. Digital Etiquette 2. Digital Communication 3. Digital Literacy 4. Digital Access 5. Digital Commerce 6. 7. 8. 9. Digital Law Digital Rights and Responsibilities Digital Health and Wellness Digital Security

Students, who act in a responsible and considerate manner, following the nine elements, will be allowed to use the computers; however, access will be denied if a student fails to respect them. For more information, please see:
www.digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.html

Monthly Assemblies The last Wednesday and Thursday of each month we have monthly assemblies at 12:00 noon in the gym. Wednesday is for K1, K4, Grade 2 and 3. Thursday is for K2, K3, Grade 4 and 5. Students are recognized for being:
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Be Proactive Begin with the End in Mind Put First Things First Think Win-Win Seek First to Understand

Synergize Sharpen the Saw

do whats right, even if it is hard be polite and use manners

Each assembly starts and concludes with the Lochearn School Song . . . composed by our very own, Mr. Armitage and Mrs. Carbino. I know a place where the sun shines bright The people care and you feel just right We help each other reach new heights at Lochearn School It fills your head and it fills your heart To be a good person and do your part I bet youre wondering why were so smart its Lochearn School If you were gonna ask me today Whats the best school in every way? Without a doubt Id just have to say its Lochearn School If you want success come on and fill your cup Rock Solid Learning, were all hooked up Wait till you see what weve cooked up at Lochearn School Learning together we all excel What the day will hold, you just cant tell I cant wait to hear that morning bell at Lochearn School Lochearn School!! Seven Habits for Being Green 1. Be Proactive Be a leader of your choices and behaviors
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take responsibility for your own actions tell the truth be prepared for class 2. Begin With the End in Mind Think about how you would like something to turn out before you get started plan ahead/brainstorm think of the consequences before you act

always do your best

3.

Put First Things First Work first then play follow directions listen and learn take pride in your work complete your own work stay on task 4. Think Win-Win Everyone can win its not me or you its both of us be kind and cooperative keep hands, objects, and feet to yourself care for others 5. Seek First to Understand and Then to be Understood Listen first and talk second use I statements respect feelings of others be kind and cooperative use respectful language 6. Synergize Together is better (Learning Together We Excel) take turns play and work together fairly no I in TEAM team school spirit

caring for the environment 7. Sharpen the Saw Have balance in your

Ways We Teach Character and Responsible Citizenship:

life body, brain, soul, heart eating healthy daily physical activity daily reading practicing skills setting goals be a good friend
* adapted from the works of Sean Covey *

Seven Habits for Being Green staff reviews the bullying pledge for adults classroom reading School Counsellor presentations in classrooms on character goals

Citizens Against Bullying Pledge for Pro-Active Approach to Bullying Behavior Character and Citizenship Education: Character and citizenship education is not a course. It is a way of nurturing these attributes by promoting, modeling, teaching, expecting, celebrating and consciously practicing them in everyday actions. It is woven throughout the school day for all students, through classroom instruction, extracurricular activities, and school policies and practices. (Alberta Education / Character Education) Bullying is an intentional, hurtful act carried out repeatedly and over time, which harms, induces fear and/or creates terror in the victim. It is characterized by an imbalance of power between the victim and the aggressor, and can take several forms including physical, emotional and social bullying. It may be verbal in nature (i.e. name-calling, teasing, threatening, gossiping, etc.), but can also take the form of nonverbal harassment such as poking, tripping, stealing, and destroying the personal property of others. Adults

I will live by the motto that everyone

deserves respect. I will listen respectfully and do something about it when a child tells me about bullying.

I will take action when I see bullying happen and insist that appropriate action be taken by any supervising authorities.

I will model behavior for a young person

that is kind and caring and encourage them to respect themselves and others. I will talk to kids about bullying and what to do about it when it happens to them or when they see it happening to someone else.

Citizens Against Bullying Pledge for Young People I will live by the motto that everyone deserves respect.

I will try to help kids who are bullied. I will not watch bullying. If I cannot help

the person being bullied I will walk away. I will not keep quiet about bullying. I will tell an adult who can help them.
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I will not join in bullying someone else. I will try to support someone who is

basis. Students are responsible for checking with their teacher for any assigned work missed due to absenteeism. Homework Expectations: daily reading - 15 minutes (please record the reading that you do each night in your reading log)

being bullied by being friendly to them and offering them my help. I will ask someone who needs a friend to be my friend.

Homework Expectations Lochearn School staffs rationale for homework: We believe:

study / review weekly spelling list practice number facts / time tables occasional project work complete unfinished or missed class work

successful students come to school students must take personal school work takes effort

prepared for work

responsibility for their own learning

successful students complete their school work every day Grade One, Two and Three: We encourage homework to be done each school night. The total time each night should never exceed 30 minutes. daily reading / sight work practice (please record the reading that you do each night in your reading log)

Children in grade four and five should have a maximum of 30 minutes of homework each evening. If your child is spending more time than this, please make sure that you have discussed this with your childs teacher. Parents can provide help with homework by:

checking your childs Agenda daily setting up regular homework times setting up a homework center in an area free of distractions

study / review weekly spelling list weekly Family Math Number Facts complete unfinished or missed class work

Reporting Periods All students will bring home a portfolio binder with their report card and examples of assessment work they have completed, one week prior to Parent / Student / Teacher Interviews. You will have the week to review the portfolio with your child. The Parent / Student / Teacher Interview time will be spent discussing the portfolio and
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Grade Four and Five: Students are expected to bring completed homework back to school the following day. Homework checks are done on a regular

setting goals for the next school term. We encourage students to attend and take part in the interviews. Watch for monthly Progress Reports. They will be sent home starting in October. Student Assessment Goals The primary purpose of assessment is to provide ongoing feedback to teachers, students, and parents in order to enhance teaching and learning. Teachers assess for a variety of reasons: to gather information about what students know and can do

program operates out of the kitchen by the grade one rooms. Students in need of breakfast are welcome to come to the kitchen from 8:30-8:49. Students will be provided with a small breakfast to take outside. Student snacks are available at Locky Door during recess times. Emergency Lunches will be prepared in the kitchen for students who come to school without a lunch during the first break. This nutrition program has been developed with the hope that none of our students will go without food, the basic requirement needed for optimum learning. Pedestrian Safety Lochearn School operates an ongoing Crosswalk Patrol program. A team of trained student volunteers supervises before and after each school day. Please direct your children to use this crosswalk and follow the directions of our crosswalk patrollers. Please use the following guidelines when crossing at the crosswalk:

to monitor student progress to evaluate student achievement

The categories that will be used for rating your childs assessment are as follows: Excelling: Demonstrates superior performance and indepth understanding of learning outcomes. Meeting: Demonstrates consistent performance and understanding of learning outcomes. Approaching: Demonstrates inconsistent performance understanding of learning outcomes. Not Yet: Not yet demonstrates minimal performance and little understanding of learning outcomes. TAQA (formerly Northrock Resources Ltd.) continues to support our breakfast, emergency lunch and snack programs. This
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Point across the road with your arm to

tell drivers you want to cross. Pause until cars stop. Make eye contact with drivers.

Proceed with your arm extended when all cars have stopped. Keep scanning both sides of the road for hidden dangers. Drivers cannot always see you.

Look for traffic safety signs, and for

marked crosswalks.

Walk on the sidewalk. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic.

posts, and drain spouts are not safe to climb on at any time.

Cross the road at the corner of the street

Keep the school grounds clean and tidy

or at a marked crosswalk, never cross in the middle of the road. Watch for cars backing up and obstacles like cyclists, toys, tree branches, etc. Obey pedestrian lights. Cross the street only when you see the walk sign and only when all cars have come to a complete stop. If the walk hand begins flashing, continue

by placing litter in the garbage containers. Do not kick or throw balls against the school building. Report any broken playground equipment to the supervisors. Follow safe pathways on the equipment such as down the slide, not up the slide.

Return all play equipment (balls, skipping ropes, etc.) to the classroom

walking. Cross drive ways and alleys like any other road. Stop and look left, look right, ahead and behind to make sure no cars are coming.

equipment box to avoid them getting lost.

Use only safe equipment. Wooden or

steel bats and hardballs are not safe to bring to school. Use the softer rubber bats and balls provided by the school. Play safe games. Body contact, throwing hard objects to hit others, and tackling are not safe activities. Always choose safety. If you are not sure

And kids, NEVER run out from between parked cars or buses. Playground Safety Adult supervisors wearing orange vests are available to help students who are hurt or not feeling well. For safety, we ask all students to follow these rules: Park your bike on arriving at school. If you have a scooter or roller blades, put them away at this time.

about an activity, be sure to ask the supervisor. Library Books Students are responsible for returning their library books in the same condition that they were in when signed out. Students who do not return their books or return them damaged will be responsible for the replacement cost. We will charge $15.00 for the replacement of all library books. This is to cover the book cost and the cost of processing the book. Money for books that are found will not be refunded.
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Play in your assigned play area. Do not

play in front of the school at anytime as 54th Street is very busy and too close to traffic. In the mornings and right after school, the bus lane is in use. Do not play in or near the bus lane at these times.

Climb only the equipment that is safe to do so. Backstops, soccer posts, basketball

Physical Education Our school provides a Daily Quality Physical Education Program. In addition to having physical education each day, our school leadership team organizes recess activities for our students. Fine Arts Our school recognizes the importance of the Fine Arts. We provide music classes twice a week. As well students in grades three, four, and five are welcome to participate in our school choir. Each day students listen to a variety of composers to encourage their appreciation of different kinds of music. In classrooms, students participate in Art and Drama activities. We have requested two art displays from Alberta Society of Artists for our school. This art work will be displayed in our front entrance and library. Bus Rules Students that ride the bus with Wild Rose Public Schools must follow the following rules. 1. The driver is in full charge of the school bus at all times and students shall obey him/her promptly and respectfully. 2. The driver shall assign a seat for which the student shall be held responsible and he/she shall retain this seat until directed otherwise by the driver.
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3. Students are responsible to be on time at the bus stop. 4. Unnecessary conversation with the driver is prohibited. 5. Classroom conduct is to be observed on the bus and any disturbance, which may take the drivers attention and endanger the safe operation of the bus, is prohibited. 6. There shall be no tobacco products, drugs/controlled substances, contra-band or weapons on any school bus. 7. Students shall not litter the bus or throw anything out the bus windows. 8. Students shall not extend any part of their body out the windows. 9. Students shall remain seated while the bus is in motion. 10. Students shall leave the bus at their regular stops unless a note from the parent is presented to the driver requesting a dropoff at another regular stop. 11. When leaving the bus, students shall observe the directions of the driver and watch for traffic before crossing the road. Students violating these rules may be reported to the school principal and may be suspended from riding the bus.

Wild Rose Public Schools Transportation Department: 403.845.4255 or 1.866.445.4255

Support Services Various community and government agencies work with the school to support students and their families. The following list includes contact names and numbers:

Wild Rose Public Schools Trustees: Bonnie Miller Ward 4 - Town of Rocky Mountain House, Town of Nordegg and Rural Population, West of the Clearwater River in the County of Clearwater E-mail: bonnie.miller@wrsd.ca

R.C.M.P. School Resource Officer Const. Harold Smits: 403.845.2882 Family Wellness Program Wild Rose Public Schools

First Nations, Mtis, Inuit Worker Wild Rose Public Schools Mike Schoenthal: 1.800.771.0537 Childrens Mental Health Specialist Deb Welsch: 403. 844.5235 Alberta Health Services Speech and Language Pathologists Amanda McConnell: 403.845.3030 Gail Stewart: 403.845.3030 Alberta Health Services Public Health Nurse Gill Ernewein: 403.845.3030

Dixie McLeod Ward 5 - Town of Rocky Mountain House E-mail: Dixie.mcleod@wrsd.ca

S.H.O.S. Student Health Outreach Services

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