September 4th, 2015

We want to welcome all of our students, staff and parents to the new 2015-2016 school year. We are looking forward to a wonderful year filled with many fun activities and great learning! Outlined below is some important information for you as we prepare for the first day of school.

Class Lists

Class lists will be posted by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, September 4th. The class lists will be posted on the entrance doors to your child’s classroom. Please check all of the doors for your child’s name and his/her teacher. Teachers will be outside by 8:45 a.m. to greet you and your child on Tuesday, September 8th.

First Day Packages

In an effort to save paper, decrease costs and improve efficiencies, we ask that to visit the following webpage to view information that is found in the September First Day Packages.

http://mjp.wrdsb.ca/about/school-year-information/

Meet the Teacher/Curriculum Night

The Mary Johnston Public School staff cordially invite the students and parents to the Meet the Teacher Night on Wednesday, September 16, 2015 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m.  This year we are providing a change in format for the evening. Thanks to the School Council, we will be welcoming families back to school with a family pizza picnic, an hour prior to meeting the teachers from 5:30-6:30 p.m. outside on the junior tarmac. There will be pizza and treats available as well as information for parents about the different initatives and groups running within the school It will be agreat opportunity for families to come together and learn about paraent involvement within Mary Johnston P.S. Following the family picnic, teachers will be available in their classrooms from 6:30-8:00 p.m for Meet the Teacher. Please watch for your invitation to this event and don’t forget to send in your R.S.V.P. Please note:

**This event may be delayed pending the ETFO labour dispute

Safe Welcome

All visitors to Mary Johnston Public School will be required to press the intercom by our main entry door by the office (NOT the parking lot doors) in order to enter. Students and staff will use access cards to enter and exit the building throughout the day.  If you are picking your child up at the office between 11:00 a.m and 12:00 noon, please call ahead as there may not be anyone available to assist you.  We will do our best to keep the wait time to a minimum but please give yourself lots of time if you have an appointment. We will be educating the students about not opening other entrance doors for  visitors. Please be respectful of this protocol and do not request or expect students to allow you entry to the school as this puts them in a difficult situation. Please follow the proper protocol and request entry through the intercom at the front entrance.

Kiss ‘n’ drop

We will be continuing with our “Kiss ‘N’ Drop” program.  The “Kiss ‘N’ Drop” program has been developed to address two concerns from the school’s perspective.  First, the program assists to foster independence for our students.  This independence can be demonstrated by teaching them to keep their coat racks neat and tidy on their own as they enter or leave the school.  The “Kiss ‘N’ Drop” program is designed for the students to take pride in and responsibility for their school.  Second, it is designed for parents to alleviate the separation anxiety that sometimes occurs with children.  Parents can give their child a hug and kiss outside the entrance doors, thereby alleviating the temptation to walk their child to the classroom and hang up their clothing or take things out of the child’s knapsack.  The teacher on duty will let the students into the school.

Ultimately, with this program, we want the students to foster respect and responsibility for their school.  We understand that there may be times where parents may want to talk to the teacher before or after school.  However, we encourage parents to write a note or leave a voice mail message at school.  The teacher will respond to you at a time where s/he is not so distracted at the beginning or end of the school day.  The program will also reduce (and hopefully eliminate) the number of parents who enter the school and reduce the congestion particularly at the beginning and end of the school day.  If we want to teach our students to arrive and be on time, then, we, as adults, need to model this for our children.  This program will only succeed if all of us work together to follow the aforementioned guidelines.  We thank you in advance for your support

MJ New Parent Welcome 

Please click on the following link for the New Parent Welcome

http://mjp.wrdsb.ca/files/2013/04/2015-MJ-New-Parent-Welcome.pdf

School Supplies

We would ask that parents hold off on purchasing any school supplies until your child receives the information from their classroom teacher.  Each teacher may have a different expectation regarding the supplies your child will need.

Student Accident Insurance

During the course of the school year, our students have many opportunities to engage in various learning activities. Specific courses such as our science and technology classes, that involve the use of tools, chemicals and machinery, and our physical education classes, that involve movement with equipment carry a risk of injury. In addition, students participating in the interscholastic athletics program or field trips should be aware that there is a risk of injury when engaging in those activities.

Sometimes, accidents result from the nature of the activity and can occur without any fault of the student, or the School Board or its employees or agents, or the facility where the activity is taking place. The Waterloo Region District School Board does not provide any accidental disability, dismemberment, dental, death, or medical expenses or insurance on behalf of the participating students.

For this reason, every student will receive a Student Accident Insurance package from Staebler Insurance. While participation in the program is voluntary, we want to clearly communicate the importance of acquiring student accident insurance to the parents/guardians within our school community. The insurance being offered will provide students with excellent medical and dental coverage at a reasonable cost.

In addition, students who are participating in the interscholastic athletic program, both at the elementary and secondary level, will be required to have their parent/guardian complete a form entitled:  Students Participating in Interscholastic Sports before the student participates in the sporting activity.  The purpose of this form is to heighten parental awareness around the importance of obtaining individual coverage for their son/daughter.   Coaches will be asked for each sport, to collect the completed form from students and file appropriately with other related parental/guardian permission forms.

School Day

We are asking all parents to once again register with “School Day”. “School Day” is an electronic messaging system that sends you important messages from the school directly to your personal email account. You will be able to stay up-to-date with all school information. Last year, we had 92% of our families registered on “School Day”. If you haven’t registered, please click on this link and register today! School day registration

School Council and New Parent Welcome

We encourage all parents to join our very active School Council, our Parent Engagement Committee and Safe Caring and Inclusive School Team. Please click on the link below for some additional information. Our School Council meets every third Wednesday of the month from 7:00-8:00 p.m. in the library. We have 4 executive positions (2 co-presidents, one secretary and one treasure) positions as well as 10 additional voting members that are elected at the first meeting. If you are interested in joining the school council, whether as an executive member, voting member or just as a parents wanting to be involved, please consider joining us. We are extending a very special welcome to all the new families joining us this year. Being part of our School Council will be a great opportunity to meet other new parents and chat with some “seasoned” parents who can answer any questions that you may have about life at Mary Johnston P.S.