Practices and Procedures

School Procedures

Arrival Times  

Our morning supervision for students begins at 8:00 am. We ask students be dropped off or arrive by walking after 8 am.  This is when the back door will be unlocked for students to come in.  Students need to be here in the school before O’ Canada at 8:17. After this, they are considered late.     

Signing In 

If your child arrives late to school, they will need to be signed by the secretary.  They will need to go through the office and let them know.  This allows us an accurate count of people in our building in case of an emergency or fire drill.  To make this process easier, please have your children to school on time. 

Signing Out

When your child is picked up early, someone will need to come into the office and sign them out.  If the person who is signing out your child is not on your contact list, please write a note, email or message the teacher or the office to let us know. This will help avoid us having to call you to ensure this person is allowed to pick up your child. 

Outside doors 

After 8:15 am, the only accessible door will the front main door to the far left.  Between 8:00 and 8:15 am, the back door at the rear parking lot will be unlocked for students to enter the school. 

Walking/Biking to School 

Families who are walking with students should bring them to the building using the crosswalks and sidewalks, including the walkway along the school driveway. Please do not allow students to walk through the bus loop or cut across the school lawn. This is good practice for the future when students may be walking on their own.  Bicycles, scooters and skateboards should be walked on school property (starting at the STOP sign at the corner).

Dismissal Times 

Students are dismissed to the afterschool program and the buses before students who are picked up are released.  Pick up time is after all the buses leave the school, which is usually around 2:26pm. An announcement will be made to state “Walkers and pick ups are now dismissed.” To avoid disruption to student learning and our need to protect valuable learning and instructional time, we ask you to respect this and allow students to complete their full school day and not pick them up early, unless necessary.  At the end of the day, teachers escort students to the proper door (see below), make eye contact with you, and say goodbye.  Please always make sure the teacher knows you have your child.

Pick up and Drop off Doors

Families with multiple children are asked to go to the door of the youngest sibling.   

• • • Pre-Primary Students:  Pre-primary students are to be dropped off at the West end doors by the pre-primary classrooms.  This door will also be used for pick up at the end of the day. 

    • Primary, Grade One as well as 1/2Burns:  Primary, One and 1/2Burns students can be dropped off in the morning at the back door by the cafeteria.  At the end of the day, Primary/One and all students in 1/2 Burns can be picked up at the end doors across from Rotary Park. 

    • Grades Two/Three/Four/Five:  Pick up and drop off is at the back doors by the cafeteria. 

Rear Drop-off Loop

Students are not to be dropped off by car in front of the building at any time before 8:20 am.  If they arrive by car, Primary to Grade 5 students need to be dropped off at the back door, and pre-primary students at the west doors. Families are asked to help with traffic flow in the rear parking lot by quickly having your children exit the vehicle and enter the building.  Vehicles are prohibited from parking or driving in the area marked off by white lines.  If you need to stop and help your child exit, or come into the school, please park in one of the outlined parking spots.  This includes taking students to the Pre-primary doors.  Stopping for any more than a minute in the traffic loop can cause a back-up that stretches out into the intersection.  Also, the loop can get pretty congested and move slowly, so we ask that you give yourself extra time for drop off, and maintain a safe, slow speed.  We know it can be very frustrating and hope the traffic in the loop will flow safely and smoothly.  We also encourage families to park at the Rotary Park and walk their children to the front door.  This eliminates some of the congestion in the back parking lot.

Visiting classrooms

In the morning, if you need to drop your child off at the classroom, we ask for you to sign in at the office before going past the green doors.  We will be encouraging you to promote independence in your child and start seeing them off in the lobby or in the office.  When dropping off items for your child, we will take them at the office and buzz your child to come down when it's a good time in the classroom.  Classroom visits during instructional time are discouraged as teaching time needs to be protected from interruptions as much as possible.  We would very happy to help you out in the office.  

Bus Information

Getting to the Bus on Time 

It is very important that students be at the bus stop at least 5 minutes early every morning. Buses are not to be waiting for students, and bus drivers can face heavy fines for holding up traffic. Please be early for the bus!

Meeting the Buses

Please remember that students in Pre-Primary to Grade Two must be met at the bus stop at the end of the day. The bus driver will not leave a very young child alone at the side of the road. If arrangements have not been made with the driver, then the child will be brought back to the school, and parents/guardians will be contacted to pick up the student at the school.  If you would like alternate arrangements made for where you child is dropped off or an older sibling can met/take student off the bus, please see the Alternate Transportation Form available on this website. 

After-School Changes to Bus Plans 

If your child has an after-school plan that requires a different bus/route than usual, please notify either the office (902-825-5330) or your child’s teacher and provide both the Rte. # (300-313) and the address where your child needs to be dropped off. Our bus drivers require accurate bus notes in order to ensure students properly get to where they need to go. 

School Food/Cafeteria

Nova Scotia School Lunch Program

The Nova Scotia School Lunch Program is a provincial lunch program that offers public school student across Nova Scotia nutritious lunch every school day. Lunches are pay what you can. 

Order at nslunch.ca.  

Online ordering will open on Friday and close on Wednesday for each bi-weekly cycle. Visit nslunch.ca to view the menu. Credits/refunds are not offered . . . order a lunch for another day and do not pay for that lunch to make up for the lunch missed.

Changes to the School Day

Text/Email Notices of Cancellations 

AEES uses SchoolMessenger to send emails and texts to parents/guardians for school cancellations, unplanned early dismissals, general information, newsletters, etc. If you have not already opted in to receive SchoolMessenger texts, text Y to 97833 to start receiving text messages. Your mobile number must be on file at your child’s school to receive SchoolMessenger text messages. 

The Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education (AVRCE) offers a text/email system called Notify Me so those who do not have parent/guardian information on file with a school—such as grandparents and childcare providers—can receive these messages. You can unsubscribe or subscribe to Notify Me any time at https://www.avrce.ca/content/notify-me.

School Closures  

There are times when school is cancelled due to poor weather or for other reasons such as power outages, etc., and it is important for families to have back-up plans. 

In cases of bad weather, the decision to cancel school is made by Regional Centre officials after consulting with the local weather office regarding forecasts and with the provincial Department of Transportation regarding road conditions. Closures may occur first thing in the morning or part-way through the school day and are announced by the Centre through the messaging system. It is very important we have your most up-to-date contact numbers in our system.

Delayed Start Days 

• The school opens at 10am instead of 8am for student drop-off 

• Classes start at 10:15 instead of 8:15 

• Breakfast program is not open (usually apples available) 

• Mid-morning recess (outside) does not happen 

Early Dismissal Times

On Early Dismissal days, AEES will be dismissing 2 hours early. This means busses will be leaving at 12:15pm, and students will be arriving home 2 hours earlier than usual.  Because this dismissal time is right in the middle of our lunch time, we will be having lunch at school for all students in Pre-primary to Grade Five.  (This also means if your child is going to the early dismissal program at the Middleton Baptist Church, they will eat their lunch before they go over.)

Grades 2/3 – 5:

11:05 – Lunch

11:15 – 11:35 – Outside play time

11:40 – 12:10 – Class (4th period)

12:15 – Home on bus

Grades PP - 2

11:25 – 11:40 - Lunch

11:40 – 12:05 – Outside play time

12:15 – Home on Bus

Links to register for free child care from the Middleton Baptist Church for our early dismissals will be available in the newsletters. 

School Safety

Nova Scotia School Code of Conduct

Nova Scotia’s schools need to be places where students can focus on learning and staff can safely do their jobs. The Provincial School Code of Conduct Policy supports safe learning spaces. It defines acceptable and unacceptable student behaviours and guides schools in responding to unacceptable behaviours in a consistent and fair way.

Role of Parents and Caregivers 

Student success and well-being is best supported when everyone works together. You have a role to play in making sure schools are safe and supportive places to learn: 

• speak with your child about appropriate school behaviours 

• understand the Code of Conduct and how it applies to your child 

• speak to your child’s school if you have any questions about the Code of Conduct or safe behaviours 

• work with school staff to respond when unacceptable behaviours happen 

• model good behaviour

Guiding Principles

1 | Responsibility: Everyone in the school community has a responsibility to keep schools safe. 

2 | Equity: Responses to unacceptable behaviour are fair and consider student’s needs and circumstances. 

3 | Restorative and Relationship -Building: Responses to unacceptable behaviours include action to restore positive relationships.

4 | Clarity and Consistency: There is a shared understanding of what behaviour is acceptable and how unacceptable behaviours will be responded to. 

Learn More: 

Nova Scotia School Safety: ednet.ns.ca/school-safety 

Provincial School Code of Conduct Policy: https://www.ednet.ns.ca/docs/provincialschoolcodeofconduct.pdf  

AEES Safe Arrival Program 

AEES’ “SAFE ARRIVAL PROGRAM” is for students who walk to school without an adult. This program is intended to assure the parents of walkers that their child has arrived safely at school. It is not for students who take the bus to school each day. The program works as follows: 

• If your child is on the Program and will be absent from school, you are required to contact the school in the morning and advise the office staff of your child’s absence (902-825- 5330). You may also leave a voicemail message or advise the teacher if you know of the absence in advance. 

• If a Safe Arrival child is absent and the parents have not contacted the school, you will be contacted by 10am to confirm their whereabouts. 

• It is very important that you give us a number where we can reach either you or a caregiver who will know where your child is. It is worrisome when a Safe Arrival child is absent and we are unable to contact anyone to confirm that they are safe. 

If your child is a walker and you wish to be included in this program, please contact the office to have registration paperwork sent home.

Lockdown Drills 

Under the Emergency Procedures Plan, we are required to have two lockdown drills and one Hold and Secure Drill per year. These are practice drills in case of a real emergency where the school would be placed in lock-down or Hold and Secure. In a lockdown drill, students practice remaining quiet in their classrooms out of sight of the windows under their teacher’s direction. No one is allowed to enter or leave the building until the school is released from lock down by Mrs. Illsley, Mr. Hatt, or a member of the RCMP. In a Hold and Secure drill, it is business is as usual; however, no one is permitted to enter or exit the building. Although we try to reassure the students these are practices, they can be a little overwhelming for some students. Please reassure them these are only drills (just like a fire drill) to practice keeping them safe in case of a real emergency.

Thanks for your support in this emergency preparedness planning.

General Information

AfterSchool Program

The afterschool program (AfterSchool Kids—ASK) is starting the first day of school for students in grades Primary to 5. Bonnie McCullough (our Noon Student Supervisor) heads the program along with other AEES staff.  The cost is $7 per child, and the program runs from 2:15pm until 5:30pm.  Students are asked to bring their own snack. Registration forms are available at the school office.   The best news ever: the ASK program is never full.  If more students sign up, Bonnie just hires extra staff. Please contact the office or the ASK supervisor if you would like a registration form.

School Supplies Fees

School supplies are purchased in bulk for all P – 5 students. This includes pencils, coloured pencils, markers, crayons, scissors, paper, binders, art supplies, and many more items.  This will be the only money we will collect.  There is no charge for class trips, buses, extra events, etc.  The fees are $35.00 for students in grades P – 5.  Fees can be paid in cash, by cheque (cheque made payable to Annapolis East Elementary School) or online at https://avrce.schoolcashonline.com/

Volunteering at our School

We always need volunteers for Home & School events, class trips, etc.

• requires the completion of Criminal Records Check (including the Vulnerable Sector), Child Abuse Registry check, and a standard application form prior to working with students.

• requires all current volunteers to renew their Criminal Records Check (including the Vulnerable Sector) and Child Abuse Registry if it has been over (3) three years since it was last completed.

Please confirm with the office for the status of your checks.  

Medical/Health

When Your Child is Absent… 

If your child is not going to be in school, please call the office (902-825-5330) to let us know. This can be done 24 hours a day by leaving a message on our machine. Contacting the teacher does not ensure that the office will receive the message (e.g. teacher absence, etc.)

Sickness 

We continue to ask that if a student is really feeling unwell, please keep them home.  At the same time, if a child is complaining and you are unsure whether to send them, send them to school. We will call you if they continue to not feel well or get worse.  You are also welcome to call the office and check in.

Nut/Scent sensitive

We ask for no nut products as we have students who are allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, or both.  If you send something that resembles peanut butter, like Wow butter, we ask you clearly label this, so we know it’s nut free.  This saves a lot of confusion.  Some students and staff are extremely sensitive to scents and become so ill that they must go home. This represents a loss of instructional and learning time. Please refrain from wearing or using heavy scents products (like essential oils, washing detergent, dryer sheets, deodorants) when visiting our school and respect everyone’s right to a safe and healthy work environment.  

Student Medications

We are not allowed to administer medications to students until we have received a signed Approval for Administering Medications form. These can be obtained from the office. This includes over-the-counter drugs like Aspirin and cough medications. AVRCE policy dictates appropriate protocol to ensure the safety of students. Please do not ask us to administer medications without the proper permission forms. A note from home is not sufficient permission. Please contact the office if your child needs to receive medication at school. 

Modelling Appropriate Social Media Behaviours for our Children

Social media has become an important means of communication and of seeking information for most people. It is proving to be of particular importance for our youth as technology has become a significant part of the identity of this generation. Unfortunately, increased technology has also resulted in new social issues. It is sometimes used as a means of cyber-bullying or an exchange of inappropriate information. It is up to us, as adults, to serve as proper role models with regards to technology use. We need to teach our children to respect the use of technology and to be good digital citizens. In order to do this properly, we as adults must also learn to be good social citizens and to model appropriate use of social media. We must use social media tools like Facebook, X, Snapchat, Instagram, etc. appropriately, because our children are watching and copying our behaviours. Please be advised that inappropriate use of technology falls under the Provincial School Code of Conduct. Inappropriate use of technology and social media can result in serious consequences for students. Inappropriate use of technology and social media may also fall under the Criminal Code. We have recently seen criminal charges resulting from the sharing of inappropriate photos. Please be informed and help to inform your children.

Help Your Child Succeed in School: Build the Habit of Good Attendance Early 

School success goes hand in hand with good attendance! 

Did You Know? 

• Starting in Primary, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school  

• Missing 10 percent (or about 18 days) can make it harder to learn to read 

• Students can still fall behind if they miss just a day or two days every few weeks 

• Being late to school may lead to poor attendance 

• Absences can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up 

Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school-and themselves. Start building this habit in preschool so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Good attendance will help children do well in high school, college, and at work. 

What Home Can Do 

• Set a regular bedtime and morning routine (See suggested chart below) 

• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before 

• Find out what day school starts and make sure your child has the required shots 

• Introduce your child to his/her teachers and classmates before school starts to help them transition 

• Don’t let your child stay home unless they are truly sick. Keep in mind complaints of a stomach ache or headache can be a sign of anxiety and not a reason to stay home 

• If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors, or other parents for advice on how to make him/her feel comfortable and excited about learning 

• Develop back-up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbour, or another parent. 

• Avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session.

Levels Of School Support 

Step 1 | Preventive/Universal Intervention 

Step 2 | Increased contact with home 

Step 3 | Early intervention responses – when frequency of total absences and/or chronic lateness is between 10 and 15 per of class time, or earlier if advised by the student’s teacher. (2 days/month) 

Step 4 | Targeted Intervention - Chronic school absences or lateness closely monitored by school and regional office for absences more than 15% (3 days/month)