Practices and Procedures

* Additional details regarding school policies are included in the Parent Handbook. 

Reporting Periods

There are three reporting periods during the school year. Report cards will be sent home in November, March, and June. Parent appointment times are scheduled for parent and teacher in November and student Led for April. Homeroom teachers are always willing to discuss student progress at any time throughout the year should you have any concerns.  Please make an appointment to meet with a teacher or with the Principal.

Supervision

Student supervision is provided at 8am until classes begin, at recess and noontime. Students are not permitted on the property or in the school prior to 8am as there is no supervision.

Students will almost always go outside at recess and noon hour. If it is raining or extremely cold they will be supervised indoors. Children need warm, weather appropriate clothing to be comfortable outdoors. All children are expected to go outside. Except for extenuating circumstances, we feel that if the children are not well enough to go outside for brief periods they should not be at school.

2021/2022 Daily Schedule

8:00 - 8:15am            Bus Arrivals/Back Door Drop Off                                  

8:20 am                        All students should be in classrooms                

8:20 am                       O’ Canada & Announcements        

8:20-8:50 am             Period 1                                     

8:50-9:20 am             Period 2                                     

9:20-9:50 am             Period 3

9:50-10:20 am           Period 4

10:20-10:35 am        Recess 1 Break

10:35 10:50 am           Recess 2 Break                        

10:20-10:35 am        Period 5

10:35-10:50 am        Period 6

10:50-11:20 am         Period 7

11:20-11:50 am          Period 8

11:50-12:20 pm          Period 9

12:20-12:50 pm           Periods 10 

12:20-12:50 pm        Student Lunch time/Noon Break 1                              

12:50 -1:20 pm            Periods 11

12:50-1:20 pm        Student Lunch time/Noon Break 2                                  

1:20-1:50 pm            Periods 12

1:50 -2:20 pm            Periods 13

2:20-2:28 pm             Students dismiss to buses

2:28 pm                       Buses Dismissed (buses may arrive at bus stops 5 minutes earlier or later than scheduled)

2:29 pm                       Students dismissed who are being picked up or walking

School Schedule & Late Arrivals

Students should be in class by 815 am. O' Canada and announcements are at 820 am. We cannot answer the door at that time. It is important for children to have some morning time to chat with classmates, to get organized and to be ready to learn. Late arrivals interrupt instruction and create uncomfortable feelings for many students. Students arriving late will read in the foyer until the next bell rings.  Students arriving late may not be able to get the hot lunch item of the day but other options are available. A schedule of class/period times is provided below for your convenience.

Transportation

Whenever possible students should have one bus to come to school and one bus to go home. Exceptions are made for child care. This should be coordinated through the office and the school secretary will give specific instructions. 

Normal procedure is to send your child with a bus note if going on another bus. We cannot accept last minute bus notes or pick up notes by phone or email unless it is because of an urgent situation. All bus notes need to be written and sent to school with your child. You can use the template included in the parent handbook or use the instructions below. 

Bus Notes should include: Date, Student’s First and Last Name, Teacher's Name, Bus Route # (500 number), Civic Number AND Location of the Stop, and Parent Signature (First and Last Name)

Please do your best whenever possible to teach your child the names of their bus route numbers.

If you have any concerns regarding bus stops, please contact Scott Condon at the AVRCE Windsor Bus Garage, 902-792-6731.

Picking Up Your Child from School

If you plan to pick up your child at school, please send a note with your child to let the teacher know. Please do not pick up your child earlier than our normal dismissal time (2:28 pm) unless it is necessary. Picking your child up early disrupts our end of day routine and important organizational time.

If someone other than you is picking up your child, you will need to send in a note to let your child’s teacher know. Please make sure whoever is picking up your child knows our dismissal time is after the buses leave.

BDES Communication System

We use our electronic student information system to communicate with parents/guardians. You can receive our messages by phone call, text, and email. Please make sure we have your current contact information. You can update your contact preferences to indicate how you would prefer to receive messages. Contact the office to do so. 

If a message went out and you did not receive it, please contact the school.  

We send 4 types of messages:

• Emergency Notification - an example could be a lockdown

All available contact methods will be used, overriding your set preferences

• School Cancellation Messages - inform you of school closures due to weather, loss of power,  water, etc.

• Attendance Notifications - sent each time your child has an unexcused absence

If you contact the school before 8:30 am to excuse your child, you will not receive an automated message (All absences from P-5 should be excused)

• General Announcements -  inform you about general happenings in our school (newsletters, reminders, important information, etc.)

Emergency Management Planning

Throughout a school year, students will practice drills that will help to keep them safe in some types of emergencies. While we do not want to inflict unnecessary fear but we need to be as prepared as possible. Starting in September and throughout the year, students will participate in the following:

• Six fire drills 

• Two lockdowns drills

• One hold and secure 

• One evacuation to West Hants Middle School or the Newport Rink

Storm Day Cancellations

The decision to cancel school due to weather conditions is made by the Regional Executive Director of Education and will be announced (in the morning) on most radio stations. Cancellations are also posted on the AVRCE website at www.avrce.ca and the @AVRCE_NS Twitter account.

The announcement will either say “all schools in the AVRCE are cancelled”, or “all West Hants area schools are cancelled”.

Please remember that the school does not make the decision to close the school or to send children home early due to inclement weather or road conditions.  Please do not call the school during these times as it is very important for us to have the phone lines clear to receive information from AVRCE.

Each family needs to make a plan for an emergency closure. It is best to make a plan that works in every incidence, rather than a new one each time.  Make sure you talk about this as a family and that your child knows what your plan is, including what they should do if they arrive home and no one is there. 

Emergency Contact Information

Please keep your child’s teacher and our school office informed of any changes to your home address, telephone numbers and email. Emergency contact phone numbers, other than the parent/guardian must also be available. Include up to date phone numbers on the registration form and that you have permission to use the emergency contact's number. 

In the event of an illness at school, parents/guardians or other persons authorized by parents will be notified as soon as possible. If they cannot be reached we will contact your Emergency Contact. They should be prepared to come or designate another person to do so. 

Medication, Medical Conditions, Illness

Epi-Pens or inhalers (puffers) must be with your child at all times, including on the bus, and outside at recess and noon. Fanny packs or purses are required for students with significant medical conditions. All other medication needs to be brought to the office by a parent/guardian so proper paperwork can be completed. All medicines need to be stored in the original bottles or prescription containers identifying the proper dosage and times to be taken. The office can assist with administering medications when they are required during the day. 

If your child has a life-threating condition it is your responsibility to notify the school and to have your physician complete an Emergency Care Plan. This includes but is not limited to Anaphylaxis, Seizure Disorders, Severe Asthma, Type 1 Diabetes etc.

Please make sure the school office knows if your child has been diagnosed with a communicable disease, some examples are pink eye, strep throat, measles, scabies, impetigo, mumps, etc.

Scent Aware

Our school supports a scent-aware environment because fragrance chemicals call trigger allergies, asthma and migraines for some people. We are asking all students, staff and visitors to refrain from wearing scented products when visiting our school. We also have staff and students who are highly allergic to animal urine. 

Nut Smart School

Our school has a ‘nut smart practice’. This means that all lunches and snack items brought to school and on school outings must be free of nuts and nut products. If ingredients listed on the label indicate ‘may contain traces of nuts’, those foods must not be sent to school. While preparing food that's free of nuts and nut products may be inconvenient, we hope you will appreciate the seriousness of this situation and assist in creating as safe an environment as possible. With the cooperation of students, staff and parents/guardians we can minimize the risk for serious allergic reaction.

If your child has peanut butter or products which may contain traces of nuts for breakfast, please ensure they have washed their hands and brushed their teeth before coming to school.

Cafeteria Program

We encourage parents to order two-weeks at a time but daily orders are accepted. You can also send in money for the account and we "debit" it as needed.  We offer beverages, recess items and hot/cold lunch items for sale. Click here for more about our cafeteria and to see the two-week menu. 

Library

We are very pleased to have a wonderful library collection. Students typically go to library once a week with half of the class. They are given instruction in library skills, book selection, authors and genres. Students can borrow one book per week and return them the following week.

Teachers, staff and students do their best to ensure that all books are returned however every year the library loses over a hundred books. As parents we ask you to help your students take care of library books and return them on time. Sometimes a special location in the house to keep the books can help. Marking the return date on a calendar or fridge may help your child remember. Wrapping them in a grocery bag can keep them from getting wet in the book bag is a good idea in case of wet weather or spills.

If a student has an overdue library book they will not be permitted to borrow other books from the library.

Code of Conduct

https://www.ednet.ns.ca/docs/provincialschoolcodeofconduct.pdf

Cell Phones, Electronics, Trading Cards & Toys

Cell phones and any other personal electronic devices are not permitted in our school. Trading cards (ie: hockey, baseball, Pokemon and all other cards) and toys are not permitted. If they are found, they will be taken and given back at the end of the day. If they are taken a second time, a parent or guardian will have to come to school to pick them up.

Modelling Appropriate Social Media Behaviors for our Children

Social media has become an important means of communication. As technology becomes more integral to our lives, it is particularly important for our youth to learn to be good DIGITAL CITIZENS. Unfortunately, increased technology can sometimes result in new social issues. It is sometimes used as a means of cyber-bullying or the exchange of inappropriate information. It is up to us, as adults, to serve as role models with regards to technology use. We need to teach children about the impacts of technology. In order to do this properly, we as adults must model appropriate use of social media. We need to social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, etc. appropriately, because our children are watching and emulating our behaviors. We would always encourage parents to contact the school to address student issues or issues related to improper use of technology. 

For more information around proper use of social media and good digital citizenship, please visit our website at: www.avrce.ca/digital

Home and School Association

Brooklyn District has a long history of an active Home and School. The Home and School organizes and supports, both financially and through volunteering, a multitude of school initiatives. Home and School usually meets on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. in the Music Room and any parent/guardian is invited to participate. Find out more about our Home and School here.

School Advisory Council (SAC)

Brooklyn Elementary School has an active SAC. The SAC meets at least four times a year. Please contact the principal if you have an interest. Find our more about our SAC here. 

School Volunteers

Volunteering with the school is appreciated very much. All new volunteers are required by the AVRCE to complete forms. Please contact the school office to get your forms. Any volunteers who have already completed this process more than 3 years ago are required to complete the forms again so we have up- to-date forms on file. These forms should be returned to the school office a minimum of 4 weeks before the event you wish to volunteer for.