Practices & Procedures

Attendance

Your child’s attendance at school is important. The school day begins at 8:00 and ends at 2:05. If you are dropping your child off at school, please have them here before the 8:00 bell. If they arrive after 8:00, they will need to be signed in at the office. If you are picking your child up before the end of the school day, please visit the office to sign them out and we will call them to the office for you. We appreciate your support in reporting to the office rather than going to classrooms to find your child. 

Allergies

Please let us know if your child has an allergy is and how best to prevent it or treat it if they have a reaction. Please contact the school office to ensure our records accurately reflect any medical concerns.

School Cancellations

It is important to be ready for possible school cancellations due to weather or road conditions. You can prepare by having a back-up plan in place for these events, and making sure your contact information is up -to-date with our office to receive automatic text/email cancellation notices through the PowerSchool Alert system.

AVRCE also runs a system called NotifyMe, so grandparents, childcare providers and other school community members can sign up to receive school cancellation texts/emails. Parents/guardians automatically receive Alert message via text/email and should not sign up for NotifyMe.

School cancellations are also announced via:

Student Supply Fees

School supplies are purchased in bulk by the school to help reduce costs.  The student supply fees for all students is $42.00 as this year all students in these grade levels will have a student academic planner.  We ask that payment be made by September 30, 2024.  Please contact the office if payment arrangements are required.  

Lunch Program

GVES recently implemented the new provincial lunch program which began serving meals at our school on October 28. Please let us know if you are having any issues with accessing or using the system. After choosing lunches, the ordering system gives families three payment options: pay the $6.50 cost of the lunch, pay a part of the cost, or pay nothing. What you pay is kept confidential from school and lunch program staff. You can learn more at https://nslunch.ca/ 


Bus and End of Day Notes


Bus notes are required when your child needs to take a different bus at the end of the day for afterschool care purposes.   For example:  Going to grandmothers on Bus #824 for afterschool care every Friday.  A note to cover the week or a monthly calendar can also be done if the schedule changes weekly/month to month.  It should be noted that board policy dictates that Pre-Primary, Primary and Grades 1 and 2 (note the addition of grade 2) students are not dropped off at their bus stop at the end of the day without a parent/guardian present. 


If you require bussing information for a babysitter or need to find out the arrival times and route number of your child’s bus - parents now have access to the Bus Planner Web Parent Portal (link on main page or in the students and families section). Notes are also required for any change in the regular routine at the end of the day.  For example Grandmother is picking up after school, being picked up at 1:30 for an appointment,  etc. 


Unexpected Early Dismissal /Storm Closure Notification

If you are a parent/guardian of a student currently attending an AVRCE school, you do not need to sign up to receive text/email notices. AVRCE will send you text/email announcements of school cancellations using the PowerSchool Alert system and the contact information you have provided your child’s school. This is the same system GVES uses to send notices about events and activities. Please be sure to let the school know if your email address or phone number has changed. At any time, parents/guardians can also update their contact preferences using the PowerSchool Parent Portal. You can also contact your school to update your contact preferences. AVRCE also offers Notify Me, a service for school community members (such as grandparents, childcare providers, etc.) to receive text/email notices of school cancellations or other important information from AVRCE. School community members can subscribe or unsubscribe to Notify Me any time at https://www.avce.ca/content/notify-me.  


We will verify arrangements in the case of an unexpected early closure.  Staff will be making phone calls using the phone numbers provided on the unexpected early dismissal form that will be sent home in September. Please do not contact the office during this process as we need the phone lines to contact all the parents – we will be calling you.   Note:  It is important for us to have up to date information.  Please contact the office of any changes to contact phone numbers and email addresses in a timely manner. 


What does “bus driver discretion” mean?

When AVRCE announces “bus driver discretion” this means that road conditions are generally good, but some roads may be unplowed or slippery. A school bus driver may choose not to travel these roads if they think it isn’t safe to do so. When this happens, the school is notified and we will try to contact families on the affected road(s). If a bus doesn’t travel a particular road before school, it will not travel that road after school. To learn more about how school cancellation decisions are made, visit https://www.avrce.ca/storm-daysschool-cancellations

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, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram,etc. appropriately, because our children are watching and emulating our behaviours.

Parent Navigator

AVRCE’s Parent Navigator, Tammy Ring, helps guide families to supports and services. She works with schools, SchoolsPlus, and community agencies to make sure families know how to access services in education, justice, health, community services and more. The Parent Navigator can help if you: are looking for support and knowledge from someone who knows what resources are out there, and how to access them; are wondering who can answer questions about your child’s academic, emotional and/or social well-being; want help connecting to services and systems to get your child the right help and support. If you’re wondering which way to go, ask your Parent Navigator! Contact Tammy Ring by calling 902-844-2816, emailing tammy.ring@avrce.ca, or by speaking with your school administrator.


Programs/Initiatives

 

Our school encourages a scent-free environment. Staff, student and visitors are encouraged not to wear perfume, scented hair spray, cologne, scented deodorant, aftershave or use scented laundry products. Scented products contain chemicals, which can cause serious problems for many people, especially with asthma, allergies and environmental illness.


School runs and maintains a library on site.


Staff, students, parents and other members of the school community work together to help contribute to the betterment of student learning.


The school is used by the following organizations: Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, AA, Home & School, as well as other community groups and members.


Students are selected to participate in the SMILE program, which is offered through Acadia University. These students are provided the opportunity to buddy with an adult volunteer and spend an hour a week swimming on campus.


The School Garden was established in the fall of 2004 with the support and guidance of Liesel Caarlson.  A committee made up of students, parents, staff and local volunteers helped to create, design and plant this unique garden. Produce will go to the school Healthy Snack Program.


All students are welcome to have a healthy but simple breakfast every morning before class. Breakfast baskets will be in each homeroom. This program is supported by volunteers, students, EAs and local businesses which donate food or funds.