Practices and Procedures

Mission Statement

NMES believes in developing a learning environment that nurtures academic, physical, social, and emotional growth.

We believe:

• in decisions made in the best interest of students

• in equitable education that meets the needs of each student

• in developing life-long learners

• students should be involved in a variety of meaningful learning experiences

• in a safe and caring environment for students and staff

• in an environment where students and staff feel respected and valued

• in an educational environment that respects diversity

• in effective, appropriate programs and services for all learners

• in the collaborative engagement of staff

• in student, parent and community involvement and partnerships

Parent Communication

Should families have questions or concerns regarding any issues, please come to the office and ask to speak to the administration. Just a reminder families are not permitted in the school halls or classrooms once students have arrived. 

Busing

AVRCE Policy states that the “Board provided transportation is designed to transport eligible students to and from their normal place of residence and their school.” However, students may get off at a different stop or take a different bus to another location providing:

• The proper transportation form is filled out

• A note is brought to the office by the student to be signed and stamped with the school stamp

• The stamped note is given to the bus driver

Please note that a bus driver may refuse a student access to the bus if the bus is full. If this should happen, students will be instructed to return to the office so that other arrangements can be made.

Sign-in/Sign-out

All visitors/parents are required to sign-in/out at the office. They are also required to wear a visitor badge so that they may be easily identified as persons permitted to be on school property. Any student arriving late or leaving early will also be required to be signed-in or out by a parent. This is necessary so that everyone can be accounted for in the event of an emergency. Visitors/parents should remain at the office to avoid disrupting classes.

Leaving School Property

Once students arrive at school, either on the bus or with their parent/guardian, they must remain on the school ground at all times. Students will only be dismissed after their arrival if they are picked up by a parent/guardian or when special arrangements are made with the teacher or at the office.

Parents/Guardians are asked to report directly to the office when picking up or dropping off their child(ren).

Drop Off/Pick-up Zone and Parking

Parents dropping off (morning) or picking up (afternoon) their children by car are asked to use the student drop off/pick-up loop, which is the first entrance driveway heading North on Jones Rd. Parents/visitors must use this area at all times. Long-term parking is available at the back.

Please be aware that students who do not travel on the bus are not dismissed before 2:30 p.m. and we recommend that you do not drive into the school to pick-up your children before 2:30 p.m. The second entrance heading North on Jones Rd. is the Bus Loading/Unloading Area only.

Regarding morning drop-off, a reminder please, that students are not to be dropped off at the school before 7:55. This is to ensure students' safety and well-being. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and support.

Safe Arrival Program

If your child has not arrived at school by 8:50 am and we have not received prior notification of their absence or lateness, then an automated alert will go out to you via text and/or email at 8:50 am. When you receive the automated alert, please call or email the school. For many of our students who are bused or who travel by car to school, the above protocol should be sufficient to serve as a reminder for you to notify the school of absences or late arrivals (902-681-4900). However, if your child typically walks to school or is alone in the morning to get themselves to school, please contact the school for additional notification options.

School Closures

AVRCE schools, as well as individual schools, may be subject to closure due to storms, maintenance problems, etc. All unexpected closures are announced on the local radio stations in the morning, as well as through the AVRCE and NMES Alert messaging service (via email and text). If there is an unexpected early dismissal, please do not telephone the school regarding cancellations unless there has been a change to your unplanned early dismissal plan. 

A reminder our scheduled early dismissals are 12:20 (two hours earlier than normal dismissal time).

Communication

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s education, please do not hesitate to contact the school. However, if you wish to meet with your child’s teacher or the administration, please call to make an appointment. An appointment will guarantee that the person you wish to see is here and that they have the time available to fully discuss your concerns.

The office uses an automated system (SchoolMessenger) to send out reminders and important information – please remember to keep your email addresses and cell phone numbers up to date with the office.

Change of Address/Telephone Number

Many students have changes to their initial registration form during the year (address, telephone number, parental employment number, medical concerns, etc.). Any changes should be reported to the office immediately to ensure our records are kept up to date.

School Supply Money

Each year we collect money from each student to purchase school supplies for all students in the school. There are many benefits to having teachers purchase school supplies for everyone, such as bulk purchasing discounts which allow for more educational purchases and uniformity in the classroom.

Lost & Found

During the year our Lost & Found box grows bigger and bigger! We ask that students and parents regularly check the box for missing items. Please note that all unclaimed items will be donated to a charitable organization several times throughout the year. The lost and found is located on the hooks/shelves upstairs outside of the Library.

Student Supervision

Students should arrive at school between 7:55-8:15am. Supervision will not be available before this time. Student supervision commences with the arrival of the first bus. Duty supervisors are outside at recess and lunchtime.

Absenteeism and Late Arrival

Please make all efforts to have your child attend school on time each and everyday. When a child has been absent from school for any reason, we ask that they bring a written excuse from you stating the reason for their absence. If your child arrives at school after the 8:15 bell, they are to check in at the office before going to class.

Appropriate Dress

Staff and visitors are expected to dress in a manner appropriate for a public workplace and to practice reasonable hygiene while attending school and/or school functions in order to create a working environment that is conducive to learning. Except on rainy days and extremely cold days, all of our students go outside at recess and at lunch. Therefore, we ask you to ensure that your child is appropriately dressed for the weather. During the winter we recommend that all the younger children (at least) wear snowsuits as they can get quite damp when they play in the snow. All students should wear boots, mittens and a hat.

Bicycles/Heelys/Skateboards

Parents are asked to remind children that bicycle rules must be strictly adhered to. Failure to obey these rules will result in the loss of their privilege to bring their bike to school. Locks are advised for protection during the day. Students are not to drive their bicycles on school grounds. Heelys and skateboards are not permitted on school property.

Books

Please encourage your child to be careful with all school books, including library books and bookmobile books, since they will be held responsible for any which are lost or badly damaged.

Field Trips

Various field trip experiences are provided for students throughout the year as a supplement to the school program. Parents will be notified in advance of all field trips requiring students to leave the school property. Permission slips and related fees (if any) are required of each child before they can attend such events. This consent form gives your authorization for your child’s participation. All field trips will be under the supervision of at least one teacher.

Parents who wish to volunteer/chaperone to drive students on field trips must fill out a “J” form for driving students, which must be completed each year; a Child Abuse Registry form; and a Criminal Record Background Check form. Please note that these forms may require 3-4 weeks to process.

Volunteers

New Minas Elementary is very fortunate to have the support of many dedicated volunteers who supplement the efforts of our Teachers, Educational Assistants, Duty Supervisors and Secretaries by providing assistance to our students in a variety of ways. Our volunteers wear visitor passes (available at the office) so that students and staff may easily identify them. Volunteers are also required to fill out the necessary forms to be a school volunteer (listed above under field trips: “J” form; CAR; CRC). Criminal Records Check & Child Abuse Registry Forms are to be completed every three years.

Breakfast Program

Our Breakfast Program helps to ensure that every student can have a nutritious start to their day. Breakfast is provided free of charge to students between 7:55 and 8:15 a.m. All students are welcome.

The program is run by volunteers and operates on donations of funds and goods. If you would like to help support the Breakfast Program with time, food or money, please call the office at 902-681-4900.

Hot Lunch Program

The Government of Nova Scotia has recently implemented a new lunch program. It is a pay-what-you-can program and the orders are placed every two weeks on the nslunch.ca website. Students can also bring a packed lunch from home. For safety reasons, students do not have access to microwaves. Please do not send food that requires preheating before consumption.

Peanut Smart School

We have a number of students in our school with severe peanut allergies (Anaphylaxis). We ask that you help us keep these students safe by not bringing products containing peanuts into the school. Classrooms with children who suffer from anaphylaxis will be closely monitored.

Scent Smart School

In an effort to be more respectful to people with environmental sensitivities we request that people in our school refrain from wearing any scented perfumes, colognes, etc., and refrain from using heavily scented hair products. Wearing scented products in our school could result in a medical emergency for some students and staff.

Illness and/or Injury Reports

If a student becomes ill or injured while at school the following procedures will be followed:

• A member of the staff will attempt to make contact with the parent/guardian or with the person listed for emergencies on your child’s registration form.

• If the parent/guardian cannot be reached the child will be made as comfortable as possible at school and given appropriate medical attention. If the illness/injury appears serious, the child will be taken to the hospital (by ambulance, if necessary).

• Attempts to contact parent/guardian will continue.

Student Accident Insurance

Student accident insurance is in place for all eligible public school students in Nova Scotia for their school activities…for free.

Parents have the option to increase coverage to include all activities…24/7…through the Gold Plan. Our Group Policy number is 9222680. For upgrade information you may contact www.sip.ca, 1-902-429-6710, or toll free 1-800-405-6568.

Parent Teacher Association

New Minas Elementary School has a very active Parent Teacher Association with a number of ongoing projects. You are

encouraged to get involved in your child’s education by attending PTA meetings and supporting special projects.

Fundraising

Fundraising has become an inevitable part of school life. Fundraising efforts are generally conducted by the PTA but at times are also coordinated through classroom teachers, school librarian, etc. The proceeds from fundraising go toward providing materials for our programs and allow us to offer additional worthwhile educational experiences for our students.

Toys at School

We request your cooperation in asking that students not bring to school items such as: MP3 Players, electronic games, blasters, etc. Toys such as Power Rangers, guns etc., which may promote aggressive or violent play, are not permitted. The school is not responsible for lost or stolen toys. Teachers or the Administration may ban toys at school at any time if they become a disruption or problem.

Class Placements

Students are placed in classes each year on the basis of creating balanced, heterogeneous classes. Academic ability, behavioral/emotional needs, student leadership, gender, learning and teaching styles, health and interests are but a few of the things that are discussed and taken into consideration when placing students. All parental requests for student placements must be in writing and directed to the school principal. Please note that a request for a student placement is by no means a guarantee that the child will be placed where a parent has requested.

Student Assessment

The school assesses students throughout the year to determine which educational objectives have been achieved. Diagnostic evaluations are also used if a particular student is in need of assessment and assistance because of learning difficulties. At the lower grades the evaluation is on an informal basis. Formative assessments include projects, class presentations, and tests. Formal reports, based on the students’ achievement of curriculum outcomes and student progress are sent to parents three times throughout the year. Before these formal reporting times there will be scheduled parent-teacher interviews or student led conferences. Parents are encouraged to make contact with the teachers in order to maintain effective communication between home and school. Our teachers are always willing to meet with parents to discuss concerns.

Student Use of Telephone

The office telephone is available for students to call home during the day or at the end of the day if illness occurs or if an important message or concern needs to be communicated to a parent. The telephone is not available for students to call home to make arrangements to go to a friend’s house or to have a friend over after school. Those plans should be made before coming to school.

Birthday Party Invitations

The staff attempts to acknowledge the birthdays of all students and wishes them the best during this very special day. However, it can be very awkward for some students when invitations to birthday parties are delivered at school. We ask that you be very discreet about delivering birthday invitations at school and to do so through the classroom teacher. This may help in avoiding hurt feelings amongst students.

Student Behavior

Students at New Minas Elementary School are expected to demonstrate the qualities of caring, courtesy, cooperation and respect. It is important that we respect our school, our teachers and classmates, our families, our community, and most importantly ourselves. It is only through support from the home, especially parents and guardians, that we are going to reach our goal.

Students behaving inappropriately at school will be disciplined to varying degrees depending on the seriousness of the incident (i.e.: timeout, discussion with teacher, meeting with the Principal or Vice Principal, phone call to parent, suspension). Please keep in mind that it is our goal to avoid a need for discipline by teaching our students the principles of caring, courtesy and cooperation as well as respect. Also, keep in mind that encouragement of appropriate behaviours by parents is essential. Your support will be greatly appreciated.

New Minas Elementary School is a member of the League of Peaceful Schools. Consequently, our staff works hard to promote peaceful methods of conflict resolution, respect and tolerance for everyone. New Minas Elementary is also a PEBS (Positive Effective Behavior Support) school. This program enables the staff at New Minas to help children develop and practice positive behavior choices. It is built upon a matrix of respect to help all members of our school family remember to be respectful to ourselves, others, the school environment and learning in all settings of our school. It helps us focus on positive, acceptable behaviour and helps children learn ways to develop such pro-social skills. Children learn to be accountable for their behavior and are recognized for their efforts in helping to create a positive learning atmosphere.