PORT WILLIAMS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
PRACTICES & PROCEDURES
Early Morning Drop Off | Afternoon Pick Up | Mid-Day Drop Off and Pick Up
If you are dropping your child off at school, you are asked to drop them off between 7:45 - 7:55 in our drop-off loop. This will give students time to be ready to start their instructional day, which begins at 7:55 a.m. Please pull up to the front of the loop let your child out and continue to exit the loop in the designated lane. The drop off loop is not an area that you can park and exit your vehicle. These rules are to provide a safe drop off area for all students.
If you are picking your child up at the end of the day, please wait in the pickup loop and an adult will escort your child to your car.
If you are dropping your child off or picking them up throughout the day, please call the school office to let us know your child is on their way in or if you are picking them up call us so we can get your child ready for pick up.
Lunch Program/nslunch.ca
The province of Nova Scotia offers a pay what you can/free lunch program. Ordering is done by parent/guardian on-line at nslunch.ca and is ordered in advance for a two-week period. Once parents/guardians are registered, they will receive an e-mail when the lunch ordering is open and a reminder when the order period will end (usually at noon the Wednesday before the two-week period begins).
School Bus Safety | Bus Notes
In the afternoon, bus drivers will drop your child off at the designated stop. Pre-primary, Primary, Grade One and Grade Two students must have a parent/guardian meet them at their stop. If a parent/guardian is not at the bus stop, in the interest of safety, the child will be returned to the school and the family will be contacted.
A bus note is required if your child is taking an alternate route or bus or being picked up. Please email changes to your child's end of day plans to pwes@avrce.ca by 9:30 that day. If you learn of a bus change later than this time please call the school office. If you do not have access to technology, please send a written note.
AVRCE uses the BusPlanner Parent Portal to notify families by text and email about late or cancelled buses. In order to receive bus notices, you must activate your BusPlanner Parent Portal account. Log in to: https://avrce.mybusplanner.ca/ to view your child's bus information and add a mobile number. Downloading the bus planner app is highly recommended. Contact transportation@avrce.ca if you have questions about BusPlanner Parent Portal accounts.
School E-mails and Text Messages
Our school along with other AVRCE schools use SchoolMessenger to send text and email updates to parents/guardians, including time-sensitive notices for school cancellations and unplanned early dismissals. General notices are sent by e-mail around 6:00 p.m. at night.
If you haven't opted in already and would like to receive SchoolMessenger text notices, text "Y" or "YES" to 978338 from a mobile number on file with your school.
If you need to update the mobile number on file, please contact the school office anytime.
To opt-out from receiving school/AVRCE text messages, text STOP to 978338. More information is at http://schoolmessenger.com/txtmsg.
Whether you choose to opt-in to AVRCE/school text messages or not, you will continue to receive emails and automatic phone calls from our school according to your notification preferences; no action is needed.
Website and Newsletters
Newsletters are e-mailed to families at the end of each month. The newsletter will also be available on our website. Our website address is: pwes@ednet.ns.ca.
Volunteering
Volunteers are an important part of our school. We are looking for volunteers to assist in the lunchroom, class trip chaperones, and to help with special activities (field day, extracurricular activities, etc.). To volunteer at school, volunteers must complete a Criminal Records Check (CRC) and a Child Abuse Registry Check (CAR) every 3 years. The necessary forms are available at the school and may be picked up at the school office.
Outdoor Activities
We believe in the importance of students going outdoors daily to play at recess and lunch. In teaching children, the value of enjoying outdoor play, it is important to ensure that they come prepared to be outdoors in all kinds of weather. Please encourage them to dress appropriately for the weather.
Peanut/Tree Nut Smart School
We are a “PEANUT/TREE NUT SMART” school. No peanuts or tree nuts (or products containing peanuts/tree nuts) may be brought to school. Please check ingredient labels carefully to ensure that food items do not contain traces of nuts. We have checked with the manufacturers and providers of our food items in our lunchroom and have been assured that they are peanut/tree nut free and have been produced in a peanut/tree nut free environment. Following these procedures will help us provide a safe environment for all our students. We thank you for your cooperation.
Scent Smart
We are working to make our school a scent-smart environment for your children and ourselves. Scented products contain chemicals which cause serious problems for many people, especially those with asthma and allergies. Please do not send your child to school with scented products, including sprayable sunscreen.
Student Fee
There is a student fee of $35 per student which covers their school supplies and miscellaneous classroom costs. The maximum fee is $70 per family. If you have more than two students at PWES, please contact the office. If you need to make alternate arrangements for payment, please reach out to Ms. Burns. Fees can be paid to your homeroom teacher, in the office or on-line using the following link: https://avrce.schoolcashonline.com/ (can also be found on our homepage of our website).
Contact Us
If you have any questions at any time, please contact the school office at 902-542-6074 or e-mail to pwes@avrce.ca.