March 28th, 2014
As the snow slowly disappears and the March Break quickly fades into the past it is a great time to review a few procedures that help to keep our school running efficiently and safely. We took it upon ourselves to do so at a recent staff meeting just to make sure that we all still held a common understanding and I would like to highlight a few procedures here. Students will be reminded of the same and we appreciate your support.
Mini-Sticks: This activity is for our students in Grades 1 – 6 only. Please note that there are two official mini-sticks that students may use here at school. This link will provide you with a visual. There are no restrictions regarding which grade can use which stick. At a recent general meeting with our regular mini-stick players we reviewed the need to always play safely and be very careful when transporting our sticks on the bus. We have been granted permission to transport mini-sticks on the bus as long as the blade is inside a back-pack and only the shaft is sticking out the top. We are not allowing students to play with any homemade versions (cut off creations) and also only allow the following grade combinations to play together: Grade 1 & 2, Grade 3 & 4, Grade 5 & 6. In order to keep equipment simple and equitable we are not allowing pads, blocker or gloves. We do monitor behaviour and keep an eye on the injury report. Our students appreciate the change to play, enjoy themselves and usually have a great time.
Tarmac Activities: We have reminded all students that some games are best played out on the field and may not take place on the tarmac. Games such as football and soccer must only be played on the field. We are also asking that any chasing games only happen out on the field.
Bell means “STOP”: When the bell goes at the end of the outside portion of nutrition break we would like our students to focus on moving quickly and safely back to their classes. All games need to stop at this point and balls should be collected and carried back into the school.
Off and Away: We continue to reinforce the acceptable use of technology for everyone. Recognizing that many of our students, more in the higher grades, have access to their own phone and that today’s “smartphones” are capable of connecting to the internet etc. we ask that when students arrive on school property that they turn off their electronic devices and put them away. Under staff supervised circumstances these devices may occasionally be used (research, special party, etc…), but this is only to happen under staff supervision.
Traffic Flow: If you have been in our parking lot lately just before the start of the day you are well aware of the large volume of traffic that we deal with during a very short period of time. Thank you for remembering our transportation routes and cooperating with staff if they offer you a reminder. By working together we can all do our best to keep everyone safe. The eventual (and much anticipated) arrival of warmer weather will see more and more students walking or riding bicycles to and from the school. Saving a few minutes by not following the school transportation routes is not worth the potential loss of a life. Please recognize that there may be delays in our parking lot and that children do not always do what we expect. Move slowly and stay alert. Refresh your memory regarding movement expectations by reviewing our traffic flow map.
There are certainly many more routines that we have established to keep our school family functioning safely. As we review items with our students I will let you know.
Categories: News