September 2023 Newsletter
Principal’s Message
Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year!
I am happy to have this opportunity to introduce myself. I am Angela Cowley, your new principal at Brookside Public School. I am excited and happy to be here.
I have much to learn about Brookside and the students and families it serves, but I have already had the opportunity to see glimmers of the great school community that exists. I have noticed the beautiful grounds; have learned of the dedication of parents in general and through the School Council; have had and heard staff conversations that reassure me this is a great place to be.
There are two specific opportunities for you to introduce yourself to me. Please consider joining the School Council meeting on September 13 2023 at 7:00 p.m and I will see you at our annual open house on Wednesday September 28 2023.
Communication is key. If you have any concerns, questions or suggestions do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] or by calling 519-529-7900.
I look forward to getting to know and serving your children and you.
Thank you for everything that you are doing to ensure your children are ready for the new school year! Let’s have a terrific year together.
Every Child, Every Chance, Every Day
Sincerely,
Angela Cowley
Principal
Brookside Public School
SAVE THE DATES
September 11th-Milk and Pizza will be up on School Cash for the month of October. Will close September 20th,2023.
September 11th- Little Caesers and Fresh From the Farm Fundraiser will be up on School Cash online. Little Caesers will close October 3rd,2023. Fresh From the Farm will close on October 5th,2023.
September 13th- Parent Council Meeting @ 7:00pm
September 22nd- Terry Fox Run
September 27th-Open House to come see your child's classroom and tour the school. From 4:00pm-6:00pm
School Addresses and Phone Numbers
Brookside Public School
36937 Belgrave Road, Lucknow, Ontario N0G 2H0
Phone: (519)529-7900 · Fax: (519)529-3142 Office eMail: [email protected]
Website: brookside.amdsb.ca
Facebook: Brookside Public School ·Instagram: Brookside Public School·Twitter: @BrooksidePS
Avon Maitland District School Board
62 Chalk St. N. Seaforth, Ontario N0K 1W0
Phone: (519) 527-0111 Fax: (519) 527-0222
Website: amdsb.ca Facebook.com/AvonMaitlandSchools · Twitter: @yourschools
Staff List
Student Placement
A great deal of time, effort and thought has gone into the process of student placement for the 2023-2024 school year. Careful consideration was given to input from staff and students. Classrooms have been balanced academically and socially. Our class lists are structured to provide equitable class sizes at each grade level. Moving students is difficult without causing imbalances and inequities.
Thank you so much for being positive with your child and helping him or her understand that it is impossible to place all students with all their preferred friends or teachers. ALL of our staff works hard to make school a positive experience for ALL students. Thank you for understanding that it can take a few weeks for a child to acclimate to a new grade, peer group and teacher.
Bus Route and Weather Cancellations
Route and weather cancellations can occur at any time. Please use the following sites to stay informed. Be sure to subscribe to BusPLanner App as well as Schoolmessenger. Text YES to number 978338 to sign up to receive text messages from the school.
Huron Perth Transportation Services Website: www.ourschoolbuses.ca
Bus Planner Alerts Page: https://hpsts.mybusplanner.ca/
BusPlanner® Delays APP: Indicates if the cancellation is AM or PM or All Day. As soon as a notification is posted to the BusPlanner® Website, it appears as a notification on the app. Please remember to turn on your notifications on your phone so you can see them.
School Messenger
SchoolMessenger is designed to automatically notify parents. SchoolMessenger will extend AMDSB’s existing community outreach efforts and emergency preparedness procedures, as well as inform parents of upcoming school events. Text YES to number 978338 to sign up to receive text messages from the school.
School Start and End times: Please make note that our first class starts at 8:45 and our end of day is 3:05. If driving and/or picking up children please try to schedule around these times.
Safe Arrival Program:
Safe Arrivals For your child’s safety, we are required to check attendance and place safe arrival telephone calls at the beginning of the school day. Similar to last year, students are not permitted to leave the premises at either break. Please assist us by reporting the student absence using the SchoolMessenger website or App. This option is available 24 hours/day, 7 days a week. You may also call the school office. If the school is unaware of why a child is absent, calls will be made until a parent/guardian is contacted to verify the absence.
Reporting and absence:
Call the school 519-529-7900
Press #1 to leave a message in the Safe Arrival Call Mailbox.
Please leave the students name, classroom teacher, reason for absence.
You can also email absences to [email protected]
Written absence notes from parents delivered to the office by siblings are also acceptable.
Once attendance is taken by the classroom teacher, the Safe Arrival System will begin to call parents or emergency contact numbers for student absences not explained. It is vital for parents to provide us with home, work, and emergency contact telephone numbers. During the course of the year, if parents need to update this information for our records, please call or email the school.
Drop Off & Dismissal Procedures
Students can be dropped off at 8:40-8:45 am.
When dropping your child off in the morning, please pull up along the front of the school at the front door. Staff will be there to assist your child in exiting the vehicle. Please have children check into the office before heading to the classroom so the secretary knows they are in the school for attendance. For the safety of all of our children, please do not exit your vehicle while it is running.
Students will be dismissed from class at 3:05pm.
For safety reasons, parents who are picking up children at the end of the day must report to the FRONT ENTRANCE (Door F) and ring the bell and wait for students to be dismissed from the office or dismissal Teacher.
If routine varies for your child, an email to [email protected] or phone call 519-529-7900 will ensure that your child is ready for pick up and does not board the bus.
For security reasons, students will not be allowed to go home with any other parents or to be left at a different bus stop unless a note or phone call is received at the school.
Nutrition Breaks and Lunches - Brookside is NUT Free
Hand hygiene is performed prior to and after lunch breaks. There is “no sharing” of food, water bottles or cutlery. Families are encouraged to follow a litter less lunch philosophy, to reduce the risks of excess personal waste.
Students are able to access water filling stations, please bring a re-fillable water bottle. The Ontario Student Nutrition and Snack programs are operating here at Brookside and we offer healthy snacks in every classroom every day for all who would like to access it.
School Cash Online
avonmaitland.schoolcashonline.com
Please register your student for school cash online if you have not done so already. If you need any assistance please contact Ms.Cook in the office through email or a phone call.
Supporting Students with Prevalent Medical/Health Conditions at School
The safety of students with a prevalent medical/health condition such as asthma, anaphylaxis, diabetes and epilepsy is a shared responsibility of the board, school, family and health care providers. Please contact the school immediately to ask if an Individual Medical Management Plan of Care needs to be created for your child. For all students who have had Medical Management Plans of Care in the past, these plans must be updated yearly. Please contact the school if you have any questions or concerns or if your child needs the implementation of a Medical Management Plan.
Suicide Prevention/Intervention
AMDSB is committed to the prevention and promotion of positive mental health and well-being for staff and students across the system.
As part of this commitment, AMDSB staff have been trained in suicide prevention and intervention and rely on the AMDSB Suicide & Mental Health Crisis Response Protocol for service pathways when a student presents in distress or crisis.
Please be advised that should your child present in crisis to school staff, your school team will be reaching out to you to discuss next steps and school based or community based supports to meet your child’s needs.
Please know that if you or your child are in crisis, or need someone to talk to, staff are available 24/7 to help through the Huron Perth Helpline & Crisis Response Team 1-888-829-7484 or Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868 or TEXT 686868
Custody and Access Documents
It may happen that school authorities are asked by a parent(s) to enforce certain clauses in custody and access documents. In order for school personnel to do this, we must have a copy of the legal documents which are received from the courts containing this specific information. We will gladly make copies of this information and store it in the student’s O.S.R.
(Ontario School Record) folder for further reference.
Health Services/Immunizations -
To attend school in Ontario, children are required to be vaccinated against several infectious diseases. Failure to meet the vaccine requirements could result in a school suspension.
Submit your child’s record of immunization to Huron Perth Public Health:
https://www.hpph.ca/en/health-matters/immunization-records-and-reporting.aspx
Administration of Medication (Prescription and Non-Prescription)
Where a parent/guardian indicates, in writing, that a pupil requires oral medication to be administered during the school day and requests that such be supervised by school staff, the parent/guardian shall complete the attached form
Prescription Medication Form:
https://22.files.edl.io/0da5/10/17/19/142002-e44489d6-064e-4959-a743-ac5b33d3b2b1.pdf
Non-Prescription Form:
https://22.files.edl.io/c02b/10/17/19/142003-b785bf15-93b0-4e6a-a9f4-f92518fb8462.pdf
Introduction to the Code of Conduct:
All students, parents and guardians, teachers and staff have the right to be safe and feel safe in their school community.
The Avon Maitland District School Board Code of Conduct establishes the expectation that in all district schools, all members of the school community will foster and maintain safe, positive, orderly, nurturing and respectful teaching, learning, and working environments to create positive school climates.
Further information about the Code of Conduct can be found at:https://www.amdsb.ca/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1088877&type=d&pREC_ID=1366229
NOTIFICATION OF DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
Schools and the Avon Maitland District School Board will use your student’s personal information for consistent general purposes or to comply with legislation. An explanation of routine uses, and disclosures are outlined on our School and Board’s website. The 2022-2023 letters, Form 103A Disclosure Notification of Personal Information Elementary and Form 103B Disclosure Notification of Personal Information Secondary, are now included on the Board’s website under Schools and Registration | Privacy and Information and each school’s website under Resources | Information from the Office
Search and Seizure
As per The Police and School Board Protocol under AP 359, please be advised that “desks and lockers are considered school board property and a search of such property is permissible by school administration
Cultivating Character
Fairness-Treating everyone in a just and accepting manner
Honesty- Being trustworthy, sincere and truthful
Empathy- Understanding how someone else feels
Respect- Valuing self, others and our world
Courage- Facing the challenge
Integrity- Doing what is right and honourable
Optimism- Choosing to be positive
Compassion-Showing care and consideration
Perseverance- Staying purposeful and committed
Responsibility- Being reliable and accountable