BRES
NEWSLETTER
September-October 2009
Dear
Parents:
Another new school year is well underway. As always, these school newsletters attempt
to keep you up-to-date with things that are happening in your children’s school
lives.
IMPORTANT
DATES:
Friday September 25 – Full-Day In-Service – NO
SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
Wednesday September 30 – School Pictures
Wednesday September 30 – BRES Home &
School Meeting 7:00
Monday October 12 – Thanksgiving Day – NO
SCHOOL
Friday October 16 – Read-A-Thon
Wednesday October 21 – BRES SAC General
Meeting 6:00
Friday October 23 – Provincial Conference Day
– NO SCHOOL
Friday October 30 –
Early Dismissal 11:15
SCHOOL PHOTOS
Again this year, Doug O’Neill Photography will take our school
photos. When the photos are ready, you
will receive a proof portrait from which you may order a package. When you have made your choice, the envelope
is sent back to the school with your remittance. The photographer then arrives, takes the
orders, and does the accounting. After
all the orders have been collected on the due date, the finished
packages will arrive within a reasonable time.
You may still take advantage of a Family Plan if you have more than 2
children in this school. You pay full
price for the first 2 children, then $2.00 for each additional child. There will be retakes at a later date for
anyone, who is not satisfied with the original picture.
Since all orders and money are being taken care of by the photographer,
everything will have to be turned in by the due date that he sets.
Student Tardiness & Absenteeism
All school attendance is now done through the office on computer. Four times a year all student data, including
attendance, is transmitted to the Department of Education. If your child is absent from school, you are
asked to phone and state that you know they are absent and give the reason for
their absence. If a student is absent
and no one calls in for them they are entered on the database as having an
unexcused absence because the reason is “unknown”. On the day each month when we have our early
dismissal, anyone who is absent is counted absent for a whole day. Dismissal time at 11:15 is beyond the halfway
point in our day, so it is counted as a full day. It should also be noted that teachers are
well prepared for these early dismissal days and plan their lessons so that
they cover a considerable amount of material.
It is, therefore, not a good idea to view this as a day off, because
your children do miss a lot if they are consistently absent on these days.
When your child is late for school in the morning, it is also noted on
the attendance. If he or she has been
feeling ill or had an early morning appointment, the office should be told this
upon arrival, so that the tardiness is excused.
As in the past couple of years, any student coming in late or leaving
early must report to the office.
Anyone coming into the school
is asked to please check in at the
office. We realize that many of you
volunteer and spend quite a bit of time at the school for different
reasons. Please let us know that you are
in the school, regardless of the reason for your visit. The courtyard doors and the door at the west
end of the building will be locked from 8:30 am until 2:00 pm in an effort to
keep us more aware of who is in the building at any given time. Unfortunately, dangerous situations are all
too common today and all of these precautions are simply to help us take better
care of your children and keep them safe.
SCHOLASTIC
BOOK ORDERS
When ordering Scholastic books from your child’s homeroom teacher, we
request that you pay by cheque made out to Scholastic.
AFTER SCHOOL ARRANGEMENTS
If your child has plans for an after-school activity or play date,
or if they need to go to child care, they must have a signed note from the
parent or guardian advising the school and bus driver (if bus transportation is
involved) of the change in their routine.
A dated note explaining where your child is to go, along with a civic
address (if possible) for the bus driver, is all you need. Students bring their notes to the office and
the details are recorded and the note is stamped. If
the change in plans is unexpected (such as the parent being called in
to work), Mrs. McNeil has no problem supplying a note from the office after a
call from the parent.
Arrangements for play dates and visiting with a friend need to be made from home the day before. Students should not be calling home from the school to arrange such an occasion.
Please make sure that the people who are responsible for your child through
the day are kept informed of where they should be and how they are to get
there.
PLEASE NOTE The BRES Advisory Committee will be
holding its Annual General Meeting on October 21st at 6:00 pm in the
BRES Library. At this time a new executive
will be elected. The committee will need
to have another community member on board this year. If you or someone you know would be
interested in serving on this committee, please state it in writing and forward
to Mr. Baltzer. Members generally serve
for a three year term.
All are welcome and encouraged to
attend our SAC meetings, which are noted on your child’s monthly calendar.
BRES Home & School
The first Home & School Meeting for
this school year will be held Wednesday, September 30, 2009, at 7:00 pm.
BRES BREAKFAST
FOR LEARNING
We are so pleased to be able to offer a daily breakfast program to our
students for the 4th year. We
receive partial funding through grants, but would very much appreciate any
contributions in the way of money, fresh fruit, cereals, juices, etc. If you would be interested in making a
contribution, you can contact Cathy Kingston at the school and receive further
information about the program.
Do you need ideas for a healthy breakfast?
· Whole grain cereal or toast with milk and a piece of fruit is a quick and healthy breakfast.
· Make a smoothie. Blend 1 cup yogurt with 1 medium banana, ½ cup orange juice and a few berries for a tasty shake. Serve with toast
· French toast is a quick and easy breakfast. Use whole grain bread, add a little cinnamon to the egg batter for variety and serve with fruit and yogurt instead of syrup. Use a cookie cutter to cut into shapes for younger children.
· Try breakfast burritos with whole wheat tortillas, salsa, cheese and egg.
· Breakfast doesn’t have to be traditional. Reheated leftovers, grilled cheese sandwiches on whole grain bread or whole wheat pita with peanut butter and fruit are great choices.
With support from the Health Promoting Schools
Program, the provincial breakfast program and Breakfast for Learning, almost
all schools in the
Student Services Fact Sheet Folders
Each year elementary schools are provided
with copies of the Department of Education Student Services fact sheet folders
for distribution to parents of all grade Primary students.
The folder contains six fact sheets that have
been developed for the information of parents to promote a common understanding
of the terms and practices that are used in programming for students with
special needs. These six fact sheets
(Adaptations, Assistive Technology, Inclusion, Program Planning, Enrichment and
Transition) are also available online at www.ednet.ns.ca.
COMMUNTIY NOTICES
It’s school time
again and I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself, Rodena
Renaud, and explain my role, community Program Officer with the RCMP for