Bikes, Scooters and Roller Blades
Absolutely no bike riding, scooters, or roller blading on school grounds during school hours. Please walk as soon as you get to the school yard.
Field Trips
Most of our field trips are walking trips to nearby areas of interest. You are usually informed ahead of time about these. When we take a bus or car field trip away from the school, we request a permission slip to be sent back to the school. Students earn the right to go on field trips by consistently showing respect, safety and responsibility. Some field trips require a financial contribution from parents. No student is deprived of attending a curricular field trip due to an inability to pay. Please advise your child’s teacher or the school principal if this is a problem. The request will be treated in a confidential manner.
Emergency School Closure Procedures
The decision to close schools in School District 68 (Nanaimo-Ladysmith) due to inclement weather is made by the Superintendent. The decision is announced over the local radio stations CKVW (The Wave) 102.3 FM or CHWF (The Wolf) 106.9 FM beginning at 6:45 a.m. Parents will also receive a phone call, text message or email notification from the School District 68 school messenger service. We request that students and parents listen to the radio or check emails for this information rather than call the school.
“Inside Days” During Severe Weather
A school day is full for young people and definite breaks in their classroom studies are very important. Therefore, all youngsters are encouraged to go outside during recess and before eating lunch. It is very important that students have the opportunity to get some fresh air, the chance to exercise and the chance to be with friends of their own choosing.
On rare occasions, the Principal and staff will declare extreme rainy or snowy days “Inside Days”.
Medicine in Schools
Children at times require prescription drugs while they are at school. Please do not allow children to carry and leave drugs at school. Anything of this type should be given by the parent to the office. Arrangements can be made for the office staff to administer drugs to children, but it involves parents completing a student medication form, which you may request from the school office. We do not dispense any drugs without having this form completed and on file under any circumstances and this includes Aspirin or Tylenol.
Communicable Diseases
Students with communicable diseases are expected to be kept home until they are no longer contagious. A very informative pamphlet, Understanding Communicable Diseases, published by the Ministry of Health, is available from the local Public Health Unit.
Head Lice
Head Lice are not a disease, but an infestation and can have an emotional, social and financial impact on the health of a child or his/her family. The primary responsibility for the control of head lice rests with the parent or guardian. The school has a role to play in educating staff, children and parents about head lice prevention, early detection and in providing information on treatment options.
Before and After School Supervision
Ladysmith Primary School does not have before or after school supervision. Children should be under the care and supervision of an adult prior to the start of school at 8:40 a.m. and upon dismissal at 2:25 p.m. We realize that unavoidable delays can occur from time to time. We will begin calling parents soon after school dismissal if they have not arrived as students can become worried.
Please do not make arrangements with your child to wait outside or near the road to be picked up after school. This is a very unsafe practice, as the road and parking lot can be very busy and dangerous places at that time of day. Please come to your child’s classroom door so that the teacher can see who is picking up your child. Also, if the occasion arises that you are late; your child will be instructed to wait at the office and the secretary or principal also need to see who picks up your child. This policy is in place to protect the safety of your child.
Recess Supervision
Our Noon Hour Supervision Aides and Educational Assistants are easily identified by their bright orange vests while on duty at long recess. They use walkie-talkies to maintain daily contact with each other, the office and the First Aid Attendant. Teachers provide morning recess duty.
Removing Your Child before Dismissal Time
From time to time, due to appointments or illness, parents and guardians will need to take their child from school early. Please remember to inform the school secretary in the main office, or if she is unavailable, please tell the principal or ask another staff member to relay the message to the office. We need to know where all of our students are at all times.
Controlled Substances
Tobacco, alcohol and drugs are not permitted on school property. The use of tobacco products in school buildings and on school property is against the law. In March 2007, the BC Legislature approved legislation making it illegal to smoke or use tobacco at school, effective September 2007.
Students are reminded that they must not smoke or use tobacco in the school buildings or on school property. This includes smoking in vehicles while you are on school grounds. Students found violating this law will be subject to school discipline.
Emergency Procedures
Fire drills and earthquake drills are a regular part of school safety. Ladysmith Primary will conduct three fire drills in the fall and three during the spring. Earthquake drills will occur twice a year. Forms are sent home early in the year to gather information and a plan about your child’s care in the event of an emergency. The District has provided Emergency Kits for each classroom and our PAC has provided the school with an emergency kiosk and emergency supplies. It is the parents responsibility to send individual emergency kits for their child(ren) which will be kept at school during the school year.
Absences/Lates
Please phone the school at 250-245-3912 and speak to the secretary or leave a message on the answering machine if your child will be absent from school. Unless we receive a telephone message, our messenger system will phone you if your child is late or away to ensure the safe whereabouts of your child. Please reduce the need for such calls. Children who are late must report to the office to pick up a late slip prior to going to class.
Abuse or Neglect
Suspected cases of abuse or neglect must, by law, be reported to the Ministry of Children and Families.
School Telephone Use
Students are allowed to use the office telephone only after checking with their teacher and obtaining a telephone pass, and only for legitimate reasons, such as illness. We do not allow the children to make calls to see if social arrangements meet with parent approval, as these should be made before school.
Messages for Students
We are most willing to pass along urgent or emergency type messages to students. Passing along non-essential messages consumes too much time. Please make plans prior to school regarding after school arrangements.
Appropriate Dress
As we approach summer and more sunny days, parents are reminded to review the following guidelines with their children.
The school is a place to work and learn and as such students are expected to dress in a manner that is conducive to this expectation. At school we rely on the good sense of students and their parents rather than a strict code as to what is suitable to wear to school.
The following is not appropriate school wear:
- Beach wear or clothes that are revealing
- Items of clothing that display offensive graphics/writing
The appearance of any young person is primarily the responsibility of that individual and his/her parents. We expect students to maintain the type of appearance that is not distracting to teachers or other students to the detriment of the educational process of the school.
When a student’s appearance is felt to be detrimental, the parent/guardian will be contacted and asked to bring appropriate clothing for the student. If the problem persists, a parent/ administrator conference may be required.
We would appreciate parental support for this district policy by helping your child(ren) make appropriate choices for clothing worn to school.
School Supplies
Adequate school supplies are the responsibility of the parents. These should be provided on an ongoing basis throughout the year. A supply list is available in the office and is issued with the child’s final report card each June. We encourage parents to use the online ordering for ease of shopping. Kindergarten teachers purchase the supplies for their classes and charge a flat rate for each family. Please let the office know if you are having difficulty purchasing supplies.
Reporting
Reporting reflects the child’s performance in relation to the learning goals and expected learning outcomes of the primary curriculum. It conveys information about the child’s progress regarding development of knowledge, skills and attitudes in the following areas: intellectual development, physical development, aesthetic and artistic development, emotional and social development and social responsibility. An outline for parents of grade level curriculum is provided each term.
There are two formal written progress reports per school year:
- First Reporting Term – February
- Second Reporting Term – June
Teachers are required to provide at least three ongoing communications of students learning throughout the school year. Formative Assessment Conferences are included as one of three communications if learning standards, authentic evidence and descriptive feedback are shared with guardians. The formative Assessments are held in the first few months of the school year to update parents on their students learning progress and development. Another example of ongoing communication is Freshgrade, where teachers can keep parents/guardians updated on the students progress and classroom activities.
Multiculturalism
In order to assure an education that will broaden and enrich the life experiences of all those served by School District 68 (Nanaimo-Ladysmith), the Board will work to improve understanding among cultures, promote respect for diversity and combat racism and discrimination. The Board will be sensitive to and ensure equal rights to individuals of different ethnic backgrounds and resist racial bias in any form.
The Board encourages the development of a wide variety of curricular and co-curricular programs that:
- Reflect the cultural diversity of the community
- Demonstrate the value of human dignity, guard against stereotyping, discrimination and bias, and
- Foster the participation of all students.
The Board expects employees to take immediate action to deal with incidents contrary to this policy. By definition, “incident” here refers to a verbal or physical expression of cultural, ethnic or racial stereotyping or bias that exhibits a negative attitude or hatred toward a person or group’s cultural, ethnic or racial heritage.
Lost and Found
The school maintains a Lost and Found box near the school office. Should items of clothing, footwear or whatever go astray, please check this box. Each term the items in the box are put on display, often timed for events that involve parent participation. Notice is usually given in the school newsletter too. Unclaimed items are then donated to various charities. NOTE – 2020/2021 There is no indoor Lost and Found this year. Items with names are returned to students and items left outside without names are hung on the fence to be claimed by families.