Week of September 3, 2024

 

Welcome!!

Dear Davisville JPS/Spectrum Alternative Families,

Welcome to the new school year! If you are returning, welcome back. If you are new to our school, we are glad to have you join our school community. We know that you are going to enjoy being part of this vibrant school community! Parent/caregiver voice is always welcomed at Davisville JPS and Spectrum Alternative. Building strong partnerships between schools, educators and families is key to ensuring the success and well-being of all students. 

Our entire staff has worked very hard to prepare for the new school year and we would like to thank each of them for their time and commitment  over the last few weeks to ensue a safe and successful start for all of our families and students. 

To help keep you all abreast of school and board wide events, we will be releasing a weekly school blog every Sunday. The blog will allow our families to stay informed on school happenings and helps keep our community connected.  In addition to the school blog, Twitter is another platform that will be used to engage and communicate with our families.  

Please follow us on Twitter at @davisville_jps & @SpectrumAltern2

Morning Drop Off

Adult supervision starts at 8:40am every morning for students in Grades 1-6. You will see a staff member walking around in a safety vest if there are issues or concerns that need to be addressed. We encourage families not to drop students off before 8:40am, as there is no guaranteed supervision available.

Punctuality/Late Arrivals

Students are expected to arrive at school on time and line up with their classes. Students arriving late in the morning must enter through the front doors and sign in at the office for a late slip that they will take to their classes. This allows us to maintain adequate attendance of who is in our building.

Drop Off and Pick-Up Routines

Morning drop off and dismissal is a busy time at our school. Here are some key points to be aware of when planning pick up and drop off of students: 

• Supervision starts at 8:40 am every morning for students in Grades 1-6. At this time, staff will be on duty. Therefore, we encourage families not to drop students off before 8:40am, as there is no guaranteed supervision available.
• Our playground area will not be supervised by staff before the start of school (i.e., 8:40-8:55am). Therefore, please ensure that you supervise your child(ren) should they wish to use the playscape area during this time. 
• At dismissal time, we ask for your cooperation and support by ensuring that you pick up your child(ren) as promptly as possible. Our school yard needs to be cleared by 4:00 pm to allow for our after care program to use our yard and access our playscape. Therefore, we kindly ask that families vacate the premises by 4:00pm. 
• Please note (as per the image above) that families can regain access to our playground at 6:00pm. 

Agendas/Google Classroom

Many of our teachers use agendas with their classes to communicate homework and other important items/events. Others may use Google Classroom. Please ensure that you take a look at your child(ren's) agenda or Google Classroom on a daily basis to check for homework and important updates.

Visitors/Volunteers

If you are a visitor or volunteer to our school, please make sure you sign in at the office and take a visitor/volunteer badge. It is also important to sign out upon your departure and return the visitor/volunteer badge to the office. 

Allergies

Some of our staff and students have severe allergic reactions to certain foods and food products. A very common allergy in our school is a severe reaction to peanuts and nut products. Please remember that Davisville JPS/Spectrum Alternative are allergen aware and allergen-safe schools. For the well-being and safety of students and staff with allergies, please do not send any food items to school which may contain nut products and remind your child(ren) not to exchange/share food with others at school. Please read food labels carefully. 
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Non-Food Items & Special Occasions

Should you wish to celebrate special occasions in the classroom, please only send non-edible treats/non-food items to school to share with other students. There are many alternatives to bringing in food for birthdays and special occasions. Some suggestions for families include stickers, pencils or erasers, donating a book or board game in honour of your child’s birthday to the class.

New Cell Phone Policy 

In alignment with the new Ministry of Education policy memorandum (i.e., PPM128: The Provincial Code of Conduct and School Boards Codes of Conduct), the TDSB has revised its PR585: Board Code of Conduct to reflect the new Ministry direction around cell phone and mobile device use in all Ontario schools. These revisions are designed to restrict the use of all personal mobile devices during instructional time in both elementary and secondary classrooms in order to prevent distraction and maximize learning time.  

Below is a summary of requirements for cell phone/mobile device use, effective September 1, 2024.

All Members of the School Community: All members of the school community (including staff) must not use personal mobile devices during instructional time except under the following circumstances: for educational purposes, for health and medical purposes, to support special education needs.

Students in Grades 6 and Below: Students’ personal mobile devices must be stored out of view and powered off or set to silent mode throughout the full instructional day, except when their use is explicitly permitted by the educator under the circumstances outlined above. If an educator sees a personal mobile device that is not stored out of view, they must require the device be handed in for the instructional day and the device must be placed, by the student, in a storage area in a location designated by the principal.

Students in Grades 7 to 12: Personal mobile devices must be stored out of view and powered off or set to silent mode during instructional time, except when their use is explicitly permitted by the educator under the circumstances outlined above. If the educator sees a personal mobile device that is not stored out of view, they must require the device be handed in for the instructional period and the device must be placed, by the student, in a storage area in a location in the classroom designated by the educator.

Please review the following rules and parameters for cell phone use at our school. Please review and reinforce these expectations with your children. It is important that we work together as we help students learn how to use cell phones in a responsible, respectful and productive way.

Cell Phone Policy at Davisville JPS

• If cell phones need to be at school, they must be stored in students’ school bags throughout the day and not in their pockets or brought out during class time. The use of cell phones may be permitted during instructional time only under the following circumstances: for educational purposes as directed by the educator in the classroom; for health and medical purposes; to support special education needs 
• Cell phones are not to be taken to the bathroom: Bathrooms need to be places where students feel safe, and where students feel their privacy is respected. This rule is in place to protect students’ emotional safety in the bathrooms, and to minimize time spent out of class.
• Cell phone use will not be permitted during non-instructional times on school property including on the school yard during recesses and lunch breaks: If students use their phones during these times, they should be sent to the office and may be asked to check their phone into the office in the morning until the end of the day. We are committed to providing prosocial opportunities for our students throughout the day and work to maintain a safe and respectful learning environment at our school at all times.

Spectrum Alternative Cell Phone Policy

• If cell phones need to be at school, they must be stored in students’ school lockers throughout the day and not in their pockets or brought out during class time. Cell phones can be great learning tools, but they can also be major distractions. This rule is in place to minimize distracted learning and to ensure a safe learning environment. The use of cell phones may be permitted during instructional time only under the following circumstances: for educational purposes as directed by the educator in the classroom; for health and medical purposes; to support special education needs.
• Cell phones are not to be taken to the bathroom: Bathrooms need to be places where students feel safe, and where students feel their privacy is respected. Students who have phones are expected to keep them in their lockers. This rule is in place to protect students’ emotional safety in the bathrooms, and to minimize time spent out of class.
• Cell phone use will not be permitted during non-instructional times on school property including on the school yard during recesses and lunch breaks. We understand that students may need their cell phones before school and after school for safety reasons. However, for a variety of reasons, if students choose to use their phones during inappropriate times (e.g., recess or class time), they will be sent to speak with the Principal/Vice Principal and may be asked to check their phone into the office in the morning until the end of the day. We are committed to providing prosocial opportunities for our students throughout the day and work to maintain a safe and respectful learning environment at our school at all times.

Snack Program

We are hoping to launch our snack program sometime soon. Please stay tuned for further information on this in our next weekly blog. If you interested in helping our school with the snack program, please email VP, Mona Moftakhar: Ramona.Moftakhar@tdsb.on.ca