Attendance & Safe Arrival

Regular attendance at school is an important factor in every student’s academic success. We encourage all of our students to develop this important habit. We ask parents to help their children in this regard by scheduling appointments outside of regular school hours whenever possible. When a student must be absent, parents are reminded to inform their teacher and the office staff.  
It is important that we can reach all students’ parents in the unlikely case of an emergency. For this reason, if your home or business numbers change at any time during the year, please let us know immediately.
We also encourage our students to arrive at school promptly both in the morning and after lunch. When a student is late, they are expected to report to the office. If tardiness persists, parents will of course be notified. Students leaving the school during the day, for any reason, are required to notify the school office. Parents wishing to pick up children at school for appointments etc. must report to the office to make this request. Your child will then be contacted. Students returning to school during the day must report to the office to sign in before going to their classrooms.

Routines

Morning Announcements: Every day begins with the playing of the National Anthem and Land Acknowledgement, followed by announcements. Our Grade Six students are given the opportunity to perform this important task.

Recess: Children are encouraged to actively play outside at recess times. Please help us by not letting your children bring electronic toys and other passive games to school. Yard supervision is maintained by teachers during these times. Students have recesses outside everyday, please ensure they are dressed appropriately for the weather. 

Lunch: Children who stay for lunch are encouraged to bring a litterless lunch. The TDSB provides lunchroom and school yard supervision. All lunch program students must remain on school property.  If you prefer that your child goes home for lunch, please let the office know that they will be leaving school for the lunch hour. 

Emergencies

Inclement Weather: Occasionally, severe weather conditions require the Toronto District School Board to cancel transportation and close schools. This may occur before the beginning of the school day, or if conditions become severe, during the school day. In the event of severe or rapidly deteriorating weather conditions, parents may decide to keep students at home if they believe conditions are unsafe. The decision to close schools is made by the Director of Education. Every effort will be made to inform parents of any cancellation of classes or of school transportation services. On days when it is extremely cold or rainy, please have your child arrive to school shortly before the entry bell and please ensure that your child is dressed appropriately. We ask each student to have a pair of indoor shoes at school throughout the school year. Students must wear shoes at all times for safety and hygienic reasons.

Fire Drills: As part of our emergency preparedness plan, six fire drills will be conducted to ensure the students can quickly and safely leave the school in case of fire.

Evacuation: Should the school need to be evacuated, all students will be escorted to Williamson Road Public School or Glen Ames Senior Public School, where they will remain until they can safely return to the Balmy Beach or until dismissal time.

Lock Down: A lockdown is a process that ensures the children and staff are safe in the event of a threat in or near the school. It typically involves locking all doors and keeping the children away from windows until the all-clear signal is given. As part of the school’s safety plan, we conduct two lockdown drills a year, once in the Fall and one in Spring.