ENTRY:

We are asking for your support of our school safety procedures. Our job is to ensure the safety of each and every student. While you may feel familiar to the school, you are a stranger to every child but your own.

  • Parents/Guardians please only enter the school through the front door. You will be required to push the intercom for the main office and identify yourself to staff, and state the reason for your visit. Please turn towards the camera which is located behind you.
  • Once you enter the school, please report directly to the main office.
  • If your child is late, please report to the main office. You are required to sign your child in on the iPad. Your child will be given a late slip and they will proceed to their classroom on their own. Parents, please do not escort your child/children.
  • If your child is in JK, we will have the teacher send a buddy to meet your child in the office.

Thank you for your anticipated cooperation in guaranteeing our students a safe school environment.

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES:

There are many opportunities for students to become involved in extracurricular activities here at JWG. Music and sports activities such as primary and junior choirs, junior bucket drumming, primary running club, junior basketball, and primary and junior soccer are just a few of the activities in which our students can participate. We encourage our students to come out and join in these fun activities and learn new skills and make new friends.  These activities will be promoted during our school announcements and it is your child’s responsibility to return permission slips (if applicable) and attend any practices, etc. during nutrition breaks.

FOREST SCHOOL:

Every class in our school will have the opportunity to participate in Forest School. It is important that your child dresses appropriately on Forest School days (e.g., close toed shoes, rain jackets, long sleeve pants and shirts). Permission forms have been sent out on School-Day. In order to make Forest School a success, we rely on parent volunteers. Joining us for Forest School is a great way to get involved with your child’s learning. If you are available to volunteer please contact your child’s teacher.

FRENCH IMMERSION:

Registration for Grade 1 French Immersion takes place during the month of January when your child is in SK.  All registrations are done online.  Placement in Grade 1 French Immersion is not guaranteed and demand may exceed spots available.

  • Registrants who have a sibling registered in the French Immersion Program will be given
    preference until the deadline for registrations
  • Registrants who live within the geographical boundary of the school, and have been registered prior to the deadline, will be placed next. Provided the number of residential boundary
    registrants exceeds the number of spaces available in the program (20 per class), and all
    students with older siblings currently enrolled in the French Immersion Program are placed, a
    lottery system will be used to determine acceptance into the program.
  • If space is available, students from out of boundary will be placed in the program via
    lottery.
  • Any registrations received after the deadline will be placed in available classes or on a
    waiting list in the order they registered, regardless of residency.
  • Efforts will be made to accommodate as many waiting list students as possible.

A confirmation email will be sent in March to inform all families of children who registered
for the program about the status of their enrollment. If you have any additional questions or
require more information about the French Immersion Program or the registration process, please call 519-570-0003, extension 4277.  Information sessions are typically offered in November.  Watch School-Day and/or our school website for current information.

FUNDRAISING:

We offer many options in regards to Fundraising.  Fundraising allows the school to purchase and support many school initiatives such as technology and the purchase of additional school materials.  Please consider participating or making a donation online and receive a tax receipt.  Details will be shared annually via School-Day messaging.

HALLOWEEN:

Halloween is a cultural event and it is a good reminder for us to continue to promote safe, caring and inclusive school communities. Like many annual traditions, this day can be filled with excitement, however, we want to make sure our Halloween activities foster both inclusion and school spirit.

Not all families celebrate Halloween, for many reasons including cultural, religious, socioeconomic and personal.

For safety reasons, we discourage the wearing of masks and the carrying of plastic weapons. Weapons, real or fake, are not to be brought to school on any day.

Students are encouraged to wear black or orange.

ILLNESS/INJURY:

If your child is ill, we ask that you keep them at home and call our attendance line to report their absence.  If your child becomes ill or injured while at school, we triage based on the severity of symptoms.  At times all a child may need is a little rest in our health room, a trip to the washroom, or something to eat or drink.  In case of injury, we provide basic first aid, such as a bandage or ice.  We are not permitted to use antiseptic of any kind.  Our goal is to keep your child at school if possible.  We do not call home for minor scrapes and bumps.  Should your child vomit, feel fevered or we have exhausted all of the options available to us, we will contact you to come and pick up your child.  Please have a back-up plan, such as additional contacts, in your child’s data records.  We will not release your child to someone who is not listed on your child’s data record.

IMMUNIZATION:

The Immunization of School Pupils Act, 1982, states that the Health Unit must have a record of your child’s immunization in order to attend school in Ontario.  Health and Immunization information is being accepted online through the Public Health website at: https://e-immunization.regionofwaterloo.ca/.  If you encounter difficulties with the online site, please call the Health Unit at 519-575-4400 X 13009.

LIBRARY:

Students may borrow books for up to a three-week loan period and may exchange them during their classroom library visit.

Our loan standards are as follows:

JK and SK – 1 book

Grades 1and 2 – up to 3 books

Grades 3 to 6 – up to 4 books

Students are responsible for the books that they sign out. To avoid loss or damage to books, students are encouraged to:

Carry library books in a book bag or knapsack. Keep food and drinks (liquids) away from books

Store the book in a safe spot at home, away from young children and pets

Return all borrowed books on or before the due date

Return overdue books before borrowing another item.

Should a book become lost or damaged, please notify the school’s library clerk. A small fee will be charged:

Soft Cover Item: $5.00 Hardcover Item: $10.00

Research and reading can and should take place outside of the school library. Students are invited to visit the Library Learning Commons http://library.wrdsb.ca at any time from home or from school to continue their learning online.

LOST AND FOUND: 

Please label all of your child’s belongings.  We make every attempt to reunite found items with their owners if they are labelled.  Lost and Found is located in a student accessible area at any time.  So if your child has lost an item, please direct them to look for it first.  Parents will be able to view Lost and Found approximately every 6 weeks in our front foyer.  Dates will be posted on School-Day.  Unclaimed items will be donated to charity.

LUNCH PROGRAM:

Delicious lunches are available 5 days a week for you to purchase for your child.  You may choose what days you would like to participate.

All orders are done online at lunchboxorders.com.  The proceeds of our lunch program will support the purchase of resources for our school.

*please note:  We are not able to hold lunches for those students who are absent*

Please cancel online at lunchboxorders.com if absence is known in advance.