August 2023 Newsletter

Principal Message

Dear John T Tuck families, We hope that you are thoroughly enjoying your summer, as it comes to a close over the next couple of weeks.  Our office staff has started back at school to prepare for our students, and we wanted to give a quick update on a few items as we prepare for the new school year.  Please keep a close eye on your emails over the next couple of weeks as we send out important messages about school start up.  If you have any questions, please contact the office between 9:00am and 2:00pm throughout the rest of August.  We look forward to reconnecting, re-engaging, and reimagining our school experience with you this year!  See below for more updates.


Mr. G. Donaldson

Principal

John T Tuck PS

  

Lunchroom Supervisors

As we plan for our student supervision needs we are currently hiring additional Lunchroom Supervisors, as we currently have several openings. Our JTT Lunchroom Supervisors are responsible for supervising our students both inside and outside during our scheduled break times. This position requires an updated Police Check that includes a vulnerable sector screening. If you are interested in joining our Lunchroom Supervisor Team at Tuck please email Mrs.Klomp at klompm@hdsb.ca or visit the office this week. 

 

Class Lists

Our staff is currently finalizing class lists and they will be shared with parents via email. As with last year, homeroom teacher names and room locations will be sent to you via email over the Labour Day weekend. In addition, we will send you detailed instructions on our First Day procedures.  This year, we had an overwhelming amount of written requests for consideration when building our classes.  As a staff, we worked very hard to accommodate as many requests as we could, while keeping a balance within our classes between gender, social groupings, and academic ability. As parent input was due on May 15th, we will not be considering any additional feedback at this time as classes are being finalized. In the event that you or your child are not initially pleased with the class placement, we respectfully ask that you resist the temptation to call or e-mail school staff to request a change. We believe we have created classrooms where our students can be successful in building new friendships while building on past peer relationships.  Our staff will not be considering any changes to our classrooms, however, we are committed to helping each student transition into their new grade.


Class rosters for the 2023-24 school year will only be revised if we are forced to go through a September reorganization.  This news would be communicated to all parents during the second week of school. 


We are looking forward to welcoming our students back to school on Wednesday, September 6th. All students in grades 1-8 will meet their teachers on the blacktop area behind the school. at 9:15 am, Grades 1-6 students will line up and wait to enter the school with their teacher, while Grade 7 & 8 students will enter through door #7 to find their class in the large gym. Teacher names will be on signs at the area where the class will line up for Grades 1-6, and in the Gym for Grades 7-8.  Kindergarten students will meet their teachers in the Kindergarten play areas at the front of the school, or at their classroom doors.  This will be clearly labelled. We look forward to seeing everyone on Wednesday, September 6th.


New to JTT???

If you are new to John T Tuck in September 2023, we are offering a large group school tour for students and their families.  We will offer two tour times, and you do not need to sign up, just show up!  Each tour will be the same, and you can just choose the time that best suits your schedule - Tuesday August 29th at 1:00pm, or Wednesday, August 30th at 10:00am.  We will begin each tour in the library and take the large group around the school to see different classrooms, the gymnasium, and outdoor space.  This is not mandatory for new students, but any student starting at Tuck for the first time is welcome to attend.


School Supplies

There is no requirement to purchase anything for your child for school supplies.  However, we know that many kids enjoy a small set of pencil crayons and a couple of pencils that are “their own” to use during the day.  We are accepting donations of tissue boxes for use and each child is welcome to bring a box in to their homeroom teacher.


Lost & Found

Please label your clothes and lunch bags so that they may be returned to you. Expensive or important items should not be brought to school, as the possibility of theft or damage exists. There will be no formal lost & found moving forward, and any found items should be left where they were found so that the owner can go back to where they left it to find the item.  Over the years, Lost & Found areas become a collection area of dirt and filth, and we want to ensure that our school remains as clean as possible at all times.


Personal Technology

Students are not required to bring personal devices to school and may not use their devices at break time or the hallways. We will provide technology at school when required. For more information, please review our Personal Technology Use page on the website. If choosing to bring in a personal device, please keep in mind that the school is not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged technology. For more information, visit our website here - https://jtt.hdsb.ca/school-info/personal-technology-use


School Entry/Exit

Supervision of the school playground begins at 9:05 a.m.  Parents should be aware that students arriving before this time cannot be assured of the safety that such supervision provides.  Please encourage your children to arrive before 9:15 a.m to ensure they are in class on time.

Physical Education

All students must be dressed appropriately to allow full participation in physical education and DPA activities. For safety, running shoes must be worn (lace-up, velcro or tie-up). No slip-ons, open backs or loafer style shoes are allowed. Appropriate gym attire must be worn (e.g., shorts, t-shirts) while participating in Physical Education. This may vary with the grade level and activity. Students in Grade 6-8 should use roll-on deodorant before and after class. Spray on deodorants, perfumes or colognes are not permitted at school.


Parents must sign a ‘Permission to Participate’ form as part of the Forms Package in September. If a student has been excluded from full participation in physical education classes due to medical issues (e.g., concussion, broken bones, etc), a ‘Permission to Resume Participation’ form must be obtained from our office and signed by the referring doctor.


Grade 6-8 students must have a change of clothes at school in a clearly marked bag for physical education or emergencies. A pair of running shoes with non-marking soles is essential for gym. All gym and outerwear should be labeled with the child’s full name.


Lunchroom Routines

Students will eat in their classroom at their desks, sitting down in their own chairs.  Classes are supervised by a combination of paid lunch supervisors and teachers. The two nutrition breaks will be from 11:00 to 11:40 and from 1:20 to 2:00 and students will be inside for 20mins of the break. Students must eat in their own classroom and food will not be permitted outside.  Students will be required to "boomerang" the contents of their lunch so that there is no need to get up from their own desk to throw things in the garbage or compost.  On inclement weather days, students will need to come prepared with an individual activity to do.


Permission will be granted to those students in Grade 7 or 8 whose parents have completed the "Permission to go home for Lunch" form, which is sent home at the beginning of the year (additional forms can be picked up at the office). These students will sign out and in at the office on the days they go home. Students are not permitted to leave the school to go anywhere but their own home unless they are accompanied by their parent who signs them out at the office. Students are also not permitted to go to a friend’s house for lunch, or the plaza. It is expected that students go to their own home, or stay at school. No students are allowed to leave school at second break. Thank you for helping us to keep our students safe, and appropriately supervised.  Please be reminded that our lunch break is only 40 minute, and if a student wishes to go home, they need to be back on time.


​School Council

Please see this welcome back letter from our School Council.​ We hope you will consider being involved in the JTT School Parent Council. The nomination form is now online, and located under the School Council Tab on our school website http://jtt..hdsb.ca.​ Our first School Council meeting is tentatively scheduled for Monday October 2, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. in the school library. If you are interested in joining as a voting member, be sure to complete the nomination form by September 20, 2023 . All non-voting parents are always welcome to attend these meetings as well.


Thank you!

We thank you for taking the time to read through these protocols and reviewing them with your child(ren). As always, please feel free to reach out to us through email or by phone if you have any further questions.  For more information about the routines of our school, please visit our School Routines on our school website, and for new FDK students, please review the New to FDK section on our Website.


Days of Significance this Month