JTT Routines

ARRIVAL

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 be prepared for a 9:20a.m. start in classrooms. Grade 1 to 8 students will be asked to enter the building after 9:12am and supervision will transition indoors at this time. Students will proceed to their classrooms when they enter the school.  The Playground Equipment is closed before and after school as there is no supervision in that area, so we ask that you do not allow your children on the playground equipment before (or after) school.

If you are late, please sign in at the office. Students are deemed late if they do not make it to class before the playing of O’Canada at 9:20 a.m.  Otherwise, students are not to use the front door as entry so that our staff can monitor those coming in and out of our building.

At no time should parents be inside the school on arrival or dismissal.

Plans for Entry - Grade 7 -8 and class 1-3 will enter through Door #7. Those who are upstairs will need to walk down the hall before going up the middle stairwell to their classrooms.  Grades 5-6 and 23-1 will enter through Door #6. and will go up the middle stairwell to their classrooms.  Grades 1-2 will enter through Door #2 and walk down the FDK hall to the front stairwell to head up to class. KF-3 will collect their students in the West Pen (new pen) and enter at Door #2. KF-4 will collect their students in the East Pen (old pen) and enter at Door #2. KF-1 and KF-2 will collect their students at Door#3.

Plans for Exit - Rooms 211-217 will exit door #7 using the back stairwell. Room 218-219 will exit door #6 at the end of the day. Rooms 115-123 exit through door #6. 201-207 will exit via Door #2, using the side stairwell while KF-1 and KF-2 ill hand off to parents at Door #3. KF-3 will exit Door #2 and hand off to parents in the West Pen (new Pen) and KF-4 will exit Door #2 and hand off to parents in the East Pen (old pen)

For our primary students requiring pick up, please choose a meeting spot on the grass area away from others, rather than the blacktop as it will be crowded with students as they exit. 

BICYCLES, SCOOTERS, SKATEBOARDS 

Bicycle, scooter, and skateboard racks and storage are provided at the school for those who choose to ride to school.  All bicycles, scooters, and skateboards must be placed in the racks or storage unit and must be locked. For safety reasons, students are not allowed to ride bicycles, skateboards, long-boards or scooters on school grounds and should never be inside the school.  Bicycle helmets are required by law and should be worn at all times. The school cannot accept responsibility for damaged, lost or stolen transport. For safety and storage reasons, students should not use rollerblades or hoverboards to get to and from school. 

BULLYING PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION

For information on Bullying Prevention and Intervention, please visit the HDSB Website.

Rough Play vs. Conflict vs. Bullying: Interactions between students are often difficult to classify. The chart in the link above provides an assessment tool to help schools with positive interventions and supports. Even where conduct is not necessarily bullying, staff will consider what appropriate responses may be used to support students and to encourage positive student behaviour. Keep in mind that, in resolving issues in a healthy manner, students often need adult assistance to resolve rough play or conflict situations. Rough play or conflicts resolved in a timely and healthy manner is much less likely to result in bullying.

BUS TRANSPORTATION

We have several students who ride the bus to and from school.  To log into your account for delays and cancellations, or your bus route, please go to https://geoquery.haltonbus.ca/. Please be reminded that riding the bus is a privilege, and students who do not follow the expectations on the bus will not be allowed to ride.  Students are only permitted to ride the bus for which they are registered to ride. Students may not board other buses for any reason.

Bus Reminders:

• Do not throw anything in or out of the bus.

• Remain seated and facing forward, in your assigned seat

• Use polite language and show respect for the bus driver, teacher supervisors and peers.

• Ask your parent(s) to send a note to the teacher if there is a change in routine.

DRESS CODE

In an effort to maintain a high level of cleanliness in the school, we are asking all students to keep a pair of INDOOR SHOES at school throughout the year.  We highly recommend Velcro for the younger children. Clothing is required to be safe, comfortable, neat, clean and respectful. The footwear must be appropriate for a safe and active day.

Below is a list of look-fors to help you when choosing your clothing for school:

• No profanity on clothing including shirts and hats.

• No suggestive cartoons or drawings on clothing.

• No slogans promoting the use of drugs or alcohol on clothing.

• No derogatory, gender biased or  racist comments on clothing.

DISMISSAL

Students are dismissed at 3:40 p.m. Students are expected to leave school property promptly after the dismissal bell via the back blacktop, or in the bus lines and are asked to avoid travelling through the turnaround or parking lot at all times. For the safety of all children and protection against unknown adults in the building, we ask parents not to wait in the halls or outside their child’s classroom.  

DOGS ON SCHOOL PROPERTY

Many parents find the walk to and from school to be a good time to also walk the family dog.  If this is the case, please keep your dog on the grass areas and do not bring the dog onto the blacktop, as some students are allergic and/or fearful.  It is also difficult to predict a dog’s behaviour when confronted with a large group of excited children.

FIELD TRIPS

Visiting sites outside the school can provide support to classroom program and extend student understanding and interest.  In the fall, staff prepares an outline of the field trips planned for the school year. All field trips relate to the Curriculum.  Details about each trip are sent to the parents of the students involved prior to the event. Written parent permission is needed before a student can participate to ensure that parents are aware of the timing and purpose.  Occasionally, parent drivers are used to reduce transportation costs. Drivers are required by Board policy to carry $1,000,000 liability insurance when transporting students. All parent volunteers MUST have a police check on file at the office.  If we have one from previous years, it is still valid, however an updated offence declaration from this current school year is required. 

FIRE & LOCKDOWN DRILLS

Fire Drills will be held at regular intervals during the year.  A continuous ringing of the fire bell will be a signal for fire drill.  All staff, students, volunteers and visitors, must leave the school during fire drills.  Students and staff will have warning for some drills, while others may be surprise drills.  Teachers will share fire drill procedures with their students so everyone is aware of how to exit the building safely.   There will also be two lockdown drills per year, during which students must listen to and comply with all staff directions.  

ILLNESS & ACCIDENTS 

Parents are to provide the school with the name and phone number of a person to call in case of an emergency when a parent cannot be reached.  If the emergency contact person should change, please inform the office immediately.  Even though safety on school property is always a prime concern, accidents can happen.  Most injuries are minor and can be attended to at school. However, if an accident should occur that requires medical attention, school procedures are as follows:

1. A parent is contacted.

2. If a parent is unavailable, the emergency contact person you have named will be notified.

3. If a student cannot be picked up, the school will follow through to see that proper attention is available.

4. An ill or injured student will not be permitted to leave the school without adult supervision.

If a student becomes ill during school hours and contact cannot be made with a parent or the emergency number, the student will be made as comfortable as possible in the school until a parent can be reached.  If your child feels unwell before coming to school, staying at home for the day can speed recovery and prevent spreading the “bug”. 

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 at the school.  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.

LUNCHROOM ROUTINES

Students eat in their classroom at their desks, sitting down in their own chair.  Classes are supervised by a combination of paid lunch supervisors and teachers. The two nutrition breaks are from 11:00 to 11:40 (Lunch) and from 1:20 to 2:00 (Break). Students must eat in their own classroom and food will not be permitted outside. They are expected to eat quietly and cooperate fully with fellow students and teacher supervisors.  Students are asked 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.

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, unless his/her parent comes to the office to sign him/her out. Thank you for helping us to keep our students safe, and appropriately supervised.  Please be reminded that our lunch break is only 40 minutes, and if a student wishes to go home, they need to be back on time.

Allergy Alert:

As we have many students with life threatening allergies to peanuts/nuts and nut products, these should not come to school as part of a student’s lunch.

We expect students to eat at school in the same manner as they would be expected to eat at home.  Please remind your son/daughter that they should conduct themselves in an appropriate manner. We hope that all students will adhere to lunchroom rules so that they do not lose their lunchroom privileges.  Repeated problems will result in alternate lunch provisions for a period of time specified by the Principal and/or Teacher. Students are required to clean their own eating area prior to dismissal (e.g., put away garbage, push in chairs, recycle cans).

PARKING 

Accessible parking is available at the front of John T. Tuck’s middle entrance. Permits are required to use this spot.  Our parking lot is reserved for staff and for essential visitors to our school who will be staying at the school for some time. Please arrange drop off/pick up with your child either on a side street adjacent to the school, or encourage walking to/from school and using the school bus if eligible. Our students can enter and exit our school grounds through the east side of the school only.  We ask that our walking parents and students do not cross through our parking lot and turnaround area before or after school and exit from the east side of the school only.  

PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY 

Students are not required to bring personal devices to school and will be provided with school technology for all of their academic needs.  If students choose to bring technology to school, it is expected that they leave their device, turned off, in their backpack or locker at all times unless otherwise directed by the teacher. Students may not use their devices at break time or the hallways.  The school is not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged technology. We will provide technology at school when required.  For more information, please review our Personal Technology Use page on the website.

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.

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.

PLAYGROUND EXPECTATIONS

During all outside break times, we would expect our older students to act as role models for our younger students.  Whenever students are deciding what to do during recess, it must be safe, and it must be respectful. If behaviour is not safe or respectful, then you will be asked to stop the activity, and possibly encounter some form of consequence for your actions.  If students are having a problem at recess, they are always reminded to see an adult in the orange and yellow vest for assistance.  

The climber equipment is open to students during nutrition break, but will be closed to students before and after school, as there is no supervision in that area.  It is also closed in the winter months when snow and ice builds up on the climber.

Students are encouraged to have a plan for recess about what activities they will engage in, and they are reminded to never throw snow or other harmful objects (e.g., sticks, stones).  Students must ask permission to re-enter the school during recess to go to the bathroom, but they are encouraged to go on the way outside. To help keep the playground clean, and the bees away, food and/or drinks are not permitted on the playground.

SCHOOL TELEPHONE

Learning to plan ahead is a valuable skill to acquire.  Students should keep families informed ahead of time of special events at the school, or plans after school.  The phone in the office is available to students to request a staff member to make a phone call on their behalf on an emergency basis only (e.g., not for making after school plans). Students need teacher permission to be granted prior to emergency office phone use.  Students should not be using their cell phone to call or text anyone during the school day.

STUDENT SIGN OUT

We ask that parents make every effort to schedule appointments for their children outside the school day.  Signing students out part way through the day is disruptive to the class and their learning. If you are unable to schedule appointments outside of the school day, we ask that parents come to pick their children up at 11:00, 1:20, or 3:40 to ensure minimal disruption in classrooms.  Parents are required to come into the office to sign their child out should they be leaving part way through the day.

STUDENT HEALTH NEEDS

Each September you will receive forms to complete to assist us in up-dating our medical information at the school.  These information forms are essential if your child requires medication at school (either on a regular basis or in case of an emergency) or if your child has a serious condition such as asthma, seizures or a life threatening allergy (e.g.,peanuts, bee stings etc.). It is very important that parents keep the school current with medical needs. 

The Anaphylaxis Protocol 2006 outlines that all schools must have school-wide plans and individual plans for students and/or staff identified as having anaphylactic reactions to allergens. The intent of the Anaphylaxis Protocol is to create a safe learning and working environment for all persons with severe allergy conditions.  If you have any questions about your child’s plan, please contact the vice-principal at the school.

We have a number of students who have a life-threatening allergy to peanuts, tree nuts and peanut/nuts products, fish, and shellfish.  Therefore, we request that our families refrain from sending any food with peanut or nut products to school.

UPDATING STUDENT INFORMATION

It is necessary to notify the School Office of student information changes (e.g., address, phone number, contacts in case of emergency).  It is most important to ensure that the school does have a number for at least one emergency contact. It is essential that the school is able to make contact with a parent or designate at all times.  Please contact the office if you have new contact information at any point throughout the school year.

VISITORS TO THE SCHOOL

In an effort to ensure the safety of our students in the school environment, the Halton District School Board has reviewed the Access to Schools policy.  The following statements are extracted from the policy;

“All persons visiting the school must sign in at the school office and state the purpose of their visit to the school.  A person is not permitted to remain on school premises if the person fails to sign in as required. Persons authorized to be on school premises are not entitled to have access to all areas of the school premises and may only access areas of the school as permitted and as related to their role in the school at that time.”  

Therefore, we ask all parents/visitors to enter using the front doors and to register at the school office upon arrival, prior to entering any other area of the school.  This includes situations such as bringing children to school and delivering materials, lunches or messages to staff or students. When you are delivering forgotten items, such as lunches or gym clothes, please give the labelled items to the office staff.  Please do not sign in and deliver the items directly to the classroom or ask to have your child come down to the office at that time. This practice causes frequent interruptions in the instructional time for all students. The office staff will try their best to get the student to come down on their nutritional break.  Similarly, important messages only will be conveyed during nutritional breaks as well.  

In addition to student safety, it is important for our students to develop independence, therefore we are respectfully asking that you wish them well for the day on the blacktop and not come into the school before or after school. After checking in at the office, anyone visiting for any period of time during school hours will be required to wear a Visitor sticker or lanyard which will signal to the children that this person belongs at our school.  Parents must pre-arrange times to ‘drop by’ your child’s class by calling or emailing the teacher and setting up a suitable time to visit so that instructional time is not disrupted. All Halton District Board staff identification cards are blue. Volunteers will have I.D. badges or stickers obtained in the office. All parent volunteers MUST have a police check on file at the office. If we have one on file from previous years, it is still valid with an offence declaration each September.  As mandated by the Ontario government, all school doors will be locked during instructional hours. If you need access to the school, there is a buzzer system at the front door where someone will let you in to report to the office.

PROGRESSIVE DISCIPLINE 

The teachers will regularly, and in a variety of ways, recognize and reinforce good behaviour, appropriate problem solving, and positive contributions.  However, if a student is unable or unwilling to meet the school’s expectations we will support our staff and students by using many of the strategies outlined in our progressive discipline pyramid below. Interventions such as suspension or expulsion will automatically be considered in some cases.  A list of activities that could lead to suspension are listed here. As of September 2019, vaping and possessing vaping paraphernalia may also lead to suspension.