Kortright Hills Public School
23 Ptarmigan DriveGuelph, OntarioN1C 1B5(519)827-1601Fax (519)827-9251
Kirk Runciman, Principal
Anne Bonnar, Office Co-Ordinator
Kim Kowch, Vice Principal
Rosemary Coghlin, Administrative Assistant
Newsletter for september, 2012
From the Principal’s Desk
Welcome to the 2012/2013 school year and
Kortright Hills Public School. It is an exciting time
of year for all of us! In many ways it is a “new”
beginning; NEW teachers, NEW books, NEW shoes,
NEW supplies, NEW clothes, NEW friends, NEW
challenges. To have a great school it takes an
outstanding staff, keen to renew their knowledge. It
takes informed and involved parents, sharing the
responsibility of their child’s learning, and it takes a
community, celebrating the accomplishments of the
school. We hope you will join your child(ren) in their
elementary education journey. Feel free to join us at
school events, volunteer, and most importantly, listen
to and support your child at home. Be sure to plan
ahead so you can experience these events at the
school with us!
Welcome New Staff
Please join us in welcoming the following new staff
members to KHPS;
Ms. Abdool, Ms. Holliday,
Ms. Haywood, Educational Assistant
Ms. Schram, Educational Assistant
Ms. DeGeer, Educational Assistant.
Welcome everyone!
Kirk Runciman
Principal
A Warm Welcome from the Library
I hope everyone had a fun
summer and found the time
to relax with a good book
(or two). I am looking
forward to another
exciting year working
with all of the students,
staff and parents at
Kortright Hills.
Popular programs such
as Library Helpers, Book
Clubs (Grades 4-8), Tech Club, and Forest of
Reading, will continue this year. Be sure to check
out our library website for upcoming events, links to
great sites, and further information about the books
and services available through our library.
https://sites.google.com/a/ugcloud.ca/khps-librarylearning-commons/
September will be very busy in the library as classes
participate in orientation sessions. Our data is
loaded into our Board-wide system, and student
barcodes are activated. Students should be able to
begin checking out books by mid-September.
Students are invited to borrow from the nonfiction,
fiction, magazine and picture book sections. Please
speak to your children about their book selections,
and let me know if you have any specific guidelines.
We will do our best to respect requests.
Your continued support of the library is so important
in making the library an active and essential part of
our school community. We are very lucky to have
such an amazing collection of books and resources;
due in large part to the generosity of our School
Council and the efforts of our parent community.
Volunteers are always welcome! You may wish to help
with book exchanges, help to shelve books, or help
with the book fair. You can volunteer on a regular
basis or come in on a more flexible schedule. There
is always something to do! The staff, students, and
I appreciate everyone’s help and commitment to our
library. If you would like to be a library volunteer,
please contact me via email at
sheila.morgan@ugdsb.on.ca.
We did a fantastic job of returning library books in
June! There are still a few overdue or lost library
books that have not been accounted for from last
year. If you found any library books while sorting
through backpacks this summer, please return them
so that your child's borrowing record will be up to
date. Thank you!
Please drop by the library during our Open House!
Sheila Morgan
Teacher Librarian
School Stuff
Bell Times
8:45 Intermediate Bell
8:50 Primary/Junior Bell
Period 1
2
3
8:50 – 9:20
9:20 – 10:00
10:00 – 10:50
Nutrition Break
Recess
10:50 – 11:05
11:05 – 11:20
Period 4
5
11:20 – 12:00
12:00 – 12:40
Lunch
Recess
12:40 – 1:00
1:00 – 1:40
Period 6
7
1:40 – 2:40
2:40 – 3:20
Street Patrol Times:
The following are the times when street patrols will
be on duty:
8:30 - 8:50 a.m.
3:20 - 3:35 p.m.
Yard Duty Times:
The following are the times when our playground is
supervised by school staff.
8:30 11:05 –
1:00 3:20 -
8:50 a.m.
11:20 a.m.
1:40 p.m.
3:35 p.m.
Safety, Safety, Safety!
The front of the school is a very busy place between
8:30 a.m. and 8:50 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. and 3:35 p.m.
Buses, cars and students are prominent during these
times and parents are reminded to respect
the safety measures that are in
place. The parking lots of the
school are not to be used as drop
off points for our students.
Parking is available in designated
areas along Ptarmigan Drive,
Merganser Drive and Mallard Court. Parents are also
reminded to have their children cross at the crosswalk at the front of the school, if they should be
picking up on the other side of the street. During
the first few days and weeks of school, we tend to
not pay attention to the traffic and have had a
couple close calls with students crossing Ptarmigan,
not at the cross-walk, being encouraged by parents
on the other side of the road.
We ask that you not block anyone’s driveway when
picking up your child(ren). Please be respectful of
our neighbours.
Please choose safety over convenience!
Notifying the School of a Student
Absence - Safe Arrival
The rules of the Safe Arrival program
state that the school must know why a
student is not present on any particular
day. This means that school office staff will
continue to try to contact parents until one is
reached; we sometimes make four or five calls for
one child. This takes an inordinate amount of time
and often stretches the office staffs’ ability to
carry out other duties. Please assist us in speeding
this process up and calling when you know if your
child(ren) is/are going to be late or absent.
Messages can be left by phoning the school
(519 827-1601) and choosing extension 200. Please
send any notes or information about absences to the
office as well as the teacher.
Late Arrivals
Dress Code
The curriculum is so packed now that
teachers need to use every period
they have to complete it. Lessons
need to start on time. Late students
disturb the lesson flow, because teachers have to
re-teach to ensure the late student is brought upto-date. The consequence to the class increases
when students are repeatedly late for class. The
policy for students arriving late for class is that the
student must report to the office for a late slip.
This is just a brief reminder about our
dress code and what constitutes appropriate
attire - for all grade levels. We ask students
to dress appropriately at all times. Muscle shirts,
spaghetti straps, and low-scooped necklines are not
permitted. Bare midriffs and backs are
unacceptable. Shorts and skirts must be a
reasonable length. Undergarments should not be
visible. Hats must be removed when students enter
class.
Taking Students from School
Electronics
Home Safe
Bus Behaviour
To ensure student safety, if you are taking your
child from school during the school day
(appointments, etc.) you must come to the office and
sign your child(ren) out after talking to a secretary.
Students may not sign
themselves out of school. This is
true for all students, including
Intermediate students.
After being dismissed from class, either at
lunch or at the end of the day, students are
requested to go directly home or to a caregiver
before proceeding to other activities.
This includes playing after school on
the playground. Please reinforce this
message with your child.
Allergies
Many students suffer daily from allergies. Reactions
to allergic substances vary from relatively mild
irritations such as: itchy eyes, sneezing,
scratchy throat, etc. to potentially fatal
conditions where the sufferer experiences
breathing problems and/or anaphylactic
shock. A student who is allergic to peanuts often
falls in this second category. There are students at
Kortright Hills P.S. who severely react to nuts. As a
result, please be aware that there may be
restrictions in your child’s class to protect a student
with such an allergy. We ask you to abide by any
restriction(s) that may be imposed in
these cases and in the case of nuts or
nut products we ask that you avoid
sending any to school.
Parents of students with potentially life
threatening allergies are asked to inform the
school.
Thank you for your co-operation.
It is strongly suggested that
parents/students make a cooperative
decision about their child bringing items
of value (IPod, MP3 players, Nintendo DS,
cell phones, sentimental items, etc.) to
school. These items are attractive and the
school will not accept responsibility for
their safety.
Students are expected to follow the
rules of the bus, listen to the driver,
remain in their seats, refrain from
eating or drinking anything while on the bus, and
follow the directions of the bus patrols when
entering or exiting the bus.
Bus Reminder
Bus transportation is provided to students
based on the distance their home is from
the school. Such students are placed on a
regularly scheduled bus route and must travel on
this route and no other. Bus students
may not switch buses for any reason.
In addition, students who walk to
school may not travel on a regularly scheduled bus
route.
Agendas
Our School Council works very
hard to support programs within
the school. In conjunction with
a Ministry Grant, they have
purchased agendas for the students, contributing to
help our students be more independent and
responsible for their learning. We encourage you to
get involved in our school community, and we truly
appreciate the support that all parents give to
making our school a great place to be!
There are many volunteer opportunities within the
school...helping in the library, reading with students,
preparing materials, helping in many ways in the
classroom. If you would like to volunteer, please
contact your child’s teacher or call the office.
Volunteers
The Upper Grand District School
Board has determined that any
adult working with children must
have a current police check. This
now includes parents who volunteer to work in
classrooms or go on school trips. If you are able to
volunteer at the school, we ask that you come to the
office and fill out a police check form.
Guelph Police Services conducts these
checks at no cost to you. Requests will
be sent from the office to the police
station early in the school year. Police
Checks can take several weeks to complete so we ask
that you come to the office by September 14, 2012.
Also, if you are available to assist as a volunteer on a
school field trip, your help as a supervisor would be
greatly appreciated. Occasionally, when a class trip
is planned, an insufficient number of parent
volunteers are available to help supervise the trip. If
you would be interested in offering your services as
a volunteer on a class trip, beyond your child’s class,
should the need arise, please contact the office and
let Mrs. Bonnar or Mrs. Coghlin know your
availability.
Roller Shoes/Scooters
The Board of Education has expressed deep
concerns about the use of roller shoes on
school property. Their concern
stems from a number of accidents
involving individuals wearing shoes
with rollers imbedded in the soles. As a result,
such shoes are not to be worn on school property. If
students wish to bring scooters to school, they are
to be parked at the bike rack.
Student Accident Insurance
As a parent or guardian, you are responsible for
expenses related to student injuries on school
premises or during school activities. Accidents can
and do happen, and the costs involved may
not be fully covered by Provincial health
care or employer group insurance plans.
The Upper Grand District School Board is
empowered under the Education Act to offer
Accident and Life Insurance for students.
Information will be sent home beginning on
September 10 with respect to Students Accident
Insurance offered by the Reliable Life Insurance
Company. You should receive the Director’s letter,
an Acknowledgment to be signed by parents (and
returned to school) and a Student Accident
Insurance application form (to be mailed directly to
Reliable Life). Reliable Life Insurance Company
offers a variety of options, including family rates
and multi-year plans, at affordable prices. The cost
must be paid by parents or guardian.
Subscription is directly through reliable Life by mail
or on line. Questions should be directed to Reliable
Life at 1-800-463-KIDS (5347) or
www.insuremykids.com.
For today’s active children, especially those who
participate in field trips, co-curricular and other
school activities outside the school day, Student
Accident Insurance is valuable. You can find
additional information on the Board’s website at
www.ugdsb.on.ca
Forms
Student Verification forms have gone
home this week. Please review any
changes, sign and return them to school
by Monday, September 10, 2012
Newsletters & Special Notices
every month.
Monthly school newsletters and special
notices will be posted on our school
website. Our newsletters
will be posted at the end of
www.ugdsb.on.ca/kortright/
Click on the “Newsletter” tab at the top of this page
to gain access.
Open House
Be sure to mark Thursday, September 27th on your
calendar as the date for our Open House! The Open
House will begin with a barbecue hosted by M&M
Meat Shops , from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on the
tarmac at the back of the school. Classrooms will be
open for parents/guardians to visit their child's
teacher from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 pm. More information
regarding the barbecue, including an order form for
food and beverages, will be sent home on Thursday,
September 13th.
School Council
Welcome back to a brand new school year – a time
for new ideas and new beginnings! Here’s a great
opportunity for you to have a voice and to help shape
your child’s learning environment. School Council will
have its first meeting of the new school year on
Monday, September 17th at 7:00 p.m. in the school
library. Everyone is welcome!
Once again this year, Council is pleased to advise
that we were able to help fund a large portion of the
cost of the student agendas. In many other schools,
this is a cost that is passed along to parents;
however, given our successful fundraising initiatives
of last year, we are able to avoid one additional
expense for families during the month of
September.
Information about the Food Programs will be sent
home shortly. Our milk program will remain in place
and we will also continue to offer Pizza Fridays.
Some new additions to the food program: Arthur’s
Smoothies will be available on a daily basis (will be
distributed with milk), and we will be introducing
“The Lunch Lady” program on Tuesdays. More
information will be coming your way, but feel free to
check it out at www.thelunchlady.ca Hotdogs will not
be offered this year. Food programs will commence
during the first week of October.
Keep an eye on those backpacks for information on
this year’s Fall Fundraiser. We will be working with
Norcard again this year and will be offering two
fundraising catalogues to shop from. Items available
will range from wrapping paper, cards, jewellery,
kitchenware, as well as breads, cheeses, smoothies
and gourmet snacks. Funds raised will be used to
improve the quality of learning at Kortright Hills
Public School. Packages will be sent home with
students later this month.
Mabel’s Labels is an ongoing fundraiser for the
school. Need labels for those backpacks, lunch bags
and fall jackets? Visit www.kortrighthills.mabel.ca
and order some labels today! Your order will be
delivered right to your door. 20% of all proceeds
are paid to School Council – another great way to
raise funds to benefit our students.
Council is looking forward to another great year of
supporting learning experiences at Kortright Hills
P.S. We’re hoping to see lots of new faces at our
next meeting: Mon. Sept. 17th at 7:00 in the
library.
Come on out!