BRANT AVENUE PUBLIC SCHOOL
64 Brant Avenue, Guelph, Ontario N1E 1G2
519-824-2671
Fax: 519-824-6159
Mair Ann Gault, Principal
Renate Smith, Office Co-ordinator
SEPTEMBER 2013
When I was a new classroom teacher,
with my first year looming ahead of me,
I searched the local teachers’ stores
endlessly for a poster that I could hang in
my classroom that would effectively
communicate to my students and their
parents how I felt about the children in
my class, what I believed to be true about
them. When I was unable to locate the
poster I wanted, I made my own. It was
big and bold and hung in the most
obvious place in the class. Over the
years, as the colours faded and the
edges became curled and ripped, I
remade the poster again and again.
As I sit at my computer on this warm
August day I am once again challenged
with how to communicate what I want the
children to know as they return or begin
anew at Brant Ave. Public School. And
so, I return to my roots, that first poster
that hung in my classroom back in 1991.
What I want the children who enter the
doors of Brant Ave. Public School to
know, without a doubt, is that they are
loveable and capable. There it is - that
simple.
“You are loveable and Capable.”
Imagine for a minute, if we, as the adults
in these children’s lives are able to teach
them the truth of this statement. There
will be no stopping them! No matter
what academic, social, physical
challenge they confront, they will do so
with an attitude of success and
resiliency. Let’s try, this year, to put a
mental poster over every child’s head
that reminds us just how loveable and
capable he or she is.
Sincerely,
Mair Ann Gault
School Day
8:55 - 9:35
Period 1
9:35 - 10:15
Period 2
10:15 - 10:55
Period 3
10:55 - 11:35
First Nutrition Break
11:35 - 12:05
Period 4
12:05 - 12:35
Period 5
12:35 - 1:15
Period 6
1:15 - 1:55
Second Nutrition Break
1:55 - 2:35
Period 7
2:35 - 3:15
Period 8
School Organization 2013 - 2014
The staff assignments at this time are
listed below.
KA
Mrs. Bond
KB
Mrs. Garvey
Grade 1
Mrs. Pye-Clifford
Grade 1/2
Mrs. Anderson
Grade 2/3
Mrs. Lightfoot
Grade 2/3
Ms. Eisen
(LTO for Mrs. Park)
Grade 3/4
Ms. Gojmerac
Grade 4/5
Mrs. Licastro
Grade 5/6
Mr. Neil
Library
Ms. Nelson
Planning
Mr. Graham
Mrs. Heasman
Ms. Poll
Resource
Mrs. Cochrane
Mrs. Mitchell
Core French
Mme. Gill
Education Assistants
Ms. Leyland
Ms. Shelleau
Mrs. De Geer
Ms. Snook
ECE
Ms. Zorzi
CYC
Custodians
Noon Hour Super.
Office Co-Ordinator
Principal
Mrs. Marx
Mrs. Fonte
Mr. Schenk
Ms. Dalziel
Mrs. Smith
Mrs. Gault
School Organizations
In June, schools communicated with staff
and parents letting everyone know that
class lists, teaching assignments and
school organizations were tentative.
Although schools have built class lists
based on their tentative organizations,
changes may be necessary at your
child(ren)’s school in order that our Board
remain compliant with Ministry
parameters.
•
•
•
•
90% of our primary classes with 20 or
fewer students
10% of our primary classes with up to
a maximum of 23 students
Grade 3/4 classes have a cap of 23
students
Junior/Intermediate Class Size
Aggregate is 25.6.1
Forms Coming Home
A number of important forms are coming
home along with this newsletter. Please
ensure that you read them carefully!
If you have any questions regarding
these forms, please contact Mrs. Smith.
Please complete and return these forms
to your child’s teacher no later than
Monday, September 9th.
proceeding to classrooms or onto the
yard.
•
Picking up Students From
School
•
•
Student Verification Form – please
make any changes directly onto the
form and sign the bottom
Community Walk Permission Form
Freedom of Information Letter and
Consent to Share Personal
Information
Agendas
Once again all students will be receiving
a school agenda. The agenda is an
important organizational and
communication tool for the student, and
provides excellent communication
between home and school. The cost is
$4.00 for each agenda. Please send the
money to your child’s classroom teacher.
Volunteers Forms
We truly value the volunteers in our
school. Parents and community
members are encouraged to help in the
classroom and on school trips, assist in
the library or with extra-curricular
activities and participate on the School
Council. Please be sure to pick up a
volunteer form from the office.
Being a volunteer is a wonderful way of
participating in your child’s education.
Visitors To Our School
We warmly invite parents and guests to
visit our school and encourage
volunteers in our classrooms. For
safety reasons, all visitors must report
to the office, sign in and obtain a
visitor/volunteer badge before
To ensure student safety, if you are
taking your child from the school during
the school day, you must come to the
office and sign your child out after talking
to the secretary. This will assist us in
ensuring the safety of your child.
Home Safe
After being dismissed from class at the
end of the day, students are requested to
go directly home or to a caregiver before
proceeding to other activities.
Safety First
During the school day, your child’s safety
is of the utmost importance to us. It is
imperative that you call the office
before 8:50 am if your child is going
to be absent or late. For your
convenience, we also have voice mail
which allows you to contact the school at
anytime during the night, over the
weekends and early in the morning.
The phone number is 519-824-2671.
When you leave a message, please be
sure to note the child’s full name, teacher
and reason for absence.
If a child is absent and we have not heard
from a parent/guardian, we will attempt to
contact the parent/guardian to ensure
that the child is “safe”. If a parent can
not be reached, we will contact the
emergency number provided.
It is very important to let the school know
if there is any change in personal
information: home or work numbers, cell
numbers, address changes etc. In the
event of an unexplained absence or
emergency, we will then be able to
contact your immediately.
If your child’s dismissal arrangements
change in any way, please send a note in
the morning. It is extremely busy in the
office at the end of the day, and
messages left on the machine may not
be retrieved in time to pass onto the
teacher.
Brant Avenue School Dress
Code
At Brant Ave we promote a respectful
and professional student image.
Appropriate dress is defined as attire that
is free of symbols of hate, gang
membership or images that portray
violence, death, abuse, cigarettes,
drugs, alcohol, racial slurs, obscene
words and political or sexual statements
explicitly or by implication.
Clothing that is revealing and shows an
excessive amount of skin such as muscle
shirts, low scooped necklines, tops with
spaghetti straps, bare midriffs and open
backs are unacceptable. Shirts must
not be excessively tight. Shorts and
skirts must be longer than finger tip
length on the legs. Undergarments
should not be visible. Hats must be
removed upon entering the school.
Lates
The curriculum is rich and extensive so
teachers need to use every period to
enable students to learn all they can.
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
up-to-date. The consequence increases
to the class when students are
repeatedly late for class. Please help by
getting your children to school on time.
Everyone benefits!
Bus Behaviour
Students are expected to follow the rules
of the bus, listen to the driver, remain in
their seats, refrain from eating and
drinking anything while on the bus, and
follow the directions of the bus patrols
when entering or exiting the bus.
School Handbook
For more information concerning school
policies and procedures please refer to
the school website where you will find the
updated school handbook. The
address is:
http://www.ugdsb.on.ca/brantave/index.
aspx
(Just look to the left of the screen to click
on the “School Handbook” link.)
Safety Patrols
Student patrols are on duty for fifteen
minutes before classes begin and after
classes end.
Patrol Time: 8:40 - 8:55 am
3:15 - 3:30 pm
Allergies
Many students suffer daily from allergies.
Reactions to allergic substances vary
from relatively mild irritations to
potentially fatal conditions where the
sufferer experiences breathing problems
and/or anaphylactic shock. As a result,
we are asking students to not bring
any products containing tree nuts,
peanuts or WOW butter to school.
Please be aware that there may be
additional restrictions in your child’s class
to protect a student with other such
allergies. We ask that you abide by any
restrictions that may be imposed in these
cases.
Parents of students with potentially life
threatening allergies are asked to inform
the office.
Child and Youth Counselor
Mrs. Fonte will be here all day Monday,
Wednesday and Thursday morning and
Friday afternoon. Mrs. Fonte can be
reached at 519-824-2671 ext. 227.
The Child and Youth Counselor’s role is
to support students, staff and parents.
Some of the topics include social skills
development, anger management,
bereavement, family separation or
divorce, self-esteem, conflict between
friends, bullying, anxiety and family
issues. Support for the students will be
focused on social, emotional and
behavioural concerns. Support can be
individual, classroom or group.
Student Accident Insurance
Parents or guardians are responsible for
expenses related to student injuries on
school premises during school activities.
Accidents can and do happen and the
costs involved might 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 early in
September with respect to Student
Accident Insurance offered by Reliable
Life Insurance Company. You should
receive the Director’s letter, an
Acknowledgment to be signed by
parents (and returned to the school) and
a Student Accident Insurance application
form (to be mailed directly to Reliable
Life). Please do not return your
application to the school office. 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 the parents or
guardians.
Subscription is directly through Reliable
Life by mail or on line. Questions should
be directed to Reliable Life at
1-800-463-5437 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.
Parent Involvement Committee
The Board’s Parent Involvement
Committee is always looking for new
participants. The term of office for
members is one or two years. You don’t
need to be on a school council to be
selected, just fill in an application form
from the Board’s website:
www.ugdsb.on.ca. Then bring it to the
first PIC meeting – open to all parents,
not just if you want to apply for a position
- Monday September 23rd at 7:00 p.m.
at the Guelph Board office. Join PIC for
dessert and the first meeting of the
school year and find out how you can
make a difference in education at the
Board level!
School Council
Our next school council meeting is
scheduled for Wednesday, September
18th at 6:30 pm. Everyone is welcome!!
HALF DAY PA DAYS –
IMPORTANT INFORMATION!
Please note that this year we have two
half day Professional Activity Days on
Friday October 25 and Friday June 6.
This may be challenging for some
parents but it’s because of the
government’s Putting Students First Act
(Bill 115) and our long standing
contractual agreement with our
elementary teachers.
Students will attend school in the
morning only on these two days.
Busses will run taking students home at
dismissal time. For our school, this will
be (put your midpoint of the day here).
We understand and apologize for the
frustration this will create for many
families who need to arrange child care
and juggle work schedules. Please
read the full information about the two
half day PA Days on the Board’s website
www.ugdsb.on.ca/calendars.
Dates to Remember
September 26
Bring Your Parents to Breakfast/ Open House 8:45 – 10:00 am
September 27
Terry Fox Walk
October 11
Ministry Mandated Day/NO SCHOOL
October 16
Picture Day
Parent Survey:
Dear Brant Parents and Guardians:
Once again this year I would like to take this opportunity to hear
from you. If you could take a moment to fill in the following survey
and have your child return it to his/her classroom teacher by September 12, 2013, I
would really appreciate it. Our new playground structure came to fruition as a direct result
of this survey last year. It was the number one request of students and parents! The
classroom teacher will return the survey to me for reading.
Thank you! Mrs. Gault (Brant Ave. P.S. Principal)
What is great about Brant Avenue Public School? (Feel free to be specific.)
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Name one thing you would love to see happen at Brant Avenue Public School.
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Is there anything else you would like me to know?
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