DAVID THOMPSON ELEMENTARY
1051 Pine springs Road http://dthompson.sd73.bc.ca/Kamloops, BC V2B 7W3 Phone: (250) 579-9228 Newsletter #1 ~ September 08, 2015
Welcome back to school everyone! Welcome back to school everyone! Welcome back to school everyone! Welcome back to school everyone!
Welcome back after what I trust was a fun
and relaxing summer! The staff and I are
looking forward to working with you and
your children this year. We will continue to
provide a positive, safe and caring learning
environment for everyone. We welcome
your participation as partners in your
child(ren)’s educational experience.
On a personal note, I am looking forward
to being the principal of David Thompson
Elementary. I am very much looking
for-ward to meeting you and your students.
David Thompson has a reputation for being
a dynamic school community. I am pleased
to be a part of it.
Ms. Sharon Cooley,
Principal
M E E T T H E S T A F F
Principal: Ms. Sharon CooleyVice Principal
& Librarian: Mr. Lorin Toews
Secretary: Mrs. Coralee Morris-Harasemchuk
Support Staff: Mrs. Kelly Anderson Mrs. Jean Cousin Mrs. Audra Funk Mrs. Gina Harlock Mr. Dean Padar
FNEW: Ms. Lisa Bonthoux Library Assistant: Mrs. Marylin McDonald
Custodial Staff:
Mr. Chris Kudokas Mr. Mario Gastaldo Ms. Connie Wenzel
Primary Teaching Staff:
Mrs. Faun Jorgenson Mrs. Krista Pitman Mrs. Kim Bojesen Mrs. Julie Noble Mrs. Lucy Poirier Mrs. Lauri Bentz Mrs. Deanna Webster Mr. Chris Mart in Primary Prep: Mrs. Dena Pagnotta
Intermediate Teaching Staff:
Mrs. Lisa Carr Mr. Rocco Marchese Mrs. Christ ine McCauley Mrs. Amanda Brennan Ms. Sandi Blacquiere Mrs. Terri Hansen Mr. Rino Cinel LDP Relief: Mr. Daca Ngo Intermediate
Prep: TBA
LART Staff: Mrs. Brandy Wilkinson Mrs. Chelsey Schneider
Please welcome the following new staff members to David Thompson this school year:
Mrs. Julie Noble Mrs. Kim Bojesen Mrs. Dena Pagnotta Mr. Daca Ngo
Mrs. Sharon Cooley
Please welcome Mrs. Melissa Dunn in for Mrs. Pitman for school start up. Mrs. Pitman will return to
classroom dut ies later in the fall
Mrs. Cattermole and Ms. Jensen will be working at David Thompson for the next week or two unt il all job post ings have been filled. Please help us in welcoming
them to our school ☺
This fall we are saying farewell to a couple of DT’s great teachers:
Miss. Sandra Yeast has taken a Kindergar-ten/Grade One position at Marion Schilling Elementary. We thank her for her years of exceptional service as a teacher at David Thompson Elementary. We wish her the very best in her new school!
Mrs. Karla Thompson has taken a position at Norkam Secondary teaching Foods. We will miss her enthusiasm and dedication in keeping us healthy and fit! Good luck at your new school ☺.
Permission slip consent forms for
field trips are to be handed in by
the date indicated on the field trip
form. Phone calls and/or verbal
permission WILL NOT be accepted.
S C H O O L H O U R S &
B E L L S C H E D U L E
Office opens... .... 8:00 am Doors open for students (bell) ... 8:15 am Students get ready for the day (bell)… ….8:25 am Classes begin (bell) ... 8:30 am Recess (bells)... 10:02 am – 10:17 am Lunch (bell) PLAY FIRST ~11:57 – 12:30 pm THEN EAT ~ 12:30 – 12:45 pm ………warning bell – wash up/clean up 12:45 pm Afternoon Classes resume (bell) ...12:50 pm School Dismissal (bell)... 2:30 pm Office closes 3:30 pm
Classes begin at 8:30 in the morning. Doors will open to students in the morning at 8:15 am, allowing sufficient time to be ready for the start of the day. Parents, if you have to drop your child off earlier than 8:15 am, be aware that there is no su-pervision available as teachers are preparing for the day’s instruction. Students must wait outside until the 8:15 am bell.
Lates and Absences
Please ensure your child gets to school on time. Try to make medical and dental appointments, music lessons, etc. after school and try to schedule family holidays to coincide with school holidays. Students missing school or arriving late to school often experience academic challenges. It is important that students be present for direct teacher instruction. Students are expected to make up work missed by being late. If they are late they must check in at the office upon arrival at school. You will be contacted if your child experiences difficulty in this area.
ON TIME AT DAVID THOMPSON MEANS STUDENTS ARE:
in their seats ready for instruction
have all materials needed BY THE 8:30 BELL
S A F E A R R I V A L
**REMINDER TO PARENTS/GUARDIANS**
If your child is going to be late or absent we would appreciate you calling the school office. We have a “safe arrival” program at David Thompson and if your child is absent and we have not received a call from you, we will call your home
and other contact numbers. Calling us first saves a lot of t ime. (250-579-9228). Prior to 8 am and after 3:30 pm you can leave a message on our answering machine. Also, if your child will be arriving late, please remind them that they must sign in at the office. THANK YOU!!! ☺
P E R M I S S I O N S L I P S
S C H O O L O R G A N I Z A T I O N
We will have classes in place as soon as we can. For the first few days of school this week, students will be in multi-age Den Groups. Grade 7 stu-dents will lead the Den Groups from one activity to the next. Teachers will be teaching and review-ing the ROAR matrix with all students in grades 1-7. Please review the attached matrix of David Thompson Elementary behaviour expectations with your child.G O I N G G R E E N
David Thompson continues to reduce our paper consumption as much as possible. This year we will be emailing the newsletters to every family for whom we have an email address. We will continue to post the newsletters on the school website. We will also have paper copies available for pick up on the bulletin board outside of the library in the primary hallway. Thank you for helping us be a greener school.
School District#73 offers a Pupil Supply Program that will provide all the needed notebooks, paper, pens and pencils etc. Please see the
attached ‘School Supplies’ not ice and complete the form(s) for your child(ren) and remit payment at your earliest convenience. If you are experiencing financial hardship, please contact the office and a payment planned can be arranged.
If you decide not to take part in
the School Supply Program and wish to purchase your own supplies, please consult with your child’s teacher to see exactly what is needed throughout the year. The fees for the agenda books ($7) for grades 2-7 students and YPC ($15) apply to all students, grades K-7..
Dress Code
Dress Code
Dress Code
Dress Code
Students are expected to dress in an appropriate fashion for school. We recognize that clothing is an expression of individuality; however, clothing with offensive words, slogans or pictures is considered inappropriate. As well, clothing that promotes alcohol, drugs, or tobacco products would be seen as not being appropriate. Clothing that is too skimpy or revealing is best suited for other locations, not the classroom. No type of underwear is to be visible. This means no spaghetti straps with bra straps visible and no boxer shorts visible. This helps to set a respectful tone at the school. Neat personal appearance and clean hygiene are also expectations of students at our school. All students will need to have appropriate gym strip readily available in their lockers or in their backpacks. Please check with their classroom teacher to see what is needed.
D R O P O F F &
P I C K U P A R E A S
Parents and Guardians we need your assistance in keeping the traffic in the school’s parking lot flowing smoothly and in a safe manner. Please park only in designated parking stalls. Parking is NOT permitted in front of the yellow gate or in front of the garbage can or around the island. The handicap stalls are reserved for those with legitimate mobility challenges and are not to be used for Kindergarten drop off or because you are simply running late. Please use the ‘drop and roll’ area or curb parking on Pine Springs. Your cooperation is appreciated and required in order to ensure the safety of all our children at DT.
By-law officers will be watching and ticketing motorists that are not using the ‘drop and roll’ zone in front of the school field on Pine Springs Road correctly. This is a NO PARKING zone.
P A C
The PAC (Parent Advisory Council) is a very important part of the school community. All parents are members of PAC. Your support is needed and can be in many forms: attend meet ings, volunteer for act ivit ies, fund raising just to name a few. All act ivit ies of PAC are in support of ALL students at David Thompson.
PAC MEETING
: The first PAC meet ing of the school year will be on Wednesday, September 16th at 6:30pm in the Library. Everyone is welcome to attend; we hope to see you there ☺ !HOT LUNCH PROGRAM:
Start ing in October DT’s students will be invited to enjoy a special once a week hot lunch day. In preparat ion for this, parents/guardians are encouraged to visit the ‘hot lunch website’ at: https://dthompson.hotlunches.net and create a new account for your family and add your children once classes have been finalized. This must be done every new school year.L O C K S & L O C K E R S
Classroom teachers will assign most students lockers this week. Locks may be used provided that they are combination locks and the teacher is given a copy of the combination number. Key locks are not permitted, as keys tend to get lost.
BICYCLES, SCOOTERS,
SKATEBOARDS &
ROLLERBLADES
Provincial helmet laws are in effect and all stu-dents riding bicycles to school need to conform to these laws. For the safety of all, students must dismount bikes, scooters, and skate-boards while on school property. Cyclists should be using the bike racks provided and are encouraged to lock bikes while they are in the racks. Rollerblades and “Heel Rollers” must be removed before entering the school. Bicycles, scooters, skateboards, “Heel Rollers” and roller-blades are intended for safe personal transpor-tation to and from school and are not to be used on the school grounds.
N U T A W A R E N E S S
This year at David Thompson we have several students who have anaphylactic allergies to peanuts and other types of nuts. Because of this, our
school is a ‘peanut aware’ school. It is nearly impossible to keep our school peanut free, therefore, only certain classes will be deemed ‘nut free’. Once classes are set, please ask your child’s teacher if his or her class is ‘nut free’. Also, please remind your child to thoroughly wash their hands with warm soapy water after eating any nut products prior coming to school. This will help reduce cross contamination and hopefully reduce the risk of an anaphylactic reaction to those children at risk. Thank you for your cooperation.
SCENT CONSIDERATE SCHOOL
: Please note that DT is also a ‘scentconsider-ate school’. Below is an excerpt from SD73 Policy 1006.5
“The Board of Education recognizes the need for a safe working environment for all employees and
students. This includes the provision of a scent considerate environment. Scented products may
cause severe and/or life threatening allergic reactions in some individuals.”
S C H O O L W E B S I T E
David Thompson Elementary has a
website, on which you can find a lot of
great school information, including
newsletters, our bell schedule, a
calen-dar of events, School Board Meeting
minutes (Board Notes) and various
Dis-trict Policies. The website can be found
at:
http://dthompson.sd73.bc.ca/
Student agendas are an important means of communication between parents, students and teachers. It is of utmost importance that parents regularly read and respond to comments in the agenda. This is a place for parents to write positive comments to their child. This is also an invaluable tool for parents in tracking the homework of their child. Students are responsible for their agendas. It is their job to get to school each day.
M E D I C A L A L E R T S
Medical Alerts A special note to parents to remind you that it is your responsibility to let the school know if your child has a
seri-ous health condition or requires medication
at school. Medical Alert Planning Forms and Request for Administration of Medication at School forms must be completed, revised and renewed each year. Please contact the school office if you require more information, need to update the record we have on file, or fill out a Medical Alert form. It is important to note that both parents must sign the forms.
Medical Alert – No Child
Left Without Program
This program offers a free Medic Alert membership to students who attend David Thompson Elementary and are between 4-14 years old. If your child has a medical condition, allergy or is required to take medications on a regular basis then you should consider a Medic Alert membership. Medic Alert identification can alert school staff, friends, coaches and others about your child’s medical condition should an emergency occur. For further information come to the office for a brochure or visit www.nochildwithout.ca. To register your child you will need a No Child Without brochure from the office. If your child is already part of the No Child Without
program and there have been changes to their medical condition, medications or emergency contact information call Medic Alert at 1-866-679-3220 Ext. 1 to update your child’s file.
R E C E S S & L U N C H S N A C K S
Busy kids need a healthy school lunch and recess snacks to boost their energy and help them concentrate and learn throughout the day. Please ensure your child(ren) have enough food to sustain them throughout the day. Try to include a range of fresh fruit and vegetables and vary the food daily so kids don’t become bored. A helpful website with many healthy lunch and snack ideas is:
http://www.freshforkids.com.au/lunch_box/lunch_box.html
S C H O O L V I S I T O R S
S T U D E N T S S I G N I N G O U T
S T U D E N T S S I G N I N G O U T
S T U D E N T S S I G N I N G O U T
S T U D E N T S S I G N I N G O U T
A T L U N C H T I M E
A T L U N C H T I M E
A T L U N C H T I M E
A T L U N C H T I M E
If a student is going home for lunch, they must provide a note, have their classroom teacher sign it and give it to the office before they sign out. If students are leaving the school grounds at noon for other reasons (for an ap-pointment, ect) a note or a phone call from a par-ent/guardian is also required and the same procedure is followed: have their classroom teacher sign it and give it to the office while signing out. Blanket notes for the year are not accepted. Notes must be dated and only valid for that particular day. We want to ensure that students from David Thompson Elementary are safe.
S C H O O L P H O T O S
Fall Fall Fall
Fall Photos for everyone Photos for everyone Photos for everyone Photos for everyone –––– Sept. 30thSept. 30thSept. 30thSept. 30th
Retake photos if needed Retake photos if needed Retake photos if needed
Retake photos if needed ---- Oct. 29th Oct. 29th Oct. 29th Oct. 29th
All school doors with the exception of the main doors are locked during the day. They are unlocked at the beginning of recess and lunch and locked again after recess and lunch. We want to monitor visitors to David Thompson Elementary as closely as possible
All visitors to our school need to sign in at the of-fice. We need to know who is in the school in case of emergency.
Please do not bring your pets into the school with-out special permission. We have individuals in the school with allergies to pets.
Arrangements to visit classroom teachers should be made in advance so teachers can prepare for your inquiries regarding your child.
If you must see your child during class time, please check in at the office. We will call your child to the office, thereby minimizing disruption to the class.
SCOUTING AND SCOUTS
CANADA RETURNS TO
WESTSYDE KAMLOOPS
After a long hiatus in Westsyde Kamloops, Scouts are returning!
Scouts have fun adventures discovering new things and experiences they wouldn’t have elsewhere. Along
the way, they develop into capable, confident and well- rounded individuals, better prepared for
success in the world.
On Wednesday September 16, 2015Wednesday September 16, 2015Wednesday September 16, 2015 there will be an Wednesday September 16, 2015 information and registration night at:
Westsyde Neighbourhood Center Westsyde Neighbourhood Center Westsyde Neighbourhood Center Westsyde Neighbourhood Center
3435 Westsyde Road 3435 Westsyde Road 3435 Westsyde Road 3435 Westsyde Road 6:00 PM 6:00 PM 6:00 PM 6:00 PM
Please bring your boys and girls for a fun evening. While the parents are talking to our scouters and
leaders about the program, the children will be going through some activities with experienced Beavers (5-7 yr olds), Cubs (8-10 yr olds) and
Scouts (11- 13yr olds).
If you have any questions please call Loren Phillips 250 579 5279, Lee Card 778 257 0204 or
Timothy Pugh 250 961 8308
At the start of the school year, we want to have our students and parents clear about the use of cell phones and other electronic devices coming to school. These electronic devices tend to be expensive and the school will not take any responsibility for these items if they become lost or stolen. Therefore, we encourage that these devices stay at home. Students have been known to use these devices to take photos and videos and post them on “social networks” such as Face Book. This is prohibited and contravenes personal privacy. This activity can also lead to “cyber-bullying” and other unwanted publication. Students are always allowed to use the office phone for emergency purposes. Also, students can always be contacted within a very short time if parents encounter an emergency. Therefore, there is no real need for students to have a phone at school. However, if you as parents see the need for these devices to be with your child, please be aware of the School District’s policy and David Thompson’s school policy regarding their use:
SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 73 (KAMLOOPS/THOMSPSON) POLICY 406.1 Effective Date: August 29. 2011
TECHNOLOGY: USE OF PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES
1. Each school shall develop guidelines for the acceptable use of personal electronic devices by students in the classroom, school, school sponsored or school related activities on or off school property. Personal electronic devices mean any electronic device, service or system designed or used to assist in extending human potential (including but not limited to computers, cell phones, cameras, social networking sites, e-mail and voice services, school networks, etc.) owned and / or operated by a school district user, and excludes District owned technology. The guidelines will reference Policy 403.2 Technology: Student Acceptable Use and the District and School Code of Conduct.
2. At no time will the use of any personal electronic device invade or infringe upon the personal privacy or safety of any member of the school district community.
3. District management reserves the right to access all files and content on personal devices connected to district networks to check for appropriate use.
4. The Board accepts no responsibility for theft or damage that may occur to personal items brought to the school or worksite. It is recommended that personal electronic devices used on District property be covered under personal insurance.
DAVID THOMPSON’S SCHOOL POLICY REGARDING PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES (THIS WILL BE REVIEWED ANNUALLY BY PAC AND SCHOOL STAFF)
The use of all telecommunication and audio or video recording devices, including cellular phones, pagers/beepers and cameras, at school and at school-sponsored or school related activities on or off school property, is prohibited during the school day except where expressly authorized. Stu-dents shall be allowed to possess such devices; however, such devices must not be visible and must remain turned off during the school day. Should there be a problem with a student complying with this policy, he/she will be asked to keep the device at home and/or may have the device confiscated to be returned to the parent. Thanks for your cooperation in helping to reduce the risk of “cyber-bullying” and other improper use of these devices.
KAMLOOPS VOLLEYBALL
ASSOCIATION
KVA is offering FreeFreeFree Volleyball clinics for all Free athletes Grade 7 to 12!
7:30-10:00pm at TCC. September 14th, 15th and 17th.
Details on our website!
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
01 02 03 04
07 Labor Day
08 First Day of School
10:30-12noon
09 10 11
14 15 16
First Full Day of Kindergarten PAC Meet ing
@ 6:30pm Library 17 18 21 22 23 24 Early Dismissal @ 12:30 Parent Open House
25 In Service Day
No School
28 29 Picture Day 30
Ache Brasil Performance @10:45 – gym – all grades
David Thompson Elementary
1051 Pine Springs Road
Kamloops, B.C. V2B 7W3
Ph. 250- 579- 9228 Fax: 250- 377- 2261
Principal: Ms. Sharon Cooley [email protected]
Vice Principal: Mr. Lorin Toews [email protected]
Grade
School Supplies
Agenda
YPC
Total
Kindergarten
$28.00
N/A
$15.00
$43.00
Grade 1
$28.00
N/A
$15.00
$43.00
Grade 2 – 3
$28.00
$7.00
$15.00
$50.00
Grade 4 – 7
$43.00
$7.00
$15.00
$65.00
Please Note
:1. Complete one form for each child.
2. Please return this form with payment to the school office.**One cheque can be written for supplies per family, but
each child will require their own form to be filled out**
3. If you require a receipt, please indicate so below in the appropriate check box. An official receipt will be sent
home with your child(ren).
4. If finances are difficult at this time, please contact Ms. Cooley or Mr. Toews to discuss payment options.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
David Thompson Elementary 2015-16 School Supplies
PLEASE FILL OUT ENTIRE FORM AND RETURN WITH PAYMENT BY SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
Name of Student: _______________________________________
Grade: ________________
Name of Teacher: _______________________________________
Amount of payment Enclosed: $ _____________
CHEQUE #_________ CASH_________
Receipt Required: _______YES _______NO
Or (check below):
________No, I do not wish to participate in DT’s school supply program and I will be providing all the supplies that my child requires.
