Handbook Information
École Sacré-Coeur Handbook
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Welcome - Bienvenue! Mission Statement
Belief / Priority Statement Our French Immersion Progam
Administering Medication Before-School / After-School Program
Bus Ridership Call-Back Program
Child Custody Child Guidance Clinic
Comprehensive Assessment Program Extra-Curricular Activities
Home Information Inservices, Parent-Teacher Conferences
Lunch Program Middle-Years Provincial Assessments
Permission Letter Permission to Leave School Grounds
Phone Policy Relocation of Students in Emergency
Reporting to the Office School Day Schedule
School Patrols School Pictures
Sickness and Accidents Student Progress Reports
Welcome - Bienvenue!
This handbook is designed to give parents/guardians pertinent information about our school. Please read through it to understand what our school is all about!
Mission Statement
École Sacré-Coeur School is a French Immersion Milieu School dedicated to both official languages. Our staff fosters a wholesome, healthy environment in which students are encouraged to be resourceful and responsible individuals. We also promote a respect for the right and dignity of others. It is our goal that each child, as an individual with strengths, weaknesses and a cultural background, be given the means to fully realize his/her potential.
Belief / Priority Statement
We believe that:
- Learning is a life-long process.
- School is the place to continue learning life skills.
- Children develop at their own pace and in their own unique way; therefore, teachers need to address this uniqueness by using different teaching styles.
- Teachers develop an extensive repertoire of assessment practices to support the diverse learning needs of students.
- Teachers integrate / infuse computer technology with academic subjects.
- Teachers teach children to be tolerant, accepting and appreciative of cultural and racial differences.
About Our French Immersion Program
Our school houses an early immersion program with entry points at the Nursery, Kindergarten and grade 1 levels only. Students transferring from other French Immersion programs in grades 2 to 8 are accepted as well. To enter Nursery, children must be four years old on or before December 31st and to enter kindergarten, children must be five years old on or before December 31st. Every new parent/guardian that comes to the school can get a tour of the school and meet with the principal to get further information about the program and the school.
There is an Orientation Session in May every year for all new and interested parents in Nursery and Kindergarten.
Administering Medication During School Hours
In accordance with the Winnipeg School Division policy, no medication is to be in a student’s possession at any time. Should children be required to take medication during school hours, a form must be filled out by the physician indicating the name of the drug, the dosage to be taken and any other important instructions. The medication must be brought from the home by a parent/guardian or other responsible adult. The medicine container must have the dispensing instructions noted on it. At school, the medicine will be kept under lock and key and only the designated person will administer the medication. A record is kept of the medication that is administered to each child. NOTE: Inhalers are allowed in the student’s possession at all times.
Before-School Program
The Before-School Program is located in the lunch room downstairs. The program is open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:20 a.m. This is a pre-pay program. The telephone number is 786-6247 and, like thelunch program, the Before-School Program is the responsibility of the Sacré-Coeur Parent Council. For more detail, please click on Before-School Program.
After-School Program
The After-School Program is located in the lunch room downstairs. The program is open from 3:15 to 5:30 p.m. This is a pre-pay program. The telephone number is 786-6247 and, like the lunch program, the After-School Program is the responsibility of the Sacré-Coeur Parent Council. For more detailed information about the After-School Program, please click on After-School Program.
Attendance
Regular attendance and punctuality contribute to a good learning environment. Absenteeism and tardiness are upsetting for young learners as it disrupts everyone’s schedules and it slows down learning. It is the responsibility of the parents/guardians to make sure that students come to school on time.
Busing
The Winnipeg School Division provides busing for Nursery to grade six students enrolled at our school if:
- they reside within our designated catchment area; and
- who are at least one mile (1.6 km) away from the school.
The school division decides who is eligible for busing.Bus Ridership
It is assumed that all students will travel on a bus during their school years, either daily to and from school, or on field trips. Twice a year, once in the Fall and once in the Spring, all our students from Nursery to grade 8 are instructed in safe bus riding practices and in emergency school bus evacuation skills.
Call-Back Program
The call-back program is in operation in our school and it is aimed at ensuring that all students get to school daily. Every morning and afternoon, teachers send in their attendance sheets to the office. If a child is reported absent by the classroom teacher, and no phone call or other information has been received by the school, then the school secretary or clerk will try and find out where the child is by phoning home.
To facilitate the secretary’s/clerk’s job, it is greatly appreciated when the parents/guardians phone the school to report that their child will be away from school. Please use the answering service between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Simply state your child’s name, room number and reason for absence.
Child Custody
In most cases, when parents are divorced or separated, both parents continue to have equal access to their children. If a parent has a court order that limits the access of one parents in matters such as custody and/or visitation rights, the school needs to have a copy in the office. Unless the school has a court order on file in its main office, the school personnel must provide equal access to both parents.
Child Guidance Clinic
All Winnipeg School Division schools have access to services provided by CGC. Those services provided are:
- Reading: helps students with special problems in reading.
- Speech and Hearing: helps students with problems in language, speech, and hearing.
- Social Work: works with parents, children, families and teachers when social/emotional issues arise.
- Psychology: helps diagnose and plan for academic and social/emotional needs of children.
Code of Conduct
A new Code of Conduct has been implemented for the 2006-2007 school year. Please refer to the Safe School Information for this information.
Computer Lab
Teachers and their students have access to a modern, state-of-the-art computer lab. Our school follows the Winnipeg School Division guidelines: http://ww.wsd1.org/board/policies_pdf/Policy_IIBG.pdf and the Provincial Literacy with Information and Communication with Technology (ICT) continuum: http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/tech/lict/index.html .
Comprehensive Assessment Program
The Comprehensive Assessment Program (CAP) is a division-wide assessment tool. It assesses individual children’s academic and social-emotional development from Nursery to grade 6. For more information on CAP, please visit http://ww.wsd1.org/programs/assessmt.htm .
Extra-Curricular Activites
At different times throughout the year, students have the opportunity to become involved in many activities before and after school as well as during the lunch hour. In addition to team sports such as softball, soccer, basketball and volleyball, students can also participate in track and field, running club, and various intra-mural sports. Students may also participate in other activities such as Chess Club, Club de lecture (Reading Club), Short Story competition, Multimedia Awareness and the Debate Team.
Home Information
It is of the utmost importance that our records at school be accurate so that we can reach parents/guardians at any time. It is greatly appreciated when parents/guardians notify the school immediately when there is a change of address or phone number. Emergency phone numbers are required by all students who attend our school.
Inservices, Parent-Teacher Conferences, Administration Days
During the course of a school year, each school is allocated ten (10) in-service days. These days are used for professional development, administration, and student-led conferences. Sometimes the whole school will be closed, while at other times individual classrooms may be closed. This information will usually be indicated on the school calendar that goes home at the end of each month and a reminder will be sent home a couple of days before to all classrooms affected. Please check your child’s school bag regularly for notes from school.
Library
Teachers are encouraged to integrate the use of the library in their curriculum. Students can borrow books once every cycle and are expected to return the books promptly. Each class has one scheduled library period per cycle. Students are asked to pay a fee of $5.00 or $10.00 for a lost or damaged book. Students can participate in reading clubs from October to March. Library support staff is available to help teachers and students.
Birthday Book Club
Every year, all students are given an opportunity to become important contributors to our library. Parents make a donation of $5.00 or $10.00 and their child chooses a book from a selection of new books. The child’s name appears at the front of the book on a special book plate.
Lost and Found
Each year, numerous articles find their way to the lost and found box found near the elevator doors on the main floor. At the end of each term and at Student-led conferences, all articles are displayed on tables in the hallway. This gives parents/guardians and children a chance to claim their belongings. One way to help children retrieve their belongings is to have all articles well identified. All unclaimed articles are donated to charitable organizations at the end of each school term.
Lunch Program
Many of our children come to school on the school bus so they have to stay at school for lunch. Like all schools in the division, our Lunch Program is parent-run and is the responsibility of the Sacré-Coeur Parent Council.
Every child attending the lunch program must be registered with the school lunch coordinator. At the beginning of each school year, the lunch coordinator sends out registration forms for parents/guardians to fill in and return. At any other time during the year, registration forms can be picked up at the school office.
The parents’ monthly fees go towards paying the parents who supervise the children during the lunch hour. All children bring their own lunches and can buy a small milk container for 10 ¢ each. Food that children bring from home can be heated up in microwave ovens. For more information, call 786-6247.
Middle-Years Provincial Assessments
A The mid-year assessments mandated by the Province of Manitoba to assess the students’ learning from the commencement of the school year to the end of January. The grade 7 students are being assessed in Mathematics and Engagement. The grade 8 students are being assessed in both official languages (English and French Language Arts) in reading and writing competencies. For more informaiton, click on the link: http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/assess/myreporting.html .
Newsletters
A newsletter is printed monthly. It is sent home with the students during the first few days of the month and includes important information such as general information, pertinent dates, school events, school closures and field trips. Please read them and keep the calendar visible for easy reference during the month. For an online version of each month’s newsletter, click on http://blogs.wsd1.org/ecolesacrecoeur/parents/newsletters/ .
Parent Council
Every year at our Meet the Teacher Night in September, parents have their Annual General Meeting where a new Parent Council is elected. Then, this newly-elected Parent Council meets once a month in the school staffroom. Members of the Parent Council work with the school on various projects and initiatives. All parents are welcome to attend the meetings. An added responsibility for the Council is to oversee the school lunch program as well as the Before/After School Programs. For a list of the Parent Council Executive, click on http://blogs.wsd1.org/ecolesacrecoeur/parents/parent-council/ .
Permission Letter
In early September, all parents/guardians are asked to sign a permission letter that authorizes the school to take students on planned outings. Information about dates and times are sent to the parents/guardians several days prior to the outing.
In addition, parents are asked to sign a Media Release Form, which allows students to be interviewed and/or photographed by various media outles. Click on http://blogs.wsd1.org/ecolesacrecoeur/parents/forms/ .
Permission to Leave School Grounds
Children will not be allowed to leave the school grounds during school hours unless there is written permission or a phone call from the parents/guardians. This rule also applies during the noon hour for those who are in the lunch program.
When bused children are absent or leave early in the school day for appointments, then, it is the parent/guardian’s responsibility to advise the transportation department of their
absence. Click on http://blogs.wsd1.org/ecolesacrecoeur/parents/forms/ .
Phone Policy
Students are allowed to use the telephone in the office for emergency situations only. We also ask that parents call their children out of class only for emergency situations. Social arrangements are not considered urgent and must be pre-arranged.
Relocation of Students in Emergency Situations
In case of an emergency, all students will walk to Hugh John McDonald School located at 567 Bannatyne Avenue. Parents/guardians will be contacted from there.
Reporting to the Office
All visitors to the school are requested to report to the office.
We ask that all parents who wish to see their children during the school day also report to the office. We wish to reduce classroom interruptions as much as possible.
School Day Schedule
Morning 8:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Nursery/Kindergarten classes
8:30 a.m. - 11:25 a.m. Grades 1 to 8
11:25 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. Parent-run Lunch Program
Afternoon 12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Nursery to grade 8
In the morning, there is playground supervision from 8:05 a.m. to 8:20 a.m. Please note that there is NO supervision offered on the playground before this time. For their own safety, children should be at school only when supervision is provided.
During the lunch hour, from 11:25 a.m. to 12:25 p.m., parents provide supervision for the children who have paid for the lunch program. All children who are not part of the lunch program will be supervised by school staff in the front of the school on Furby Street from 12:10 to 12:25 p.m.
There is staff supervision from 3:00 to 3:10 p.m. After this time, all remaining students will be sent to the After-School Program.
School Patrols
Our school patrols are out on duty each day at 8:15 a.m., 11:20 a.m., 12:20 p.m. and 2:55 p.m. Patrols are there to help all children cross the street safely. We ask parents not to send their children before patrols go on duty.
School Pictures
Life Touch is the company that takes our school pictures. School pictures are taken twice a year: once in the early Fall and once in the Spring. In the Fall, individual and group pictures are taken of all students from N to grade 8. Pictures are usually ready a few weeks later. In the Spring, another picture is taken of each student. Parents are under no obligation to purchase photos of their child.
Sickness and Accidents
If a child must go home because of an injury or illness, it is the parent/guardian’s responsibility to ensure that the child is picked up. When a situation appears to be life threatening, the staff will act on the side of caution and will call an ambulance. The cost of the ambulance is the responsibility of the parent/guardian. If parents cannot be reached in the case of an emergency, the emergency contact phone number will be used.
Student Progress Reports
There are four reporting periods during the school year. Written reports go home at the end of November, February and June. There are also two Student-Led Conferences-one in November and one in April- where students have the opportunity to show their portfolios to their parents/guardians.
Educational Links
