Haig SchoolStudent Handbook

Soaring For Excellence

Haig School Motto, Mission, Vision and Values Statements:

Motto: Soaring for Excellence

Mission: Ensuring success for every child in a safe and caring atmosphere.

Vision: Our school community will strive for excellence in teaching and learning. Together we will work to develop respectful, positive and valuable community members.

Values:

  1. Vision for Learning: Our school will create a clear vision for learning by collaboratively planning with our school partners. Our vision will be based on the growing and changing needs of our school community.
  1. Safe and Caring Environment: Our school will provide procedures for a safe, caring, inviting climate allowing students and staff to enjoy their school experience resulting in a shared sense of pride.
  1. High Expectations for success:

Challenge our students to realize their academic potential.

Encourage and expect regular school attendance.

Provide a diverse range of academic programs designed to meet individual needs.

Closely monitor and assess the academic and social progress of our students.

Provide a variety of opportunities to participate in extra-curricular activities.

  1. Curriculum/Instruction/Achievement: Our school will implement relevant, flexible, inclusive, and outcome based curricula that will assist our students to achieve to the best of their abilities.
  1. Instructional Leadership: Our innovative leaders will collaboratively create opportunities for growth and professional development in an atmosphere of life-long learning.
  1. Frequent Monitoring of Student Success: Our school believes in frequent monitoring of student success. Our school also believes in the importance of involving students, parents, and teachers in this process. Our staff will gather evidence of student progress via observations, conversations and student products. Our staff will focus on formative and summative assessment of student progress and will provide specific and descriptive feedback to students and their parents.
  1. Home/School Community Relationships: We believe that the school is an essential part of the community it serves and therefore, must develop and maintain relationships with all community members.

Parents are cooperative, supportive and involved in their children’s education.

Working as partners, community members unite for the betterment of the students and celebrate their accomplishments.

We partner with the community and surrounding area, integrating services within our school to allow more time dedicated to learning and more support for our students.

WELCOME TO HAIG SCHOOL 

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome all of our students, their families, our staff, and our community partners to the 2018–2019year at Haig School. We would also like to extend a very special welcome to all of our new students and staff. We are very pleased to have you join our Haig School Family!

Haig School has a fantastic staff with an impressive range of educational backgrounds and experience. It is our goal to help each of our students be their best, reach their potential and strive for excellence while having fun throughout the year! We are looking forward to working with our students and their families.

Please take the time to read through our Student Handbook, discuss it with your children, and use it as a resource for information during the school year. This handbook is an important part of our home and school communication and it is intended to make you aware of the various programs, policies and proceduresin place at Haig School. In closing, we would like to wish you all a very successful year at HaigSchool.

Yours in Education,

Mrs. Arlene Dobson & Mrs. Jacalyn Neilmeyer

Principal & Vice-Principal

Haig School Staff for 2018 – 2019

Mrs. Tammy GrievePre-Kindergarten

Mrs. Louise AndrewKindergarten

Mrs.Erin WalterGrade 1

Mrs. Lindsay WilsonGrade 1/2

Miss Lindsay ErmelGrade 2

Mrs. Lindsay BrownGrade 3

Mrs. Melissa GroverGrade 3/4

Mrs. Kim WiensGrade 4 & RTI Teacher (am)

Mrs. Angela McKnightGrade 4

Mrs. Cathy Evans-HooperGrade 5

Mrs. Katrina StephansonGrade 5/6

Mrs. Justine AndersonGrade 6

Mrs. Jacalyn NeilmeyerVice-Principal/RTI/LST

Mrs. Arlene DobsonPrincipal/Itinerant ELA/RTI

Mrs. Holly ButzArts Education(am)

Mrs. Lisa PollockRTI Teacher/Itinerant Math

Ms. Tanice AbramsonLearning Support Teacher

Mrs. Alisa SonnenbergSpeech Language Pathologist

Mrs. Twyla KotSchool Counsellor

Mrs. Sarah MerrimanEarly Learning and Care Consultant

Mrs. Sharleen IversonEducational Psychologist

Mrs. Verla BaillieEducational Assistant

Mrs. Patti LangedahlEducational Assistant

Mrs. Lori VerbeemEducational Assistant/ Library Technician

Mrs. Tricia GawryluikEducational Assistant

Mrs. Luanne AkinsEducational Assistant

Mrs. Betty LeckEducational Assistant

Mrs. Deana PetersonAdministrative Assistant

Mrs. Barb HappLibrary Technician/Administrative Assistant

Mr. Randy MouleCaretaker

Mr. Lyle HammerCaretaker

SCHOOL HOURS

The daily schedule for Haig School will be as follows:

8:40 am / Get Ready Bell for AM Classes
8:45 am / AM Classes Begin
10:21 am / Recess
10:36 am / AM Classes Resume
12:06pm / Noon Hour
12:46 pm / Get Ready Bell for PM Classes
12:51 pm / PM Classes Begin
1:51 pm / Recess
2:06 pm / PM Classes Resume
3:10 pm / End of Day Dismissal
  • We would like to ask that student arrival time be no earlier than 8:20 am. Outdoor supervision of students begins at this time. Students are expected to play outside until first bell rings unless directed otherwise by staff.
  • We have two telephone lines that you can contact the school at: 842-2812 and/or 842-5799. Please feel free to use either number to phone the school. In an effort to maximize teaching time at Haig School, we would encourage you, when possible, to leave messages for your child rather than pull them from class.

ATTENDANCE/SAFE ARRIVAL POLICY

Section 149 of the Education Act states as follows:

Duties of Pupils:

1. A pupil shall attend school regularly and punctually, and in case of absence or lateness, he/she shall give to the teacher an explanation in accordance with the rules of the school.

Parents are required to notify the school in the event that your child will be absent. You can contact the school at either of the following numbers: (306) 842-2812 or (306) 842-5799, and we will be available to take calls at 8:00 am. We also have voice mail connected to (306)842-2812 that is checked daily should you need to call prior to 8:00 am.

Haig School also has a safe arrival policy for our students. Ifwe do not receive a call, the school will contact you to ensure student safety and to confirm the absence.

ILLNESS/ACCIDENTS AT SCHOOL

When your child becomes ill or has an injury at school, a phone call will be made to the parents/caregiver and in the event we are unable to contact you, we will then call the designated emergency contact person on your child’s Student Information Sheet to make appropriate arrangements. Please be sure the information you have provided on the Student Information Sheet is kept current throughout the year. We always appreciate notification of changes to any of the student information so we can ensure your child’s well-being at all times. South East Cornerstone Public School Division does purchase accident insurance covering students while they are attending school or school sponsored activities. Parents are offered the option of extending the coverage to 24 hours a day. Brochures are distributed to parents in the fall of each year regarding this option.

INCLEMENT WEATHER CONDITIONS

On inclement weather days, Haig School will always remain open for regular school hours. It is the parent/caregiver’s discretion to determine if weather conditions are such that they prefer their child remain home. On inclement weather days, there will be signs posted on the exterior doors indicating to students that they are to remain inside. Also, during severe blizzard conditions, we ask that parents/caregivers come into the school to pick up your child(ren) to ensure their safety.

SCHOOL DRESS

We expect students to be responsible for appropriate school clothing that is neat, clean, and in good repair. We would ask parents to ensure that your child’s clothing does not display any alcohol, drugs, or, vulgarities. Also, please remember that student clothing such as very short skirts, cut-offs, shirts which allow an exposed midriff, or a style of dressing which permits exposure of undergarments, is not acceptable at Haig School. Students dressed in this manner will be asked to change into school appropriate clothing. We do ask students to remove hats/caps during class time, except for religious/medical reasons, or school approved special occasions. All students are required to have a pair of designated indoor shoes. These need to be appropriate for use in the gym as well as non-marking. During winter months, we ask that you ensure your child(ren) are dressed for outdoor recesses/noon hours. We would like to thank you in advance for your cooperation/support in this area.

CHILD ABUSE OR NEGLECT

All of the employees of South East Cornerstone Public School Division are required to perform their duties in compliance with the Saskatchewan Child and Family Services Act. This act mandates that every person who suspects that a child is in need of protection must report this to a child protection worker or police officer. The employees of our school are required to make these reports to the authorities. It is not the responsibility of school personnel to determine if a child is abused or neglected before they report, that is for authorities to determine; but it is mandated that our employees are responsible to report all suspected cases of abuse or neglect.

BICYCLE/ALL WHEEL SAFETY

We encourage our students to participate in physical activity and ride their bikes, scooters etc. to and from school. We also encourage them to do so in a safe manner. While we do spend time reviewing bike safety, we also rely on our parentsto reinforce bike safety at home. We will expect our students to follow general bike safety rules, as well as our school rules for bikes on the playground. If students are repeatedly violating those safety rules, they will be asked to leave their bicycle, scooter, skateboard etc. at home. We recommend that students always wear a helmet when riding. We also recommend that students lock their bikes if possible. Once the snow covers the roads, we ask that students please leave their bikes, scooters, skateboards etc. at home and once the snow disappears in the spring, the school will let students know when the playground is dry enough to begin riding again.

SAFETY PATROLS

Our Haig School Safety Patrol members are made up of the grade six students who volunteer to do this very important job. Our patrollers are trained during the first few weeks of school in conjunction with the City of Weyburn Police Services. Our patrollers work at designated corners every noon hour and after school. On inclement weather days, our patrollers will not be sent out for obvious safety reasons and we ask that you come in to the school to pick up your children on those severe weather days. We would also like to ask for your cooperation with using the designated crosswalks. Please ensure your child(ren) uses the crosswalks when you are picking up at noon or the end of the day. This helps our patrollers immensely. Each spring, a patroller from each of the city schools is chosen to represent their school at the annual Safety Patrol Jamboree. We are very proud of the service that these students provide for our school and they need to be commended for all that they do during the school year.

HOME & SCHOOL COMMUNICATION

Parents often ask what they can do to ensure their child’s success in school. Good parent-teacher communication is very important for student success at school. It is important to maintain anopen/honest relationship with your child’s teacher and the school in general. Our student agendas and email lists are excellent ways for home and school to communicate and we encourage you to use agendas and email on a daily basis.

Please be sure to attend our Parent Information evening that will be held very early in the fall. This is a time where each of our classroom teachers will give you a specific outline of their classroom routines, programs and expectations for the year. This will also give you a clear picture of the academic supports your child will need from you during the year. Haig Staff will involve our parents in the activities of the school as much as possible. Should an issue or concern arise during the year, we will not hesitate to contact you and hope you will do the same. Honest and open communication is our goal at Haig School. We encourage you to contact the school at any time regarding any questions or concernsand we will respond to them in a respectful and professional manner. We look forward to working with you!

SCHOOL NEWSLETTERS

At the beginning of each month, a school newsletter will be sent home via e-mail as well as posted on our school website. Should you require a paper copy, please contact the school office to let us know. Our Haig Highlights will give you a wide variety of information about what is going on within our school, including a monthly activity calendar.

LOST OR DAMAGED BOOKS

Students will be charged the original purchase price of lost books or books that have been damaged beyond repair. This would include school textbooks and/or school library books.

NUT FREE AND SCENT FREE SCHOOL

Haig School is a nut free school due to several of our students having a severe nut allergy. To ensure medical safety for these students, we will require our parents/families to ensure any lunches/snacks that have nuts in them are NOT sent to school. Also, we have students and staff with allergies that are triggered by strong scents (oils, perfumes etc.). This negatively impacts their health and their daily routines at school. We understand the need for personal hygiene products to be used but we do ask that you refrain from wearing strong scented perfumes and/or oils. We thank you in advance for your cooperation with both of these items.

NOON HOUR

The South East Cornerstone Public School Division provides for supervision of students during the noon hour at our school and our students are welcome to stay at school during this time, but are not required to do so. The only thing we would ask is that you communicate with your classroom teacher what the regular routine for your child(ren) will be for the majority of the year. We would also ask that if the regular routine is going to change, that the school be notified in advance. Students who stay will have the option of participating in our school milk program. Our noon hour supervisors circulate amongst the students while they are eating their lunch and once the students are dismissed, our supervisors are then outside with the students for the remainder of the noon hour. Students are expected to maintain propernoon hour behaviour as set out by the school. Violation of school wide expectations during this timewill result in the privilege of eating at school being restricted or removed. Should the school have any concerns regarding your child and appropriate noon hour behaviour, you will be contacted and informed of the concerns.

SPIRIT DAYS

Each month during the year, our student leadership group, the R.A.K. Pack (Random Acts of Kindness) will plan a school spirit day. Information about the spirit days will be sent home each month in our school newsletter.

SCHOOL COMMUNITY COUNCIL

School Community Council is a school level group that provides an opportunity for parental input into our school improvement plan. The purpose of our SCC is to support student learning, success, and well-being, as well as to encourage parent and community involvement in our school. Our SCC consists of 6-9 elected members. Members serve for a 2 year term, and meet once a month. In conjunction with our SCC, we will be looking for a Room Parent for each of our classrooms for the duration of the school year. Please consider becoming involved and let us know if you would like to serve our school as an SCC member or as a Room Parent. Together, we can greatly improve the education of our children.

SPORTS PROGRAM

During the school year, sports teams (usually our Gr. 5 & 6 students), compete with teams from the other city schools. The sports included in this program are usually soccer, volleyball, basketball. There are occasions that other sports such as badminton and track& field are also included. The goals of these programs are:

  • to develop student skills in the sport;
  • encourage student participation;
  • develop good sportsmanship skills, and;
  • have fun while belonging to a team.

We encourage parents/caregivers to come out to our school sport events and cheer our teams on!