School Policies
- Regular daily attendance is expected. Should a student be sick or have an appointment, parents are expected to notify the school before classes start. In the event of a prescheduled appointment please notify the administrative assistant in writing. Should your child not be feeling well in the morning, it is advisable to keep him/her at home. The expectation is that if children are well enough to come to school, they are ready to participate in all activities. You are asked to notify the Office regarding special circumstances.
- An answering machine will take messages when the office is closed. For your convenience, our answering machine takes messages from 3:30 PM to 8:00 AM. Please state clearly the following information: name, homeroom teacher and reason for absence. (Phone # 819-827-0245).
- Attendance is taken by the homeroom teacher between 8:15– 8:25 a.m. The attendance book is sent to the office where it is entered in the school board GPI system for the purpose of tracking attendance.
- Students who arrive at school after homeroom must report to the office to sign in and pickup a late slip. Parents will be notified if a student is repeatedly late.
- Students leaving early must be signed out in the office.
- Children should not arrive at school before 7:45 a.m., as the yard is unsupervised. Supervision is available starting at 7:45 a.m. The school cannot be responsible for children in the yard before this time. (See ‘After Four Program’ for students arriving at school before 7:45 a.m.)
Bus Policy
While on the bus, students are accountable to the bus driver and to the school principal. For safety reasons, the bus behaviour code requires students to be seated at all times, cooperative and respectful of others. If a student does not respond to the driver's instructions, the principal will be informed in writing. Parents will be notified and asked to provide support and guidance to the student. The school reserves the right to suspend busing privileges to students whose behaviour interferes with the driver's ability to transport the students safely.
Safe School Policy
The Governing Board of Chelsea Elementary School has endorsed the Safe School Policy which promotes a safe, supportive school climate, and ensures the security of students and staff. Principles of conflict resolution are used to build social capacity in students.
Safe, secure, peaceful and caring schools thrive within safe, peaceful and caring communities. The community environment is an integral part of our successful school program. Students will acquire social skills that will enhance their education, build self-esteem and develop a respect for people, tools and the surroundings. Community participation leads to success and community pride. The participation of the full school community is integral to the development of a safe and caring educational environment.
Objectives:
The Safe School Policy prioritizes these objectives:
- To create a safe social environment where:
- Respect for all by all is alive.
- A fair school code of behaviour for staff and students is practiced by all partners.
- Problems are dealt with fairly and expeditiously.
- Consequences are fair and consistent and promote learning.
- An engaged and informed community supports these practices.
- To create and maintain a secure physical environment.
- To teach students that a peaceful life within the school and their community is possible by providing:
- Well-developed and implemented curricula and programs that teach students positive, social and essential life skills.
- Specific programs that instruct students in conflict resolution, anger management, legal rights and responsibilities, and effective communication skills.
- Opportunities for student leadership.
- To provide the caring services and support that is necessary for children and youth.
- To encourage students to develop positive social skills. Community service, peer helper, peer mediation, student leadership and student activity programs can engage youth in supporting their peers. Adult mentoring, innovative school organization and teacher-student mentoring can help students find trusted adults in the school setting.
The Chelsea Elementary School Community is committed to work on:
- Enforcing a school-wide behaviour policy that is reviewed annually by the Governing Board.
- Classroom rules and consequences developed with input from students.
- School policies that promote and support education as the alternatives to punishment.
- Evidence of collaboration as a way of solving problems within the school.
- An active peer mediation program.
- Programs such as TRIBES to be developed within our regular program.
- Providing workshops for staff and parents.
The School Behaviour Policy
When behaviour problems arise with the students, the staff will listen carefully to determine the nature of the problem. They will review the expectations of the school behaviour code and make sure that the consequences are clear. Most problems will be dealt with immediately among the parties concerned. For more serious cases, an incident form will be completed and referred to the Principal. Persistent and serious infractions will result in immediate parental contact and suspension from the school may occur. Major discipline problems will be referred to the W.Q.S.B. Discipline Committee for review and expulsion may result. The Chelsea School Behaviour Code lists the following consequences:
Minor Infractions
- Teasing, name calling.
- Disruptive behaviour: running or circulating in the school without permission, yelling, loud voices and inappropriate school dress.
Consequences
One or more of the following: verbal warning, removal of a privilege, phone call home and peer mediation
Major Infractions
- Offensive Language
- Verbal Abuse
- Physical Abuse
- Defiance
- Bullying
- Stealing
- Vandalism
Consequences
One or more of the following: parental contact, out-of-school suspension, intervention with a Behavioural Technician, Social Worker or Police. Should the any of the afore mentioned behaviours become a chronic situation a referral to WQSB Discipline Committee will be made.