A.D.S. Elementary School
August 2021 School Newsletter
Dear Parents,
I hope that the amazing weather this summer has helped you all to rest, recharge and make memories. On behalf of the ADS Team, I would like to welcome you all to the 2021-2022 school year! I recognize that the circumstances that surround this school year is not what we all hoped or wished for (once again), but with your help, we will ensure your child's success. I look forward to a partnership with you to ensure that our children can reach their highest potential.
We are excited to welcome all of our students and families to A.D.S. Elementary School and we are dedicated to providing the best learning experience possible. This summer flew by and all of our staff have been hard at work to prepare for this school year. While we all want amazing, authentic learning to happen, we are equally motivated to ensure that all our students and staff are feeling both safe and healthy — in mind, body and spirit.
This year, we have a theme. After a school year of being divided in bubbles, on zoom calls, etc, we wanted a reminder that we are stronger as a TEAM. Our TEAM includes all of ADS' stakeholders - the students, parents, community and the staff. This year's theme is:
T - Together
E - Everyone
A - Achieves
M - More
We look forward to seeing how far our TEAM can go!
We have a few positive changes at ADS. If you have driven past in the last while, you may have noticed lots of construction work being done here. Two classrooms (Mr. Smith's and Ms. Vien's) were renovated. New walls, floors (Mr. Smith) and new ceilings- they are still being finished up.... but they will look beautiful! The renovations behind the stage to create new bathrooms and change-rooms are still ongoing.
A lot of the common areas of the school and some classes have received a fresh coat of paint. I want to thank Mrs. Connie McKeage and Mr. Micheal Cole for their generous donation to get the school looking fresh again!
I am so excited to begin a new school year and see all of the returning students. I would like to extend a great A.D.S. welcome to our new families who are joining A.D.S. for the very first time! I very much look forward to working with you and your children to create an experience where there is a love and excitement for learning!
Jennifer Palik
Principal
Our All-Star Staff:
Staff for the 2021/2022 School Year:
Ms. Jennifer Palik Principal
Ms. Angie Whalen Kindergarten-4 Teacher
Ms. Allyson Viens K4 Helper
Ms. Marie-Pier Tremblay Kindergarten 5 Teacher
Ms. Andréanne Richard Grade 1 Teacher
Ms. Andrea Lockwood Grade 2 Teacher
Ms. Jessica Duval-Holliday Grade 3 Teacher HEAD TEACHER
Ms. Morgan Côté Grade 4 Teacher
Mr. Dylan Smith Grade 5 Teacher
Ms. Elizabeth Viens Grade 6 Teacher
Mr. Guillaume St-Denis Physical Education Teacher
Ms. Cathy Watson Resource Teacher
Ms. Tamara Bergeron French Teacher
Ms. Chantal Richard SET/HSA
Ms. Kelly Andrews HSA/Supervisor
Ms. Jenn Rantz HSA
Ms. Brooke Fowler-Lachapelle HSA/Supervisor
Mr. Steven Gendron HSA/Supervisor
Ms. Cindy Coffin Cafeteria cook, Caretaker, Daycare Educator
Ms. Jeannik Bachand School Secretary / Daycare Tech.
Ms. Karen Johnston Daycare Educator
Mr. Steve Cauchard Caretaker
Ms. Genevieve Manseau CLC Community Development Agent
Ms. Catherine Boisclair Psychoeducator
Ms.Valerie Ouellete Guidance Counsellor
Ms. Nathania Caron Speech and Language Therapist
Ms. Rachel Lassenba Occupational Therapist
Marie-Claude Chabot Nurse
Each year brings positive change. This includes a few additions to our staff. We are delighted to welcome Andréanne Richard our new grade 1 teacher. Ms. Richard brings a vibrant and enthusiastic energy to the team and we are fortunate to welcome her to ADS.
We also welcome Valérie Ouellet - Guidance Counsellor (replacing Ms. Robinson who is on a sabbatical for the year). We are fortunate to have Ms. Ouellet's expertise to support our students.
Welcome Back BBQ: Due to the current situation, we will not hold our annual Welcome Back BBQ. Parents new to A.D.S. as well as Pre-K and Kindergarten students should expect a communication from their child’s teacher to arrange for a visit at the school prior to the first day of school. The teachers will plan a virtual curriculum night/Meet the teacher in the coming weeks.
Curriculum Night: More information to come about the ADS Virtual Curriculum Night
Annual General Meeting: We will be holding our Annual General Meeting in September for parents interested in joining our Governing Board (more information - time and date to come). Following this, we will hold our first Governing Board Meeting. Strict sanitary guidelines will be followed. We ask that if you attend that you bring a mask.
Student Emergency Medical Information Form: On the first week of school, your child will receive an Emergency Form (it's pink). Please complete all sections and return this form to school as soon as possible. It is important that we be aware of any medication or medical issues that your child may have. Please complete this form in its entirety. It is important that we can reach you at any moment in case illnesses arise. If we can’t reach a parent, we will contact the emergency contact given.
Picture Day: This year our Picture Day will be on October 6th!
Correspondence: In order to be more environmentally friendly, we are sending all newsletters by email. They will also be posted on the school website at http://ads.etsb.qc.ca/ under “Parent information”. The newsletters and various information (cafeteria menu, etc.) will be sent to the email you have provided upon registration of your child. We highly suggest you like our Facebook Page as we post there quite often over the course of the school year.
School Hours: Bus drop off and supervision starts - 7:55 a.m.
School starts - 8:05 a.m.
Recess - 9:45 a.m. to 10:05 a.m.
Lunch - 11:45 a.m. to 12:35 p.m.
Recess - 1:25 pm. to 1:45 p.m.
Dismissal and bus pick up - 2:35 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Daycare: Daycare is offered again this year. Our regular daycare schedule is Monday-Friday from 7 to 7:55 a.m., and 2:45-5:30 p.m. If any of these times would be of benefit to you, let us know! This service is designed to help with the transition time between home and school.
Office Hours: Our School Secretary, Mrs. Jeannik Bachand (bachandj@etsb.qc.ca) will be in the office Monday to Friday. Her hours are 8:00 -12:00 pm. Additionally, she will also be in on Mondays through Thursdays from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m.
Visitors: Non-essential visitors to the school will be limited. We ask that parents not enter the school unless absolutely necessary. Where it is deemed necessary, calling in advance to schedule an appointment will be required. Any visitor arriving on campus will be asked to confirm their scheduled appointment and upon entering the school must change their mask to one provided, sanitize their hands and immediately report to the Office. All visitors will be required to sign-in at the office.
Cafeteria: Our cafeteria will be opened 3 days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday). This year, there will be no cafeteria credits for missed lunches. Students will be eating in the cafeteria this year in two rotations.
Breakfast Club: We once again received a President’s Choice grant for our Breakfast Club. This year, pre-packaged food will be served during Active Homeroom.
Buses: Bus passes are available on Mozaik Parent Portal. There are no temporary bus passes allowed this year. Students grade 1 and up are required to wear a mask on the bus at all times.
Footwear: In order to help keep the school clean, all students are asked for 2 pairs of shoes. One for outdoors (recess/lunch) and one for indoors (P.E./class).
Water Bottles: Due to the pandemic, we need to keep our drinking fountain closed. Our bottle filler is opened. All students are required to have a water bottle daily.
Recesses and Weather: A reminder that we do send our students out for their recess breaks in rain or shine. It is important to verify that your child(ren) are prepared for all weather conditions. Rain coats and rubber boot are a must, and they are welcome to bring an umbrella as well!
Morning Routine: Supervision begins in the school yard at 7:55am daily. For the safety of your child(ren) we will have the drop-off zone in the parking lot. Drive up to the cone in the parking lot. Ms. Chantal and Ms. Brooke will be there. Parents will remain in their car. The child(ren) must come out rapidly and the parent leaves in order to leave the room for the next parent to drop-off their child.
If you drop off your child(ren) after 8:05 a.m. (or after the pick-up area staff member has gone in) please have them enter the school using the main entrance and the students need to check in at the office before heading to class.
End of Day Routine: If there is a change to your child(ren)’s usual end of day routine, please notify their teacher IN WRITING. For safety reasons, when in doubt we will ALWAYS keep the child(ren) at school and you will need to pick them up. We are not permitted to let children leave with anyone other than a custodial parent or guardian unless we have signed, written permission from the designated guardian(s). If someone other than yourself is to pick up your child, please send a note to your child’s teacher. For safety reasons, we CANNOT accept last minute telephone requests. (Any change in bussing requires 24hr advance notice whereby a note must be handed in to the office the day before). Teachers don't always have the chance to check their emails during busy days, so last minute changes can't always be guaranteed.
The end of the day pick-up area will be in the parking lot. Please park your car at the cone. The following cars can line-up behind the first car. Ms. Chantal and Ms. Brooke will walk the students to the pick-up area. Please remain in your car. Once the first car is loaded and drives off, if you are the next car in line, please move your car up to the cone.
Horseshoe driveway: For the safety of our students we ask that you do not drive in the horseshoe between 7:30 – 8:15 am and between 2:00 – 3:00 pm. Thank you for taking the safety of our kids at heart.
Student Absences: If your child is absent from school, we ask that you call to report the reason for the absence (a message may be left on the answering machine). Given the present virus situation, we must take particular precautions to ensure that children and staff are not coming to school with COVID-19 symptoms. We are asking you to notify the school no later than in the morning before period 1, on the day that your child is absent. You can signal an absence by calling the school at 819-839-2352 and following the instructions from the directory or you can e-mail Ms. Jeannik, the school secretary: bachandj@etsb.qc.ca If you are leaving a message or sending an e-mail, could you please clearly state the student’s name and be specific as to the reason for your child’s absence. If the child will be absent for an extended period, please contact your child’s homeroom teacher. Please note that the only school absences authorized under law are for illness, death in the family, court appearance or medical appointments. If your child will be absent for any other reason, this should be arranged in advance and receive prior approval from the office.
If paying school fees is challenging for your family at the moment, please contact Ms. Jeannik to arrange and payment plan for the year.
Unpaid school fees will go to Dixon Collections again this year.
A Message from our CLC
A Message from the PPO
The ADS Parent Participation Organization (PPO) hopes to be active again in 2021-2022 and would love to have more parents involved. Many of you might wonder what the role of a PPO is. Article 96.2 of the Québec Educational Act reads:
“The purpose of a parent participation organization is to encourage the collaboration of parents in developing, implementing and periodically evaluating the school’s educational project and their participation in fostering their child’s success”.
Article 96.3 reads:
“A parent participation organization may advise the parents’ representatives on the governing board regarding any matter of concern to parents or any matter concerning which the organization is consulted by the parents’ representatives on the governing board.”
The ADS PPO also makes an effort to help during school activities or events or when requested by staff, as well as fundraisers to help cover the cost of certain expenses not provided for in the school budget.
If you are interested in being part of a creative & dedicated group of parents, let us know! Attend the General Assembly or email us at: adsschoolppo@gmail.com
Covid-19 - MEES Directives
Illness
- If your child is ill, notify the school and keep them home. Fill out the self-assessment: https://www.quebec.ca/en/health/health-issues/a-z/2019-coronavirus/covid-19-symptom-self-assessment-tool/
- See the info-graphics below
Wearing of Masks
K4 and K5: No masks at all
Youth Sector - Elementary & Secondary (Gr.1 to Sec. 5) Procedure mask required in
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class
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common areas
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when circulating indoors
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on school transportation (buses)
No mask required outdoors, or during Physical Education and Health classes.
Procedure masks will be supplied by the school board.
Staff must wear a mask if the 2-meter distance cannot be respected.
Hand Hygiene
Once again this year, there will be hand disinfecting stations for students to wash their hands when entering and exiting the school.
Water Bottles
Please send a full water bottle with your child daily at school. Students will have access to touch free refilling stations throughout the day.
Full-time Attendance
All students (K4 to secondary 5) will be coming to school on a full-time basis.
Transportation
All students except for preschool students will need to wear a procedure mask while on the school bus. There will be no physical distancing on the bus, but seats will be assigned to students. This measure will help people in charge of conducting investigations to trace contacts in the event that there is a COVID case on the school bus.
Once again this year, students will be encouraged to wash their hands at home and at school before boarding the bus.
Extracurricular activities
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No bubble-class: all extracurricular activities can resume. In elementary schools: sports and extracurricular activities will take place as normal.
Virtual Services
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Students who have medical exemptions from attending school due to serious complications related to Covid-19 may receive educational services at a distance. If this applies to your situation, a recent medical note, dated and signed by a doctor, indicating that distance services are recommended for your child(ren) due to the risk of serious complications related to Covid-19, must be provided to the school. Please note that because new criteria for exemptions are in place, medical notes provided during the 2019-2020 school year cannot be accepted.
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COVID-19 Reminders
If your child has symptoms related to COVID-19 or lives with a family member who has tested positive, you must keep them at home. We invite you to call 1-877-644-4545 for instructions and recommendations, and you can also use the COVID-19 self-assessment tool at:https://www.quebec.ca/en/health/health-issues/a-z/2019-coronavirus/covid-19-symptom-self-assessment-tool/. and follow the directions given by them. You must call the school to tell us what the symptoms are.
If your child receives a positiveCOVID-19 result, kindly inform your child's school so that the contact tracing procedures may get started.
If your child receives a positive test result on a weekend, please contact the school board directly at 1-833-381-1196 and email the school palikj@etsb.qc.ca
Once again, we want to thank you for your continued support and collaboration. Together, we will break the COVID wave.
Save the Date:
September 6 - Holiday
September 24 - Ped day - no school - Daycare open
September 30 - Attestation Day (Mandatory Attendance Day)
October 6 - Picture Day
Infographics - these are the latest we have. If they change, we will send you the updated ones.
A.D.S. Elementary School
Email: palikj@etsb.qc.ca
Website: http://ads.etsb.qc.ca/
Location: 217 Water Street, Danville, Quebec J0A1A0
Phone: 819-839-2352
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ADSelementaryschool