Bel Ayr Elementary School
September 2023 Newsletter
Administration
We would like to thank you for helping us with a smooth start-up this week. Our students have settled in and are working hard with their new teachers. During our professional learning days on September 5th and 6th, we focused on student well-being, phonics instruction, and fact fluency in mathematics. As a staff, we will challenge ourselves to learn more about helping students in these areas.
As your P-6 principal, I care very much about student safety. Please don't hesitate to phone me if your child communicates to you about feeling unsafe at school. We will look into the cause and work with you to bring about positive change. If your child is in pre-primary, you should contact Ms. Sait, our Lead Early Childhood Educator. In any circumstance, it is extremely important for families to let someone at school know right away so issues don't become larger problems. The Provincial Code of Conduct and Inclusive Education Policy are documents all schools in our province use to guide their work.
Welcome to the new school year!
Sincerely,
Shawn Marsh
Principal
902-435-8353/1
Calendar
SEPTEMBER
1: Organization day (PP-12) - no classes
4: Labour Day - no classes
5: Professional learning day (PP-12) - no classes
6: Professional learning day (PP-12) - no classes
7: First day of school for students
14: Stand up Against Bullying Day - Wear Pink!
20: SAC (6PM)/Home and School (7PM)
22: Terry Fox Run
27: Curriculum Night 6:00 - 7:00
29: Orange Shirt Day - Wear Orange to Support Truth and Reconciliation
OCTOBER - Mi'Kmaq History Month
2: Truth and Reconciliation Day observed - no classes
3: Grade 6 Provincial Assessments (Reading and Writing)
5: Grade 6 Provincial Assessments (Reading and Writing
9: Thanksgiving Day - no classes
10: Grade 6 Provincial Assessments (Math)
12: Grade 6 Provincial Assessments (Math)
18: SAC (6PM)/Home and School (7PM)
20: Picture Day (Morning)
26: Halloween Family Dance (6:30 - 8:30)
27: Provincial conference day - no classes
2023-24 Staff
Administration
N. MacLeod - Administrative Assistant (902-435-8353/0) - nmacleod@hrce.ca
S. Marsh - Principal (902-435-8353/1) - smarsh@hrce.ca
K. Hendren - Vice Principal/Grade 6 (902-435-8353/2) - khendren@hrce.ca
Classroom Teachers
- J. Schlegel (Grade P)
- P. Gibson and A. Gavel (Grade P/1)
- K. Hendren and A. Gavel (Grade 1/2)
- K. Cummings (Grade 2/3)
- M. Wallin (Grade 3)
- J. Francis (Grade 4)
- M. Hicks (Grade 5)
- D. MacKenzie (Grade 6)
Learning Support Teachers
G. Chafe (Resource)
K. Williams (100% Learning Center)
J. Patenaude (50% Learning Center)
Specialists
J. Beuckx (40% Library)
D. Moreau (40% Core French)
M. Hartery (40% Music and 10% Band)
L. Gabriel (Educational Psychologist - Itinerant)
W. Johnson (50% Guidance)
H. Stapleton (Speech/Language - Itinerant)
L. Jones-McKenna (50% Phys Ed)
J. Dollimont (School Social Worker - Itinerant)
Support Staff
Educational Program Assistants
N. Bilhete - EPA
S. Brassard - EPA
R. Alonso - EPA
A. Soulard - EPA
D. Melanson - EPA
L. Steele - EPA
K. Greene - EPA
L. Hobson - EPA
H. MacDonald - EPA
Building Management/Cleaning
R. Colley - Lead Caretaker
H. Tia - Evening Caretaker
Pre-Primary
A. Sait - Pre-primary ECE Lead
J. Roberts - Pre-Primary ECE Support
T. Bellefontaine - Pre-Primary ECE Support
Excel
M. Smith- Excel Lead
C. Yurchesyn - Excel Support
Katrina Horwood - Excel Support
Kathleen Kelly - Excel Support
Nicole Imlay - Excel Support
Lunch Monitors
R. Alonso - Lead Lunch Monitor
L. Hall - Lunch Monitor
C. MacDonald - Lunch Monitor
K. Kelly - Lunch Monitor
L. Hobson - Lunch Monitor
L. Pineau - Lunch Monitor
Schools Plus
M. Tobin - Schools Plus Assistant Lead
Important - Drop-off Times and Play Areas
Family members who drop off students in the morning should do so near the path entrance at the fence by the soccer field or in the drop-off zone across the street from our school sign (Grades 3-6). Children in grades P-2 should be walked to the playground by a caregiver. Please be aware that it becomes confusing for staff on duty when a lot of adults stay in the vicinity of play areas in the morning before school. It is important for us to monitor these areas for intruders and for students and guest staff to be able to quickly identify any supervising staff. We have three staff outside on duty each morning between 8:30 AM and 8:40 AM for P-6 students.
School Cash
Our school will post items for purchase and assign school fees relevant to your child (eg. milk orders). You can make all purchases and payments from your phone, tablet or computer.
We would like families to register as soon as possible.
To get started, please register for SchoolCash Online. It’s free and takes less than two minutes. You will receive an email once items are posted for purchase.
Visit https://hrce.schoolcashonline.com/ and click Register to get started.
Need support? Connect with the SchoolCash Online help desk at schoolcashonline.com/Home/Support
We hope that SchoolCash Online makes paying school-related fees more convenient!
Milk Orders
- The milk program will begin on Tuesday, September 19, 2023
- The ordering window goes live on September 8th and online ordering will close on September 14, 2023 at midnight
- 1/2 year from September 19, 2023 to February 5, 2024 or full year from September 19, 2023 to June 20, 2024
- Cost will be $34 for the 1/2 year or $68 for the full year
We will be offering 2% milk at lunchtime. Please be reminded that if your child does not drink milk at home, it is unlikely they will drink it at school.
Lunch Monitors
Important News and Events
Paper Newsletters - If you wish to receive paper copies of our newsletter, please phone Ms. MacLeod in the main office (902-435-8353).
Curriculum Night (Grades P-6) - Curriculum Night will be held in person at the school on Wednesday, September 27th (6-7 PM). Our teachers will share information about their routines, procedures, modes of communication, and their curricula in the form of presentations and hand-outs. Please note that Curriculum Night is not a forum for talking about individual student needs or achievement. This should be done over the phone or by booking a separate meeting with a teacher.
Terry Fox Run - On Friday, September 22nd, at 10:45 am, our students and staff will participate in a Terry Fox run/walk on the soccer field. If you are interested in making a donation on behalf of our school please click on the link below:
https://schools.terryfox.ca/7297
https://mikmaqhistorymonth.ca/
School Insurance Program (SIP) - Your child is automatically covered for accidents and injuries that happen during the school day. If you want to have 24/7 coverage including the summer months it only costs $14.00/year for a gold plan.
Fire Drill/Lockdowns/Hold and Secure - This week we will have our first fire drill. We will hold five more of these before the end of the school year. Please read this letter to learn about Lockdown and Hold and Secure drills. Our first lockdown drill will be held the week of September 18th and our first Hold and Secure drill will be scheduled the following week. Homeroom teachers take time in class to explain these emergency procedures in detail.
Allergy Alert
Electronic Devices
Please remind your children that electronic devices such as phones, ipods, ipads,
Nintendos, etc are not permitted at school unless a teacher sends home a note to bring them on a particular day for educational purposes. Students who have chrome books or laptops can bring these devices to school for educational purposes with the permission of a classroom teacher. The school will not be responsible for any theft or damages to devices brought from home.
Student Technology and the Provincial Network Access and Use Policy
Head Lice Prevention
Not only can colds and flu bugs be spread at school, so can head lice. Head lice are tiny insects that live on the head. They lay eggs (called nits) close to the scalp. Head lice spread through direct contact among children (head-to-head), or indirectly on items such as hats, combs, hairbrushes, headbands, helmets, or toques. Head lice do not jump, fly, or hop but they crawl very quickly. We encourage you to remind your children not to share anything that could cause a transfer of head lice. Check your child’s head regularly for either live lice or nits (eggs), once a week as part of your routine and after every sleepover. Keep long hair tied back or braided. Head lice spread easily, so if one person in the household has lice, others may have it too. Check everyone in the household on the same day.
If your child has contracted head lice, we ask that you contact the school and treat your child with a medicated lice treatment such as Nix. Once your child has been treated, he/she may return to school if there are no live lice. It is important to carefully follow the directions on the treatment package so that re-infestation does not occur. All family members should be checked and treated as required. For more information, please click the link below to read the pamphlet “How to Prevent, Find & Treat Head Lice”. This pamphlet was written and reviewed by Public Health Services, Nova Scotia Health Authority
http://www.novascotia.ca/dhw/publications/public-health-education/07135-head-lice-pamphlet-en.pdf
Bel Ayr Elementary School
Email: bla@hrce.ca
Website: bla.hrce.ca
Location: 4 Bell Street, Dartmouth, NS, Canada
Phone: 902-435-8353
Twitter: @belayrschool