Bel Ayr Elementary School
September 2022 Newsletter
Administration
We would like to thank you for helping us with a smooth start-up last week. Please check your inboxes for an important message regarding the allocation of a new homeroom at our school. We are very excited to be beginning a new school year with you and your children. As a staff, we take pride in our school community and we know that children learn at higher levels when families, staff, and students are all working together as a team. If you have any questions or concerns this year please do not wait at home wondering or worrying about the answers. Phone us right away and we will get to work helping you and your child(ren).
Sincerely,
Shawn Marsh
Principal
Calendar
September 14 - Curriculum Night - Postponed until September 28th
September 19 - No Classes (Holiday) - NEW
September 21 - SAC Meeting - 6 PM / Home & School - 7 PM
September 23 - Terry Fox Run/Walk - 10:45 am
September 28 - Curriculum Night 6-7 PM NEW
September 29 - Orange Shirt Day
September 30 - Truth and Reconciliation Day (No classes)
October 1 - First Day of Mi'Kmaq History Month
October 4 - Grade 6 (RWM6) - Reading/Writing Assessment Day 1
October 6 - Grade 6 (RWM6) - Reading/Writing Assessment Day 2
October 10 - Thanksgiving Day (No classes)
October 11 - Grade 6 (RWM6) - Math Assessment
October 13 - Grade 6 (RWM6) - Math Assessment
October 19 - SAC Meeting - 6 PM / Home & School - 7 PM
October 21- Picture Day (Retakes on Nov 3rd - proofs due on Nov. 10th) -NEW
October 27 - Family Halloween Dance
October 28 - Provincial Conference Day PP-12 (No classes)
2022-23 Staff
Administration
N. MacLeod - Administrative Assistant (902-435-8353/0) - nmacleod@hrce.ca
S. Marsh - Principal (902-435-8353/1) - smarsh@hrce.ca
R. Rossi - Vice Principal/Grade 6 (902-435-8353/2) - rrossi@hrce.ca
Classroom Teachers (please note that we are in the process of hiring an extra teacher)
- J. Schlegel
- K. Cummings
- P. Gibson and A. Gavel
- M. Wallin
- K. L' Esperance and K. Banks
- D. MacKenzie
- R. Rossi and A. Gavel
Learning Support Teachers
G. Chafe (Learning Center)
C. Johnson (Learning Support)
L. Jenkins (Learning Suport)
Specialists
J. Beuckx (Library)
M. Cherny (Core French)
M. Hartery (Music and Band)
L. Gabriel (Educational Psychologist)
W. Johnson (Guidance)
L. Kelly (Speech/Language)
T. Stiner (Phys Ed)
TBA (School Social Worker)
Support Staff
Educational Program Assistants
N. Bilhete - EPA
S. Higgins - EPA
N. Imlay - EPA
B. David-Roslin - EPA
D. Melanson - EPA
L. Steele - EPA
Building Management/Cleaning
R. Colley - Lead Caretaker
L. Murphy - Evening Caretaker
Pre-Primary
A. Sait - Pre-primary ECE Lead
C.Stroud - Pre-Primary ECE Support
Excel
E. Garf - Excel Lead (September Only)
K. Greene - Excel Support
K. Nash - Excel Support
A. Menon - Excel Support
Lunch Monitors
R. Alonso - Lunch Monitor
T. Conohan - Lunch Monitor
L. Hall - Lunch Monitor
C. MacDonald - Lunch Monitor
L. Scanlin-Pollard - Lunch Monior
Schools Plus
M. Tobin - Schools Plus Assistant Lead
Collective Health
The 2022-23 school year brings much excitement about returning to many of the routines and practices we enjoyed prior to the pandemic. However, we recognize that schools are a unique environment where larger groups of people stay in close contact for much of the day. Please be diligent in monitoring your child(ren)'s health when it comes to illnesses. Students with cold or flu-like symptoms should be kept home until they are feeling better. We also encourage all families to seek out vaccines and boosters as they become available. We will continue to teach students about hand hygiene and how to properly cover their faces when coughing or sneezing. We will phone home to let you know if your child exhibits new or worsening symptoms during the school day.
Important - Drop-off Times and Play Areas
Family members who drop off students in the morning should do so near the entrance at the fence by the soccer field or on either side of our building out front. It becomes confusing for staff on duty when a lot of adults are hanging around in our play areas. It is also important for us to monitor these areas safely for intruders and for students to be able to quickly identify any supervising staff.
Lunch Monitors
Important News and Events
Paper Newsletters - If you wish to receive paper copies of our newsletter, please fill out this form or send in a note to your homeroom teacher.
Curriculum Night (Grades P-6) - Curriculum Night will be held in person at the school on Wednesday, September 28th (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. We originally planned to have Curriculum Night on the 14th but thouight it would make more sense to wait until after our new class configurations are complete.
Terry Fox Run - On September 23rd, 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 next week.
Allergy Alert
Forms Sent Home
School Pictures
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
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!
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
Community News
PARENTING PROGRAMS
FALL 2022/WINTER 2023
Register Now!
http://www.communityhealthteams.ca
Please have your child's health card number on hand for registration
Each parent who wants to attend any of the sessions must register individually
SESSION TOPICS
- Self-Compassion for Parents
- Incredible Years - Pre-school Age
- Incredible Years - School Age
- My Child is Anxious - Should I Worry?
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