General Information

Attendance/Safe Arrival Procedures

We have a Ministry-mandated responsibility to communicate with parents about your child’s absences from school. Parents are also responsible for informing us if your child will be late or absent from school at any time. If your child will be late or absent, please notify the office by the following three ways:

SchoolMessenger at https://www.tvdsb.ca/SchoolMessenger

Call the toll free number: 1-844-305-3756

Report the absence through our smartphone mobile application:

App Store: SchoolMessenger

Google Play: SchoolMessenger

For more information regarding creating an account or reporting your child's absence, please see our Step By Step Guide. If we have not received a call about an absent pupil, we will attempt to contact the parents or emergency contact person.

Transportation

Students traveling by bus are expected to follow the rules outlined by the Board of Education and the bus company. T.V.D.S.B.’s policy states that students are only allowed to ride on their regularly assigned bus to and from their regular stop. The school is not able to make exceptions to this transportation policy. Additional information and forms are available at: www.mybigyellowbus.com

Medical Information

Parents who require their child to receive prescription or non-prescription medication while at school must make arrangements through the office. The specific forms which the board requires to be completed are available from the school office. There are also forms which must be completed for students with allergies or medical conditions. Please ensure that you notify the school if your child has any allergies or medical conditions. All medication must be stored at the office; the exception would be a second Epi-pen which may be kept in the classroom.

School Hours


9:00 9:00-10:40		Entry bell, classes begin First Block
10:40-11:30		First Break (50 min.)
11:30-1:30		Second Block
1:30-2:10		Second Break (40 min.)
2:10-3:30		Third Block
3:30		Dismissal

Lost and Found

Students and parents are encouraged to regularly check our lost and found area as items tend to accumulate! Please label clothing and other items sent to school so that articles can be easily returned to the owners.

Volunteering/School Support

Listed below are a few of the ways in which parents can partner with the staff at South Ridge P.S. to support our students:

Check and sign this agenda daily for communication notes, homework, etc.

Communicate with your child’s teacher - phone calls, notes

Assist with hot lunch days or our Food for Thought snack program

Be a part of School Council

Assist in a classroom

Read with your child or listen to him/her every night

Assist with homework and assignments when needed

** Please note that the T.V.D.S.B. requires all volunteers to have a Criminal Background Check on file at the school. Forms must be reviewed annually and are available at the school office.

The Techno World

Technology is a way of living, that being said, as a staff we are well aware that our students often arrive at school with more electronic equipment and gizmos then pencils or paper. Cell phones and iPods are expensive, easily stolen items. It is almost impossible to locate one that has gone missing. We also understand that many parents feel their students require cell phones for safety reasons. Our expectation is that cell phones brought to school should be off and away during the instructional day. Our goal is to work with students and parents to arrive at a consensus that provides for a safe environment conducive to learning. As we work together as a staff to incorporate more technology into our learning environments, programs like Bring Your Own Device will be used to supplement the technology that we have in the school.

Concussion Protocol

Recent research has been instrumental in informing the manner in which we deal with concussions. The recognition that concussions can have serious, long-term implications for physical activity and for learning has led to the development of a new, province-wide protocol for the management of concussions within schools.

A concussion:

is a brain injury that causes changes in how the brain functions, leading to symptoms that can be physical (e.g., headache, dizziness), cognitive (e.g., difficulty concentrating or remembering), emotional/behavioural (e.g., depression, irritability) and/or related to sleep (e.g., drowsiness, difficulty falling asleep);
may be caused either by a direct blow to the head, face or neck, or a blow to the body that transmits a force to the head that causes the brain to move rapidly within the skull;

can occur even if there has been no loss of consciousness (in fact most concussions occur without a loss of consciousness)

When a concussion is suspected or diagnosed, schools are required to have medical clearance for the student to resume normal participation in both physical activity and the classroom. It is important that there are open lines of communication between the school/Principal and the family to ensure that the student receives the necessary supports in Returning to Learn. If you require more information please contact the school at 519-842-7319 and ask for the Principal.

Sign in Procedures

In accordance with school board policy, all visitors, including parents and volunteers, are required to sign in at the office and wear a visitor pin while in the school. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation with this safe school procedure.

Nut Safe School

As we have a number of students with life-threatening allergies to peanuts and other nuts, South Ridge is a nut safe school. In order to provide the safest learning environment possible for our students we must insist that all food products brought in to the school do not contain nuts of any kind nor are the products produced in a facility which processes nuts. Please read labels very carefully. Thank you for your cooperation with this very important safety policy.

Parking/Drop Off/Pick Up

In order to best ensure student safety we must insist that you follow the signs posted on South Ridge Rd. with regard to parking. The driveway in front of the school is a `Kiss and Go’ area only. If you need to come into the school, please park in the school parking lot. If you are found in those spots, the Fire Department or the Police can fine you a large sum.

Contact(s)