Post on 23-Apr-2018
DATES TO REMEMBER
Dates requiring child care are highlighted.
Sept 6 First Day for Staff—Organization Day
Sept 7 First Day for Students
Sept 14 Bus Evacuation Drills
Sept 15 Stand Up Against Bullying Day--Wear Pink
WITS Kick Off Assembly 10:45am
Sept 17 Connell Chrysler Fundraiser @ Connell Mo
tors
Sept 21 Open House 6:30pm
Sept 29 Terry Fox Walk
Sept 30 Inservice Day—NO SCHOOL
Oct 1 Buick Test Drive Day at AEES
Principal’s Message - Nancy Illsley:
I can’t believe how time has flown, and now we are back in
school for another year filled with teaching and learning.
Welcome to all the new primary and “new to us” parents/
guardians. Welcome back to those families who are re-
turning to us. We look forward to working with you
throughout the school year. This is the first newsletter of
the year, and we will be sending one home the beginning
of each month. Please read the newsletter carefully as it
includes vital information about the upcoming month and
community events, as well as the cafeteria menu—always
on the last page. This information can also be found on
our website: www.aees.ednet.ns.ca
In regards to your children, if you have any questions or
concerns, I would ask you to speak with the classroom
teacher first. They would be happy to answer questions or
clarify information. (It’s amazing how some events/
information can get misconstrued by the time it gets home
to you and vice versa!)
I invite you to the Open House on Sept. 21st at 6:30 pm.
Susan and I will be presenting first and then the classroom
teacher will deliver a lot of important information regarding
communication, curriculum, and assessments. I ask you
to make every effort to attend this evening.
As always, if needed, you can contact me at 825-5330 or
drop me an email at nancy.illsley@avrsb.ca. I look forward
to working with you this year to ensure your child gets the
best education possible. See you on the 21st if not before!
AEES NEWSLETTER
AEES is a PEANUT, NUT and SCENT SENSITIVE School
Ph (902) 825-5330 Fax (902) 825-5333
aees@avrsb.ca http://aees.ednet.ns.ca
SEPTEMBER 2016
New Staff Members
We extend a welcome to our
new staff members: Katie Craig (Primary), Tasha Lightfoot
(Grade 2), as well as Rebecca Margeson (Core French), She-
vaun Clelland (Resource), and Cathy Brace (EA). We are
looking forward to a fantastic new year!
Meeting the Buses
Please remember that Primary and
Grade One students must be met at
the bus stop at the end of the day. The
bus driver will not leave a very young child alone at the side
of the road. If arrangements have not been made with the
driver, then the child will be brought back to the school and
parents will be contacted to pick up the student at the school.
Home & School Fundraiser—October 1, 2016
Watch for more information coming this month about
our Home and School Huge Fundraiser—Test Drive a
Buick at AEES on October 1, 2016. Classrooms will also
be raising money on this day with fun activities and/or
booths. Please mark this on your calendar.
Page 2 AEES NEWSLETTER
Student Attendance
Consistent student attendance is important. When a child is frequently absent from school he/she misses important learning experiences including specific skills and knowledge that may be necessary for further learning. The real danger of fre-quent absences from school is that students will develop gaps in their learning that will hinder future learning. It is understood that there are legitimate reasons why students must miss school. When this occurs, the school will work with you to ensure your child does not fall behind. Please com-municate these situations with the child’s teacher and the school principal. There are also many examples of students missing sig-nificant time when it is not necessary. Please take school attend-ance seriously. Be consistent in ensuring that your child values the importance of a good education. Make sure he/she goes to bed at a reasonable time and gets a good night’s sleep. Plan your vacation at times that will have no impact, or at the least a mini-mal impact, on school attendance. Do not hesitate to phone the school if you are encoun-tering difficulties getting your child to attend school. Allow us to work with you to find solutions. We are willing to sit with you to look at your child’s programming and school experiences as well as any other factors that may impact on your child attending school. Again this year we will be using Alert Solutions to com-municate unexcused absences. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the office.
SCHOOL CAFETERIA—MEAL CARDS
Any child wishing to purchase lunch from the cafeteria or supple-
ment a lunch from home must buy a $5.00, $10.00 or $20.00 meal
ticket. Students who intend to buy only milk may purchase a
$7.00 “milk only” ticket that will last approximately a month.
Please note that milk/juice can also be purchased from a regular
$5.00 or $10.00 meal ticket.
Student Drop-off and Pick-up
In a large school such as this one, there are often students coming
and going throughout the day for appointments, and any other
number of reasons. It is difficult for us to know everyone so as
part of our continued effort to maintain a safe environment we do
the following: Students being dropped off and picked up must
first check in at the office and then either say good-bye or greet
your child in the lobby. The doors coming off the lobby will be
kept closed, making the classrooms available to staff and students
only, unless previous arrangements are made for visiting a class-
room. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in
helping us maintain a safe and secure environment for all.
Again, this year we will be locking the back and now the front
lobby doors from 8:30-2:00. If you bring or pick up your child
between these times, you will need to use the front door and
come into the office through our new entrance. Thank you for
helping to secure our school building and ensure a safe environ-
ment for students.
After School Program
Annapolis East is very pleased to be able to offer the After
School Kids Program (ASK). The hours are 2:30 – 5:30,
Monday to Friday. On days when the school is closed, ei-
ther for storms or other reasons when the building is consid-
ered uninhabitable, the after school program is also can-
celled.
The program is not available on in-service or early dismis-
sal days. Fees are $6/day. For more information, please
call 902-825-2220 between 2:15 & 5:30 pm (or 902-825-
5330 up until 2:15).
Student Medications
We are not allowed to administer medications to students until we have received a signed Approval for Administering Medications form. These can be obtained from the office. This will include over-the-counter drugs like Aspirin and cough medications. Board Policy dictates appropriate pro-tocol to ensure the safety of students. Please do not ask us to administer medications without the proper permission forms. A note from home is not sufficient permission. Please contact the office if your child needs to receive medication at school. We will be glad to help.
Bicycles
A number of children bring their bicycles to
school. Bike racks are available in the front of
the school. Please review the safety rules
with your child and make sure that he/she has a helmet
and lock so that all bikes are secure . All bikes need to be
walked on school grounds.
Terry Fox Walk
Our annual Terry Fox Walk will take place on
Sept. 29th at the Rotary Park. Classes will be
going at different times throughout the day.
We are asking the children to donate some change to this wor-
thy cause and we will then put it all together and submit it as a
school donation. We would like the children to become aware
of how a small donation from each can grow into a large con-
tribution. In this way we teach community involvement.
AEES NEWSLETTER
Lockdown Drills
Under the Emergency Procedures Plan, we are required to
have two lockdown drills and one Hold and Secure Drill
per year. These are practice drills in case of a real emer-
gency where the school would be placed in lockdown or
Hold and Secure. In a lockdown drill, students practice re-
maining quiet in their classrooms out of sight of the win-
dows under their teacher’s direction. No one is allowed to
enter or leave the building until the school is released from
lock down by Mrs. Illsley, Ms. Connell, or a member of the
RCMP. In a Hold and Secure drill, it is business is as usu-
al; however, no one is permitted to enter or exit the build-
ing. Although we try to reassure the students these are
practices, they can be a little overwhelming for some stu-
dents. Please reassure them these are only drills (just like a
fire drill) to practice keeping them safe in case of a real
emergency. The first lockdown drill is scheduled for Sep-
tember 13th at 11:30am. If you need to pick up your child
for an appointment on this day, please arrive prior to 11:15
am or after 12:00 pm. Thanks for your support in this
emergency preparedness planning.
AVRSB Volunteers in School Policy
The AVRSB updated its volunteer policy on January 1st, 2015.
As stated below it does the following:
clearly defines volunteers versus visitors;
requires volunteers to complete a standard
application form for any volunteering;
will continue to require the completion of
Criminal Records Check and Child Abuse
Registry checks prior to working with students
but will now require re-checks be completed
every (3) three years; and,
includes reference to procedures for monitoring volun-
teers in schools.
The recommended changes to the Volunteers in Schools policy
are not to discourage volunteering in the AVRSB. It is to em-
ploy the best practices to ensure our policy is effective as possi-
ble for decreasing the chances of student harm from volunteers.
**As noted above, it is now necessary for all volunteers to
have current checks (within the past 3 years). If your checks
are not within the past 3 years, they must be updated for you to
participate in any class trips or classroom activities. Please
visit the school office asap to start this process before class
trips and activities for the new school year.
Modelling Appropriate Social Media
Behaviours for our Children
Social media has become an important means of communi-
cation and of seeking information for most people. It is prov-
ing to be of particular importance for our youth as technolo-
gy has become a significant part of the identity of this gener-
ation. Unfortunately, increased technology has also resulted
in new social issues. It is sometimes used as a means of cyber
-bullying or an exchange of inappropriate information. It is
up to us, as adults, to serve as proper role models with re-
gards to technology use. We need to teach our children to
respect the use of technology and to be good digital citizens.
In order to do this properly, we as adults must also learn to
be good social citizens and to model appropriate use of so-
cial media. We must use social media tools like Facebook,
Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram,etc. appropriately, because our
children are watching and emulating our behaviours. Please
be advised that inappropriate use of technology falls under
the Provincial School Code of Conduct. Inappropriate use of
technology and social media can result in serious conse-
quences for students. Inappropriate use of technology and
social media may also fall under the Criminal Code. We have
recently seen criminal charges resulting from the sharing of
inappropriate photos. Please be informed and help to inform
your children.
For more information around proper use of social media and
good digital citizenship, please visit our website at: avrsb.ca/
digital
Breakfast Program Volun-
teers
We are looking for parent help with
our breakfast program. This would
be shopping for groceries, bagging cereal, cutting up
cheese, and/or helping to monitor the program in
the morning. Breakfast, which consists of milk,
juice, yogurt, fruit, cheese, and/or dry cereal, is
served by the school Tuesday – Friday from 7:30 –
8:30 am. Members of the Middleton Baptist Church
take care of Mondays. If you are interested, please
contact the school and speak with Mrs. Illsley at 902
-825-5330. This is an invaluable program that we
would like to see to continue but are in need of
help. Thank you for your support.
Page 3
AEES NEWSLETTER
Help Your Child Succeed in School: Build the Habit of Good Attendance Early
School success goes hand in hand with good attendance! DID YOU KNOW? Starting in Primary, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school
Missing 10 percent (or about 18 days) can make it harder to learn to read
Students can still fall behind if they miss just a day or two days every few weeks
Being late to school may lead to poor attendance
Absences can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up
Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school-and themselves. Start building this habit in pre-
school so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Good attendance will help
children do well in high school, college, and at work.
WHAT YOU CAN DO Set a regular bed time and morning routine (See suggested chart below)
Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before
Find out what day school starts and make sure your child has the required shots
Introduce your child to his/her teachers and classmates before school starts to help him/her transition
Don’t let your child stay home unless he/she is truly sick. Keep in mind complaints of a stomach ache or headache can be a
sign of anxiety and not a reason to stay home
If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors, or other parents for advice on how to
make him/her feel comfortable and excited about learning
Develop back-up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbour, or another parent.
Avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session
WHEN DO ABSENCES BECOME A PROBLEM?
CHRONIC ABSENCE (18 or more days) — WARNING SIGNS (10-17 days)—SATISFACTORY (9 or fewer absences) For more on school readiness, visit attendanceworks.org and reachoutandread.org
Page 4
AEES NEWSLETTER Page 5
What are the WITS Programs?
The WITS Programs bring together schools, families and
communities to create responsive environments that help chil-
dren deal with bullying and peer conflict. WITS has two parts:
1.WITS Primary Program – Teaches Kindergarten to Grade 3
children to Walk away, Ignore, Talk it out and Seek help
when faced with peer conflict. The acronym also provides a
common language that children and the adults around them
can use to talk about and respond to problems.
2. WITS LEADS Program – A more grown-up program de-
signed for Grades 4-6 students, which teaches more complex
problem-solving strategies: Look and listen, Explore points of
view, Act, Did it work? and Seek help. LEADS trains students
to become WITS Leaders who can help younger children with
their problems.
Teachers reinforce the programs by reading popular children’s
books, which emphasize WITS and LEADS messages, to their
students. We also encourage students to use their WITS and
LEADS skills to deal with problems and hope you will too!
On September 10 at 10:45am the RCMP Community Program
Officer, Rodena Renaud is going to launch this program at
AEES!
It’s school time again and I would like to take this op-
portunity to introduce myself, Rodena Renaud, and
explain my role as a Community Program Officer for
the Annapolis District of the RCMP. The goal for this
position is to successfully implement crime prevention
programs and to have an accessible person from the
RCMP that you can contact. This will involve me
maintaining regular contact with school administrators,
giving regular school presentations on various sub-
jects, and educating parents on youth safety topics.
There will be many exciting programs offered this year
and I look forward to meeting all of the students and
families in my area. I am available for phone calls
and e-mails from parents, students, teachers and com-
munity members. Please feel free to contact me at
rodena.renaud@rcmp-grc.gc.ca or you can call me at
665-4481.
Rodena Renaud
Community Program Officer
Annapolis Detachment
Tel: 902-665-4481
Fax: 902-665-2822
Email:rodena.renaud@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
ELECTRONIC NOTIFICATION OF
UNEXPECTED EARLY DISMISSALS
As you know we have phone trees, community announce-
ments, media announcements when school is closing un-
expectedly during the day. Did you know you can also
receive an electronic notification on your cell phone or
through your email? Simply go to the School Board web-
site – www.avrsb.ca – and register to get these notifica-
tions. On the home page scroll down and below User No-
tification on the left hand side of the home page select
Click here to subscribe to receive important announce-
ment notifications by email or text message. On that
page follow directions to receive email notification and/or
text message notification. If you want both, register once
with your email address and then go in a second time and
enter your cell phone address as per the samples shown.
Looking for a great sport to play this fall/winter (ages 4-11) 14 Wing Greenwood Minor Basketball invites you to regis-ter with us! All you need is a pair of sneakers to play!
Registration will take place Sept 10th at the base gym dur-ing wing welcome or the following week at the 14 wing community center. Please visit our Facebook page Green-wood Minor Basketball Club for more information or email greenwoodminorbasketball@gmail.com.
COMMUNITY NOTICES
The AVRSB-Int’l Student Program
is seeking host families for a 2
month period.
A group of Korean students, ages 9-12 (grades 3-7) are
arriving on Nov 26th 2016 and departing Jan 21
st 2017.
Students will be placed with a host family that has a child
similar in age/grade. Students are coming to NS to experi-
ence our culture and in turn will teach our schools and fam-
ilies about the Korean culture. For more information on how
to become a host family, please contact; Ann Gould at
ann.gould@avrsb.ca or 902-690-0451.
Page 6 AEES NEWSLETTER
COMMUNITY NOTICES
Girl Greatness Starts Here!
Girl Guide registration - Middleton September 12, 6:15.p.m. to 7:30.p.m. Girl Guide Units in Middleton will host registration for Sparks (ages 4-6), Brownies (ages 7-9) Guides (ages 9-12), Pathfinders (ages 12 to 15), and Ranger (ages 15-18) New women as unit leaders are also welcome. Registration at the Emmanuel Congregational church, 37 Gates ave Middleton. Join us! Contact Julia 902-363-2426
Girl Guide registration - Aylesford September 12, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Girl Guide units in Aylesford will host registration for Guides (ages 9-12), Pathfinders (ages 12 to 15) and Rangers (ages 15 to 18); and September 14, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., for Sparks (ages 4-6), Brownies (ages 7-9) and Guides (ages 9-12). New women as unit leaders are also welcome. Registration at the Aylesford United Church, Highway 1. Join us! Contact 902-341-2040. Girl Guide registration - Greenwood September 10, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Girl Guide units in Greenwood will host registration for Sparks (ages 4-6), Brownies (ages 7-9) and Guides (ages 9-12) – and welcome any new women as unit leaders - at the 14 Wing Greenwood Rexpo registration event, Fitness & Sports Centre. Join us! Contact 902-341-2040. Girl Guide registration - Wilmot September 13, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., Girl Guide units in Wilmot will host registration for Sparks (ages 4-6), Brownies (ages 7-9), Guides (ages 9-12) and Path-finders (ages 12 to 15) – and welcome any new women as unit leaders - at the Kinsmen Centre, Dodge Road. Join us! Contact 902-341-2040. For more information please contact Tina at 902-825-6981 or uhlman.tc@eastlink.ca
Wilmot beaver and Cub registration will be taking place on Tuesday, September 13 from 6-7 pm at the Kinsmen hall.
Middleton CanSkate Program
Nationally certified learn-to-skate program
Open to boys and girls ages 4 (as of Dec.
31, 2016) and up.
Space is limited so register early! (Maximum of 40)
CSA Approved Helmet and less than 5 years old is manda-
tory. Skaters will not be allowed on the ice without one. Hel-
met and skate donations are welcome.
Come join us – learn new skills, have fun, meet new friends,
and stay active! Whether you’re a new or returning member, we
look forward to seeing you!
Our season runs for 15 to 20 weeks (weather dependent), from
mid-October to mid-March.
WHEN: FRIDAYS, 5:45 – 6:45 pm
WHERE: Middleton & District Arena, Gates Avenue
We continue to offer low rates, no fundraising, & the
following great savings!
COST for 15 to 20, 1-hour sessions:
$145 per child and $135 for each additional child on
Registration dates.
Payment We accept cash or cheque only.
Funding Assistance!
Funding assistance may be available to you through the provin-
cial KidSport program and Canadian Tire Jumpstart program.
Middleton Recreation Department (902-825-6611) or Susan
Connell (902-825-5330) at Middleton Elementary School can
assist with filling out the appropriate forms.
REGISTRATION at Home Hardware in Middleton. Registration can be done via our website after September 17th but payment has to be made at Home Hardware or the first night of skating (TBD).
In person registration and payment: September 30th ; 6 pm to 8 pm October 1st: 1 pm to 3 pm