To: Parents/Guardians
From: C. Bartlett
September2015
“In a rapidly changing world, be willing to venturein new directions
to seize new opportunitiesand learn new skills.” Morrell and Capparell
Welcome/Welcome Back
On behalf of Mary Queen of the World School and as your new principal, we would like to extend a warm welcome to all students and their families as we begin another new and exciting school year!! It is great to see so many eager and excited faces and we extend a special welcome to all new families who have joined our school community.
We would also like to welcome some new staff members this year and bid farewell and good luck to some leaving ones. Welcome to Ms. Rachel Holden (Kindergarten), Tyson Molloy (Grade 2), Ms. Carla McIsaac (Grade 3), Ms. McDonald (Music), Mrs. Evis Loshi (IRT), Ms. Stephanie Pollett (IRT), Natasha Higdon (SA), Kevin Kenny (SA), Marcia Snook (SA) and Krista Learning (SA).
Warm welcome to the Memorial University students who are interning in grade 1 and grade 2 this year. Welcome aboard Ms. Julia Sears and Ms. Ashley Cluett. We hope you have a great experience here at MQW!
Farewell to Ms. Lori Ann Smith, Ms. Gillian Grandy, Ms. Krista Miller, Mme. St. Croix and Ms. Kassondra Andrews. Best of luck in your new positions.
We look forward to working with all students and families throughout the school year. Together, we can ensure the best educational opportunities for all students.
MQW Staff
We would like to take this opportunity to introduce and welcome our staff members for the year:
Kindergarten – Ms. Whitten, Ms. McDonald, Ms. Holden
Grade 1 – Ms. Murphy, Ms. Chubbs
Grade 2 – Ms. Chafe, Ms. Mills, Mr. Molloy
Grade 3 – Ms McIsaac, Ms. Nolan, Mr. Day
Grade 4 – Ms Peddle, Ms. Galway,
Grade 5 – Ms. Babb, Ms. Buckle
Grade 6–Ms. Hanrahan, Mr. Walsh,
Inst Support Teachers – Ms. Gibbons, Ms. Garlie, Ms. Bartlett, Ms. Loshi and Ms. Pollett
Learning Resource/Tech Teacher –
Phys Ed – Mr. Pike
Music – Ms. McDonald
Band – Mr. Laing
Guidance – Mr. Bonnell
Secretary – Ms. Case
Student Assistants – Ms. Hollahan, Ms. Thornhill, Ms. Marples, Mr. Penney, Ms. Higdon, Ms. Snook and Ms. Learning
Maintenance Custodian – Mr. Hatcher
Evening Custodian – Mr. Somerton
Evening Cleaner – Ms. Butland and Ms. Nolan
Assistant Principal –
Principal – Mr. Bartlett
School Calendar 2016 - 2017
September 6 / Administration DaySeptember 7 / School Reopens/Students
October 10 / Thanksgiving Day
November 11 / Remembrance Day
December 21 / Last Day Prior to Christmas
January 3 / School Reopens
April 13 / Last Day before Easter Break
April 24 / School Reopens
May 22 / Victoria Day (Holiday)
June 22 / Last Day for Students
June 23 / Administration Day
Monthly Newsletter
Once again this year we will be sending home our newsletter electronically to as many families as possible. Therefore we will require a household or primary email address to forward on our monthly newsletter or memos.
Student Information Sheets
Student information sheets have been sent home. We would appreciate it if you would complete these and have your child return it to his/her teacher as soon as possible.It is very important that you include an emergency phone numberand procedure if we close early or should we ever need to contact you. In the event of an emergency evacuation or school closure we need to follow the procedure outlined on this sheet.
Student Agenda
The student agenda is a great tool for communication with home. Pleaselook in it every night for teacher memos or notifications. Included you will findgeneral information, procedures, guidelines, curricular and extracurricular information as well as our bus code of conduct.
We will review this section with our students. Please support the school in our initiative of providing a Safe and Caring environment.
Synervoice ~ Home School Communication
The SYNERVOICE Communication system is a valuable system in delivering messages and notifications to parents in a timely and efficient manner. This service is particularly helpful for situations such as unscheduled school closures due to weather or electrical failure. To assist with this process, it is essential that we have accurate and updated information regarding home contact and emergency numbers. Please notify the office immediately if you have changed address or telephone numbers throughout the year.
School Hours
Please note the timetable for the upcoming year is as follows:
8:30 Doors open, supervision begins
8:45 First Bell; National Anthem/Morning announcements
8:50 Classes begin
10:30Recess
10:45Classes resume
12:00 Lunch
12:55 Afternoon classes begin
3:00Dismissal
Parents are asked to kindly refrain from dropping off children prior to 8:30am. Supervision does not begin until this time and for security reasons, our doors will remain locked until supervision time.
When picking up your children at dismissal time we ask that you please wait outside until 2:55 unless you are taking them early for a reason and if at all possible please pick up your children at the student entrances located on the church side of the building. This will help with consistency, safety and privacy of our students.
All students are asked to enter the school through the student entrance at the east side of the school or through the gym doors. The office entrance is for staff only.
Parking and Bus Information
Please take note of the parking lot lines for vehicles coming onto the parking lot each day. As you know, this is a continuous safety concern and we ask for your cooperation. Always be conscious while driving in this area especially when busses are off loading the children. Parents who drop off and pick up children are asked to use the parking lot by the Church. This area has more space and better flow for traffic. Please do not park in the convent parking spaces or handicap area on the west side of the school unless you have a permit. This year we have a new bus company with all new drivers so we understand there will be some delays and growing pains but please be patient. On our parking lot we have 5 busses that need to get on and off the parking lot each day. They park at the top of the Church lot next to the playground area. If you can avoid this area and the spaces where they start their exit next to the church, we would greatly appreciate it.
We are in the process of organizing our bus lists and will have it finalized by early next week to ensure we have seats available for all eligible riders. Please contact Mr. Bartlett if you have any questionsat all about courtesy seating or bussing issues. More information is available for your review at
Kiss and Ride Lane
We have initiated a Kiss and Ride Lane for those families that drive their children to school each day. We ask you to use this lane as much as possible when bringing your children to school in the morning because this eliminates any student walking through the parking lot during a busy time. Please follow and obey the pylons and proceed to the stairs by the gymnasium and a volunteer will meet you there to help your child enter the school. The ultimate goal of this program is to keep our students safe, so we thank you for your cooperation. If there are any parents that would like to volunteer one day a week for this program please do not hesitate to contact the school.
Curriculum Night
Our curriculum night is scheduled for Wednesday, September 21st7:00 p.m. Parents are invited to go directly to their child’s classroom to discuss grade level academic programs and curriculum as well as classroom routines and expectations.On your way to your child’s classroom help yourself to some tea or coffee located in the main lobby of our school.
This night provides you the wonderful opportunity to meet your child’s teacher as well as all members of our school community. We look forward to seeing you all there!
School Council
A School Council is a legally constituted body of elected and appointed representatives of the local school constituency. It is established for the purpose of enhancing the quality of school programs and improving the levels of student achievement in the school. The School Council meets on a monthly basis to receive and disseminate information and review policy on school issues. We are in the process of establishing the council and if there are any available positions we will be sending home more information this week.
Kindergarten Dismissal
Starting this week, we will be asking the Kindergarten parents to meet your child’s teacher outside the students entrance. Each Kindergarten teacher will be walking their whole class out of the building and we would like for you to meet your child in the appropriate area: Ms. Holden and Ms. Whitten’s class meet at the student entrance by their classroom and Ms. McDonald’s class will meet you on top of the stairs by the gym student entrance. Once the pickup students are accounted for the teacher will proceed to each bus with their class. This procedure will help keep our dismissal smooth and consistent. Thank you for your cooperation.
NLESD
As you are aware all English schools are now under the jurisdiction of the Newfoundland Labrador Eastern School District. Please visit the new website for any information
Door Security
Parents and visitors to our school should use the main office entrance located on the west side of our building. This door will be locked during the school day and you are kindly asked to ring the doorbell, identify yourself and Ms. Case, our school secretary, will buzz you in. For safety reasons it is important that we are aware of visitors in our school at all times. We are asking any person that picks up or drops off a student to please use the sign in /out log in the main office. Parents and visitors are not permitted in the classroom areas unless permission is given by the administration. The corridors must be accessible for all students should we need to evacuate in an emergency. Your support is appreciated.
Volunteers
Volunteers assist in many of our school and classroom activities from doing photocopying, Library aid, fundraising, special events, school initiatives, field trips and a variety of other school events. If there are parents, grandparents or guardians that would be interested in helping out this year please contact the office.
As per District policy, all volunteers are required to have a certificate of conduct and should complete a Volunteer information and contact form. There is no cost for the certificate of conduct for school volunteers. The school will provide you with a letter that will waive that fee.
Music
Currently at Mary Queen of the World we have primary grade level choirs that include all students in grades 1, 2 and 3. In addition, we have an optional Elementary Choir for 4, 5, 6. All students that express an interest in joining this choir can obtain a form which is available from Ms. McDonald. All Elementary students also participate in a recorder program and are asked to please bring both their recorders and books to class on a daily basis as it is an important part of the music curriculum.
Physical Education
We would like to remind students to check their calendars for Physical Education Days. Students are encouraged to wear proper attire on these days, i.e. sneakers, t-shirt and shorts/track pants. Thank-you for your cooperation.
Nutrition policy
Please note that the Eastern School District has a Nutrition Policy that encourages students to eat healthy and bring snacks that are appropriate and nutritious to school. Please take the time to discuss with your child healthy choices for recess and lunch. Refrain from sending fizzy pop, potato chips, chocolate bars etc. during the school day.
Kids Eat Smart Breakfast Club
We have partnered once again with KESand will serve a breakfast snack every morning during the coming year. This is a free service for students wishing to have a piece of fruit, breakfast bar, cheese string or milk before they begin the school day. Donations are always welcome to assist with this program.
School Lunch Association Program
We are delighted to once again partner with the School Lunch Association for hot lunch service at MQW Monday – Thursday of each week. A registration form will be sent home with some studentsbut the SLP would like for you to register on line if at all possible. Students who have not registered will not be able to order lunch from this program so please do this ASAP. A menu for the month of October will be forwarded to you to select the meals you would like your child to avail of for the following weeks. Please mark the envelope with your selection, enclose your money and send the envelope back to your child’s teacher. You should keep the menu at home so you will know when your child is on SLP or when they need to bring a bagged lunch.
There is no lunch service at MQW until September 26th. All students will need to bring a bagged lunch from home for the next few weeks.
PIZZA Friday
Each week we will be offering a slice of pizza and milk to all of our students at a cost of $3 per student. A pizza form will be sent home on Wednesday of each week. It must be returned on Thursday morning as we place our order before noon with the pizza company. No late orders are accepted after this time period. We will begin this on Friday, September16th.
Going Home to Lunch
Please note, that when students go home to lunch we encourage them to return to school at 12:50pm to be ready for afternoon classes.
If you give your child permission to go out to lunch you must provide a written note to the classroom teacher stating this, dated and signed (Grade 6’s only).No students will be permitted to leave school grounds without a note during the lunch hour.
Allergy ALERT
Please take note that we have students who have severe life threatening allergies in our school. Parents are requested not to send the following items to school: Nuts or Peanut butter, fish, eggs and Kiwi.Contact with these foods may result in a severe allergic reaction requiring immediate medical attention. We thank you for your support.
SCENT AWARE
We have students and staff who have allergic reactions to scented products. We ask you to please refrain from using perfumes and cologne when visiting the school.
Student Medications
Medication is administered at the school only when absolutely necessary. If at all possible, we ask that parents administer medicine at home and avoid bringing any medicine to school.
Medication may only be administered from the office with the signed consent of parents and medical professionals. Non-prescription drugs should not be sent to school.
Please alert your child’s teacher as soon as possible if your child has any serious medical conditions or life threatening allergies. (There is also a place for this data on the student information sheet.) Where necessary, a medical alert form will be sent home for parents to complete.
Immunizations
School immunizations will take place for Grades 4 and 6 this year. There will be a consent form sent home prior to the immunizations. Please ensure that consent forms are signed and returned by the date that is printed on the envelope with all questions on the form answered. Date form with day/month/year and indicate relationship to the child. Please do not remove the adhesive label attached to the consent form because it is used for office use.
Recycling
If you would like to contribute your recyclables to our school we have a program set for every Friday. Students who pass in recycling will have their names submitted for special prize draws. Please ensure you remove caps and straws from the containers. Thank you to our parent community for your past support.
Telephone messages: To ensure your child receives appropriate instruction in all subject areas we try to avoid interruptions to the classroom throughout the school day with phone messages. Please discuss with your child after school arrangements before they come to school. Mrs. Case cannot keep up with the phone messages to all classrooms at dismissal times. If you email or call the office or teacher it doesn’t mean that we will receive the message in a timely fashion but we always try our best. Your cooperation with this matter would be greatly appreciated.
Student Belongings
Each year we accumulate a large number of items in our Lost and Found and a great percentage of these are never claimed. Most families have spent a considerable amount of money to get their children ready for the new school year. In order to protect against loss of sneakers, clothes, lunch bags, school bags etc…you are urged to write your child’s name with a permanent marker on all of these items so if retrieved it can be easily returned to the children. As well we do have a school rule that we would like all of our students to follow when it concerns electronics. We do not allow our students to use electronics during recess and lunch for a number of safety, personal and attention concerns.