Lawson Heights School
Welcome to Lawson Heights School! On behalf of our entire staff we welcome back all students and families returning to our school. Also, we extend a special welcome to our new students and families who are joining our “Lawson Heights Family”. We look forward to working and learning with all of you throughout the coming school year. We are looking forward to an exciting year of learning, READING, and growing together. As we continue with our focus on literacy, we hope you will join us in encouraging your child(ren) to set goals for reading that will help to develop a life-long habit and love for reading. Students need to read for a minimum of 20 minutes each day at home.
Our main goal is the academic development of each student. Our staff is committed to excellence and makes children and families a priority. We ensure that your children will receive the necessary tools for lifelong learning in literacy, numeracy and critical and creative thinking. We also encourage students to develop personal and social values and skills (character education). We involve our students in a wide variety of educational experiences, both curricular and extra-curricular. We invite and encourage students to get involved in the variety of curricular, extra-curricular and after-school programs that are offered.
We invite parents and caregivers to become engaged in the life of the school. Volunteers are our treasured resources! We encourage you to share your talents, expertise and enthusiasm to help us enhance student learning opportunities. School culture is much more positive and rich when parents and caregivers are an integral part of the planning and delivery of school programs. As we (the school, the home and community) collaborate and work together, we can ensure that each student receives the best learning experiences possible and the confidence to be a lifelong learner. We look forward to your support and to working with you in the upcoming year.
Lawson Heights is fortunate to haveanEnglish as an Additional Language (EAL) classrooms in our school. We are also pleased to welcome many new Canadians to the Lawson Heights area. We will continue to look for opportunities to showcase Canada as well as to learn about the new cultures in our neighborhood.
Mrs. Janna Piro Mr. Danny Jutras
Principal Vice-Principal
Saskatoon Public Schools
Lawson Heights School
LAWSON HEIGHTS SCHOOL SONG
(Tune: Notre Dame Victory March)
O Lawson Heights School
We pledge to thee:
Our fond remembrance
Our loyalty.
From morning bell, ‘till end of day,
We have our thoughts, our work, our play.
Building a future, Friends at our side.
Caring and sharing, Working with pride.
A treasure in our memories.
Our good old Lawson days
Hurrah!!!
1.ALL ABOUT US
OUR SCHOOL DAY
School Day begins8:45 a.m. (first bell); 8:50 classes begin
Morning Recess 10:35-10:50 a.m.
Noon lunch11:43-12:33 p.m.
Afternoon recess2:18 - 2:33 p.m.
Dismissal3:25 p.m.
(Thursday staff meeting 3:10 p.m. dismissal)
SUPERVISION
Teacher supervision of all students is provided at:
8:33 – 8:45 a.m.
10:35 - 10:50 a.m.
12:08-12:33 p.m.
2:18-2:33 p.m.
We suggest that students arrive approximately 10 minutes before the bell, unless they are arriving for a teacher-supervised activity. If your child must be dropped off at the school early, he/she should be registered in the Lawson Heights Extended Day program.
Students should be dressed appropriately for the weather as they are expected to remain outside before school and at recess time unless the weather is inclement or they have a scheduled activity.
ABSENCE FROM SCHOOL – LATE ARRIVALS
Your child's safety is very important to us, therefore, we request that you telephone the school if your child is going to be absent. Parents may call the school between 8:00 and 8:45 a.m. in order that the message may be given to teachers before classes begin. Students that arrive latewill bring a late slip to the office..
SCHOOL TELEPHONES FOR STUDENT USE
We have phones in each of our classrooms. Students must ask their teacher for permission to use the phone. Teachers can give permission to use the phone whenever necessary.
Please continue to call our office about absences and leave messages for teachers. We will continue to alert staff members to messages coming in. In some cases we are able to simply forward the voice mail message directly to the teacher.
We expect that students do not use the school phone to make arrangements to go to a friend’s house after school. These arrangements should be made before leaving home in the morning, or the day before.
NEWSLETTERS
The Lawson Heights School newsletter is published every third week and is sent home on Wednesday with the youngest child in each family. We will continue to email a copy to parents. Our newsletter can also be found on the School Community portal. The URL is Watch for our newsletter for more information. Please read these newsletters carefully as they often contain important notices and reminders (change of dates, early dismissal times, etc.) Notices concerning special events, announcements, or information that pertain to just one class are sent home or posted on the virtual classroom as the need arises by the classroom teacher.
ASSEMBLIES
Our assemblies are held monthly. Please check the portal for dates and times.
DRESS FOR WEATHER AND SAFETY
Students are expected to go outside for recesses. Therefore, during the cold months, students should dress warmly (i.e. hats, mitts, boots, ski pants and a warm coat.)
Hats and wet footwear are to be removed upon entry into the school. Students are expected to wear appropriate footwear in the school. Bare feet or only socks are not acceptable for health and safety reasons.
VOLUNTEERS – WE WELCOME YOU!
Parent volunteers provide invaluable assistance in the school. There are parents who assist in the library, work with children, create materials that are used in instruction, design bulletin boards or help in other ways. If you have time to become a part of a team to provide better education for our students, please call your child's teacher or the school office. All volunteers need to complete a criminal record check before volunteering on out of school excursions. These can be obtained at no cost with a letter from the office.
2. ACADEMICS
CURRICULUM
The academic programs at LawsonHeightsSchool are based on curricula prescribed by Saskatchewan Learning. They are selected by the teacher from core and optional units offered in the various subjects. The choices are often made in collaboration with colleagues, and in some cases, with students.
LEARNINGRESOURCE CENTER
Lawson Height’s LRC is a very busy and exciting place to be! Step inside and you’ll see students involved in a variety of learning tasks such as selecting books, reading for pleasure or doing research projects. Our LRC provides many opportunities for students to engage in a number of resource-based activities to enhance learning.
We have a half-time teacher librarian at Lawson Heights. The teacher librarian is an integral part of the LRC. She develops the library collection in accordance with curricular needs. She works collaboratively with classroom teachers to ensure that resource-based skills are integrated with various units of study. In addition to providing resources for
teachers, she also works with whole classes, groups of students, and individuals. She also enjoys introducing literature to students and simply helping them find that “special book” as she promotes the love of reading and our Just Read program!
We also have a library technician who works very hard to maintain our library. Students use the library on a regular basis with their class; however, they are also welcome to exchange books after school until 3:45 p.m.
JUST READ!
Just Read is a Saskatoon Public System initiative to increase students’ out of school reading of fiction and non-fiction books. Students become independent readers who read for fun, pleasure and information and start on the part of developing a life long love of reading. Just Read reinforces an integrated language arts curriculum and supportsthe goal to improve literacy among school students.
RESOURCE ROOM
In this program, the resource teacher works in a collaborative role of shared decision making and problem solving with classroom teachers and other personnel to identify the instructional needs of learners in the classroom. This includes guided learning in small groups outside of the classroom as well as co-teaching in class. Individual assessment is also included. The role is flexible to allow for opportunities to meet the individual needs of our students.
BAND PROGRAM
Our band program is open to students from Grades 6 to 8. Students learn to play their instruments in a group setting in which they work together towards their common goal to create music. Instruction is offered twice a week during school time. All students in grade 6 are required to participate in our band program. Studentswho join band, are expected to honour this commitment for the full academic year. Performances will take place throughout the year in our school and community.
ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING
Assessment of student progress is continuous. Teachers assess students on both their oral and written work each day, as well as on their performance on written tests. The information gained by the teacher is used as a basis for decisions to re-teach concepts not learned or to proceed to teach new work.
Three times a year, teachers summarize their assessment of students to report progress to parents. Three-Way conferences in November and March allow us to involve students, along with their parents, to set important goals. The report cards have two main categories on which evaluation is made: effort, which tells you how hard the teachers believe your child is working, and achievement, which indicates how much of the work your child has mastered.
It is our desire to establish strong two-way communication. Parents are encouraged to phone the school if they wish to initiate additional interviews. Your support and your responses to us are of great benefit in our joint effort to provide your child with a sound education.
CARE PARTNERS
Care Partners are an important part of our programs and activities. Big and little buddies get together for projects, reading, physical education, etc. The Care Partner Program promotes positive interaction among students of all ages.
OUT-OF-SCHOOL EXCURSIONS
Elementary students in our school have the opportunity for a range of out-of-school experiences. Students enjoy many excursions in the course of a school year. Parents will be given advance notice of any out-of-school field trips.
Out-of-school education is an important part of our total school program. Field trips are not just “something to do on a nice day” but rather they are well-planned experiences which take advantage of the resources of our city to enrich the regular school curriculum. They provide alternate methods that enable staff and students to achieve the educational goals of the school year. Although field trips are taken all through the year, they are more frequent during the months of May and June as warm spring weather facilitates learning in outdoor settings.
3. SPECIAL PROGRAMS
LANGUAGE LEARNING PRESCHOOL PROGRAM
Our school houses this special system preschool for children who have a hearing loss or who are delayed in their language development. The program helps children learn to communicate orally through natural conversational interaction and individual language instruction. The preschool has a teacher and teacher associate and is held mornings, Monday through Thursday.
ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE (EAL)
The Elementary EAL Program is for students in grades one through eight, whose first language is not English and who are unable to function to the best of their potential in an appropriate age-grade level due to a lack of English. We have an EAL centre of instruction at Lawson Heights School.
4. STUDENT ACTIVITIES
EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Our school offers many different extra-curricular activities for students of many interests.
We remind students that membership on a school team is a privilege, not a right. Students who join a team or activity are expected to honour their commitment until the season has ended or the program is completed.
JUST SAY NO CLUB
The Just Say No Club in LawsonHeightsSchool offers many activities for students in Grades Four to Six. In these grades, peer influences continue to grow. Some older elementary children may be curious about alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. They need information and stronger motivation to avoid drugs.
Just Say No is a self-supporting club run by parent volunteers with assistance from a teacher representative. A positive and supportive peer group is instrumental in helping students make healthy life choices. Through group meetings, which involve entertainers, speakers, videos, movies, fitness instruction, and fun, the students acquire knowledge and find alternatives to turning to drug use.
5. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
REQUEST FOR EARLY DISMISSAL OF STUDENTS
Early dismissal for individual students is discouraged except under unavoidable circumstances. Please try to arrange such activities, as private music lessons, etc., after school hours. Sports and other outside participation should also be planned after school hoursto prevent disruption in the school program and to prevent the development of a casual attitude towards the value of regular attendance at school. If there are extenuating circumstances the principal would be pleased to discuss them with you.
Homework
Homework is usually a direct result of the day’s lessons. Some extra practice of newly learned skills will assist students to become proficient in applying the skills. Most homework is work that was assigned in a class work period to be finished during that period, spare time or at home. The completion of homework is necessary and some at-home work time should be part of a student’s schedule of activities.
LOCKS AND LOCKERS
Locks for student lockers are optional. Students are responsiblefor providing the locks for their lockers. Whether the lock is a keytype or a combination type, it should be of high quality. A copyof the combination or an extra key must be left with the classroomteacher. Lockers are subject to inspection at any time.
Internet/Wireless Services Acceptable Use Procedures for Students
Saskatoon Public Schools believe that the use of the Internet and/or personal digital devices supports relevant and challenging life-long learning for our students. All activity conducted on hardware owned by Saskatoon Public Schools is logged. Activity logs may be viewed and used where necessary to ensure our Administrative Procedure 140 – “Computer/Online Services Acceptable Use” is followed.
To support additional learning opportunities, Saskatoon Public Schools has also provided Internet wireless access in all schools and initiated broad education efforts related to “Digital Citizenship in the 21st Century”. Students are provided with individualized computer accounts and passwords to access computers and online/wireless services to support their learning. Students who elect to bring personal digital devices to school have the ability to access the Internet with their account. This access is subject to the school’s overall rules regarding personal digital devices. Examples of personal digital devices include cell phones, smart phones, MP3 players, Ipods, Ipads, and notebook computers.
When using digital devices, students must adhere to the following principles:
- Digital devices are to be used to enhance the learning that takes place in schools. They are not to disrupt that learning.
- Digital devices are to be used in a manner that is respectful of all students and school staff. For example, students using digital devices to photograph or video any member of the school staff or students in the school without the permission of those staff or students is considered disrespectful.
1. Access to the Internet and wireless services, either with school division or personal digital devices is an individual privilege enjoyed by students, not a right.
2. A student's conduct on the Internet and wireless services, either with school division or personal digital devices, is governed by the same expectations which guide his or her behaviour at school.
3. In elementary schools, access to the Internet with school division digital devices is provided only when students are supervised.
4. In collegiates, students may access the Internet with school division digital devices without supervision.
5. If students choose to bring personal digital devices to school (at both the elementary and secondary level) they can access the Internet (whose sites have been filtered as per point 7 below) without supervision during non-instructional time (e.g. lunch hour, before or after class). During instructional time they can access the Internet with their teacher’s permission.
6.Students who choose to bring personal digital devices to school should be aware of the following:
- In the event the digital device is used in an in appropriate manner, (or inappropriate use is suspected), the digital device itself can be confiscated and may be searched by a member of the school’s administrative team. If parents/students do not agree with this condition students should not bring the digital device to school.
- Schools are not responsible for the theft or loss of personal digital devices that students may choose to bring to school.
7. Saskatoon Public Schools actively blocks access to inappropriate Internet sites. If a student deliberately seeks to access inappropriate material or uses the computer services provided in a malicious manner, the consequences are governed by the Saskatoon Public Schools’ Administrative Procedure 140 – “Computer/Online Services Acceptable Use” - which can be found on the Saskatoon Public Schools’ public website at