Hello Colonel Macleod Families,
Welcome and welcome back to another great year at Colonel Macleod School! I am reaching out to you today to provide some important back to school information. Regular communication will happen through our Week at a Glance (WAAG), typically sent out at the end of each week. If you would like to become more engaged in our school, communication will be sent out in the coming weeks about our parent-run School Council, and I encourage you to attend our meetings.
We have some exciting changes happening at our school this year. I have moved to the Principal's office, and Lori Short has joined us as Assistant Principal. A number of teachers have moved grade or subject assignments, or joined us from other schools. Our school is growing, up ~30 students over last year (and growing), with a second LEAD program joining us. This creates opportunity for us all to learn and grow in exciting new ways.
Much will remain the same too. We are still home to Regular Program and Traditional Learning Centre (TLC) classes, as well as a Bridges program and our original LEAD program. Our students continue to come to us from the same communities. Many of our processes and routines will stay the same as we move into the coming year. Below, I will provide some detail on these processes and routines to help us all have a smooth transition into the coming school year.
The First Day of School
We follow the CBE Traditional Calendar, so students return to school on Thursday August 31st at 7:55 am. School bell times can be found on our website here. Homeroom teachers will reach out to parents next week with a welcome message, and information relevant to their grade team, including supply lists. Grade 5 and 6 Students will be provided supplies. If students in grades 7-9 do not have all of their supplies for the first two days of school, that is ok. Some good basic supplies for students in grades 7-9 to start the year would be a binder, dividers, pens, pencils, eraser, lined paper and a backpack.
Grade 5 and 6 students will meet their teacher on the compound (basketball courts) at the south end of the building. Students in grades 7-9 will enter through the front doors, teachers will be available to help if they have trouble finding their homerooms or have any questions.
Please, if you drive your children to or from school, do not enter the staff parking lot (safety hazard for students getting off busses), do not block the bus zones on the East side of the road (safety hazard for the bus drivers) or block our neighbours driveways (makes them frustrated).
If you are zoned for bussing, and completed paperwork in the spring, CBE Transportation should be reaching out to you with route information. If you did not complete paperwork in the spring, I would encourage you to do so using this link as soon as possible, as it can take 4-6 weeks to process.
School Routines
Common expectations and predictable routines are an important part of a Welcoming, Caring, Respectful and Safe learning environment. We appreciate your support in helping your children contribute to a positive space for all children to learn. While we follow all CBE Administrative Regulations, and the Education Act, the following rules represent some key areas that, through clear communication and consistent administration, we feel help make Colonel Macleod an excellent place to learn. We will continue to learn and grow as a school community and communicate any changes in expectations clearly to family members.
Student Attendance
Regular attendance in an important factor in success in school. Frequent lateness and absence results in missed learning opportunities, and disrupts the rhythms of the classroom. If your child will be late or absent, please call the school attendance line. Late students come to the office for a late slip, so we can keep accurate attendance. We know that a number of barriers can result in lateness (including bussing) and absence. If your child misses school often, we will reach out to see how we can support you and child to help them attend school more regularly.
Student Cell Phone Policy
Students are not allowed, at any point, to have a cell phone in a classroom or learning environment. This includes in pockets or bags. Cell phones, if brought to school, are to remain in student lockers during class time. If, at any point, CMAC staff become aware that a student has a cell phone in a classroom, the student will be directed to bring their phone to the office for the remainder of the day. The first time this occurs, the student will be allowed to pick it up at the end of the day. If it happens again, we will keep the phone in the office until a parent or guardian is able to come pick it up. Please support your children in following this rule by not contacting them during class time. If you have an urgent need to contact your child during class time, please call the office and we can page them to take your call on the student phone in the office.
Student Dress Policy
Students in the Traditional Learning Centre program follow the CBE TLC Student Uniform Requirements. Mondays and some special occasion, TLC students wear their Formal uniform. Tuesdays through Thursdays, TLC students wear their Informal uniform. Fridays, TLC students are allowed to wear non-uniform casual clothes.
Regular program students, Bridges and LEAD students, and TLC students on casual days, will be expected to follow CBE Administrative Regulation 6010 - Standards of Dress and Grooming. Conversations about appropriate dress for different environments, such as a school learning environment, should happen primarily between parents/guardians and their child. If the need arises, I will reference the Oregon Now Student Dress Code as a part of my decision-making process.
New Curriculum – Grades 5 and 6
This year, across the province, students in grades 5 and 6 will be learning newly developed curriculum in English Language Arts and Mathematics. In some cases, there will be overlap with material students have learned in Kindergarten-Grade 4. In other cases, they will be learning entirely new material. We know some will find this difficult, and are ready to support your students in this transition here at school, and appreciate you helping to support them at home during this time of transition. We will all be learning it together, and together we can help our students adapt and continue to learn and grow in their education.
Upcoming Events
With the return to school, and routines, September can be an exciting month. In the first days of school, we will bring all students together for a whole school pep rally. We have tentatively booked our school-wide Terry Fox Run on Friday September 22nd. We will Recognize Orange Shirt Day on either Friday September 29th, or Monday October 2nd, and will communicate in more detail as we get closer to the end of the month. If your family would like to share important days, celebrations, holidays or festivals with the school, please do so. We encourage students to connect with their teachers as the first line of communication, and we will work together as a school community to help our students feel that they, and their traditions, are seen, heard and valued.
We are all looking forward to the first day of school, and the opportunity to connect with and get to know all of our students, new and returning, and their families. Thank you all for being an important part of our school community, and I hope your children enjoy these last days of summer vacation.
Stephen Becker
Principal, Colonel Macleod School
