Guidelines that keep our community safe and thriving.
School will provide snacks recommended by the Peel Health Department twice in the day. Parents need not send any additional snacks.
It is strongly recommended that parents cater nutritious, well-balanced lunches from the school’s chosen vendor. A separate handout from the catering company will be provided by the school. At enrollment, parents must list any food allergies their child may have, and detail any other conditions or preferences regarding food so staff can act accordingly.
Parents who choose to provide their own lunches must ensure the lunches do not contain:
Parents must provide a well-balanced lunch. Candy and other high-sugar foods are discouraged and should not be packed. Lunches must be sent in an insulated lunch bag that contains an ice pack.
The school is very concerned for students in our care who have severe allergies, as these can be life-threatening. Each classroom is given a list of all children with allergies. We are a nut-free school. Our policy is as follows:
Parents of children with severe allergies must complete the ‘Severe Allergy Form’ yearly and, at registration, meet with staff to discuss allergies, medication, and procedures to be followed.
Keep your child by your side at all times during drop-off and pickup. Children must walk inside the school and on all school grounds — no running in the hallway. Parents do not enter classrooms during drop-off or pickup. Parents and authorized guardians must Sign-In/Sign-Out the child; ask a staff member for the terminal. Photo identification is required of anyone, including parents, picking up a child, and may be requested each time.
Release of your child is made only to authorized parties, in this order of preference: to parents; to authorized individuals on your list; to any person with written permission to pick up your child.
If an early dismissal is necessary, please send a written note to the teacher that morning so we can have your child ready without disrupting the classroom.
Please call 905-913-0801 by 8:30 am each day your child will be absent or late, and tell us the nature of the absence (the school must report communicable diseases). Please have your child at school early enough to start on time at 8:45 am.
The school requires that a child NOT be at school with any of the following:
If a child exhibits these conditions at school, parents will be notified to pick up the child; while waiting, the child may be placed in the office. Please keep the office notified of all absences.
The school does not prorate tuition or give credits for time away. A 30-day written notice to the office is required for withdrawal or extended absences. To guarantee a space upon return, all tuition must be paid with pre-dated cheques before departure.
In bad weather, find up-to-the-minute closure information at www.kmschool.org.
Ministry of Education regulations require the school to close if power is out for 1½ hours. Keep updated phone numbers on file; we will call each parent. Mandatory pick-up for all students within 1 hour.
In a natural disaster, if phone lines are down, directions will be placed on the front door of the school.
There is an optional supervised nap or quiet time for all children, during which they sleep or relax quietly on mats or cots provided by the school. Parents are requested to bring one crib sheet and at least one blanket. A stuffed animal may be brought from home for rest time only (toys are otherwise not allowed at school). Napping materials are sent home to be cleaned at the end of each week and returned at the start of the following week. All napping materials should be clearly labeled and sent in a small bag.
Whenever a field trip is planned, parents are notified and may be asked to assist in transporting and chaperoning the children. Parents must provide child safety seats for the field trip. If a parent prefers their child not attend a particular field trip, that child may be kept at home for the day.
The preferred communication medium is email; staff respond within 24 hours. To reach a staff member by phone, call the office at 905-913-0801 and office staff will deliver the message. Teachers return calls at the end of the school day or during scheduled breaks. Students are only called from class for emergencies.
We hold a special celebration for any student celebrating a birthday during a school day. Parents are encouraged to send pictures the student can use to tell others about their growing years and family. However, our celebration does not include any eatables (e.g., pizza), loot bags, or cakes.
If your child is having a birthday party or other social event, unless the whole class is invited, invitations should be sent by mail — we will not hand them out at school. Address lists are available from your teacher.
Parent visits to the school are welcome. Please make an appointment for any in-class observations, as they can be disruptive to the learning environment. In-class observations are limited to one half-hour with a prior appointment. Observation from the hall is allowed at any time, for any length of time.
Many valuable articles of clothing remain unclaimed each year. Proper identification on coats and other clothing helps assure their return. The school is not responsible for lost or damaged personal items. All unclaimed items are donated to a charitable organization on the last day of school.
Our goal is a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment that does not inhibit each student’s natural creativity and social growth. There is a strict code of conduct: no hitting, kicking, biting, scratching, or fighting; appropriate language at all times; and mandatory respect when speaking to teachers, students, and any adult.
In managing children’s behaviour, under no circumstances will teachers:
When excessive disruptive behaviour occurs, the following steps are enforced:
If a child instigates dangerous behaviour, for the safety of all we proceed directly to step 4. When a parent is called to pick up their child, the child must be picked up within one hour.
If a child is injured at school, parents are called immediately; if we cannot reach them, the persons on the Emergency Contact List are contacted. Please keep your enrollment and Emergency Card information accurate and updated (address, home/work/cell numbers, etc.).
Procedures for life-threatening emergencies (emergency numbers are posted at all phones):
For small cuts, bruises, strains, or bumps: a first-aid-trained staff member takes appropriate steps; an Accident Report and/or head-injury form is completed and a copy provided to the parent; all incidents are recorded in the student’s log; head injuries are reported on a head-injury form; the Director decides whether parents are notified immediately or at pick-up.
If the child is in acute distress, follow the Emergency Procedures above. Otherwise, staff call the Poison Control Center at 1-800-268-9017 immediately and follow their instructions; the remaining material is saved for identification; parents are contacted as soon as possible. Syrup of Ipecac is not given unless instructed by 911 or Poison Control.
The school takes every precaution to maintain each student’s wellness. Children must have a recent physical exam and the necessary immunizations (or an equivalent alternative-medicine solution). Staff have immediate contact with children at entry to detect noticeable health conditions, take annual training in infectious-disease control, and wash hands consistently throughout the day. If a child contracts a communicable disease, a note is posted at the front entrance listing the disease, symptoms, and incubation period.
If a child has a known medical condition (asthma, allergies, diabetes, etc.), note it on the enrollment form and inform teachers of the steps to take if a problem occurs.
Whenever any medicine (including over-the-counter) is to be given, a parent must complete a Medication Authorization Form and give it and the medicine directly to a teacher. Children may not bring their own medicine; medicine must be in its original labeled container specifying dosages.
The school holds emergency drills throughout the year; safety, order, and control are the primary purposes. The first few drills are announced; the rest are unexpected and at varying times. Procedures exist for fire, natural disaster, or other catastrophe, and staff are trained at orientation and during the year. If the school must be evacuated, children are walked to the Dashmesh Darbar in the same plaza — The Gore Plaza. Copies of these policies are available from the office.