september community flyer

FROM THE

SIMCOE COUNTY DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

Senior Kindergarten and

other identified students

at the bus stop .The Bus

Tag program has been

established to assist

both the schools and

school bus drivers to

load these students on

the correct afternoon

bus and identify they are

to be met at their bus

stop by a parent/

guardian. For more in-

formation, contact the

Transportation Consorti-

um through their web-

site: http://

main.simcoecountyscho

olbus.ca/ or call them at

705-733-8965.

The Simcoe County Stu-

dent Transportation

Consortium (SCSTC)

launched the Bus Tag

program this Septem-

ber. The Bus Tag pro-

gram supports safety for

JK/SK and other school-

identified students by

providing a process to

match students to their

assigned afternoon

school bus and to also

identify they must be

met by a parent or

guardian at their after-

noon bus stop.

The program provides:

a colour coded bus

tag with the assigned

p.m. route number to be

attached to the students backpack

a colour-coded route

card with route number

in the windows of the

school bus that the Bus

Tag is matched to The

SCSTC and Bus Opera-

tors have policies and

procedures that are

used on all school vehi-

cles to ensure students

in JK/SK and other

school identified stu-

dents are met at their

afternoon bus stop. Its the parent/guardians responsibility to meet

Junior Kindergarten,

School bus Bag Tag program helps students get to and from school safely

The SCSTC reminds all

drivers to be extra cau-

tious in the vicinity of

school buses and in

school bus loading and

un-loading zones. Re-

view school bus safety

tips with your child at

the beginning of the

school year to ensure

the school bus ride is

safe and enjoyable.

School bus safety tips

and activities are availa-

SEPTEMBER 2014

CUMBERLAND COMMUNITY

Special points of

interest:

School bus Bag Tag program

September school bus safety tip

Confirm that youd like email communication from our school (CASL)

Safe Welcome (please note there

are two options)

Parent Portal

SchoolCash Online

Student Accident Insurance 2014-

15

New school websites now here

Volunteering in our school

Keep connected with the SCDSB

Setting up for success in second-ary school

Literacy & Essential Skills pro-gram

ble at Elmer's Safety Vil-

lage: http://elmer.ca/safety

-village/school-bus-safety.

September School bus safety tip - School Buses

are back on the road

Canadas anti-spam legisla-tion (CASL) came into ef-

fect on July 1, 2014. Under

the legislation, organiza-

tions must not

send commercial elec-

tronic messages (CEMs)

that encourage recipients

to participate in any com-

mercial activity, even if it is

not-for-profit, unless they

have

the recipients express consent. School boards and

schools are covered by the

legislation.

Although not all of our

email messages contain

commercial information,

we do at times email fami-

lies about field trips, lunch

days, yearbooks, special

events or other items that

may have a cost associated

with them. We need your

permission to continue to

send messages through

email.

During summer 2014, an

email message was sent to

all email addresses in the

school board database ask-

ing recipients to confirm

that they would like to con-

tinue to receive email com-

munication. If you respond-

ed to the email message,

your consent has been rec-

orded in our database. This

subscribe link in the email

is no longer active because

the database needed to be

updated before the start of

the year.

You can provide consent by

updating (if necessary),

signing and returning the

Student Information Verifi-

cation Form we send home.

Unsubscribing

Under the law, all CEMs

must contain an unsub-

scribe feature so you can

unsubscribe at any time.

Weve made sure to in-clude the unsubscribe op-

tion on all outgoing email

messages.

How to update your con-

tact information

Its important we have your current contact information

on file at the school. If your

email address or any other

information has changed,

you can update it by:

making changes on the


cation Form we send home

at the start of every school

year

contacting the school office

during the year

ACTION NEEDED: Confirm that youd like

email communication from our school

Page 2


Front doors will be locked during school day

starting in September

The safety and well-being

of our students and staff are

our top priority. We have a

number of procedures in

place designed to keep our

school safe.

Starting on September 2,

our front door will be

locked during the school

day. All other school doors

are also locked. To access

the building, visitors will

need to press the intercom

button at the front door.

Staff in the office will let visi-

tors into the school. This will

help us ensure that all visi-

tors sign in at the office.

Please understand that staff

may not be available to an-

swer the door immediately.

This same feature is in place

at all SCDSB elementary

schools. Its important for

you to know that well always

take whatever precautions

are necessary to keep our

school and students safe. If

you have any questions

about safety procedures, as

always, please contact the

office.

Starting this school year,

parents/guardians will be

invited to create a Parent

Portal account, which will

give them access to their

childs attendance and, in secondary school, grade

information. Elementary

school grades will be add-

ed to the tool in the near

future.

In high school, parents will

be able to see attendance

information for each peri-

od, as long as it has been

submitted through Pow-

erSchool (our student data-

base). Parents can also see

their childs grades in each course. Parents can sign up

for email alerts from the

Parent Portal for example, a high school parent might

want a daily email with

their childs attendance.

This fall, schools will pro-

vide parents with their log-

in information to create an

account. Parents need their

childs Student Number, as well as an Access ID. The

Student Number is on the


cation Form, and the Ac-

cess ID will be provided to

families in a letter. If a stu-

dent is 18, their parents will

not be automatically invited

to create an account. The

Parent Portal login page is

located at: http://

ps.scdsb.on.ca (click on

Create a Parent/Guardian

Account) or visit www.scdsb.ca.ca and click

on Parent Portal under the Parents menu.

Parents who sign up will

receive a notification when

a new item becomes availa-

ble for purchase. Items are

personalized to each stu-

dent. Parents will use a

secure online account to

process payments, and can

either make a one-time

payment for each item as it

occurs, or load money to

carry a balance in the

online account to make

payments in the future.

The SchoolCash Online

program is now available at

all schools, offering parents

the option to pay online for

field trips, lunch days and

other items. The program is

intended to reduce paper,

eliminate the need for stu-

dents to travel with money,

and for money to be count-

ed and stored at schools.

Payment by credit card has

now also been added.

To create an online ac-

count, go to https://

simcoecounty.schoolcasho

nline.com. Please contact

the school office with any

questions.

Parents will have access to grades, attendance info

with Parent Portal

Student Accident Insurance 2014-15

Page 3


Pay for field trips, lunch days, etc. with

SchoolCash Online

Student injuries at school,

during school events, and

extra-curricular activities

(athletics, clubs, and out-of-

province/out-of-country

field trips) are not covered

by the Board or its insur-

ance company. While eve-

ry precaution is taken to

provide a safe learning

environment, accidents can

and do happen.

Due to recent injuries in

Ontario during school extra-

curricular activities and field

trips, and the resulting finan-

cial cost, a risk exposure to

school boards and families

has been highlighted. It is

essential that all those partic-

ipating in extra-curricular

activities have adequate in-

surance coverage for all in-

stances of injury.

The Simcoe County District

School Board has selected

Reliable Life Insurance Company

as an option for students/

parents/guardians to consider

with regards to purchasing stu-

dent accident insurance cover-

age for the upcoming school

year. The coverage is for 24

hours a day. Reliable Life offers a

variety of plans and benefits at

reasonable annual prices. Cov-

erage can be purchased online

at www.insuremykids.com.

Please watch for your

student accident insur-

ance package along with

a letter about require-

ments for extra-

curricular activities and

out-of-province or out-of

-country field trips.

Volunteers are an im-

portant part of what makes

our school a great place to

learn and grow. We value

and appreciate the support

of our volunteers. There are

many opportunities availa-

ble, including school coun-

cil, breakfast clubs, reading

help, field trip supervisors,

assisting in the classroom

or library and much more.

Everyone who volunteers in

a school must have a crimi-

nal record check, which

includes a Vulnerable Sec-

tor Screening. Please call

or visit the school office for

more information about

opportunities available or if

youd like to volunteer!

this information at your

email address)

Follow us on Twitter

(@SCDSB_Schools) and

like us on Facebook

(facebook.com/SCDSB)

Through Sharing Simcoe

blog (http://

sharingsimcoe.com/), we

share stories of some of the

amazing people involved in

our schools. The blog fea-

tures stories and tips from

our own in-house experts,

For parents, its important to get accurate information

about whats going on at your school and school

board. Please feel free to

call the school at any time if

you have questions or con-

cerns.

For media releases and

event information, visit the

News section under About Us at www.scdsb.on.ca (you can

also subscribe to receive

and experts we work with

in the community.

For school bus transporta-

tion information, visit the

Simcoe County Student

Transportation Consorti-

ums website at: http://

main.simcoecountyschoolb

us.ca/. And remember to

bookmark the school bus

information page at: http://

simcoecountyschoolbus.ca/

Giving back to the school community in our school

Setting up for success in secondary school

Page 5


Keep connected with the SCDSB

Its never too early to start thinking about high school!

Parents of students in

Grades 7 and 8 can start

thinking about secondary

school options that would

best suit their children. And

there are so many options

now available! From experi-

ential education (co-op) to

skilled trades to travel pro-

grams, there are many ways

secondary students can gain

their high school credits.

Check out all the options

available at

www.scdsb.on.ca/

highschool.

For more information, contact

your childs teacher or the Guid-

ance Department at your local

secondary school.

Do you (or someone you

know) want your high

school diploma, a better

job or increased independ-

ence? The SCDSBs Learn-

ing Centres in Alliston, Bar-

rie, Bradford, Collingwood,

Midland and Orillia offer a

Literacy & Essential Skills

course through day and

night classes. This program

helps improve academic

skills to get ready for high

school credits, increase

employment opportunities,

and achieve greater inde-

pendence. Visit

www.thelearningcentres.co

m and click on Adult Stu-

dent to find out more about

the Literacy & Essential

Skills program. Registration

for the fall term is now

open.

Active and Safe Routes to School

Page 6


Should my child still be in a booster seat?

The evidence says YES if

they are less than 80lbs and

4 9. Seat belts are de-signed for adults; a booster

seat allows the child to fit

the seat belt properly. If

you are thinking about

moving your child out of

their booster seat (or have

moved them) check their fit

in the seat belt system.

A properly fitting seat belt

lays low on the hips with

the chest strap across the

body not touching the neck.

In an upright position (no

slouching!) knees should

bend at the edge of the seat

and back remains against the

back of the seat. Your child

needs to stay in this position

throughout the car ride. If

you find they are slouching,

then it may not yet be time

for just the seat belt. If in

doubt, dont rush the stages!

For more information about

seat belts, booster seats or

car seats you can call Your

Health Connection at 705-

721-7520 or 1-877-721-5720

and speak with

a public health nurse or

click on the health unit

website at

www.simcoemuskokahealth

.org.

Registration now for Literacy & Essential

Skills programfall term

FROM THE

SIMCOE MUSKOKA DISTRICT HEALTH UNIT

Do you remember walking

and biking to school and

how much fun it was to

meet up with your friends,

talk to neighbours along

the way, and how physical

activity made you feel ener-

gized for the day?

Most Canadian children are

not getting enough daily

physical activity which

means theyre not active enough to achieve optimal

growth and development

and maintain a healthy

weight. Regularly walking

or cycling to school is an

excellent way to get the 60

minutes of recommended

daily physical activity, but

few children now regularly

walk and cycle to school.

Children can also learn

other valuable skills such

as safety, responsibility,

independence and an in-

creased connection to the

community.

A school lunch should give

children the energy and

nutrients they need to be

ready to learn, be more

alert and perform better at

school. When planning

lunches keep these tips in

mind:

Include one serving from at

least three of the four food

groups from Canada's Food

Guide

Rather than buying pre-

made lunch kits, make your

own healthy lunch kit with divided containers and

small bite-sized cheese cubes, left over chicken

chunks, veggie sticks or

fruit slices

Get your kids to eat more

veggiessend cucumber coins, zucchini sticks and

pepper strips with dip

Dont have them drink their fruitsend water instead.

For more information you

can call Health Connection

at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-

721-5720 and speak with

a public health nurse or

click on the health unit

website at

www.simcoemuskokahealth

.org.

Packing a healthy school lunch

Page 7


OEYC Alliston

Are you home with little

people and looking for

something fun to do? Drop

by the Ontario Early Years

Centre in Alliston! The

OEYC is a free service for

all adults with children 0 to

6 years of age. Adults and

children participate in ac-

tivities together. Children

have the opportunity to

play with other children

and participate in many

different types of programs

and activities, which pro-

mote early learning and

school readiness, and they

are FUN for children and

adults alike.

Do you have a child starting

school in 2015? Participat-

ing in activities at the OEYC

is a great way to help pre-

pare your child for this ex-

citing transition.

Check out our website,

www1.e3.ca or call 705 435-

4308 for hours, directions

and more information.

Do you live in any of the

north Alliston subdivi-

sions? Calling all adults

home with pre-school chil-

dren! Marie from the On-

tario Early Years Centre is

planning to deliver an early

learning program for chil-

dren 0 to 6 years of age

accompanied by an adult,

that will include literacy

and sensory experiences,

songs, crafts and more, in

your area soon. Fun, early

learning for children!

Dates to be announced.

Please call the centre for

more details.

OEYC Simcoe Grey Allis-

ton is once again offering

the Triple P parenting semi-

nars. The three seminars

are for parents/caregivers

of children 0 to 10 years of

age. They will take place

Wednesdays September

24th, October 1st and 8th, 7

to 9 pm, at Ernest Cumber-

land Elementary School,

160 Eighth Avenue, Allis-

ton. The free seminars will

give you some tools to help

with everyday parenting

issues and discipline as

well as teaching children

the skills they need to suc-

ceed in life.

Everyone could use some

new tools for the hardest

job on the planet!

Please call OEYC Alliston at

705-435-4308 to register.

september community flyer

Documents

school bus loading

school bus drivers

school bus ride

assigned afternoon school

school year

school boards

school bus bag tag program

bus tag program