Sacred Heart Academy Newsletter

Welcome back to Sacred Heart Academy. Our staff has worked very hard to ensure that our building would be ready for opening day. We are looking forward to a very exciting and rewarding school year. This newsletter contains come important information that you may wish to keep handy so that you may refer to it throughout the school year.

During the first week of school there will be a staggered opening:

• Wednesday, September 8th - Kindergarten and Grade 5-7 Students Only
• Thursday, September 9th - All students K-7 will attend classes

Please note that all students should use their assigned entrance, as outlined later in this newsletter.

Parents/guardians of Kindergarten students only will be able to accompany their child(ren) to the classroom during the first day of Kindergarten. It is recommended that parents/guardians accompanying their Kindergarten child wear a mask and maintain physical distancing. Kindergarten students will enter the school through the K-3 Entrance (see Student Entrances below).

The first requirement before anyone leaves home to go to a school site is to complete a School Screening Questionnaire. This is applicable to students, staff, visitors, contractors, etc. (anyone who intends to access the school site).

Although families are asked to screen their child daily for any symptoms of cold, flu or other symptoms associated with COVID-19, if school staff observe that a child is ill, a parent/guardian will be called to pick up their child from the school promptly. Students exhibiting illness will not be permitted to travel on the school bus.

The screening form is subject to change as per the guidelines from public health. Only individuals answering “No” to all questions on the screening form can come to the school site.

It is understood that positive responses on the screening will be prevalent, given the symptoms are both extensive and like colds, flus, allergic reactions, and other common ailments. This may lead to increased absenteeism by staff and students. On initial onset of symptoms (e.g., even if they are suspected to be caused by allergies) individuals should contact Community Health (811) and follow advice regarding the need for testing, and when they can again attend school.

Public health will provide direction if there are concerns regarding a COVID-19 case in a particular school. Schools will not provide notification to staff or students’ families if a staff member or student becomes ill at home or at school, including if they display symptoms of COVID-19, unless directed to by public health. When a student or staff member has tested positive for COVID-19, the school will follow the directions of public health.

Please refer to If a Student or Staff Member Develops Symptoms for information on protocol to follow for possible case of COVID-19 in schools.

Our school doors will open for students at 7:50 a.m. with homeroom beginning at 8:15 a.m. School dismissal is at 2:20 p.m. The daily recess/lunch schedule is as follows:

For the safety of our students, we ask parents/guardians to be patient and vigilant when driving on the school parking lot and only drop off students at designated drop off areas.

We have two designated Student Drop Off Areas:

• K-5 Student Drop Off (Primary Entrance) and
• 6-7 Student Drop Off (Rear Parking Lot)

If you drop-off at the Primary Entrance there are two lanes of traffic. The left lane will be restricted for buses. The right lane will be for parent/guardian vehicles. All cars arriving at the school will stay parked in a line until it is safe to move to the drop off area. Children should exit vehicles from the left-hand side onto the side walk and not walk through moving vehicles. Please respect signs indicating No Parking Areas. Once all the students have exited their cars and are making their way to their cohort doors, the cars will be permitted to leave the drop off area and the next group of cars can move in.

Once classes begin at 8:15 a.m. students arriving late to school will be dropped off at front entrance of the school.

We receive a high number of calls from parents throughout the school day requesting to send messages along to their children with instructions about dismissal. Our office is very busy at dismissal time and once classes begin dismissing for the day we cannot guarantee that a phone message will make it to your child in time. If you must change your child’s dismissal arrangement, please call our office before 2:00 p.m.

The Sacred Heart Academy Kids Eat Smart "Grab and Go" breakfast program serves milk, granola bars and fruit. Students eat in their classroom to avoid mass gatherings in common areas. Surfaces, bins, and containers used in all food preparation areas are disinfected before and after each use. "Grab and Go" tables will be setup next to the school library and the main office. The breakfast program will begin on Monday, September 13th.

Cafeteria service will begin on Wednesday September 8th. The cost for a meal is $4.00. Click here to view the NEW revised cafeteria menu.

Envelopes which includes the weekly menu will be sent home each Thursday for the upcoming week. Please use the envelope system to pre-order your child's lunch. If using a cheque when ordering meals, please make payable to First Venture Cafeteria. We encourage you to contact the school cafeteria at 279-5504 if you have any questions regarding the envelope system.

Students bringing their own lunch must remember to bring their own eating utensils from home, they will not be provided at school. Please use containers that your child can open independently.

Microwaves will be available for student use.

Outside food from restaurants or chains may not be delivered into the school. Families can sign students out for lunch if they wish.

The NEW Provincial School Food Guidelines do not allow foods or beverages that add excess sodium, sugars and/or saturated fat to the diet to be sold or served at school. As a result our school canteen can no longer sell ice cream for recess. Milk (white or chocolate) will be the only item available from our school canteen. More information on the new School Food Guidelines will be provided in a future newsletter.

School attendance in Newfoundland and Labrador is compulsory up to the age of 16. Regardless of age, however, research is clear that there is a strong connection between attendance and success. Therefore, all students are required to attend class on time and regularly unless prevented from doing so by illness or other legitimate reason.

To enhance our existing absence check procedure, Sacred Heart Academy employs the student absence reporting system called SchoolMessenger Safe Arrival. This system reduces the time required to verify student attendance, makes it easier for parents to report student absences and allows staff to promptly respond to unexplained student absences.

There are THREE ways to report a student absence:

(1) Call the SafeArrival Toll-Free Number: 1-844-408-9360

(2) Use the new SafeArrival website: https://go.schoolmessenger.ca The first time you use the website, select Sign Up to create your account using your email address. Your email address must match the email address on file at the school. Select Attendance to report an absence.

(3) Using your mobile device, download and install the SchoolMessenger app from the App Store (iOS) or the Google Play Store (or from the links at https://go.schoolmessenger.ca). Be sure to download the SchoolMessenger app with the BLUE icon (not the yellow icon). Use your new login information to access your account. Select Attendance to report an absence.

By reporting your child absent in advance using the SafeArrival toll-free number or SafeArrival Portal website/app, you will NOT receive a call.

Sacred Heart Academy is a scent aware building. Some of our students and staff are sensitive to scented products or have conditions which are impacted by scents. We ask that you avoid the use of scented items including:

• perfumes
• aftershave
• cologne
• scented hairspray, hair gels or other styling products
• scented face and body creams, lotions and sprays
• scented deodorant

Within our school community there are several students who have potentially life-threatening allergy (anaphylaxis) to the following foods:

• peanuts/products with peanuts in the ingredients
• tree nuts (e.g. almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts).
• kiwi
• soy
  
• egg
• fish and shellfish products

To provide an “allergy-safe” environment for children at risk of anaphylaxis please avoid sending these foods to school. Any minimal contact with these foods and their derivatives may cause anaphylactic shock and unconsciousness within a matter of minutes. In such a case, the allergy may even cause the student’s death. Because even the slightest residue and in some cases even the odor of these allergens may trigger a life-threatening reaction, we need to make the whole school as allergy safe as is practically possible. A “no sharing” policy of food, utensils, containers, straws, etc. is recommended for children with food allergies.

Students will not be permitted to use personal electronic devises (cell phones, tablets, gaming systems, iPods, etc.) while at school. Unauthorized use of these devices disrupts instruction and distracts from the learning environment. If students are to bring cellphones to school to contact home after school hours, they must be powered off and kept in their school bag/locker at all times. If a parent/guardian needs to contact their child in the event of an emergency during class time, we ask that you call the main office and we will assist. Students are permitted to use the school phone located in the main office in cases where they need to call home. Sacred Heart Academy shall not assume any responsibility for theft, loss, or damage of personal electronic devices. Students and parents are urged to give appropriate consideration to what is brought to school.

In accordance with School District policy, all (prescription) student medication must be brought to the office. Prescription medication can only be administered by a parent, or by school personnel with the signed permission of a parent/guardian and a Physician. Permission for the administration of medication to students can only occur once parents have completed the appropriate School District forms. The medication policy forms can be found online at www.nlesd.ca.

To enhance your child’s experience in Physical Education class we encourage families to provide their child with a pair of sneakers designed for active play both in the gym and on the playground. This footwear is not required to be in school every day but certainly should be available for days on which PE is a part of your child’s scheduled routine. Sneakers can be secured with laces or velcro and should fit snugly and comfortably. Children may be unable to participate in some activities if the teacher deems the footwear unsafe.

Our students go outside for outdoor play daily, weather permitting. Students are asked to please dress appropriately for varying temperatures and weather conditions.

All students at Sacred Heart Academy are eligible to participate in extra-curricular activities. Attendance and behaviour will be important considerations when selecting students for any extra-curricular activity at SHA. Poor attendance and/or behaviour may preclude a student from being selected for an extra-curricular activity or may result in removal from an extra-curricular activity should issues arise while the activity is ongoing. In addition, any student who is suspended from school will be considered ineligible for extra-curricular activities during the dates of the suspension.

School photos will be taken on September 27th and 28th. A schedule will be sent home with students at a later date.

Should you wish to be considered for courtesy seating, please complete the online courtesy seat request form located on the school website (sha.nlesd.ca). The deadline to apply is Friday, September 17th. Courtesy seating will be assigned by the school administration once school bus capacity has been determined.

Students are expected to always conduct themselves in a safe, respectful and responsible manner while travelling on the school bus. We are asking parents/guardians to review the school bus expectations with their child. We want to ensure a safe and enjoyable bus experience for all our students.

The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District Student Transportation Parent Portal is the best way to access and review your child’s transportation information online. A letter outlining the login process and login information was sent home with students during the first day of school.

If you have any transportation questions, please submit a Student Transportation Public Inquiry Form. For more information regarding student transportation, please visit the NLESD Student Transportation/Busing information page.

The classroom placement process is very complex and many factors enter into the decision making process. Our staff takes class placement very seriously. The task for each grade level team is to develop balanced classrooms based on the knowledge they have about their students. We assure you that each grade level team (with assistance of specialists, guidance counselor, instructional resource teachers) takes much time, effort and care in developing class rosters that result in offering all children a quality educational experience.

Following are factors that are taken into consideration:

• the program needs of the child (IEP, ISSP, Student Assistant Support, Reading/Numeracy Interventions, etc.)
• a balanced ratio of boys to girls
• a balance of academic achievement levels
• behavior factors regarding each student
• social needs and the compatibility of students with others in the classroom
• independent work habits and leadership skills

Once balanced rosters are created, teachers are assigned by the school administration. Since our number one goal is to create balanced classrooms, we are unable to honor requests for students to be placed with specific friends, teachers or classes. Thank you in advance for your understanding and support of this process and be assured we will do all we can to ensure thoughtful placement of each child.

If any questions arise during the school year, please contact your child’s teacher. Appointments can be made by emailing the teacher or calling the school office between 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Teachers will be unable to answer calls during the school day. Phone calls will be returned after 2:20 p.m. or as soon as possible thereafter.

Sacred Heart Academy is currently accepting nominations for TWO Parent Representatives on the School Council. To be eligible for election, you must be the parent/guardian of a student currently attending Sacred Heart Academy. Only parent/guardians can nominate and vote for school council members.

Online Nomination Form: https://forms.gle/7ihRC483dBKpSk5L6

The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, September 24, 2021.

The following forms that need your immediate attention will be sent home with students on the first day of school:

• Student Demographics Form
• Media Consent Form
• Acceptable Use Policy Form (Kindergarten and New Students Only)
• Emergency School Closure Protocol

Please complete, sign and return the forms to your child's homeroom teacher by Monday, September 13th.

For more information visit our school website at: sha.nlesd.ca

Sacred Heart Academy

Home of the Sabres

Email: sacredheartacad@nlesd.ca
Website: sha.nlesd.ca
Location: 1 Columbia Drive, Marystown, NL, Canada
Phone: (709)279-2051
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sacred-Heart-Academy-445779129137917/
Twitter: @SHA_NL