Welcome Back

Welcome back to the 2008-09 school year at Mary Queen of the World School. The Principal is Margaret Wakeham and the Assistant Principal is Colleen Conway. Our secretary is Bev Case. Early in September there is a Curriculum/Meet the Teacher Night where you will have an opportunity to meet the staff and talk about your child’s programming for the year. Watch for a notice in your child’s book bag.

Contact the School

You may contact the school at 368-0710 or leave a message if there is no one available to immediately take your call. If your message is urgent please keep calling until a person answers the phone. Or you may fax us at 368-2242. You may also e-mail us at the margaretwakeham@esdnl.ca or contact teachers from their emails on the school website at www.mqw.k12.nf.ca. Our postal address is 785 Topsail Road, Mount Pearl, NL, A1N3J6.

Personal Information/Routines

In September we ask you to complete an information sheet on your child to be kept here at school. It is essential that this information be accurate and that the emergency contact person be someone other than yourself. Please notify the school if any of this information changes during the year. If you have any legal custody arrangements that you wish respected, please contact the school to set up a meeting with the administration.

Unexpected School Closings/Emergencies

School may sometimes have to close because of unexpected emergencies, such as bad weather, furnace problems or electrical failure. Please ensure that the emergency plan you have in place for your child allows them to arrive home safely. Take some time to go over your plan with your child. The information sheet you complete for the school will ask you to indicate what your child should do in an emergency. If this directive changes, please contact the school. Any unanticipated closings will be announced to the public through the local media.

Student Property

Students are asked to leave expensive toys, electronic gadgets and cell phones at home. The grade 5 and 6 students have combination lockers but for other grade levels, there are few places to secure personal items during the day. If you wish to make a special request please contact the school.

Allergies

We have children in our school who have life-threatening allergies to peanuts, eggs and kiwis. Please ensure that your child’s lunches and snacks are free from these food items. Other children suffer asthmatic attacks when exposed to perfumes and scents, so we ask that visitors refrain from using scents or letting children wear strong scents.

Curriculum Costs

Most of the curriculum costs related to workbooks and photocopying of materials are paid for all students by the provincial Department of Education. Families are still expected to supply exercise books, pencils, book bags and similar items and to pay for school field trips and special events. Parents will receive notice of upcoming events and their costs in advance. If you have any questions please address them to the school administration.

School Opening and Closing

The school opens its doors at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3:10 p.m. Students are expected to be in class no later than 8:50 a.m. for the morning session. The noon lunch break for Grades 1 to 6 is from 12:00 p.m. until 12:55 p.m.. Morning Kindergarten classes end at 11:30 a.m.. Classes end for the day at 3:10 p.m..

Access to School

We would like our school to be a welcoming place but we also need to ensure that it is a safe and secure place for your children. We ask parents to respect the time openings of the school and to remain in the lobbies of the school at the start of the day or while waiting for their children to dismiss. Please be reminded that supervision of students does not start until 8:30 a.m. in the morning. When you enter the building during the school day, please come to the main office first.

Going Out to Lunch

Students who take the bus are expected to remain at school for lunch. Only children in Grade 6 may request permission to leave the school grounds at lunchtime by having their parents write and date a note for each and every instance when they need to leave the school property. Children in other grades, who normally stay to lunch, may only leave the school for lunch in the company of a parent or designated adult.

Lunch and Healthy Eating

Parents are asked to pack nutritious lunches for their children and to refrain from bringing French fries etc. and soft drinks for their children at lunchtime. The Eastern District has invested much time and effort in encouraging children to eat well. We would ask that parents, who wish to give their children a treat, consider taking their children out to lunch. The school provides a cafeteria service. A copy of the food offerings and prices is sent home in September.

Permission to Leave School during the School Day

If at any time your child needs to leave school during the day for a valid reason such as a doctor’s appointment, please inform the teacher in writing or phone the office. When you come to the school please come to the office first so that the school secretary may page your child. If someone other than a parent or guardian is picking up your child please make us aware so that there are no unnecessary delays.

Breakfast Club – Kids Eat Smart Foundation

Mary Queen of the World School is proud of its Breakfast Club, run in conjunction with the Kids Eat Smart Foundation. This program is operated entirely by volunteers and is funded through community and school fund-raising. The yearly cost of the program exceeds $9,000. Any child may have breakfast in the morning without charge. Volunteers are always welcome. Donations are also welcome.

Comfortable Clothing for School

Children should wear comfortable clothing when coming to school and well-fitting footwear suitable for a range of activities. Temperatures can fluctuate from one season to another so that dressing in layers is always a good option. Safe and comfortable shoes provide support and protection during an activity-filled day at school.

Gym Wear and Physical Education

In 2004 a brand new gym floor was installed at Mary Queen of the World School. We would like to keep it in good condition for as long as possible. We ask parents to provide an indoor pair of running shoes for their children to be worn only inside and during physical education periods. Students are also required to wear appropriate clothing on days when they have physical education – tee shirts – shorts and jogging pants are good. There are many physical education activities during the year for different grade levels including jogging, intramurals, and swimming. Please check your child’s book bag on a regular basis for information on school events.

Feedback/ Complaints

If you wish to give us feedback positive or otherwise, please contact us directly at school. As a rule, you should discuss classroom matters with your child’s teacher and more general school issues with the administration. If you then feel it is necessary, you may wish to contact the Eastern School District at 758-2372. It is our hope that school issues can be appropriately resolved at the school level. If you have a serious matter to discuss, please contact the school to arrange for a meeting.

Student Conduct

Mary Queen of the World School has high expectations for student conduct both in school and on the buses. We are committed to ensuring that students respect each other and all school and bus personnel, in their words and in their actions. Teachers who have concerns about student conduct will contact parents through the agenda, email or through phone calls. In more serious cases, the school administration will contact the home. Please work with us to provide a safe and caring environment for everyone in our school community.

Volunteers

Volunteers play an important part of running a successful school. If you have any spare time to give us – please contact the office. Mrs. Conway organizes the services of volunteers. Mr. Noel White organizes the volunteers for literacy.

Parking Lot Safety

There are over 400 children and more than 30 staff who arrive each morning at Mary Queen of the World School. Almost 75% of our students arrive on school buses. Please be very careful when you are driving your vehicle on the parking lot. Please use the east end parking lot (next to the MQW Church) to drop off and pick up children at the beginning and the end of the school day. If you are picking up your child during the day for an appointment or other similar reason, please use the west parking lot. We ask people not to block entrances at any time and not to park in the fire lanes. This is especially important during winter months when snow accumulation reduces the size of the parking areas.

School Council

The School Council of Mary Queen of the World School acts as a liaison between parents and the school to bring forth matters of importance related to school life and activities. The chair of the School Council is Karen Holden. Please consider offering yourself as a candidate when vacancies occur.

Recycling

Every Friday is Recycling Day. As well there are 2 to 4 blitzes on Saturdays throughout the year. Funds raised are used to support school projects.

Tobacco Free Zone

The Eastern District requires all schools and their surrounding property to be smoke-free. Users of the school are asked to refrain from smoking on all parts of school grounds.

Teacher Professional Development

The school year includes five days dedicated to teacher professional development and in-service sessions on new curriculum and programming. On these days there are no classes for students. Parents will receive notice in writing when such days or partial days are planned.

School Calendar

2008-2009

September 2	Administration Day
September 3	School Reopens/Students
October 13	Thanksgiving Day
November 11	Armistice Day
December 19	Last Day Prior to Christmas
January 5	School Reopens
February 16	No Classes (February Break)
March 16	St. Patrick's Day
April 9	Last Day of School/Easter
April 10	Good Friday
April 21	School Reopens
May 18	Victoria Day
June 25	Last Day for Students
June 26	Administration Day

In addition to the designated holidays school will close for 5 days for teacher professional development. Parents will be notified in advance of these closures.