Welcome
Welcome to
our new school year. We hope everyone in our school community
students, teachers and parents had a relaxing summer and that you
are looking forward to starting a successful school year. A special
warm welcome is extended to all new students and teachers at
Baltimore School. The past school year was a great success and we
intend to build on this success to make this year an even greater
and more enjoyable year for all. The support the school has gotten
from parents over the two years has been extraordinary, and I know
that support will only get stronger this upcoming year. Last year
we recognized over 60 parent volunteers; parents that came into our
school throughout the year to help make our building a better place
for all. This year we would like to increase that number once
again. We are off to a good start to the school year and we hope
this will be a very enjoyable and rewarding year for all. Please
feel free to drop by the school or contact us if you have any
concerns, questions or suggestions. It is hoped that the
information in this Newsletter will answer some of your questions
and provide you with information that can make this a more
fulfilling school year for everyone involved.
New
Staff
This year
our staff turnover was very low. We have only 3 new faces, Ms.
Elizabeth Fagan (Kindergarten), Ms. Theressa Rose (Grade 3) and Ms.
Jennifer Keefe (Special Needs). Ms. Tracey Clarke (Special Needs)
is also returning from a one year absence. We extend a very warm
welcome to all staff members, both new and returning. A complete
list of teachers and their teaching assignments are attached to this
newsletter.
School
Goals
This past
year we completed the first year of our 3 year school improvement
plan. We made great strives in achieving the goals that were
identified through our review process. This year we will continue
work on our three agreed upon school goals:
i) Increase
student academic performance at the higher levels of standardized
testing by attaining 30% of student population at assessment levels
4 and above.
ii) Create
an environment where there is greater collaboration and cooperation
at the Divisional and subject levels.
iii) Foster
the affective component of student learning by creating more diverse
learning opportunities for students both inside and outside the
classroom setting.
These goals
will be our guide over the next 2 years as we attempt to improve
student learning at Baltimore School.
Bussing
The
negotiated contract between the School Board and the bussing company
has left us with 6 buses again this year. As of now our buses are
full, therefore students are only allowed to travel on their
scheduled bus. We cannot allow students to ride on their friends
bus after school. Alternate arrangements need to be made. The bus
routes are as follows:
Route 1-
Start route in Cappahayden; pick up all students enroute to Renews.
Travel throughout Renews picking up all students and on to school.
Route 2-
Start route in Kingmans then travel to Fermeuse, Port Kirwan,
Aquaforte and Aquaforte Hill and on to school.
Route 3-
Start route in Quarry, Ferryland, on to Helen Clowe's, picking up
eligible students
throughout
Ferryland and on to school. Route includes a lunch hour Kindergarten
run.
Route 4-
Start route in Brigus South, travel throughout Cape Broyle picking
up students on lower road and on to school. Route includes a
Kindergarten run at noon.
Route 5-
Start route in Admiral's Cove, picking up students at Home Hardware,
Main road, Southside Road, Ultramar and on to school.
Route 6
- Start route in Calvert then picking up remainder of students
eligible and on to school.
A Great Loss
This year we
start our school year on a very sad note, the passing of Patrick
Kane over the summer. Patrick was a Grade 9 student who was a large
part of our school community. He will certainly be missed by his
classmates, students and staff. A very emotional tribute was held
for Patrick on Thursday at the school. Our most sincere condolences
go our to Sharon, Charlie and the family.
Severe
Allergies
We have students and teachers
with severe allergies at our school. A reaction to certain products
and foods could prove to be very harmful for several of our
students, and in some cases they could even prove to be fatal. For
this reason the school has been declared free of any source of
peanuts and all perfumes, aftershaves and colognes. Parents
Visiting School During the Day
All parents
and visitors who come to the school to see their children or to drop
off items to them during the school day are to check in at the
general office. No parent is permitted to move throughout the
building to classrooms. Once again, the safety of your children is
our greatest concern. An environment where adults are moving freely
about in and out of a building filled with young children is not
safe.
Parents Dropping off Students at School
To ensure
the safety of all students, we ask that parents not drive onto the
school parking lot during arrival and dismissal times for students.
No private vehicles are permitted to travel on the road at the rear
of the building. Busses are expected to arrive at school at 8:15 in
the morning and depart at 2:55 in the afternoon. For no reason is
any vehicle to be parked in the fire lane at the front of the
building. Parents have often neglected this emergency lane as they
park there to pick up their child or to drop something off at the
general office . Any vehicle found to be parked in this
emergency lane, with a driver still in the vehicle or not and for
any length of time, will be reported to the local RCMP. The
safety of your children is our greatest concern. Administration
will take every step necessary to ensure that this safety is kept in
place.
Early
Dismissals
If your
child has an appointment or a valid reason to leave school early,
please send a note to school indicating the time that they are being
picked up and who is to pick them up. Due only to sickness or an
emergency will students be permitted to call home for an early
dismissal. In the past the number of early dismissals has been
quite large, especially on Fridays. Classes do go ahead as
scheduled on Friday afternoons at Baltimore School and parents are
strongly encouraged to make sure that their children are indeed in
class
Curriculum Night
Our annual
curriculum will go ahead next Thursday, September 13th
at 6:30 in the school gym.
Textbooks and School Fees:
For the
first time, through a Department of Education initiative, all
students, including Senior High students, will receive free
textbooks. Also, there are no school fees this year, however, there
may be fees for music, band and school field trips outside the
school.
Phone
Use:
The school
has a public pay phone in its lobby area. This is the phone that
students are expected to use. The phones in the general office are
for teacher use only, except in cases where a student is sick and
needs to call for a parent to pick them up. The school has only two
lines and neither of these should be tied up with students placing
orders at restaurants and calling home asking for permission to
leave school early and the like.
Smoke-Free Grounds and Facilities
Visitors,
staff and student are reminded that all buildings, grounds and
properties under the jurisdiction of the Eastern School District,
are smoke-free. Please respect our smoke-free policy and support us
in our efforts to create a safe and healthy environment for
everyone.
K - 6
Recess & Lunch
With the
playground area developed, we are scheduling an outside time for all
Primary and Elementary students. In the past, students would be
inside the school building for the entire day. Beginning this
week, the grades 4 - 6 will be outside during recess and the Primary
students will be outside during lunch hour. Please ensure your
children are dressed to spend time out on the playground.
Breakfast Program
The
Baltimore Breakfast Program will begin Monday, Oct. 1st. A letter
will go home within the next couple of weeks regarding donations and
volunteering..
Computer Use Permission form
All students
must have a computer use agreement form signed by a parent/guardian
before access can be given to use the computer network and have
internet access. The policy can be viewed on our website or at the
ESDNL website. Please sign the attached form and return to the
homeroom teacher.
Volunteers Needed for X-country
We are
looking for parents of Elementary students to volunteer in ensuring
students safely cross the road during their lunch hour run.
Please contact Ms. Brophy at the school if you can help out.
Bell
Schedule
Our school
day is the same as it has been for the past 2 years. First class
begins at 8:45am, recess is from 10:45 to 11:00 and lunch break is
from 11:54am to 12:35pm (Jr./Sr. High) and 11:54am to 12:45pm (Pri/Elem).
Students are dismissed at 2:45pm and the busses leave the parking
lot at 2:55pm. A reminder that no vehicles are allowed to move onto
or from the parking lot when students are boarding the bus at
2:45pm.
Cafeteria Services
Our
cafeteria services are provided by Chartwells. A menu for all items
is attached to this newsletter. Primary and elementary students are
requested to have their recess orders and money included in an
envelope to be passed in at the beginning of the day.
