Message from Our Trustee

I am so pleased to welcome all of our new and returning families to another school year. As your school board trustee, it is my role to advocate for quality public education in York Region, and to ensure that our students remain at the centre of all of our decision making. The Board of Trustees makes policy and budget decisions, and communicates with the public, among other responsibilities.

We are also responsible for setting direction for the school board, through our Multi-Year Strategic Plan. This plan sets out four priorities: Foster Well-Being and Mental Health, Build Collaborative Relationships, Champion Equity and Inclusivity, and Empower Ethical Leadership.

As we start the new school year, I want to highlight the importance of relationships. We want to build and maintain relationships with our families that are built on trust, respect and responsive communication. To support that, I will continue to keep you informed of our work and priorities, and I encourage you to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. You can also find the message from the Chair of the Board on the Board’s website.

In addition, I invite you to share your feedback on our Board policies. Policies govern everything from field trips, school volunteers, equity and inclusive education, student discipline and much more, and we greatly value input from families on these important matters. We regularly post on our website the policies that are under review and available for comment as well as information about how to share your feedback. I hope you will take a look.

WELCOME TO THE 2019-2020 SCHOOL YEAR

We hope that everyone had a restful and relaxing summer holiday and that students took the time to reflect on last school year and set new goals for 2019-2020.

We look forward to welcoming over 360 students, and 44 staff members through our doors on September 3rd. We have had some staff changes over the summer, and would like to welcome Mrs. Terrigno to our office team, and Ms. Sousa, Ms. Donaldson, Mrs. Guglietti, Ms. Suyet and Ms. Corke to our teaching staff.

As a team of lead learners, we support all of our students to reach their fullest potential.  We will set goals together, support the learning for all, and continuously challenge each other throughout this coming school year.  Along the way, we will recognize the individual and the group successes – successes in academics, athletics, the arts, and those who lead by example in their day to day interactions.  

The 2019-2020 Character Catch Phrase is CHOOSE TRUTH; symbolic of the Truth as a beacon of integrity, the Truth leading us on the path to reconciliation with our First Nation communities, the Truth as self-awareness, and personal Truth as our celebration of identity and lived experience.

This James Robinson Register blog is our main parent communication tool, along with our Twitter feed @JRobinsonPS. Stay up to date instantly and have access to the school calendar of events from your computer, smart phone or other devices. You can subscribe to The Register by entering your e-mail address in the "Follow us on e-mail" box on the right of the screen when viewed on a laptop or other computer. If you choose to enter your e-mail address, a summary of new posts will be sent to your e-mail regularly. You can also set our home page as an icon on your smart phone to instantly check the student and community calendar, blog posts, and staff lists. Here’s how:

iPhone

1. Open Safari
2. Navigate to jrpsregister.blogspot.ca
3. Tap the Share button at the bottom of the page.
4. On the bottom row of icons, tap Add to Home Screen

Android

1. Launch Chrome for Android
2. Navigate to jrpsregister.blogspot.ca
3. Tap the menu button and tap Add to Homescreen.

OPENING DAY SEPTEMBER 3^rd

On Friday, August 30^th, all parents will receive an e-mail message indicating their child(ren)’s homeroom teacher, room number, and entry/exit door instructions. At 8:30, students will enter the school from the indicated entry door and will be directed to their classroom by staff members where they will be greeted by their day 1 period 1 teacher.

SCHOOL START-UP PACKAGE

On the first day of school, students will receive a start-up package containing some pertinent forms that need to be returned to the school by September 6^th. If your child has a medical condition or life-threatening allergy, please let our office staff know immediately. An information package will be sent home on the first day for any student with medical needs of which we are aware. 

AGENDAS

Agendas are available for purchase from gr. 1-8 homeroom teachers at a cost recovery of $8.00. Payment can be made in cash or using SchoolCashOnline. Purchasing an agenda from the school is optional. If students wish to use a personal device, or other form of agenda, that is certainly okay. It is important that each child in grade 1-8 use some tool for organization and communication to develop skills necessary for success.

OPEN ENTRY ROUTINE

James Robinson is a morning open entry school. This means that students may enter the building at any time after 8:15 a.m. in order to prepare for the beginning of period 1 at 8:30. This format cuts down on traffic congestion, reduces the number of morning lates, and preserves instructional time. 

Students are expected to enter the building, using their regular entry doors, upon arrival on school property. Morning indoor supervision begins on Wednesday, September 4th. On the first day of school only, morning supervision will be on the tarmac.

MORNING DROP-OFF 

Although all non-bused students are encouraged to walk, in order to keep our students safe, all parents need to be familiar with drop-off routines in the community.  

Teacher supervision begins at 8:15, students may be dropped off at any time between 8:15 and 8:30. Please remain with your child should you arrive prior to 8:15.

There is no parking on Robinson in front of the school during the morning or after school, but many families use this as a “Kiss ‘n’ Ride” where they quickly stop to let their child(ren) out to make their way to the yard. There is no private vehicle drop-off on Galsworthy, as we need this area clear for our 11 buses that arrive between 8:15-8:30.

Parents cannot use the parking lot for student drop off/pick up before school, at lunchtime, or at dismissal.  The parking spaces are for our staff members or for parents who need to enter the school to meet with a staff member.

We must all pull together to ensure the safety of our students. Please help all students arrive and dismiss safely.

SAFE ARRIVAL, punctuality and attendance

Ensuring a safe environment at JRPS includes our Safe Arrival Policy. Please call the school office when you know your child will be late or away from school. You will receive a phone call home in the morning or after lunch if your child is absent and their absence has not been reported.

Attendance is taken immediately following the National Anthem which is played each day at 8:32 a.m. – the beginning of our instructional day.  Our office staff make it a priority every morning to check on the safe arrival of each of our JRPS students.

Students learn best and feel a sense of belonging when a consistent daily routine is in place. Please be sure to have your child arrive on time each day. Late arrivals are stressful for kids, and disruptive to the class. If parents are picking a child up for an appointment, please ensure the student is aware of what time they should meet you in the main office to minimize disruption to instruction. Students must be signed out by a parent or guardian in our main office during the instructional day.

SCHOOL VISITORS

During the school day, all exterior doors will remain locked. Any visitors to the school must enter through the front doors. This includes parents visiting classrooms, dropping off lunches, joining classes on field trips. 

For the safety of our students, it is important that parents in the building check in at the office and obtain a visitor/volunteer badge that identifies them as a “safe” adult. 

Parents picking up children at the end of day or during the lunch hour should remain outside of the building and meet their child at an agreed upon rendezvous location. Let’s keep our kids safe and aware of routines for unfamiliar adults. 

LUNCH DROP OFF

Lunch time is a busy time at JRPS. Parents who wish to drop-off their child's lunch after the start of the instructional day are asked to leave the student's lunch labelled with their name and homeroom on the table in the front foyer. Secretarial staff will not call individual students down to retrieve lunches, so please ensure your child is aware of lunchtime arrangements in the morning.

NUT-SAFE SCHOOL

Many of our students and staff have a life-threatening allergy to nuts. For this reason, we are a nut-safe school. Please help us ensure the health and safety of all of our students by:

• Letting the school know immediately if your child has a life-threatening allergy or medical condition and complete the appropriate forms.
• Practicing measures to avoid allergens, such as:
• Checking the ingredients label on any food students bring to school.
• Avoiding sending nut products or peanut butter replacements.
• Helping students understand why food sharing at school poses a risk to students with allergies.
• Encouraging handwashing with soap before and after eating.

FRAGRANCE FREE ENVIRONMENT

Many of our staff and students have extreme sensitivities to fragrances such as perfume, cologne or strongly fragranced soaps. Please be mindful that all YRDSB schools are designated as fragrance free environments.