Welcome Back c’usqunela Families!
We are very excited to welcome you back to another wonderful year at c’usqunela! The first week is exciting, but it can also be a little hectic! Below are a few reminders for the first week to help things go as smoothly as possible:
A reminder that the first day of school begins for students at 12:30pm and ends at 2:25pm on Tuesday, September 8th. School will return to our regular schedule on Wednesday, September 9th (8:30am – 2:25pm). *Please note that school ends at 2:25pm this year*
Most students will return to their previous classroom for the first few days of school. Kindergarten classes are on a gradual return and should follow the schedule that was sent to them in June.
New students to our school will meet at the front doors at 12:30pm and will be picked up at the front doors at 2:25pm.
We hope to have all students in their actual classrooms by Friday, September 11th; however, this decision is made at the District and not at the school.
Class Placements – parent input requests for class placement were sent out last Spring. Please note that these are input letters and are not a guarantee. Class placements are a very complex process including many factors. Please respect the decision of the classroom teacher, support teachers and administration to place our students and give these placements a try for the first two weeks. If after two weeks you would still like to discuss with us, please let us know.
Attendance – the school is responsible for knowing the location of your child during school hours. You must inform the office of any absences, lates or early dismissals will ensure that we know where your child is at all times and help attendance run smoothly. The preferred method for informing the office of absences is via the Parent Portal. We can also be contacted by phone: 604-466-6231 or by email: cqe_reception@sd42.ca
School Supplies – Rather than requiring parents to purchase school supplies for their children, c’usqunela orders bulk school supplies for students. This helps us to ensure that all students have good quality materials for the entire school year. The school supply fee across the district is $60 per student. This flat fee of $60 will cover ALL personal school supplies that each child will need for the school year. A message will be sent to parents on the parent portal asking that they pay these school supply fees by cheque, cash or on the parent portal in early September once children are placed in their new classrooms.
Dropping off a forgotten item, or food, for your child during the day? Please let your child know you will be leaving it in the office, labeled with their name on it and an approximate time to come retrieve it.
Bell Schedule:
8:30 Classes Begin
10:05 – 10:20 Primary Recess
10:20 – 10:35 Intermediate Recess
10:35 – 11:55 Classes in Session
11:55 – 12:15 Primary Eat / Intermediate Play
12:15 – 12:35 Intermediate Eat / Primary Play
12:35 – 2:25 Classes in Session
2:25 Dismissal
Breakfast club – Food is available for those who need from 8:00-8:20am enter via Thunderbird Pod.
Parking Lot – We are a school with 670 students and over 80 staff. Though our parking lot is quite large, it can still be quite busy at drop-off and pick-up. Please allow yourself time to get through the parking lot, remember to drive slowly, that our parking lot is one way, the far left lane is a no stopping lane and to be respectful. There are three daycare parking spots near the portables; please make sure the daycare vans have access to these spots. If we follow these things, it will allow everyone to utilize the parking lot safely.
Road Construction – there is ongoing construction across the street from the school so please plan for potential delays that may affect drop off by 8:30am and pick up at 2:25pm.
Our first PAC meeting will be at 7:30pm on Tuesday, September 15th. All parents are PAC members and are welcome to attend!
Looking forward to seeing you all on Tuesday!
Wes Reamsbottom
Principal, c̓əsqənelə Elementary School
SD42
604-466-6231
SOME FRIENDLY REMINDERS…
Late Arrival: Students must check in at the office after 8:40 am. Parents should never be in the building or going to classrooms without first checking in at the office, this includes the portables.
Litter-less Lunches: To help teach the students how to better take care of the environment ćəsqənelə has a litter-less lunch policy. As part of this process students are asked to pack out whatever they don’t eat from their lunch each day including wrappers from packaged goods. Please note: There are no utensils, and no microwaves in the school for student use. Please send items that need to be hot in a thermos and send utensils.
Bikes and Scooters: Students have been asked to walk, not ride, scooters and bikes on school property and we request they get locked up on the bike racks found around the school. E-bikes and e-scooters are not allowed on school property. Please note, the school is not liable for any lost or stolen bikes or scooters.
After School Arrangements: To minimize phone calls to the office and class disruption, please ensure that your children are aware of lunch and/or after school arrangements when they arrive to school in the morning. Notes in your child’s planner or emails to the teacher are great communication options as well. All teacher emails can be located under the staff tab on the school website. We are pleased to be of assistance when unexpected problems arise, however, we do appreciate your efforts to keep those occurrences minimal. Thank you for understanding.
PAC: ćəsqənelə PAC meets on the second Tuesday of each month, with a few exceptions, please come to a meeting, let your voice be heard and help do good things for our students! The PAC also has a Facebook group that is updated frequently, you will need to ask to join and fill out questions prior to approval, this ensures the safety of our staff and students. Email: cusqunelapac@gmail.com
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2769354153092188
Parent complaints: If a parent is concerned about a decision made by a teacher, the parent first has an obligation to raise the concern with the teacher directly. If the concern is not resolved, the parent may request a meeting with the teacher and the principal to discuss the issue. If after this meeting, the parent is still dissatisfied with the decision made or action taken, a meeting with the principal and the assistant superintendent may be requested to resolve the matter. This information can be found in your child’s planner as well as on the SD42 website: https://www.sd42.ca/appeal-process/
Lost and Found: The lost and found boxes are located by the gym doors. Please feel free to come look through the bins to find your child’s missing items. Please be sure to label your child’s clothing items, especially coats, to help enable these items return to your family!
Medical Alerts: Just a reminder that if you have a child with health-related issues that may need medical intervention while at school, this includes any short-term medication, proper paperwork is required to be updated each year. Please drop by the office to complete the necessary forms.
Parent Portal: It is easy to “unsubscribe” from portal communications, if you stop receiving regular messages please check your status.
Dress for the Weather: It is important your child is sent to school dressed appropriately. As well, an extra set of clothes kept at the school will enable your child to change should they get wet or muddy while playing during recess or lunch. We send the students out during these breaks no matter the weather. Please encourage them to dress for the weather.