| DCDSB Safe, Caring, and Healthy Elementary Schools |
| The Durham Catholic District School Board recognizes that a school should be a place that promotes responsibility, respect, civility, and academic excellence in a safe learning and teaching environment. A positive school climate exists when all members of the school community feel safe, comfortable, and accepted. It is the responsibility of all members of the school community to work together to create a positive learning environment where all members feel supported. |
| Access to Premises |
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Parents/guardians are welcomed to visit the school to discuss an issue with teachers or administrators. In keeping with the Board's Access to School Premises Policy, all doors will remain locked during school hours. Our Safe Welcome Program provides an intercom and camera at the main door of the school for all visitors to communicate with the office prior to entering the school. This enhances the safety of students and stuff. Please remember that anyone coming into the school must first sign in at the office, obtain a Visitor's badge and inform the office of the purpose of the visit. Parents/guardians are not allowed access to the school yard before school or during recesses and noon hour. At recess time, the school yard is well supervised and staff will question anyone whose presence is not expected. Each member of staff is wearing photo ID and is identified on duty with a safety vest. If a parent/guardian needs to pick up his/her son/daughter during the school day, this must be facilitated at the office. Members of the office staff will call the student down to the office to be signed out. if parents send a friend/relative/designate to pick up their child, please advise the school in advance and ask the designate to provide photo identification at the office. If the student returns to school before dismissal, he/she must sign back in at the office so that his/her attendance can be monitored. |
| Make Every Day Count – Attendance Matters |
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Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school –and themselves. Now is the time to start building this habit so your child learns right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Good attendance will help children do well in high school, college or university, and in the world of work. Did You Know? Absences can add up quickly. A child is considered chronically absent if he/she misses just two days every month!! Research shows:
School success goes hand in hand with good attendance! What You Can Do:
We want your child to be successful in school! If you have any questions or need more information please contact your child's teacher, principal or vice-principal. |
| Safe Arrival – Automated Attendance |
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The Durham Catholic District School Board uses an automated attendance system called Safe Arrival to report a student absence. Safe Arrival makes it easy for you to report your child's absence, it allows staff to quickly verify student attendance which in turn allows staff to respond to unexplained student absences. Parents are able to report their child's absence quickly and conveniently using three different methods:
All three methods are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Future absences, like doctor's appointments can be reported ahead of time. |
| Restorative Schools |
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We believe that safety begins with positive connections between the students, staff, and parents. To foster these relationships, staff in the Durham Catholic District School Board use restorative practices, including classroom circles and small group conferences to build community within the classroom and the school. Restorative Practice is rooted in the same philosophical approach as Canada's Native Aboriginal communities. It rests on the belief that it is best to do things with people, rather than to them. When conflict arises, using restorative practices engages students in a fair process that responds to behaviour in ways that strengthen and repair the relationship. It is collaborative rather than adversarial in nature. The aim of restorative practice is to hold individuals accountable for their actions while restoring and repairing any relationships amongst each other and within the community that may have been harmed. Catholic Restorative Schools will:
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| School Code of Conduct |
| Please click here to read the Code of Conduct. |
