École Hudson Road Elementary

This fall, we once again had the exciting opportunity to welcome many new faces. We count about 80 new students, including almost 60 Kindergarten students. It has been a very smooth start up so far. To welcome everyone we will be holding an Open House on September 24 between 1pm and 3pm as well as between 4pm and 6pm. We are calling our event "Snack, Stroll and Scavenger Hunt". Our fantastic HRE PAC will provide the snacks. The event will also provide you with the opportunity to meet teachers and new families while exploring different corners of the school taking part in a Scavenger Hunt.

As a school, we will participate in our own Terry Fox Fundraiser, assembly and run. Our school wide Terry Fox run will take place Friday morning. We invite students to bring in donations for the Terry Fox Foundation until the end of the week. During the last week of September we will hold Truth and Reconciliation Week. The focus will be to help our students understand the meaning of the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation and to explore how they can play a role in supporting equity in our community. Please remember to wear your Orange Shirt on September 29. There will be no school on September 30, the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.

We have the pleasure of welcoming a number of new team members and I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce them. We have two new CEAs (certified education assistants), four new teachers, and intern, and a new school counselor.

Lots has happened since June! Have a look.

• September 22 - PAC Meeting at 6:00pm
• September 24 & 25 - Early Dismissal at 12:30pm
• September 24 - Snack, Stroll and Scavenger Hunt Open House 1pm until 3pm & 4pm until 6pm
• September 29 - Orange Shirt Day at HRE for Truth and Reconciliation
• September 30 - Truth and Reconciliation Day - No School
• October 5 - School Photo Day
• October 9 - Implementation Day (No School)
• October 12 - Thanksgiving Day (No School)
• October 23 - Professional Development Day (No School)
• October 28 - Photo Retake Day
  

You can access our school calendar as well as next school year's calendar on our school website.

• Please remember that we strive to keep our school nut free. We ask students, parents and others who come into the building to avoid bringing nut products as we have children with potentially deadly allergies to these.
• If a child brings a snack containing nuts or nut products to school, we will simply ask him or her to let their teacher or another staff member hold on to it until the end of the day, at which point they will be asked to take it home. We will not let students go hungry, We will try to contact you or provide an alternate snack or lunch when necessary.
• We hope that by educating children and adults, as well as by encouraging hand washing before coming to school when peanuts have been consumed, we can help make the school a safer place for our children who suffer from these allergies.

We appreciate how everyone is driving safely around the school as school zones are back in effect. We appreciate everyone using caution as they drive in our proximity and we want to remind you to keep an eye out for students.

At dismissal time, the traffic circle is closed to parents/visitors and only open to buses until approximately 2:45. You will have to park and walk up to meet your child, or have them walk down to meet you at the visitors parking lot. Finally, if you and/or your child ride a bike to school, we ask that you dismount and walk once you are in proximity of pedestrians to avoid collisions.

Thank you for using caution as you drive your vehicle around our school!

The School District Appeals Policy states that, "A student or a parent of a student who is entitled to an educational program in School District No. 23 may appeal a decision of an employee of the Board of Education which significantly affects the education, health or safety of the student". For a complete description of the Appeals Policy along with the recommended steps to follow in attempting to solve a problem, please refer to Policy 460 – Appeals, that can be accessed from the ‘Policies’ link under the Board of Education heading on the School District’s homepage –www.sd23.bc.ca.

Within School District Policy 425 – Student Fees (see www.sd23.bc.ca), the Board of Education has indicated “that a student will not be excluded from any educational program due to financial hardship”. This clause in the policy provides for the private and confidential consideration of financial circumstances of individual students and families, while preserving the dignity of families who may be unable to pay. Please contact the school principal, Mme Bedard, at 250.870.5141 if you are facing a financial hardship that may restrict the ability of your child to access a school program.

While we do love pets, pets are NOT ALLOWED on school property for safety and health reasons.

Schools within School District #23 have a policy where dogs are not permitted on school property at any time (even on a leash).

This is a health and safety issue where the School District must comply with Division 1, Part 107 of the Workers Compensation Act (WCB). By bringing dogs onto school grounds, the health and safety issue is exposing students and staff to the hazards of dog bites, dog fights, and dog feces which has to be cleaned up by school staff. Even if dog owners clean up messes, the residue can still be left on the grass where children play. Therefore, in order to stay in compliance with the regulation and our own School Policy, dogs are not permitted on school grounds at any time.

• Please use the online payment option. If you must send a cheque or cash, it must be submitted directly to the office by the student or parent.
• Absences: Please remember to notify the office in regards to any absences or lateness, even if you have let the teacher know. Please use School Messenger. See below for more information. If your child is late, she/he must check in at the office upon arrival before going to her/his classroom, otherwise he or she remains marked as absent.
• If you walk your child into the building, we ask that parents say their goodbyes at the office and not proceed through the school.
• If you sign out your child early with the help of School Messenger, you must still come to the office upon your arrival to pick them up.
• Medical Alert: If your child has a medical alert, please make sure to contact the office to obtain and fill out a Medical Alert Planning Form.

• The Okanagan School District uses SchoolCash Online for all school payments.
• SchoolCash Online is an easy to use and safe way to pay for your children’s school fees. Now, with a few clicks, you can pay for your child’s student fees, class trips etc.
• Create an account, attach your children and in no time you will be able to make payments online.
• Find step by step instructions on how to register, attach a student, and more: School Cash Online help document

Please use the SchoolMessenger application to indicate that your child/children's will be absent from school, will arrive late or will need to be dismissed early.

Our Safe Arrival System processes all reported absences and promptly calls parents or guardians of students who have not yet been accounted for. When a parent or guardian receives an automated call or text they can resolve the issue by proving a reason for the absence. If they are unaware of the absence they are directed to call the school. Three ways to connect:

• SchoolMessenger Safe Arrival app on your phone
• SchoolMessenger Safe Arrival touch tone system. Call the school at 250.870.5141, dial 1 to report an absence and follow the prompts.
• School Messenger Website (click below)

We would like to encourage you to start off the new school year on the right foot by establishing routines early on.

• Encourage your child to go to bed early in order to be alert and fully benefit from his/her time at school.
• Send healthy snacks and lunches to school with your child
• Establish a homework routine which includes a quiet space to work and a regular homework time. Remember to include daily reading as part of your routine.

If you, your child (in French Immersion or not), are interested in French classes outside of school, the Centre Culturel Francophone de l'Okanagan offers classes. See below.