Welcome to the St. Thomas Aquinas S.S. Community

Grade 9 Orientation Day

Parent Presentation

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Welcome!

Sarah Donovan: Chair of the Catholic School Council for Aquinas

Leslie Marchand: VP

Tuesday, September 4th…Now What?

Transportation Uniform School-Home communication The School Day Student Expectations Useful Tips Who to call

Transportation

STOPR is responsible for issues around Student Bussing and eligibility

You can access STOPR info through the main page of our school’s website

www.dpcdsb.org/aquin All students eligible for bussing will receive

their bus pass on the first day of school but will ride the bus on Tuesday morning as expected with no difficulty

Transportation cont’d…

Courtesy Seat forms will be on the school website once STOPR has released them

Courtesy seats will not be determined until Thanksgiving

Brampton Transit has several routes that run to the school

Bus routes are always available at the Main Office for students to access

Kiss and Ride

If you are dropping your son/daughter off at the school, you are asked to use the kiss and ride lanes

Please utilize the entire driveway to avoid backing up the traffic on Corporation Dr. and Torbram

The back of the school is for bus loading only

Uniform Expectations

All students must wear the appropriate uniform to school each day

Students who are out of uniform may be sent home to change

Black pants with Cardinal, burgundy rugby shirt, black shoes (with black laces if applicable)

Optional summer uniform: (First day of school until Thanksgiving; May to end of June)

Parent Engagement

Parents are encouraged to contact classroom teachers: (905)791-1195

Parent-Teacher Interviews: October 18th for first semester

Catholic School Council: Everyone is welcome to attend! Sept. 25th is the first mtg

Newsletters sent home with each report card

Parent engagement cont’d…

Access the school website on a regular basis for updates and events

wwww.dpcdsb.org/aquin Use of the “Auto Dialer” messages on a

regular basis Go through your son/daughter’s agenda for

other key information Never hesitate to call

The School Day!

The warning bell rings at 8:05 Homeroom begins at 8:12 with O’ Canada

and our morning Prayer/Reflection Students all have a 40 min. lunch period They can eat lunch in the cafeteria or go out

for lunch if they choose. They do not need to sign-out for lunch as they may have done in Elementary

The School Day continued…

There are microwaves in the caf if you want to send your son/daughter with a lunch that requires heating

All students will be assigned their own locker! Students must purchase a school lock for $7 from the library.

Students should not share their lockers or give out their combinations to anyone!

Still working on the school day!

Students have 5 min to get to and from their classes. Being on-time is crucial!

The school day ends at 2:15 After school students should make their way

home unless they are involved in after-school activities (sports, arts, clubs). And, we do hope all our grade 9’s Get Involved!

Aquinas Get Involved: Thurs.Sept.13/12

Student Absences

If your son/daughter is away you need to call the school and speak to the Attendance Secretary (or leave a message).

You can also send your son/daughter to school with a note when they return legitimizing the absence.

School attendance is a vital part of student success.

Student Absences cont’d…

There will be consequences for students who skip classes.

You will receive a phone call home indicating an absence through the school’s “synervoice” message system.

If your son/daughter is going to be on an extended absence (ie: vacation) they must see their Vice Principal so the school is informed in advance.

Student Expectations!

The most important expectation is always the Golden Rule!

But, there are a few other expectations to highlight…

Personal Electronic Devices

It is board policy that the use of cell phones and other PED’s is not permitted at school (GAP 541; Policy 8:12)

Students are expected to have their phones off and away during class time.

Cell Phones act as a distraction for everyone in the classroom!

There will be consequences for students who use their phones in class.

Hats!

Students are not permitted to wear hats in the school

Those choosing to wear hats take the risk of having their hat taken away for the remainder of the school day or possibly longer

Classroom Work!

All students should work their hardest and to the best of their ability

If they are struggling, they need to talk to their Teacher and/or Guidance Counsellor and access numerous supports available (ie: Math Help; Science Help…)

They should be on time and prepared for class each and every day!

Student Progress and Reporting:

October 11th: Early Progress Reports November 15: Mid-Term Report Cards February 8th: Final Sem. 1 Report Cards

March 21st: Early Progress Reports April 24th: Mid-Term Report Cards June 28th: Final Sem. 2 Report Cards

Conflicts with peers

We encourage all of our students to seek support to help them settle conflicts. That could be:

Guidance Counsellor CYW Teacher Vice Principal

Conflicts cont’d…

All reports are confidential and handled with discretion

Parents will be informed if there is an incident involving their son/daughter

Neighbourhood Policing Unit

Aquinas has an excellent relationship with 21 Division Officers

School assigned NPU Officers Program established for rapport and safety,

not patrolling and enforcing the law Part of our Safe Schools Action Team and

bullying prevention

Useful Tips!

Access the website on a regular basis Call your son/daughter’s teachers if you have

concerns or want to know how they are doing Contact the appropriate VP if you are feeling

uneasy about something, or require clarification

Read through the quarterly newsletter for all the latest updates

Who to Contact?

Student Attendance: Mrs. Ruggiero General Inquiries: Main Office (Switchboard)

Student Progress: Individual Teachers Other Concerns: Appropriate VP

Guidance Counsellors:

Mrs. Rea: RAP students Mr. Conroy: A-DK Mr. Grenier: DL-K Mrs. McInnis: L- PL Mrs. Clayton: PO-Z

Vice Principals:

Mrs. Kathy McQuire A-DL Mr. Jason Boily DM-K Ms. Leslie Marchand L-P Ms. Toni Di Franco Q-Z

From a Parents’ Perspective

Sarah Donovan

Questions

Are there questions you still have?

Thank You!

Thank you for taking the time to come out today to support your son/daughter

Please enjoy some refreshments on behalf of our Catholic School Council!