Important Information 2024 – 2025

August 2024

Getting Ready for First Day of School

The staff at Alexandra is excited to meet our returning and new students on Tuesday September 3, 2024.  We will meet all our students in the school yard at 8:50am. Please send your child(ren) with a backpack, indoor shoes, healthy lunch and water bottle. Ensure all personal belongings are clearly labeled.  Students do not require any other materials.  You should have received an email or phone call with the name of your child’s classroom teacher for 2024-2025. If you haven’t, teachers will have class lists on the school yard and can help you and your child find the correct location.

Morning Entry

Morning supervision begins at 8:40 am on the playground. Please do not leave your child(ren) unsupervised before this time. At 8:40am, a bell will ring and our staff will be visible with orange vests. Parents/Guardians and siblings not attending Alexandra are not permitted to be on the school yard after 8:40am. Your cooperation in this matter is appreciated.

Parking

Our parking lot is small and accommodates our expanded staff with no additional spaces. When picking up and dropping off your child, please DO NOT enter the parking lot. Please park safely along the neighboring streets and walk to the playground entrance with your child(ren). Please also respect the bus drop/off and loading zone at the front of the school. We are a walking school and encourage all families to walk to school where possible to reduce congestion and traffic around the school. There is a crossing guard at Colborne Street who can assist those to cross safely.

Dismissal

Ensuring that all our students are dismissed safely is very important to us. We will be implementing a staff to parent/guardian handoff each evening for all grades. If you are picking up your child, your child’s teacher will dismiss the class one child at a time. Please wave or acknowledge with the teacher so we can get to know you. If you are giving your child permission to walk home, please call the school at 705-324-3313 so we can make an accurate note on the file.  

Below are locations that each grade will dismiss from: 

Kindergarten: School Yard 

Grade 1: North Doors (along Colborne Street) 

Grade 2: South Doors (Parking Lot) 

Grade ⅔: School Yard 

Grade ¾: School Yard 

Grade ⅘: School Yard 

Grade ⅚: School Yard 

Grade 7: Portable 

If you are returning to the school yard to play after school, please wait until you hear the 3:20pm bell.

Safe Arrival

If your child will be absent from school for any reason please call our Safe Arrival Number at 705 – 324 – 3313. Please leave a message with your name, child’s name and date of absence. We are required to reach all parents/guardians of students absent from school so please ensure accurate and up to date phone numbers are on file.

Office Closure Daily

Our office will be closed daily from 11:30 – 12:00. This means our phone will not be answered or the entrance buzzer monitored. Please plan your trips to the school around this closure. Please leave a message and we will return your call as soon as possible. 

Daily Schedule

Our school day starts at 8:50 and ends at 3:10. First recess is from 10:30 – 10:50 and second recess is from 12:50 – 1:10. Nutritional Breaks occur at 10:50 – 11:10 and 1:10 – 1:30pm. 

Ongoing Communication

Stay connected with what is happening at Alexandra by checking our Website and Social Media sites. Also ensure you are signed up for our School Messenger notifications to get all the latest news.

Permission Click

We use an electronic forms system. If you are seeing notifications in your email about Permission Click please don’t ignore them. We will be sending 2024-2025 forms to your inbox for completion rather than home in the backpack. If you need assistance with permission click please contact Mrs. Knight in the office.

School Cash Online

Please do not send cash or any money to school. We use School Cash Online for any collection of money (ie. hot lunch order, field trips, etc.). If you need assistance with School Cash Online please contact Mrs. Knight in the office.

Personal Mobile Devices in School

On August 29, all families were sent the updated Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) Handbook via SchoolMessenger, which highlighted the updated expectations and consequences related to personal mobile device use.

At Alexandra Public School, this means that personal mobile devices (phones, tablets, and smartwatches) are to be turned off or on silent and put away. Your child’s teachers will be going through what the expectations are specifically in their classroom. If a student needs to be in contact with a parent/guardian, we have a system already in place through the school’s main office. 

As a staff, we are committed to creating a school that is safe for all and classrooms that are free of the distraction of personal mobile devices. We know that when devices are turned off or on silent and put away, the instructional day will consist of more meaningful social interaction with peers and staff.

Please remind your child(ren) of the expectation that their personal mobile device(s) must be turned off or set to silent and put away. If these expectations are not followed, progressive discipline steps will be taken.