School Hours

8:45 am            Early Bell
8:50 am            Classes Begin
10:30-10:50      Morning Break
12:15-12:30      Lunch
12:30-12:55      Afternoon Break
3:25                   Dismissal
3:30                   Buses depart

Student Arrival & Entrances

Upon arrival at school (usually around 8:30), students must go to the playground behind the school and wait until the first bell rings at 8:45.

All students, whether they arrive by bus, car, or on foot are expected to enter the building through the assigned doors.

South Side:
      Grades 7 and 8 and Grades1 and 2
North Side:
      Grades 5 and 6, Grades 3 and 4, SK and JK

Punctuality

Parents who drive their child(ren) to school are asked to be on time so that the class can begin their school day together. We will call home the first 3 times, after which it is no longer the responsibility of the teacher.

Absence and Illness

If your child will be absent or late for the day, please notify the school before 8:40 a.m. by phone, fax or email. Should your child become ill during the school day, we will notify you or the designated emergency contact person so that he/she can be taken home.

Bicycles

Students who bike to school are required by law to wear bicycle helmets. This will be strictly enforced. It is also encouraged that the student lock their bike for their protection during school hours

Playground Activities

We encourage students to play non-competitive cooperative games when possible. However, students can play baseball, basketball, soccer and football. Non-contact hockey is allowed during the winter term, but students must use their own equipment. Snow throwing is not allowed at any time, but students may engage in constructive snow playing such as fort / snowman building. Students are not allowed to use their roller-blades, skateboards, hard balls or lacrosse balls on the playground. If a student gets hurt while playing on the playground, parents will be notified.

Birthday Parties

Occasionally it happens that invitations for parties are distributed at school and some boys or girls are excluded. Such exclusion causes a great deal of hurt for the uninvited child. Consequently, we ask that you not distribute these invitations unless all the same gender classmates (or perhaps the whole class) are invited. This enables our school to discourage cliquing that can occur in the classroom and other students from feeling “left out.” (This problem seems to occur in the younger grades more than the older ones. We understand the difficulty of having a large group of children at a birthday party. Likewise, we hope you understand the predicament the school faces in these situations).

Expensive Toys, Games, and Other Personal Belongings

In order to prevent potential problems, disappointments and/or hurts, we ask that your child refrain from bringing their expensive personal items (such as games (PSP), CD players, Mp3 players, and sports equipment) to school. The school will not liable for lost, stolen or broken items.

School Cancellation Procedure

The WCS buses run independent of the public and separate Boards. Therefore, the Board set the following policy in place.

Important Information about the Phone Chain

When buses are canceled, the phone chain will be activated. The drivers will inform their first pick-up, who is asked to call the second pick-up etc. The principal will begin the town call list. All the lists are printed in the school’s directory

The phone chain must be continued through to the end, so that everyone is aware of bus cancellation and/or changes in normal start time. When calling the next person on the list, please be sure you talk to a parent. Also, if there is no answer, please call the next person on the list and be sure to call back the other family a little later on.

Fog Cancellation Procedures

The decision to cancel buses on a fog day is made in conjunction with the other bus lines in our zone (Zone 5) schoolbusinfo.com When the Public / Catholic buses cancel their morning run, our buses will also be canceled. The school, however, will remain open at it’s regular times unless otherwise indicated. The buses will run in the afternoon to
return the students home. When the morning bus run has been canceled. It will be announced via the radio stations – CFCO 630 AM or CKSY 94.3 FM (Chatham), or CHOK 1070 (Sarnia).

Snow/Icy Weather

In the event that the buses are canceled due to dangerous driving conditions, the school may remain open. However, it is up to the principal whether it is canceled or opened on a 1 or 2 hour delay schedule. For example , it the buses are canceled and a 1 hour delay (9:50) is called, the school will also open on a 1 hour delay (9:15). If there is a 2 hour delay (10:50) the school will also open on a 2 hour delay (10:15).

Early Dismissal

Impending serious weather conditions could require the early closing of the school. In such a case, parents are called prior to dismissal. If parents can not be contacted, the school will attempt to reach the “in case of emergency” number available at the school. If you wish other
arrangement to be made, please inform the school. Please make sure your children
understand the arrangements.

Lost and Found

In an effort to keep our Lost and Found box empty, we ask that parents label their child(ren)’s belongings, including shoes, coats, boots, mittens, sports equipment, etc. Near the end of each term, you will be asked via the School Newsline to check the Lost and Found to claim lost articles. At the end of each term the leftovers will be given to charity.

Student Lunches

WCS is committed to taking care of God’s creation. In an effort to reduce the amount of garbage our school collects daily, we ask that you provide, garbage-free lunches for your child(ren) and use reusable containers for storage. Students are encouraged to have a personal, labeled water bottle at school each day. If the students choose to use it inappropriate the classroom teacher many remove the items for a period of time. We would
also like to not that we do support and encourage health lunches at our school