January Newsletter
705-435-4639
[email protected]
byr.scdsb.on.ca
@boyne_river
Boyne River P.S
117 John W. Taylor
Avenue
Alliston, Ontario,
L9R 0E7
Inclement Weather Zone:
SOUTH
Administrative & Office Staff
Principal: Stephanie Jacklin Vice Principal: Sarah Reilly Senior Office Support: Elanna Grimes
Superintendent: Matthew Webbe Office Support: Talya Groisman
Trustee: Sarah Beitz Lead Custodian: Angela Lidster
New Safe Arrival system for SCDSB
schools
call 1-888-885-8065 to report an absence
The Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB)
has a new Safe Arrival system at elementary
schools. This system will support us in continuing to
improve our home-to-school communication
process and streamline absence reporting.
To report a student absence, call 1-888-885-8065.
Callers will be prompted to identify the school
before leaving a message. Parents should include
the student’s name, teachers’ name, dates, and
reason for the absence. When schools do not hear
from a parent/guardian, and a student is absent,
the school will call home to find out the reason for
the absence. If you have questions about the new
system, please contact the school office.
School bus transportation information
available from the SCSTC
In order to receive delay and
cancellation notifications, families can check
the Simcoe County Student Transportation
Consortium (SCSTC) website at the moment
www.simcoecountyschoolbus.ca
or download the‘BusPlanner Delays’ app
from the Apple or Android app stores to
receive delay notifications to their devices.
Users would need to select Simcoe County
STC nas the transportation authority. The app
will need to be forced closed, but you will be
able to select your student(s) routes or school
to receive delays.
The app will send a general notice for any
cancellation in Simcoe County. You only
need to know which ‘zone’ you’re in, so you
would know which one to look out for in the
app. You can find your student’s zone by
visiting the School Bus Status page
at www.simcoecountyschoolbus.ca
and clicking the dropdown for the
area you live in.
We have made it easy for parents to make their
school purchases from the convenience of their
own home. Whether it’s lunch days, field trips or
school wear, we have it online for you!
Follow these three steps to get started:
1. Go to simcoecounty.schoolcashonline.com or
visit our school website and click on ‘Pay Fees’
2. Register and add your child to the newly created account
3. View and purchase items through bank transfer
or credit card
It’s safe, fast and convenient!
Contact the office with any questions at
[email protected]
https://schoolcashonline.com
Keep connected with our school
and with the SCDSB
It’s important to get accurate information
about what’s going on at your school and at
the Simcoe County District School Board
(SCDSB). Here are some ways to do that:
Subscribe to our school’s website by visiting
the ‘What's New’ section at
https://byr.scdsb.on.ca/
Follow Boyne River on Twitter @boyne_river
ENTRY & DISMISSAL TIMES
“Keeping our students safe!”
9:10 Supervision Begins
9:25 Entry Bell
3:45 Dismissal
The size of our school requires we have strict
procedures in place to ensure the safety of
our students at all times. The staff greatly
appreciates your partnership and support as
together, we implement routines that will assist with congestion and assist students to
both get to their classrooms, buses and their
parents.
For everyone’s safety, we ask that parents
and students please walk on the sidewalks
and not cut through the parking lot. We ask
that our students do not board the buses
until directed by an educator on duty and
wait for the bus safely in an orderly fashion,
back from the roadway.
We are deeply committed to the safety of
your child.
Boyne River
Is a Nut Aware, Shell Fish Aware & Scent
Free school. Please refrain from bringing
any products containing
nuts and/or shell fish to the school and from
wearing any scents. We have staff and
students that are
greatly affected
and may have
anaphylaxis reactions.
Thank you.
Inclement weather and bus
cancellation information reminder
All information regarding cancelled buses in
Simcoe County is posted on the Simcoe County
Student Transportation Consortium (SCSTC)’s bus
information website at
www.simcoecountyschoolbus.ca.
Our school is in the SOUTH zone. When buses are
cancelled, schools remain open for student
learning, unless otherwise noted. School staff are
expected to plan for such emergencies in order
to transition students who are unable to attend
due to inclement weather, to their online
platforms (Google Classroom and/or SCDSBhub
[Brightspace by D2L]) and continue with
academic programming. It is always a family
decision whether or not it is safe for their
child(ren) to leave for school under severe
weather conditions.
The Consortium and bus operators try to make
the decision to cancel school buses before 6
a.m. and make every effort to post
announcements before 7 a.m. Inclement
weather cancellations are effective for the
whole day and buses cancelled in the morning
will not run at the end of the day. You can
follow the Consortium on Twitter
@SCSTC_SchoolBus for bus cancellations
and other information. You can also subscribe to
receive bus delay notifications here:
https://scstc.ca/Subscriptions/Login.aspx.
Interested in learning more about the ways that the SCDSB supports students with
special education needs and their families? Join us for a virtual special
education information series
During the 2023-24 school year, the Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) is hosting
virtual special education outreach sessions to assist parents/guardians in learning more about
programs, supports, and ways that we work together to support students with special
education needs.
Transition planning
Feb. 13 - 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Reading strategies
March 19 - 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Supporting students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
April 16 - 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Every day mental health strategies
May 14 - 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Participants are asked to register in advance. Information to access the sessions will be shared
via email with individuals who have pre-registered. Learn more about each session and how to
register on the SCDSB website: www.scdsb.on.ca/elementary/special_education/
special_education_outreach_sessions.
SCDSB launches updated character education program for 2023-24 school year
This year the SCDSB will begin implementation of the updated character education program.
Rather than focus on one attribute each month, the program has been changed to reflect that
character is a fluid concept that includes a variety of attributes.
The updated character attributes are:
Bravery Empathy Listening Responsibility Courage
Caring Helpfulness Love Trustworthy Kindness
Compassion Honesty Loyalty Truth Respect
Cooperation Humility Optimism Sharing
Inclusiveness Integrity Perseverance Wisdom
For more information on the updated character education program, visit the character
education page on the SCDSB website: www.scdsb.on.ca/about/character_education.
Parents’ Guide to Assessment,
Evaluation and Reporting
Learn to navigate the world of assessment,
evaluation, and reporting with this new guide
for parents/guardians. Created to support
parents’/guardians’ understanding of
assessment, this guide was designed to
effectively empower you to actively
engage in your child's educational journey.
The guide has been posted to the Simcoe
County District School Board’s website and
can be accessed at https://cdnsm
5ss14.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server
_210898/File/Secondary/Parents-Guide-toAssessment.pdf.
Subscribe to Community Connects!
The Simcoe County District School Board
(SCDSB) is excited to launch Community
Connects, a new bimonthly newsletter for the
SCDSB community. Our shared goal with this
new tool is to keep our community partners
and stakeholders informed while nurturing
relationships that are built on
accountability, trust, and transparency.
To learn more and subscribe, visit the
Community Connects page on the SCDSB
website:
www.scdsb.on.ca/community/community_co
nnects
EarlyON Child and Family
Centres
The foundation for lifelong learning and
health is built in the early years. EarlyON Child
and Family Centres across Simcoe County
offer programs for children prenatal to six
years of age and their parents/guardians
and caregivers. They offer access to play- and
inquiry-based learning supported by
How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s
pedagogy for the early years, information on
child development and developmental
screening including Early Referral Identification
Kits (ERIKs), parent/guardian education,
referrals to community resources, nutrition
information, and post-natal resources.
Check with your local EarlyON provider:
https://linktr.ee/earlyonsimcoe
Kindergarten registration for
September 2024 is open!
Kindergarten is the beginning of a
wonderful journey of learning, and we want
your child to begin their journey in a SCDSB
school! Do you have a child who is turning four
in 2024? If so, we invite you to register your
child for Kindergarten. To register online or for
more information visit: www.scdsb.on.ca/ kindergarten.
Subscribe to Kindergarten
Connections!
Will your child be turning four in 2024?
If so, the SCDSB invites you to Kindergarten
Connections! This is a monthly enewsletter
informing families of everything they need to
know about preparing their child for school, as
well as registering them for Kindergarten in the
SCDSB. To learn more and subscribe, visit the
Kindergarten page on the SCDSB website:
www.scdsb.on.ca/elementary/planning_for_s
chool/kindergarten.
How is your infant, toddler, or
preschool child developing?
Is your child meeting their milestones?
Age-appropriate speech and language
skills are critical to your child’s ability to read,
write, and be successful in school as well as
to their ability to engage with their peers.
Free services are available to support you
with your child’s development. Preschool
speech and language programs are
located across the County of Simcoe.
Call 705-739-5696 or 1-800-675-1979 to
complete a developmental screen.
The earlier we work together the better!
Licensed Winter Break school-age
child care programs
Child care programs for children in
Kindergarten to Grade 6 are provided by
independent, third-party child care
operators in some SCDSB schools. To support
your child care needs, some operators offer
child care on PA days and holidays including
over the Winter Break and March Break.
Registration in advance is required. Please
contact the child care operator directly to
discuss fees and to register. More information
and contact numbers can be found by
visiting:
www.scdsb.on.ca/elementary/planning_for_
school/childcare_before_after.
High school information events for
Grade 8 students
Is your child starting Grade 9 next year? High
school information events will take place in
person this winter! Student leaders and staff
at the school will give an overview of what’s
new and what to expect. Learn about
courses offered, as well as information
about teams and clubs. Please visit the
SCDSB website at
www.scdsb.on.ca/secondary/planning_for_
high_school to find details on your high
school’s info night, and contact the school
directly for more information.
School playground structures are
closed for the winter
Every winter, school playground structures
are closed. Students are made aware of this
during school hours through announcements
and staff reminders during breaks. This may
not be well known throughout the
community, despite signs indicating that
playground structures are a winter hazard
and are closed. The Canadian Standards
Association regulations make
recommendations for the depth of ground
cover required to minimize injuries
(e.g., sand, pea gravel, or wood chips).
These surfaces cannot be maintained when
the ground freezes. Injuries from falling would
be more significant on frozen ground. We
strongly recommend that you do not allow
your children to play on any structures while
the ground is frozen.
Exploring the new SCDSB family math
resources
Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, 7 to 8 p.m. This session
is for parents and caregivers. Join members
of the SCDSB math team for a guided
exploration of the new SCDSB family math
resources. Participants will have the
opportunity to explore the resources that are
available to support their child’s math
learning at home. The guided portion of the
session will be 45 minutes in length. During the
final 15 minutes, the math team will be
available to answer questions about the
resources available .
Tips for engaging in math
conversations with your child @Home
Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, 7 to 8 p.m.
This session is for parents and caregivers
and will explore opportunities to discuss
math with their child(ren) at home.
Participants will learn about how events
such as shopping, preparing food,
engaging in a building project, or going for
a walk can be used as a starting point for
math conversations, and will receive
prompts to get the discussion rolling. The
guided portion of the session will be 45
minutes in length. During the final 15
minutes, the math team will be available
to answer questions about the session.
Games to support your child’s math
learning @Home
Thursday, April 4, 2024, 7 to 8 p.m.
This session is for parents, caregivers, and
their children. Playing games at home is a
great way to support child(ren)’s math
development. In this session, several games
will be explored, and participants will have
the opportunity to try the games with their
children during the session. The guided portion
of the session will be 45 minutes in length
followed by 15 additional minutes for further
game play or to ask questions of our math
facilitators. Bring your child(ren) and your
math kit to this session!
Participants must pre-register for the sessions
they wish to attend. Registered participants
will receive a kit of hands-on resources that
will be sent to the school indicated on the
registration form. Use this link to register:
https://bit.ly/24MathAtHome.
Math @Home parent and caregiver
series
It’s back! The SCDSB math team is pleased
to offer three virtual sessions for parents and
caregivers of SCDSB students. These sessions
will focus on practical and fun ways to
support children with their mathematics
learning and engagement at home.
The first 200 registrants will receive a Math
@Home kit of resources to use at home.
Participants must pre-register for each of
the sessions.
Standards of behaviour and consequences for student action related to racism,
bias or hate At the SCDSB, we are committed to maintaining safe, inviting, and supportive
school environments, and recognize that all students have the right to be safe, and feel safe,
in our schools. With this right comes the responsibility to contribute to a positive school climate.
We want you to know that any incident of racism, bias, or hate will not be tolerated. Any such
incident is treated very seriously with immediate action and consequences in accordance
with the requirements of the Education Act, and consistent with our values and obligations
under the Ontario Human Rights Code.
Students who engage in acts of racism, bias, or hate will face severe consequences as a -
result of their actions. Please take a moment to review the SCDSB Code of Conduct with your
child(ren). The Code of
Conduct sets clear standards of behaviour and specifies consequences for student actions
that do not comply with these standards. Visit www.scdsb.on.ca/elementary/safe_schools
to learn more.
The SCDSB’s Human Rights and Equity Office (HREO) has an advisory titled Prohibiting the Use
of the N-word. Please take a moment to review this advisory with your child(ren) by visiting the
HREO page on the SCDSB website https://tinyurl.com/3jsvhan6.
We are dedicated to educating our students and staff about the injustice and impact of
systemic racism. We continue to work with students, staff, parents/guardians and community
partners to ensure that our schools are the safe places they are intended to be for all students.
Keeping your information private
As parents/guardians, we work to support our children’s well-being and to protect them from
harm. At a time when internet use can pose risk to our children, how can we support them in
keeping their information private and secure when using social media, games, and/or other
digital apps? Each month we will highlight one cyber awareness topic to support parents/
guardians with the information and tools they need to navigate these topics with their
children.
January's theme is Keeping your information private. For helpful tips related to managing your
child’s privacy and security settings on mobile devices, read through the info sheet from the
Educational Collaborative Network of Ontario (ECNO) by visiting https://ecno.org/wpcontent/uploads/2023/09/ECNO-CAM-Calendar-23-Aug3023_KeepInformationPrivate.pdf.
For additional activities and information, please refer to the Digital Citizenship resources for
parents/guardians that are available on the SCDSB website https://www.scdsb.on.ca/
elementary/safe_schools (see button for Mental Health & Well-being in Online Environments).
Join us! A learning series for parents/guardians with
Pine River Institute
Mental health and well-being continues to be a key strategic priority within the SCDSB. We are
pleased to continue our partnership with the Centre for Family Initiatives at Pine River Institute
(CFI@PRI) to provide several curated learning sessions focused on student mental health and
well-being to SCDSB families.
These webinars are specifically planned for parents/guardians and other caregivers during this
school year.
Jan. 11, 2024 Sleep hygiene
Feb. 8, 2024 Self regulation for kids
Feb. 22, 2024 Self regulation for teens
March 28, 2024 Building parents' resiliency
April 18, 2024 Vaping, weed, and alcohol
We hope you save these dates in your calendar and join us for these learning opportunities.
For more information and to register, please visit the SCDSB website: https://bit.ly/3jGaC74.
Pine River Institute is a live-in treatment centre and outdoor leadership experience for youth aged
13 to 19 struggling with addictive behaviours and often other mental health issues. Combining
therapy with a fully-accredited education program, PRI reinforces the healthy life skills required
for a successful future. CFI@PRI extends PRI’s knowledge, experience and evidence-informed
treatment approach to families and care providers in the community to support youth mental
wellness and prevent the need for more intensive interventions. Learn more about PRI by
visiting their website at www.pineriverinstitute.com.
Reporting achievement in language
Student achievement in language will be reported as one overall grade or mark on the term
one report card. The mark will reflect a student’s integrated learning across the four strands:
• Strand A - Literacy Connections and Applications
• Strand B - Foundations of Language
• Strand C - Comprehension; Understanding and Responding to Texts
Strand D - Composition; Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts
The grade will be accompanied by supporting comments that will indicate the student’s
strengths, describe growth in learning, and identify next steps for improvement.
For more information regarding the revised Language curriculum, visit
www.dcp.edu.gov.on.ca/en/key-changes-language to view a guide for parents/guardians
on the Ministry of Education website.
Mental health promotion strategy of the month - 2 x 10 Connecting
Well-being is a strategic priority in the Simcoe County District School Board, and our mental
health and well-being department provides monthly strategies to support student and family
well-being.
This month’s strategy is 2 x 10 Connecting. This practice helps to build rapport and the relationship between a caring adult and student, and to let the student see they are genuinely cared
about as a person.
To practice 2x10 Connecting at home, find a consistent time each day to spend two minutes
talking to your child about anything they would like to talk about for a period of 10 days. If
you have more than one child, switch who spends that time talking with you every 10 days or
find different times in the day to spend 2 minutes with each child.
Find more information to support your child's mental health here: https://smho-smso.ca/
parents-and-caregivers/.
2x10 Connecting resources:
Elementary - https://smho-smso.ca/emhc/self-awareness-and-sense-of-identity/mattering/2-x-10/
Secondary - https://smho-smso.ca/emhcsecondary/healthy-relationship-skills/being-a-goodfriend/connecting/
Stay healthy this school year
COVID and other respiratory infections can spread easily from person to person.
These germs can spread quickly when someone coughs or sneezes directly on another
person, or when germs land on hard surfaces like doorknobs, desks, and keyboards and then
are touched by someone else. These germs can then enter the body through the eyes, nose,
or mouth.
The most important thing you can do to keep from getting sick and stop the spread of germs
is wash your hands. Wash with soap and warm running water for at least 15 seconds (or try
singing Happy Birthday twice). If your hands are not visibly dirty you can use alcohol-based
hand sanitizer for 15 seconds. Also, make sure you are up to date with your immunizations,
cover coughs and sneezes, and stay home if you are sick. Teach your kids to do the same!
For more tips to keep you and your family healthy this school year, contact Health
Connection at 1-877-721-7520 or visit www.simcoemuskokahealth.org.
Information provided by The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.