Elementary School Update August 2010 - Selwyn House School

Elementary School Update
August 2010
Please note that in an effort to streamline the August mailing, we have put most of the information necessary
from now until Orientation Day in this Update.
The first mailbag (during the first week of school) given to the students will include several forms that need to be
filled out and returned for Wednesday, September 15, 2010.
Each Thursday, you will be emailed an Update which will give you all the news for the following week(s). This
Update is also posted on the school’s website. If there are forms that need to be sent home in hard copy, these will
be sent on Thursdays, and a note will appear in the Update to alert parents that their son should be bringing home
something in a paper mailbag.
The Parent-Student Handbook will be available on our website. Please ensure that you and your son read it.
• Orientation Day – Tuesday, September 7, 2010 (both summer and dress uniform acceptable)
All students (Gr. 1-6) are required to attend Orientation Day. Times will vary according to
grade and whether or not the students are new or returning students. Read carefully to find out at
what time you must arrive.
9:00 a.m. - All NEW students (Gr. 1-6) meet in the Rossy Agora in the Speirs Building. The boys will
meet with the teachers until 9:30 a.m. They will then join with the returning students in the
West Yard for an orientation session.
9:30 a.m. - All Grade 1-6 students (returning and new) meet in the West Yard. Students will
be assigned to homerooms and proceed directly to them with their teachers.
11:00 a.m. - All Grade 5 & 6 students will meet with their homeroom teachers and parents in
Rossy Agora.
11:15 a.m. - All students Grades 1 to 4 will be dismissed to their parents in the East Yard.
11:45 a.m. - Grades 5 & 6 students will be dismissed to their parents in the West Yard.
After dismissal, families are invited to join us in Coristine Hall for a BBQ lunch.
Please note that Kindergarten students and parents will meet with their teachers by
appointment on Tuesday, September 7 and Wednesday, September 8.

• Welcome Back BBQ is happening Rain or Shine! Bring the family on September 7, 2010 from
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Parents, children, siblings and teachers are invited to the first social event of
the year. We invite you all to enjoy a lunchtime BBQ with all your friends at Selwyn House! Hope
to see you all there, and welcome back!
• First Full Day of School (Grades 1-6) ~ Wednesday, September 8, 2010 (8:10 am): A full day of
regular classes will be followed as per a Wednesday schedule (Week 1). Dismissal at 3:25 pm.
Please note that Thursday, September 9 is Rosh Hashanah and the school will be closed.
• Weekly Schedule: Our ten-day block schedule runs from Monday to Friday, Week 1 and Week 2.
These days are fixed for the year and are noted on the calendar that is enclosed.
• Afterschool Programme: The ASP will begin on the first full day of school, September 3, 2009.
Clubs will not begin until the end of September.
• Student Absences or Lateness: Please call the School by 8:30 a.m. (Ms. Manal, ext 2235), should
your son miss morning attendance for any reason. Your son is required to bring a note upon his
return to school accounting for his absence or lateness.
• Dress Code: Please read the enclosed Dress Code carefully to make sure that purchases meet
uniform specifications. This is especially important in regard to shoes and the colour of shirts. Note
that shoes must be plain brown or plain black leather shoes in a conservative style. They may not
resemble running shoes, boots, or sandals. The shoes should be appropriate for wear with grey
uniform (dress) trousers. If you choose to go to Tony’s Shoes on Greene Avenue, their salesmen
know which shoes are appropriate. As well, they have offered to give the school 5% of each sale of
school shoes or running shoes for our Veritas Fund/endowment, so please make sure that the cashier
knows that this is a purchase for Selwyn House school shoes or running shoes. Trousers should be
suitable with a blazer and tie, not cotton pants. Shirts should be light blue or white. Summer
uniforms (see the Dress Code) will be permissible until Thanksgiving or until such time as the
administration deems them appropriate. Please note that full school uniform (blazer and tie) is
required for school assemblies and other formal occasions.
• Argyle Shop (New Uniforms) – Order forms can be dropped off throughout the summer (or faxed
to the School at 514-931-7152), and orders will be able to be picked up at the reception area as of
Tuesday, August 31, 2010, between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Order forms can be downloaded from
the Selwyn House web site under the heading My Selwyn, then Argyle Shop.
The Shop will re-open on Thursday, September 2, from 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. for exchanges only.
The Shop will also be open on the following days:
Tuesday, September 7, from 7:45 – 11:30 a.m.
Wednesday, September 8, from 7:45 – 9:30 a.m. and from 1:30 – 4:00 p.m.
The Shop will resume regular business hours as of Tuesday, September 14:
Tuesdays from 8:00 – 9:30 a.m.
Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Thursdays from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
• All Parents: School supply lists and reading lists were sent home in June 2010. If you have
misplaced these lists, you may find them on our website under My Selwyn > School News and Info.
• Elementary Arrival & Dismissal Protocol: The dismissal times for the East Yard are staggered to
allow for better traffic flow. Kindergarten will be dismissed at 3:20 p.m., Grade 1 at 3:25 p.m., and
Grade 2 at 3:30 p.m. Boys stand in their grade line, raise their hands, and the supervising teacher
will dismiss once eye-contact has been made with the guard or the pick-up parent. Laminated name
cards must be used so that the supervisor or security guard can identify the cars, allowing the boys to
get into their cars without the drivers having to get out. Older brothers or boys traveling by car pools
will be dismissed with the younger boys this year to eliminate unnecessary traffic on Cote Ste
Antoine. We request that once you have picked up your son(s), please do not turn onto Cote Ste
Antoine, but continue onto Sherbrooke Street to turn west. If you are walking (and we do encourage
this form of pick-up!), we ask that you wait by the Cote St Antoine gate for pick-up rather than
Argyle and leave the school area immediately as dismissal time is stressful for the supervising
teachers, security guard, and parents. Safety is our outmost concern. Although we cannot enforce the
next suggestion, we would strongly request that for both arrival and dismissal times, please use
Argyle Avenue as a south bound street only. Parking and crossing the street at these times, as well
as traveling north, is dangerous for all.
Boys who have not been picked up by 3:40 will be escorted to the front office and registered in the
Afterschool Program.
The dismissal times for the West Yard are also staggered to allow for better traffic flow. Grades 3
and 4 will be dismissed from the West Yard at 3:20 p.m. and Grades 5 and 6 at 3:30 p.m. The boys
will line up by grade on the staircase and watch for their pick-up. The boys will walk to the sidewalk
and use the curb-side car door. If Grade 3 and 4 boys have not been picked up by 3:30, they will
move to the area outside the front door to allow the Grade 5 and 6 to line up on the west stairs for
their dismissal. All brothers or car pools will be dismissed with the younger boy(s). If boys walk
home, we ask that they leave the school area immediately.
• School Photos: Individual and class photos will be taken on Wednesday, September 22. Full dress
uniform (including blazer, dress shirt, tie, dark socks and shoes) is required for Grades 3-6. No
summer uniforms please. Please ensure your son is well groomed.
• Parents’ Information Night (Grades 1-6): Please note that Parent Information Evening is on Thursday,
September 23, starting at 6:00 p.m. This is an important evening to meet all of your son’s teachers and
learn about the curriculum. More information to follow.
• Grade 6 Homeroom News: We would like to take this opportunity to say goodbye to Shannon
Little and to offer our very best wishes as she leaves Selwyn House to pursue other career
opportunities in Ontario. We are happy to announce that Michelle Koscis will replace Shannon
Little. Welcome Ms. Koscis.

• The Volunteer sign-up sheet is attached in this mailing. Please complete the sheet by Monday,
September 20, 2010. Your cooperation and participation are very much appreciated.
• Kindergarten – Grade 1 Parents: Would you like to see your son at lunchtime and meet other
parents? Volunteers are needed to serve lunch to Kindergarten and Grade 1 boys. It helps keep a
good flow in the dining hall for the younger ones who cannot serve themselves. All interested
parents should contact Lorna Denham at lorna.denham@sympatico.ca
• Lice Alert: Please inspect your sons’ scalps for lice or lice eggs. Information is available on the
health ministry web site www.msss.gouv.qc.ca , search “lice”. If you discover that your son does
have lice, would you please contact the school so that we have a sense of the extent of the outbreak.
Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated.
• Important Reminder: If you have moved during the summer or if you have a new telephone
number or e-mail address, please e-mail the changes to Kelli Poulin (poulink@selwyn.ca) by
September 7, 2010. The information gathered by this date will be used to create an Emergency
Phone Chain and the Student Directory. It is extremely important that this information is accurate. It
is your responsibility to e-mail the school any changes to your contact information. Thank you for
your cooperation.
• New Parents: Parents who are new to Selwyn House will recall that a Student Health Form was
given to them in May. This form, which should be filled out before the start of the school year by
your son’s physician in Canada, ensures that the school has up-to-date information on you son’s file
at all times. If you have not already done so, please return the completed form to the Admission
Office before your son starts school. This information is vital to the health and safety of your son
and the rest of the school population.