A Safe and Inclusive Halloween at EFPS

Dear Fairclough Families:

 Staff at EFPS have been busy creating inclusive environments by spending a large amount of time getting to know their students. As we come closer to Halloween, staff have ensured that any activity that happens this Friday October 30th is designed in such a way that all students can participate. Your child may choose to wear a costume on this day if they wish.

At this time, it is important to remember that the York Region District School Board’s Safe Schools Policy #668.0 in accordance with the Ontario Safe Schools Act, includes the following criteria:

A student shall not engage in the following act:

(a) possessing a weapon or replica weapon, including a firearm.

Students choosing to wear a costume at our school must comply with the above stated policy. Costume accessories including, but not limited to, toy guns, knives, axes, swords, light sabers etc. are not in compliance with York Region District School Board’s Safe Schools Policy #668.0. As well, costumes should not have excessively gory or scary features (i.e. blood) as this is inappropriate for a school setting.

Please note that the above policy applies to all students at all levels, including Kindergarten.

Parents are asked to keep any toy weapons and costume props at home, particularly for our primary students.

A reminder as well that we are a nut safe school and parents should ensure that no treats that come to school have any nuts. We also ask that parents only send one or two treats a day to reinforce healthy eating habits. 

For those families who will be going door to door for treats please remember the following Halloween safety tips from (http://www.cdc.gov/family/halloween/):

Swords, knives, and other costume accessories should be short, soft, and flexible.

Avoid trick-or-treating alone. Walk in groups or with a trusted adult.

Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers see you.

Examine all treats for choking hazards and tampering before eating them. Limit the amount of treats you eat.

Hold a flashlight while trick-or-treating to help you see and others see you. WALK and don't run from house to house.

Always test make-up in a small area first. Remove it before bedtime to prevent possible skin and eye irritation. 

Look both ways before crossing the street. Use crosswalks wherever possible.

Lower your risk for serious eye injury by not wearing decorative contact lenses.

Only walk on sidewalks whenever possible, or on the far edge of the road facing traffic to stay safe.

Wear well-fitting masks, costumes, and shoes to avoid blocked vision, trips, and falls.

Eat only factory-wrapped treats. Avoid eating homemade treats made by strangers.

Enter homes only if you're with a trusted adult. Only visit well-lit houses. Never accept rides from strangers.

Never walk near lit candles or luminaries. Be sure to wear flame-resistant costumes.

Homework Club   Takes Place  In The Library Click Here for Sign-up Forms    Time - 2:40pm to 4:30pm

Dental Screening Dental Screening will be for JK and Gr 8 students only this year on the following dates. Nov. 30 Dec 6

Ellen Fairclough PS: Before and After Care for Students!

We have the opportunity to start and before and after care program for our students if we have enough interest. The program would be run by Upper Canada Chid Care:

http://www.uppercanadachildcare.com

Please contact 905-472-0555 or email davidsuzuki@uppercanadachildcare.com to indicate your interest and as soon as we have enough registered families we will start a program. 

Please see the attached forms for the Fee Schedule. Fee assistance is also available!

http://www.uppercanadachildcare.com

Parent Survey

We are always interested in gathering input from our community around how we can best provide you with resources and information.

If you have a moment we ask that you complete a 1 minute survey that will help us tailor our parent workshops and conversation cafes to best meet your needs.

The survey can be found by clicking on the link below:

https://goo.gl/MfRLOi

  

To all those celebrating Thanksgiving, I would like to wish you and your families a very happy celebration.

School Parent Council Meeting Wednesday Oct. 14th Start Time - 6:30   End Time - 7:30 Location - EFPS Library

Safety Awareness Week - Sept. 28th - Oct 2nd

Safety Awareness week was a success at EFPS. It is a week where staff and students engaged in activities around maintaining a safe school in the event of an emergency. During this week we had two fire drills, including a lunch time fire drill. Our students are confidently able to follow routines and procedure in exiting the building in a calm and orderly manner. As well we had a lockdown drill on Friday October 2nd that was supported by our Community Police Officer J. Davison. A lockdown drill is when staff, students, and visitors within a school go into the nearest secured space (such as a classroom) and remain out of the line of sight from a would be intruder. The Feedback from our Police Partners was that our staff and student did a fantastic job of being safe and secure!

Terry Fox Run - EFPS Supports Cancer Research!

On Friday October 2nd, staff and students at EFPS participated in the Terry Fox Run! We were proud as a school to be able to raise over $375.75 in support of cancer research and the continuation of Terry's dream to find a cure for cancer!