School Information

ERMA STEPHENSON BELL SCHEDULE

8:25 am- Warning bell rings
8:30 am- School is in session
10:10-10:25 am Recess
11:45 am-12:00 pm Students eat lunch in classrooms
12:00-12:30 pm Students play outside
12:30 pm Afternoon session begind
2:30 pm Dismissal
2:45 pm Outside Supervision ends

WAYS to STAY CONNECTED- School WEBSITE, APP and EMAIL

WEBSITE: our school website is your official source for information about the school. The website will be updated regularly and all important information will be located here. Please make sure to bookmark our school home page at www.surreyschools.ca/ermastephenson Be sure to check the calendar for dates regularly as dates sometimes change.

SCHOOL LINK APP- Go to the app store to get the free ‘schoollink’ app (iphone and android). Choose to ‘follow’ Erma. Turn on all notifications and you will receive updates directly to your phone each time the school website has been updated.

REPORTING STUDENT ABSENCES

We understand that there are times students are late or need to miss school. Please contact the school office at by email at ermastephenson@surreyschools.ca or call 604-583-5419 before 9:00 am to let us know your child will be absent. This saves us from making phone calls to ensure the children are safe! We have an answering service to take messages if you call outside of office hours. Please state your child’s first and last name, their division or teacher’s name, and the reason for the absence (ex. “ill” or “doctor’s appointment”, etc.)

VALUABLES AT SCHOOL

Please do not send any valuables to school with your child. This includes iPods, headphones, cell phones, cameras, electronic games or other expensive items. The school will not take responsibility for lost or damaged personal items.

SICK CHILDREN AT SCHOOL

Sick children at school may increase the likelihood that colds, flu, and other infections or viruses will spread throughout the school population. If your child is sick, please keep him/her at home until well enough to resume full school activities, including outdoor recess and physical education classes. If your child has been vomiting, please keep them home for at least 24 hours after the vomiting has stopped. If your child becomes ill at school, it is very important that the school have the current home, work, or emergency contact phone numbers.

USE OF SCHOOL TELEPHONES

Students are always able to make any emergency calls home from the office if required and we are more than happy to get important messages to your child during the school day. Students do, however, need to make any ‘social’ plans ahead of time, not from the school phone. Students are not to use classroom phones without teacher permission.

LUNCH POLICY

We are asking students to bring their lunch to school with them each day and not have lunch delivered to the office. This will really help by:

Keeping our main hallway and office area clear and calm
Allowing our teachers to use their instructional time right to the bell
Giving students their full 20 minutes to wash hands, eat and put away their lunch bag
Allowing students to eat with their classmates
Keeping the classroom and hallways calm
Giving students a full 30 minutes of time outside to play!

While we appreciate how wonderful a hot, homemade, fresh lunch is, a great breakfast and a wonderful supper in the evening are still great to look forward to! Please know that when your child has a special celebration, once in a while, and you need to drop off a lunch, it’s still okay! Please drop off your labelled lunch bag to the lunch table by 11:30 am. If there is a specific dietary concern or issue, we are happy to help.

ALLERGY AWARENESS

Please be reminded that several Erma students have severe anaphylactic reactions to peanuts, nuts and their by-products. Please help us in committing to do everything possible to protect these students. Please do not send food to school that contain peanuts/nuts, remind your children to wash their hands carefully after eating, remind your children not to share or trade snacks and do not use these products in any treats you may send to the classroom during the year. Thank you for your continued understanding and cooperation as we work together to make our school a safe environment for all students.

EXTENDED VACATIONS

When children are absent from school, the continuity of their educational programs is often disrupted, resulting in gaps in learning. It is sometimes difficult for teachers to send work home as children lack the understanding gained through instruction. Missed school time also makes it difficult for teachers to accurately assess how your child is progressing. We strongly encourage you to schedule vacations during school holidays. If possible, please also schedule appointments outside of school hours. When possible, teachers will save missed work to be completed upon the student’s return.

School District Policy states that students who are away from school for more than 25 days in a row for vacations are not guaranteed a place in the class or school when they return. This rule is strictly enforced at our school as classes are very full and we have many families wanting to register during the year. The learning that happens at school cannot occur properly on vacation. If your family is planning an extended vacation, please notify the office and we will send home a letter outlining specific policies and procedures.

BIKES AND WHEELS ON SCHOOL PROPERTY

We love having students ride bikes, scooters, skateboards, rollerblades, etc. to school but please make sure all of your children are getting off their ‘wheels’ when they get on the school grounds. Helmets are required for all ‘wheel riders’ as well. Ebikes may not be charged at school or stored insude school buildings.

E-scooters are not allowed on public property in the city of Surrey, as such they are not permitted on school grounds.

CELL PHONES/PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY

While we appreciate that many parents have provided cell phones and devices for students’ learning and/or safety, we remind you that due to the open WiFi, students are NOT PERMITTED to have these devices outside or in the classroom unless supervised by a teacher. Students may only use these devices with TEACHER PERMISSION. When not in use, devices and phones should be kept in their backpacks for safe keeping. If you need to reach your child during the day, please CALL THE SCHOOL OFFICE, not their cell phones! Students wishing to bring devices to school to use for learning MUST have a use agreement/permission form signed by parents and approved by their teacher.

DOGS ON SCHOOL PROPERTY

Dogs are not permitted on school grounds at any time. If you are going to walk to/from school with your dog, please arrange to meet your child on the sidewalk around the school.

GOING GREEN

In an effort to reduce our recycling, we are asking students not to bring single-use containers (juice boxes, cans or milk containers) to school. If you are sending a drink with your child, please use a reusable container that goes home each day. Any juice boxes, cans, bottles or milk cartons brought to school will be sent home empty with your child to recycle at home. In order to conserve paper, School newsletters and updates will be posted on the school website. Please visit the website to be placed on our mailing list. Thank you for your cooperation as we all work together to take care of our environment.

LOST and FOUND

Lost and Found items are kept in a bin by the gym. When items are missing, please check the child’s classroom first then the lost and found area. Please check the lost and found regularly. Items that are unclaimed at the end of each term will be donated to a local charity. Please make sure you mark your children’s items with their name.

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

In the event of an emergency (fire, earthquake, bomb threat, etc.), the school has policies and procedures in place to ensure your child’s safety. All schools have regularly scheduled fire and earthquake drills to prepare for these emergencies.

In the event of an emergency, all classes meet in our designated area on the basketball court. Attendance is taken to ensure all students and adults are accounted for. The school will remain open until all students have been picked up by an authorized contact person for your child. Please make sure you inform the office if any of your contact information has changed. If our site is unsafe, our off-site assembly area is at Dogwood Elementary School.

PARENT PARKING AND DROP OFF/PICK UP

THE STAFF PARKING LOT is for staff parking. Public parking is permitted in our Visitor’s Parking Area (the angled parking at the front of the school) and along the road in LEGAL zones. Visitor’s MAY NOT PARK in any part of the school or parking lot driveways. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and the reason simply has to do with the growing number of staff members and the safety of students in our parking lot.