Evelyn Harrison P.S.

I've been hesitating posting about this because I'm anxious about it, but delaying to get information isn't helping :-S I've decided to send my kids to school starting Monday. My DD would be in Grade 3 (turned 8 y.o. in Nov. 2010) and DS will be be in Grade 1 (turned 6 y.o. in Oct 2010). I shall be contacting the school board Monday morning to register.

Our local school is Evelyn Harrison P.S : http://www.tvdsb.ca/EvelynHarrison.cfm?subpage=2692

I would love help re: preparing, please, especially from folks who have children in the same school.

What are the food restrictions on the school? (i.e. peanut-free or tree-nut and peanut-free etc.)

What supplies is each child expected to have? How big should the backpack be? Is it expected that the lunchbox/bag fit in the backpack?

What other gear are they expected to wear and have? (like snow pants, change of clothes, gym shoes etc.)

I would guess all gear needs to be labeled? I guess I will need to get creative and busy!

What is the scheduling like for the school and these grades? (i.e. when are breaks scheduled etc.).

What is the policy around washroom use for students?

How often does this school have specicial events that involve food? (i.e. like some schools have every 2 weeks a pizza day). My kids are gluten-, corn-, soy- etc, free, so I will need to plan ahead for events so they won't be left out.

What is your general impression of the school/families/teachers/admins?

Any other questions I should be asking? / Any considerations I'm missing?

Thank you for reading my saga and for helping me/us with this big transition.

No advice - just sending some positive energy and I hope you are at peace with your decision!

I think that the expectations regarding clothing/supplies are fairly standard, so, as far as outerwear they would be expected to come prepared for the weather ie snowpants, hats, mitts etc right now. All clothing items should be labelled.....as should lunch pail and backpack. Generally a non-marking gym shoe is also required for PE. These should be labelled. Backpacks are most usefull if they are big enough to fit a school planner (standard notebook size), lunchpail, and possible a change of clothing (for your son)....but there really aren't restrictions on what they MUST fit if that makes sense.

HTH

Hope they have a great school experience.

Most of those are based on the individual teacher/class.

Most schools are completely nut-free these days. Which is pretty easy to work around. As long as they don't have a child in the class with an allergy -most times things that say “may contain nuts“ but doesn't list nuts in ingredients is ok. If there is an allergy in class they may be more specific.

They will need indoor shoes (just buy a basic pair of shoes for in school that stay there). I've never labelled DS stuff and haven't had an issue - you may want to label for gr1, but gr3 should be fine for her to identify her own stuff.

Just dress them as you would for the day - snow boots, snowpants, hat, mitts - if you would put them in snowpants to go outside then I would put them in them for school - your choice.

Grade 1 may need change of clothes but depends on teacher or if you feel he could have an accident- grade 3 wouldn't.

Most classes are good with allowing kids to use bathroom when they ask. Usually its 1 boy/1 girl allowed out at a time - so they may have to wait till someone gets back. Older classes often have sign out (and some gr 3-5)- so don't have to ask but only 1 boy/1 girl at a time.

Most schools have pizza days or healthy lunches every 2 weeks.
Good luck - hope they have a great time.

Also - it is much easier if the lunchbag fits in the backpack so they don't have to carry 2 things. Size of backpack depends on how much the teacher gives out - gr 1 may just be planner - gr 3 could include math book for homework some nights.

I don't have experience with that specific school but I found this link: Evelyn Harrison P.S.

It looks like there are some food days scheduled this year... see the Year at a glance on the bottom. Most schools have a monthly Newsletter that comes home each month. I would ask for a copy when you register your kids.

Along with a backpack I would send a pencil case with pencils , an eraser and pencil crayons or crayons. The teacher will probably give your kids a planner that they are expected to take back and forth to school with them each day. It makes communicating with the teacher re: appointments, homework etc. quite simple as they check it each day.

Weather appropriate clothes for recess and non marking indoor shoes for gym are usually required.

My girls loved school and although homeschooling is working wonderfully for us right now I wouldn't hesitate to send them back and feel good about it if our needs changed. It was a positive experience for us. Good luck in your new school adventures!

Oh one more small thing, I used to try to remember to send my girls with a spare pair of socks in their backpacks. Changing back and forth between boots/shoes multiple times a day in the wet halls often lead to wet socks and I didn't want them to be uncomfortable for the rest of the day. :)

Evelyn Harrison P.S.

this is where the scheduled breaks are posted

Quote:

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Grade 1 may need change of clothes but depends on teacher or if you feel he could have an accident- grade 3 wouldn't.

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I was suggesting a change of clothing for grade 1s (I teach grade 1) not out of fear of accidents but rather because IME with grade 1s, especially boys, they like to jump in puddles, or “accidently“ roll around in wet snow, or spill paint on themselves etc :) I usually request a pair of old pants and a shirt if possible in the backpacks....JIC :)

Thank you ladies. As usual, you are awesome! Got to read over everythng again to take more detailed notes.

Hoping my kids take the transition better than I've been!

Do I need to send my kids with notebooks? Or an empty binder? If so, what type? (hard or soft shell). Does the pencil case need to be that one can be clipped in to the binder?

I wouldn't worry about that stuff for day 1. Individual teachers have different preferences as far as binders and such. Generally, I have found that they need a binder beyone grade 4. I doubt either of yours will. The teacher usually will give them the 3 brad duo tangs for some subjects. Any pencil case is fine.

I don't know about that school but at my public school not everyone participates in food days. My son doesn't like most of the options so I don't order for him but by no means does he feel left out. I just send his regular lunch as usual.

Big hugs and I'm sure the transition will go smoothly.

Hah Siana, I knew you'd get it out there somehow LOL. I too am coming onto LM for info about our school. Talk soon :-)

Karen

D'oh, I thought they needed new/clean sneakers, so they didn't have any today. Whoops!

How did it go, Siana? Did they start?

Yes! They've enjoyed it so far. Day 3 tomorrow :) Thanks for asking :)