School Handbook

Chester Ronning School provides a full educational program for children in Kindergarten to Grade 5. In addition to core learning in English Language Arts and Literature, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies, all students receive a complement of non-core programming including Physical Education, Music and Art. Students in grades 2 to 5 receive STEAM classes each week. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) Students in grades 4 and 5 also receive French as a Second Language instruction. The Circle of Courage (see below for a thorough explanation) guides our character education program and staff and students follow this philosophy in developing a sense of community in which all are valued. 

For the safety of our students and staff, we request that all visitors to the school report to the general office upon arrival. Except for the front door, all exterior doors remain locked while classes are in session. Guests are expected to sign in and sign out at the office and wear a visitor ID card while they are in the building.  Parents or others who are dropping off items for students will generally be asked to leave the item at the office and the student will be called down at break time to retrieve it.  

At the end of the day, parents of Grade K-5 students are asked to wait outside the school for their child to join them after the final bell goes.  

Parents have the responsibility to inform the school about any chronic illnesses or medical conditions their children may experience (E.g.: diabetes, asthma, epilepsy, allergies).  This information is usually provided on the registration forms completed in September or upon registration to the school.  If your child’s medical information changes in the course of the year, please contact the school office.

ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATION

BRSD Administrative Procedure 316: Medication Administration to a Student stipulates school staff members are not permitted to administer non-prescription drugs to a student.  Parents may request that ongoing prescription medication be administered to a student during school hours when the following conditions have been met:

• Request in writing and signed by a physician using BRSD #31 form 316-1;
• Specify the time(s) at which such medication is to be administered;
• Specify the exact dosage to be administered;
• Specify the duration of the treatment; and
• Outline procedure(s) to be followed in case of adverse reaction.

RESPONDING TO SEVERE ALLERGIES

Anaphylactic reactions are severe, life-threatening allergic reactions. While we cannot guarantee an allergen-free school environment, we recognize the dangers faced by students and staff with severe or anaphylactic reactions (allergies) to foods and take reasonable measures to ensure a safe environment for all. 

Chester Ronning School is an allergy-aware school. We encourage all families to send lunch items that are peanut-free and tree-nut-free. When parents disclose a severe food allergy, we will respond on a case-by-case basis, adjusting classroom/school expectations to help maintain safety for all students. We rely on parents to communicate information about children with severe or anaphylactic reactions. All students who have anaphylaxis reactions, either to food or insect stings, are expected to provide an EpiPen to be stored at the school.

ACCIDENTS AND ILLNESS AT SCHOOL

When a student becomes ill, he/she should notify the classroom teacher. When the student is too ill to remain in class, the teacher will send the student to the sick room and inform the office.  If a child is too sick to remain in class, they are too ill to remain at school and parents will be contacted and asked to come pick up their child. Parents who are unable to pick up their children should make alternate arrangements with a friend or relative to pick up their sick child.  

Minor abrasions or cuts will be cared for at the school.  If the accident is suspected to be of a serious nature, the parent/guardian will be notified immediately. To aid us in the protection of your child’s health/safety, we ask parents to complete an information form indicating the special health considerations for your child.  These forms are sent home with each student in September. Optional accident insurance forms are also sent home with the students at the beginning of the term.

 Please inform the school of any new developments regarding your child’s health.

ABSENCES DUE TO ILLNESS

School attendance is of utmost importance. However, we all share responsibility for the overall health of our school community and we strongly urge parents to keep students home from school where they can be properly cared for if they have been exposed to an illness where isolation from others is recommended and/or when suffering from a fever, persistent cough, vomiting, diarrhea or pink/crusty eyes. By taking the time to rest and recover from illness, students often resume their full learning capacity more quickly and help to limit the spread of infections.

See also: Battle River School Division Administrative Procedure 330 - Student Attendance

Regular and punctual attendance contributes significantly to students’ sense of BELONGING and their ability to develop MASTERY and INDEPENDENCE through their academic success at school. According to the Education Act, children between the ages of 6 and 16 are legally required to attend school and their regular attendance is the responsibility of the parent/guardian. Achieving regular student attendance, however, should be a cooperative endeavour between parents, teachers, and school administrators and we are here to support families in achieving it.  

Daily attendance is electronically recorded and will be available to parents on PowerSchool. This information will also be monitored by classroom teachers, school administration and the Family -School Liaison Worker. Attendance information will inform school-home communication when there becomes a pattern of unexcused lates or absences.  Punctuality is also important for the smooth operation of the school and students are expected to be at school and in their classrooms on time.  

Parents are requested to notify the school regarding each child’s absence by phoning or emailing the school anytime before 8:15 a.m. to leave a message stating the reason for the absence.  Parents wishing to take students early for appointments must contact the office prior to removing students from the school. The school email is chesterronning-aa@brsd.ab.ca and the phone number is 780-672-5588.

Teachers will take attendance twice daily - before 8:45 am in the morning and before 12:30 pm in the afternoon. Parents will receive an automated phone call to notify them when their child has been marked absent at morning attendance.  

CRS LATE POLICY

Late arrivals disrupt the learning of all students by delaying lessons and/or interrupting learning. Furthermore, it is important for students to learn responsibility for their schedules and punctual attendance as they grow ever closer to becoming employable members of our community. At CRS, we consider students late when they arrive after the morning announcements start at 8:20 a.m.

The following procedures are to be used for all students arriving late to class:

Procedures:

1. Students arriving late are required to check in at the office and pick up a late slip.
2. When students arrive late for class, the Administrative Assistant will mark them as such in the PowerSchool attendance roster.
3. If a student is chronically late, the homeroom teacher will place a phone call to the parent/guardian to develop a plan to improve punctual attendance. If unable to reach the family by phone, teachers will attempt to connect via other means such as email or classroom communication apps.
4. If the parent/guardian and the teacher are unable to develop a successful improvement plan, a school administrator will become involved.

MONITORING AND SUPPORTING ABSENTEEISM

There are many different reasons why a student may be absent from school on a given day. 

At CRS, excused absences from compulsory attendance match those outlined in Section 13(5) of the School Act. These include:

1. sickness or other unavoidable causes,
2. religious holiday,
3. suspension from school,
4. expulsion from school, and
5. legal exemption from compulsory attendance

Because of different circumstances, it can be very difficult to fit all families into a strict set of expectations for student attendance. However, the following procedures describe the general process for identifying and addressing student attendance concerns:

Procedures:

1. Teachers will place a phone call to parents/guardians when they judge the unexcused absences to begin impacting student learning, academic success and/or social development. If unable to reach the family by phone, teachers will attempt to connect via other means such as email or classroom communication apps.
2. If irregular attendance persists, the school administration will become involved.
3. School administration will monitor student attendance weekly and monthly. 
1. Students whose attendance falls below 50% in a month will have their parents/guardians contacted to discuss challenges contributing to irregular attendance and to develop a plan to get students to school.
2. Students whose attendance falls below 80% in a month will be referred to their homeroom teacher for school-home communication. 
4. Students who have been previously identified by the classroom teacher and/or the school administrators will be monitored weekly. If attendance is not improving and the student’s attendance falls below 80% in consecutive months, a formal letter or concern will be issued to the family and cc'd to the Chief Attendance Officer.
5. After a formal letter of concern has been issued, student attendance will be monitored weekly by school administrators. If attendance falls below 80% for a third consecutive month, they will be referred to the Chief Attendance Officer for additional steps and possible referral to the Provincial Attendance Board.

School Council consists of a group of parents, staff and community members who collaboratively promote the well-being and effectiveness of the school community.  The school council is an effective way of providing input and support to the school. All parents are encouraged to become involved in our school council. Meetings are generally once per month and are announced through newsletters and School Messenger.  The mission statement of our school Council is:

“Chester Ronning School Council strives to promote school spirit and educational opportunities by envisioning future goals through communication and support”.

Students attending Chester Ronning School are expected to dress in a manner that supports a positive learning environment and that supports student safety during regular indoor and outdoor school activities. This includes but is not limited to:

• Wearing socks so that bare feet do not contact high-traffic hallways and floors
• Outdoor footwear will be removed in the boot rooms and separate clean indoor footwear will be worn indoors
• Wearing non-marking, clean indoor athletic shoes that the student can independently tie/fasten for gym use
• Outdoor clothing worn to the school each day that is suitable for the seasons and expected weather
• Choosing clothing that is respectful and sensitive to the needs and values of everyone. Consider: Is the clothing I am wearing appropriate for the school setting?
• Underclothing will not be visible
• Pictures, logos or slogans are not suitable if they contain profanity or images and/or messages that may be understood as hurtful, harmful or not age-appropriate for an elementary school

LABELING CLOTHING AND SUPPLIES:  

Parents are asked to clearly label clothing when possible, especially coats, and footwear.  Each class has been assigned racks for outdoor footwear.

HATS AND OTHER HEADWEAR

Students may wear headwear in the hallways. However, each teacher’s discretion will determine whether students may wear hats, toques, hoods or other headwear in class. Some students may have special accommodations to wear headwear even in classes where most students are expected to remove their hats, etc.

At the beginning of the year, each student is assigned a locker to use for the school year. Students are expected to keep their lockers closed throughout the day, and to keep them clean and tidy.

Only items that are necessary and appropriate for school should be kept in the locker.  The school administration reserves the right to search any locker if it is suspected of containing dangerous or illegal materials, or items that are inappropriate for a school setting. Students will not be permitted to place a lock on their locker door as school staff will not be responsible for helping students to unlock locks or to keep track of keys. Consequently, any locks placed on lockers will be removed by an administrator.

Students are discouraged from bringing toys, trading cards or valuable items to school. If students choose to do so, they do so at their own risk as the school assumes no responsibility for lost, stolen or damaged items. Aggressive and/or violent toys such as guns and swords are not permitted at school.

As per the Province of Alberta's Ministerial Order (#014/2024), personal mobile devices (cell phones, tablets, smartwatches, etc.) are not permitted in schools during instructional time unless there are educational and/or medical reasons outlined in a student's individual program (SSP). Please refer to BRSD Administrative Procedure 135 - Use of Personal Mobile Devices and Social Media in Schools for additional information. Chester Ronning School does not permit the use of personal devices at recess time or other non-instructional times.

Students who bring cell phones, smartwatches or other electronic devices to school are asked to keep them in their lockers on silent during the day, including at recess. If parents need to contact their child during the day, they should call the office and leave a message which will be passed on to their child.  

Personal devices must not be used to take photographs at school under any circumstances.