School Handbook

"Learning for All"

The Saltcoats School Community is dedicated to creating a positive school climate in which students can reach their full potential.  The commitment of students, staff, parents, and community members is essential to the school's success in meeting the wide range of needs and demands of today's society.  Our focus will be in maintaining a balanced program to promote academics, citizenship, athletics, and personal growth. We encourage all stakeholders to have an active role in our school's operation.  Together we can make sure that all of our children have the necessary skills and experiences to take their rightful places in our communities.

• Chairperson- Tina Nabozniak
• Vice-Chair – Kim Daigneault

The School Community Council is a vital part of our school.  Meetings run on a monthly basis and everyone is welcome to attend.  The Annual General Meeting is held each year in November and elections for the following year occur during this time.  We would encourage parents and community members to consider becoming involved in our school community council!!

"TLC"

Thinking Beyond

Learning for All

Caring for Ourselves and Others

Staff Directory

Director: Mr. Quintin Robertson

Superintendent of Schools: Mr. Mark Forsythe

Local Board Member: Mrs. Lois Smandych

Student Services Coordinator: Mrs. Cindy van Eeden

Transportation Manager: 

Good Spirit School Division- "Students Come First"

We believe in setting high standards for our students, both in learning and behaviour.  This means that, for a positive and relaxed learning environment, students are managed in a firm but fair, compassionate manner.  Learning is optimized when behavioural expectations are known, consequences are logical, and when students are provided with the opportunity to make appropriate choices.  At Saltcoats School, we endeavour to utilize a discipline plan which teaches positive relationships and promotes learning.  We hope to accomplish this through supporting students' efforts in making good choices and meeting behavioural expectations.

Students are expected to show pride in and respect for our school facility.  In an effort to ensure the cleanliness of our school:

• All outdoor footwear is to be removed at the entry point into the school building
• Sunflower seeds are prohibited within the school facility and the playground area
• Our school is used by other community groups and therefore we encourage all students to assist us in maintaining cleanliness in our washrooms and hallways.

We believe that how we dress affects our attitude and our behaviour, and we try to encourage good sense in school clothing.  Some very popular shirts, t-shirts, and caps have logos or statements on them that we do not feel are appropriate for wear at school.  Clothing with vulgar language or suggestive thought, alcohol, drug or tobacco logos, or that is too revealing is not acceptable at school.  Students who come to school wearing such items will be asked to change into something more appropriate.  All students are required to have both indoor (non-scuffing) and outdoor shoes, it is a courtesy to our custodian that students remove their outside shoes in the entrance.  Students are required to wear their indoor shoes at all times.  This is important in the event of a fire drill or actual fire.

We rely on the good judgement of parents in determining what kinds of clothing children should wear.  Students should dress appropriately for the weather, and since all students are encouraged to go out for recess, this is particularly important.

Every year we stress the importance of having students wear proper physical education attire.  The wearing of gym shorts (or sweat pants) facilitates easier mobility and running shoes are a must as far as the health aspect of physical education is concerned.  Gym wear apparel should be stored neatly in the classroom or in lockers, and should be taken home for laundering as required.

Please assist us by labelling all coats, boots, mittens, scarves, backpacks, lunch boxes and school supplies.  This will help us a great deal when things get lost.  Ball caps, toques, hats, hoods are to be removed upon entering the building.

Items such as cell phones, cameras, and other electronics should be left at home.  We understand that some students carry a cell phone during the trip to and from school.  If this is the case, the cell phone should be turned off, kept in the student's locker so that use does not disrupt the class operations.  Any important messages needed to be relayed to or from your son or daughter should be done through the school office and not through text messaging.  Should a student need to access their electronics during the day- they need to talk to their homeroom teacher or the principal- then use the device under supervision once permission is granted.

Newsletters and the school website are two of the main forms of communication the school has with families. Newsletters are distributed once a month. They are sent home with the youngest or only child in the family, emailed upon request and posted on the website.

An integral part of the education provided at Saltcoats School is the out-of- school learning experiences.  Parents will be given advance written notice of any out-of-school trips.  In most cases, transportation is provided for students both to and from the activity however, there are instances when students will be required to have parents pick them up from an activity.

Bussing is a very important facet of our rural school. Over half of our students travel to and from school each day on a school bus and all of our students will ride on a GSSD school bus at least once throughout the school year for a variety of reasons. It is therefore important that all students adhere to the rules and regulations set out by the Good Spirit School Division as well as the directives of the individual bus driver. All guidelines established by the bus drivers are for the safety and well being of our students while in transit.

We ask that parents do their best to have their children ready for their daily pick up time. If your child will not be on the bus please notify your bus driver in advance if at all possible. If your child will be be riding the bus home, please inform your bus driver ahead of time to eliminate delays in bus departure from the school. It is also very important that the bus drop off points in front of our school be respected as such and are not used for parking throughout the school day. We ask for your cooperation and appreciate your efforts in keeping the loading and unloading for buses only.

If you have concerns regarding busing issues, please discuss these with your child's bus driver.  In the event that you have further concerns, please feel free to contact the Principal or Transportation Manager at the Good Spirit Division Office in Yorkton.

The school phone is a business phone.  All students must ask a teacher for permission to use the phone.  If a teacher feels the request is reasonable, the student will be given permission to use the phone.  It is expected that students will make social arrangements with their parents before or after school – not during the school day.

School Schedule

• Morning Bell: 8:50 a.m.
• School Begins: 8:55 a.m.
• Morning Recess: 10:20 - 10:35 a.m.
• Noon Hour: 11:55 - 12:55 p.m.
• Afternoon Recess: 2:35 – 2:45 p.m.
• Dismissal: 3:25 bus students/3:30 p.m. town students

Supervision of Students

Teachers provide supervision for students from 8:40 to 8:55 a.m., at recesses and noon hour.  Students are requested to arrive at school no sooner than 15 minutes prior to bell time (this includes the lunch hour) unless they are involved in a school activity.  Students are expected to go directly home after school unless they are involved in a classroom or school activity with the prior knowledge of their parents/guardians.  Students are expected to be in areas where supervision is provided and to remain on school property during recess and noon hours.  All bus students are required to remain at the school throughout the duration of the noon hour unless a dated, written parental consent has been received by their homeroom teacher.

School Fees

A student fee is assessed so that we can do a bulk purchase of many school supplies.  Students will be provided with most of their material needs through this system.  By doing bulk orders we are able to keep fees to a minimum and ensure uniformity of supplies.  Parents/guardians are asked to pay these fees on registration day or shortly thereafter.

​Attendance

The homeroom teacher takes attendance every morning and afternoon immediately after the 8:55 a.m. and 12:55 p.m. bell.  We ask that Parents/Guardians assist us by notifying the school either by phone or Edsby,  if your child will be absent on a given day.  Our answering machine is available 24 hours a day. You may leave a message explaining your child's absence.  If student has an unexplained absence as of 9:30 am, a phone call will be made to parents via our School Messenger system.   If you receive a call, please notify the school as to why the student is absent.  This could be a phone call or you can use the Edsby app.   

Regular attendance and punctuality are very important.  We assume that all students are able to meeting these criteria.  Students who must be absent, however, are responsible for making up missed work.  Whenever possible, please make appointments (dentist, physician, etc.) outside of school time.  Should your child be absent for several days, please keep his/her teacher informed regarding a return date. 

We understand that many parents have the opportunity to take vacations during the school year.  Such chances for family time and exploration of different places, add a dimension to young children's understanding of the world that cannot be learned in a classroom.  We ask parents to be aware, however, of the teacher's plans and their child's learning needs when making plans.  Although teachers do their best to help, they simply do not have the capacity to make up for lost time by preparing learning material beforehand or retesting afterwards.  Because learning no longer depends as much upon textbooks and worksheets, it is often impossible for teachers to provide instructional material for children heading out on vacation.  It is important for parents to know that when children are vacationing during instructional time they may disrupt small group assignments, miss important concepts or key learning strategies.

Academic (Grade 7 & 8)

• Awarded to students who maintain an average of 80% or over in Language Arts, Math Science, Social Studies, & Health

Most Improved Student (Grade 8)

• Awarded to the student who shows the greatest overall improvement in work habits, work ethic, academic average, social maturity and attitude.

Highest Average (Grade 7 & 8)

• Awarded to a grade 7 and 8 student with the highest combined average in Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies & Health

The Mustang Award for Citizenship (Grade 7 & 8)

• Awarded to those students who demonstrate what it means to be a Mustang
• That is, they are conscientious of academic responsibilities, respectful and caring of teachers, support staff, peers and themselves.  They promote their school and community by participating in various extracurricular and/or school activities.

Athletic Award (Grade 7 & 8)

• Awarded to those students who participate in the required amount of sport activities that are offered throughout the school year.  Recipients of this award must demonstrate sportsmanship, cooperation, dedication as well as acceptable school conduct.

Ryan Neal Memorial Leadership Award (Gr. 7 & 8)

• Awarded to two students who demonstrate leadership qualities.  These students participate in school activities, encourage others to do their best, are respectful, show commitment, and do their best in all activities (academic, athletic, and social).