A.D.S. Elementary School

Dear ADS Families,

As we embark on a new school year, it is with immense excitement and joy that we extend our warmest greetings to each of you. The school is alive with anticipation, and we are filled with hope for the amazing journey that lies ahead.

Your support is invaluable to us—you are an integral part of our school family and your child(ren)’s success. This year is brimming with opportunities for learning, growth, and creating cherished memories together.

With our dedicated educators, enthusiastic students, and your unwavering support, we are ready to cultivate a vibrant learning community where each day brings new opportunities for exploration and discovery. Together, we will embrace diversity, encourage creativity, and nurture the potential in every child.

We look forward to witnessing the achievements, milestones, and shared moments that will shape this year. Thank you for trusting us with the privilege of guiding your child's educational journey. Let’s make this school year truly exceptional, filled with wonder, growth, and success.

Here’s to a fantastic and enriching new school year!

Sincerely,
Jennifer Palik
Principal

Ms. Angie Whalen - Kindergarten-4/5 Teacher

Ms. Allyson Viens - K4 -K5 Educator/Educator in a School Setting

Ms. Andrea Lockwood - Kindergarten 5 Teacher

Ms. Lana Fontaine - K4 -K5 Educator/Educator in a School Setting

Ms. Andréanne Richard - Grade 1 Teacher

Ms. Jessica Duval-Holliday - Grade 2 Teacher HEAD TEACHER

Ms. Vanessa Lodge - Grade 3 Teacher

Ms. Morgan Côté - Grade 4 Teacher

Mr. Dylan Smith - Grade 5 Teacher (Ms. Boersen replacing for the time being)

Ms. Elizabeth Viens - Grade 6 Teacher

Mr. Guillaume St-Denis - (Coach) Physical Education Teacher

Ms. Marie-Pier Tremblay - Resource Teacher

Mme Camille Bisaillon - French Teacher

Ms. Jennifer Palik - Principal

Ms. Jeannik Bachand - School Secretary

Ms. Kelly Andrews - HSA/Supervisor

Ms. Brooke Fowler-Lachapelle - SET/ Supervisor

Mr. Steven Gendron - HSA/Supervisor

Ms. Angie Garrou - HSA/Supervisor

Ms. Bianca Lussier - Educator in a School Setting

Ms. Cindy Coffin Cafeteria - Cook, Educator in a School Setting

Ms. Karen Johnston Daycare Technician - Educator in a School Setting

Mr. Barry Roberts - Caretaker

Ms. Catherine Boisclair - Psychoeducator

Ms.Denise Robinson - Counselor in Academic Training

Ms. Nathania Caron - Speech and Language Therapist

Ms. Rachel Lassenba - Occupational Therapist

Ms. Isabelle Lodge - Community Development Agent

CLSC Nurse - Cindy Regis

New Staff
This year, we welcome Bianca Lussier coming to us from St. Francis she will be working as an Educator in the School Setting both in class and in Daycare.

Goodbye and Best of Luck!

This year, Ms. Sarah took on a new challenge at St. Francis Elementary School. We are truly going to miss her, and we wish her the best of luck in her new role. We also said congratulations to Ms. Hailey who will be busy taking care of her new baby girl!

Students, parents and siblings are invited to a special BBQ on Wednesday, August 28th from 4-6 pm. Meet the school staff, visit the classrooms, eat a yummy supper (while quantities last), chat with other families and see exciting new initiatives at ADS this year! In case of rain, we will adjust to indoors.

• Bring your chairs or blankets.

• 4-5 p.m. - Meet the staff, visit the classrooms, drop off your school supplies

• 5-5:45 p.m. - BBQ supper

• 5:45 p.m. - Parents’ General Assembly, if you choose to stay

Annual General Meeting: We will be holding our Annual General Meeting for parents interested in joining our Governing Board at 5:45 pm the night of our Welcome Back BBQ. Following this, we will hold our first Governing Board Meeting.

Dear Preschool Parents,

We understand that the first day of school can bring lots of emotions, not only for the students. Parents can also feel a range of emotions on this day! With that being said, on your child’s first day of school, you are invited to a “Tears and Cheers” coffee and treats with other preschool parents. Once you say your goodbyes to your child, please join the other parents in the staffroom. Please see attached poster for more information.

Preschool Team

Morning Routine: Supervision begins in the school yard at 7:55am daily. For the safety of your child(ren) we will have the drop-off zone in the horseshoe. Please follow the arrows to enter the horseshoe in the right direction.

Late Arrivals: If you drop off your child(ren) after 8:05 a.m. (or after the drop-off area staff member has gone in) please drop your child off at door # 1, please wait until a staff member lets them in before leaving. The students need to check in at the office before heading to class.

Afternoon Pick-up: The end of the day pick-up area is in the horseshoe. We dismiss buses around 5 minutes after the end of the day, so last minute changes in schedule are discouraged.

End of Day Routine: If there is a change to your child(ren)’s usual end of day routine, please notify their teacher IN WRITING. For safety reasons, when in doubt we will ALWAYS keep the child(ren) at school and you will need to pick them up. We are not permitted to let children leave with anyone other than a custodial parent or guardian unless we have signed, written permission from the designated guardian(s). If someone other than yourself is to pick up your child, please send a note to your child’s teacher. For safety reasons, we CANNOT accept last minute telephone requests. Teachers don't always have the chance to check their emails during busy days, so last minute changes can't always be guaranteed.

School Hours:

Bus drop off and supervision starts - 7:55 a.m.

School starts - 8:05 a.m.

Recess - 9:45 a.m. to 10:05 a.m.

Lunch - 11:45 a.m. to 12:35 p.m.

Recess - 1:25 pm. to 1:45 p.m.

Dismissal and bus pick up - 2:35 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.

Daycare News: We have a new Daycare Technician! Ms. Karen is taking over this role this year. You will need to communicate with her for all inquiries, changes to schedule, etc. - Daycare drop-off and pick-up is at the main door this year, Door # 1.

Daycare is offered again this year. Our regular daycare schedule is Monday-Friday from 7 to 7:55 a.m., and 2:45-5:30 p.m. If any of these times would be of benefit to you, let us know, we still have room!

Richmond Fair: Grades 1-6 are hoping to bring the children to the Richmond Fair on the 6th of September. More info to come.

Cafeteria: Our cafeteria will be opened 3 days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday). This year, there will be no cafeteria credits for missed lunches. Students will be eating in the cafeteria this year in two rotations. The cafeteria will be opened starting from September 10th Menus will be sent home with the students in the first week of school.

Breakfast Club: We once again received a President’s Choice grant for our Breakfast Club. This year, both pre-packaged and prepared foods will be served during Active Homeroom.

Footwear: In order to help keep the school clean, all students are asked for 2 pairs of shoes. One for outdoors (recess/lunch) and one for indoors (P.E./class).

Recesses and Weather: A reminder that we do send our students out for their recess breaks in rain or shine. It is important to verify that your child(ren) are prepared for all weather conditions. Rain coats and rubber boot are a must, and they are welcome to bring an umbrella as well!

Picture Day: This year our Picture Day will be on October 10th.

Code of Life: You can find our Code of Life on on ADS Website. Please take time to look though it with your child.

Office Hours: Our School Secretary, Mrs. Jeannik Bachand (bachandj@etsb.qc.ca) will be in the office Monday to Friday. Her hours are 8:00 -12:00 pm. Additionally, she will also be in on Mondays through Thursdays from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m.

Visitors: You are always welcome to come and visit the school, but for the safety of our visitors and the learning of our students it is important that all visitors report to the office. When you arrive, please go to the main office and let Ms. Jeannik know you are in the school. If you have pre-arranged with a teacher to stay for some time, please sign the record book in the front entrance and pick up a visitor pass. If you are picking your child up, a staff member will page the classroom and your child will meet you at the office. If you are dropping off your child, they will proceed to their classroom as they are quite familiar with the routine. Classroom teachers will be getting ready for instruction as soon as students arrive so they will not be able to have a conversation with a parent. If there is a message for the teacher, you can leave it at the office or send an e-mail to the teacher. Thank you for your cooperation with this.

Student Emergency Medical Information Form: On the first week of school, your child will receive an Emergency Form (it's yellow). Please complete all sections and return this form to school as soon as possible. It is important that we be aware of any medication or medical issues that your child may have. Please complete this form in its entirety. It is important that we can reach you at any moment in case illnesses arise. If we can’t reach a parent, we will contact the emergency contact given. If your child needs to take medication during school hours, please request an authorization form.

Student Absences: If your child is absent from school, we ask that you call to report the reason for the absence (a message may be left on the answering machine). Given the present virus situation, we must take particular precautions to ensure that children and staff are not coming to school with COVID-19 symptoms. We are asking you to notify the school no later than in the morning before period 1, on the day that your child is absent. You can signal an absence by calling the school at 819-839-2352 and following the instructions from the directory or you can e-mail Ms. Jeannik, the school secretary: bachandj@etsb.qc.ca If you are leaving a message or sending an e-mail, could you please clearly state the student’s name and be specific as to the reason for your child’s absence. If the child will be absent for an extended period, please contact your child’s homeroom teacher. Please note that the only school absences authorized under law are for illness, death in the family, court appearance or medical appointments. If your child will be absent for any other reason, this should be arranged in advance and receive prior approval from the office.

Correspondence: In order to be more environmentally friendly, we are sending all newsletters by email. These can be easily translated by a click of a button at the top (New feature). They will also be posted on the school website under “Parent information”. The newsletters and various information (cafeteria menu, etc.) will be sent to the email you have provided upon registration of your child. We highly suggest you like our Facebook Page as we post there quite often over the course of the school year.

Buses: Bus passes are available on Mozaik Parent Portal. There are no temporary bus passes allowed this year.

Facebook: Follow up on Facebook!

Here is the breakdown of your child’s consumable fees and supervision fees. Please send in your payment as soon as possible. Payment is done online through your banking application or you can make a check out to ADS Elementary School and indicate the name of your child at the bottom. If you foresee difficulties with payment of these amounts, please contact the school to make arrangements.

If paying school fees is challenging for your family at the moment, please contact Ms. Jeannik to arrange a payment plan for the year.

Unpaid school fees will go to Dixon Collections again this year.

The CLC coordinator, Isabelle Lodge, has already many projects confirmed for this school year.

ADS will be participating in the Agir et Alimenter program. A new program in the MRC des Sources, that will give our students a chance to learn basic cooking skills and nutritional information that they will be able to bring home to their families.

Also, the online reading club will be up and running again in the fall.

October 2nd, parents of K4 and K5 will be invited to meet the ETSB professionals at school, from 5:30-7 pm.

We will be working on a pen pal project with elders from the Wales home.

Lastly, our students and families will be invited to join (at a cost) the Harmonie des sources, music program. Once a week students who have registered will be able to practice at school. More details are to come. We need a minimum participation to confirm.

IMPORTANT: A survey will be sent out soon to parents. Please take 3 minutes to fill it out. It will help us organize activities and projects that best suit you and your children.

Please follow the CLC page to be informed of community activities : https://www.facebook.com/isabellelodgeclc/

Partner activity : Ready set grow (attached) for parents of toddlers.

August

Aug. 23, 26, 27, 28: Planning Days

Aug. 28: Welcome day BBQ

Aug. 29: First day of school

September

Sept 2: Holiday

Sept 6: Richmond Fair

Sept. 13: Terry Fox

Sept. 20: Planning day - No school, Daycare open

Sept 29: Orange Shirt day assembly/activities

October

Oct 10 : Picture Day

Oct 11: Soccer Grade 6 vs Staff in the pm

Oct. 14: Holiday

Oct: 12 Interim Reports on Mozaik Parent Portal

Oct. 18: Planning day - No school, Daycare open

Oct. 31: Halloween

School calendar: A school calendar (youth sector) was provided to parents last June. Here is the ADS version with the Day 1-5 indicated.

Email: palikj@etsb.qc.ca
Website: http://ads.etsb.qc.ca/
Location: 217 Water Street, Danville, Quebec J0A1A0
Phone: 819-839-2352
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ADSelementaryschool