Welcome to the 2023 - 2024 School Year
Schedule
8:50 AM Warning Bell
8:56-10:30 AM Instruction
10:30-10:50 AM Recess
10:50-12:10 PM Instruction
12:10-12:55 PM Lunch Break
12:55 PM Warning Bell
1:00-3:00 PM Instruction
Teachers will meet students outside at a designated location at the beginning of the day as well as at other transition times. Students will be dismissed from the same location.
Safety First – Safe Arrival Program
Student safety is our top priority at Lynn Valley. The home-school partnership is critical to ensuring the safety of our students.
Safe Arrival Callback systems are in place for both the morning and the afternoon attendance. If your child does not arrive on time for school, and we are not aware of a planned absence, a staff member at the school will attempt to contact you, or any of your approved emergency contact numbers. Please do your best to ensure that your children are at school, ready to start their school day by 8:50 AM each morning.
If your child(ren) will be absent or late arriving at school, there are two ways you can let our office know.
1 School Messenger App
We ask that you use this App as a first choice as it is the most effective and efficient way for staff to access expected student absences.
2 Phone the school number
604-903-3620 and press 1 to leave a message if your child will be away from school or arriving late due to an appointment. Please include your name, your child's name, and teacher's name or division in your message.
Supervision
All students are encouraged to arrive at school shortly before the 8:50am bell in the morning. Parents should be aware that there is no supervision of students on the playground prior to the start of school. There is no supervision of students provided after the 3:00pm bell.
Independence Starts Here
In order to foster independence, parents are encouraged to say goodbye to students outside the school. Please allow children to enter the school on their own, through the doors closest to their classrooms.
Additionally, please arrange a family meeting spot where your children will meet with the person collecting them at the end of the day.
Stay in Touch
Should you wish to connect with a staff member please email them directly or call the main office to set up an appointment. To help keep us all safe and healthy, 'pop in' visits are discouraged.
Code of Conduct
Lynn Valley School's Code of Conduct has been developed by staff, students and parents to guide and support the behavior of students. It is reviewed every two years.
The Lynn Valley School Community wants all students to learn in a safe and secure environment free from physical or emotional abuse. In accordance with North Vancouver School District's Policy 302, Lynn Valley Code of Conduct is developed in alignment with the prohibitive grounds of discrimination in accordance with the BC Human Rights Code Sections 7 & 8, as these relate to the school environment. Anti-bullying measures will ensure all students, regardless of their sex, race, religion, culture, sexual orientation and gender identity or expression, enjoy a safe, inclusive and welcoming learning environment.
Lynn Valley's Code of Conduct is based on the core values of Kindness, Respect, and Inclusion. The strength of this code lies in the commitment of all members of the home and school community. We share a collective responsibility to support a collaborative problem-solving approach to developing positive student behavior. It is the intent of this code to consistently encourage, teach and reinforce positive social emotional skills.
School Plan: Foundational Beliefs
It is important all students at Lynn Valley feel safe and that they belong at school. Lynn Valley staff collaborate within and across grades and age levels to develop the mindsets, intrapersonal and interpersonal skills required to foster thoughtful, responsible and resilient citizens who actively care about each other and our school community.
The Lynn Valley School Plan outlines our commitment and focus on improving students' sense of belonging, academic success and positive behaviour. Students need ongoing direct instruction and practice with Communication skills, as well as Critical and Creative Thinking skills to support and encourage their Personal and Social Development (BC Ministry of Ed Core Competencies). Universal Design for Learning (UDL), inspired by McTighe & Wiggins, and S. Moore, underpin and guide teaching practice and instructional design. Using the CASEL Framework, we are committed to intentionally teaching key social and emotional skills, including:
Self Awareness - emotions, thoughts and values;
Self- Management -regulating emotions, thoughts and behaviours in different situations, and setting goals;
Social Awareness - perspective, empathy and inclusion;
Relationship Skills - healthy relationships, the communication skills that support them, as well as knowing when to seek help; and finally,
Responsible Decision Making - constructive choices that consider ethical standards, safety concerns and social norms and their consequences.
School Plan
Goal: To develop universal learning opportunities that purposely deepen student thinking and connection by:
Objectives 2022-23:
- Providing access points for all learners to be successful
- Intentionally teaching, modelling & practicing social emotional learning skills (CASEL)
Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS)
At Lynn Valley Elementary, we believe in supporting positive behavior through Collaborative Problem Solving based on the research of Ross Greene.
In the CPS model, the problem solving is proactive and collaborative. The goal is to foster a collaborative partnership between adults and children, and to engage young people in solving the problems that affect their lives. The CPS model is non-punitive and non-adversarial, decreases the likelihood of conflict, enhances relationships, improves communication, and helps children and adults learn and display the skills on the more positive side of human nature: empathy, appreciating how one's behavior is affecting others, resolving disagreements in ways that do not involve conflict, taking another's perspective, and honesty.
We believe that students do well if they can. When children make mistakes, and are unable to meet expectations, our priority is to try to identify the skill that is lagging in order to remediate through direct instruction, guided practice and ongoing supports.
The Lynn Valley Code of Conduct provides for the role of natural consequences in learning from mistakes. Consequences are be based on the context and the individual needs of the student involved. They will be restorative in nature, rather than punitive. Consequences will take into account the student's age and maturity. Special considerations may apply to students with diverse needs if these students are unable to comply with the code of conduct due to having a disability of an intellectual, physical, sensory, emotional or behavioural nature.
The home school partnership is key to student learning when addressing behavior. When appropriate, working in collaboration with parents to determine the best course of action to improve the overall circumstances for all students, will be a priority.
On Extended Absences
Regular attendance and on time arrival is critical to student learning. Should a student experience an extended absence due to illness families are asked to check in with the classroom teacher.
Please avoid planning vacations during school time.
Litter
As a litter-free school, all students are asked to keep litter in their pockets or to use the trash cans provided throughout our playgrounds. We are now composting food waste and encourage students to take garbage and packaging home. Please support our goal of becoming a “litter-free school" by using re-usable containers as much as possible.
Smoking and Vaping
For the safety and air quality of students, adults who smoke or vape, are asked to refrain from doing so on our school grounds. Bylaws are in place throughout North Vancouver that make it illegal to smoke or vape anywhere on school grounds.
Bicycles, Scooters & Skateboards
We encourage students to walk or ride their bikes to school. Once on school property, bicycles should be walked to racks and locked during school hours. Scooters should be walked or carried into classrooms and put away. The school accepts no responsibility for lost, damaged, or stolen bikes, skateboards and scooters.
Please ensure that helmets are worn by students riding bikes, scooters and skateboards. Safety first.
Valuables
Please do not bring valuables or precious items to school. Our staff is not able to safeguard items, nor are we able to replace anything that is lost, stolen, or broken. The school is not responsible for any lost or damaged valuables.
Students with cell phones, and personal listening devices are asked to ensure that these items are put away in backpacks once students arrive on the school grounds.
Appropriate Attire
School is a place of work for students, staff members and teachers. We request that students dress appropriately to learn and play when they come to school.
Volunteers
We are grateful to parents and community members who are able to work in classrooms or volunteer in the school. Please be reminded to sign in at the office and receive a visitor's tag to wear while in the building, or on the school grounds.
Volunteer training and a confidentiality declaration is required by all parents who volunteer in the school. Training sessions will be offered in the fall or can be arranged with the school principal.
Parents are asked not to be on the playgrounds during recess and lunch breaks as this makes supervision more difficult for staff members.
Parking Lot
Please respect the signs indicating “Staff Parking" and do not park in the parking lot. Please do not use the parking lot as a drop off area for students. Street parking is available on Institute Road and Mountain Hwy.
Illness
Students who are not feeling well should be kept home from school. The school will contact parents, or any of the approved emergency contacts, to pick up students who become ill at school. Please see the web link below for guideline from the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority:
http://www.vch.ca/Documents/when-to-keep-sick-kids-home-from-school.pdf
Medication
School staff members are not authorized to administer any medication to your children without appropriate paperwork signed by your physician. Students who require daily medication at school, as well as those who require Epi-Pens or other physician prescribed medications for emergencies, need to have a “Medication Management Plan" in place. These forms are available at the office.
Meeting with Teachers
Teachers welcome communication with parents and work hard to establish strong partnerships between home and school.
Your child's teacher may not be available for impromptu conversations or phone calls before and after school due to meetings, coaching, classroom preparations, or prior commitments. Please schedule a time to meet with a teacher. Teacher contacts can be found on our school website.
Field Trips
Field trips are intended to extend and enrich the learning that takes place in the classroom. Costs associated with field trips are charged to students in the classes taking the field trips. Arrangements can be made to support your family so that your child does not miss a field trip for financial reasons. Please contact the Principal directly if there is a financial hardship in your family.
Weekly Events
At the end of each week, a “Weekly Events" list will be sent by email detailing specific events and activities for the upcoming week and important information. Please ensure that our office staff has the most updated email addresses. Our website will also be updated regularly with the most currently available calendar of events.
