Claremont Secondary School

Classes will begin for our Grade 9 students ONLY on the Tuesday, September 6^th.  Students will arrive for a 12:15 start and ending the day at 3:28 pm.

Grade 9 students will start the day in the Ridge Theatre for an assembly. From there they will be introduced to their Homeroom teacher.  The students will have a number of activities to complete.  Students will then go through a rotations of their classes.

Grade 10, 11 and 12 students ONLY will begin school on Wednesday, September 7^th arriving for a 12:30 start ending the day at 3:28 pm.  Grade 12 students will start the day in the Ridge Theatre for an assembly and our Grade 10 and 11 students will go directly to the Large Gym. This will be followed by a block rotation of all classes to meet the teachers.

All students will be in full day attendance on Thursday September 8^th and Friday September 9^th as per the class schedule.

˜International Students – What do I do on the first day.

ALL NEW International students arrive at Claremont on Tuesday, September 6, 2016 at 9:45am.

Students will have a meet and greet in Room #264 which will end with a tour of Claremont.

Grade 9 students will stay and go to the theatre at 12:15 and will stay until 3:28.

 

New Grade 10, 11 and 12 students will be dismissed for the day and will return on WEDNESDAY, September 7, 2016 at 12:30.

 

Returning International Students will come to school on Wednesday, September 7th at 12:30.  NO grade 9 students come on Sept. 7th.  ALL students begin regular classes on Thursday September 8, 2016.

 

1)      No school buses will be available for the 9:45am meeting on Sept. 6th.

2)      All Students must bring their PASSPORT with them.

                                                                                                  

˜Class Timetables / Course Changes

Deadline to submit a course change request is Friday, September 9^th.

All students will receive timetables on the first day of school.  Any changes that are necessary can be submitted after you get your timetable. When you receive your timetable and changes are needed please submit only 1 change request form.  Changes at this time may not be possible as the school schedule was built based on your selections last school year and classes may be full or not available.

Our counselors will not be available for booking appointments until September 14^th as they will be dealing with urgent situations as required.  If a counselor needs to see you regarding your changes they will locate you.  If you have an urgent situation please come to the main office and we will do our best to make sure you are taken care of in a timely manner.

Only course changes submitted on a Course Change Request Form will be considered. Changes may not be possible.

Stay Informed – Sign up to receive “Forum Posts”

Did you know that Claremont has a variety of forums that provide important information that you can subscribe to and have emailed to you?  This is a great way to stay connected and informed on all the latest news going on in the school.  Under the heading Parents, click on Subscriptions and select the forums you would like to sign up for.  It's easy and all you need is an email address!  You can also easily unsubscribe to forums if you decide that you no longer want to receive notifications. Let's get connected!

˜School Calendar / Year at a Glance

Please have a look at our Year at a Glance to plan your schedule for the year.  We will also be updating and adding items to our monthly calendar as they come up during the year.  Stay in touch and be informed about what is happening.

˜Keep Us Updated.

If you move during the school year, get a new address, phone number or email address please make sure you keep us informed.  Has your emergency contact or work phone number changed? 

Students will come home with a demographic form and it is extremely important for the school to have up-to-date information on your child.  Please make any changes to this form and return it to the school by Friday September 9th.  If your demographic information changes during the school year please let the office know right away so we can keep your information current.

˜Transportation

NEW!!  The Saanich Board of Education is pleased to announce that bus fees have been eliminated.

Last week, the Ministry of Education announced that additional funding will be provided to allow school districts to eliminate transportation fees or to improve services. Following this funding announcement, the Board of Education has approved the elimination of transportation fees for Saanich students beginning with the upcoming school year.

When completing and submitting the School Bus Registration Form for the 2016-17 school year, payment (as described in the form) is no longer required. For payments that have already been received for the 2016-17 school year, refunds will be provided. The registration process for School Bus Transportation is otherwise unchanged.

For further questions regarding this change, please call the Transportation Department at 250-652-7343.

Bussing for September 6^th to 9th

School District # 63 Bussing will be provided for school start in the afternoon on both days.  School will finish at 3:28 pm with bus pick up to follow. Please check the SD63 Transportation Website for full details regarding bus schedules for opening day, bus registration and bus routes for 2016-2017.  All students that will be riding the bus must register before the first day of school.

Regular school will begin on Thursday September 8^th and Friday September 9^th with all students in attendance starting at 9:00 am.  Regular bus transportation schedules will be in effect.

˜Bell Schedule     Is it Block 2 or Block 1?

Is it Block 2 or Block 1?    To simplify things we are going back to a bell schedule with Blocks 1 – 4 and AM and PM classes.  During the transition year the student timetable will still show Blocks 1 – 6.  We will ask teachers to review timetables with students on the first day to make sure they adjust the timetable they receive to reflect the blocks rotation.

 

 

 

 

˜ Attendance

 If your student will be absent from school, please leave a message with the name of the student and duration of absence on our Absence Line at 250-658-6666.  You can also send an email to the Attendance Secretary at <b><span style="color:#3300FF">claremont_attendance@sd63.bc.ca</span></b>

Absent but forgot to call the attendance line? If your student has been absent from school and you forgot to call the attendance line please send your student with a note to school and have them bring it to the Attendance Secretary in the office.

Please send your student with a note if they are to be excused from school early for appointments.

If you call in an absence for a single block in the morning or afternoon please refer to the blocks as AM class, 1^st class in the morning or before lunch, after lunch, last class or PM class.

˜School Supplies

A specific school supplies list is not provided for high school students.  Students should be prepared for all classes with a supply of the basics:  binder, loose leaf paper, or a supply of notebooks, dividers, ruler, writing supplies and a calculator with scientific functions, (graphing calculators are not required unless requested for a specific course).  Some classes or teachers may request specific items.  Students will be informed of any course specific supplies during the course introduction.

˜School Photos with Lifetouch – September 15, 2016

We expect students to dress appropriately for photos as per our School Dress Code.  All students must have photos taken regardless of purchasing a photo package or not in order to receive a student card and be in the school database.  Full details regarding photo packages will be given to students on the first day of school.

˜School Code of Conduct

All Students will be asked to review the Student Code of Conduct and we hope parents and guardians will also read this.  The information is also available on our website.  This document includes information about our expectations and routines and other significant topics.  It is very important for all students and parents to have an understanding of the Graduation Program. The graduating students should carefully read the section on our Graduation Ceremony.  If you have questions about any of the information please contact the school.

 

Click here to view the School Code of Conduct

˜Invoices and Student Fees

On the first day of school, we will issue the student invoices for things such as the textbook deposit, activity fee ($25), the yearbook ($45) and optional PAC donation ($10).

Older siblings can pay fees at the same time as the younger students.  Visa, Mastercard, Debit and Cash are all accepted at Claremont School.  Online banking is available through most major banks.  When making an on-line payment you must enter your child’s student number in the appropriate field.  Please make separate payments for each of your children.  Do not combine payments for children in separate schools.

The District has a Fee Waiver Policy designed to support those in financial difficulties.  If you need access to this policy please contact Christine Knapp or Wendi Marshall to request a confidential conversation with an administrator.

Please make all cheques payable to “School District 63”      

˜Meet the Teacher

Mark your calendar for September 29, 2016.  “Meet the Teacher” night will be on Thursday, September 29, 2016 at 7:00 pm.  This is an opportunity for you to come and spend a few minutes with each of your student’s teachers.  This will also be our first early closure day.  The school day will end at 2:28 (1 hour early)

˜ Accidents Do Happen

 

The school district does not insure expenses for student injuries that happen on school grounds or during school activities.  You are responsible for these expenses as a parent or guardian.  However, the school district assists families to voluntarily purchase private accident insurance through the Reliable Life Insurance Company.  Brochures are no longer distributed to students in September however the information can be viewed on-line at www.insuremykids.com.

 

˜School Locks / Lockers

LOCKERS – Students will be given a “Locker Selection Form” during the student assembly on the first day of school.  All students will be given instructions in grade assemblies on the process for selecting a locker of their choice.  Any locker selected prior to the assemblies will have locks and contents removed and be made available for general selection. 

 

All Students must use school issued locks.  All other locks will be removed. Students new to School District 63 including International Students will be provided with a lock.  Returning students or ROMS students without locks can purchase a new lock for $10.00 or a used lock (if available) for $5.00.  Only locks issued from Claremont or Royal Oak Middle School can be used on lockers. 

 

Once students select a locker they must immediately place a lock on the locker, complete and submit the selection form received in the assembly to the front office.  Students must remain in the chosen locker for security reasons.  We discourage sharing of lockers.  Lockers will only be opened for the student registered to the locker.  Students are not to select a locker until they have a lock to secure it. 

 

We will not be able to provide combinations to locks during the first two days of school.  Please remember your combination.

˜Criminal Record Checks

Are you a Volunteer?  Will you be driving for field trips or sports teams?

The Criminal Records Review Act requires the school district to ensure that a valid criminal record check is on file for volunteers in the school district. Volunteers who need record checks are those that work directly with children and have the potential to have unsupervised access to children in the course of their volunteer work.  Effective September 1, 2009, volunteers driving for field trips must have a valid criminal record check.

Volunteers are required to have a criminal record check completed by the local police department in the Municipality in which they reside. An originating letter must come from the Principal to the correct police agency requesting waiver of CRC fee. Volunteer Criminal Record checks are valid for two years. Please contact the school office if you will be volunteering or driving on school field trips so that a fee waiver letter may be written for you.  Please request your letter as soon possible as it may take a few weeks at busy times of the school year.