St. Justin, Martyr Catholic School
140 Hollingham Road,
Markham, Ontario L3R 8K4
Telephone: 905 474 0284
Principal: Mrs. Susan Knetsch

Vice Principal: Ms. Janis Scully

It is our expectation and the law that students arrive at school on time and prepared for class.  Students who arrive late to school (after the bell rings) are to report to the office. 

Registrations for Junior Kindergarten and new Senior Kindergarten students for September 2010 will be held at the school during the month of January from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Children eligible for Junior Kindergarten must be 4 years old by December 31st, 2010 (born in 2006).  Children eligible for Senior Kindergarten must be 5 years old by December 31st, 2010 (born in 2005).  The following documentation is required at the time of registration.

1. Roman Catholic Baptismal Certificate
2. Birth Certificate
3. Proof of Canadian citizenship or landed immigrant papers
4. Proof of residency
5. Proof of English separate school support
   

If you currently have a child attending SJM and have a child eligible for Kindergarten in 2010, please request a registration package from the school office (905-474-0284) and we will send you one via your older child.  You will, however, still need to register in person.

If you are aware of any of your neighbours who are planning to register their children at St. Justin for September, 2010, we encourage them to do so in January.  We are accepting registrations for all grades from parents who are within our boundaries at this time. 

Before we know it, wintry conditions will be upon us.  We ask you to pay special attention to the following procedures when deciding whether to send your children to school on a day when buses are cancelled.

1. First, listen to one of the radio stations listed below to determine if buses for York Region have been cancelled.  If the York Region District school buses are cancelled, then York Catholic District School buses are also cancelled as we share the same buses.  Once cancelled, buses will not be running in the afternoon.  
   
   
2. Check schoolbuscity.com
   
   
3. Schools rarely close, even though buses are cancelled.  Please do not call the school to inquire if the school is open.  Radio stations will provide the necessary information beginning at 7:00 a.m.
   
   
4. Parents are asked to exercise good judgment in deciding whether to send a child to school when buses have been cancelled.  Approximately 50% of our students are bussed, in other words, at least half the school will not be in attendance when buses are cancelled.
   
   
5. If you decide to drive your children in to school, please consider that over the course of the day, weather conditions could worsen, and retrieving your child at the end of the day may be particularly hazardous.

Hopefully all families should have received a letter from our Director of Education, Susan LaRosa, and Dr. Karim Kurji, Medical Officer of Health. This notice outlined important information regarding the YCDSB’s efforts in curbing the spread of illness in the school environment. Please check the Board website at www.ycdsb.ca for more information.

Our morning bell rings at 9:00 a.m. and students must be in the building at this time so that they will not be recorded as “Late”.  If your child is late on a consistent basis, you will be contacted to discuss this issue.  Prompt attendance at school is essential to maximize instructional time and to teach children the importance of punctuality and responsibility to tasks. Students who arrive late to school must report to the office before admittance to their class or portable.

Students will not be given permission to stay in the office for recesses and lunch breaks unless they have a doctor’s note.  If your child is too ill to go outside they are too ill to attend school. Please be mindful of this procedure.

Parents who normally walk or drive their children to school are asked to say their good-byes before the children enter the school yard. In addition to fostering a sense of student independence, this handing -over routine affirms the school’s safety protocol that the only people on the school yard are the supervising teachers wearing the fluorescent vests. Supervision is provided each morning for students beginning at 8:45 a.m. in the school yard.  Please do not send children into the school yard prior to this time. 

Parents picking up their children at the end of the day are asked to wait outside the school, making sure to be ever watchful of safety signs and the little ones moving throughout the area. 

Please do not enter the school yard.  This will greatly reduce the congestion and confusion and facilitate safe dismissal.  All children will be dismissed from the side and back doors of the school at all times.

Children should arrive at school in the morning with their lunches. However, at times you may find it necessary to deliver lunch to the school.  Please:

• keep lunch drop-offs to a minimum;
• have your child’s name on the lunch bag and deliver the lunch to the table positioned in the foyer outside the office by 11:50 a.m. Parents are not to bring lunches to their child’s class or portable.

We ask that all our students have a pair of indoor shoes to change into once they arrive at school.  Our custodians have spent the summer getting our school ready for students and staff and they have done a terrific job!  Our floors are shiny and clean and we would like to keep them that way by making sure mud and dirt are not tracked in.  The school is your child’s “home” for 6 hours and we want it to be a healthy environment for them.  Please put your child’s name on the inside tongue of the shoes for easy identification.  Students will be instructed to leave these shoes on the racks outside their classrooms each night.  Thank you for your support in this matter.