Hours of Instruction 
MONDAY ONLY- (early dismissal day) (Grades 1-7)
8:45 School begins
11:00 Recess (30 minutes)
11:30 Classes resume after recess
1:00 Dismissal
TUESDAY - FRIDAY (Grades 1-7)
8:45 School begins
10:20 Recess (15 minutes)
10:35 Classes resume
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Classes resume after lunch
3:00 Dismissal
Tait’s Kindergarten Hours |
Morning Kindergarten Class Monday - 8:45-10:38 am Tuesday - Friday - 8:45-11:30 am |
Afternoon Kindergarten Class Monday - 11:08 am-1:00 pm Tuesday - Friday - 12:30-3:00 |
K/1 Class Monday - 8:45am- 1:00pm (Grade 1s and Ks Tuesday - Friday - 8:45am - 3:00pm (Grade 1s) Tuesday
- Friday - 1:00pm - 3:00pm (Ks) |
Student Services
Student Absences/Early Warning
Tait uses an Early Warning System of reporting student absences. If your child is going to be absent from school, please notify the office by telephone (668-6444).
Each morning and afternoon, classroom teachers take attendance. Parent volunteers call to check on all unexplained absences.
When Children are Sick
In fairness to all, please do not send your child to school if there are definite signs of ill health in the morning. Good health is necessary for effective learning.
Students who become sick during the day should go directly to their teacher. Our policy is to get students who are sick home as soon as possible. Our practice will be to call parents and ask that the students be either picked up or other arrangements made. For this reason, it is important that parents keep work and emergency phone numbers current.
Medication for Students
On occasion we have been asked by parents to ensure their child receives prescribed medication. Please be aware that in order to do so, we require the completion of the Request for Administration of Medication at School Form which must be signed by the prescribing doctor.
Personal Planning Programs
• Students are exposed twice in their primary years to the C.A.R.E. Program--educational materials designed to prevent child sexual abuse. The 12 lessons are taught by classroom teachers.
• Grades 4, 5, and 6 students participate annually in a video and discussion lesson concerned with human growth and development.
• In Grade 7, students learn about making responsible decisions when they are taught a seven lesson curriculum called Family Life.
School Health Services
The services provided by the Vancouver/Richmond Heath Department are:
• Immunization:
- K and Grade one students receive tetanus and diphtheria shots.
- Grade six students receive Hepatitis B shots in October, November, and April.
• Screening for vision and hearing- based upon teacher referrals
• Health Promotion:
- monitoring the Medical Alert List
- act as a resource for health education such as growth and development, family life, and stress management
- advise school personnel about first aid supplies
- provide referrals to other agencies--as a member of Tait’s School-Based Team
For further information contact:
Anne Beetstra, School Nurse
Area Counselling
A major focus in today’s schools is the social and emotional development of young people. Occasionally these needs cannot be met within the classroom alone. Every Richmond elementary school, therefore, has an Area Counsellor assigned part-time who is available to assist students in areas such as peer interaction, attitude toward school, self-esteem/self concept, social skills, anger management, and response to change.
The Area Counsellor, as part of the School-Based Team, is available as a resource to teachers. He/she also works with parents who have a child who is experiencing any number of problems or difficulties. The office of the school counsellor is closely connected to resources outside the school and the school system.
The Area Counsellor may be contacted through your child’s teacher or by leaving a message at the school office.
Benita Kwon
Learning Resource Support
Learning Assistance/Resource
Tait school provides support for students who need short or long term assistance with their learning. Resource teachers support students in their classrooms and/or in the Learning Assistance Centre. Students often work with curriculum which has been collaboratively adapted/modified to meet their specific needs.
The Learning Assistance teacher chairs the School-Based Team which meets weekly to plan, implement, and evaluate programmes for students. This team is comprised of the adults in the school who can best help the student whose name is put forward. Team members are: school nurse, area counsellor, speech/language clinician, classroom teacher, classroom assistants, and school administrators.
Jeri Jakovac- School-Based Team Chair
English as a Second Language
Students who receive ESL instruction are those whose English language use is sufficiently different from standard English to prevent them from reaching their full potential. (Ministry definition).
The philosophy of the ESL programme at Tait school is that all students, regardless of their linguistic or cultural background, will be provided an opportunity to develop their potential to the fullest extent. Depending upon the language skills of the students, and in consultation with the classroom teacher, students are either pulled out of the class for a specific amount of time, or assisted within the classroom. Students are tested annually to monitor the progress of their English language usage. Typically, students new to English reach academic competency in their new language in about five to nine years.
Linda Chamut
Jeri Jakovac
Educational Assistants
Educational Assistants are specially trained and experienced paraprofessionals who work alongside classroom teachers to provide extra support for students with special needs.
Cheryl Chong
Laurie Laing
Lynne Heath
Judy Diewart
Kristen Smith
Speech and Language Pathologist
Which students might require or benefit from the services of a Speech/Language Pathologist?
Students with:
• language and learning disabilities
• intellectual disabilities
• speech disorders (stuttering, articulation, voice)
• physical handicaps affecting communication
• autism
• neurological handicaps affecting communication
• inability to use speech for communication (augmentative communication users)
• hearing impairments
How are Speech/Language services accessed?
Requests for services are made directly to the Speech/Language Pathologist through the School-Based team. Tait’s SLP is at Tait for one day per week.
Michelle King
Student Activities
Computer Lab
Our computer lab provides many exciting opportunities for learning. Students and teachers learn word processing, keyboarding, thinking skills, and planning in individual and group situations. We are also experimenting with digital imagery using digital still camras and digital movie cameras. This not only used in connection with classroom curriculum, it is also used for student leadership and school spirit (check out our school spirit movies shown during Friday assemblies). Throughout much of the year, the computer lab is open outside regular school hours. Students may sign up for the following times on Tuesday through Friday; 8:20-8:40 am. (Mondays, as well), 12:15- 12:55 pm., and 3:00-3:30 pm.
Outdoor Education
For the past few years the grade six students from Tait have enjoyed a week at Camp. In 2007, we switched to to Sea to Sky camp on Keats Island. The staff at Tait school recognizes the importance of these experiences for our students. It provides our grade sixes, our future grade sevens, with the opportunity to bond as a group while participating in a wide variety of outdoor studies and recreational activities. This program becomes one of the highlights of their elementary school experience! See the Outdoor ducation link for more details. http://www2.sd38.bc.ca/Tait-Web/outdoored
Sports
The sports programme at Tait school is a busy and varied one. Many teachers take part sponsoring school teams and individual athletic activities including cross-country running, kilometre club, volleyball, basketball, track and field, and soccer. All students are challenged to learn a variety of physical education skills during their P.E. periods.
Library
Tait school is very fortunate to have one of the most beautiful elementary school libraries in the district. Students are encouraged to use the library before school and at noon hours in addition to any scheduled class library periods. As our school grows larger and larger, it has become an important ongoing focus to fill the library shelves and computer memory banks with wonderful books and reference sources.
Band
Intermediate students from Grades 5-7 at Tait have the opportunity to study music through participating in our outstanding band program. Band students learn such skills as: reading music, playing a musical instrument, and striving to display individual accountability within a large ensemble. Students perform regularly at the school and in the community! Tait’s bands enjoy a relationship with the Cambie program.
Student Council
Helping all our students learn appropriate leadership skills is an important task of all Tait teachers. As students get older, they crave more meaningful leadership experiences. Tait’s Student Council is comprised of dedicated and hard-working students who develop and assume responsibility for carrying out exciting and challenging projects which make the school--and sometimes the world--a better place. Over the years, they have donated money to support various children’s charities, worked in a ‘soup kitchen’ in downtown Vancouver, sponsored and refereed noon hour games, and organized a very popular school store among MANY other amazing projects. We are “kids helping kids” - not only do we support the school community, but also the community at large.
Assemblies
Most Fridays at 1:05, all Tait students and staff meet in the gym for our weekly presentation of student work, general announcements, and fun! This is a perfect way to pull the school closer together by sharing the good, the not so good, and the crazy things that make a school a school. Parents are invited to attend, especially if their child is presenting.
Behaviour Expectations
The Tait School Community works to provide a positive climate and a safe, happy, and healthy learning environment such that effective, purposeful teaching and learning may take place.
General Expectations
• All Tait community members will respect each other and each other's property.
• Students are to use the outer doors in their classrooms for entering and exiting the school. The front doors are reserved for staff and visitors. The school is open to students no earlier than 8:20 a.m., unless specific practices or meetings have been arranged by a staff member.
• Halls are quiet passageways. Students will be respectful of others as they move about the school.
• At lunchtime, students are expected to eat their lunches in their classrooms until the bell signals that it is time to go outside.
• All students are expected to go outside during breaks if it is an “Outside Day.” Students should be prepared with appropriate clothing for the weather. Students who have special permission to be inside on an Outside Day must be under the direct supervision of a staff member. On an “Inside Day,” students are expected to behave responsibly and to be engaged in a quiet activity in their classrooms.
• Students are expected to stay on the school grounds during recess and lunch breaks unless the student is going home for lunch, or a note from home is received by the teacher.
• The computer room is our learning lab at school, therefore is to be used only for educational purposes. Students who use the learning lab outside of class time must be under the supervision of a staff member.
District Code of Conduct
The Board of School Trustees recognizes its obligation to all members of the school community to provide a positive climate and a safe, healthy environment such that effective, purposeful teaching and learning may take place. To that end it is expected that all members of the school community will conduct themselves in an ethical and lawful manner that demonstrates respect for self, others, property and the environment. A violation may warrant intervention or disciplinary action.
It is expected that all members of the school community (staff, students, parents, and guests) will:
• respect the rights of others;
• respect the health and safety of others;
• respect the property of others - private and public;
• respect the legitimate authority of the school administrative officers and staff;
• respect and take pride in the school’s physical facilities;
• respect the diversity of the school community;
• respect the non smoking nature of district schools and property;
• respect the individual rules within each school;
• behave in an ethical and lawful manner;
• behave in a considerate and courteous manner;
• behave in a safe and responsible manner at all times;
• not threaten, harass, intimidate or assault, in any way, any person within the school community; and
• not be in possession of weapons, dangerous articles, alcohol, or illegal drugs while in school or at school functions.
Weapons & Violence Policy
The Richmond School Board, and therefore Tait School, is committed to providing a safe, supportive environment for all. It considers the possession of a weapon by a student on or near school board property or at school events to be a threat to the safety and security of students and staff. Any student found to be in possession of a weapon will be subject to severe disciplinary action and/or criminal charges. A weapon shall be defined as anything used or intended for use in causing death or injury to persons, whether designed for that purpose or not, or anything used or intended for use for the purpose of threatening or intimidating any persons. Violent behaviour of any sort will not be tolerated at Tait school. Under normal conditions, students who exhibit violent behaviour will be removed from class and parents will be
contacted.
Students’ Rights & Responsibilities
To make the most of your rights as students and to ensure that others enjoy the same rights, you have the following responsibilities at Tait School:
1. I have a right to learn.
It is my responsibility:
• to attend school regularly and to be on time
• to bring all necessary materials to school (e.g. homework, planner, gym strip, indoor shoes)
• to have a positive attitude and to do my best work
• to be prepared to make mistakes and to learn from them
2. I have a right to be safe and to feel safe.
It is my responsibility:
• to obey school rules and to play safely
• to stay calm and to use self-control
• to stay out of conflicts and use my WITS
(Walk away, Ignore, Talk to someone, use Supervisor)
• to help others to be safe
• to be aware of emergency procedures
3. I have a right to be respected.
It is my responsibility:~~~~~~
• to respect myself
• to be courteous and polite
• to respect the feelings and opinions of others
• to encourage others in a positive way
• to be a good listener
4. I have a right to have privacy and personal space.
It is my responsibility:
• to respect others’ things (not touching or taking things)
• to respect others’ privacy
• not to spread rumours
• to make my own decisions
• not to pressure friends to do things they don’t want to do
5. I have a right to learn in a clean, comfortable school.
It is my responsibility:
• to clean up after myself
• to treat school grounds and property with care
• to reduce, reuse, and recycle
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my child... ?
... is absent? Tait uses an Early Warning System of reporting student absences. If your child is going to be absent from school, please advise the teacher or leave a message on the Early Warning Line at 668-6444 before 8:30 a.m. Each morning and afternoon, classroom teachers take attendance. Remember, you will be contacted by an Early Warning Parent if you do not notify the school of your child’s absence.
... has a health condition? Please inform the school office or your child’s teacher of any health condition that may affect them at school. Up-to-date medical alert information is critical.
... loses something? Check the Lost and Found box located in the front hall. For small items (e.g. watches, small toys), check at the office.
... wants to use the phone? Students may use a phone when necessary and with the permission of a staff member.
... becomes ill at school? If your child becomes ill or has an accident at school, you or one of the adults you designate on the emergency information form will be contacted immediately. For this reason, it is important to keep work and emergency contact numbers current. Any child injured at school will be given first aid treatment by a staff member. If a parent/guardian cannot be contacted and hospital treatment is required, an ambulance will be called to take the child to the hospital.
... wants to bring valuables
or money to school? Discourage your child from bringing anything of any real value to school (e.g. cell phones, iPods, MP3 players). The school is not responsible for the loss of any such items.
... will be away for an
extended period of time? Tait staff members understand that sometimes an extended absence due to travel plans cannot be avoided. It is very important to note, though, that students will miss valuable planned learning experiences that cannot be duplicated. Please inform your child’s teacher of your plans as soon as possible so arrangements can be made for the student to keep a journal or travel log. Please note that your child’s placement in a class is only held for four weeks. If your child will be away longer than 4 weeks, your child will only be placed at Tait if there is room.
  Information on Snow DaysRichmond schools will remain open if at all possible. Any district wide closure will be decided by 6:00 a.m. at the latest and announced via CKNW AM 980 radio, News AM 1130 radio, CBC AM 690 radio, Fairchild AM 1470 radio, CHQM FM 103.5 radio, CBC television, BCTV, City TV and CTV BC.
Individual school closures due to unique circumstances (e.g., power outage) will be announced as early as possible in the same manner.
No announcement will be made saying that schools are open. Only closures will be announced.
Link here to information about Snow Days as it relates to the cancellation of schools. |
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