School Life

Attendance Expectations

Punctuality and regular attendance on the part of the student is important to the process of learning. Both the individual student and his or her classmates may be impacted as a result of this issue. Parents will be contacted when late attendance and punctuality become a concern. Board attendance counsellors will be involved if attendance and punctuality do not improve after parent contact has been made by the school.

When your child is going to be absent from school, for any reason, please contact the school at 705-324-3113.

The following are attendance procedures followed by St. Mary Catholic Elementary School's administration, teachers and students:

• • Teachers take attendance each morning using a laptop.

  • The school secretary will contact the parents/guardians of absent students beginning at 9:15 a.m. to ensure the safety of the students.

  • If parents/guardians have notified the teacher that their child will be absent on a particular day, please also send a note, with the reason for the absence, to the school secretary . This note indicates that the secretary does not need to contact parents/guardians when the student is absent.

  • Teachers will notify the office if a student does not return from lunch recess.

  • If students are leaving for any reason during the course of the day, they must inform the office, by signing out  before leaving. Upon returning, students are to check into the office to sign in.  Students in younger grades will need an adult to sign them in and out.

  • If students arrive at school after the 9:00, they must check in at the office to check in with Mrs. Timms and get a Welcome slip before going to class.

  • Teachers will consult the office if they feel a student has an attendance or punctuality issue. (i.e. more than 10 unexplained lates or absences) Administration will contact the parents/guardians. A Board attendance counsellor will be contacted if there is no improvement in the student's attendance or punctuality.

  • If parents/guardians are withdrawing their children for an extended holiday during the school year, they should request approval from the school Principal. Staff is not required to provide daily homework assignments for students while they are on holiday. The teacher may suggest that students read daily, keep a daily journal, or create a map of their destination.

  • Absent students should complete any work or assignments that they have missed.

Co-curricular Activities

Environmental Club, Drama Club, Recycling, Intramural Sports, Games Day, Lego Club, and many more.  For more detail, please see our Clubs and Sports page.

Code of Conduct At St. Mary Catholic Elementary

St. Mary Catholic Elementary School prepares the way for students, staff, parents and community partners in a caring, inclusive environment that models tolerance, sharing, forgiveness and respect.Our school provides a safe and inclusive learning environment. All members of the Catholic school community must:

• Respect and comply with all applicable federal, provincial, and municipal laws including the teachings and laws of the Catholic Church

• Demonstrate honesty and integrity

• Respect differences in people, their ideas, and their opinions

• Treat one another with dignity and respect at all times, and especially when there is disagreement

• Respect and treat others fairly, regardless of, for example, race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability

• Respect the rights of others

• Show proper care and regard for school property and the property of others

• Take appropriate measures to help those in need

• Seek assistance from a member of the school staff, if necessary, to resolve conflict peacefully

• Respect all members of the school community, especially persons in positions of authority

• Respect the need of others to work in an environment that is conducive to learning and teaching

To view the Board's Code of Conduct page click here.

Excellence in Learning

Students come to school interested in learning and staff provide students the support they need to succeed.

The students of St. Mary school live their faith through daily discussions regarding the Catholic Virtues, the Catholic Social Teachings, the Catholic Graduate Expectations and appropriate grade level Catechesis.

Social Justice

The school community is supportive of local and global social justice issues.