Getting to School

Getting to School

School Hours

Attendance and Safe Arrival Program

Regular and punctual attendance contributes significantly to a student's success at school. If your child will be absent or late, we request that you phone the school and leave a message on the school voice mail. For the morning session, please call before 8:00; for the afternoon session, call before 12:00.

Safe Arrival Phone Number is 722-4474

The school provides a volunteer-operated system to help ensure the safe arrival of children. If the school has not received a phone call, a volunteer will contact the parent or guardian of the absent student shortly after 8:30 for morning or 12:15 for afternoon. The school office must have a phone number at which your family can be reached at all times during the school day, as well as an emergency backup number.

This is a program to confirm safe arrival of children to school. However, it is neither a guarantee that every parent will be contacted, nor is it an acceptance of liability should a concern arise. Situations such as unavailability of volunteers, inaccurate information, and no one being available to be contacted may prevent us from reaching a parent.

All students who have been absent must, on their return, bring a note of explanation signed by a parent or guardian. If you know beforehand that your child will arrive late or must leave early, please write a note of explanation to the teacher.

Walking & Cycling to School

Churchill is a member of the Active and Safe Routes to School program (www.saferoutestoschool.ca) and proactively encourages children and their parents to walk or bike all or part of the way to school whenever possible. 

To ensure greater safety for all children and a more pedestrian-friendly environment around our school, we have adopted a Safe Driving & Drop-Off plan that we ask all parents who do drive their child to school to adhere to. Please see the map. Key reminders include: 

• Try and park at least  one block away from the school and walk the rest of the way.
• There are multiple places to drop your children off: Churchill Avenue (north & south of Ravenhill),  Edison Avenue (east side, north & south of Kenwood), Melbourne (west side, north & south of Kenwood), Roosevelt  (use stairs between lower and upper Ravenhill)
• Approach the school on Edison, then turn left on Ravenhill, and  drive away on Melbourne. This one-way traffic pattern reduces congestion for everyone (walkers, cyclists and drop-offs) and ensures no child is crossing a street mid-block in traffic.
• Respect all no stopping, no parking and no turning signs. These are there for our children's safety and are enforced by police and City bylaw officers. 
• The school parking lot is for staff only and is not to be used for dropping off or picking up students. 

Throughout the year we also celebrate walking to school through special events and activities including International Walk to School (IWALK) Week, Winter Walk to School Day, and periodic Walking School Buses lead by parent volunteers.   

Busing

Transportation will be provided to: 

• Junior and Senior Kindergarten students residing one kilometre or more from the school.
• pupils in Grades 1 to 3 residing 1.6 kilometres or more from the school.
• pupils in Grades 4 to 6 residing 2.4 kilometres or more from the school.
• all physically challenged students. (Special transportation arrangements can be made through the office.)

Busing is provided by M&O Bus Lines, Laidlaw, and Stock through the OCDSB. The M&O Bus Lines Operations Manager can be reached at 726-1000; Laidlaw at 841-8600; and Stock at 822-8800. Kindergarten pupils who are eligible for busing will be contacted by the bus drivers before the first day of school.

The complete OCDSB policy on busing is available in the school office.

Bells

There are no automated bells. A hand bell is used to invite students into the school.

School Closure

In rare cases of extreme weather, the OCDSB may order schools closed. The school office will notify parents, through the school telephone tree, of any closure plans. Please ensure that the office has the most recent telephone numbers of parents/guardians and emergency contact.

The Emergency Evacuation shelter for Churchill is Westboro United Church, where the children and staff will gather in cases of extreme emergency (e.g., fire, bomb threat). Children will not be sent home early without parent, guardian, or emergency contact.