Parent Resources
Safety Information
Our schools are safe and secure places for learning. We watch out for our students, teach them about personal safety, and make sure our facilities are safe. Together with parents and the community, we create an environment that promotes learning, good citizenship, friendship, and fun.
Michael Strembitsky Traffic App:
General Safety
Notify the school if your child will be absent or late. Schools monitor attendance. We want to ensure your child arrives at school safely.
Be sure the school has an updated emergency number in the event that your child is injured or becomes ill at school.
As your child's first teacher, you will be the most important person to model safe behavior as you walk and drive together.
As you walk your child to school, talk about crossing the street and being visible to drivers.
Bicycles used by young children on busy streets can be hazardous. Please supervise your child's riding and help your child develop skills in safe areas.
Talk with your child about how school safety patrols can help and where Block Parent homes are located in your neighborhood.
For safety's sake, be informed! Become familiar with:
- the names of teachers who will be working with your child
- the school procedures regarding care of outer clothing, field trips, fees and supplies
- the school calendar - identify holidays and special events
- the school timetable - starting and dismissal times
- the school's emergency procedures
Cold and Inclement Weather Policy
Recess for elementary school students is a time to provide a break from regular school routines and a chance to get some exercise and fresh air. It is expected that children will be dressed warmly enough to be outside for 15 minutes. When the temperature is colder than -23 Celsius, or if the wind-chill factor creates an equally cold situation, or if there is a storm with extreme wind conditions, regular outside recess is cancelled and students are allowed to remain indoors under their teachers' supervision. Students will be dismissed at the regular time. District schools are generally not closed during periods of cold weather, heavy snowfall, or rain. It can be expected that unless weather conditions become extremely severe, all Edmonton Public Schools will remain open. Any notice of school closures will be made known through television or radio announcements.
Student Rights and Responsibilities:
At Michael Strembitsky School we believe:
All members of our school contribute to a welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning and working environment that respects diversity and fosters a sense of belonging.
Michael Strembitsky staff believe in mentoring student behaviour by teaching responsibility and creating a caring school community. In a positive way, we attempt to help students who behave inappropriately to repair the harm they have caused to individuals and to the school community.
This Rights and Responsibilities document provides students and parents with expectations for how to be successful and safe at Michael Strembitsky. We seek to ensure a safe, positive, respectful, and productive school climate and culture, where high expectations are set for academic achievement and behaviour.
To read, please look under "About our School - School Documents"
MSS Safe Contact
As required by the District’s Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Policy and Administrative Regulation, each school or program operated by the District is required to identify a staff member to serve as a Safe Contact for sexual and gender minority students. Please refer to the main office for this information.
The role of the Safe Contact is (1) to actively listen, consult, engage, advocate, and support sexual and gender minority and questioning students and their families to feel safe, valued, respected, and included, and (2) to encourage these students and families to actively participate and positively contribute to their schools and communities without fear for their personal safety or wellbeing.
By creating safe, inclusive, equitable, and respectful school environments, Safe Contacts will help to reduce anti-social behaviour, strengthen emotional resilience, improve mental health and wellbeing, remove barriers to education (e.g. attendance and high school completion), deter harassment and violence, and enhance the natural assets and protective factors of vulnerable students and their families.