Frequently Asked Questions

Below are a variety of frequently asked questions we get from parents/guardians.

1. WHO DO I CONTACT?

(a) WHO SHOULD I CONTACT FOR CONCERNS ABOUT MY CHILD?

The student's school should be the primary point of contact for parents/guardians. The vast majority of questions or concerns (such as curriculum matters, busing information or school events), can be addressed at the school level through your child's teacher or through the school administration.

(b) IF I HAVE A QUESTION THAT REQUIRES A RESPONSE BEYOND THE SCHOOL LEVEL, FOR EXAMPLE ON A POLICY MATTER, SHOULD I CONTACT THE DISTRICT?

The vast majority of questions can be answered at the school level. With respect to District policies, these can be found here.

If you have a question which you feel should be addressed by the school district you should first contact the Director of Schools (DOS) for the school. The contact information for Director of Schools can be found on your schools profile page.

The contact information for each district office of the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District can be found below:

DISTRICT OFFICE
(Labrador)

16 Strathcona Street
Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL
Canada · A0P 1E0
Tel:(709)896-2431
Fax:(709)896-9638

DISTRICT OFFICE
(Western)

10 Wellington Street
Corner Brook, NL
Canada · A2H 6G9
Tel:(709)637-4000
Fax:(709)634-1828

DISTRICT OFFICE
(Central)

203 Elizabeth Drive
Gander, NL
Canada · A1V 1H6
Tel:(709)256-2547
Fax:(709)651-3044

DISTRICT OFFICE
(Avalon)

95 Elizabeth Avenue
St. John's, NL
Canada · A1B 1R6
Tel:(709)758-2372
Fax:(709)758-2706

If you have questions regarding student support services currently being offered you should contact the school or your child's Program Planning Team. If you still have concerns after speaking with the school and/or the Program Planning Team you may contact the Director of Schools (DOS) (formerly SEO) for your school.

If you need further assistance after speaking with the DOS you may contact the Student Services contact for your area.

(d) I HAVE A CURRICULUM QUESTION WHICH DOES NOT RELATE TO MY CHILD, HOWEVER, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT A CERTAIN TOPIC. DOES THE DISTRICT HAVE EXPERTS IN SPECIFIC CURRICULUM AREAS THAT I CAN SPEAK WITH?

The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District has Program Specialists who work with specific areas of the curriculum, such as mathematics, social studies or fine arts. Contact information for these individuals can be found on our main contact page on our website.

(e) WHO SHOULD I CALL TO DISCUSS A DISCIPLINARY MATTER WITH RESPECT TO MY CHILD?

Questions regarding disciplinary matters should be directed to the school and a discussion should take place with the teacher. If the matter is not resolved you can discuss it with the principal. If you would like to discuss the matter beyond the school level you can contact the Director of Schools responsible for your school. Contact information for DOS can be found on each schools profile page or on the staff directory contact page.

(f) WHO SHOULD MEDIA CONTACT TO ARRANGE INTERVIEWS, DISCUSS ISSUES OR ARRANGE EVENTS WITH NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR ENGLISH SCHOOL DISTRICT?

Media representatives should contact Greg Howard, Manager of Communications for the District, who can arrange the appropriate response to the media inquiry. (Tel: 709-758-2371 | Cell: 709-327-8330 | Email: greghoward@nlesd.ca)

(g) HOW DO I MAKE AN ACCESS TO INFORMATION REQUEST OR LEARN MORE ABOUT PROTECTION OF PRIVACY?

As a public body, the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District follows the requirements of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Requests for information under the act must be made through the District's ATIPP Coordinator who can be reached via atipp@nlesd.ca or (709) 758-2372.

Further information on submitting an access request and the legislation can be found here. The form required to make a request can be found here.

2. SCHOOL REGISTRATION, KINDERGARTEN/KINDERSTART

(a) HOW DO I REGISTER MY CHILD FOR SCHOOL?

Parents/ guardians of pre-school aged children are advised that registration for the Kinderstart (pre-Kindergarten) and Kindergarten Program takes place in May of each year. For the 2016-17 school year, children must be five years of age on or before December 31, 2016. If you have not yet registered your child for the Kindergarten program, please contact your zoned school. Click here to learn more about Kindergarten Registration.

(b) HOW DO I FIND MY ZONED SCHOOL?

To find your zoned school, check the school feeder system directory, the complete district school directory, or the School Bus Planner Tool.

(c0 )HOW DO I REGISTER MY CHILD FOR A FRENCH IMMERSION PROGRAM?

Parents/guardians interested in registering their child in the Early French Immersion (EFI) Kindergarten Program are required to register their child at their zoned school if the Early French Immersion Program is offered. If Early Immersion is not offered in the zoned school, parents/guardians shall register their child at the school closest to their place of residence that offers the program.

For a list of schools offering the Early French Immersion Program and the associated feeder stream, click here. For more information about the French Immersion Program, click here.

(d) HOW DO I REQUEST A STUDENT TRANSFER?

Parents/guardians have the right to request a transfer to another school within the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District. Requests will be considered subject to guidelines defined in the District's Administrative Regulations, under the following circumstances:

When other siblings are in regular attendance at the school in which the transfer is being requested.
When there are program availability considerations.
When the ISSP or school team recommends it.
When family members of the child and/or his guardian live within the attendance zone of the school.

All student transfer requests shall be submitted to the principal of the requested school on the Student Transfer Request Form and copied to the principal of the zoned school.

All student transfer requests shall be considered subject to space availability, programming considerations and the current staffing allocation provided to the school.

3. BUSING / STUDENT TRANSPORTATION

(a) HOW DOES THE NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR ENGLISH SCHOOL DISTRICT DETERMINE WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR BUSING?

As per Government policy, school busing is provided free of charge for students who live greater than 1.6 kilometres from their neighbourhood school.

(b) HOW DO I REGISTER MY CHILD FOR BUSING?

When you register your child for school, he or she would be registered for school busing based on your place of residence. Click here to review the District's School Bus Information.

Students who reside in the walk zone (less than 1.6 km from their neighbourhood school) may be offered a courtesy seat. Under courtesy seating, there would have to capacity on the bus and the student would have to walk back to the nearest stop outside of the walk zone. Courtesy seats are provided at the discretion of the school principal.

(d) IS BUSING AVAILABLE FOR FRENCH IMMERSION STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT ATTENDING THEIR NEIGHBOURHOOD SCHOOL?

Students attending a school other than their zoned, neighbourhood school, such as students in French Immersion, do not qualify for student busing.

(e) CAN MY CHILD BE PICKED UP AT HOME BUT DROPPED OFF AT DAYCARE?

With regard to busing to daycares, the Department of Education's policy indicates the conditions for this transportation will be provided to eligible students. These conditions include:

The daycare must be licensed under the Government's regulations.
The daycare must be on an established bus route.
The daycare must be located outside of the walk zone.
There must be capacity on the bus.

(f) HOW SAFE ARE SCHOOL BUSES?

School buses meet 37 federal safety standards set by Transport Canada. These include: size and bright yellow color; high back, padded seats; shatter-proof glass; raised floor; reinforced sides and flashing upper lights and stop arm.

4. SCHOOL CLOSURES

(a) HOW WILL I KNOW IF SCHOOL WILL BE CLOSED DUE TO WEATHER OR A BUILDING ISSUE?

If for any reason a school must close, either early morning or midday, school administrators will update the on-line School Status Report message board. Click here for School Status.

Every effort will be made to have school closure announcements posted to the School Status Report by 6:30 a.m., and depending on the weather and any building-related emergencies that may occur once school opens, anytime throughout the day. Schools will also use the Synervoice telephone messaging system as well as the local radio stations to deliver important school announcements.

In the event a school may have to close during the day, parents/guardians should advise their school principal as to how they want emergency situations handled with respect to student busing and pickup. Parents/guardians should look for this form in their child's new school year package.

Information on the decision making process for weather closures can be found here.

5. HOMEWORK

(a) DOES THE DISTRICT HAVE A HOMEWORK POLICY?

The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District recognizes that homework, when properly administered with appropriate feedback, is a valuable part of the educational process. Homework not only acts as a bridge between home and school in providing information regarding student learning, it also reinforces and practices skills that have already been covered in class.

If a teacher chooses to assign homework, the following guidelines are provided for the various grade levels:

K- 10 minutes
Primary - 30 minutes
Elementary - 40 minutes
Intermediate - 1 hour
High School - 1 to 2 hours.

6. STUDENT RECORDS

(a) HOW CAN I OBTAIN A TRANSCRIPT OR INFORMATION FROM MY ACADEMIC RECORDS?

The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District makes transcripts available for former and current students upon request.

Current/former students who are looking for an official high school transcript should contact the Department of Education, High School Transcripts Division.

To request other information from student records for current and former students, please click here to download the Student Records Request and Authorization form.

7. PARENT CONCERNS

(a) HOW DO I REGISTER A CONCERN OR COMPLAINT?

The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District recognizes and respects the fact that parents/guardians and/or students may sometimes disagree with the decisions or actions of a teacher, administrator or district level personnel. While every effort is made to resolve issues, parents/guardians and students have a right to appeal decisions.

We encourage all concerns and issues to be handled as near the source as possible. For example, issues should be first addressed with the classroom teacher. If unresolved, the concern should be addressed by the principal. If still unresolved, the senior education officer assigned to your school can assist in resolving the issue.

Should you wish to register an official complaint with the District, you can contact our district office at (709) 758-2372.

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