Larkhall Academy

Busing Delay Tuesday, September 3rd

We would like to apologize for the busing situation that occurred this afternoon. We realize the stress that this caused families and students. 

As there are sometimes small delays in busing due to things like weather or traffic, today was out of the ordinary. It was a combination of unforeseen factors that combined to create the extended delay.

If you are concerned about the bus stops for your child, please ensure that you check the NLSchool Parent Bus Portal here. If you require your child’s Student ID, please call the school and we will provide it to you. 

Thank-you for your patience and understanding.

Larkhall Administration

Welcome Back !

We sincerely hope that all of our Larkhall Academy families had a great summer! We cannot wait to see smiles and share in the laughter and stories of not only our returning families, but of those families that are new to the Larkhall Academy community!

Larkhall Academy has been a busy place this past summer, from fresh paint throughout the school to the shine on the floors. All we need now is to welcome back our Larkhall Academy families!

Below you will find some important information to help the first week back go smoothly. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at larkhallacad@nlschools.ca or call (709) 722-7012.

New Registrations

If you know a family who has recently moved into our school zone, please encourage them to contact the school for student registration on Tuesday. They can email us at: larkhallacad@nlschools.ca or call (709) 722-7012.

Busing 

As of September 2024, all students qualify for student transportation; consequently, we now have five buses serving Larkhall Academy. There have been changes to routes, bus stop locations and pickup and drop off times. 

Please visit the NLSchools Student Transportation Webpage. There is a wealth of information there related to student busing, including updated routes for Larkhall Academy. We encourage all families, especially those new to school busing this year, to view the bus safety video located on that website.

Changes to Drop Off and Pick Up

Due to the extra buses, the Main Door on Larkhall Street is now used solely for busing students. To reduce traffic around the school, we strongly encourage all families to avail of student transportation. 

If you are dropping off your child or if they walk to school please note the following changes to arrival and drop off.

Arrival
Grades K-4 Enter through office door on Vinnicombe Street 

All late arrivals have to check in at the office before proceeding to classroom

Dismissal 

Kindergarten - Kindergarten Door - west end of the building near Kindergarten classes

Grades 2 and 4 - Vinnicombe Street Gym Door (the one with steps)

Grades 1 and 3 - Vinnicombe Street Office Door (the one with the ramp)

No students will be dismissed through the main door on Larkhall Street.

Achieva: Students will be called to the gym after walkers and pickups; they will be greeted by the Achieva worker and taken downstairs.

Bus Students will be called at 2:52. Each line up will be escorted out by a teacher and loaded onto the bus. 

Max AfterSchool Students will be called to line up for dismissal at the main door once the buses have been loaded. 

Dismissal Information

It is of the utmost importance to ensure that your child knows how they are getting home on the first few days of school; this helps them, and us, establish a routine and build trust. Please make sure to indicate to your child’s teacher if there is an arrangement other than busing for dismissal. 

Student Illness

If your child is sick, please keep them home until their symptoms subside. As you can imagine, illnesses spread very quickly within the walls of the school. Also, talk to your children about the importance of handwashing and the use of hand sanitizer.

Parent / Guardian Email

All parents and guardians need to have an updated email address on file, as this will be our primary means of sharing information with you.

School Lunch (Program offered by School Lunch Association)

• Registration and ordering will open on Monday, September 9th 

• Registration and ordering will close on Monday, September 16th

• Our first day of lunch service will be Wednesday, September 25th

Until the lunch program starts on September 25th, we ask that you provide a lunch for your child that does not require heating at school.

Breakfast Program

Thanks to the support of Kids Eat Smart, President's Choice Children’s Charities, and families, we will once again offer our grab-and-go breakfast program. Each classroom will have a bin of various items such as fruit, cereal bars, yogurt and cheese, that students may take upon arrival at school. 

Water Bottles

All students should have their own water bottle clearly labeled with their name.

Office Drop offs 

Recognizing that mornings can be chaotic, we know that things can come up, and things are forgotten. We kindly ask that families try to ensure that their children have everything they need before they leave in the morning. 

Allergy and Medical Alert

We want to make a special effort to raise awareness of certain medical conditions at our school. 

Many substances, including dust, pollen, fish and nut products, can cause a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction in some people. In fact, many medical experts are calling for strong measures in schools to protect children with allergies from exposure to some of these substances. Some allergies demand more attention due to their severity. In some cases, just the smell of a certain food, or a trace of the substance on an object, may cause an anaphylactic reaction. An anaphylactic reaction is an allergic reaction so severe it can cause death. 

To ensure the safety of all children, we must take precautions and be prepared for an emergency. To help reduce the risk of a medical emergency, we ask that you NOT allow your child to bring the following food items:  shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, peanut butter, or any product known to contain nuts/peanuts or peanut oil. WOW Butter, Nutella (or similar no name or store brand Hazelnut spreads) are also included in this list.  

If your child has eaten peanuts/nuts before coming to school, please ensure your child’s hands, face and teeth have been thoroughly cleaned before entering the school.   

As well, we request that students, staff and visitors not wear scented products such as perfumes, colognes, or hair/body sprays.

If your child has an allergy to items not listed above please let the school know immediately, as we update our allergy list at the start of every year. 

Dressed for outside

Fresh air and play are two driving factors behind our students’ Social Emotional Well-Being. Please ensure that your child (children) come to school each day prepared for all the weird and wonderful weather that our beautiful province of Newfoundland and Labrador has to throw our way!

We also ask that you label any personal items belonging to your child/children. It breaks our hearts to see so many items left in the Lost and Found with no home!

Secure School / Lockdowns / Fire Drills

In the coming weeks, classroom teachers will be having discussions and practices with their classes around all 3 of these procedures. It is important that you speak to your child/children about these and stress their importance. 

Knowing what needs to happen in times of stress helps reduce anxiety around possible incidents that can occur. Our classroom teachers will take great care in their conversations around these topics. There will be more information to come to help you navigate these discussions with your family.

If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to us.

Visitor/Family Access

During the school instructional day, please come to the Office Door located on Vinnicombe Street and buzz to gain entrance to the building; this is the only door where entry into the school is permitted.

Late Arrivals

All students arriving late must check in at the office prior to going to class. Parents / Guardians of students in Grades Kindergarten and Grade 1 are encouraged to bring your child into the school and check at the office.