Essentials

Essential Forms

For the 2010/11 school year, essential forms for prospective and returning families can be found here.

Schedule of Fees

Tuition is set at a fixed amount for the full school year. For the 2010/2011 academic year, tuition for the CASA aged children has been set at $8,100.00 for a full time attendance and $4,950 for mornings only. For the ELEMENTARY programme it is $8,500.00. Pay for service resource is available. A non-refundable deposit of one month’s tuition is required at the time you register your child/children.

If you choose to make monthly payments, we will require post-dated cheques made out to C.M.C.S. for the first of each month from September to May. ** If you choose not to give us post-dated cheques you will be billed $840.00 per month of which $40.00 will cover administration costs.

Annual Fees: Casa Full Day Programme: $8,100.00, Casa Half Day (morning only): $4,950.00

    Breakdown monthly:
  • 5 Full days $810.00
  • 4 Full days $700.00 (calculated from the 5 day full day programme)
  • 3 Full days $565.00 (calculated from the 5 day full day programme)
  • 5 Half days $495.00

Annual Fees: Elementary Programme: $8,500.00

    Breakdown monthly:
  • 5 Full days $850.00

Withdrawal:

  • If a child registered for the upcoming school year is withdrawn after June 1st, 2010, the deposit will not be refunded.
  • If a child is withdrawn during the school year, the deposit will not be refunded.
  • If a child is removed during a month, the parent will be responsible for the entire tuition of the month the child is removed, as well as payment of the non-refundable deposit.

Late Payments/NSF Cheques: A charge of 1% per month (12% per year) will be applied to payments not received within 30 days of the due date. A fee of $30.00 will be charged for each returned cheque.

Trips and Material Fees

Payment of the trips and material fee is due on September 1st, either in full, or one-half of the fee by cheque dated September 1st, 2010 and the balance by post-dated cheque for January 1st, 2011. $150.00/year - Casa Programme
$300.00/year – Elementary Programme

Family Rate

Applicable when more than one child per family is registered. There is a 10% reduction in tuition for the second child and for each additional child.

Supervised Care

Supervised care is available from:
8:00 am – 8:40 am (morning-care programme)
3:30 pm – 6:00 pm (after-school-care programme)
Both programmes offer supervised play, outdoor activities, and some sports activities. The rate is $5.00 per hour per child and is invoiced on a monthly basis.

School Hours

The school is open from 8:00 am - 6:00 pm

Casa Programme

8:45 am - 11:30 am (morning session)
1:00 pm - 3:30 pm (afternoon session)
with a supervised lunch/recess from 11:30 am to 12:45 pm

Elementary Programme

8:45 am - 3:30 pm
with a supervised lunch/recess from 12:00 noon to 12:45 pm

Holiday Closures

CMCS observes all statutory holidays that occur during the school year as well as designated Professional Development days and breaks at Christmas, March and summer.

H1N1 School Information

Hamilton Public Health Services has distributed this H1N1 School Information to all schools. Please review it carefully.

Lunches and Snacks

Children bring their own lunches and snacks and are supervised by teachers and volunteers during the lunch period.

The Casa classes’ lunch period is from 11:30 am to 12:45 pm. The children eat in their classrooms under the supervision of their teachers. This creates a calm and quiet lunchtime helping the children focus on eating and encouraging healthy eating habits.

The Elementary classes’ lunch period is from 12:00 noon to 12:45 pm. All students eat either in their own classrooms or an assigned classroom and then go outside. We combine the different classes on a rotating schedule to encourage opportunities for social interaction between grades.

Because we have children with peanut/tree nut allergies, we ask that no peanuts/nuts or foods containing peanuts or nuts be included with snacks or lunches. Please check ingredients of all food items in your child’s lunch or snack. If you use soy butter, please include a mini-note with the lunch/snack so that we are aware.

Field Trips

Field trips are an integral part of our children's education. Because we feel that hands-on learning is the best kind of learning, the elementary classes typically take a field trip every Friday, whether it is a walk in the local community to examine the wildlife, or a trip further afield. Casa trips vary depending on the season and on relevant programming. Our trips are planned very carefully and safety is always an important consideration.

Reports and Interviews

Interviews: Interviews happen both formally and informally. Formally each parent is invited to meet with the class teachers twice a year. At this meeting, the teacher will present some of the work that the child has been doing and will discuss concerns as well as provide feedback about the student and classroom. Informally, we have always encouraged parents to engage in regular discussion with teachers and encourage parents with specific concerns to approach the teacher directly and ask for a meeting or a phone call.
Interview Schedule: Casa Programmes have open interviews in November and February. The Elementary Programme interviews are in November and March. At year-end, interviews are by invitation of teacher or by request of parent.

Reports: The report format for each classroom differs and is directly related to the types of assessment instruments used in class as well as the curriculum taught during that year. Through the report, the parent and child receive written feedback on the specific skills and areas of growth and learning the child has experienced.
Report Schedule: The Casa Programme provides one report at the end of the school year. The Elementary Programme provide two reports, one before the New Year and the other at the end of the school year. An interim report in mid-year will also be provided.

Parental Involvement

It has been said, "It takes a community to raise a child". Colin Macdonald Community School staff, together with parent volunteers, provide a rich and diverse community for our children, as well as offering unique opportunities to learn and experience life in a safe and nurturing environment. Studies have shown that children have a much higher rate of success when parents are actively involved in their school experience. Being a parent volunteer in the CMCS Community offers many positive aspects. It connects you to other parents and families, to teachers and staff, and most importantly to your own children. One senior student commented that having their parent involved as a school volunteer demonstrated for them, that their school experience was significant to their entire family unit.
Forms:

Strategic Planning and other Committees

The Strategic Planning Committee is made up of parents, who sit on the Committee as the chair of a committee described below or as a member at large. This committee also includes our Director, Christine Borsellino and a teaching staff representative. This committee meets bi-monthly or on an as-needed basis.

The committees with specific responsibilities are as follows; Finance Committee, Building Committee, Personnel Committee, Marketing/Community Relations Committee, and the I.T. Committee. Each of these committees meets monthly or as needed. If you would be interested in becoming a member in any committee when a vacancy occurs, please let Christine know.

Discipline Issues

Self-discipline and respect for others is of the greatest importance in our classrooms and we insist on, and to the best of our ability, model this behaviour. When disciplining a child in the classroom, staff uses "logical consequences" and ultimately time-outs. Our Virtues Programme also plays a large part in our approach to discipline. A student's dignity is always respected and an attempt is made to carry out all discipline as privately as possible.