HPS Sep 1 Weekly Update

Hello families, and welcome to the 2023-24 school year! We are so excited to start this year with all of our students and I am looking forward to seeing all of our students back in the building, and getting to know the new faces joining our school!

I’d like to take a moment to introduce our new Assistant Principal and Inclusive Education Coordinator for this year - Mrs. Melissa Dallinger. We are excited to have her and her wealth of experience joining our school team. She can be reached at melissa.dallinger@psd.ca. 

The first day of school is Tuesday, September 5th. I’d like to share some important information about our school schedules and routines this year:

• On the first day of school, staff will be out front of the entrances directing students to their appropriate doors and classrooms. Grade 1-3 students enter through the main doors near the office, gr. 4-9 students enter at the doors closest to the playground. Kindergarten students enter through the Early Education entrance, across the courtyard from the 4-9 entrance, near the bus lane.
• Supervision begins at 8:15 at the entrances and inside the school. As such, we ask that you please make arrangements for your child to arrive at school no earlier than 8:15. The first warning bell rings at 8:25. After the first day of school, there will be a supervisor on the playground as that area is open to our elementary students as they wait to enter the school at 8:25. Students in grades 7-9 have access to the building starting at 8:15.
• If you plan on accompanying your child to school on the first day to assist with supplies, etc., please feel welcome to do so! After the 8:30 bell, parents say their farewells to allow our daily routine to begin.
• Parking and traffic can be very busy at peak times. Please note that there is a drop-off lane in the staff parking lot - this is a “drop and go” area. If you need to park and get out of your vehicle, please do so in an appropriate stall or in a safe location along the street. We ask you to be exceedingly cautious when pulling into and leaving the parking lot and pay close attention to pedestrian traffic in the crosswalks. 

New Bus Status App

If you haven’t already, please ensure you download the new bus status app to avoid missing notifications.

2023-24 Bell Schedule (*New for 2023-24)

Meet the Teacher Night

On Thursday, Sep. 7, High Park School is hosting “Pop on In!” - an opportunity to stop by the school to visit your child’s classroom, meet the staff, and snag a popsicle while you check out the school. Please drop by anytime between 5:30-7pm and be sure to complete a Meet the Staff Bingo Card for a chance to win a door prize!

Cell Phone and Technology Policy (*UPDATED for 2023-24)

All Parkland School Division schools have instituted a Responsible Use of Technology Agreement. A copy of the agreement must be signed by each student in order to access computer technology in the school. In the event that there is a breach in the agreement (i.e. downloading software/files, viewing/searching for inappropriate material, or any other misuse/vandalism of the technologies) students may lose access privileges to computers/internet at the discretion of the school administration.

Our school welcomes the use of student-owned Chromebooks or laptops to enhance learning and home/school communication, however, these are not required and the school will provide students with a device to use at school if needed. If the use of a school-owned Chromebook or a personally-owned device in class is distracting from student learning, the student will lose this privilege. If guidelines for use are not followed, the student may have their personal device confiscated to be picked up at the end of the school day, and/or the student may lose the privilege of bringing their own device to the school. We continue to work with our students to help them learn how to use technology in meaningful, responsible ways.

Cell phone use is not permitted during class or non-instructional time unless permitted by a staff member. Students will be expected to keep their phones in their lockers. They will be provided time to check messages at the start of each break and then will be expected to return their phone to their locker if they are remaining at school for the break. If the guidelines for use are not followed, the student will have their phone confiscated to be picked up at the end of the school day. If problems persist, the student could lose the privilege of having their phone at school. It is important that our students understand appropriate use for personal devices and we will do our best to help them learn. While we recognize cell phones have become a modern place in society, the use of technology at school is for learning purposes. This policy extends to other electronic devices such as smart watches and wireless earbuds, for example. In the event you need to relay information to your child, our office staff can always be reached by calling the office at 780-963-2222.

Lunch Routines 

Students are provided an assigned, supervised place for eating lunch and for their recreation time. Please note that students do not have access to microwaves.

All Grade K-6 students are expected to remain on school grounds (Grade 7, 8 & 9 students are also encouraged to remain on school campus, but are permitted off campus with signed permission) unless arrangements to walk home for lunch have been communicated from home to school staff. Parents who would like their child to go home for lunch are asked to complete the Lunch Permission Form and return it to the office. Students are not allowed to leave campus without written consent. All students are expected to return on time and to be prepared for classes prior to the afternoon bell.

Students who have provided the school with written parental permission to leave campus during the lunch recess, must leave campus at the start of lunch recess and return at the end of lunch (12:05-1:05 pm).

Hot Lunch

Hot Lunch is offered to students by the PAL from October to May.  More information can be found on our High Park school website under the Lunch Program. The deadline to order hot lunches for October is September 26.

Attendance

A reminder that if your child must be absent from school for any reason, it is important to notify our office by phone, text or email. Regular attendance is very important to your child’s success at school, and we do miss our students when they are away. If we do not know of the reason for your child’s absence, our office will make a call home to inquire for safety and reporting reasons. We appreciate your prompt communication of student absences with our office staff. 

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to give me a call at the school office at (780) 963-2222 or email me at adrienne.owen@psd.ca to connect. I look forward to a great school year together!

Powerschool and Parent Portal

Do we have your most up-to-date information?  Please update your information today on PowerSchool. PowerSchool allows you to update information, access attendance info, gradebook, report cards and pay fees. You can also receive important  attendance and other messages right to your inbox. For more info, please visit PowerSchool.

If you need assistance with PowerSchool, please contact the school office and we will be happy to help you. 

Homeroom Class Placements

By now, you should have received communication from your child’s teacher with details about the first day and week of school. Please understand that significant effort and consideration goes into class placement decisions. We will not be reviewing any class change requests until after September 15. At that time, if you would like to arrange a meeting regarding concerns about class placement, please contact me at adrienne.owen@psd.ca to discuss. Please note that we can only consider changes for valid educational reasons. Requests based on friend groupings alone will not be considered.

School Handbook

Please take a few minutes to review our updated school handbook, containing important information for the 2023-24 school year, available on our school website.

We are so looking forward to seeing all of our students back in classrooms and for the exciting year ahead! As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Adrienne Owen

Principal, High Park School