Hello Kingfisher Parents, Guardians, and Students,
It’s hard to believe that we are already in the middle of May! Here is hoping for more spring-like weather in the weeks ahead. With warmer temperatures, sunny days, and only six weeks of instructional classroom time remaining in the school year, we wanted to share a few important reminders regarding student habits, expectations, and upcoming school information.
First, thank you to Mr. Crowe, all of the Learning Centre staff, the support from Special Olympics, and the many SHS staff and students who helped make our 3rd Annual Spring SLAM Basketball Tournament such a success last Friday. Our students did an amazing job preparing for the event, being school leaders throughout the day, and continuing that positive leadership into the evening dance. It truly is one of the best days at SHS every year, and we are very proud of our students and staff for making it such a meaningful and inclusive event.
Attendance, Punctuality, and Learning Expectations
We would like to remind families and students of our school bell times:
- 8:55 a.m. – Warning Bell
- 9:00 a.m. – Morning instructional classroom time begins
- 12:20 p.m. – Warning Bell
- 12:25 p.m. – Afternoon instructional classroom time begins
Over the last several weeks, we have seen an increase in students arriving late in the morning, between classes, and after lunch. We are not currently having late buses arrive, so these are students who are not arriving on school transportation. We need students to be on time for classes throughout the school day.
When students arrive late, they are missing valuable instructional time and causing disruptions to the learning and teaching taking place in classrooms. In both the morning and afternoon, we are also seeing many students arrive with Starbucks and Tim Hortons drinks in hand, which is contributing to disruptions during learning time.
We are asking parents and guardians to please speak with your student about the importance of being on time and fully prepared for learning. We also encourage families to regularly check PowerSchool to monitor attendance and lateness. Teachers have been asked to consistently record lates and early departures in PowerSchool so that parents and students can remain informed.
In addition, we continue to have a number of students leaving classes to use the washroom, gathering in washrooms, and wandering the hallways during instructional time. Unfortunately, this is creating significant disruptions to the learning and working environments within our building. School administration will continue to address these concerns with students; however, if students continue to ignore expectations or cause disruptions, the Nova Scotia Provincial School Code of Conduct will apply.
Students gathering in washrooms, creating messes or damage, wandering hallways, and missing learning opportunities is not something that we will tolerate, as it impacts the overall learning environment for everyone. While we understand we are entering the final six weeks of the school year, now is the time for students to stay focused and work toward earning the credits they need this semester.
Final Summative Assessments
Students will be completing final summative assessments both outside of the formal final assessment period (June 11–19) and during the final assessment period (June 22–25).
Further information regarding schedules and expectations will be shared with students and families in the coming weeks. However, all students are expected to be present during these time periods to complete their formal summative assessments, as required by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD). These summative assessments make up a portion of each student’s overall course grade.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support of our students, staff, and school community. We appreciate the partnership between home and school as we work together to help all students finish the school year successfully.
Regards,
The Staff and Administration of SHS