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Please see important memo sent on behalf of the Minister of Education

Education

December 17, 2024

New Student Personal Electronic Devices Policy

The following is a message on behalf of the Government of NL.

Thank you to all those who participated in the engagement survey. The consultation received robust engagement and feedback from over 13,000 participants, of which over 40 per cent were students, as well as the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association and other key educational partners.

A new NLSchools Responsible Student Use of Personal Electronic Devices Policy will come into effect when students return from holiday break on January 6, 2025. The policy aims to reduce the impact of inappropriate personal electronic device usage, such as cell phones, on learning.

Under the policy:

• Students in grades K-6 are encouraged not to bring personal electronic devices to school and will not have access to devices during school hours.

• Students in Grade 7 to Level 4 who bring a personal electronic device to school must switch it off and store it out of sight during instructional hours. Students can access their devices during recess and lunch breaks.

Individual exemptions to the policy may be provided for medical and educational reasons. The application for exemption form will be posted on the NLSchools website later today.

The policy is available on the NLSchools website here. To support fulsome understanding of the policy, a frequently asked questions document for students and parents/guardians is also available on the NLSchools website and is linked below.

Responsible Student Use of Personal Electronic Devices Policy

Frequently Asked Questions – Students, Parents and Guardians

Subject: Help Shape the Future of Education: Share Your Thoughts

Dear Families,

Education Accord NL is inviting everyone connected to our education system—parents, caregivers, educators, support staff, and others—to share their thoughts on the future of education in Newfoundland and Labrador. From early childhood to lifelong learning, your input matters.

If you haven’t already done so, we encourage you to take a few minutes to complete the anonymous online survey: educationaccordnl.ca/survey. Your input will make a meaningful difference in guiding education reform in our province.

Together, we can help create an education system that supports all learners and their success.

Welcome Back to the 24-25 School Year

School reopens for students Wednesday, September 4th.  This will be a regular day for all students.  Buses will begin pickup at usual times.  Doors open at 8:40 for all students each morning.

Entering the Building on Sept. 4th:

Doors will open at 8:40 and students can check the board as they enter the school to see which homeroom they are in for this year.  They can proceed to the room indicated on these lists.  Please note, we will not be changing homerooms or classes unless there is medical documentation supporting the need for change.

Attendance:  This year the government, along with the schools will be doing much more to ensure regular attendance for our students. As we strive to create a supportive and successful learning environment for all our students, we kindly ask that you contact the school on times when your child is not in the building. Consistent attendance is crucial for academic and social success, as it ensures that students are actively engaged and able to fully benefit from the educational opportunities we provide. When students attend school consistently, they not only keep up with their lessons and assignments, but they also develop important life skills such as responsibility, time management, and perseverance. Being present and engaged in the classroom allows students to participate in discussions, collaborate with peers, and build strong relationships.

Signing in and out: If a student needs to leave the building during the day, they must have parents or guardians call the school to have them excused and they must sign out at the office.  If a student arrives late for school, they must come to the office to get checked in.  Students arriving later than 20 mins for the start of class may be directed to sit in the office or alternate space for the next class so as not to interrupt the learning environment. We will be doing Safe Arrival calls each day at 10:00 am, 11:30 and 2:00 to track attendance.  We will be communicating our late policy to students once the school year begins.

Bus Portal:

This year bussing will be provided to all students no matter distance from the school.  Students will be assigned seating after the first day by the bus drivers.  Courtesy seats need to be asked for from the school as we will have limited room on buses.  There have been some changes in the routes so please ensure that you have reviewed each route.

Parents who have previously created an account can now login and view their child's bus route, view their transportation schedule for first day of school by using the Parent Portal Link included below. All bus route information can be viewed in this area as well.

Parents of students who have not created an account in the past (and wish to do so) can also access the link to create an account.

Parents will need the following information in order to add their child:

1. Student Number (Please call school)

2. Student Date of Birth

3. 2024-2024 School Name

4. 2023-2024 Grade Level

https://nlesd.mybusplanner.ca/Login...

Powerschool:

It is vitally important for all parents to have access to their child’s PowerSchool Account.  These accounts let parents track current marks, missed assessments, attendance and the ability to pay fees, fill out forms, permission slips and much more.  

Should you need access please contact jamiehunt@nlesd.ca or call the school and we will provide your child with a paper copy of the access information.

Rycor:

This year all schools will be using the financial platform Rycor.  This system will allow the school to collect any fees such as sports trips, graduation funds and field trips electronically (the old EMT system will no longer be in use).  Parents/Guardians can access Rycor by using PowerSchool parent app and clicking the School Fees and Forms link on the side.  

The forms below are now available and must be completed by parents.  Failure to complete these forms online by the end of September  may result in loss of privilege for students (especially for those needing electronic devices):

Acceptable use of technology

Core Digital Consent

Student Athlete Contract

Athletic Medical Consent

Chromebook Agreements(if needed)

Demographic Information:  It is vital that the school have accurate information on where a student lives and contact information for that student.  Students should attend schools in their zoned community and parents must be able to be contacted should the need arise. Once we have settled in, all demographic forms will be sent home to be updated.

Allergies:

Please contact the school if your child has any serious allergies or medical conditions that need to be documented.

Midterms and Finals:  We will be returning to midterms and finals this year as per district policy.  Next year we will see the return of “publics”  now called modular exams in the 3000 level courses.  Below is a list of exams for this year:

• Grade 7: Mathematics

• Grade 8: Mathematics and Science

• Grade 9: Mathematics, Science and English Language Arts

For Grades 10-12: Mid-course (assessing the first half of the course) and end-of-course (assessing the second half of the course) examinations will be administered in Grades 10-12 academic and advanced-level Mathematics, Science, English Language Arts, Français, and Social Studies courses, valued at 10% each. Examinations should be one hour in length and occur over a maximum five-day period.  Students in General programming will see Non-cumulative assessments during this time and school will remain open for students during the entire time frame.  Exams will take place in classroom settings as opposed to a gym setting.

Chromebooks:

Students are required to bring their district assigned chromebooks to school each day.  If they have one that is broken or not working properly, they need to bring it back so that it can be repaired.  Our Grade 7 chromebooks are here for those that filled out the forms and we will get these on by Thursday of this week.

Online Safety Tips

Please see the News Release for Online Safety and Tips 

https://www.rnc.gov.nl.ca/news/rnc-stress-importance-of-online-safety/

Vaping Awareness

Below is some information regarding the potential harmful effects of e-cigarettes and use of vaping. Please take the time to review these documents.

Vaping and Youth

Vaping FAQ

Vaping and Parents