What’s happening at Park West School – January 9th
Important Dates
January 5 First Day of school
January 12 Grade 9 Parent Meeting about End of Year
January 13 Snow date for Grade 9 Parent Meeting
January 14 SAC meeting
January 27 Family Literacy Day
Grade 9 Parent Meeting – Year-End Trip
A meeting for Grade 9 parents and guardians to discuss the year-end trip will be held on Monday, the 12th, at 6:00 p.m. at the school. We encourage families to attend to learn more and ask any questions. We look forward to seeing you there.
Winter Clothing Reminder
As we move further into the winter season, we kindly ask families to ensure students come to school with extra socks and mittens each day. Outdoor play and winter weather can quickly lead to wet or misplaced items, and having extras helps students stay warm, dry, and comfortable throughout the day. Thank you for your continued support in keeping our students safe and ready to learn.
Grade 9 Year-End Trip Fundraising – Bottle Drive
To support the Grade 9 year-end trip, we are holding an ongoing bottle drive fundraiser. Any staff or community member is welcome to participate. Recyclables can be dropped off at John Ross & Sons (Bayers Lake), where an account has been set up to allow funds to be donated directly to Park West School. Thank you for your continued support of our Grade 9 students.
Welcome to Our New Staff Members
We are pleased to welcome the following new staff members to our school community: Teagan O’Reilly, Hira Zuberi, Katie Daley, and Nina Amar. We are excited to have them join our team and look forward to the contributions they will make to our school.
Crochet Club Donations Needed
Our Crochet Club has been off to a wonderful start! We began with a generous supply of yarn; however, many of the students attending do not have their own materials, and our yarn supply is quickly running low. We are kindly asking our school community to consider donating yarn to help support this popular club. We currently have a good supply of crochet hooks, but additional hooks are also welcome. Any donations would be greatly appreciated—thank you for helping us keep our students creating and learning together!
Power Outage Information for Families
As we move into the winter months, we want to share how decisions are made when a school experiences a power outage.
Our priority is always to keep schools open safely when possible. A power outage does not automatically mean classes are cancelled – even if it happens during the school day. The decision depends on when power is expected to be restored.
Here’s what happens:
- When a school loses power, HRCE's Operations Team contacts Nova Scotia Power to gather available details on the cause and an estimated restoration time.
- Once we have this information, we consider:
- Before school starts: Have buses begun their routes? If so, we wait until students arrive before making a decision. If classes are cancelled, elementary families will be contacted before dismissal.
- During the school day: How close is dismissal? What is the temperature in the building? Does the school rely on power for water or septic systems? These factors, among others, help us decide whether to stay open or close. Often, power returns faster than we could safely send students home.
If classes are cancelled:
- HRCE will notify families by email and text.
- Families of elementary students will also receive a phone call before dismissal.
Deciding to close schools during a power outage is never simple, but safety is always our top priority. We understand that cancellations can be inconvenient, and our goal is to keep students learning in class whenever possible.
More information about school cancellations for any reason can be found here.
Online Platform Risks From Unplugged Canada
Sharing on behalf of Unplugged Canada
Many digital platforms today, including social media, online gaming and AI chat tools, are designed to keep kids scrolling and engaged, often exposing them to addictive features, adult content, and interactions they may not be developmentally ready to handle.
Below is a resource that outlines some of the most common social media, gaming, and AI chat platforms, helping families better understand the risks, start meaningful conversations at home, and consider delaying smartphones and access to these apps until kids are more developmentally ready.
You can access the full resource here.
Unplugged Canada is a parent-led, national movement advocating for healthier childhoods by delaying smartphones and social media until kids are more developmentally ready. Join thousands of Canadian families choosing to delay by taking the Unplugged Canada Pledge at unpluggedcanada.com/sign-pledge.
Planning for Inclement Weather
Did you know? HRCE takes great care when making the decision to alter the regular operations of schools and school buses in the event of severe or inclement weather.
It is HRCE’s goal to communicate any changes to the regular operations of schools and/or buses as close to 6:00 a.m. as possible. A 6:00 a.m. announcement could be:
- All schools are delayed in opening by two hours and bus pickups are delayed by two hours; or
- All schools are open, but some or all busses are not operating for the day; or
- Some schools (either individually or by family) are closed for the day; or
- All schools are closed for the day.
If weather deteriorates, or is forecasted to worsen throughout the morning, an 11:00 a.m. announcement could be:
- Bussed students will be picked up two hours earlier than their regular dismissal time; and
- Walking students will be dismissed at their regularly scheduled lunch hour.
How will I find out?
- By email to the addresses in PowerSchool
- By text message, if you have opted-in. If you aren’t sure if you have opted-in, text Y to the following number: 978338
- On the HRCE website
- On Instagram
It’s important to always have a plan in place for childcare in the event of any cancellation. Please remember: As a parent or guardian you always have the choice of whether or not to send your child to school.
For more information on how HRCE manages during inclement weather, visit hrce.ca/families/cancellations.
Learn About the Influenza Vaccine
Please share the following with families on behalf of the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness.
Fast Facts about the Flu Vaccine
- Influenza (the flu) is virus that peaks in transmission in the fall and winter months
- Most people are mildly ill when they contract the flu but sometimes the flu can be serious and require admission to the hospital
- Children under 6 years are at the highest risk of serious complications from the flu
- The flu and RSV can occur at the same time making children more at risk of needing hospitalization
- The flu vaccine is recommended yearly for children 6 months and older to protect against serious complications of the flu
For more information, click here.
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PW Admin