Welcome back, students and staff!
I hope everyone had a wonderful summer vacation and feel re-energized for the 2024-2025 school year. As a staff, we are all excited to be back at school, and look forward to supporting students’ learning and development.
The Public Schools Branch has noted an increase in the amount of time students have missed from school over the past couple of years. This will be a point of focus for all schools across P.E.I. As a school, we will be focusing on improving student attendance at our school and to support students and families as best we can. Research has found that missing school on a regular basis, whether full days, or arriving late to school regularly, has a negative impact on student learning. The Public Schools Branch has provided guidelines and policies for all schools to follow this school year.
I would like to share there has been a change in the policy around student cell phones in school. If students in grades K-6 students have a personally owned mobile device (cell phone, tablet, smart watch), they are to be kept out of site, powered off, or on silent for the duration of the school day. For grade 7-9 students, electronic devices must be stored out of view, and on silent mode during instructional time. Grade 7-9 students will be provided a school lock, and asked to lock electronic devices away during instructional time. If used appropriately, grade 7-9 students will have the privilege to have access to their electronic devices during lunch and recess.
We are looking forward to continued collaborative work with parents and guardians to enable us to provide students with an excellent learning environment. Please reach out to me, or staff during the school year to share how the year is going for your child(ren).
Sincerely,
John Munro Principal Belfast Consolidated School