Well, I think I can speak for all of us here when I say it’s been an abnormal January to start the year off as far as school is concerned. That cold snap that pitted in with us in December managed to hang on through the Christmas break and keep it’s claws in us for the first week back to school, keeping buses from running and many students away from home. The latest round of COVID variant is also making this past week of school abnormal for classes and student progress as we near the end of this quad and semester one.
Parents, please push your students to help their teachers keep moving ahead in their courses by having them keep working on their school work while they are at home. Students have a year plan of course outcomes that teachers will be focusing on completing this year, and so teachers are posting assignments online for students who are missing school so they can work at home to keep caught up. Please have your students send in what they complete as it gets done, so there is understanding built up and checked. Teachers will assess that work sent in and provide students feedback as well including marks.
Not every home has an easy time in helping their students in this way and we know Google Classrooms and internet speeds don’t always work like we want them to. If that is an issue for your student, please have them contact the teacher, or parents are always invited to do the same.
The second quad as well as the first semester will finish at the end of January. Staff will have January 31 to grade final exams from the week before and mark assignments turned in by then, as well as prepare the grades on PowerSchool and prepare for the next quad. The parent/student view of PowerSchool will close January 24 and open again on Feb 1. That’s the start of the second semester and the third quad.
We’ve had nine recess days for the Cold Cats again and I don’t doubt some more might be still coming this winter. Let Mrs. Block know if you want to add your son/daughter to the list of students I’ll still take outside when the temperatures drop colder than minus 25 and indoor recesses take place.
PSSD will be sending out new surveys to parents, students and staff regarding block scheduling in quads as we were directed to do this year. Please take time to respond when you are able to as your responses have a definite impact on our timetabling and course selection for next year. The surveys should be shared in the near future.
That’s all for now. For further information and updates from the students and classrooms, check out our school website at http://blogs.spiritsd.ca/hanley/. As always, Mr. Hindmarsh and I would love to talk to you if you have time to send us a message or give us a call. We’ll talk to you soon.