Parent Teacher Interviews (December 3, 2020)

The afternoon of Thursday, December 3, 2020 has been scheduled as non-instructional time for teachers (P-12) to communicate with families about student progress.

This year, things will look different and we want to communicate what this will look like:
• As per the Back to School Plan “schools will limit outside visitors, including parents/guardians.” Therefore, we will conduct interviews via phone or zoom. Each teacher will communicate their procedures with families.
• We will continue to use Optis, the online scheduling system, to schedule parent teacher interviews and the link will be sent to families soon.
• When: December 3rd, 2020 from 1:00pm-3:00pm and 4:00pm to 6:00pm
• Where/How: Via zoom or phone (your child’s teacher will let you know their method)
• Just as a reminder, there are many opportunities to communicate throughout the year in addition to parent-teacher interviews and report cards.
OPTIS will go live Monday November 23 - 27, 2020

School/Bus Cancellations and Delayed Openings

The Halifax Regional Centre for Education takes great care when making the decision to cancel schools and/or buses, or delay the opening of school, in the event of severe or inclement weather. When these situations occur, the information is posted on the HRCE’s website at www.hrce.ca , on Twitter at www.twitter.com/HRCE_NS , recorded at 902-464-INFO (4636) and communicated to local radio stations. Families can also subscribe to receive notice of cancellations and delayed openings by e-mail or text message by following the link on the front page (left side) of the HRCE website.

The weather in Nova Scotia is unpredictable, so it’s always a good idea for families to have a back-up plan for child care. To learn more about the process on how decisions regarding closures and cancellations are made, visit: https://www.hrce.ca/about-our-schools/parents/inclement-weather .

Delayed Openings
• Delayed openings would be considered when a weather event has concluded but snow clearing or other operations require additional time. Delayed opening may also be considered when the physical plant is experiencing an issue such as a power outage or loss of water and additional time is required to prepare the school to open.
• School and Pre-Primary would be delayed by two hours. In our school, this means school would start at 10:00am. Pre-Primary would start at 10:00am.
• If school buses are operating, the expectation will be that students are picked up two hours later than their regularly assigned time pending any weather-related delays.
• Our lunch and dismissal times will remain at their regularly scheduled times.
• The EXCEL program will be cancelled for the morning only.

Early Closures
• Parents should use their own discretion whether or not to send their children to school based on sidewalk, road or weather conditions in the community.
• Weather conditions may also delay staff, do not drop off or send your children without ensuring that staff is available for direct supervision.
• In the event of an early closure, parents/caregivers will be notified according to the information you provided on the School Cancellation Form returned to your child’s teacher. This takes time. If you show up to the school, please be patient as we need to make sure each child is safely transitioned to an approved family member.
• Students attending Inner Strength will need to be picked up by parents during an early closure as Inner Strength is cancelled when school is cancelled and their assigned bus will not be going there.
• Excel is cancelled if school is cancelled. Students can go on their afternoon bus. Please make sure you know your child’s bus number if we call for early dismissal. https://hrcetransportation.mybusplanner.ca/