Good afternoon parents and guardians of the LTJH community,
As our summer comes to an end, we look forward to fall and what the new school year will bring!
Please take some time to read and review:
PowerSchool Opens for Families on September 3
PowerSchool will open to families on Wednesday, September 3 at 3 p.m. In PowerSchool, you’ll be able to view your child’s teacher(s) and/or class schedule.
First Day – Thursday September 4th
When students arrive, they will be asked to wait outside until their grade level is called. As busses and staff will be arriving, we ask students to wait in the following areas: Grade 6s are to wait near the back entrance. Grade 7s and 8s will wait in the side parking lot away from cars, or in the front on the sidewalk or steps. Those students waiting on the front sidewalk should stand behind the yellow safety line.
Staff will call students into the gymnasium by grade level where teachers will call out the name of each student in their homeroom. Students will follow their teacher to their classroom and get set up for the day.
Regular School Day
9:00 School Opens - Breakfast Items / Lockers
9:10 Homeroom / First Period Class – Announcements and O’Canada
12:10 Lunch
1:00 End of Lunch / Locker time
1:10 First Class after Lunch
3:10 Dismissal
Arrivals and Dismissals
For safety reasons, we are asking non-staff vehicles to not come into the driveway/parking lot during drop off and pick up times. Your support with this would be greatly appreciated as busses need as much space as possible to drop students of in the morning and for pick up in the afternoon.
Nova Scotia School Lunch Program Update
Leslie Thomas will be participating in the Nova Scotia School Lunch Program. According to NSlunch.ca, the first order date is September 26th, with meals beginning October 6th. More to come.
Emergency Drills
The safety and security of our students and staff is a top priority for Leslie Thomas Junior High School and the Halifax Regional Centre for Education. We will be implementing a number of measures as part of a comprehensive plan aimed at ensuring our school remains a safe place for our students to learn.
Two of the procedures our school will be practicing are a Hold & Secure and a Lockdown drill. During Hold and Secure external doors are locked (secured) and no one leaves or enters the school. During a Lockdown drill, classroom doors are secured, and the students remain inside the room until instructed by the teacher to resume their activities. All exterior doors are locked, and no one is permitted to enter or leave the building. In both situations, students are kept inside the school and classrooms when circumstances make it safer to stay in the classroom rather than evacuate. Just as we prepare our students to properly respond to a fire drill, they also need to be aware of the proper response during a Lockdown drill or Hold and Secure.
These drills should be treated with the same level of importance as fire drills. Please be assured that staff at our school will spend time discussing the importance of this procedure with students prior to running a drill. We will also take time after the drill to remind them that it was only a practice and there was no danger. When possible, our School Liaison Officer may assist us in conducting the drills just as the Fire Department assists with evacuation drills.
During the month of September, we will conduct drills each week. Please take the time to speak with your son/daughter about this procedure and reinforce its importance. We practice these drills to ensure our school remains a safe place for teaching and learning. Please do not hesitate to contact the school if you have any questions or concerns.
Cellphones
As directed by the province, students will be expected to have their cell phone turned off and stored in their lockers during the instructional day (please see attached letter from the Minister that was sent out in June). As per the directive, grade 6 students will not have phones during lunch or recess, while students in grade 7 and 8 will be able to have access to cellphones during the lunch hour. The expectations at Leslie Thomas are as follows:
- Upon arrival students will turn phones off and store them in their lockers
- Cellphones found during instructional time will be kept in the office until the end of the day including lunch.
- If the same student continues to have cellphone during instructional time, it will return to the office until the end of the day and parents/guardians will be notified to pick it up.
- Any other instances will be addressed using the Provincial Code of Conduct.
LTJH has an adequate supply of Chromebooks and students will have access to these throughout the day. Cell phones have become a distraction for many of our students during instructional time. Phones should not be seen during instructional time, which includes classrooms, hallways, bathrooms and the office. The expectation will be that phones are turned off and placed in their lockers.
Class Change Requests
Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate any class change requests.
Our Inclusive Learning Community
Leslie Thomas is proud to be an inclusive learning community. Please know that within the school year, your student(s) may have their picture and name included in the communication devices of others to facilitate daily communication with peers. If you have any questions and/or concerns, please reach out to our administration team.
SafeArrival by SchoolMessenger
Reporting Student Absences
One of our greatest priorities is ensuring that all our students arrive safely at school each and every day. Families can report future absences using an app, website, or toll-free phone number. If your student is absent and the absence has not been reported in advance, you will receive notifications via email, text, and phone calls from SchoolMessenger.
To report your student absent, you can use any of the following methods:
PowerSchool Parent/Student Portal
Parents/guardians can log in to https://sishrsb.ednet.ns.ca/public/ to access the link to the SchoolMessenger website to report future absences.
SchoolMessenger App
Parents/guardians can download the SchoolMessenger app for Android and iOS devices, create an account and use their email that the school has on record for them as their username
Toll-Free Number
Parents/guardians can call 1-833-582-6940 to report future absences using an automated system.
All three methods are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Absences can be reported at any time before the start of school on the day the student will be absent. Up to five consecutive absences can be recorded at once.
PowerSchool Parent/Student Portal
Parents/guardians can log in to https://sishrsb.ednet.ns.ca/public/ to access the link to the SchoolMessenger website to report future absences.
Using BusPlanner
Everything you need to know about student transportation including eligibility, stop times and stop locations can be found on BusPlanner. Once you register and subscribe, you can choose to receive email and/or text message notifications on changes to routes, bus delays or cancellations.
To sign up, go to BusPlanner at hrce.mybusplanner.ca and click on Parent Portal. Follow the instructions to create an account.
Don’t have a BusPlanner Parent Portal account? Need help logging in? Please contact the HRCE Student Transportation Team at transportation@hrce.ca or call 902-431-4723.
Demographic Form Updates
On September 9, the Demographic Updates Form will be available to families in the PowerSchool Parent Portal. This form should be updated by every family to ensure all information about your child is current, including contacts, medical information, consents and demographics. Even if there are no anticipated changes, please still review this information and submit the form. This information will then be reviewed by the school before updates are finalized. The deadline to submit the form is October 6, 2025.
SchoolCash Setup
SchoolCash Online is an easy-to-use and safe way to pay for your children’s school fees. You can pay for your child’s yearbook, class trips and so much more, quickly and conveniently. Simply register an account to be able to pay in several different payment forms. Click here for more information.
Join us in observing National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Each year on September 30, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation honours the children who didn't return from residential schools, as well as survivors, their families, and communities.
Orange Shirt Day, led by Indigenous communities, aims to raise awareness about the inter-generational impacts of residential schools and allows us all to show our support for the Every Child Matters movement.
As there are no classes on Monday, September 29 and Tuesday, September 30, we welcome staff and students to wear orange on Friday, September 26.
Important Dates
- September 4th – First Day of Classes
- September 9 - Picture Day
- September 11 - Pink Shirt Day
- September 18 - Curriculum Night (6-7pm)
- September 26 – Orange Shirt Day
- September 29 – PD Day (no school)
- September 30 - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (no school)
We are looking forward to seeing everyone on Thursday!
LTJH Administration and Staff