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 2
PowerSchool will open to families on Wednesday, September 2nd at 3:00 p.m. In PowerSchool, you’ll be able to view your child’s teacher(s) and/or class schedule.
First Day – Thursday, September 3rd
When students arrive, they will be asked to wait outside until their grade level is called. Staff will arrive at 8:55 a.m. for supervision.
As buses 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.
- 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.
If it is raining, the school will open the cafeteria at 8:55 a.m. to let students in.
Regular School Day
9:10 a.m. – School Opens – Breakfast Items / Lockers
9:15 a.m. – Homeroom / First Period Class – Announcements and O’Canada
12:15 p.m. – Lunch
1:10 p.m. – End of Lunch / Locker Time
1:15 p.m. – First Class After Lunch
3:15 p.m. – Dismissal
Arrivals and Dismissals
For safety reasons, we are asking non-staff vehicles not to come into the driveway/parking lot during drop-off and pick-up times. Your support with this would be greatly appreciated, as buses need as much space as possible to drop students off in the morning and for pick-up in the afternoon.
Nova Scotia School Lunch Program
Leslie Thomas will be participating in the Nova Scotia School Lunch Program. According to NSLunch.ca, the first ordering window opened on Friday, August 28th and closes Wednesday, September 2nd, with meals beginning September 8th.
Go to www.NSLunch.ca to order.
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 and Connected Devices
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).
This includes smart watches, smart glasses, smart contact lenses and other internet-connected wearable devices.
As per the directive, Grade 6 students will not have phones during lunch or recess, while students in Grades 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 a 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 the 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.
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 My BusPlanner 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.
26-27 Returning Student Registration Form
The Demographic Updates Form has been renamed the 26-27 Returning Student Registration Form.
This form is for students currently enrolled in HRCE and is made available to families each fall through the PowerSchool Parent Portal. Families are asked to review and update their child’s demographic information and complete the required annual consents and agreements.
This year, the form includes:
- Consent for Publication of Student Personal Information and Student Work
- HRCE Technology Acceptable Use Policy
- Google Additional Services Consent
Address information can no longer be changed directly through the Returning Student Registration Form. Families will be able to review the address currently on file and, if a change is required, will be directed to the Change of Address Form.
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 SchoolCash Online 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.
Important Dates
- September 3rd – First Day of Classes
- September 10 – Pink Shirt Day
- September 17 – Picture Day
- September 17 – Curriculum Night (6:00–7:00 p.m.)
- September 25 – PD Day (no school)
- September 29 – Orange Shirt Day
- September 30 – National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (no school)
We are looking forward to seeing everyone on Thursday!
LTJH Administration and Staff