Thank you to the students and families for an amazing start to the school year.  Students have settled in nicely over the past couple of days, with the routines and getting back into the groove of school.  We hope that students have had a positive experience so far.   

Stand Up Against Bully Day – September 12th

Thursday September 12th   Stand Up Against Bullying Day. To help send a strong message against bullying in Nova Scotia's schools, colleges and universities, the province has proclaimed the second Thursday at the start of each school year as Stand Up Against Bullying Day.

The inspiration for the day came from the actions of Central Kings Rural High School Grade 12 students Travis Price and David Shepherd who rallied behind a new student to the school who was being bullied simply for wearing pink.

We are asking all students and staff to wear pink to show our support.

Supervision

Just a friendly reminder that supervision begins at 9am for students.  Students should not be on school property before 9am as; supervision is not provided before this time. We have reminded students about this and explained the rationale behind it.  This is to ensure that our students are safe. 

Parking, Bus Loop & Student Drop Off and Picking Up

The Halifax Regional Municipality has placed no parking signs across the street in front of CPJH and 15-minute parking signs on the sidewalk side of the school.  This is so that all school buses can access our bus loop in a safe manner.  We are asking all parents and guardians to please not park or stop across the street to pick up or drop off students at the beginning and end of the school day.  We thank parents and guardians for not accessing the bus loop or staff parking lot during the hours of 8am to 4pm.  Again, parents are encouraged to park on the side street of Woodward Crescent to drop off and pick up students.  Parents, Guardians, and families should wait on the sidewalk of the school to pick up and drop off students during the morning and afternoon.  We ask that families, refrain from stopping on the street to let students off as this is a safety concern.  It also impedes buses from accessing our school, has caused accidents and school buses are unable to drive down the street when cars are parked or stopped on the roadway.   We also ask that families do not walk in the bus loop or stand in the parking lot of the bus loop.  We have reviewed the procedures to exit the school grounds with students and they understand this is for their safety.  We thank you for your cooperation with this, as we want to keep all students safe.

Water Bottles

Students are reminded to bring a water bottle with them as, there is no access to water fountains.  We have water bottle refill stations for students to fill their water bottle up throughout the day.

Lunch Google Forms

Google Forms for lunch were sent to families last week.  Thank you to those that have filled them out and we ask that those that have not yet please do so as soon as possible.

Lunch Form

Emergency Drills

The safety and security of our students and staff is a top priority for Clayton Park Junior High School and the Halifax Regional Centre for Education. We have been 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.

One of the procedures our school will be practicing is a hold and secure drill. During this drill, classroom doors are secured, and the students remain inside the room with teacher instruction continuing. All exterior doors are locked, and no one is permitted to enter or leave the building.

Another safety procedure is a lockdown drill. A lockdown drill follows all the procedures above with one exception. During a lockdown drill, classroom instruction stops, and staff and students position themselves for safety. Windows are closed, lights are turned off and the building is silent. Students are kept inside the school and classrooms when circumstances make it safer than to 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 hold and secure and lockdown drill. 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 lockdown drills just as the Fire Department assists with evacuation drills.

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. Our first lockdown drill will be on Thursday, September 19th and the hold and secure will be held on Wednesday, September 25th. We will be having a fire drill this Thursday, September 12th. Please reach out to the school if you have any questions about these drills.

We will also be practising other safety drills throughout the year.  They will be during the following weeks.

September 9 – 13th – Fire Drill

September 16 – 20th – Lockdown Drill

September 23 – 27th – Hold and Secure Drill

October 7 – 11 – Fire Drill

October 10th – Relocation Drill

November 4 – 8th  – Fire Drill

February 10 – 14th – Lockdown Drill

April 7 – 11th – Fire Drill

May 12 – 16th – Fire Drill

June 2 – 6th – Fire Drill

Important Dates

September 12th – Stand Up Against Bully Day *Wear Pink

September 26th – Curriculum Evening 6-7:30pm

September 27th – Orange Shirt Day

September 30th – Truth and Reconciliation Day (No Classes)

October 1st – Treaty Day (Culturally Significant Day Schools Open)

October 1st – Picture Day

October 1st – October 18th – RWM 6 (Grade 6 Reading, Writing and Math Provincial Assessment)

October 11 – Professional Development Day (No Classes)

October 14th – Thanksgiving (No Classes)

October 25th – Provincial Conference Day (No Classes)

The staff at Clayton Park Junior High are looking forward to a great year with the students.  We thank you for your continued support.

Kindly,

The Administration and Staff of Clayton Park Junior High