Dear Parents/Guardians:
Welcome to the 2024/2025 school year at Bert Bowes Middle School!
As an invaluable part of our support team, we look forward to working with you to assist your child during their learning journey! We believe that a supportive partnership with each family can promote a positive experience for each student during their time with us! Some opportunities for involvement include joining us for the “BBMS Open House” on September 24th at 5pm, joining our BBMS PAC whose first meeting will follow the Open House on the 24th at 6:30pm, attending student-parent conferences, and contacting us our office whenever a question or concern comes up.
Staying Connected!
We want to stay connected with our families throughout the school year and we try to do this through various means of communication:
- ● Bert Bowes Web Page~bowes.prn.bc.ca
- ○ All of our posts on our webpage are automatically uploaded to our Facebook pageso make sure to follow us~@sd60bbms
- ○ Located under our “News and Events” tab, we have a Calendar that you canupload to your devices. All of our important dates are listed there
- ○ We have a slideshow of pictures and events on our site~showcasing the samemessages for our students here in the building on our monitors in the lounge and front entrance
- ● Bert Bowes Instagram Page~bertbowesmiddleschool
○ Daily/Weekly/Monthly ‘photo dumps’ and ‘flash’ reminders are shared through our Instagram page so make sure to follow us!
BBMS PAC
We welcome parent involvement in our school, so let us know if you would like to volunteer! The September PAC meeting will take on September 24th at 6:30pm in the library and an invitation will be sent out from our PAC President! If you’re able to join us, your input would be appreciated. Whether you are able to attend these meetings, or not, if you would like to receive the meeting minutes, please email Jennifer Cullen (jcullen@prn.bc.ca) and ask to be added to the PAC email list.
Administrative Information
Fees~ BBMS parents will be able to begin paying Student Fees by Monday, September 9th through the MyEd Parent Portal system. We will also be accepting cash/cheque through the main office at that time. Once fees are paid, students will receive access to their lockers.
- Forms~ On Wednesday, September 11th, students will receive forms to be taken home. These forms (CASL and the Media Release Form) need to be signed and returned to our office as soon as possible. This allows our office to update all of our student/contact information in our system.
- On-Campus Policy~ As a Middle School we have an on-campus policy, which means that once students arrive at the school they are expected to stay on-campus throughout the day. This is to ensure the health and safety of your child, as we are not able to provide supervision for those who leave campus. NOTE: If you should need to sign your child out during the school day, for their safety and security, please sign them out at the office when you pick them up inside the building. As well, we need you to sign them back in when you return them to the school. Your assistance with this ensures their safety and security.
- Meals~ At Bert Bowes, we believe nutrition is strongly related to good overall health and success in learning! Therefore, we are pleased to offer a quality food program for your child through our canteen. We anticipate that this program will begin on September 9th. Until this time, please plan on sending a lunch with your child. Detailed information regarding the menu will be posted on the school website at bowes.prn.bc.ca. Please note, we will not be permitting any outside food vendors (eg. Skip the Dishes, various pizza business, etc.) to deliver to Bert Bowes.
Student Attendance~ One of our main goals for this year is to improve student attendance! Showing up for school has a huge impact on a student’s academic success. The following information is from www.attendanceworks.org
Did you know that
- ~Students should miss no more than 9 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful and on track to graduation
- ~Frequent absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with a bully or facing some other difficulty.
- ~By 9th grade, attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than gr 8 test scores.
- ~Missing 10%, ort 2 days a month, over the course of the school year can affect a student’s academic success
What you can do
- ~Talk about the importance of showing up to school every day
- ~Help your children maintain daily routines, such as finishing homework and getting a good night’s sleep
- ~Try not to schedule non-urgent appointments during the school day
- ~Find out if you children feel engaged in their classes and safe at school
- ~Make sure your teens are not missing class because of challenges with behavioral issues or school discipline policies. If any of these are problems, contact us at the school and work with us on finding a solution
- ~Monitor your child’s academic progress and seek help from teachers if needed.
- ~Make sure the school has correct contact information for you.
- ~Stay on top of your child’s social contacts. Peer pressure can lead to skipping school, while students without many friends can feel isolated.
- ~Support your child if you notice signs of anxiety. Contact the school if you would like one of our school counsellors or youth care workers to check up with your child.
- ~Check on your child’s attendance to be sure absences are not adding up.
- ~Contact the school regarding any absences you are notified of that you are unaware of.
- ~Seek help from school staff, other parents, or community agencies if you need support.
Student Schedules~ Student schedules can be accessed through the Student Portal on MyEd. These should be posted a couple days prior to school starting. Please note that we continue to receive new students in our catchement area and, with the increase, classes may shuffle a bit and we ask that you remain patient during this time.
School Supplies~ To begin the school year, students should be able to get by with a zipper binder, loose leaf paper, pen and pencil. Teachers will update their students on any supply needs over the course of the first 2 weeks. For those families that wish to get more supplies before the start of the year, you can purchase online through School Start or here is a general supply list.
Picture Day~ Photography will be done by Photography by Hart. Picture day is scheduled as follows:
Grade 8 & 9 ~ Thursday, September 12th
Grade 7~Friday, September 13th
Those who are not present, as well as those wishing to do retakes, will have a second opportunity on October18th.
Lockers~ Students will get their lockers the first or second week of school. It is expected that they will utilize their lockers to store extra supplies, backpacks, and any personal electronics (cell phones, ear buds or headphones, ipads and watches) that are brought to school.
Please talk to your child about not sharing their locker combinations. It is important that they are able to ensure their belongings are stored safely. If your child struggles with a regular combination lock, please contact the office for an alternate lock.
Restrictions on Student Use of Personal Internet-Connected Devices~ Bert Bowes Middle School expects a learning environment with limited distractions and the responsible use of digital technology. It recognizes the research that shows that frequent cellphone interruptions in the classroom, social media platforms with addictive algorithms and an increasing level of cyberbullying and online exploitation of young people are having a negative impact on instruction, learning, and student mental health.
Definition
“Personal Internet-Connected Devices” include, but are not limited to, cell phones, tablet computers, smartwatches, and portable video game systems.
Guidelines/Principles:
- Students will have access to school/district-owned technology at an age-appropriate level that supports learning and the development of digital technology skills and digital citizenship.
- As outlined in an Individual Education Plan (IEP), Learning Support Plan (LSP), or health plan, schools will exempt specific students from restrictions on the use of personal internet-connected devices when they are needed for full inclusion in a specific learning activity.
- At a minimum, access to and the use of personal internet-connected devices at the middle and secondary levels will not be permitted during instructional time. At the teacher’s discretion, an acception may be made when the use of such devices supports a specific curricular objective and is part of instructional planning.
- These ‘tech’ items will be stored in students’ lockers and will not be permitted in the classroom during instructional time, again, unless the teacher requests alternate technology for a specific learning activity. The security and storage of personal internet-connected devices is the sole responsibility of the owner/user. The District assumes no responsibility for the safety, security, loss, repair or replacement of such devices.
- Refer to our school policy on personal internet-connected devices for more information.
The parent letter detailing this that was sent out in June last year can be found here.
In advance, I would like to take this time to thank you for your support this year in ensuring the best possible learning opportunities for your child! I look forward to getting to know them during their time with us!
Sincerely,
Jason Gill
Principal, Bert Bowes Middle School