We hope everyone is enjoying a restful break and finding opportunities to spend time with family and friends. We are looking forward to seeing students return to school on April 3, 2023. March was an exciting month filled with rich learning opportunities and evidence of growth.
In March, we were proud to participate in student led conferences alongside students and parents. We saw our students involved in conversations about their strengths, areas of growth and goals. We'd like to thank all of our families for attending these conferences which were the first in almost three years. These Student-Led Conferences promoted engagement and growth and asked students to play an active role in planning their own learning. When students share with their families what they're learning—what skills and understandings they have, what areas still challenge them, and their next steps in learning—they must understand their own learning and progress. They take pride in what they can do and take responsibility for what they need to work on. Student-led conferences build motivation, clarity, self-direction, and critical thinking in students; and they also connect families to the achievement and development of their child and the work of the school. Thank you, again for taking the opportunity to celebrate these achievements with your child.
As we continue to experience the first school year since 2020 with no COVID restrictions, we are able to plan for longer terms school experiences without concern of cancellation. As a result, we have been engaged in experiences with buddy classes, school clubs, flexible groups for learning, and rich learning opportunities at other city sites. These experiences have promoted an improvement in perseverance and wellbeing for learning. We are excited to have our first school concert in a few years as well. We look forward to inviting families of students in Grades 1-3 to a concert on April 20, 2023. As the weather gets warmer, and learning plans continue to be confirmed, students and teachers look forward to many exciting learning opportunities. As a reminder to our grade 4 families, there is a field trip booked for the first day back to school. Please see the communication from teachers to ensure students are prepared for the day.
We have our School Council (QESC) and Parent Society (QEEPES) to thank for funding that provides equipment and other learning enhancement materials. Please visit our school website to learn more about how our School Council and Parent Society support learning at QES. Please join our next School Council and Parent Society meeting on April 18, 2023 at 6:30pm. Ward 6 &7 School Board Trustee Patricia Bolger will be in attendance. Our School Council has also coordinated, Brent Macdonald, a guest speaker for parents in partnership with the School Council at QEHS. Please save the date of May 11, 2023 at 7:00pm to attend this presentation at Queen Elizabeth High School. There will be more information to follow in the coming weeks.
May 11, 2023 is also the date of the Open House for our grade 6 students. All of our grade 6 students will be moving to grade 7 next year. If your child is designated to Queen Elizabeth High School next year, students have begun learning about the school in class. If your child is designated to another middle or junior high school, please contact that school to ensure you receive their open house and orientation information. If you are seeking a spot in a different middle or junior high school, outside of your designated school attendance area, please ensure you have spoken with me and that your transfer form has been delivered to the appropriate school.
For all grades, transition planning for next year is well underway. We know that family circumstances can change from time to time. If your plans change for next year, please kindly call the office or send a quick email to let us know about your attendance at QES in the 2023-24 school year. As a small school, we have begun the complex planning for the 2023-24 school year including considerations of grade and class configurations. The development of class lists is a complex process involving many factors for decision making including staff resources, space, learning needs, class complexity and strengths. As we look forward to next year, we would like to offer the opportunity to current QES families to email educational requests for class considerations for the 2023-24 school year by May 5, 2023. Please note, only written requests that are educational in nature will be considered in decision-making. Requests for placements with friends or specific teachers are not educational in nature. While every request will be considered, it may not be possible to meet all requests given the small number of classes in our school.
We look forward to continued learning after the break. See you all on April 3, 2023
Sincerely,
Lisa McConnell
