Mary Hopkins News – Nov 21

Upcoming Dates

Nov 21 – Last Day for Scholastic Virtual Book Fair Orders
Nov 22 – 26 – Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week
Nov 23 – Lockdown Drill #1
Nov 26 – PA Day – No school for students. Staff engaged in professional development
Nov 29 – French Immersion Applications Open
Nov 29 – Student Census Re-Opens
Nov 30 – November Virtual Assembly

Daily Screening – Although daily screening is still required, a reminder that families are no longer asked to sign the calendar each day to indicate completion of the daily screening.

Monthly Assemblies – As in past years, we continue to run monthly assemblies (Virtually via Teams). The focus of these assemblies is on building a Community of Care at Mary Hopkins.  It is our hope that by being explicit about what a caring community looks like, we can identify and call out actions that can have a negative impact.  Past themes of our assemblies include, standing up, what is inclusion, understanding bias, fairness, identity, and when is it teasing.  Assemblies take place at the end of each month and usually align with themes, discussions, or school needs.  We will include our assembly dates in the weekly news to provide an opportunity for further discussion at home.

Crossing Guard – Our school is a busy place during entry and dismissal times, which is compounded by our increasing enrollment, parents working from home, and additional buses. We want to assure that our routes are safe for those who walk each day. In response, we have reached out to the city to survey our school area to determine if we qualify for a crossing guard.  This process may take some time, but we will keep our school community up to date with its progress and results.

Lockdown Drill – We have planned our first lockdown drill of the school year for Tuesday, November 23rd.  Due to Covid protocols, staff will be discussing the procedures during the drill rather than rehearsing the full procedures. The term “Lockdown” is used when there is a major incident or threat of school violence within the school or in relation to the school.  As part of our Secure School Protocol, the staff and students at Mary Hopkins practice Lockdown procedures twice annually. Prior to each drill, teachers will have age-appropriate discussions regarding the drill and their expectations. To ensure that there is no confusion, these rehearsals are clearly identified as drills via an announcement.   Please contact the school if you have any further questions regarding the Lockdown procedures at Mary Hopkins and/or review the Secure Schools Infographic.

Help Shape HWDSB’s Human Rights Policy – HWDSB is committed to developing a policy that reflects the voices of the communities we serve, especially those that often experience discrimination. All HWDSB community members (students, parents, caregivers, guardians, staff, volunteers, community partners, and community members) are invited to share their perspectives to inform the human rights policy and procedure. There are four ways for students, staff, families, and community members to get involved.  For more information, visit the following link. Help Shape HWDSB’s Human Rights Policy | Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board

MDI Survey – Families of students in Grade 4 to 12 received an email last week detailing information regarding the MDI survey.  This survey will be complete at school beginning next.  Review your email or the following link to learn more.  Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) | Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (hwdsb.on.ca)

Student Census – Information regarding the student census has been sent to all families via email last week.  Review this email or the following link to learn more about the student census and how it will support our students. We All Count: HWDSB Student Census | Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board