BCP Family Weekly Updates: Monday, September 18th 2023 (DAY 9)

Dear Families,

Good morning. I hope you enjoyed your weekend. We had a fantastic last week and we're looking to continue this! We are very proud of our Junior High students responsible use of cellphones. Junior High students are following the new rules! Great work! Thank-you in advance for taking the time to review updates and important reminders! Any questions or concerns let me know. If I have missed anything please reply-all to this email. 

                                         Updates and Important Information

Rycor Forms: If families have not read and signed the important forms online included in the parent/guardian Powerschool site/app please do so prior to the end of this week. Forms include Media Consent, AcceptableTechnology Use, Demographic updates (if not completed on paper), and Athlete contract. 

Volunteer Night: This Thursday, September 21st 2023 Baccalieu will host a short meeting for any parent/guardians/community members who would like to volunteer to support initiatives at the school including KES, Sports, Music, the Arts etc.  The meeting will outline conduct and discuss further any ideas volunteers have. Letters will also be issued for criminal record check purposes.

Meet and Greet Curriculum Night: This Thursday, September 21st 2023 Baccalieu will host a Meet & Greet Curriculum Night from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. The evening will include coffee/tea and snacks and space to connect with the teachers at Baccalieu Collegiate. From 6:30pm to 7:00pm there will be a general presentation before allowing families to roam throughout the gym to connect with respective teachers. A special presentation will also be held for Grade 7 families following the general presentation. All families are encouraged to drop-in and connect! 

 

Social Media Tips for Families: Please take some time to view -- Social Media Tips for Families -- It is an excellent resource for learning and awareness. 

Chromebook Note: The BCP inventory for Chromebooks is getting low due to district licencing protocol which has resulted in a number of Chromebooks no longer permitted use.  We ask students to please ensure Chromebooks are charged and brought to school. 

Doorways (Information): Please note Baccalieu will be hosting Doorways at the school starting Wednesday, October 11th 2023 (bi-weekly). For more information please check out BCP Doorways & Frequently Asked Questions Rural Avalon

Association for New Canadians Launches Homestay Host Program: We at the Association for New Canadians are excited to collaborate with the Department of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills on an innovative, province-wide hosting initiative. Interested in becoming a Homestay Host? The Homestay Hosting Program invites Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to host Ukrainian newcomers as they navigate through their settlement journey to “set roots” and make this province their home. 

Good Personal Hygiene Reminder: Good personal hygiene plays a critical role in promoting a positive self-image and reinforces healthy habits.  Good personal hygiene will also help keep bacteria, viruses, and illnesses at bay. We encourage good hygiene strategies at school through reminders and through our curriculum. We encourage you to ensure your child does the same at home. The following are examples of good daily hygiene practices: • Shower or bathe every day • Brush teeth twice daily • Using deodorant • Washing hands and cleaning/ cutting fingernails.

Physical Education Updates: All students are encouraged to bring a change of clothes for Physical Education class, this includes: athletic shoes, shirt, and pants/shorts. Proper clothing will encourage participation and positive hygiene behaviours in and out of the gym.

Sports at Baccalieu: The sports seasons at Baccalieu are well on their own way! Please ensure you check our BCP events calendar for practice/tryout times. 

Cross Country: will begin Monday, September 18th 2023 afterschool from 2:50pm to 3:30pm. 

Boys Softball: Tryouts for BCP Boys softball will take place Monday and Wednesday during lunchtime this week! (Grades 9-12)

Girls Soccer: Tryouts for BCP Girls Soccer will take place Tuesday and Thursday during lunchtime this week! (Grades 9-12)

Grades 7-12 Girls Basketball: There will be a Sign-up sheet in the office for any Girls Grades 7-12 interested in playing basketball this year!

Senior Boys Basketball: There will be a Sign up sheet  in the office for any Boys Grades 10-12 interested in playing Senior basketball this year!

Junior Boys Basketball: There will be a Sign up sheet  in the office for any Boys Grades 7-9 interested in playing Senior basketball this year!

Reminder -- Important Memo for Junior High (Family): Please see important rules and expectations updated for our Junior High students and students under the age of 16. Please review these updates with your family. These updates will be presented to students tomorrow (first day of school) and be implemented immediately. MEMO: Junior High Families

Reminder -- Absence/Sign-in/Sign-out (Family): It’s very important that you make attendance a priority for our youth. Powerschool will be making a daily call-out to families of students who had any unexcused absences or unexcused lateness. Please go to the website to complete an absent form (and/or call the office) to formally notify staff of an absence. Any parent/guardian signing-out their child early for appointments etc. must have a parent/guardian complete the sign-out form and this information must be verified by the office prior to the student leaving. Parents have the option to come into the school or call the school to verify the sign-out. Students will not be permitted to leave until the latter is completed. Finally, students signing in late must report to the office and check-in by speaking with admin and completing the sign-in form. The above procedures are vitally important for safe and secure school purposes. 

Powerschool -- Rycor Payment/Forms (Family): Baccalieu Collegiate is now using the Rycor online form/payment system in September 2023. Please review the links below and access (set-up if needed) powerschool parent portal. You will need to use your parent email that is on file at Baccalieu Collegiate. Please note the Rycor system will work on all devices however it is recommended to use a computer where possible. The following link will provide you with information on the Rycor system and troubleshooting tips: https://www.nlesd.ca/studentsfamilies/rycor.jsp. Please access your child's account as soon as possible to read, review, and sign the following important documents: Acceptable Use of Technology, Media Consent, Student Demographics and Athlete Contract. 

Anti-Discrimination Conduct Procedure: Please refer to our Code of Conduct Flowchart: Code of Conduct Flowchart. In any incident whereby you hear or see a student use discriminatory language please refer them to the office at the time of the incident. Then, at the teacher's convenience the teacher must inform the office what happened and the office will investigate and apply next steps as needed. An Office-referral in 360 is required. In addition to the above, we will look at school wide initiatives to better educate and support our youth's learning around discrimination. Any ideas from staff are certainly welcome.

Cannabis and Smoke Free Policy: Please note Baccalieu Collegiate and the District support a Tobacco, Cannabis, Smoke and Smoke-less Free Policy. School is no place for these addictive substances that harm our young adolescents' health.  This policy also includes banning any person wearing clothing that promotes respective unhealthy habits. Persons should not be wearing any clothing that has tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, and/or any drug represented on it. https://www.nlesd.ca/includes/files/policies/doc/1548691595907.pdf

E-Mental Health Quick Guide: Check out this all-inclusive reference guide E-Mental Health Quick Guide to support yourself and/or family in any situation. 

Assessment Support Calendar: Please do your best to add assessments to our Assessment Support Calendar. This calendar is shared on our www.baccalieucollegiate.ca site for both students and families to see and support their organization. Additionally, give our IRT team a heads up at your earliest convenience so that they can mobilize effectively to support. 

Check the Calendar: Check the Calendar (www.baccaliecollegiate.ca) for further and future updates. 

Good News Report (In no particular order)

• Sports at Baccalieu: Many thanks to our coaches. It is a big week to kick off sports at Baccalieu with Cross Country, Boys Softball and Girls Soccer along with Girls Volleyball already going into its second week. Thank-you to all the teachers and volunteers for our commitment to our youth and sport. Be sure to check our calendar and/or facebook page for timely updates. 

• Trinity Hall Saturday Night: Huge thanks to Phoenix, Mya, Cameron, Anna March, Emma B, Hilary N, and Alyssa D for their hardwork from 3:00pm to 11:30pm Saturday night - capturing a monumental evening in music at Trinity Hall. 

• Staff Meeting: Big thanks to all the teachers for a very constructive staff meeting last week!

• Extracurriculars: Huge thank-you to all of our teachers for doing their best and extending their already full schedule to provide extracurricular activities for our students! 

• Lighthouse Project Meeting: Huge thank-you to Scott Legge (Atlantic Spotlight), Wiley Butler (Brilliant Labs), Quote the Raven, MusicNL, Baccalieu Staff and Students, along with our community support! We're very excited to grow this project into something huge and something we can all be proud of as a school community and beyond! 
  

• Harbour Breeze Cafeteria: Thank-you to Brenda and the Harbour Breeze company for an amazing first week of grub! 

• Check Facebook/Twitter: For more updates on good news and information check out our Baccalieu Collegiate facebook/twitter page. 
• Did I miss something? If I missed anything please be sure to reply-all. There are so many amazing things going on at Baccalieu already, so chances are I might miss something. Celebrate whenever you can!