The Raven Report

On September 30th, we will recognize Orange Shirt Day at Eastside Secondary School. This day is dedicated to honoring the survivors of residential schools, remembering those who never returned home, and reflecting on the ongoing impacts of these schools on Indigenous communities. We will have learning activities in classes during the week of September 22nd - 29th and special announcements every day. It's a time for us to listen, learn, and commit to the journey of reconciliation. We encourage everyone to wear an orange shirt as a symbol of our shared belief that every child matters and to show our solidarity with Indigenous peoples across Canada.

SOAR (Safety - Ownership - Attitude - Respect) represents the core values we expect all members of our school community to uphold. By embracing these responsibilities, we can foster a safe, inclusive, and enriching learning environment for everyone.

Eastside Secondary School is committed to providing a safe, positive learning environment for all students which allows students to thrive in an atmosphere which emphasizes respect for learning, self, others, authority, property and the environment. We actively promote acceptance of all students and we teach understanding, tolerance and communication. There is no place for violence, intimidation or foul language at Eastside Secondary School. In-school and or out-of-school progressive discipline will be used to address any such issues. Students are expected to review the full Student Responsibilities at https://bit.ly/ESSsoar.

The fall is a busy time for our grade 12 students who are getting ready for the transition to post-secondary.

Guidance has organized the “Are you Ready to Graduate” assembly for all grade 12s to learn about postsecondary options on Thursday, September 11.

Throughout September and October, there will be presentations from various colleges and universities. The dates of these presentations can be found in the school calendar. Students are also encouraged to attend the regional fairs.

Eastside will also be hosting a regional University Fair on September 23rd from 10am - 12pm that students and parents will be able to attend.

Loyalist is hosting the regional College Fair on October 29 5-7PM and Eastside is planning a trip to Fleming college for their Open House and College Fair on October 31.

Applications for college and university will be available in October and guidance teachers will be encouraging students to complete the application before we leave for the December holiday.

Grade 11 students are also invited to attend the university and college presentations.

Recently, we've noticed an increase in students ordering food through various delivery apps, with drivers arriving during class periods. This practice creates significant safety concerns as it allows unvetted individuals access to our school building and campus, and it disrupts the learning environment for all students. Moving forward, we ask that students limit the use of food delivery services to appropriate times only: before school begins and during lunch. Additionally, all contact with delivery drivers must take place outside the school building. We appreciate your cooperation in helping us maintain a safe and focused learning environment for all our students.

Attending regularly and being on time for class are required for academic success. If you will be away, please let us know in advance. We have a new online system and app to make that really easy. It’s only acceptable to be away from class for school related activities like trips and sports, or illness, bereavement, unavoidable causes (medical appointments, emergencies), and religious holidays. We expect you to be in classes if you are at school.

Medical Updates

We are working through our September process of updating medical plans. Plans will be sent home for updates and parent/guardian signature. If your child has a medical need or life-threatening condition and does not have a medical plan, please call the school to get a plan in place.

Emergency Response

To provide for the safety of students and staff, schools are required to have plans in place to respond to a wide range of emergency situations. Eastside SS will hold 3 fire drills in the fall and another 3 in the spring as per the Ontario Fire Code. Teachers will review fire evacuation procedures with students in advance of any drills. Emergency plans also include reviewing and practicing the stages of emergency response: lockdown, hold and secure, shelter in place, and emergency evacuation. We will work with our community partner, the Belleville Police Service, to plan and organize for this practice that will happen later in the school year.

We are excited to share details about the Food Pantry Program for the 2025/2026 school year! Our vision is to provide consistent and discreet support to students and families experiencing food insecurity. Students and families can sign up for a weekly slot to receive an assortment of fresh and non-perishable goods. Pickup for these goods will be at the end of the day on Thursdays in the main office.

If you or someone you know is feeling overwhelmed, please remember that you are not alone! Reach out to a teacher or school staff, or to the free, confidential, school-based services:

• Social Worker: Jonah; send an email to jschein@hpedsb.on.ca

• Indigenous Education Social Worker: Matt

• Public Health Nurse: Ashley

To meet with a school social worker, counsellor or public health nurse, you can send an email, drop-in to say hi, or ask a teacher or school staff person to introduce you.

It is important for you to take responsibility for your learning and to be focussed on classroom activities. Cell phones must be stored in your locker during instructional time. If your family needs to contact you, they can call the main office.

As directed by the Ministry of Education in Policy/Program Memorandum 128, starting in September 2025, all Ontario school boards are required to follow the updated Provincial Code of Conduct. This includes all students being required to follow strict anti-vaping guidelines. Students cannot bring electronic cigarettes (vapes), tobacco and/or nicotine products to school (including school transportation). If a student is in possession of an electronic cigarette (vape), tobacco or nicotine product it will be surrendered and disposed of and parents/guardians will be immediately informed. If a student is vaping/smoking on school premises, a progressive discipline approach will be followed, which could include a fine from HPE Public Health.

Eastside Secondary School is requesting that parents/guardians pay a voluntary school activity fee of $15. The purpose of this fee is to support school events designed to enrich the student experience through involvement in extracurricular activities. As a school, we rely primarily on funds collected from parents/guardians to run extracurricular activities and enrichment events. There are many activities for which we can easily link the participant to the activity, and require payment of the student activity fee to help cover costs. As an example, this is the case for all athletic teams.

If you can afford the $15 voluntary student activity fee, please consider sending in this valuable support at the beginning of the school year. Online payment will be available through School Cash Online at the end of August. At ESS we are committed to equity. Regardless of paying a student activity fee, all students will be permitted and encouraged to attend assemblies, celebrations, and year end events. We acknowledge the inequality created by economic circumstance, and invite students, parents/guardians to contact us to ensure that there is equitable access.

Athletes will be charged a fee of $25 per team. This money will be used to cover costs associated with school wide athletic costs, equipment and uniform replacement and upkeep, first aid supplies, and the athletic awards and banquet.

Each team will also have their own fee structure associated with their sport. This money will be used to cover uniforms which the athlete keeps (sport specific), equipment associated with the sport (mouthguards, shinpads, socks etc.), tournaments and competitions that are outside of Bay of Quinte league play and costs associated with equipment upkeep (Eg. football helmet recertification) or replacement. Depending on the team, additional fees may be charged for transportation and additional competitions (ie: COSSA and/or OFSAA).

Sept 11: Grade 12 "Are You Ready to Graduate" Assembly @ 10am

Sept 22: School Photos

Sept 22: School Council Meeting @ 5:30pm

Sept 22: Rosh Hashanah begins

Sept 26: Grade 9 Day Event in Period 3 & 4

Sept 30: Orange Shirt Day @ ESS

Sept 30: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Oct 1: Volunteer Fair @ ESS

Oct 1: Yom Kippur begins

October 2 6pm: Undergraduate Awards (invitations will be sent out shortly)

October 16 5pm: Parent Teacher Interviews (all students and families are invited to attend)

November 5 6pm: Grade 8 Parent Open House and Information Night (all incoming grade 8 students and their families are invited to attend)

November 12 6pm: Grade 8 Parent Information Night @ QMS (all QMS students and families are invited to attend)

At Eastside, we want our students and families to be well informed. We have multiple ways that we will communicate with you:

1. Direct email: please make sure that when you review the information form in September that you verify a correct email address.

2. Social media: please follow up on Facebook and Instagram so that you can stay up-to-date on the amazing things happening at ESS.

3. Website: be sure to check out ess.hpedsb.on.ca as it has a lot of great information including an ESS Events calendar.

4. Newsletter: We will publish “The Raven Report” newsletter each month and send it directly to the email that we have on file.

We also encourage two-way communication between the classroom teacher and home, so please reach out to your child’s teacher at any point. Contact information can be found on our website.