Principal's Message February 17-21st
Hello Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary,
It is a shortened week with our Family Day statutory holiday on Monday and our Non-Instructional Day on Friday. I hope all students and staff enjoyed quality time with family and friends on Monday, and I wish all staff a very meaningful and valuable day of Professional Development on Friday. With this, it has been a very busy three days of learning for us. We returned to school on Tuesday morning after a busy and successful weekend for our Junior Boys Basketball team. The team finished first in the South Fraser Championships. Way to go Panthers!
It is Black History Month and our student leaders have been raising awareness and celebrating Black Excellence with posters throughout the school and morning announcements. Thank you to our students for your leadership.
“February is Black History Month, a time to honour and celebrate the achievements and contributions of Black people in Canada and their communities. This year’s theme is Black Legacy and Leadership to celebrate the diversity of Black Canadians, the importance of Black leadership and the legacy being built for future generations.”
On Tuesday our Staff Committee met to review some important and current issues/initiatives within our school and across our District. Parents/Guardians and Grade 10 students are reminded to please look for the Blended Learning Project survey that was sent to your TEAMS account this week. We will be offering some of our Career Life Connections 12 classes within this hybrid model next year. (In addition, to our regular face-to-face instruction.). Grade 10’s… please let us know if you are interested in learning more about this opportunity.
The school is now in the process of reviewing our current Extended Day Bell schedule and determining what next year’s Extended Day Bell schedule will look like. Our enrollment projection for next year continues to rise, and so we will continue to be on Extended Day. Our goal is to finalize next year’s Bell Schedule by May.
Our Committee also discussed the ongoing challenges with traffic and parking for our school community. As we all know, with increased enrollment, comes increased traffic issues. We again encourage all parents/guardians who are driving your children to school to please drop off your child several blocks away from the school. If at all possible, it would be very helpful for parent drivers to avoid entering the school’s parking lot. Students are also reminded that all students parking must be in a registered parking stall with a designated parking pass. Thank you to all students, staff, parents/guardians for your assistance in helping to manage our traffic/parking pressures and keep our students safe.
On Wednesday, I had the privilege of visiting several classes. I had the opportunity to talk about Lord Tweedsmuir, our history, our incredible students and our amazing, caring staff and the wonderful successes within and outside our classrooms. I shared that Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary is a very special place and we are all very fortunate to be Panthers! 😊… and thanked our Panthers for all they do each and every day to make our school such a safe, caring and positive community. All the best to all students and staff for another wonderful and highly successful semester.
Wednesday evening brought our annual Tweedy Talent Show. This was an evening of Fine and Performing Arts showcasing the talents of our students. Great thanks to Ms. Smith and our Student Council for all of your work in hosting the evening and congratulations to all students who showcased your talent! It was such a positive celebration of our Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary community!
Thursday is a very busy day for us at the school. Grade 9 Immunization occurs today… and is a large, complex and important task that will provide an immunization for all of our Grade 9 students. Thank you to the Fraser Health nurses for your assistance.
Also on Thursday, we welcomed the BC Lions to the school! The Lions Anti-Racism presentation is being held for several of our Grade 10 classes. It was an excellent, very informative and thought-provoking message for our students. Thank you to the BC Lions for your visit and message.
On Thursday evening, we are hosting the annual Grade 7 Parent Information Night. We anticipate a large audience of parents/guardians of next year’s Grade 8 class. The evening will include a special performance by our Jazz Band and an overview of our school and Grade 8 programs. We know that this will be an exciting and important transition for our students, and that they will be highly supported as they move into high school and our Panther community.
Have an excellent Friday Pro-D Day and a happy weekend. We’ll see you back at school on Monday. 😊
Ken
Traffic and Student Parking
All Panthers are reminded that traffic around the school and parking on school property will be very busy with our increased enrollment and Extended Day schedule. All student drivers are reminded that it is very important to drive with care and attention while on or near school property. Safety is our first priority. Please drive safely and responsibly, be aware of pedestrians, and follow all traffic regulations.
If possible, all families are asked to consider alternative transportation options. Please walk or bike to school if possible. It would also be helpful if students are dropped off a couple of blocks away from the school and vehicles do not enter our school’s parking lot.
Please note that this year, students are only permitted to park in the Student Lot on the right side of our parking lot near our Portable classrooms. Students are not permitted to park in the Staff Lot.
All students wishing to park on school property must apply for a Parking pass. Application forms may be picked up at the office. Students must park in their designated stall.
Parking passes must be displayed on your car’s windshield at all times while on school property. Parking privileges will be revoked for any students not following our parking regulations or for unsafe driving.
Thank you for your help and cooperation in responding to our increased traffic challenges and protecting the safety of our community members.
