PK Blues News

We kindly ask for your patience as we work through many parent and student requests leading up to the new school year. All of the information you need to know about Paul Kane Start Up for the 2024-2025 school year can be found on our school website here: https://pkhs.spschools.org/information/start-up-information.

We are looking forward to opening the doors on Wednesday, August 28th for our Welcome to PK day reserved for Grade 10’s only. All students attend their first full day on Thursday, August 29th.

All students will now find their schedule in the PowerSchool portal

(https://spschools.powerschool.com/public/). To view your timetable, please use the same login that you used in junior high school. If you are new to the Division, you should have already received your parent sign in information via email. If you require further assistance with your PowerSchool sign in, please refer to the Parent Instructions for PowerSchool Sign In document. Mrs. Betsy Setch can be of further assistance. betsy.setch@spschools.org.

We have many exciting events planned for PK families and students during our Week of Welcome. Please note the following events you don’t want to miss! More information will be shared in late August and on our website closer to start up.

• PK Blues Gardens for students on the front lawn (food trucks, music) - August 30th

• Student School Photos and ID Card Distribution - September 5th

• Meet the Staff BBQ - September 5th, 5:30 - 7:30

• First Parent Council Meeting - September 5th, @7:00 in Conference Room

• Welcome Back BBQ for students - September 6th @lunch

Our administration and leadership team includes our principal, Mr. Erin Steele, and our three assistant principals. Ms. Colleen Anderson will be continuing as our grade 10 administrator, Mme Catherine Lajoie as our grade 11 administrator, and Mr. Kris Horb as our grade 12 administrator. Please reach out to us to learn more about how we can support your family.

We have a comprehensive student services team to meet the social-emotional and learning needs of our students. Our counsellors are Mrs. Danielle Reed (grade 10), Ms. Cristin Raven (grade 11) and Mrs. Emily Douglas (grade 12). Mrs. Michelle Lutic and Mr. Jeet Jermana are our learning support facilitators. Mrs. Laura Kasper is our Indigenous learning support facilitator, and Ms. Natasha Pearson is our Off Campus/Career Education Coordinator. Mrs. Betsy Setch manages all of the administrative duties for this incredible team. Student Services is pleased to invite you to our PK Parent Summit the evening of September 18th. Please watch for more details very soon!

Student Services staff are returning on Wednesday, August 21st to begin the timetable adjustment process.

Appointments are still available for students on August 21st, August 22nd, and August 23rd. Grade 11 & 12’s received their schedules in June and had the opportunity to adjust their timetables prior to the summer. Click Appointment Bookings to find an available appointment time with any one of our counsellors or administrators. These appointments are held in person at Paul Kane.

Please note, appointments this week are reserved for:

• incoming grade 10 students,

• students NEW to PK entering Grade 11 or 12,

• students that are entering Grade 11 or 12 who have passed a summer school class and now need the same course to be removed from their schedule,

• students that no longer meet a prerequisite for a course they are registered in due to a failure.

If you see a “hole” in your timetable, it is because we were unable to schedule all of your course requests. It is strongly recommended that all Grade 10 and 11 students have full timetables in order to meet graduation requirements. Based on your final marks, you may need to alter the courses you are registered for. We would be happy to help you choose an alternate course. Please note, we will not be adjusting timetables based on student requests for specific teachers/friends. You can also find this information in the Timetables section of our website.

Grade 12 is an exciting time not only for the impending graduate, but for the exploring of future career planning and post secondary options. Our Student Services team is here to support students as they navigate their way through the post-secondary application process. To view the post secondary visits planned for the fall see our school school calendar.

Parking at Paul Kane is a privilege. Our students are encouraged to make their way to school via school bus, city transit, walking, or biking as weather permits. All students that drive are required to have a parking pass in order to park in the Paul Kane student parking lot. Our student parking lot has 200 stalls to accommodate students. All students that park in our parking lot will need to display an official Paul Kane parking pass or risk ticketing or towing. Please refer to our website for all parking information. https://pkhs.spschools.org/information/student-parking.

Applications for a parking pass include a $10.00 payment will be available through the PowerSchool Parent Portal between August 30 - September 2. Sign in to the portal and select the FEES tab to access the application form. Passes are NOT guaranteed and will be issued to 200 students in grades 11 and 12 via a lottery system. In order to participate in the lottery, students will need to submit a fully completed application package and payment of $10.00. If you are not selected for a pass within the lottery, your $10.00 fee will be credited to your PowerSchool fees account. If you require a barrier free parking exception, please contact the front office directly.

Once available, passes will be issued to students, and must be displayed on the dash of the vehicle listed in the application form or you risk being issued a ticket by St. Albert Municipal Enforcement. St. Albert Municipal Enforcement regularly patrols our parking lot beginning in September. Tickets will be issued on vehicles failing to display a pass. Note: Fountain Park Pool is for pool patrons only and also is patrolled by St. Albert Municipal Enforcement. Do not park there or you will be ticketed.

All students will be required to carry their personal PK student identification on them at all times. ID cards will be distributed on photo day, September 5th.

Failure to produce your ID when asked will be considered a breach of the school code of conduct. This new policy is being implemented for the safety and security of our students and staff. IDs will be used to sign out books, equipment, and are required for final exams. Lost IDs will be required to be replaced at the cost of the family.

Limiting distractions in Alberta classrooms

To safeguard student mental health and reduce distractions, as per the Ministerial Order by the Education Minister, personal mobile devices will no longer be permitted during class time and access to social media sites will be restricted.

Upon entering their classroom, students will be required to place their personal mobile device in a classroom device locker where it will remain during class time. The devices will be locked for safekeeping and collected by the student when exiting the classroom. Alternatively, students may store their device in their assigned locker during class time. In addition, airpods or other headphones must be stored away during class time.

Please familiarize yourself with our Bell Schedule. School starts at 8:00 am sharp! Please ensure you review the schedule with your child and ensure they arrive at school with enough time to get to their classroom and are ready to learn before the bells ring.

Please note, on Wednesdays from 12:55 - 1:55 pm we offer Blues Block. This one hour block is set aside for students to receive support and assistance from their teachers in all subject areas. Blues Block is considered instructional time. Students are expected to be in a designated space or participating in a designated activity during Blues Block. It is not an opportunity to hang out with friends in the hallways, central gathering or elsewhere. Please pick up your child before the start of Blues Block. The bus schedule has been adjusted to accommodate Blues Block. Buses depart school at 2:00 pm on Wednesdays.

Please take some time to read about why daily attendance is important to your child’s ongoing success in high school. Every Day Counts!

We wish you all a wonderful start to your school year!

Go Blues!

Mr. Erin Steele, Ms. Colleen Anderson, Mr. Kris Horb, and Mme. Catherine Lajoie

Email: pk@spschools.org
Website: pkhs.spschools.org
Location: 12 Cunningham Road, St. Albert, AB, Canada
Phone: (780) 459-4405
Facebook: facebook.com/PaulKaneHighSchool
Twitter: @PaulKaneHS