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 23rd - 27th and special announcements every day. It's a time for non-Indigenous students and staff 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.

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

Throughout the fall months, 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.

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.

The vibrant Arts department at ESS is already blooming. We are excited to announce the creation of a new visual art club called the Living Artists Society. Our nationally-ranked Improv Team is getting ready for the season, and the Concert Band will return for a holiday concert in December.

We are thrilled to offer many dynamic classes in visual art, ceramics, drama, guitar, instrumental music and Indigenous Arts and Culture. Students are excited and engaged in many creative opportunities.

We are currently beginning to line up special guests for the fall and to plan for our first Coffeehouse evening on October 24th at 6:30pm.

Raven Athletics is in full swing. Check out the ESS Events Calendar on our website for dates and times for all games!

Attending regularly and being on time for class are required for academic success. We expect you to be in classes if you are at school.

If you will be away, please let us know in advance. 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. By using SafeArrival, parents/guardians can report an absence in advance, 24/7, using their choice of a mobile app. the SafeArrival website, or an interactive toll-free phone number. Future absences can be reported any time.

Photo day is on September 23rd! All students need to get their photo taken, regardless of whether or not you want to buy photos. The photographs are used for student cards and for our student information system.

ESS is so proud to be our Terry Fox Run on October 10th. Please help our students fundraise for cancer research and follow in the footsteps of one of our greatest Canadian heroes.

Please donate today: https://schools.terryfox.ca/EastsideSSBelleville.

Together, we can make a difference.

It is important for you to take responsibility for your learning and to be focused on classroom activities. Cell phones must be stored in a student's 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, all Ontario school boards will be 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 will include an out of school suspension.

Sept 23: School Council Meeting @ 5:30pm

Sept 23 - 27: National Truth and Reconciliation Week

Sept 25: CIP and LSP Special Olympics Soccer @ NCSS

Sept 30: Orange Shirt Day @ ESS

Oct 2: Rosh Hashanah Begins

Oct 3: Undergraduate Awards @ 6pm

Oct 10: Grade 9 Day / Terry Fox / Football Game

For all events, be sure to check out the calendar on our website: ess.hpedsb.on.ca

Eastside Secondary is requesting that parents/guardians pay a voluntary student activity fee of $15 per student. 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 school spirit activities and student events. The student activity fees help us to have Assemblies and Guest Speakers, Student Council Spirit Activities, Transition Programs for new students, and Student Recognition Events like the Academic Awards, Graduation and School Sports are all supported by student activity fees.

Online payment is available through School Cash Online.

Big thanks to President's Choice for once again supporting our food for learning program! We were successful in our application for a $15000 grant which will go a long way to support our Ravens!!!

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.

We are so fortunate that our building upgrades (including painting and renovations) are continuing. Please notify the school office of any known reactions to paints or other chemicals that a student may have.