Braemar Bulletin
August 28, 2024.
Personal Digital Devices
As we prepare for the upcoming school year, we must address some important changes regarding using personal digital devices (PDD). A PDD is any personal electronic device that can be used to communicate or access the Internet, such as a cell phone or a tablet.
For the safety and well-being of students and to create a more focused learning environment, the Ministry of Education requires all schools in the province to restrict student use of cell phones and other personal digital devices while at school.
As previously communicated by the Superintendent of Schools, the North Vancouver School District (NVSD) is focused on “devices off, learning on.” In preparation for the 2024/2025 school year, we would like to share with families changes made to the NVSD Code of Conduct and Braemar’s Code of Conduct related to PDDs.
The following guidelines will be in place for September and part of Braemar’s Code of Conduct:
All students in the school community are expected to leave personal digital devices at home, in their bag/backpack, and/or in their locker during instructional time. Allowances may be made by the staff for instructional purposes, digital literacy, appropriate use based on age and developmental stage, accommodations within a student's Individualized Education Plan, accessibility, medical and health needs, and/or equitable support for learning outcomes.
Across all NVSD elementary schools, there is no student access to or use of PDD at any time on the school campus during the school day. This is essentially a “bell-to-bell" restriction from the beginning of school to the end of the day. Parents are reminded that elementary students are always under direct supervision and that the school will communicate with home for emergent needs if they arise. As referred to in the above guidelines, students with specific educational or medical needs outlined in their Individual Education Plan (IEP) or Learning Support Plan (LSP) will continue to use PDD to support their educational or medical needs. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s case manager.
If you need to contact your child during the day, please call 604-903-3270 and office staff will take your information and, if needed, contact your child.
Braemar staff is committed to enabling focused instructional time, and we appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we strive to create the best possible educational environment for all students. We look to parents, families and community members to also model, support and educate students on what it means to be a responsible digital citizen. Please find listed below some resources that may be helpful for continued conversations about the safe and responsible use of technology:
- Digital media: Promoting healthy screen use in school-aged children and adolescents | Canadian Paediatric Society (cps.ca)
- Online safety - Province of British Columbia (gov.bc.ca)
- Welcome to MediaSmarts | MediaSmarts
Please reach out if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Spencer Kelly & Cheryl Ham
Traffic Safety
We continue to emphasize the importance of road safety at the school to ensure that our students and families are safe. If you drive your children to school, please park on Evergreen Place and walk to the school. At Braemar, vehicles are not permitted to enter the cul de sac between 8:30am-9:30 am and 2:30-3:30 pm.
Daycare providers with visible signage may drop off in the cul de sac.
The staff parking lot is available only to staff between 8:00am and 4:00pm. There are no drop offs and pick-ups of students in the staff parking lot. As a result of this arrangement, traffic is kept at a minimum when children are in attendance.