We acknowledge that Battle River School Division is located on Treaty 6 territory, and we respect the histories, languages, and cultures of First Nations, Metis, Inuit and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community. We acknowledge that the connections to the land and each other are vital to the work we do.

Mrs. Zenovia Lazaruik, Principal

Mrs. Jennifer Erick, Assistant Principal

Mrs. Karen Gartner, Assistant Principal

The first week of school was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with our students. We have quickly returned to our routines and expectations and have smoothly transitioned to the new cell phone/device policy. Thank you for supporting this important conversation with your child about keeping their electronic devices in their locker or the classroom pocket holder. We have already seen a greater focus from students and an increase in productivity and quality of work. Please review the Administrative Procedure 135 with your child. In this newsletter, we have also included recent research on digital devices and the mental health of young teens.

Classes have been finalized, school and team fees will be issued shortly. If you are having any issues accessing digital field trip consent forms or payment of fees please contact the school for support. Please note that going forward, all cheques received at the school will need to be payable to Battle River School Division. This includes any donations/payments given to the school. Also, Tofield School will not be issuing any cheques - all payments will be made via Battle River School Division. Thank you for understanding this change.

Please ensure that you have completed the verification of the registration, Technology User Agreement and FOIP forms by September 13, 2024. Failure to do so may result in removing technology access until forms are completed. Please contact cperry@brsd.ab.ca if you have any questions

All BRSD schools and work sites are scent-free areas. Also, be aware of the Respect in the Workplace policy - Battle River School Division’s commitment to providing a positive and respectful environment protects the dignity and worth of all students and division staff, and provides a safe space for all individuals. Any form of abuse or harassment such as bullying or discrimination will not be tolerated. Thank you for your help in fostering a safe and respectful learning environment at BRSD.

Our athletics program is up and running, with golf, cross-country running and volleyball in full swing. We want to thank our staff, who have been willing to volunteer their own time to coach our school teams. We wish all teams success. Go Titans!

Students are expected to be in attendance every day and at every class. Research shows this is one of the greatest single factors in success at the high school level. Students who are absent from school for a portion or all of a school day without the previous knowledge and consent of their parents are inexcusably absent. If a student is going to be absent from school (for a valid reason), parents must call the school as soon as possible, preferably the morning of the absence.

Being present means: being in attendance for the whole period. Please note if Parents / Guardians sometimes choose to take the students from school for extended periods such as vacations, visits to relatives, hunting, assistance to the family, and so on, these may not be considered excused absences. In such situations, the school does not grant permission for the absence.

Parents/guardians must accept full responsibility for the adverse effects of the absence. Regular class attendance is important to achievement. If an absence is planned during the school year, the student’s parent should let the school administration and the various subject teachers know well before the absence.

Teachers may give guidance and assignments that will reduce the negative effects of the absence.

Please note that in virtually all situations, significant absences will have a detrimental effect on achievement.

Procedure

When attendance has an observable effect on a students’ learning, the following steps will be followed. At all times, the intent is to build connections and positive relationships between staff, home, and the student. These relationships are paramount in dealing with any attendance concern.

1. The teacher will communicate the concern home through phone or email.

2. The teacher will communicate the concern to the office and will communicate with home by phone.

3. Administration will communicate the concern with home by phone.

4. Administration will communicate the concern with home by letter.

5. Administration will communicate the concern with the School Division.

As many of you are aware, schools across the province have changed their cell phone policies to align with new government mandates. There has been a lot of research around adolescents and the use of social media. There is a great new book out called the Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt that has some fascinating facts around cell phones and adolescent behaviours. It is definitely worth a full read, but I will summarize a few of the points made in the book.

Cell phones were introduced around the end of the 1990s; although it was not common yet for every household to have one at that time. The use of cell phones began to increase in the early 2000's. The Smartphone was introduced in 2007 - think flip phone with slow methodical texting abilities. It wasn't until 2010 when forward facing cameras were introduced that the social media apps began to really take off. Instagram went from 10 million users in 2011 to 90 million by 2013 (interestingly this number is over 20 billion today).

Reports started coming in shortly after this time showing changes in teens reporting of depression and anxiety. In an annual survey sent out to US teens asking teens about their mental health, researchers started to see an upward pattern (see photo below). These increases in teen depressions were also mirrored with reported anxiety. During this period, there were also increases in Emergency Room visits for self-harm. These visits were considered deliberate self-harm and included suicide attempts cutting oneself with the intent to die. The rate of self-harm for young girls nearly tripled from 2010 - 2020 (see images below). These numbers were not unique to the US. Although we report differently here in Canada, similar patterns existed in our reporting of ER visits (see photo below). Sadly enough, Haidt also reports similar patterns in teen suicide (see images below).

I will summarize by saying that there is significant reporting showing correlations between time spent using social and declines in adolescent mental health. If you see increased depression or anxiety in your teen, try to examine the time they spend on social media. Another significant factor that has a negative impact on teen mental health is limited sleep. Try to find ways to ensure that your teen is getting at least 7 hours sleep per night. Often students will tell us that they only had a few hours sleep because (unbeknownst to their parents), they were on SnapChat or some other app with friends all night. A great habit is to ensure teens do not have access to their phones after bedtime. Thank you for working with us to protect your teen's mental health!

September 12: Cross-Country Race in Hardisty

September 18: Terry Fox Run

September 19: Cross-Country Race in Bashaw

September 19 & 20: School Photos

September 24: Subway Hot Lunch

September 26: Cross-Country Race in Camrose

September 27: Orange Shirt Day

September 30: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (No School)

October 2: Tofield School Council Meeting @ 6:30 pm

October 10: Parent Teacher Interviews

Tofield School is offering Subway Hot Lunch on September 24, 2024. Orders need to be placed through the parent portal by 11:00pm on Monday, September 16th, 2024.

This month's career counselling news focuses on MyPass, getting ready to apply for post-secondary education, and upcoming post-secondary events.

Fall athletics are underway!

• Sr High Golf tournament is September 16th, 2024 at the Camrose Golf Course. Thanks to Coach Daigle!
• Jr High boys and girls volleyball, and Sr High boys and girls volleyball teams have almost all gotten started - remember to cheer on our players! Thank you to Mr. Flasha, Ms. Berglund, Mrs. Woode, Mr. Sieben, Mr. Doerksen, Mr. Madsen, Ms. Dhillon and Ms. Umphrey for coaching!

• Cross Country running practices are after school Monday and Wednesday. Our first race is in Hardisty on September 12th. If you are interested in Cross Country see Mrs. Thurston, Mrs. Nicolaescu, Mrs. Erick, Mrs. LeBlanc or Michael Cole.

Go Titans Go!

Our year-end assembly honoured all the work and talent shown by Titans in the 2023/2024 school year.

The end of the year was full of field trips, especially for our elementary students.

Thank you to last year's breakfast club volunteers!

Check out this link to buy some of your own Titan Wear!