Voice Mail sent on November 12th, 2009

This is Jason Reath, Principal of Tantramar Regional High School. As you know, the Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 flu virus has now reached New Brunswick. School District 2 is monitoring absenteeism of students and staff in our schools. I want you to know that as of today, Thursday, November 12th, we are experiencing high absenteeism of students here at TRHS.

As you are probably aware, the immunization program that was scheduled to take place today has been postponed by the Department of Health. We have not received any information as to when this clinic may be rescheduled. We will inform you when we are given such information.

Again, proper hand washing along with having your children stay home when they are sick are things you can do to help the situation.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Letter sent home on October 30th, 2009

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope that this letter finds you and your family well. As October wraps up, we look forward to the many events that November brings. From parent teacher interviews to Remembrance Day ceremonies, it is a nice time to reflect before the holiday season is upon us.

As we continue to keep you up to date of events and noteworthy items here at the school, I felt that it was important to write you a letter due to some recent developments. In my letter today, I would like to bring your attention to five items as they relate to TRHS: the Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Flu Virus, Peanut and Peanut Product Allergies, Provincial Assessments, Parent Teacher Interviews, and the PSSC.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Flu

As with every letter I have sent home this year, I have provided you with the most recent information available to us at the school as it relates to the Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Flu Virus. Accompanying today’s letter is a letter from Chief Medical Officer of Health for the province of New Brunswick. Please read it carefully as it has important information as it relates to this virus and our schools. The letter also identifies a number of contacts for questions or for further information.

I would like to highlight one change in policy that the most recent information from the Department of Public Health asks for our schools to follow. In the past I had explained that we would send a letter home if we received notice here at the school of a confirmed case of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Flu Virus. As a result of the policy change from the Department of Health, we will no longer send home this letter. Rather, we have been asked to forward the letter attached to my correspondence today. The Chief Medical Officer at Public Health will be responsible for confirming cases of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Flu Virus. To date, there have not been any cases of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Flu Virus reported to me here at Tantramar Regional High School. To date, our absenteeism rate has been normal.

For additional information, please contact the local public health office (364-4080) or visit the Government of New Brunswick’s web site: www.gnb.ca/flu.

Peanut and Peanut Product Allergies

I would also like to remind all parents and students that Tantramar Regional High School is a peanut free school. We have a couple of students and a staff member that have severe allergies to peanuts and peanut products.  Minimal contact with these products, such as smell, can cause a reaction. Direct contact will have even more serious effects. As such, these products are not permitted at school. This will reduce the risk of exposure to these allergy triggers and help ensure the safety of all students and staff. We appreciate your care in helping us create a safe environment for all students and staff.

Provincial Assessments

With this letter today, you will also find a pamphlet on New Brunswick Provincial Assessments. Here at TRHS, we only have one provincial assessment, The English Proficiency Assessment, that our students write for the first time in January of grade 9. If unsuccessful, students must rewrite this assessment each year afterwards until they are successful. I will provide additional information on this assessment in a letter in November.

The pamphlet included with this letter provides further information on provincial assessments. It also outlines how you can check results for schools on these assessments at the Department of Education’s web site. I am proud to say that our results on the English Language Proficiency Assessment are higher than the province’s and district’s averages.

Parental School Support Committee

As an advisory group to the principal, the PSSC meets regularly throughout the school year to discuss school-wide issues. The members of the PSSC are elected for three year terms with our most recent elections having happened in September. All PSSC meetings are open to the public and you are welcome to attend as an observer. Our next meeting is currently scheduled for November 18th at 6:30pm here at TRHS. Our current PSSC members are:

I hope this information is helpful in keeping you up to date with our efforts in ensuring success for all of our students. Please contact the school if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
Jason Reath

Principal

School District 2 Education Council - Public Agenda for November 17, 2009 Meeting

weted.com

The Wetlands Center was recently featured in Maclean's Magazine! Read the article here.(In jpg form)

Do you know about our wetlands Center? Check out this Video!