As we are all Treaty people, we take time to honor the land of Treaty 6 and all that it offers for us and our families through many generations. This land has served as a traditional meeting ground, gathering place, and traveling route for the Cree, Dene, Nakota, Saulteaux, and Ojibway People since time immemorial. We recognize this land as the homeland of Metis Nation Eastern Region II. We honor the ancestors and footsteps that have fallen in these lands. We also acknowledge that our use of this land has come at a cost, the cost of colonialism and the residential school system. We commit to working together toward reconciliation and forging a better path forward.

Welcome back, wonderful families, to another exciting school year! We are thrilled to have you back with us, partnering in the education of your amazing children. As we begin this journey together, let’s work hand in hand to nurture curiosity, foster creativity, and inspire a love for learning in our young minds. Here’s to a year of growth, exploration, and cherished moments that we’ll create together.

These are great words of welcome to a new school year, but they are not mine. This was generated by artificial intelligence (AI). I simply asked ChatGPT, a popular AI platform, to generate a welcome back-to-school message for families. It produced the above in less than 5s. Although I agree with the words, and they are nice words, they are not mine. This is one of the many new adventures we will face in the coming months at PPCS and we are so excited to get started. As ChatGPT so eloquently put it, we are excited for a year of growth with #ppcsevolution. Last spring we asked the students how to make their experience at PPCS even better and they gave us some great advice. Advice that we will actualize in the coming weeks and months. We have renewed both our staff and family handbooks, using the feedback from our students to make our learning environment second to none. I look forward to working with all of our students and families as we embark are the 2023 2024 school year journey.

The staff have worked over the summer and into the fall to update our family handbook (see link below). Some changes of note can be found in...

2.4 GO Time - Students who have not completed their work, will be placed on the GO Time list. They must remain in their period 5 class to complete the missing work. Students on the GO Time list will not be eligible for any non-curricular (including extracurricular) activities.

5.1 Entering the School - As per NESD AP-412 Schools equipped with video/intercom entrance systems are expected to have all exterior doors locked during instructional hours and systems activated. This means parents will have to ring a buzzer and be admitted to the school during instructional hours. PPCS remains open to our families to visit at any time, we ask for your patience and understanding as we transition the new system into operation.

9.1 Bears Matrix - In response to student feedback from some focus groups we arranged in the spring, our matrix has been updated to reflect both student and staff expectations, as they align with our beliefs.

9.2.2 Student Work During a Planned Absence - Historically, we seldom see work that is sent with a student prior to or on a planned trip get done. For this reason, we will not (except in exceptional circumstances) provide work prior to prolonged planned absences. We will, instead, work with the student upon their return (in GO Time for gr. 7-12) to get caught up.

12.5.3 Personal Devices - Student devices must either be in their locker or in a secure central location in the classroom.

Our complete, updated PPCS Family Handbook can be accessed by clicking the link below. A copy will be sent home for each family on the first day.

The Kirkland family is once again collecting pop tabs. All proceeds are used to support childhood cancer research and support. Families need to drop off pop tabs by Thursday, Sept 7 and we will get them to the Kirklands. Thank you in advance for your support.

On or around, Sept 5, each family will receive a family information verification email. This is a chance for you to check the information we have on file for your family. Please make any changes that are needed. This will help us to ensure that our information is the most up-to-date it can be. Thank you, contact the school if you any questions.