South Queens Middle School

Our Terry Fox Run will be taking place September 23!

If you can, please donate using the following link:

http://terryfox.ca/SouthQueensMiddle

September 12, 2021

Dear SQMS Families,

We have had a great 4 days here at SQMS and we are looking forward to the week ahead.  Just a few things we wanted to make you aware of as we head into our first full week of the school year.

On Friday your child would have come home with a registration form and an image consent form.  We would like to have these returned to your child’s homeroom teacher by Friday, September 17^th.  It is imperative that you make sure the information on the registration form is correct paying special attention to home address, phone numbers, email addresses, etc.; also, you will notice that it is asking for Contact #3 and Contact #4- these would be considered Emergency Contacts (on the old registration form).

We will be having our Terry Fox Run on September 23.  We will not be asking students to go door to door for donations but we will be posting the following link on our Facebook page, Twitter account and our website in hopes of receiving donations for the Terry Fox Foundation from our school.  The link is as follows:  http://www.terryfox.ca/SouthQueensMiddle; permission forms that allow students to leave the school ground for activities such as the Terry Fox Run will be coming home this week.

Attached you will find this week’s lunch menu for the cafeteria.  Students are reminded to pre-order before recess.

The following are a few reminders regarding upcoming dates:

-        Monday, September 13- Girls Soccer Tryout #2 and Boys Soccer Tryout #1:  2:30pm-4:00pm

-        As per Public Health guidelines, masks will be mandatory in school until September 20 at which time they will become optional

-        SQMS COVID-19 vaccination clinic is being held Tuesday, September 14 from 9:45am-11:45am.  If you would like to have your child (12 and older) participate in this clinic, please contact us for a form

-        September 23- Dance 7:00pm-9:00pm

-        September 24- Inservice Day (no school for students)

-        September 29- Orange Shirt Day (more information to follow)

-        September 30- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (no school)

-        October 4- School Photos

To conclude, just a couple of reminders for students:

-        Students should be bringing water bottles to school; we do not have any extras for students to use unfortunately

-        Students should be bringing their devices to school each day (iPad, Chromebook, tablet, etc.); we do not have any extras to give out for use

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us!

Thank you

SQMS Administration

Dear SQMS Families,

Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year!!  We are so excited to have your child joining us either again or for the first time!  As you may be aware, most of the COVID-19 protocols have been lifted by Public Health; however, there are some protocols we will still need to follow such as following the COVID Screening Checklist daily, wearing masks and frequent hand sanitizing.  Students this year will have the ability to use lockers; locks will be assigned to the students on Tuesday and they may keep some of their supplies in their lockers.

Our lunch menu will be provided for next week before Tuesday; currently it is under construction.  The menu will be able to be seen on our South Queens Middle School Facebook page and on our website (sqms.ednet.ns.ca).  If your child would like to order lunch, they can head down to the cafeteria when they get to school and pre-order for the day/week.  There will be a daily special that includes a milk for $5.00; a soup is made most days and sandwiches can also be ordered.

Attached you will find the 2021-2022 School Calendar.  On it you will see that dances have been planned but will only be able to happen if it is ok to do so by Public Health.  Most communication from the school will come to you by email, on the Facebook page or on the website. 

Doors to the school will open at 8:10am and the first bell for school to start will go at 8:25am; dismissal will be at 2:25pm.  If a student arrives late, they are asked to report to the office so that they can be accounted for.

If your child is bringing their own device, they should bring it in on Tuesday to be able to have it set up for each of their classes.

We are looking forward to starting the school year!  If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us at 902-354-7640

SQMS Staff

Dear School Community,

We know the best place for children to learn is in a safe and supportive environment surrounded by their teachers, school staff, and friends.

I’m excited to welcome you all back into our buildings for the start of another year. This school year, our educational routine will look more familiar, with a full return to music, band, field trips, and clubs. All school sports will resume. Gyms will be open to community groups in the evenings and on weekends. And students and staff will once again be able to use cafeterias and participate in food programs as per previous years. Parents and guardians who follow public health measures will be allowed to visit schools, including on the first day of school for our youngest learners.

To ensure schools are as safe as possible, there will be core public health measures in place in all schools. These include frequent hand washing and sanitizing; cleaning of high-touch surfaces; and, staying home if you are feeling sick. As an additional layer of safety, we are requiring all students, staff, and visitors to wear masks inside schools to start the year. We will transition away from mandatory masks once the province reaches Phase 5 of its re-opening plan.  And, as Dr. Strang reminds us, vaccinations work, so we ask all eligible staff and students to get vaccinated.

You can find more information about Back to School and the related Public Health Measures for Schools online, at https://novascotia.ca/backtoschool. Please know, we will continue to take the advice from Public Health, which means we will need to be flexible and adapt our safety measures as they monitor the number of COVID cases in our communities. It is possible that we will need to adopt stricter public health measures on a temporary basis in response to changing epidemiology in individual schools, families of schools, and/or communities. And, while it is unexpected, if we are required to move to at-home learning, we will follow an approach very similar to last year.

I also want to reinforce our commitment to Nova Scotia’s Inclusive Education Policy. There will continue to be a focus on equity by supporting students who are historically marginalized and racialized (African Nova Scotian and Mi’kmaw students) or who come from other groups that have been traditionally under-represented and under-served. This includes but is not limited to those struggling with poverty, students with disabilities, and LGBTQ2S++ students.

The plan for the 2021-22 school year was created with the input of thousands of voices – direction and guidance from public health officials, advice from physicians at the IWK Health Centre, feedback from the Nova Scotia Teachers Union, the Public School Administrators Association of Nova Scotia, support staff unions and teachers, survey results from parents, guardians and teachers, and recommendations from other key partners.

I know there will be many questions. If there are questions about your individual school, please contact the principal. For staff, please contact your supervisor.

We look forward to welcoming you back to our schools, and we look forward to another great year of learning.

Sincerely,

Paul Ash
SSRCE Regional Executive Director

Please find attached the school supply list for the 2021-2022 school year.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at sqms@ssrce.ca.