Eric Graves Memorial Junior High School
SEPTEMBER, 2014 NEWSLETTER
School Email: egmjh@hrsb.ns.ca
School Website: www.egmjh.ednet.ns.ca
Principal’s Message
I would like to welcome all the students and parents /
guardians to a new school year at Eric Graves Memorial
Junior High. After a busy week, the students seem to have
settled into a routine. All students have been to all their classes
and met all their teachers. They also have their lockers,
agendas and copies of their schedules etc. Student fees
($40.00) are due to the school this week. If you have not
submitted these, please send them in with your child.
As returning or new students, I hope you all enjoy your year
and everything Eric Graves Memorial Junior High has to
offer. The most important thing to do in Junior High is to get
involved in the activities of the school. We have lots of clubs
as well as intramurals, sports teams and school trips etc. Sign
up for activities and try out for our teams!!!!
The population of Eric Graves Memorial Junior High is 162
students this year. We have a total of 6 homeroom classes - 2
grade seven classes, 2 grade eight classes and 2 grade nine
classes. We encourage you to check with your child each night
to see if they have any homework.
The school newsletter will go out to parents/guardians every
month. Students will bring it home on the Wednesday of the
first full week of the month. It will always be on yellow paper
so I encourage you to ask your child for it on those days. We
will also be emailing the newsletter to parents as well as
posting it on the school’s website. The newsletter has
important dates, information and events parents like to know.
It is important for all parents and guardians to know I am
available if you have any questions or concerns. My door is
always open and I welcome you to drop in or call the school.
If I am not immediately available, I will make arrangements to
see you as soon as possible.
Karen Dale
Principal
Meet and Greet Curriculum Night
On Wednesday, September 17th, Eric Graves Memorial Junior
High will be hosting a Curriculum Night at 6:00 p.m. The
evening will begin with a brief introduction from Ms. Dale in
the gymnasium. Parents / guardians are then invited to visit
the teachers to view the curriculum being taught this year at
the Junior High level. Teachers will be available to discuss the
educational model of teaching students based on “learning
outcomes”. They will also be available to discuss the
assessment policy which now exists for all middle
school/junior high students in the Halifax Regional School
Board.
Phone: 435-8325
Safe Arrival: 435-8325
supports the Terry Fox Foundation. Please send in what you
can in order to support cancer research.
Top Tigers
Eric Graves Memorial Junior High School will again be
recognizing students as “Top Tigers” each week. These
students have been nominated by their teachers for their
positive behavior and contributions to the school. The
administration will be making phone calls to parents /
guardians each Friday acknowledging their child’s success.
Fall Fundraiser – Gigantic Book Sale and Flea Market –
Saturday, October 18th
Eric Graves Memorial Junior High will be having our Fourth
Annual Book Sale and Flea Market as our fall fundraiser.
We are hoping our community and families become involved
by donating goods and/or volunteering their time at the event
itself.
Flea Market
If each family could donate at least one box of items we feel
this will be a huge success. This Monday, September 17 th, we
will begin accepting donations here at the school. Please send
in or drop off any new or gently used goods. We will be
collecting small appliances, sporting goods, small pieces of
furniture, toys and almost any miscellaneous items (no clothes
please). If you are unable to drop off your items and you need
to have them picked up please contact the school.
Book Sale
We hope to have hundreds of books donated so please start
sending them into the school as soon as possible. Please note
that we are not able to accept any National Geographic or
Encyclopedia sets.
Parent Volunteers are needed to help on Friday evening
(sorting, organizing and setting up) and Saturday from 8:30
a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for the sale itself. If you are able to help out
please call us and let us know – 435- 8325.
School Advisory Council
The School Advisory Council is a legal body of parents,
students, staff and community members elected to advise the
Principal on issues concerning improved student learning
outcomes at our school. This is a valued part of our school
community which will meet six (6) times during the school
year at 5:00 p.m.
Stand Up Against Bullying Day / Pink Day
Stand Up Against Bullying Day will be held in all Nova Scotia
schools tomorrow, Thursday, September 11 th. Students and
staff are reminded to support this cause by wearing pink. This
small gesture gives us the opportunity to show we are united
against bullying in schools /workplaces throughout the
province.
**We will be requiring another student to volunteer their
time. If you are interested please contact the office.
The Eric Graves Memorial Junior High School Advisory
Council is comprised of the following members:
Mary Lou Stewart – Chair
Karen Dale – Principal
Paula Fairbairn – Vice Principal
Ann Leahy – Parent
Mark Paquette – Parent
Joe Fauteux - Parent
Ralph MacKenzie – Community Member / Chair of
Discipline Committee
Wendy Forrest – School Support Staff
Jacqueline Harrington – Teaching Staff
Bhreagh MacDonald – Teaching Staff
Josh Paquette – Student Grade 9
Terry Fox Run – September 26th
Students and staff of EGMJH are proud to be taking part in the
Terry Fox Run again this year. We are asking students to each
bring in a Toonie (or more) to support this cause. Money will
be collected during the week of the run. This money directly
Lunch Program
All students are allowed to stay for lunch at school and eat in
the lunch room. We ask you to please speak with your
children about being on their very best behavior during lunch.
Once the students leave the lunchroom they have a choice of
**Please remember this is not an evening where teachers will
be meeting with parents about individual students. Those
meetings will take place during parent – teacher visitation
night.
where they would like to spend the rest of the lunch break.
Students can go to the computer lab, library, gymnasium or
outside. There is supervision provided for students if they stay
inside the building for the entire lunch. If students choose to
go outside when they finish in the lunch room then
supervision is not provided until 12:25.
Cell Phones / Electronic Devices / Hats
Students have all been told to make sure they put these items
in their lockers when they arrive at school. Cell phones are
permitted during lunchtime but please remember this is the
only time of the day where students are allowed to use their
phones. If students are found to have these items with them
during class time, they will be turned into the office and
returned to them at the end of the day. If this continues to be a
problem, parents will be notified and asked to drop into the
school to pick these items up. There are occasions where
students are asked to bring their phone to class. This is in
support of our Bring your own Device (BYOD) initiative
where teachers are using these as teaching tools.
Hats are not permitted to be worn in school.
School Volunteers
When students reach Junior High/Middle School parents often
feel they are not needed to volunteer. We would love to have
your help as a volunteer at our school (dances, class trips,
fundraising, etc.) If you are interested please contact the
school at 435-8325 and leave your name and number. We
would appreciate your support in any way!!
All volunteers must have a Criminal Records check and a
Child Abuse Registry check. If you have these we would
require a copy here in the office. If you would like to
volunteer and do not have this documentation, please contact
the school and we will advise you of the process.
PowerSchool
Students and parents have access to current marks, attendance
records, assignment due dates and school announcements via
iNSchool. I encourage you to learn more about the
program/portal at http://inschool.ednet.ns.ca
Click on student-parent portal on the left.
Grade 7, 8 and 9 students and parents will continue to use the
confidential user names and passwords that were provided last
year. If these have been misplaced please contact Ms. Forrest
at the school and she will send it home with your child.
Work Recovery
Completing assigned work is an expectation for all students at
Eric Graves. To support students in demonstrating their
understanding of a specific outcome(s) Eric Graves has
implemented, and is continuing this year, with a work
recovery initiative. Work recovery will begin Wednesday,
September 17th from 2:50 to3:50 in the library. Ms. Fairbairn
will see students who are required to stay for work recovery.
Grade 7 parents will receive more detailed information in a
letter later this week.
Parent Visitation
The first Parent Visitation will be held on November 17 th from
1:00 – 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. If there are any
concerns you may have about your child prior to that time,
please contact the teacher at the school.
Canteen
Our canteen is available every recess and lunch. Items are
reasonably priced and follow the Board nutrition policy.
Immunization Update 2014-15
This school year, Public Health Services will once again be
providing four free vaccines to target a number of vaccine
preventable disease in the adolescent population in Grade 7.
These vaccines are:
Meningococcal group C conjugate (Men-C-C), a vaccine to
prevent bacterial meningitis Tetanus, diphtheria and acellular
pertussis vaccine (Tdap), a booster vaccine to prevent tetanus,
diphtheria and whooping cough Hepatitis B (HB), a vaccine to
prevent hepatitis, offered in two doses Human papillomavirus
(HPV) vaccine, a vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, offered to
female students only (three doses)
Helpful Tips for the Day of the Clinic

Ensure that your child has returned their consent form
to the school prior to the clinic day.
 Encourage your child to eat a healthy breakfast.
 Immunizations can sometimes be very stressful. It
may help your child to bring a comfort item to the
clinic such as a favourite stuffed animal, stress ball,
mp3 player with headphones to listen to music, a
book or sometimes young people like to bring photo.
 Focus on deep breathing exercises.
Eric Graves Clinic Dates are:
Oct. 27/14
Feb. 4/15
May 23/14
It is very important for students to attend school on the clinic
date(s). Vaccines are given over a period of three clinics
because of specific timelines required. Missing a clinic can
make it difficult to complete the vaccination series and
therefore may not provide your child with full protection
against vaccine preventable diseases.
Eric Graves Counselling Services
As a parent, one of your greatest hopes is to see that your child
reach their full potential. The counsellor’s job is to help along
that path. Every day, students face challenges - tough classes,
peer pressure, as well as family and personal concerns. It is
not always easy to be a Junior High student. At Eric Graves,
counselling services are provided to help young people help
themselves throughout these challenges. Counselling can take
place as individual sessions, small group sessions and even
sessions with the entire class.
The question most asked by parents and guardians is “How
can I help my young student be successful at Junior High?”
Although there is no guaranteed answer to this question there
are some things parents can do that will help a great deal.
A) Stay involved in your child’s academic and social
life.
(Know what is going on with your young person)
B) Communicate with the school.
(Support the school and ask questions)
C) Let your child know you care.
(Give praise where it is deserved and embarrass
them with your affection)
In addition to services for students, consultations with parents
and teachers are a common occurrence in the counselling
office. When students are having academic, behavioral,
emotional, or social difficulties, collaboration between the
teacher, counselor and parents is usually helpful for students.
If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact me
at the school. Mr. Ingram 435-8430 or pingram@hrsb.ca
Music
Choir starts Thursday, September 18th. All singers, dancers
and beat boxers are welcome! There will be a meeting at
lunch in room 106 to set a practice schedule. The sign-up
sheet is posted on the door.
Maritime Theatre School
For any students who wish to try acting or becoming a triple
threat: maritime theatre school is now offering teen classes in
both theatre and "glee"(musical theatre) in both Clayton Park
and Bedford locations. Call 902-835-5776 to register and for
more information go to: www.maritimetheatreschool.com
Video Surveillance
Our school uses a video surveillance system as part of our
continued efforts to support a safe, positive and effective
learning environment. We recognize that the images recorded
by this video surveillance system are personal information
and, as with all other personal information, we take steps to
balance privacy rights with safety and security concerns. The
school has the legal authority to collect this personal
information under Section 24 of Nova Scotia’s Freedom of
Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
Only designated staff has access to our video surveillance
equipment and such access is restricted as required by law.
The system is used to enhance school safety and to deter or
take action in response to unlawful behaviors.
If you have any questions about video surveillance at our
school, please contact Ms. Dale or Ms. Fairbairn at 435-8325.
SCHOOL CLOSURE DUE TO INCLEMENT
WEATHER OR EMERGENCY CLOSURE DUE TO
EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES
Eric Graves Memorial Junior High is a member of the
Prince Andrew High Family of Schools
During the school year it may become necessary to cancel
school due to inclement weather or some unforeseen
emergency such as an extended power outage, loss of heat,
loss of water etc. The following information will apply to
all school closures.
 The decision to cancel school will usually be made as
close to 6:00 a.m. as possible. This decision will be
communicated on the radio, the Board’s web site, the
main switchboard and through the school cancellation
number – 464-info (4636). School could be cancelled
Board Wide, by Family of Schools (we are part of the
Prince Andrew District High School family of
schools), or by individual schools.



If we are experiencing inclement weather and school
has not been cancelled, parents are requested to ensure
their children are properly dressed for the weather
conditions regardless of whether they travel by bus or
walk. If weather conditions are questionable, parents
should continue to monitor the radio, web site or
school cancellation number.
Before dropping students off at school during
inclement weather days, parents should ensure that
staff have arrived and are immediately available to
provide supervision.
If busses are cancelled and schools are open, parents
must use their own discretion with regard to sending
their children to school. Meaningful activities will be
going on in classrooms, however, students who are
unable to attend due to inclement weather and/or bus
cancellation will not be penalized because of
assignments given or due on that day.
Medic Alert
The Canadian MedicAlert® Foundation is a charitable
organization which is the leading provider of emergency
medical information services linked to customized medical
bracelets and necklaces. We are pleased to be able to offer
MedicAlert memberships to students (from age 4 to their
14th birthday) through the No Child Without® program in
select schools. The financial support of the Government of
Canada and Lions Clubs allows students to receive the
MedicAlert membership for FREE. More information can
be found at www.nochildwithout.ca
Little Caesars & Subway Info
We will be continuing our Pizza Fridays by the end of
September. Information will be sent home with your
student.
We are also looking into having Subway on a different day
of the week. This will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
Tigers’ Tails Athletics News
Welcome to another year of Eric Graves Athletics and
Intramural news. We are currently having students sign up for
various athletic teams.
Sport
Boys
Girls
Touch
Football
Mr. McGinnis
Mr. Hughes
Mr. Jacobi
Ms. Syms
Jessica Kimber
TBA
Ms. McArel
Deanna
Kimber
Ms. Syms
Mr. Hughes
Softball
Mr. Sinclair
Mr. Hughes
Soccer
Volleyball
Mr. Paquette
Mr. Ingram
Mr. Howell
Mr. Hughes
Ms.
Harrington
Ms. Syms
Basketball
Indoor
Field
Hockey
Track &
Field
(Co-Ed)
Ice Hockey
(Co-Ed)
Badminton
Mr. Gouthro
Ms. Fairbairn
Mr. Hughes
Ms. Syms
Mr. Hughes
Ultimate
Frisbee
(Co-Ed)
Ms. Syms
Ms. Syms
Lacrosse
TBA
TBA
Intramurals
12:00-12:35 Monday to Friday
During the next 4 Wednesdays the gym will only be open to
grade 7 students.
These are organized activities which are run during the lunch
hour. Proper foot wear is a must.
The schedule for 1st term will be:
Monday - Floor Hockey
Tuesday – Soccer
Wednesday – Flag Football (after the 4 gr. 7’s only
in the gym)
Thursday – Basketball
Friday – Team Dodgeball
Any questions regarding athletics and intramurals please
contact Ms. Paula Syms via email. psyms@hrsb.ns.ca
Important Dates to Remember
September 11 – Pink Day – Stand Up Against Bullying
September 16 –School Photos
September 17 – Curriculum Night 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
September 23 – School Photo Retakes
September 26 – Terry Fox Run – p.m.
September 29 – School Based PD – No Classes
October 13 – Thanksgiving – No Classes
October 24 – Provincial Conference Day – No Students
Present
October 27 – Immunization Day
November 11 – Remembrance Day – No Students Present
November 17 – Professional Development – a.m. – No
Students
-Parent Visitation 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
-Parent Visitation 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
November 28 – WE Day
December 1 – Assessment Day – No Students Present