Mount Elizabeth Middle Secondary School

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Two cases of head lice have occurred at MEMSS, which have been treated.  Head lice do not carry disease and do not have anything to do with cleanliness.  Please check your child’s hair carefully for head lice and nits.  Check all other members of the family for head lice as well.  Treat only those who have lice or nits, following the directions posted below.  Let the school know if you do find any head lice or nits.  You should now increase head lice checks of your family from weekly to daily. Thank you for helping stop the spread of head lice.

You can buy different kinds of products to treat head lice from the drugstore without a prescription.  These are in the form of shampoo, crème rinse or lotion.  You may with to talk to the pharmacist, your doctor or public health nurse about these products.  TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE TREATING ANYONE WHO IS PREGNANT OR NURSING A BABY.

The most important step is use the product exactly as the label says. Remove all nits(eggs) by hand or with a fine toothed comb.  Pull them off the end of the hair.  Put them into a paper bag and then into the garbage outside.  Check the hair in 24 hours.  Remove any nits that are found. Check the hair in 7 days.  If there are any live nits left they will be hatching now.  Re-treat if any are found.  DO NOT TREAT MORE THAN TWO TIMES.  DO NOT SEND A CHILD TO SCHOOL WITH LICE OR NITS!

Home & Clothing:  soak hair brushes and combs in very hot water for 10 minutes or in a disinfectant solution for one hour.  Wash all clothing, towels and bed linen used by the person with head lice in hot water and soap.  Dry at high heat for at least 20 minutes to kill any nits. (eggs).  Dry clean items that cannot be washed or put in the freezer for 24 hours.  Vacuum carpets, furniture, mattresses and pillows.  Avoid using insecticide sprays as they are unnecessary.

Notice of Aboriginal Enhancement Agreement Public Consultation Meetings, Terrace & Kitimat (PDF Format)

Coast Mountains Board of Education School District 82 is holding a series of Public Consultation Meetings to discuss student learning in our Terrace and Kitimat schools.  Of particular focus will be the success of our Aboriginal learners.

The Public Consultation Meetings will take place as follows:

Wednesday, December 9, 2015 – 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Suwilaawks Community School (Library) – Terrace

Tuesday, December 15, 2015 – 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Haisla Community School (Community Room) – Kitamaat Village

All members of the public are invited to attend.

A summary of feedback received from the Public Consultation Meetings will be provided to the District Aboriginal Education Committee for their consideration and review for the Aboriginal Enhancement Agreement.

For further information or to provide a written submission prior to the meeting, please contact:

Carole Gagnon, Executive Assistant that the Board of Education Office
Tel: (250) 638-4401 or 1-855-635-4931, Ext. 4401
Email: carole.gagnon@cmsd.bc.ca

CMSD82 Amended 2015-2016 School Calendar & Backgrounder

CMSD82 Letter to Parents-Guardians re Amended 2015-2016 School Calendar

School districts across the province are involved in calendar amendments related to the new Ministry of Education Curriculum Implementation Plan that has recently been announced.  The Ministry of Education and the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF), supported by provincial partners in education, announced a plan to support the implementation of the new curriculum.

As part of this plan, school districts have been asked to add 10 hours of non-instructional time to this school year which will reduce instructional hours equivalent to two regular school days.  The time will be provided for teachers to familiarize themselves with the new curriculum and to plan for its implementation in the coming year.

Coast Mountains School District in collaboration with the Coast Mountain Teachers’ Federation has selected Friday, January 15, 2016 and Friday, April 29, 2016 as the two non-instructional training days.  Both days were selected with a mind to minimizing the impact on families and student learning.

On November 25, 2015 the Board of Education approved a motion to amend the 2015-2016 School Calendar reflecting Friday, January 15, 2016 and Friday, April 29, 2016 as non-instructional days.  The addition of these two non-instructional days will support Coast Mountains School District’s teachers as they learn the new Ministry of Education curriculum.  For clarity, students will not attend school on January 15 and April 29, 2016.  Please view the amended 2015-2016 School Calendar as provided above.

In response to the rapidly changing world that students are entering, the new Ministry of Education curriculum is being redesigned to help teachers create learning environments that are both engaging and personalized for students.  The redesigned curriculum focuses on core competencies, essential learning and literacy and numeracy foundations.  More information for parents can be found at https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca.

We are looking forward to the exciting times ahead in our classrooms as we help our students succeed in this changing world.

Sincerely,

Katherine McIntosh
Superintendent of Schools

Should you have questions or require additional information, please contact Carole Gagnon, Executive Assistant at the Board of Education Office as follows:

Tel:  (250) 638-4401 or Toll Free 1-855-635-4931, Local 4401
Fax: 1-888-290-4786
Email:  carole.gagnon@cmsd.bc.ca