Superintendent’s Update
September 21, 2023
Dear Parents/Caregivers,
It has been a pleasure and a joy to welcome students back into our schools for the 2023-24 school year. Now that students have settled into school routines and the busyness of school startup has slowed, we would like to take this opportunity to provide some important annual reminders for all parents/caregivers.
Daily School Attendance
Daily school attendance is vital for all students. Students who attend school regularly are more engaged in learning, have a greater sense of belonging to the community and are more likely to obtain a high school diploma. Good attendance habits are best developed in the early years; otherwise, absenteeism becomes greater by middle years and high school, academic achievement is lower, and the likelihood of school dropout increases. Students who miss ten percent or more of the school year (approx. 15 days in total), including excused and unexcused absences, are considered chronically absent. Please visit the School Attendance page on our website for more information.
Positive Problem Solving
Parents, educators, and community members share the same goal: to give students the best education possible. We all work together to make our schools safe, positive, and respectful places for each child to learn. There are times, however, when we have different ideas about how things could be done, and concerns arise.
Hanover School Division supports a collaborative approach to resolving concerns or complaints. If you or your child is having a problem with school, we must work together to solve it as quickly and fairly as possible. We set positive examples for children when we solve our problems respectfully and cooperatively. Please review the Positive Problem Solving steps on our website.
Violence Threat Risk Assessment Fair Notice
Hanover School Division adheres to a Violence Threat Risk Assessment protocol. The VTRA protocol is proactive and provides fair notice to students and their parents/caregivers that the Division will actively investigate threats to self-harm or harm others. All students and staff have a right to safety, and any behaviour by individuals that threaten this safety will be dealt with seriously. Safety in schools is fundamental to the learning and well-being of students. Please take a few minutes to review the HSD VTRA Protocol (PDF).
Student Accident Insurance
The Hanover School Division and the Manitoba School Boards Association are committed to the health and welfare of students. The School Division maintains Universal Student Accident Insurance coverage for all students attending our Division’s schools. The program provides basic accident and medical coverage while students attend school or participate in school-organized activities.
Manitoba School Boards Association recommends that all parents/caregivers consider purchasing Voluntary Student Accident Insurance, which provides 24-hour coverage for all accidents at home, school, sports, organized activities or play for the entire year. To learn more about coverage available, please visit the Student Accident Insurance page on our website.
As partners in the education of your children, we look forward to the year ahead with a sense of hope, positivity, and gratitude. We continue to have incredible pride for our students, school/division staff, and you – our parents and caregivers. Thank you for your continued support.
Respectfully,
Shelley Amos, Superintendent-CEO
Hanover School Division