Family Forecast Jan 19-23

Porter's Lake Elementary School Family Forecast Jan 19-23

This Week at a Glance

Principal’s Message

Hello PLES Families,

As always, thank you for your continued support in helping our students have a safe and successful school experience.

Our Nova Scotia weather continues to keep us on our toes! Last week brought warm temperatures, rain, and lots of mud. This week we’re back to snow and freezing temperatures—and rain may be on the way again. We appreciate your continued help in sending students with appropriate clothing and an extra change of clothes. These small steps make a big difference in keeping everyone comfortable throughout the day.

We also wanted to share that we’ve had a few challenges keeping our washrooms clean. We’ve noticed paper towels on the floor and some minor vandalism. In response, we’ve increased supervision in these areas, added more frequent checks, and included reminders in our daily announcements. We kindly ask families to have a conversation with their child about the importance of keeping shared spaces clean, safe, and welcoming for all.

In our  “ This Week at a Glance”, “ No Cafeteria means that students are eating in the classroom.  This does not impact hot lunch programs.

Just a note that we do not have any extra gloves to lend to students to they forgot their mittens at home.  We do have lots of have however. 

A reminder about drop‑off and pick‑up:
Please avoid parking in the circular part of the driveway between 7:45–7:55 a.m. and 1:45–2:10 p.m. This space is reserved for our accessible buses, and parking there delays their arrival and departure. To help with safety, we’ll also be placing pylons inside the parking lot loop to discourage stopping or dropping off in that area. For older students, dropping them at the top of the driveway can help ease congestion.

Our goal is always to support the safe and smooth arrival and dismissal of all students. Thank you for working with us to make this happen.

Take care,
Mr. Fry
Principal, 

Porters Lake Elementary School

2 Parent SAC SEATS OPEN- Next Meeting Monday January 26th

We are currently seeking parents to fill vacant seats on our School Advisory Council (SAC). SACs play an important role in supporting student success by giving families a meaningful voice in school decisions and advising the principal and HRCE on topics that impact learning and well‑being.  Joining the SAC is a great way to collaborate with staff and community members, share your perspectives, and help strengthen communication and partnerships within our school community. If you’re interested in contributing to a positive school experience for all learners, we’d love to have you join us!

Family Literacy Day at PLES!

We’re excited to celebrate Family Literacy Day with fun, take‑home activities for all students!  Last week  (January 14), each student brought home a colour‑coded activity and ballot—PP–P/1, 1/2–3, and 3/4–6—with one winner drawn from each group.  Activities and ballots are due back on January 21, and families are also invited to email photos of their literacy fun to ples@hrce.ca by the same date. Teachers will collect ballots throughout the week, and we’ll include a reminder in Friday’s news. We’ll wrap up the celebration with a Family Literacy Day Assembly on Tuesday, January 27 at 10:10 a.m. in the gym, featuring a slideshow, photos, and interactive activities. We can’t wait to celebrate literacy together!

Upcoming Dates

Jan 27 Family Literacy assembly 10:10

Jan 26 PLES SAC 6 pm, PTO 7 pm

Feb. 5: Olympics Assembly

Feb 6: Olympics Field Day

Feb 16: Heritage Day no school

Feb 23 PLES SAC 6 pm, PTO 7 pm

March 13 Assessment and Evaluation Day: no classes for students  

March 16-20March Break

From the HRCE:

Power Outage Information for Families

As we move into the winter months, we want to share how decisions are made when a school experiences a power outage. 

Our priority is always to keep schools open safely when possible. A power outage does not automatically mean classes are cancelled – even if it happens during the school day. The decision depends on when power is expected to be restored. 

Here’s what happens: When a school loses power, HRCE's Operations Team contacts Nova Scotia Power to gather available details on the cause and an estimated restoration time. 

Once we have this information, we consider: Before school starts: Have buses begun their routes? If so, we wait until students arrive before making a decision. If classes are cancelled, elementary families will be contacted before dismissal. 

During the school day: How close is dismissal? What is the temperature in the building? Does the school rely on power for water or septic systems? These factors, among others, help us decide whether to stay open or close. Often, power returns faster than we could safely send students home. 

If classes are cancelled: HRCE will notify families by email and text. Families of elementary students will also receive a phone call before dismissal. Deciding to close schools during a power outage is never simple, but safety is always our top priority. We understand that cancellations can be inconvenient, and our goal is to keep students learning in class whenever possible. 

More information about school cancellations for any reason can be found here.

Online Platform Risks From Unplugged Canada

Sharing on behalf of Unplugged Canada

Many digital platforms today, including social media, online gaming and AI chat tools, are designed to keep kids scrolling and engaged, often exposing them to addictive features, adult content, and interactions they may not be developmentally ready to handle. 

Below is a resource that outlines some of the most common social media, gaming, and AI chat platforms, helping families better understand the risks, start meaningful conversations at home, and consider delaying smartphones and access to these apps until kids are more developmentally ready.

You can access the full resource here.