Dear Parents/Guardians, 

Welcome to the 2025-2025 school year.  We are looking forward to welcoming  parents and students into, or back to, our DKMS community. 

This letter includes a lot of information regarding how the school functions.  We suggest that you save it so that you can access the information as you need it. 

Parent involvement at the middle school age level is a strong promoter of school success. Some opportunities for involvement include joining us in our Open House September 17, joining our PAC whose first meeting is also on September 17,attending student-parent conferences, and contacting us as concerns or questions arise. 

How to communicate with the school

Phone the office: 250-785-8378
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sd60dkms/
Website:  https://kearney.prn.bc.ca/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sd60dkms/
Email: dkms@prn.bc.ca

Admin Assistants  

Lora Connor lconnor@prn.bc.ca – Student Records 

Barb Chaput bchaput@prn.bc.ca – Attendance 

Bonnie Thompson – bthompson@prn.bc.ca – Financial 

Administration

Principal – Christopher Nock cnock@prn.bc.ca   Vice-Principal – Tanya Braun tbraun@prn.bc.ca 

To meet with the principal or vice-principal please call the school and book an appointment.  This way, we can make sure they are available for you when you show up. 

First Week

Grade 7s 

First day back for Grade 7s is Tuesday, September 3, from 8:40 until 11:00 am.   There will be signs up in the hallways where students can find out who their TAG (teacher advisor group) teacher is and where their TAG room is. For most students, their TAG will be the same as the one they attended on the grade 6 day in June.  They will not need school supplies on this day.

Grade 8s and 9s. 

First day back for Grades 8 and 9 is Wednesday, September 4 and will be a full day.  A notebook or binder, paper and a pen or pencil will be required.  TAG class lists will be posted in the hallway across from the office or by the gym entrance.  

MyED Schedules

Student schedules can also be accessed through the student portal on myED.  These should be posted a couple days prior to school starting. 

School Supplies

We recommend that students wait until they meet with their teachers before buying a lot of school supplies as different teachers request different things.  To begin with, students should be able to get by with a zipper binder, loose leaf paper, pen and pencil.  As some families do wish to get more of the supplies before school starts, below is a list of the general supplies requested by the teachers. 

1. KEARNEY MIDDLE SCHOOL

Grade 7- 9 School Supply List – 2024-2025

Picture Day

Get your smiles ready, because it’s school picture day on Tuesday, September 10th for Grade 7’s and 8’s and Wednesday, September 11th for Grade 9’s.  Photography will be done by Photography by Hart.  

Here are a few important things to remember as you get ready:

• There are no pre-order forms.  All student images will be available online to view and purchase 1 week after photo day is complete.  Watch for an email to let you know when.
• Find an outfit you like.  Photos include a headshot as well as a 3/4 length shot.  This means your pants will show, too.
• When picking an outfit, try to stay away from large logos or prints.  We want your face to be the main focus, not your shirt.  
• We use green screen technology to give you a choice of digital background when you order your photos.  So try to find an outfit that isn’t green.
• Don’t over-practice your smile.  Smiles are always better fresh!

If you miss School Picture Day, don’t worry!  Photography by Hart will be back on October17 for retakes

Lockers

Students will get their lockers the first or second day of school. It is expected that they will utilize their lockers to store extra supplies, backpacks, and any personal electronics (cell phones, ear buds or headphones, ipads and watches) that are brought to school. 

Please talk to your child about not sharing their locker combinations. It is important that they are able to ensure their belongings are stored safely. If your child struggles with a regular combination lock, please contact the office for an alternate lock.  Please do not provide your own lock for the lockers.

Attendance

One of our main goals for this year is to improve our attendance and showing up for school has a huge impact on a student’s academic success.  The following information is from www.attendanceworks.org

Did  you know that 

• Students should miss no more than 9 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful and on track to graduation
• Frequent absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with a bully or facing some other difficulty. 
• By 9th grade, attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than gr 8 test scores. 
• Missing 10%, ort 2 days a month, over the course of the school year can affect a student’s academic success

What you can do 

• Talk about the importance of showing up to school every day
• Help your children maintain daily routines, such as finishing homework and getting a good night’s sleep
• Try not to schedule non-urgent appointments during the school day
• Find out if you children feel engaged in their classes and safe at school 
• Make sure your teens are not missing class because of challenges with behavioral issues or school discipline policies. If any of these are problems, contact us at the school and work with us on finding a solution
• Monitor your child’s academic progress and seek help from teachers if needed.
• Make sure the school has correct contact information for you. 
• Stay on top of your child’s social contacts.  Peer pressure can lead to skipping school, while students without many friends can feel isolated. 
• Support your child if you notice signs of anxiety. Contact the school if you would like one of our school counsellors or youth care workers to check up with your child. 
• Check on your child’s attendance to be sure absences are not adding up. 
• Contact the school regarding any absences you are notified of that you are unaware of. 
• Seek help from school staff, other parents, or community agencies if you need support. 

Closed Campus Policy 

As a Middle School, we have an on-campus policy, which means that once students arrive at the school, they are expected to stay on-campus throughout the day.  This is to ensure the health and safety of your child, as we are not able to provide supervision for those who leave campus. 

If you have a child who goes home for lunch regularly, please contact the office to make a formal arrangement for this. A parent/guardian will need to sign a Close Campus Consent Form giving permission for your child to go off-campus at lunch time. 

Signing-in/Out of School 

Students require their parent/guardian’s permission to leave school during the day. If you need to sign your child out during the school day, please sign them out at the office when you pick them up and sign them back in when you return them to the school. This can be done in person or by calling the office. 

Students waiting for a parent to arrive are required to wait in the office. They will no longer be allowed to wait at the entrances. 

Students who leave campus without having been signed out by a parent/guardian will be recorded as ‘absent – unexcused’ in MyEdBC. 

Students who arrive late during the school day need to check in at the office before going to class.

Restrictions on Student Use of Personal Internet-Connected Devices

Dr. Kearney Middle School expects a learning environment with limited distractions and the responsible use of digital technology.  It recognizes the research that shows that frequent cellphone interruptions in the classroom, social media platforms with addictive algorithms and an increasing level of cyberbullying and online exploitation of young people are having a negative impact on instruction, learning, and student mental health.   

Definition

“Personal Internet-Connected Devices” include, but are not limited to, cell phones, tablet computers, smartwatches, and portable video game systems.

Guidelines/Principles:

• Students will have access to school/district-owned technology at an age-appropriate level that supports learning and the development of digital technology skills and digital citizenship.

• As outlined in an Individual Education Plan (IEP),  Learning Support Plan (LSP), or health plan, schools will exempt specific students from restrictions on the use of personal internet-connected devices when they are needed for full inclusion in a specific learning activity.

• At a minimum, access to and the use of personal internet-connected devices at the middle and secondary levels will not be permitted during instructional time.  At the teacher’s discretion, an exemption may be made when the use of such devices supports a specific curricular objective and is part of instructional planning.

• The security and storage of personal internet-connected devices is the sole responsibility of the owner/user.  The District assumes no responsibility for the safety, security, loss, repair or replacement of such devices.
• Refer to our school policy on personal internet-connected devices for more information.

Consequences
The consequences of unacceptable conduct will be appropriate and fair but flexible enough to consider and adapt to any given situation or individual circumstances. Consequences will increase in severity for repeated offences.

The parent letter detailing this that was sent out in June last year can be found here. 

Bell Schedule               

Support Blocks

As we continue to strive for excellence in the education and well-being of our students, we want to inform you about a new initiative we are launching this school year: Support Blocks.

Purpose of Support Blocks

Support Blocks are designed to enhance both academic performance and social skills among our students. Our goal is to provide targeted support aimed at improving academic outcomes, which have generally been lower during and since the pandemic.

Research indicates that students often require additional time and support in certain areas to achieve mastery.

Identifying the Need

Support blocks are exactly what they say: support.  We have found that students often struggle with one or more of the following:

Difficulty with mastering material due to gaps in previous learning 

Difficulty with mastering material due to speed of presentation

Difficulty to keep complete homework assignments due to outside school demands and 

busy schedules

Difficulty with executive functioning (being prepared, organized and focused)

Difficulty with social skills

Difficulty with social or emotional demands 

Lack of challenge with regular material

Lack of time to engage in extracurricular activities

Our aim is to ensure that these students do not fall behind, or if they have been struggling, can catch up to their peers in understanding and skills.

Program Structure

Support Blocks will be scheduled for each trimester. The involvement of various educational professionals—classroom teachers, TAG teachers (Talented and Gifted), special education teachers—alongside your insights as parents, will determine the specific Support Blocks assigned to each student. This collaborative approach ensures that the support provided is holistic and well-suited to each child’s unique needs. The initial block assigned in September is based on suggestions from their last year’s classroom teacher(s). 

Available Support Blocks

For the first trimester, the offered Support Blocks will include:

• Literacy Basic Teaching
• Numeracy Basic Teaching
• English/Social Tutorial Blocks
• Science/Math Tutorial Blocks
• Social Emotional Learning (organization, friendships, understanding social cues, DBT skills)
• Fitness
• Student Council

Future Enhancements

We are committed to continuously improving this program to better serve our students. As we gather feedback and assess the effectiveness of the Support Blocks, we hope to introduce more advanced options tailored to evolving student needs.

Your Feedback is Important

As this is a new initiative, your feedback will be invaluable. We are eager to hear your thoughts and suggestions as we adjust and refine the program.

We appreciate your support and cooperation as we work together to provide the best educational experience for our students. If you have any questions or would like to provide feedback, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

Food programs

This year we are excited to offer an expanded breakfast program as well as continuing lunch programs.  

Breakfasts will be available at the “old” canteen by the gym.  Breakfasts will be created that the students can take to class should they come just before the bell. Our lunch program will run again this year and will continue operating from the canteen in the yakshak.  More information regarding this will be sent out in the coming weeks. 

To ensure students are not late to class, students are not permitted to order food deliveries (like Panago or SkiptheDishes) to the school during the day.

As we are a closed campus, we encourage all students to stay on campus for lunch.  Our lunch break is fairly short and remaining on campus helps ensure punctual attendance for the afternoon class. If you feel it is important for your child to go home for lunch, a closed campus consent form needs to be filled out and submitted to the office. Forms are available at the office.  Students will not be allowed to leave at lunch unless they have parent permission through the form or, if just for one day, parents contacting the office.

Online Payment of Fees – MyEd

A letter will be emailed home to inform you of this online process. 

School Fees 2023/2024

We offer the ability to make payments online via MyEducation BC Family Portal. 

This is a secure platform to pay for your child’s school fees. Payments can be made using Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Visa Debit and Mastercard Debit. 

The parent/guardian user guide is available for download from the school website or at this link: MyEducationBC Online Payment Parent Guide ( https://myedbc.prn.bc.ca/family-portal/).

2024-2025 School Calendar 

Schools open – Grade 7 day Tuesday, September 3, 2024

School starts Grade  8 and 9 Wednesday, September 4, 2024

Picture Day- Grade 7 and 9 Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Picture Day – Grade 9 Wednesday, September 11, 2024

NID Day Friday, September 20, 2024

Truth and Reconciliation day Monday, September 30, 2024

Thanksgiving day Monday, October 14, 2024

Non-Instructional day Friday, October 25, 2024

Remembrance Day Ceremony Friday, November 8, 2024

Remembrance Day Monday, November 11, 2024

New Grade 7 Samplers start Friday, November 12, 2024

Report Cards term 1 issued Wednesday, November 13, 2024

New Grade 8 Electives start Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Parent Teacher Interviews Wednesday, November 27- Friday, November 29, 2024

Early dismissal Wednesday, November 27- Thursday, November 28, 2024

No school for students Friday, November 29, 2024

Christmas Vacation Monday, December 23, 2024 to Friday, January 3, 2025

Schools reopen Monday, January 6, 2025

Prod D Day Friday, January 31, 2025

Semester 2 Monday, February 3, 2025

New grade 9 Electives start

New grade 8 Careers or French start

New grade 7 Samplers start

Family Day Monday, February 17, 2025

Learning Update Issued Monday, March 10, 2025

New grade 8 electives start Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Parent-Teacher Interview Wednesday, March 12 – Thursday, March 13, 2025

Early Dismissal Wednesday, March 12 – Thursday, March 13, 2025

Spring Vacation Monday, March 17 – Friday, March 28, 2025

Schools Reopen Monday, March 31, 2025

Good Friday Friday, April 18, 2025

Easter Monday Monday, April 21, 2025

New Grade 7 Sampler start Thursday, April 25, 2025

Non-Instructional Day Monday, April 29, 2024

Non-Instructional Indigenous Day Friday, May 9, 2024

Victoria Day Monday, May 19, 2025

Last day for students to Thursday, June 26, 2025

(summary of learning issued)

We look forward to a fantastic year and encourage all parents/guardians to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.  

In partnership, 

Christopher Nock                   Tanya Braun 

       Principal                           Vice-Principal  

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