Dear NLSchools community,

This memo is to let you know that the Provincial Government is seeking feedback on
proposed changes to the program of studies for students in grades 7 to 9. The program
of studies determines what subjects are mandatory and optional for students, and how
much time is spent learning those subjects.

The changes aim to increase student engagement, address attendance concerns,
improve educational outcomes, and make school more meaningful.

The proposed changes include:

• Combining certain subjects,
• Offering some subjects through a modular delivery format,
• Adjusting the amount of time devoted to some subjects, and
• Making some subjects fully or partially optional.

Further details on the proposed changes and what they mean for teachers and students
are available on the K-12 Professional Learning website.

School communities, including parents/guardians, teachers, administrators and
students, can share feedback using the online platform. I encourage each of you to
review the proposed changes and share your feedback, which will be accepted until
February 28, 2025.

In addition to the feedback provided through the online platform, fourteen schools in the
province have been selected to implement the proposed changes for the 2025-26
school year. School administrators from the selected schools will share further
information with intermediate grade families. These schools are:

Name Community School Grade Configuration

Bay d’Espoir Academy St. Alban’s K-12
Brookside Intermediate Portugal Cove-St. Phillip’s 5-9
Corner Brook Intermediate Corner Brook 7-9
Exploits Valley High Grand Falls-Windsor 7-9
Holy Spirit High School Conception Bay South 9-12
Holy Trinity High School Torbay 9-12
Juniper Ridge Intermediate Torbay 5-8
Laval High School Placentia 7-12
Lewisporte Intermediate Lewisporte 7-9
Mealy Mountain Collegiate Happy Valley-Goose Bay 8-12
Pasadena Academy Pasadena 7-12
Queen of Peace Middle School Happy Valley-Goose Bay 4-7
St. Lawrence Academy St. Lawrence K-12
Villanova Junior High Conception Bay South 5-8

Feedback and information from teachers, parents and students in the fourteen schools
implementing the changes next year will inform the final changes to the intermediate
program, which will be implemented in all intermediate grades for September 2026.

The Provincial Government is committed to transforming the education system and has
introduced a variety of measures to support a modern teaching and learning
environment for students and educators. Thank you for your commitment to the
educational journey of students in our province.

Sincerely,

Terry Hall
ADM, Education Operations
Superintendent of Schools

Any students (Grade 7-9) interested in participating in the Science Fair, please see your science teacher to be added to the Google Classroom. Projects will be completed on your own time with support from the Science Department.

Participating in the Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) Science Fair provides students with an exciting opportunity to explore scientific inquiry, develop critical thinking skills, and showcase their creativity. The event fosters a spirit of innovation and curiosity, encouraging young scientists to pursue their interests in STEM fields.

Additionally, students gain valuable experience in presenting their work, collaborating with others, and competing at a provincial level, with the potential to advance to national and international competitions.

Memorandum
To: Administrators, Teachers, Students and Families
From: Terry Hall, ADM, Education Operations & Superintendent of Schools
Re: Credit Monitoring and Identity Protection Services Available for Individuals Affected by PowerSchool Cybersecurity Incident
Date: February 4, 2025

This memo is to let you know credit monitoring and identity protection services are now activated and available on behalf of PowerSchool for students and educators whose information was involved in the recent cybersecurity incident.

PowerSchool has engaged Experian and TransUnion, trusted credit reporting agencies, to provide complimentary identity protection and credit monitoring services to involved students and educators.

Individuals can visit the website linked here for information on how to activate the complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection services.

In the Newfoundland and Labrador K-12 education system, high school students since 1995 and teachers since 2010 may be eligible to access the complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection services. Individuals are encouraged to visit the above website and follow the prompts to determine eligibility and sign up for the complimentary services.

In the coming weeks, Experian (on behalf of PowerSchool) will also be distributing direct email notifications to involved students (or the parents/guardians of students, as applicable) and educators for whom they have sufficient contact information. The email notice will include further information about the information of theirs involved and the resources PowerSchool is offering.

Additionally, PowerSchool has coordinated with Experian to set up a toll-free call center for families and educators. Individuals can call (833) 918-9464, Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. through 10:30 p.m. Newfoundland Standard Time. A webpage has been set up on the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s website with public information related to the PowerSchool incident. Inquiries can be sent to PowerSchoolinfo@gov.nl.ca.

Once again thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate through this process.

The MDJH Spirit Week will be held February 25-28. Students and staff are encouraged to show their school spirit by participating in a variety of activities including theme days, teacher vs student events, etc. See schedule below.

Macdonald Drive Junior High is excited to hold a Multicultural Showcase that will be happening in the Spring of 2025. Along with administration at MDJH, there is a teacher committee formed to see this come to fruition, and we are also seeking student participation to form a student committee. The Multicultural Showcase is designed to promote, celebrate and represent the diverse and cultural backgrounds within the school community.

We are still in the planning stages, but, as of now, there will be visual cultural displays created by students, and various homemade ethnic dishes provided by parents, that will be introduced to, and sampled by, the students at MDJH. There will also be entertainment from different cultures such as drumming and dancing.

There will be an information meeting for students interested in becoming part of the student committee for the Multicultural Showcase on Friday at the beginning of lunch in the library. We are seeking students from all cultures to represent, including local.

We are very excited to celebrate the diversity at MDJH and hope to see a lot of student volunteers!

Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week is February 10-14. Our Student Council kindly asks our school community to show appreciation for the staff of MDJH by providing treats during the week. This is by no means an expectation of families, but rather a gesture of thanks if you would like to contribute.

As in past years, different grade levels are asked to provide sweet or savoury treats on different days:

• Tuesday, February 11 – Grade 7
• Wednesday, February 12 – Grade 8
• Thursday, February 13 – Grade 9

If you are able to send along a treat, please email jodisauve@nlschools.ca

Thank you so much!