Robert Thirsk High School 8777 Nose Hill Drive NW, Calgary, AB T3G 5T3 t | 403-817-3400 f | 403-241-5223 | [email protected] March 2016 An Open Letter to the Students, Parents, Staff and community of Robert Thirsk High School Thank you for the warm welcome and the open acceptance of me as a person and in my role as principal of Robert Thirsk High School. This is and will continue to be, an outstanding learning community highly supportive of students as learners and individuals, as well as a challenging, dynamic and engaging place to work, learn and grow. All of the many processes, structures and ‘ways of doing things here at Thirsk’ have been established to: support your learning; foster your talents, passions and interests; and to provide new opportunities and experiences. All of these are based on positive relationships between and among students, staff, parents and the many people who are connected to our school community. These positive relationships are built upon knowing each other as learners, individuals and within the many contexts linked to Robert Thirsk High School. Regardless of where the interactions occur - inside and outside of classrooms, labs, shops, and studios, within the community and within the city of Calgary, and beyond – ongoing daily and weekly interaction is necessary. In addition, the formative assessment so vital to learner growth, success and development is most effective in an ongoing manner, whereby staff can provide feedback, learners can make adjustments, improvements, engage in reassessments and demonstrate their highest quality learning with time for thoughtful, deliberate improvements rather than a rushed manner to simply meet a final deadline and a summative end of course assessment. To better support learners, as well as to meet our requirements as a high school within the province of Alberta, I bring to your attention the following: All student course marks are reported in percentages; The calculation of those percentages as well as the electronic entry of those numbers must be conducted in strict adherence to Alberta Education and Calgary Board of Education guidelines; Those guidelines include specific non-negotiable dates for both diploma and non-diploma final school awarded (student earned and attained) marks; and All marks for all students must be entered by the deadlines for any and all marks to go forward and become attached to individual student records and transcripts through Alberta Education. As such, the timeline for submission of marks – and thus the end dates for both formative and summative assessment of each and every learner - are linked to a jurisdictional and provincial standard. While we have and will continue to provide tremendous flexibility, we must also adhere to these timelines. In order to support learner growth and development, have sufficient time to provide feedback and opportunities for reassessment, student work is best done in an ongoing manner. There are many powerful and flexible structures in place to support Robert Thirsk students in being responsible, successful learners, and in meeting the aforementioned timelines. Focus periods, Connect and Thirsk Days, as noted in the visual calendars posted on schools’ VLC (link follows) as well as the ability for students to work, daily and weekly, with their teachers, are among these excellent existing supports. Please check the details carefully. http://vlc.rths.ca/2016/02/25/start-supporting-your-learning-today/ Two (2) important dates to note: last day for student submission of work in diploma courses is Friday June 3, 2016; last day for student submission of work in non- diploma courses is Tuesday June 21, 2016. The class and course specific dates ongoing submission of work and engaging in opportunities for reassessments are unique to each course and class. Please check with teachers directly and work with them to be successful. To quote from our school webpage and the initial thinking, planning and designing from the inception of Robert Thirsk High School: “Comets, we are confident that you will continue to contribute to and engage in our school. We challenge you to think about your role as a: • Learner – Finding out how you learn and seeking opportunities for support and challenge so that you can meet the requirements of the programs of study and achieve your goals. • Leader – Engaging in curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. • Citizen – Demonstrating respect for yourself, others and our community.” We are here to support, encourage, challenge and engage each other and ourselves to thrive as learners, individuals and a school. All the best, Matt Christison, EdD Principal, Robert Thirsk High School 2 | 2 .