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August 25, 2022

Dear Parents/Guardians of Grade 11 and 12 Students:

Re: Labour Day long weekend activities

This year marks the start of an exciting and defining school year for Grade 11 and 12 students. Staff throughout the North Vancouver School District look forward to supporting students as they pursue their passions and continue on a path of personal growth.

Grade 11 and 12 students are role models and community leaders that younger students look up to and emulate. We are proud of our young people and anticipate this year’s senior students will continue to help set a welcoming and inclusive tone for their schools. However, we also realize there is a lot of excitement surrounding the graduating year for students. While we all look for the right balance between the need for social connection and responsible behaviour, we ask for your support to help students make positive choices and to be mindful of their behaviour over the coming weeks.

With the final long weekend of summer approaching, I would like to share an important safety message with you. The Labour Day long weekend has typically been a time when some youth, and particularly those entering their grad year, participate in social gatherings that involve inappropriate or illegal activities (e.g., underage drinking, drug use, vandalism).

These types of activities can be disruptive to neighbourhoods and the community but can also be harmful to the young people involved for several reasons:

• Drinking and drug use can negatively affect thoughts, mood and judgment.
• Alcohol and drugs can create a sense of invincibility and immunity that serves as a prelude to other risk-taking behaviours.
• If these events are captured on cellphones and later shared online, there is the potential for such images/video to resurface and negatively impact a student’s future (e.g. post-secondary applications, career opportunities).

As we have done in the past, we will continue to support local law enforcement in its work to keep members of the community safe. The RCMP takes a proactive approach to enforcement of liquor, traffic and local bylaw violations over the Labour Day long weekend. Please visit the RCMP’s Celebrate Responsibly section of its web page for information to share with your child(ren).

Thank you for your attention to this important safety message. I hope it sparks a healthy dialogue with members of your family about youth social responsibility and safe celebrations.

We look forward to welcoming students back to school in a couple of weeks!

Sincerely,

Dr. Pius Ryan
Superintendent of Schools