On Thursday, September 30th, all SD62 schools and buildings will be closed to commemorate the history and ongoing trauma caused by residential schools and to honour those who were lost and the survivors, families and communities who continue to grieve. Our school year calendars have been updated

Hello Parents, Aug. 24, 2021

We hope you are all doing well and having a wonderful summer. The office will be open again on Monday, Aug. 30, 2021. If you have any questions, please call the school and we will be happy to assist. We sent out an information email regarding 2021-22 in June, but the end of the year was a very busy time, so you may have missed that email. We do have one important scheduling change for Grade 6 parents below regarding the first day of school and we want to be sure the information regarding start up is very clear.

Please see the attached memo from our Board Office. Also, please continue to watch for emails from Journey Middle School or from the Sooke School District. As we get closer to September, we will have detailed information regarding the COVID guidelines and restrictions (let’s hope we will be back to somewhat of a normal year).

Start-Up for 2021-22
A staggered start to the year was one of the best decisions we made last September. For all students, the first day of school can be a little overwhelming, and for our new grade 6 students, the transition to middle school is always a little unnerving. Especially when they are surrounded by 590 other students. Last year, we were forced to stagger the start times and it actually created a calm, safe, successful start to the year. It allowed us to focus on the different needs of each grade level and it was the perfect way to welcome our new students to our school community.

So, for week one, we are planning to organize the following:
SCHEDULE CHANGE: Tuesday, September 7 – Grade 6 students only. Students will arrive for an 8:43am start time and will stay at school until noon. Bus schedule is yet to be determined, so parents may want to arrange rides for the first day. We are hoping to have buses running for the morning, which would be on the early dismissal schedule (regular morning schedule, and 3-hour early pick-ups starting at Noon). If your child is a bus student, this is the perfect day to ride the bus as it will only be new Grade 6 students riding the bus in this day.
Wednesday morning, September 8 – Grade 7 students only. Students will arrive for a
9:00am start time and will stay at school until 11:00am. We are hoping to have busses
running in the morning, but transportation will not be available for an 11:00am pick
up. Parents may want to organize rides for this pick up time.
Wednesday afternoon, September 8 – Grade 8 students only. Students will arrive for a
1:00pm start time and will stay at school until 3:00pm. We are hoping to have the buses
running for the after school pick up, but transportation will not be available for the
1:00pm start time. Parents may want to organize rides for the 1:00pm start time.

We realize this schedule may not be convenient for a few parents, but we feel this staggered start time is best for all students of a large middle school. We thought if we gave plenty of notice, parents would be able to arrange rides and child care for the first two days of school if needed.

A few more details regarding the first day of school – UPDATED
All Journey Middle School students will be expected to arrive at school on their designated day. All staff will be meeting and greeting the students outside when they arrive on day one. Our staff will help the students find their Advisory number and then students will be directed to their Advisory number that will be posted on the field. At that point, the teachers will show their students to their classrooms and spend the rest of the morning providing all the details and information needed to begin a successful year at Journey.
On a regular day, our first bell will ring at 8:40am. We will have students waiting outside until their teachers welcomes them in for the day. This will be the routine throughout the year, so we suggest students arrive as close to 8:40am as possible. All students will eat their lunch in their classrooms, and all students will be outside during the scheduled lunch and recess breaks. We ask that students come prepared to be outside throughout the year. The day ends at 2:58pm Monday to Thursday and 1:58pm on Friday.

Cell Phones at Journey
From the first bell to the last bell each day, we do not allow students to have cell phones out, so all students will be leaving their phones in their locker (if they are in use this year) from 8:43 to 2:58pm (1:58pm on Fridays). If lockers are not in use this year, students will be asked to keep their cell phones in their backpacks. Please discuss this expectation with your child over the summer in preparation for this policy.

School Supplies
A school supply list is posted on our website under “Links”. Students will not have to bring their school supplies on the first day, but we suggest they bring something to write with. Advisory teachers will be going through the school supply list with your child, so if anything is missing, you will get notification from the teacher.

Locks
If lockers are in use this year, all students will be given a school combination number to use on their lockers. Locks are built into the lockers at Journey, so your child does not need to bring a lock to school. More information regarding locks and lockers will be covered on the first day of school.

Agendas
Journey will not be selling school agendas. Over the past few years, we have spent a lot of money on school agendas, but we have noticed that very few students use them. If your child would like to use an agenda, please add this to your school supply list.

Transportation
All bus information can be found on our School District 62 Website including scheduled times and pick up and drop off locations. Buses will enter and exit the Journey property off Throup Rd. Students will be dropped off and picked up right on our school grounds.

Parking
Parking for parents, staff, school buses and visitors is always a challenge at Journey. We simply have no space available for the many vehicles trying to park, drop off and/or pick up students before and after school. For the safety of our students, please arrange for an alternate pick-up and drop-off location with your child. The parking lot on the school property is for staff and school buses only. This will be strictly enforced. We recommend arranging a drop-off/pick-up location by the baseball diamond or nearby, but not in the parking lot. This really helps with the congestion during our busy times. Thank you in advance for your help and cooperation.

Student Fees
Payment for athletic fees, yearbooks, and lost textbooks/library books will be done through the online payment structure. Please refer to the instructions for online payment on our school website.

Class Lists
Our class lists for the upcoming school year are completed and no changes will be made at this point. Our team works very hard to balance classes and ensure start-up runs as smooth as possible for all students. However, if enrolment continues to increase, we may have to make some changes within the first few weeks of September.

Space at Journey
We are very close to being full in some of our grades for September 2021. If you know you will not be coming to Journey in September, could you please let us know as soon as possible.

Journey Website
We will be updating the Journey website over the next couple of weeks. Please become familiar with our website and visit it regularly throughout the school year.

A few dates to mark in your calendars:
Photo Day – Friday, Sept. 21st
Non-instructional Day – Monday, Sept. 27
Thanksgiving – Monday, Oct. 11
Non-Instructional Day – Friday, Oct. 22
Photo Re-take Day – Friday, Nov. 5th
Remembrance Day – Thursday, Nov. 11
Early Dismissal (noon) – Thursday, Nov. 18 (Student-Led Conferences for Parents)
Non-Instructional Day – Friday, Nov. 19.
If you need further information, have questions, concerns or ideas, please call the school office. Our clerical staff are amazing and they will be happy to assist you in any way. The office will be open again for parents and students on Monday, August 30th, 2021.

Enjoy the rest of your summer and we look forward to seeing you again in September.

Pamela Gerrits, Principal
Journey Middle School
pgerrits@sd62.bc.ca (250) 642-5881

Further to the District’s message regarding school on Tuesday, June 29, we wanted  let you know that should you choose to keep your child at home because of the heat they can still come to school and pick up their personal belongings.  All belongings not picked up will be bagged and tagged to the best of the teacher’s ability and available for pick up at the front door on Wednesday, June 30 or Monday, July 5.

The school is open tomorrow and students are welcome to attend.  On days like today, some students arrived to find that they may have been the only student in attendance in their class and phoned home.  We want to assure you that students can spend the day at school and we will make arrangements to keep them cool as possible in a building with no a/c.  They may be placed into a cohort other than their own.

Breakfast and lunch programs will be available, but the day will not look like a regular day.  Buses will not be running.

Not the way we thought we would end the year!

Hello Grade 8 Families, 

We want to celebrate our fabulous grade 8 students!   

 We are altering our plans for the grade 8 leaving celebration tomorrow.  Same time 11am- 1pm, but we are asking students to walk through the gym to get their certificates from their teachers, (and a delicious treat will be provided by our PAC).  Students will enter through the gym door closest to the main door and exit onto the basketball court.  To help ensure enough parking, we will have some stalls available in the main parking lot and make the bus lane available as well.  All students are welcome to come all day, (unless the heat continues, and we will get notified from the District regarding a change in plans like today).  We leave the decision up to parents.  My apologies, but we cannot allow parents to come into the school with the students. 

 Congratulations to the Grade 8 class of 2021

Please click on the link for more information on the Blended Learning Opportunity for students in grades 6-8

https://www.westshorecentre.com/grade-6-8-blended-learning-program/

We’ve made it to our last full week!  There are activities planned for individual classes and our Grade 8 Leaving Celebration takes place on June 29 with a drive through.  Families can drive into the parking lot or bus lane (yes, this is the one time of year you can do that) and staff will hand out certificates, gifts etc. and cheer them   to high school!  Grade 8 families have received more detail information.

Moving?  If your family is moving and your child will not be returning next year, please let the office know so we can plan classes for next year.

EMCS is offering their virtual yearend performance for classes to share. https://emcs.web.sd62.bc.ca/.  It’s an opportunity to see some of our former students and show current students one of the opportunities available when they go to EMCS.  The actual show runs June 18-27 for you to view when it works for you.

Report Cards will be published to MyEd on June 29.  No paper copies will be going home.  If you do not have access to a computer or have difficulty with the program,  please let the office know.

Monday – National Indigenous Day

Cohort Zone rotation change for recess and lunch

Roller Skating:

Session #1: 9-11am: Wiens & van Hooydonk

Session #2: 11:30-1: Quint & Gautam

Session #3: 1:30-3pm: Nadeau & Sims

Tuesday 

Roller Skating: 

Session #1: 9-11am: Jones & McClintock

Session #2: 11:30-1: Dvorak & Elm

Session #3: 1:30-3pm: Robirtis & Croft & Winser 

Skateboarding Club – First Lunch students with signed waivers and proper gear. No exceptions to any of the rules.

Wednesday 

Ms.  Federici’s class  to sweet shop and forest games – morning

Mrs. Walker and Mr. Vine’s classes  off to Thetis Lake – all day 

Skateboarding Club – Second Lunch students with signed waivers and proper gear. No exceptions to any of the rules.

Thursday 

Jouro Kickball Tournament begins today.  Each grade will play each other for the trophy.  Remember to wear your team colours. 

Friday 

Jouro Kickball Tournament continues today.  Each grade will play each other for the trophy.  Remember to wear your team colours.

Mrs. Federici and Mrs. Maragh’s classes water tag in the back woods!

Mrs. Abell, Ms. Fraser and Mr. Schorer visiting Pacheedaht to celebrate learning and honour our Elder Bill.

Thank you to the families who helped us keep students and staff safe as we followed the advice of the PHO this year.  It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t fun, but we’re almost there and appreciate your support.

Daily Health Check – please remember to follow the DHC and not send your child to school if they are not well.  If a student becomes unwell, or tells us they are unwell, at school, they will wait for pick up in our Supervision Room which is sanitized between guests.  Up to two students can be in the room at one time (physically distanced and masked).  Masks – please continue to provide and remind your child to bring a mask to school each day.

Flags at Half-Mast: As a show of continued respect and support for those who suffered, or are suffering, trauma or harm due to the events at the former residential school in Kamloops, flags remain at half-mast at schools until further notice. We are taking our direction from the federal and provincial governments. 

Congratulations to our students and Staff as we celebrate the results from Musicfest Nationals:

2 concert bands…both from Journey…Gold conducted by L. Bjorklund

1 concert band EMCS…conducted by L Bjorklund…Silver

Orchestra….Bronze…Maria Wang

String quartet …silver…Maria Wang

Junior Drumline…Silver…Alex Mold, Chris Rivollier

Senior Drumline…Gold…Alex Mold, Chris Rivollier

Learning Commons Update: We had a wonderful year in library! You’ll be happy to know that our students read a lot this year. Since September our library lent out a total of 6,599 books!  We are asking that students return any remaining books no later than June 15th. Any books that remain overdue beyond June 15th will be marked as “lost” and an emailed invoice for the cost of the book will be sent to home. We appreciate your diligence in making sure all our precious books make their way home safely.

Grade 8 Leaving Celebration :

As the school year comes to end, it is once again time to celebrate our Grade 8 students as they wrap up their time at Journey Middle School. We truly are so proud of our students and wish them all the best as they head onto the next chapter of their education.  On Tuesday June 29^th, from 11am-1pm, we will be hosting a “Drive By Leaving Ceremony”. Students are encouraged to decorate their vehicles for this event but also have the option to come through on their bikes, scooters, roller skates and skate boards to make this a memorable farewell event that is inclusive to everyone. Remember, the more ribbons, sparkles and noise makers coming through the better!

Teachers and staff will be positioned in the bus and drop off/parking lot lanes where students will drive by, pick up their certificates & gifts and take a final photo with their favourite teachers!  This day is also our last regular school day for all students at Journey.  Buses will run as usual and grade 8 students may attend for the full day or, with the permission of their parents, may choose just to attend for the leaving ceremony.

Remember students and parents we will all be following all Covid safety protocols during this time so please wear your masks.  We hope to see you all there!

Monday

Cohort Zone rotation change for recess and lunch

Thank you to our PAC who has supported us throughout the year with numerous activities and projects.  Please join us for our final PAC Meeting of the school year tonight at 7 p.m.

Join on your computer or mobile app

Click here to join the meeting

Tuesday

Skateboarding Club – First Lunch students with signed waivers and proper gear. No exceptions to any of the rules. Listen to announcements each morning for additional opportunities.

All library books are due back by today.  Invoices will be sent for lost or damaged books.

Wednesday 

Skateboarding Club – Second Lunch students with signed waivers and proper gear. No exceptions to any of the rules.  Listen to announcements each morning for additional opportunities.

Ms.

Robirtis’ class field trip to the Fire Pit!

Thursday 

Field Trips:

Flying Squirrel – Mme Croft’s class – all day

Mr. Donegani and Ms. Gitzel’s classes to Sooke River via Sunriver p.m.

Mr. Vine and Mrs. Walker’s classes off to Thetis Lake – all day

Mrs. Federici and Mrs. Maragh’s classes heading to Mystic Beach 

Friday – Wear your Pride Today 

Robin Stevenson author – Pride; whole school virtual assembly” 11am-12pm.

Today we welcome our Future Journey Dragons from Ecole Poirier at 9:30-10:30 and 10:30-11:30 for an outdoor tour and s’mores by the fire. 

Our students have been truly amazing during this pandemic and deserve our thanks and admiration.

Daily Health Check – please remember to follow the DHC and not send your child to school if they are not well.  If a student becomes unwell, or tells us they are unwell, at school, they will wait for pick up in our Supervision Room which is sanitized between guests.  Up to two students can be in the room at one time (physically distanced and masked).  Masks – please continue to provide and remind your child to bring a mask to school each day.

Our flags will fly at half-mast, and students and staff are encouraged to wear orange this week, as our Journey community honours the lives of the 215 children found buried in a mass grave at the site of a former residential school in Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation territory.  In 2015, a National Center for Truth and Reconciliation report estimated that more than 150,000 children attended residential schools and more than 6,000 died, never returning home.

“We should never forget it’s part of who we are as a nation.  And this nation must never forget what if once did to its most vulnerable people” Senator Murry Sinclair

Our hearts hurt for the families who, for generations, continue to so deeply mourn the loss of their children.

Learning Commons Update: As we enter June, we look towards the end of year processes in the library learning commons.  Students will have 2 more weeks to sign out books from the library and then we will switch our focus to getting all books returned.  Books will be available in classrooms for reading for the last couple weeks of school.  Please start looking in your house for any school library books that are hiding and send them back to school!  We appreciate all your help, thank you!

PAC Update:  Our PAC is doing a short fundraiser for Father’s Day with Island beef jerky and Stick in the Mud coffee. Orders are due June 9th cash, cheque (Journey Middle School PAC) or etransfers are accepted (journeymiddleschoolpac@gmail.com)

Monday

Cohort Zone rotation change for recess and lunch

Tuesday

Trans & Parent Perspectives: How to support transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming youth:

• Free Community Webinar Alert from MentalHealthLiteracy.org! Please join Tammy Plunkett & Kiersten Mohr on June 1st at 6:30pm as they candidly discuss, and inform on, Trans & Parent Perspectives: How to support transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming youth. Learn more here: https://t.co/EGhfqaSEpv

Skateboarding Club – First Lunch students with signed waivers and proper gear. No exceptions to any of the rules. Listen to announcements each morning for additional opportunities.

Wednesday

Skateboarding Club – Second Lunch students with signed waivers and proper gear. No exceptions to any of the rules.  Listen to announcements each morning for additional opportunities.

Thursday

Camosun College Workshops @ Amphitheatre:

Vine/Walker – block one

Barnes – block two

Sulzen – block three

Federici – block four

Maragh – block five

Planned Road Closure for Port Renfrew.  No bus service from that community only.

Last Exploratory Afternoon

Division 11&13 Golf Exploratory is going to DeMamiel Creek Golf Course

Friday

Camosun College Workshops @ Amphitheatre:

Van Hooydonk – block one

Wiens – block two

Croft – block three

Sims/Nadeau – block four

Popcorn order due today – no late orders taken because we have to pre-order!

 Thanks for doing your part during the pandemic

Daily Health Check – please remember to follow the DHC and not send your child to school if they are not well.  If a student becomes unwell, or tells us they are unwell, at school, they will wait for pick up in our Supervision Room which is sanitized between guests.  Up to two students can be in the room at one time (physically distanced and masked).  Masks – please continue to provide and remind your child to bring a mask to school each day.

Congratulations to Mme Munroe and her family welcomed Lily Grace Munroe on May 17 at 3:33pm.  She weighed 8lbs 8ounces and pleasantly surprised her mother by being born the day before her due date!  We at Journey are pleased to welcome our newest little Dragon.

Congratulations also to student teacher Mr. Nic Schofield. He completes his practicum this week and becomes a full-fledged teacher!  We want to thank him for his dedication to Journey and wish him well in his career!

Welcome former student Tia Helfrich who will be doing her Educational Assistant Practicum at Journey.  We are happy to have you back!

Learning Commons Update:  Do you struggle to get your middle school student engaged in reading?  Are you looking for something new to try?  If so, check out the following articles for tips 17 Ways to Keep Your Middle Schooler Interested in Reading, How to Motivate a Middle School Reader, and 13 Read Alouds to Help You Connect with Your Middle Schooler.  Don’t forget, you are never too old to listen to a book be read to you!  Happy reading!

Trans & Parent Perspectives: How to support transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming youth:

• Free Community Webinar Alert from MentalHealthLiteracy.org! Please join Tammy Plunkett & Kiersten Mohr on June 1st at 6:30pm as they candidly discuss, and inform on, Trans & Parent Perspectives: How to support transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming youth. Learn more here: https://t.co/EGhfqaSEpv

Monday

Happy Victoria Day!

Tuesday

Cohort Zone rotation change for recess and lunch

Band Clinics today – Band students and teachers have been notified of times. 

Skateboarding Club – First Lunch students with signed waivers and proper gear. No exceptions to any of the rules. Listen to announcements each morning for additional opportunities.

Wednesday 

Skateboarding Club – Second Lunch students with signed waivers and proper gear. No exceptions to any of the rules.  Listen to announcements each morning for additional opportunities.

Grade 6 boosters – Our public health nurse will be at school today to give grade 6 booster shots to our students.   These are the annual booster shots students receive from public health.  Parents have received emails with more detailed information.  These are  NOT COVID19 VACCINES

Thursday 

Class photo day.  Students and staff will have class photos taken today.

Exploratory Afternoon

Division 11&13 Golf Exploratory is going to DeMamiel Creek Golf Course 

Friday 

School Spirit Day – Dress as your favourite musician or TV personality

Divisions 3 & 4 are off to play horseshoes @ Fred Milne Park 

Thanks for doing your part during the pandemic

Daily Health Check – please remember to follow the DHC and not send your child to school if they are not well.  If a student becomes unwell, or tells us they are unwell, at school, they will wait for pick up in our Supervision Room which is sanitized between guests.  Up to two students can be in the room at one time (physically distanced and masked).  Masks – please continue to provide and remind your child to bring a mask to school each day.

Please click on the link for more information on Help for the Hard Times Workshops.