Cell phone policy

Dear Families,

Re: Student Use of Personal Mobile Devices and Social Media

We are writing to you today to remind you and your child about the expectations for personal mobile devices at school. Last year, the province implemented new restrictions on the use of personal mobile devices and access to social media platforms in Kindergarten to Grade 12 schools. These restrictions are designed to:

 ● ensure a focused and productive learning environment for all students

 ● support student mental health  

● reduce opportunities for cyberbullying  

As you are already aware, Holy Trinity Catholic School has an established “no personal devices” policy. As a teaching community, we feel that the distractions that personal devices play on an optimal learning experience is significant and the decision to eliminate them was not made lightly.  What is considered a personal device?  A personal device is considered any personal electronic device that can be used to communicate with or access the internet. This includes:

 ● cellphones

 ● laptops

● tablets  

● smartwatches

What are the restrictions?  

1. No Use of Personal Mobile Devices @ School Students are not permitted to use any personal mobile devices at school.

2. Devices Must Be Silent or Powered Off and Stored Away  If students have personal mobile devices with them at school, they are  required to keep the devices on silent or powered off and store them in  their locker.  

We are asking for your support in helping your child understand these rules. We continue to have the expectation that all students have their personal devices in their backpacks & lockers rather than on their person while at school. Therefore, it is important that students are keeping their lockers locked at all times.  

Any student who accesses their cell phones or smart watches between 8:30am and 3:10pm, will have their devices taken away and sent to the office. On their first and second offence, students will have to retrieve their device at the office at the end of the day. Should there be a third offence, a phone call will be made to a parent and the device will remain at the office until a parent is able to retrieve it.

Be assured that you can always call the office to communicate emergent items with your children, and they will have this same access to contact you. Thank you for your continued support and partnership in providing the best educational experience for our students. Please call the office if you need any clarification. (403) 556-9444.