Hello parents and guardians, 

Attached is Wm. E. Hay's Personal Device Policy for the upcoming school year.   Please note, that Personal Devices are defined in the Ministerial Order as smartphones, tablets, netbooks, digital media players and wearable technology such as smartwatches, headphones and smart glasses.  You can read the message from Mrs. Shepherd below or watch it here: https://youtu.be/LUeYGNmtQJc.

The intent of a Personal Device Policy and not allowing cell phones during instructional time is to promote health and wellness, encourage focus and attention on school work and foster face-to-face relationships.  I think we can all agree that that is a worthy goal to pursue.  

Our requirements will remain the same for grade 7 and 8 where all students are required to lock their personal devices in their lockers during instructional time.  

All grades 9-12 students will have their personal devices off or on silent mode and out of sight or in the designated location in the classroom.  

*Students are to leave personal devices in the classroom when using the washroom or change room as devices are not permitted as per the Ministerial Order. 

Thank you to parents who have asked questions: 

1. Will it be in place at the start of the year? Yes, but for the first week, we will have a “soft start” where we are helping students break habits and introducing them to the routines, structures and expectations.  
2. Are there consequences/discipline for use? Yes, we will practice a “first offense", “second offense”, "third offense” system where if a student is using their personal device on a first offense, their cell phone will be at the front of the classroom until the end of class.  Second offense, it will brought to the office until the end of the day.  Third offense, it will be brought to the office for parents to pick up.  
3. What about medical exemptions?  These can be granted for students who require their personal device for health reasons.  Just contact us and we can set that into action. 
4. How will it be implemented?  We did not become educators to police policy, so we are looking forward to work in partnership with parents and students to make the implementation of this policy work in respectful ways.  

There are many strategies that you as parents and guardians can put into place to support the new policy, including helping your child set their device settings so their device is off during instructional times.  We also understand that devices are expensive and are important possessions for students, so if there are times when devices needing to be removed from a student's possession, they will be stored safely and securely. 

Finally, as a staff we are committed to role modelling healthy use of personal devices during the school day, understanding that there are times when staff have to use a personal device for work related tasks, such as attendance on a bus or outside, two-factor authentication, and emergency protocols.  

The implementation of our Personal Device Policy will be a work in progress and I appreciate your cooperation throughout the year ahead. 

Have a wonderful long weekend!  We can't wait to welcome your children back to school this week.  

Take care, 

Myranda Shepherd - Principal, Wm. E. Hay Stettler Secondary Campus and Stettler Outreach Campus