Electronic Communication Guidelines

We value effective communication with our families and community members. We encourage our staff to disconnect from work during their personal time to rest and recharge. Email can be a fast and convenient way to communicate with us however, it can have limitations. Therefore, when communicating with staff, our schools and sites, we ask that you please observe the following guidelines:

In the event of an emergency or urgent matter, please phone the school or district office directly. Mother sitting on couch with computer and daughter sitting with cell phone.

A reasonable email response time from school administration, teaching or support staff is 2-3 business days (apart from scheduled breaks in the school year). If there is urgency to your communication, please call the school. Staff who work with students are frequently unable to read their email during school hours and we are encouraging them to disconnect from online work in the evenings and on weekends.
Please send only non-vital messages by email. For example, do not email the classroom teacher to inform them your child is not to go home on the bus that day. A teacher may not have the opportunity to read your message in a timely fashion. Instead, call the school to be sure your message is received and clearly understood.
Your child’s academic progress, learning expectations or behavioural concerns are often better addressed through a telephone conversation or by scheduling a meeting with your child’s teacher. You are encouraged to email your child’s teacher to schedule a time to connect.
Confidential matters are best conveyed by phone or personal contact. It is best practice to have pre-arranged phone calls or meetings to discuss these matters.
Please keep all communications respectful and courteous. If an email is aggressive, offensive, threatening, intimidatory, disrespectful or contains profanity, it is considered unacceptable and will be forwarded to the recipient’s supervisor to determine next steps.
If you are emailing regarding a concern or issue, please contact your child's teacher directly and give them the opportunity to respond and resolve the concern. For example, communicate with the teacher directly and try to resolve the concern or issue together before moving to the next step of contacting the principal or vice principal. Learn more about Resolving Concerns.