Dear Shannon Park Families,

Winter is Coming: Guidelines for Inclement Weather
Making the decision to alter the regular operations of school and/or school buses due to inclement weather is never an easy task. To learn more about how the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE) makes this call, visit www.hrce.ca/weather.

When is the decision made?
HRCE’s goal is to make the decision as close to 6 a.m. as possible.
A 6 a.m. announcement could be:

All schools are delayed in opening by two hours (10:25am)  and all bus pickups are delayed by two hours; or
All schools are open, but some or all buses are not operating for the day; or
Some schools (either individually or by family) are closed for the day; or
All schools are closed for the day.
If the weather deteriorates through the school day, the HRCE can decide to dismiss early. In the event of an early dismissal, the decision will be communicated as close to 11 a.m. as possible.

An 11 a.m. dismissal means:

Bused students will be picked up two hours earlier than their regular dismissal time (for us that is 12:15pm, please be patient as we must confirm arrangements with approximately 600 families); and
Walking students will be dismissed at their regularly-scheduled lunch hour.
Please Note: students in Grades Primary to 6 will not be released from school until parents/guardians or designates have been notified by the school.

How will families be notified?

Families will receive an email and text message (opt-in is required: text Y to 978338)*
Check our website at www.hrce.ca
Follow us on Twitter at @HRCE_NS
Call the HRCE information line at 902-464-INFO (4636)
All local radio stations are informed
Click here for a printable PDF of our guidelines.

*If you know someone who is NOT a parent/guardian who would like to receive an email and/or text message, let them know they can sign up here: www.hrce.ca/notifications

BusPlanner Text Messaging

Does your child ride the bus? We are excited to introduce text messaging through BusPlanner!

To ensure compliance with Canadian Anti-Spam laws, you must opt-in to receive information by text message. You can opt-in by logging into BusPlanner Parent Portal.

By opting in, you will receive texts from BusPlanner, including late notifications, general notices, and bus cancellations due to inclement weather.

Click here for directions on how to opt-in.

Don’t have a BusPlanner Parent Portal account? Need help logging in? Please contact the HRCE Student Transportation Team at transportation@hrce.ca or call 902-431-4723.

Did you know? HRCE is growing!

More than 57,000 students are currently enrolled in the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE). In the last five years, enrolment has increased by 7,733 and that number continues to grow!

As our region's population expands (Nova Scotia's population reached one million last year), new families are registering all year round. This is an exciting time for our province, our city and for HRCE! 

You can learn more here: www.hrce.ca/growth