March 2022

Dear Parents and Guardians.

The Halifax Regional Centre for Education continues to promote and encourage the self-identification of all students.

Self-identification is important to our school system and to our students. Self-identification assists us in determining the allocation of resources and personnel to best support every student. We continue to encourage all students to identify their ancestry or heritage.  

The student registration form provides the opportunity for parents, guardians and students to self-identify. By sharing this information, the Department of Education and Early Childhood and Development and the staff at the Halifax Regional Centre for Education have a greater understanding of the diversity of our student population and the communities we serve. Accurate information allows us to do many things that meet the educational needs of our students:
• To maintain initiatives such as the Student Support Worker Program
• To demonstrate a need for increasing teaching and/or other staff
• To provide data for possible new programs
• To identify and distribute culturally relevant learning resources
• To monitor and support student success
• To monitor students following Individual Program Plans
• To provide students with scholarship and bursary information specifically for them
• To include students in post secondary orientations
• To make referrals for employment opportunities such as the RCMP, firefighting, apprenticeship programs, internships and summer programs
• To inform students about designated seats and programs at post-secondary institutions
We recognize that many parents, guardians and students have already chosen to self-identify. For this, we offer our thanks. We also want to encourage those who have not yet done so to complete the self-identification section of our registration form.

For further information regarding self-identification, please contact me at your convenience.

Regards,

Eartha Monard, Principal