Principal's Message

August 19, 2024

Hello, QE Students and Families!

I know it is always a little jarring to receive that first official notice of the school year, but I hope
this letter finds you all energized and refreshed after a great summer with family and friends. We
are looking forward to connecting with you as we get set to start the 2024-2025 school year.
Whether you are walking through our doors for the first time or are a seasoned veteran of the
high school experience, it’s natural to feel a few butterflies in the stomach at the start of a new
year. These are exciting times, full of boundless possibilities and I’m excited that we can be a
piece of your life’s journey. I’m in a bit of a unique position this year. This is my fourth year as
principal of Queen Elizabeth, so I saw my first group of students who I saw walk in as grade
tens walk across the Jubilee auditorium stage this past June. I have also seen my daughter
finish her time in high school even while my son begins his high school journey this year.
For our new grade tens just trying to find their way in this new world and even our more
experienced students, I’ll tell you that from what I’ve seen, success in high school basically boils
down to three things: 1) Be in class and be on time 2) Be focused when you are here and 3) Be
kind and respectful. Not exactly rocket science, I know, but you are not going to go too far wrong
if you can do those three things.
The only other piece of the puzzle is equally simple: connections. The one thing that will carry
you through both the tough times and the great times will be the connections you make with the
people around you. It is important to me that every student in this school can look to every adult
here as a support, but it is equally important that you have opportunities to find “your people” in
your diverse collection of classmates. While entering a big (1616 students at this writing) school
can feel daunting, it also means that you have naturally more connecting points within our big
building.
My hope is that as we embark on these first few weeks of the school year, you are open to all
the connecting possibilities open to you. 

Schoolzone is our primary means of communication, please contact our office if you have
any questions about how to utilize schoolzone in service of your child.

Take Care,

Mr. McKeown