We, the undersigned members of the New Ross Consolidated School community, respectfully petition to restore the New Ross School Christmas concert to an evening time slot – this year on December 17th.

The evening concert is a highly anticipated and cherished holiday tradition in this community. The new time slots of 11 am and 1 pm create conflicts and disappointment for a large number of families and community members who work inside and outside of our community. The concert is a first for many students, and for many it is also a last. Imagine the disappointment of a primary or pre-primary student looking out to the audience to see that their family members are not in the crowd. The change to the Christmas concert timing has brought the community together in disappointment and we would like the concert time restored to the evening.

In addition to the potential for working parents to miss the concert, changing the traditional evening concert could also result in conflict for students who attend other schools, but want to see their siblings, cousins and younger friends perform.  An alternative might be to host both an afternoon AND evening concert, enabling children to see their family members and loved ones in the audience, and so that their family members and the entire community can see them perform.

Changing the concert time is a significant change, and one on which you did not consult the parents.

In response, many parents, family and community members are understandably upset. Many of us have sent emails to you, principal Roberts, and to the South Shore Regional Centre for Education, to ask you to please reconsider this decision. Your response, to reconsider the issue next year, is not acceptable, and we will continue to advocate for the best interests of our children and families.

To avoid issues such as this in the future, parents are also asking for increased community involvement in future event planning.