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Winter Vacation Essentials: Important Notices for Students

Dear parents,   Greetings from Taipei Municipal Yang Ming High School. For the first semester of the 112th academic year, our school will conduct the closing ceremony on January 26th, 2024 (Friday) at 08:30 (dismissal at 09:00), marking the start of a three-week winter vacation. During this holiday, we urge parents to pay special attention to the personal safety of your children and assist them in arranging holiday activities that promote physical and mental health. The following are important notices regarding the vacation:

  1. Winter Vacation: From January 27th to February 15th, 2024, inclusive of the Spring Festival holiday and flexible leave days.
  2. Class Cleaning Days: Please refer to the Health Team’s cleaning calendar to be announced on the school website.
  3. High School Make-up Exam Dates: Scheduled for January 31st and February 1st, 2024. Please check the website for details (in accordance with the Academic Affairs Office’s make-up exam regulations).
  4. School Resumes: Classes officially resume on February 16th, 2024.
  5. Encourage your children to engage in proper leisure activities, review their homework, and read books. If considering part-time jobs, choose workplaces carefully to avoid scams and ensure personal safety. For information about part-time jobs, refer to the Ministry of Labor’s “Workplace Expert Secret Tips,” following the three preparation principles and seven ‘don’ts’ – “be sure, be skeptical, inform others”; “don’t pay, don’t buy, don’t sign contracts, keep ID documents with you, don’t work illegally, don’t consume alcohol, don’t apply for cards.” If you are deceived or fall into a job scam and your labor rights are violated, call the local labor bureau for assistance.
  6. During the holiday, maintain a normal daily routine. If your child goes out or participates in activities, ensure the details of the participants, time, and place are confirmed, avoiding overnight stays and inappropriate behavior. Pay special attention to mountain climbing during winter vacations as accidents often occur. If climbing, join officially registered mountaineering clubs. If visiting beaches or rivers, choose places with lifeguards and prioritize personal safety.
  7. Strictly prohibit visiting places that may cause trouble. Avoid fighting, drug abuse, and gambling. Be aware of being exploited by ill-intentioned individuals. Any student found in these places affecting the school’s reputation will be disciplined. Also, strictly prohibit purchasing “low-alcohol beverages” available on the market. Due to their variety and novel packaging, with alcohol concentrations between 3% to 5%, excessive consumption can lead to addiction and cause memory loss, anxiety, hallucinations, trembling, and increased pulse and blood pressure. Students are forbidden from consuming these beverages, and violators will be disciplined according to school regulations.
  8. When using mobile phones, do not click on unknown SMS links to prevent your phone from being used as a springboard for spreading malicious messages. Be vigilant when using chat apps like Line, and do not reveal your account and password to prevent fraudsters from stealing your identity. Be cautious in all online activities and remember the three anti-fraud steps: “stay calm,” “verify carefully,” and “report immediately or call the 165 anti-fraud hotline for assistance.” (For more information, visit the National Police Agency’s “165 Anti-Fraud” website at https://165.npa.gov.tw/#/).
  9. Smoking Prohibition (including electronic cigarettes): According to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, the following key regulations apply, please help your children comply:

Article 16: Persons under 20 years old are prohibited from smoking (including electronic cigarettes). Parents, guardians, or caregivers should prevent them from smoking. Article 17: It is prohibited to supply tobacco products to persons under 20 years old (including electronic cigarettes). Article 42: Violators of Article 16, paragraph 1, shall be required to attend smoking cessation education. If the violator is under 20 years old and unmarried, their parents or guardians should ensure their attendance. Failure to attend smoking cessation education without valid reasons may result in a fine of NT$2,000 to NT$10,000, with continuous penalties for each occurrence. If the violator is under 20 years old and unmarried, the penalty applies to their parents or guardians. According to our school’s student disciplinary regulations, those caught smoking will be disciplined depending on the severity of the case, ranging from minor to major demerits.

  1. Do not drive without a license. When riding motorcycles, wear helmets and strictly follow traffic rules (those with motorcycle licenses must submit proof to the school for verification).
  2. Winter vacation homework should be completed on time. If you plan to participate in related academic and artistic activities, parents are requested to carefully read the information and remind their children to pay attention to safety.
  3. Please guide your children to use the holiday to visit universities, high schools, vocational schools, and workplaces, and organize their learning portfolios for better decision-making in future education.
  4. Parents, please pay attention to your children’s social interactions to prevent them from being exploited by gangs and inadvertently breaking the law.
  5. If you need assistance or information from the school during the winter vacation, please call (02) 2831-6675 and then dial the following extensions: 111 (Academic Affairs), 121 (Student Affairs), 131 (Discipline Officer’s Office), 141 (General Affairs), 152 (Counseling Office), 181 (Library). For 24-hour school security center, call: 02-2838-7884. Our school’s duty counselor and security officer will be happy to assist you.
  6. For incidents of domestic violence and sexual assault: Call the toll-free hotline: 0800-024-995 (0800 24-hour Rescue Me) or dial ‘113’ for assistance. The Taipei City Center for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault provides 24-hour case reception, reporting, rescue, and crisis management.
  7. To report bullying on campus: Call the Ministry of Education’s toll-free Anti-Bullying Complaint Hotline: 1953; or the school’s complaint hotline: 02-2838-7884.

We hope you will constantly remind your children of the above points to avoid behavioral deviations and maintain contact with the school, ensuring a safe, healthy, and happy return to school after the winter vacation. With this, we wish your entire family a happy new year, full of peace, joy, and prosperity. Discipline Officer’s Office, January 9th, 2024.”   Please refer to the original message from the following link: