Welcome
The first few days of school have been great! It is nice to see returning and new faces in our school and lots of new ones too. We are looking forward to an amazing year together. This first newsletter is a long one with lots of start up information. If you have any questions, please reach out to your child's classroom teacher or to anyone in the office. We are always happy to help!
Thank you!
A huge thank you to the "gardening Families" that helped keep our gardens alive and beautiful during the drought this summer! It was a lot of extra work and we appreciate your time, dedication and effort! The beautiful blooms tell the story of care.
School Advisory Council Meeting and Elections
Come join this dedicated group of parents/guardians on Tuesday, September 23rd at 5:30 in our staff room. Babysitting will be provided. The meeting will begin with filling elected positions but you do not need to be in an elected position to join us...all are welcome!! Below is further information around each position.
Nominations can be made in person at the meeting or ahead of time at the school (ask at the office for a form), are anonymous and you can nominate yourself or someone else for a position. If you are nominating someone, please ensure they are interested in the position and have agreed to your nomination. The person you nominate must be available to be present at the meeting. Your nomination does not count as a vote; you must be present to vote. Nominations are due by 11am on Monday September 22nd, 2025.
Positions for election are:
Chair
This person works closely with the school principal, school staff and parents to enrich the education of all students. Additionally, they preside over and conduct monthly council meetings, set agendas and schedule meetings (in consultation with the Principal). Receives documentation from board and keeps council advised of board decisions, activities etc. Supports programs, initiatives and activities led by other council members.
Vice Chair (or Co-Chair)
Presides at meetings in the absence of the chair or upon the incumbent’s inability to serve. Responsible for overseeing all sponsored events and programs.
Treasurer
Works with the council and coordinators in developing an operating budget, keeps a full and accurate account of receipts and expenditures and serves as the liaison with the LDSB. Additional responsibilities include depositing/disbursing funds on behalf of the council, the preparation of monthly financial statements, and the preparation & filing of all necessary financial reports, where applicable.
Secretary
Attends scheduled council meetings, records, maintains and distributes minutes of meetings, keeps non-financial records of council.
Indigenous Representative
This is a newer position with the School Council and will evolve and grow organically.
Fundraising Coordinator
Plans, manages fundraising activities of council. Works closely with treasurer and often works with a subcommittee.
PIC Representative
This person represents SAC at the board level meetings. They plan, manage fundraising activities of council. Works closely with treasurer and often works with a subcommittee.
Other Possible Members
This could include Divisional Representatives, Inclusive Education Coordinator, Teacher Appreciation Coordinator, etc.
More information about School Councils, including a toolkit of information, can be found on the Limestone District School Board website at: https://www.limestone.on.ca/school-council
Heads Up!
The school board has finished their review of enrolment across the school board. Good news we will not be required to Reorg with the current class organization, shared in the welcome back newsletter, remaining static. There will be some slight changes to timetables as some part-time teachers have added to their teaching entitlement. These slight changes will start on Monday, September 15.
Update on Learning:
Our staff is diligently working to get updated data on reading and comprehension skills. Every single student in the building from senior kindergarten to grade 8 will be/has already been screened using school board approved reading screeners. Staff are using this data to provide early targeted intervention in the classroom as well as to inform their whole class lessons.
LDSB has created info pages for families to understand resources and/or information on literacy or numeracy. Sometimes they will give links to more info or activities you can do at home.
Cell Phones
Just like last year, students are not permitted to use cell phones during school hours (this is a province-wide mandate). If needed, students may use their phones with permission from their teacher. You can call the office at 613 546- 9454 if you need to pass along a message to your student.
Director's Welcome Back Message
Medical Plans of Care
If a student requires medication at school (daily medication, inhalers, EpiPen, etc.) or if a student has medical needs that we should be aware of (allergies, asthma, epilepsy, diabetes, etc.), Information and paperwork, based on information in our Aspen database, has been sent home. Please connect with the office right away if you have not received the necessary paperwork. Thank you!
School Day Schedule:
8:45 a.m.: Yard supervision begins
9:00 - 10:40 a.m.: Learning Block 1 (100 min)
10:40 - 11:00 a.m.: Recess
11:00 a.m. - 12:40 p.m.: Learning Block 2 (100 min)
12:40 - 1:40 p.m.: 60 min - Lunch 20; Recess 40
1:40 - 3:20 p.m.: Learning Block 3 (100 min)
How Do I Report An Absence?
Please use the Safe Arrival system to report your child's absence; if you need to call to report an absence, please call 1-855-257-9349 (see instructions below)
If your child will be late, please report a full day absence and then we will sign them in when they arrive.
Computerized call outs occur around 9:30 for students absent with no reported absence in our system. This call out system is a mandatory safety feature to ensure you know your child is not at school and can follow up as needed. For this reason, if your child is late, it is important that they stop into the office so that Mrs. Thompson can change their absence to 'Late' so that you don't receive an unnecessary and worrisome phone call that your child is not at school
How to report your absence:
1. Toll-free telephone
- Call 1-855-257-9349 toll-free to report an absence using the automated phone system.
2. School Messenger App
- Use your mobile device to download and install the free SchoolMessenger blue app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store, the SchoolMessenger website portal, or from within the LDSB mobile app.
- The first time you use the app, you must select Sign Up to create your account. Please ensure you use the same email address your student’s school has on file. If you do not use that same email address, you will not be able to create an account, or may not be able to see the "Attendance" option. You may have already created an account when we introduced the Communicate broadcast system.
- Select Attendance, then select Report an Absence and follow the prompts.
3. SchoolMessenger SafeArrival Website Portal
- Visit the SchoolMessenger website portal.
- The first time you use the app, you must select Sign Up to create your account. Please ensure you use the same email address your student’s school has on file. If you do not use that same email address, you will not be able to create an account, or may not be able to see the "Attendance" option. You may have already created an account when we introduced the Communicate broadcast system.
- Select Attendance, then Report an Absence and follow the prompts.