PARENT PEEK AT THE WEEK
#KindKingGeorge 2019/2020
HIGHLIGHTS AS WE START-UP
Introducing your new office & custodial team - Mr. Sanchez-Soto, Ms. Masterson, Ms. Lutz & Mr. Garbutt!
https://twitter.com/KingGeorge_KPR/status/1164688257709481984
Staff from #KindKingGeorge & #AwesomeArmour continue to set the tone and build connections between our two schools and all that is yet to come!
https://twitter.com/EastCitySchool/status/1167444477948112897
Everyone has been working hard to ensure the King George North site is ready to received students on Tuesday, September 3rd!
https://twitter.com/PtboThisWeek/status/1164923136850190338
Building back to school routines.
https://twitter.com/swiftdeanna/status/1032279377806077953?s=12
We now offer French Immersion for Year 2 Kindergartens and Grades 1 & 2! For families of students enrolled in French Immersion, check out these parent resources.
https://twitter.com/KingGeorge_KPR/status/1035942622727163910
From the Office
On behalf of the staff at King George Public School, I am so excited to welcome back all returning students, our new Kindergarten students and their families, and also the new students and staff who have recently joined our school. We hope that all members of the school community have enjoyed a safe and memorable summer!
The year ahead at King George North will include some changes for our school and community, however staff will continue to provide students with wonderful learning opportunities. Working closely with families, we will continue to make decisions based on what is best for our students and further the great things happening at King George in an effort to make a positive difference for each child in our school. We continue to believe in the value of all members of the school community having a growth mindset, and remembering the importance of being innovators and risk-takers. Everyone who enters our school is a learner!
Our on-going partnership with Armour Heights is also continuing as we work towards the amalgamation of our two East City schools. Our two staffs took time to connect and to work collaboratively with one another on the recent PA Day, and we will continue to build relations between students, staff and parents in our communities throughout the coming year. We even have a joint twitter account, @EastCitySchool that we encourage you to join if you haven't already done so. Please also watch for regular updates in the Parent Peek at the Week communication about the progress with our new East City school.
We always welcome visitors and volunteers to King George, and kindly thank you in advance for ensuring you always sign in at the office during all visits. For volunteers, we require a current police record check so to avoid disappointment, please contact the school to verify if your police record check has expired over the summer. Many classes are already planning trips and hope to have the invaluable support of parent/grandparent volunteers for these events, as well as with our Nutrition Program.
Speaking of volunteers, please consider sharing your time with our School Council. We have had incredible leadership over the past several years and always welcome new faces. Council is a great way to receive up to date information about King George, and to build relations with other parents and the school Administration. Please consider joining us for our first meeting of the 19-20 school year on September 24th at 6:30 pm in the school library up in Lakefield. This first meeting is also our elections meeting. Thank you for considering this opportunity to be an involved and supportive member of our community.
With the start of a new year, we will be reviewing the school code of conduct with our students. During our first assembly, we will highlight some of the key aspects of acceptable behaviour and promoting safety, respect towards students and staff, using appropriate language, and following yard boundaries and recess rules, paying special attention to our new location.
Your "Parent Peek at the Week" communications will be posted on Edsby each Friday. Please also access our school website (http://kinggeorge.kprdsb.ca/) and follow us on Twitter (@KingGeorge_KPR) as these will be great ways to keep in touch! Please stay knowledgeable about all events at #KingKingGeorge, and should you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out...we are always just a phone call, Edsby message or email away. We recognize that this is a year of many changes and the school team is here to support not only students, but our parent community as well!
Educationally yours,
Ms. Masterson
OUR #KINDKINGGEORGE 2019-2020 TEAM
Teaching Staff:
Year 1/Year 2 Kindergarten - Debbie Challner/Dawn Damiany
Year 2 Kindergarten/Grade 1 – Sarah Jones/Andrea Parks
Year 2 Kindergarten FI - Megan O'Gorman/Tamarah Kinchen
Grade 1 FI – Anria Loubser
Grade 1/2 FI - Steffanie Hughes (Porter)
Grade 1/2 – Kathryn Eyre
Grade 2 FI - Jessica Buchanan
Grade 2/3 - Scott Love
Grade 3 - Juli McCully
Grade 3/4 – Heather Hedges
Grade 4/5 - Kerry Lee
Grade 4/5 - Matthew Parsons
Grade 6 - Carrie Anderson
SERT – Jean Ann McPhee
Core French - Trudie Hall
Library/Planning - Andrea Parks
Planning - Casey Murphy
Planning – Elaine Covert (LTO for K. Maloney)
Support Staff
· Head Secretary – Tara Lutz
· Head Custodian - Peter Garbutt
· PM Custodian – Jose-Louis Sanchez-Soto
· Child & Youth Worker - Amber Stark
· Educational Assistant – Emma Merritt
· Educational Assistant – Nicole Nancekivell
· Educational Assistant – Janet Stevens
DATES OF IMPORTANCE
September 6 - First full day of school for all Year 1 and Year 2 students - Welcome!
September 16-20 - Scholastic Book Fair
September 18 - Open House - Pizza Party starting at 6 pm & classroom visits from 6:30-7:30 pm
September 24 - Junior Soccer Tournament at Beavermead Park
September 24 - First School Council Meeting in our school library - starts at 6:30 pm
September 27 - PA Day
October 2 - Cross Country Meet
October 3 - Photo Day
What's new for parents at King George North?
KEY INFORMATION
New Schedule, Supervision Times and Arrival/Departure
Parents/guardians are reminded that this year yard supervision begins at 8:45 am, with our first bell ringing at 9:00 am. Buses will be met by school staff, and as students exit the bus they will be directed to make their way to the playground. At the end of the day, we have created designated bus lines to support a smooth departure to the buses.
Please contact the office by 3 pm should parents be planning to come to Lakefield to pick students up, and please note that you will need to meet your child in the office area. If there are a few parents who will be regularly dropping off/picking up students, please connect with the office team so we can help make a plan that will be safe and will best make use of our new short-term parking, designated Kiss and Ride area, or the Visitor Parking lot. We ask that parents do not enter the staff/bus parking lot before school or at the end of the day.
In the interest of student safety…
Please note that King George Public School strives to be a nut and scent aware environment. Please be sure that your child does not bring food to school that may contain nuts, and please avoid the use of strongly scented products. Should parents be sending WOW Butter to school, please include a note in your child's lunch so staff are aware.
When visiting the school, we ask parents to always enter at the front door where the buzzer system is located to the left of the main doors. Our office is located to the left, and we always ask you to start your visit in the office. Please do not go directly to classrooms for any reason. We are happy to contact your child or the teacher should there be a reasons to do so.
As always, the safety of students and staff is a priority so if you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to ask. Thanks to all for your support!
Communicating with Edsby
This year Edsby will take on an enhanced role in terms of communication with home. Students will be encouraged to use the calendar, assignments and information posted there and share this with families. With modeling and consistent use, students will make gains with some of their Learning Skills, including organization and responsibility, as they track classroom tasks and special school events on Edsby. A few classes may be using a notebook as an agenda, but in the interest of reducing paper, you will likely see a growing use of electronic communication. For this reason, we are no longer purchasing formal agendas, nor asking for a financial contribution for these.
Student Information Verification Sheet, Consent Form and Indigenous Student Self-Identification
A Student Verification sheet will be sent home with all students this week. It is very important that you please check over the information and make any changes clearly (preferably in coloured ink) and return the form to the classroom teacher by September 12th. It is critical that we have up-to-date information concerning your child for their safety and well-being. Please also ensure that your family’s local emergency contacts and telephone numbers are up to date and current. Please remember, if you move, change telephone numbers, change employers etc., or if your emergency contact information changes during the school year, you must inform the school office immediately. Although we hope emergencies don’t occur, there are occasions in which we do need to contact parents/guardians/ emergency contacts.
Cell Phones and Toys
Again this year we ask that students who bring cell phones to school keep these off and away during the day. If a call home is needed, students will always be permitted to use the office phone. We also ask that with the exception of sports equipment (like soccer balls, skipping ropes, lacrosse sticks, tennis balls etc.), toys stay at home as these often create difficulties throughout the day, both in-class and on the yard. We appreciate families understanding this rule. We endeavor to provide items for students to play with and enjoy!
Message from the Bus Company (STSCO)
"In accordance with School Board Policy, from time to time during the year, it may be necessary for a video camera to be installed on a bus to deal with concerns regarding route operation or student behaviour. The information recorded is reviewed by the principal and supports his/her investigation of the concerns. The information is treated confidentially and the principal oversees use of the same. Students and families are hereby given notice of the fact that such recording equipment may be installed on the bus serving their route and used for the stated purposes during the school year.”
For more information, or to make requests for your son/daughter regarding the bus/route (e.g., out of boundary requests, day care/babysitter alternate address requests), families are asked to visit the bus company on their website, www.stsco.ca
Information Regarding Search and Seizure
School administrators will respect the privacy of each person but do have the authority to search school property such as desks etc. without notice or permission of any person, as directed by the Education Act. Personal property such as knapsacks, purses, etc. may become subject to search according to Board Policy.
The KPR Board is committed to providing safe learning environments for all. When students behave inappropriately, principals use progressive discipline to change behaviour. When student behaviours pose a potential threat to safety or serious harm, KPR’s Violence Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA) protocol helps principals take immediate steps to protect student well-being. While such incidents are rare, the VTRA outlines how we work with local police, mental health providers and community agencies to keep students safe. Read more about the protocol, including notification requirements, in the Safe, Caring and Restorative Schools section of kprschools.ca . As always, student safety is our first priority. Should you have any questions, please contact the school.
KING GEORGE NORTH OPEN HOUSE - SEPTEMBER 18th
We kindly remind you that this is an opportunity to visit the classrooms, and if there is a need to discuss individual student progress, our teachers welcome setting an appointment to meet at an alternate time. Please watch for the pizza order form coming home during the first week of school. Pre-orders are required for the night of September 18th!
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT ARMOUR HEIGHTS?
Welcome to our families using Trent Child Care! We are delighted to continue our partnership with Trent Child Care (TCC). This year TCC will be using a few new spaces within Armour Heights and staff from both the school and TCC are working together to make this a smooth start up for students using the before and after school program.
In the morning, Kindergarten - Grade 1 students will be in the library (turn left when you enter the front doors) and students in Grade 2 - 6 will be participating in the program in Rm 12 (turn right when you enter the front doors). After school the Kindergarten - Grade 1 students will be using Rm 5 and Rm 6 , which are two of our Kindergarten classrooms (again left when you enter the front doors) to begin the year and Grade 2 - 6 students will continue to use Rm 12 as their primary space.
We look forward to welcoming our King George families into Armour Heights as part of this program as well - it provides us with a wonderful opportunity to begin to introduce a wide variety of students to one another before we are all together in the new East City School.
What a team!
Sincerely,
Ms. McIlmoyle-Parsons
Have a look at some of our recent links!
We are excited and committed to serve and work with our communities making 2019-20 a memorable and positive for all!
https://twitter.com/ArmourHeightsPS/status/1167465540669059074
A big thank you to a terrific team!
https://twitter.com/ArmourHeightsPS/status/1167582306170736641
Working together - finding connections!
https://twitter.com/EastCitySchool/status/1167444477948112897
Safe and active travel to school highlighted out front!
https://twitter.com/ArmourHeightsPS/status/1167641132999806976
Stay in touch with us at Armour Heights through Edsby and our website:
https://twitter.com/ArmourHeightsPS/status/1168002637406658560
KPRDSB AND COMMUNITY PARTNER NEWS
BEFORE and AFTER School Care
Before and After School Care is provided by Trent Childcare at the Armour Heights site. Students who attend the daycare will be picked up by bus at Armour Heights, or returned there at the end of the day if they are enrolled in the after school program.
FREE KPR Parent Conference October 19
Calling all parents and caregivers: join us the morning of Saturday, October 19 at Port Hope High School for KPR’s free, annual Parent Conference! Dr. Michael Ungar, world renowned expert on building resiliency in children and youth, will talk about The Risk-Taker’s Advantage: How to Make Kids More Resilient by Not Bubblewrapping Them. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to hear his engaging advice, while also enjoying free child minding, light refreshments and information booths staffed by local organizations serving families. Stay tuned for more information and registration details later in September at www.kprschools.ca
Updates from East City School!
We want to make sure we keep students, staff and parents up-to-date with the developments of our new school! This summer, Principal McIlmoyle-Parsons and I have begun attending site visits and meetings every two weeks to stay on top of the exciting happenings and to be able to share these with our community at various key stages during the process of the construction.
For those who have driven past the area, you will have noticed that there are various tools, machinery and crew members working to move the dirt, and continuing to prepare the construction site. At the moment, excavations are moving along, with footings and foundations coming soon. Thank you to Everstrong Construction, Moffat and Duncan and KPR for helping to keep us all in the loop."
Let's keep in touch!
Principal
Email: marguerite_masterson@kprdsb.ca
Website: http://kinggeorge.kprdsb.ca/
Location: Peterborough
Phone: 705-745-7462
Twitter: @KingGeorge_KPR
KEY CONTACTS
School Council Chairs 18-19:
Karen Cunningham
Amanda Johnston
Superintendent of Student Achievement:
Anne Marie Duncan
(705) 742-9773
Trustees:
Rose Kitney
Steve Russell