East City Schools Staying Connected
Stay Safe, Stay Well - June 26, 2020 Year End Edition
Greetings East City School Families
While summer is now here, it is important to reflect upon the end of another school year. As you know, it has been a complex year of many unexpected events, yet we extend a tremendous thank you to students, staff and parents/guardians for working so har to support each other during the unique situations we have all experienced. The ways in which everyone has faced various challenges is to be commended. As your Administrators, we are in awe, proud and appreciative of the flexibility, patience and learning that has evolved during these past months. While we all wish things had been different, it is important for each of us to acknowledge that when faced with adversity, there has been much growth, individually and collectively, as we demonstrate resilience and work hard to come out on the other side of this pandemic with a renewed appreciation for the value of education and the important relationships that are shared with and among each other.
We have much to look forward to with the 20/21 school year ahead, and we will keep you well informed of what September is going to look like once we know more and plans start to evolve. In the meantime, know that the year ahead will be one of various transitions, including continued efforts to prepare for our amalgamation to East City Public School. We know that our partnerships will evolve even more next year in anticipation for Armour Heights and King George coming together as one!
This past week was a special one for the Grade 6 students from King George, and the Grade 8 students from Armour Heights as these cohorts each reached an important milestone in their educational journeys! We are so very proud of these students and know that as they move on to their new school in September, they will take with them the character and skills they have worked so hard to develop, and will find continued success as they respectfully enter Grade 7 and Grade 9! Congratulations to all of these graduates, and we hope you enjoyed the various virtual and drive-by celebrations that were so important for us to recognize. Your staff members are going to miss you, and we welcome you to stay in touch!
Communication between home and school continues to be important and we remind families that this June the majority of report cards have been sent home electronically, and are password protected using your child’s birthdate. Also, parents/guardians are invited to use the OEN number located on each report card to access information related to your child’s teacher for next year. Please see the information that has been previously posted in Edsby for clarity on these details. Again, we have all had to adapt to various new procedures and should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your school office. Please understand that at this time, we are not able to make any changes to tentative class placements as there are still a variety of unknowns about the upcoming school year.
Over the next two months, we encourage you to create, find and acknowledge the joy that time with family brings, and as always, we thank you for staying as safe as possible to take care of yourselves and each other!
Be awesome, and be kind!
We miss you and care about you all, and can’t wait to see you again!
Ms. Mac and Ms. Masterson
Return of Digital Devices
Students who have borrowed technology from their schools during distance learning may be wondering what to do with these devices at the end of the school year.
Since it is not yet clear whether or not students will continue to participate in distance learning this fall, students may keep these devices until we have a clearer picture of what school will look like in September. Any students who are leaving the Board should arrange to return their technology to their current school. All other students can hang onto their devices until the fall. We will be following up with you via email to confirm this assumption of responsibility.
Please take good care of this technology over the summer!
School Council - You Rock!
Once again, a tremendous shout-out to this year's School Councils at Armour Heights and King George! What a dedicated group of parents and guardians who have worked so very hard to help provide our East City community of students with numerous opportunities, both inside and outside of school!
We would like to extend a special mention to our co-chairs; Andrea Plumley and Tara Levesque (Armour Heights), and Karen Cunningham and Amanda Johnstone (King George), together with all of the other fantastic members who have worked incredibly hard to provide many special opportunities for our students. In particular, Winter Fair, which was our first joint fundraiser, helped create some very special memories for students, staff and families from both schools, but there were many other wonderful initiatives at both schools that supported both school spirit and our school improvement plans. In addition, we extend a special shout-out to the many members of both Councils who consistently joined us each month to share in the discussions that help make a difference for our students. We hope to see returning and also new faces at our first meetings and elections in the Fall, on September 24th for AHPS, and on September 22nd for KGPS. Council is a great way to meet new folks who share a common interest in our East City students and community, and we can’t wait to start a new year with your enthusiasm, ideas and suggestions!
School Re-opening Thoughtexchange - Share before July 3rd!
As we begin our planning for back-to-school this fall, the Ministry of Education has asked us to consider three scenarios: 1) in-school instruction with regular class sizes and health and safety requirements; 2) continued at-home distance learning with some live (synchronous) learning; or 3) a combination of in-school instruction and distance learning with health and safety requirements, such as students being divided into cohorts of 15 or less to allow for physical distancing.
To inform our planning, KPR is asking for your feedback using an online tool called Thoughtexchange. You will be asked a few quick questions about your comfort level with resuming in-person school, and one open-ended question: What concerns, questions or ideas should we consider as we plan to reopen schools this fall?
Please visit: https://my.thoughtexchange.com/scroll/538960742 to share your thoughts and concerns with us, to help us plan a safe and successful start to the next school year for students.
Participation will be open until July 3rd.
"Extending our Experiences"
You will find activities and ideas that support your child's interests in the area of the arts, nature, daily physical activities and even ideas from our educators in the learning commons. We aim to just offer a few each week, so as to not overwhelm. We are archiving previous weeks in this link as well so everything is in one place and these links will stay live all summer!
*Please note when clicking on links on your phone, it may ask you if you want to be re-directed to that place and we have previewed each link for accuracy. We hope this supports your confidence in each link.
Check it out!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19oyDlimO2o9Xt7-6qqcO4YDpvA5rCVkfGYYd3QWO_nU/edit?usp=sharing
In addition - here is a link to a new initiative by Queen's University. You can choose to subscribe to this Youtube channel and get notifications about activities that will be fun for the whole family! https://twitter.com/queensbloom/status/1259901329503399936
We hope you enjoy!
Thank you...
Please join us in recognizing the hard word and dedication of a few key folks who help coordinate a number of opportunities and experiences for our students and their families:
Hot Lunch Program
- Jodi Whetung (KGPS)
- Ms. D and Ms. Muldoon with students from Rm 11 (AHPS)
Milk Program
- Ms. D and students from Rm 11 (AHPS)
Kitchen Kit Bag Coordinator for both AHPS and KGPS
- Karen McKnight
Nutrition Program
- Amber Stark, Tamarah Kinchen, Janet Stevens, Haley Anderson – at KGPS
- Alice Orpen, Marnie Cox, Wafa Chamseddine, Charlotte Tavenor, Jane McIlmoyle, April Bolton and many of our Support Staff team who chip in and offer support making it all come together at AHPS
A shout out to local restaurant Rare once more for donating and serving an incredible festive dinner to the Armour Heights students and staff. It was an incredible highlight for all and a huge thank you is sent to the Rare team and our Nutrition Program volunteers who spent the day making memories with our students! We loved this so much!
The many parents and guardians that have volunteered at both schools on field trips, with special events, at book fairs, with Winter Fair, in the library, Scientists in the Classroom and much, much more! Our school is a better place for the variety of folks who help make a difference in the lives of our students!
Celebrate the End of Year moments with us!
Final spirit day! https://twitter.com/KingGeorge_KPR/status/1276479862413426691
Summer send off: https://twitter.com/ArmourHeightsPS/status/1276367342486896641
Graduation Gratitude: https://twitter.com/ArmourHeightsPS/status/1276364295958401024
Together we can! https://twitter.com/EastCitySchool/status/1276603254915375104
Check out our Grads:
https://twitter.com/KingGeorge_KPR/status/1275618669385658371
https://twitter.com/ArmourHeightsPS/status/1276285636115300355
https://twitter.com/KingGeorge_KPR/status/1275619363966660608/photo/1
https://twitter.com/ArmourHeightsPS/status/1276284034763685888
https://twitter.com/ArmourHeightsPS/status/1276207036120924160
Kids Help Phone
As we go into the summer, we wish to remind you of this important resource:
- Kids Help Phone, which is Canada’s only 24/7 national support service is another option. They offer professional counselling, information and referrals and volunteer-led, text-based support to young people in both English and French. Please visit their website: www.kidshelpphone.ca, call: 1-800-668-6868, or text CONNECT to 686868.
KPR News and Updates
Kawartha Pine Ridge DSB has set up a main information page to support families with the every changing information about COVID-19. To access this information please log on to the board's home page, or use this link directly: http://kprdsb.ca/en/COVID-19.html. This site is regularly updated and a great one to continue to monitor to stay informed.
Kindergarten Registration Continues even with school buildings closed
If you haven't yet registered and have a child who is going to be 4 years old before December 2020 it's not too late! Do you have a neighbour with a child this age? Please share that though schools are physically closed, Kindergarten registration continues! School secretaries, principals, educators and school board staff are working behind the scenes preparing for Kindergarten 2020-21. Families can register online with any device connected to the Internet, at KPR School Registration
Some printed documents are required to finalize school registration, such as proof of age and address, and these can be handed in once schools re-open. Until then, our Kindergarten web portal www.kprschools.ca/kindergarten includes important resources and strategies to help prepare your little one for school. We look forward to welcoming our new students and families this fall!
Access to Schools and Playgrounds
A message from STSCO
It will likely not be business as usual as we start the next school year in September. Much like schools and classrooms, busing may be subject to changes at the direction of the Ministry and Public Health.
We can’t speculate what that will look like at this time, but we are committed to providing families with timely, accurate information throughout the summer and leading into the fall. As always, student and driver safety is always our main priority and we will be working closely with our school board, public health and government partners to ensure a safe-return to student transportation in the fall.
In the meantime, please see the important information below for families:
- Accessing Student Busing Information - For the coming school year, families can access busing information via STSCO's website (www.stsco.ca<http://www.stsco.ca>). After August 1st, you will be able to log-in to the website via "Parent Login" to check transportation information for children in your family. For security purposes, it will be necessary for you to have their Ontario Education Number (OEN), found on top right corner of their school report card. STSCO's website also provides useful information about school transportation and bus safety.
- Bus Route Changes Over Course of Summer - Each year, STSCO staff plan bus routing for over 26,000 students attending over 120 area schools. In order to meet the needs of all students eligible for transportation and to provide effective and efficient service, many route changes are made from year to year. Therefore, students and families are advised that bus routes and stops could change before September. For this reason it is very important that, leading up to September, you check busing information on our website at www.stsco.ca<http://www.stsco.ca> periodically so that you are aware of any changes which may have occurred.
- Student Movement and School Change - For students who may be moving over the course of the summer or who may be changing schools starting in September, please ensure the school your child will be attending has the most up to date information prior to the end of June. This will ensure STSCO receives those changes in our transportation system before posting the new school year transportation information on the STSCO website on August 1st. After August 1st, the new transportation information should be available and will determine your child's transportation eligibility. If the change results in the student being within walking distance of the school of attendance, then the bus information will indicate they are ineligible and are a walker to school.
If you have any questions concerning any of the above information, please call the STSCO office at (705) 748-5500 or toll free at 1-800-757-0307 and speak with a Route Planning Specialist. All of us at the School Board and STSCO wish you and your family a safe and enjoyable summer and we look forward to serving you in the fall.
Joel Sloggett, C.A.O.
Let's Keep in Touch
Watch for news via our @EastCitySchool twitter account and postings within Edsby.
Armour Heights PS on Twitter @ArmourHeightsPS
School Website: https://armourheights.kprdsb.ca/
Principal: Jennifer McIlmoyle Parsons
Email: Jennifer_mcilmoyleparsons@kprdsb.ca
King George PS on Twitter @KingGeorge_KPR
School Website: https://kinggeorge.kprdsb.ca/
Principal: Marguerite Masterson