Together in Education
December 2017
Lancaster Drive Public School and Parent Council
Email: lancd@limestone.on.ca
Website: http://lancaster.limestone.on.ca
Location: 1020 Lancaster Drive, Kingston, ON, K7P 2R7
Phone: 613-634-0470
Twitter: @LancasterPSLDSB
Upcoming Events
December 6 - Girl's Volleyball Tournament
December 7 - Boy's Volleyball Tournament
December 12 - Bayridge Concert Band for all grades
December 13 - Pep Rally/Spirit Assembly - celebrating teams/clubs
December 14 - Primary dress rehearsal, all grades, parents welcome
December 14 - Primary Choir concert "Peace on Earth"
December 18 - Pajama Day
December 19 - Hat and Gum Day, Frontenac high school band performance
December 20 - Twin/Triplet Day, FitGo - whole school
December 21 - Ugly Sweater Day, Sing Along, Candy Cane Sales,
Jamie McDonald - Motivational Speaker grades 4-8
December 22 - Festive Day, Intermediate Dance, Candy Cane Sales
December 23 - January 8 - Winter Break
Message from your Administrative Team
Kindness is in the air at Lancaster! We recognized Anti-Bullying Prevention and Awareness in the month of November with an emphasis on the positive and "Making Kindness Louder". Staff and students shared acts of kindness with each other and conversations in classrooms looked at ways to respond to conflict in ways that preserved healthy relationships and a positive climate in the building and on the schoolyard.
Students have been enjoying many experiential learning opportunities both in and outside of the school. Our grade four and five students joined other Kingston schools at the Kingston Frontenacs Anti-bullying day game on the same day that our grade six class traveled down to see the Queen's basketball championship game. Our intermediate division has had four learning sessions with staff and youth groups from the Maltby Centre to delve into topics related to healthy relationships and mental health. Our grade five and six class had the pleasure of inviting a local engineer in who took them through an authentic experience of what is involved logisitically, financially, and politically in taking a building from the "ground up". Students in the junior and intermediate divisions experienced ordering "en francais" menu items at their French Movie experience. In our Primary division, students have been exploring coding, building and creating with Lego Bricks, as well as lunchtime intramurals and a student-led Dance Club. Finally, We look forward to inviting Edward back for some school-wide holiday Zumba to go along with our spirit days, fitgo and student dances later this month.
Ask your children about our last sharing assembly and all of the great learning that was shared from the different divisions. Innovation, Collaboration, and Wellness showed up as our guest visitors at this assembly - students enjoyed this creative way of learning more about the three Pillars. These three pillars speak to what is at the heart of the Limestone District School board's refreshed vision of supporting all learners among our rich tapestry of student learners. You can learn more about the pillars by visiting www.seeyourselfinlimestone.on.ca. We look forward to our next Pep Rally assembly where we will celebrate the team sports and clubs that keep Lancaster hopping and provide an outlet for leadership, collaboration, wellness, innovation, and school spirit.
Our students continue to be amazing. We enjoy this learning and life journey that we have the opportunity to share with them. Each and every day we witness acts of kindness, sharing of empathy and strong relationships among our staff and students. This foundation enables us to support students in the best way possible, working for student success is at the heart of everything we do.
From the Lancaster staff, we wish you all a smooth lead up to the winter break and many memory making moments with family and friends.
Your leaders in learning,
Lani Fox & Sara Wellwood
Letter from your Parent Council Chair
Dear Lancaster Families,
Each member of our parent council is valued, appreciated and an important part of the team. With continued support each member can have a positive experience and is able to contribute in their own way. In November there was a switch of positions that took place. Now, Donna Banting is the Program/Events Coordinator while Allison Slate has become the Vice Chair. Thank you, to both of you, for your continued dedication to our council and school.
Last month we had our first product fundraiser sent home with the students. We chose to pair up with a local favourite, Wilton Cheese Factory, and sell 3 different sizes of boxes with a variety of cheese options in each one. It was wonderful to see how many families placed an order with us and the delivery will be happening soon this month. Thank you to Alina Kalyta for all her hard work in preparing and conducting this fundraiser.
On November 30th the school was filled with happiness and cheer during the 3rd International Night. This event was a fantastic evening from start to finish. The children were very excited to travel from country to country, filling their passports, learning new things and sampling yummy food. The evening was complete with entertainment in the form of music and dance. It is such a joy to have our Lancaster families share their cultures and be celebrated. Thank you, Donna and Allison, for all the coordinating, planning and creating the event, you always make this such an enjoyable night. Thank you to all the volunteers for their help and to the families, who set up a booth for their country and performed, you truly made the night special.
December is upon us and I hope that all the teachers and children enjoy their last few weeks of school before winter break begins. It is hard to believe that we are nearing the end of 2017, but I am looking forward to all the exciting activities our council has been planning for the new year.
Our next month’s meeting is going to be held on Tuesday, January 9th and begins at 6:00pm. All parents are welcome to attend. If there is anything you would like to know more about, specific questions for the council or have ideas to share please feel free to contact us at lancd_council@limestone.on.ca .
Wishing you all the joys that this season brings as well as love, laughter and family moments to treasure.
Sincerely,
Serena Milling
SCHOOL NEWS
Lunch Supervisors
At Lancaster we are able to hire 3 lunch monitors to help supervise classrooms and the yard during our lunch hour. Sometimes these monitors are not able to make it into the school for various reasons.
If you are interested in being an emergency lunch monitor (12:20-1:20 pm), please let Sara Wellwood know.
Thank you for considering!
Handbags for Hope
Drum roll please...
Handbags of Hope was a HUGE success! Crews from Change for FIN spent last weekend sorting and filling purses with donated items and essentials. Out of that 150 purses 67 came from Lancaster Drive P.S. Most of the purses donated were jam packed with products already!! What an amazing act of kindness from our community, way to go Lancaster!! All purses are set to be delivered to a number of organizations throughout Kingston on Dec 6th.
PARENT COUNCIL NEWS
INTERNATIONAL NIGHT
International Night was another great community building event at Lancaster! It was fabulous! I love the way it always seems to come together beautifully, with so many contributing their effort and support.
Allison Slate was instrumental in getting the plans off to a solid start, making it easy for us to pick up where she left off. Then thankfully she swooped in to help us tie up any loose ends. I would like to thank Prabhjot Walia for staying at school several afternoons this week, leading up to the event. She was a great support and really knows how to get things done!
Thanks to all of our parent volunteers and parent council members who helped during and after the event. I like the way they make all the extra jobs, that crop up throughout the evening, just magically disappear. This really contributes to keeping the event running smoothly.
We could not have pulled off the night without the commitment of all of our host families! So much to share! So much to celebrate! All the time and effort, put into each table, is very much appreciated.
Our captivating performers added that extra special touch to the evening. Their contributions always highlight the amazing talent we have at Lancaster and in our community.
We also had many intermediate students come out to volunteer. They were keen and worked hard to help set-up for the event and then engaged in various roles for the duration event. Special thanks to Ava and Aydan who were our emcees for the show.
Last but not least, thank you to our teachers, our administrators and our building services team who are always helpful and supportive of all of our events and activities. Special thanks to Mr. Carlton for organizing student volunteers and helping his tech team get us ready for the show.
It takes a special community to work together and make something great! We have it at our school and we did it! Congrats to all!
Thank you!
Donna Banting
Program/Event Coordinator
LDPS Parent Council
Fall Fundraiser - Wilton Cheese
Parent Council Account Balance
The Parent Council account balance
as of November 30, 2017 is
$8,039.43
Submitted by Kory Slovitt, Treasurer
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
Tips for Stress Free Holidays
With the holiday season in full swing for most of us - feelings of excitement, anticipation, and perhaps anxiety are filling our hearts and minds... For many families, this festive season means changes in routine including anything from late bedtimes to eating more sweets to travel and more. Often our youngest members of the family can be left feeling out of sorts and unable to manage their emotions in the face of so many changes; resulting in less than desirable behaviour. As a parent it can be overwhelming, embarrassing, and sad when our kids act up. It may be helpful to think about what your Family needs during this busy time of year and create some strategies ahead of those holiday events in order to give your kids the best possible chance to be successful and have fun!
Over the years I have learned that planning ahead often makes the difference between a fun Family outing and an epic fail ending in tantrums and tears. Here are some suggestions:
1) have realistic expectations for your Family and your kids - not all children can handle attending a Christmas cookie decorating party with 20 kids, or travelling several hours in a car to sleep in a strange bed and manage multiple people for long periods of time - give yourself permission to make new family traditions that work for your Family - no guilt - only happy memories!
2) Have a chat with your kids prior to attending an event - make your expectations simple and short with clear consequences so that everyone is on the same page - no surprises.
3) Have an exit plan - We almost always take two vehicles so that if one child is having a
hard time, the whole family doesn't have to leave. Maybe you want to send the host a message ahead of time letting them know that in the event you and your Family have to make a quick escape - you are grateful for the invitation and hope they accept your apologies for ducking out early!
4) Consider the needs of your children when planning for the Holiday Season - it’s OK to simplify things in order for everyone to be able to enjoy themselves - again - NO GUILT
Wishing all of the Lancaster School Community a Happy, Healthy, Stress ‘less (because stress free is just taking it a bit too far!) Holiday Season!
~Melanie Huffman, Inclusive Education Coordinator
To any parent of "complex" children:
If you are finding your child's school experience challenging or your child seems to be struggling in their daily routines (children that may or may not have an Individual Education Plan, identifications or diagnosis) there may be help available from within our community. I am looking to create a group of parents that may be interested in working together to provide support for one another, learn and grow together, and work to generate ideas and/or develop a plan to provide support to our teachers who are so very dedicated to supporting our children.
Please contact me at your earliest convenience if you feel this group might be helpful for you and your family. me.huffman76@gmail.com 613.530.7218 (text only)
Check out these helpful links:
https://www.additudemag.com/slideshows/best-gifts-for-kids-with-adhd-guide/
https://www.additudemag.com/avoiding-holiday-havoc/
https://www.verywell.com/holiday-stress-and-anxiety-in-children-620516
What are the WITS Programs?
In the new year Lancaster will be exploring again the strengths of the WITS and LEADS program. These programs bring together schools, families and communities to create responsive environments that help children deal with bullying and peer conflict. WITS has two parts:
WITS Primary Program – Teaches Kindergarten to Grade 3 children to Walk away, Ignore, Talk it out and Seek help when faced with peer conflict. The acronym also provides a common language that children and the adults around them can use to talk about and respond to problems.
WITS LEADS Program – A more grown-up program designed for Grades 4-6 students, which teaches more complex problem-solving strategies: Look and listen, Explore points of view, Act, Did it work? and Seek help. LEADS trains students to become WITS Leaders who can help younger children with their problems.
Teachers reinforce the programs by reading popular children’s books, which emphasize WITS and LEADS messages, to their students. We also encourage students to use their WITS and LEADS skills to deal with problems and hope you will too!
Want to know more? Explore the WITS website at www.witsprogram.ca.
Music/Instrument Lessons at Lancaster
Lancaster is happy to share that our students are able to register for instrumental music lessons that take place in our school building during the school day. Please contact the music teachers directly if you are interested in registering your child/children for piano or guitar lessons.
Piano:
Tanya Bezanson
E-mail: Tanya.bezanson@bell.net
Phone: 613-539-8342
Guitar:
John Porter
E-mail: Mourninghorse@gmail.com
Phone: 613-328-6070
"No Act of Kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."
~Aesop
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