Getting ready for KECPS!
Kaawaate East City PS Update - August 23, 2021
Update From the KECPS Admin Team!
The start of a new school year at Kaawaate East City Public School will soon be here! We continue to feel the excitement for all involved, and know that staff, students and parents/guardians are all eager to see the school in it's completed state!
We are so pleased to share that our office staff are busy working hard behind the scenes to prepare for a safe return to school on September 7th. In addition, KPR's recent release of the "Return to School Plan" is helping to guide us with the protocols associated with Covid-19. We are very much aware that everyone is keen to see the school, however we also trust that our community understands the many 'moving pieces' that we are working with, including waiting for formal "occupancy" of the school itself and then providing staff with time to unpack, set up and plan for welcoming students back in a new building. In addition, we are working diligently to ensure we follow all safety guidelines - site specific pieces as well as Health Protocols in preparation to receive our students on the first day and beyond!
Given the nature of the timelines we are working with, it is important that we strategically prioritize everything that needs to be done for a successful and safe 'start-up' at Kaawaate East City PS. While we wish we could have had "school tours" before we open, we regret that this will not be possible. It is important for us to thank families in advance for your understanding and for knowing that we look forward to finding ways to welcome parents/guardians in the not so far off future! At this time, we continue to recognize the various transitions that are ahead and are endeavoring to support these as best we can under such unique circumstances. Below we have outlined a variety of ways in which we have and will continue to support our students as they join us for the first day at a big, beautiful, brand new school! We know that excitement is in some cases mixed with feelings of apprehension and this is to be expected - we promise to make the first day and beyond as smooth as possible for everyone!
In terms of how parents/guardians can support children and school staff, please take time to review the section below related to transitions. We recognize that this school is new for students and staff, as well as for family members, but please know we promise to do our best to take great care of everyone and we thank you in advance for your patience, understanding and respect of our various "Dos and Don'ts"!
We enthusiastically continue to have many plans and great ideas for our new school, but it is important that we take these in stride, pace ourselves and "let the dust settle" until we see what is working well and what we may want to tweak. We need to remind ourselves to start slowly and to be responsive, as necessary, as we become more familiar with everything our new site has to offer! At KECPS, we are the "Navigators", and we will lean into this term frequently in the days, weeks and months to come as we "find our way" at our new school!
Your Admin team is confident that Kaawaate East City PS will be a caring, diverse and innovative new school community! We have an energetic staff ready to support our students and our new school culture from Kindergarten through to Grade 8 - together with our community, we will work together to support any bumps in the road as we all make this big transition.
As mentioned in our July communication, one of our shared areas of focus this fall will be on developing relationships and routines for everyone in a safe and spectacular school environment! One way in which we plan to start the new year is by talking about "Who are we?" at Kaawaate East City Public School as part of creating a collective sense of belonging for everyone who attends and works at our new school. As wonderful as the new building itself is, we know that it is the people inside who will truly make us who we will be!
Finally, included in this "August Update" you will find information pertaining to KPR's Back to School Plan, the survey related to a possible Ojibwe Language Class, information about supporting your child with their transition to school and a message from Active School Travel Peterborough. There are also reminders about School Council Fundraising, facts about KECPS and ways to stay connected with our new school!
Take care,
Ms. Masterson and Ms. Casselman
What to know and how can parents/guardians help with the transition to KECPS?
We strongly encourage our parents/guardians to have conversations at home before the first day to remind our students that whether arriving by bus, on a bike, walking or being dropped off, they will be met by a number of staff members outside ready to help meet, greet and direct our students accordingly!
What to expect on the first day:
Once students arrive in the morning, they will be supported in making their way to their designated "home base" where they will be met by their educator(s) and then escorted to their entrance door in a socially distanced manner. Educators will have signs so students can find them and various staff members will be helping to guide students in the right direction! For various safety reasons, including covid protocols, parents and guardians will be asked to remain off the yard.
While we always want our parents/guardians to feel welcome, it will be very important that family members stay off the pavement/play areas to allow our staff to safely direct our students to their new educator(s) and to manage the various transitions. There will be many new routines in place, including new yard boundaries, new 'home base' areas for each class and drop off/pick-up areas that families need to be aware of. We cannot stress enough how critical it will be for staff to have clear sight lines of our students, and for family members to stay on the sidewalk areas - thank you in advance for respecting this request.
There is much to prepare our students for in regards to both a new school, and also the guidelines around keeping everyone safe in relation to school rules and covid requirements. Below are a few important reminders for adults to review with children of all ages, as well as a multi-lingual social narrative that you may wish to watch with your child!
Please DO NOT:
- arrive before the start of morning supervision which is from 8:55-9:10 am
- come onto the school yard with your child (due to safety associated with new routines that staff will help with as well as due to covid protocols - all visitors must be screened at the office)
- stand/chat in close proximity to others even if you have a mask on
Please DO:
- Review the postcard that was sent/is on the way to most students showing the various entrance doors, bus area, Kiss and Ride area etc. (Photo and Door info is included below for those who didn't receive a post card)
- Remind students that our school has three unique levels; Earth, Tree and Sky, each with a number of Learning Studios where our students and staff will work together to build rapport, respect and responsibility.
- Take a walk past the school in the coming days and talk about what you see (from a safe distance)
- Review the "Tentative Teaching Assignments" below as we have had a few changes since June and are still awaiting a few more positions to be filled.
- Remind your child that EVERYONE will be new and our staff will help ensure all students find where they need to go (please resist your child's urge to have you walk them to their educator)
- Stay off the yard (remain distanced on the sidewalk areas if you need to be on site)
- Remind your child that educators will give students a tour on the first day and help make sure everyone knows the new routines such as where to line up to enter/exit the school, the yard boundaries for recess, where to go for help etc.
- Discuss how your child will get to and from school, where they will be met (e.g., Kiss and Ride sidewalk/bus stop) and when possible, we encourage students to walk or ride their bikes to school (we hope to have bike racks installed so bring a lock)
- Practice/talk about wearing a mask (inside but not required outside...and of course, the importance of listening to school staff who will be guiding students to stay safe).
- Reassure your child that it won't take long for them to feel part of their new class and school community...staff will be there to support them at every turn!
- View this "Social Narrative" available in various languages regarding covid protocols:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1gkeHwWrxcUKRezOg2E24m2YhmPyNIM080V4QGEjkYz0/edit#slide=id.p
- Contact the school should you have any questions
- Remind your child which Door their class will be using
Door B – Lee/Parsons, Zwicker/Dickens, Mark/Volgyi -Sky Level
Door D - Hughes/Darrington (Buchanan) - Sky Level, Behr/Deller-Hadzi, O’Gorman/Monahan, Love/Campbell/McAdam - Tree Level
Door E – Challner/Leeder/Fuller/Jones/Sims - Earth Level
Door G – Murphy/McCully/Hill - Tree Level
Door I – Muldoon/McNamara, Pink/Farace - Sky Level
Highlights from KPR's Return to School Plan
As life and work in a pandemic continue, so do a variety of important protocols to help keep students, staff and visitors at school as safe as possible. For the full "Return to School Plan", please click on the following link: https://www.kprschools.ca/content/dam/kpr/documents/Returntoschoolplan.pdf
Some of the key pieces that we want to share with families include, but are not limited to:
- all students, staff and visitors will be screened daily
- visitors must wear a medical mask, make an appointment and sign in at the office
- masks will be worn inside, and are encouraged outdoors (Gr. 1-8)
- as much distancing as possible is still promoted
- assigned seating in class (and on the bus - ideally with siblings)
- cohorting for contact tracing
- home base areas outside for each class
- hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette will be encouraged regularly (good thing we insisted on sinks in all our new classrooms)
- ventilation that meets or exceeds requirements is present in our new school, including MERV13 filters
- New this term - assemblies and sports/clubs, use of gym and shared spaces, third-party food programs, class trips, singing and wind instruments and of course, all of these things with distancing as best we can!
We will continue to review and share key pieces that will support the safety of everyone at KECPS! Thanks in advance for your part in helping to keep our school as safe as possible.
Survey regarding Ojibwe Language Pilot Class - closes August 25
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf1Ve54ujEbXAXWupORRmgK1x8nrXRgi_wynWNzDdVA_xIi9g/viewform
Transitioning to KECPS...the journey continues!
Over the past year, we are proud that our school community has engaged in a number of activities that have supported the amalgamation of Amour Heights and King George Public Schools. As we come together as one, we will continue to build relations as we create a new school culture of care!
Reminders of our growing relationships to support student/family transition to KECPS:
- Joint School Council Meetings and Special Family Events (e.g., Winter Fair, Wreath Making, Wellness Wednesday Evenings)
- Classroom / Student Buddies (various virtual activities last Spring between and among both schools)
- May's Video introduction to our new school name, colours, motto and mascot
- June's Sneak Peek Video of the interior of KECPS
- Alignment of communication (e.g., Parent Peek at the Week content)
More recently, our transition supports have included:
- Summer Updates emailed to families in July and August
- New website is now live - https://kaawaateeastcity.kprdsb.ca/
- Post Cards sent home with Entrance/Exit Doors, Bus Drop Off and Kiss and Ride Areas clearly marked
- Special Education Support Staff have begun reaching out to some families to further discuss supports for individual student transition plans
- Twitter Updates with photos and key info
Transition Supports to still look forward to include:
- "Meet the Teacher" optional virtual drop-in on September 2 ( the links to access the classroom drop-in won't be available until late in the day on September 1 so please keep an eye on your email for this information)
- New Parent Peek at the Week communications
- Junior Kindergarten staggered entry schedule
- Open House for families...more details to come!
- More Twitter Updates and Photos/Videos
- First School Council and Elections Meeting - September 29th at 6 pm
More Quick facts about KECPS
Yard Supervision is from 8:55-9:10 am (please DO NOT arrive before 8:55 am)
School Day is from 9:10 am -3:30 pm (if you arrive late to school, you will need to use the front door to be buzzed into the office to sign-in). Please do not enter via other entrances after the morning bell has rung.
For the upcoming school year, we are anticipating at least 27 homeroom classes. At KECPS, we are using the term learning studios to describe each 'classroom'!
The FRONT DOOR is off of Museum Drive on the East side of the school. This will also be where our visitor parking will be, and where the buses will arrive/depart.
The KISS AND RIDE is off of Hunter Street, south of the school. This entrance is also used for Child Care Parking ONLY.
The Learning Commons is where incredible inquiry can happen in a bright and inviting environment...students can partake in our new Maker Space and sign out books too!
All WINDOWS are UV resistant - what a great feature!
Many aspects of the school are "green friendly" including the LIGHTS. These are all on automatic sensors to save us from having to remember to turn the lights off when we leave a room!
How about estimating the number of TOILET PAPER ROLL HOLDERS? (The answer is 75)!
We will have a TIME CAPSULE and dated brick outside the main office at KECPS! The time capsule will be the home of various memoires and keepsakes from both Armour Heights and King George Public Schools!
Are you following our progress on Twitter?
Check out a few recent tweets of how things are progressing at KECPS (and if you aren't already following us on Twitter, please consider joining us @eastcityschool)! This is a great way to see updates and learn about special events at our new school.
Photo Updates
https://twitter.com/EastCitySchool/status/1425561440799313921
https://twitter.com/EastCitySchool/status/1424903680541798404
https://twitter.com/EastCitySchool/status/1427380059690709006
Thinking about how to get to school?
Kaawaate East City Public School is excited to partner with Active School Travel Peterborough (AST Ptbo) to ensure all students have a safe, efficient, fun journey to school. Together we want our community to share the benefits of active school travel, with strong healthy families, safe streets, and a healthy environment.
We encourage all families to endeavor to leave their cars at home and walk or roll to school, or hop on your school bus. Together we can keep the cars away from our students and support climate action. Walk or roll; enjoy the nice weather, meet up with friends, use our beautiful surrounding forest trails, relax, and check out our new school yard. Enjoy the journey!
Upon occasion if you need to drive to school, please use our "Kiss and Ride" which is off of Hunter Street. If you are visiting the school and need to park, please use the parking lot by the front door on the east side of the school off of Museum Drive.
Reminders for our new Junior Kindergarten students and families!
We can't wait to meet our youngest students who will be joining us at KECPS!
In early July, we sent JK/Year 1 families information about an initial half hour visit on Wednesday, September 8th and a half day visit on Thursday, September 9th. All JKs are expected to attend their first full day on Friday, September 10th. All Senior Kindergarten students begin school as usual on Tuesday, September 7th.
Organization / Teaching Assignments for 2021-22 at KECPS
Tentative Organization and Teaching Assignments for 2021-22: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hg9bWxmZ-6GqEsnKrqbYlUD7RSnb8le1kVuNMdBJoT0/edit?usp=sharing
As the 2021-22 year approaches, we remind families that school organization and staff assignments are subject to change each year, especially when enrollment increases or decreases. This year at KECPS we are more than ever in a fluctuating situation with not only the combining of Armour Heights and King George, but also with the option for students to once again attend the Virtual Elementary School and changing positions on staff.
As of the publication of this communication, our teaching assignments and organization for 2021-22 at KECPS is provided in the link above. You will note that there have already been some changes/additions since we first shared this at the beginning of June.
As you will recall from previous communication, student placements were determined in a collaborative process by the Armour Heights and King George school teams, including the 20/21 teacher(s), the 21/22 receiving teacher(s), special education resource staff and school administration from both sites. Our shared goal is to provide the best possible learning environment for each child and teaching environment for each teacher, while also working to achieve an appropriate gender balance to help create a balanced classroom. A balanced classroom also includes students with a range of academic abilities and incorporates a match between student needs and the available resources to address those needs.
As mentioned in our April and May weekly newsletters, after due consideration of staff recommendations and any specific parental input, the final responsibility for class placements rests with the Administration. This responsibility is taken very seriously with the best interest of all students in mind. While we value your input regarding the placement of your child for the 2021-22 school year, we often have additional information that must be considered. As previously communicated, at this time we are unable to accept additional parent input. If you have any concerns, please be reminded that ALL students will be new and this is the time to build new relations with the support of our kind and caring staff, and our parents/guardians encouraging all students to be open-minded!
In some cases, because the teacher hiring process may not be complete, it may be impossible to name the teacher. If this is the case, parents are welcome to call KECPS during the last week of August. Enrollment on the first day of school in September may affect prior decisions about class organization and teacher assignments. It is important that parents understand that unanticipated staff changes over the summer, or even a reorganization in the fall to balance class sizes, may require a revision to your child’s classroom.
School Council Fundraising continues!
Families are reminded that fundraising continues over the summer! The links below include the details regarding how to continue supporting the raising of funds for KECPS through making purchases from Tru Earth and/or Mable's Labels. All items offered are practical and helpful items for around your home! Thanks for considering supporting School Council over the summer.
Coming this Fall, please watch for information regarding our first KECPS fundraiser; Fresh From the Farm! We will chat more about this at our first KECPS School Council & Elections Meeting scheduled for September 29th at 6 pm - please consider joining us!
Communication and staying connected is key!
Edsby is our key communication tool and once we return to school, we remind families to visit this regularly! New families will need to watch for an invite to Edsby. If you need support with Edsby, please contact our school office in the Fall as we will be happy to help you!
Twitter is a tool we use regularly to share our adventures, learning and important messages.
For those not yet on twitter, just download the app and "follow us", @EastCitySchool and @kprdsb.
Our new KECPS website is: https://kaawaateeastcity.kprdsb.ca/
Your KECPS Admin Team!
Melissa Casselman (Vice Principal / Directrice Adjointe)
Email: marguerite_masterson@kprdsb.ca
Website: www.kaawaateeastcity.kprdsb.ca/
Location: 250 Hunter Street East, Peterborough, ON K9H 1H1, Canada
Phone: 705-745-2591
Twitter: @eastcityschool
KEY CONTACTS
KRPDSB:
https://www.kprschools.ca/en.html
Bus Information: https://www.stsco.ca/
Before & After School Information: https://trentchildcare.com/
AHPS School Council Co -Chairs 2020 - 2021:
Tara Levesque
Karen Cunningham
KGPS School Council Co -Chairs 2020 - 2021:
Amanda Johnstone
Sarah Pyke
Superintendent of Student Achievement:
James Brake
(705) 742-9773
Trustees:
Rose Kitney
Steve Russell