Together in Education
April 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
April 4 - Parent Council Meeting at 6:00 pm
April 5 - “Pathways Children & Youth” at 7 pm (Bayridge PS)
April 5 - Sports Concussion Awareness Evening @ 7-8:30 pm (KCVI)
April 7-8 - Jr. Boys and Girls Basketball tournament at Loughborough
April 10 - Bullying Prevention and Awareness with Wendy Craig @ 7 pm
April 11 - Opioid Information Session @ 6:30 pm (LCVI)
April 18-21 - FIT week @ Lancaster - School fitness activities throughout the week
April 20 - School-wide Zumba sessions return for 5 weeks
April 21 - Recognition Assembly and School-wide community clean up for Earth day
April 21 - Grade 7 & 8 Immunizations
April 21-22 - Jr. Girls and Boys basketball tournament at KCVI
April 29 – Save the Date - Free - Speak Up for Ability Parent Forum - 9 am-3pm (flyer below)
May 3 - LCVI Road Race
May 20 – Lancaster’s 25th Anniversary Picnic 11:00-3:00 (Save the Date!)
Message from your Administrative Team
Longer days, milder temperatures, and a healthy dose of mud spell some brighter smiles and renewed energy. All signs that Spring has arrived and we welcome it wholeheartedly! With only three more months left in the school year we continue to see much growth in our students. We celebrate with you the big and small gains your children are experiencing as they increasingly gain confidence in their learning, and demonstrate their understanding and skills in a wide variety of ways. They are working hard to grow their brains, open up awareness to the world around them and to their own unique strengths. Is amazing to watch and be a part of.
The strength of our school community had a true chance to shine as we shared a very special evening together with Family Formal night. Our parent council did an outstanding job with all of their organization and planning to make it such a success. The support of our staff in volunteering, coordinating student artwork for the evening, and offering special experiences for the silent auction gives a true sense of the partnership that we celebrate.
Spring also provides numerous extra-curricular opportunities for students with junior basketball, chess club, marathon club and road racing. A huge thanks to the Lancaster coaches who volunteer their time to support student athletics and clubs. Our student leadership opportunities continues with our environment club, lunch buddies, student tutors, tech crew, and media club. We look forward to our upcoming spring talent Show to be organized by our very own Student Council team.
Please be sure to check our upcoming events carefully as there are many learning opportunities for parents this spring. Updates and information are often sent out via Twitter and Remind so if you haven't joined yet this is a great way to ensure you don't miss these events throughout the Limestone DSB community. Messages from experts in the areas of bullying prevention, on-line safety, concussion safety, opiod awareness, and how to support your child's learning needs in the school system. All great learning for your parenting toolkit.
Thank you as always for your support of Lancaster Public School. We are very proud of our students, staff, families and the community!
Please join us to celebrate Lancaster's 25th Anniversary at our Walk Down Memory Lane Picnic and Open House on May 20th!
Epi-Pen Update
As you may already be aware, Pfizer Canada issued a statement saying it has decided to voluntarily recall two types of the epinephrine injection.
"In Canada, the recall impacts one lot (5GU763) of the 0.3 mg strength of EpiPen Auto-Injector expiring in May 2017 and one lot (5GR765) of the 0.15 mg strength of EpiPen Jr Auto-Injector expiring in March 2017."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/us-epipen-recall-1.4051059
If you believe that your child’s EpiPen is affected by this recall, please stop by the school to take a look.
It’s also important to check your child’s EpiPen expiration date and make the necessary exchanges during the school year.
Parent Survey: Student Safety
Limestone District School Board and Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board have retained a consulting firm (AECOM) to investigate the issues and identify potential solutions regarding pedestrian safety around Lancaster Drive Public School and Mother Teresa Catholic Elementary School during the morning and afternoon drop off / pick up times.
A survey has been prepared to gather parent input and will soon be distributed. We hope it will help build a comprehensive understanding of the existing conditions and potential barriers. The survey should take less than 10 minutes of your time. Stay tuned over the next few weeks for more information.
Quality Time with Our Teachers : )
Lucky auction winners enjoyed a special lunch date with Mrs. Dowdell and a lunch time chess game with Mr. Stenman. What a treat indeed!
Other auction winners are looking forward to basketball sessions with Mr. V, Gym with Mr. C, workouts with Mrs. Wellwood, and Principal for a Day!
Our Very Own Orchestra!
A fine group of students, under the guidance of conductor Mrs. Hamilton, performed at our Family Formal night. From learning how to put together instruments, to first notes, to an ensemble. Incredible growth and we are so very proud!
Lancaster Regional Chess Tourna-ment
Lancaster hosted one of it's largest South West Regional tournament with 6 schools and over 220 students in friendly competition. Thank you to staff and volunteers for making it all happen!
School News
Letter from your Parent Council Co-Chairs - April 2017
Dear Lancaster Families,
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! for your enthusiasm, participation and generous donations at our recent Family Formal Night. This was our biggest event yet with 444 guests in attendance! Our goal was to offer a balance of enrichment for our students, fundraising for our school, community building and fun for our families. We think we have met that goal and hope everyone enjoyed the evening. Led by our fundraising coordinator, Vinay Singh we had a great crew of parent volunteers, council members, teachers/administrators and students that helped out, both leading up to, and at the event itself. Our council leaders and parent volunteers had been busy for weeks and helped with so many jobs, from creating stationary, collecting donations, organizing the silent auction, ordering refreshments, setting up photo booths (Nancy & Mike Krampitz and Val Mitchell), decorating the school, to coordinating the evening’s activities. Special thanks to parent artist Qingbo Cen who came in to teach art to more than 50 students all day long. We would like to thank our student council leaders Emily and Reid for organizing the dance, and our student volunteers for assisting with set-up. Thanks to Bayridge Culinary Arts Students who did an amazing job on the food. We were so lucky to receive so many auction items and we would like to acknowledge and thank our community partners who were very supportive of our school for this event. Our teachers, staff and administrative team also played a tremendous role in planning and executing our “Art Attack” enrichment day. As well, they spent a great deal of time setting up their classroom exhibits and they looked amazing! Special thanks to Mrs. Hamilton and her instrumental music students for sharing their talents, and to Mr. Carlton who entertained us as the Master of Ceremonies. You may have noticed, that there were several teachers in volunteer roles at the event, too. We are so very fortunate at Lancaster, and our parent council values the positive partnership we have with the school staff, students and parents. Our teamwork really shines at an event like this. Congratulations to all!
Fundraising dollars are already hard at work as we jointly (with the school) purchased an extra classroom set (25) of chrome books to enable our students more access to technology on a daily basis. Parent council will also be adding more enrichment funding for our students to include physical education, art and science. (Please see the full Fundraising report below.)
During the month of April, all Lancaster parents will have the opportunity to give feedback via the PARENT COUNCIL SURVEY to help us shape future goals for our school. Share your ideas to help next year’s leaders make informed decisions based on your family’s needs and interests. Paper copies will be distributed in student agendas and you can also fill out the survey on-line at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/F3CDV3L
Upcoming Council Events:
- Next School Council Meeting – Tuesday May 2, 2017 – 6 p.m. - LDPS Staff Lounge
- Parent Council Survey – Please complete and return by April 30th – Thank you!
- Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) Meeting – Thursday May 11 – 5:30 p.m. (dinner included) – LDSB Office – 220 Portsmouth Ave – Come out and represent Lancaster. All Welcome!
- LDPS’s 25th Anniversary – Mark your calendars for May 19, 20th to be at school and join in on the celebration!
We are always looking for feedback and/or if you require further information, we are always available at lancd_council@limestone.on.ca
Sincerely,
Donna Banting & Corrie Allingham
Co-Chairs
Basketball is Alive and Well at Lancaster
Congratulations to both the Girl’s and Boy’s Intermediate teams for an outstanding completion to their respective seasons.
In early March, both teams wrapped up very successful seasons. The girls competed in a very challenging Division 1, and showed excellent competitive ability in qualifying for the District semi-finals, while the boys were successful in winning the Division 2 championship against Truedell Public School. Mr. Vreeken would like to thank all players and parents for their support through the season, and especially Jamie Knights and Mary Besselink, who assisted with the girl’s team.
All team members should be congratulated on an outstanding season. Both teams played together as strong teams, were outstanding representatives of the school, and all members developed significantly as basketball players. Many spectators and coaches from opposing teams commented on the quality of play and commitment of the all team members.
Special congratulations go to Christina S., Emily S., Marshall M., and Nick D., who complete their Lancaster careers as District All-stars. Lion’s Basketball would like to wish them and it’s other graduating players: Lauren V., Jill P., Connor B., Carson F., Cale M., Mitch K., Jackson H., and Andrew C., good luck as they move on to high school basketball.
Great job Lions!!!
JUNIOR BASKETBALL
Junior Basketball
Junior Boys and Girls Basketball is alive and well at Lancaster Drive Public School. Approximately 65 Grade 4, 5, and 6 boys and girls showed interest in playing on these school teams this year by attending tryouts in late March. From this group of athletes, the following boys and girls have been chosen to represent Lancaster in Junior Basketball this season.
Girls Team
Shelby R. Kyliegh F.
Alexa K. Sophie S.
Claire H. Sophia K.
Emma F. Taylor W.
Olivia M. Andrea W.
Abby D. Jailin L.
Gates M. Ally H.
Madeline C.
Boys Team
Cam F. Tyson W.
James C. Nolan F.
Owen S. Brad W.
Getwar K. Zakariyya B.
Robert W. Andrew M.
Shoaib S. Michael X.
Jakub D. Nate W.
Liam W . Adyan H.
Noah C. Grayson F.
Aaron J.
PARENT RESOURCES
Reading and Writing with your Child
Finding time to help children with reading and writing at home can feel daunting. If you are wondering how you can strategically and efficiently support your child's reading and writing skills at home, Ontario's Ministry of Education has created the following guide to help support you in this highly beneficial endeavor. All tips are based on Ontario's curriculum and are connected with what your child is learning at school. Remember, lifelong success starts with strong reading and writing skills. And that means your child’s lifelong success starts with you. Have fun learning together!
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/parentGuideLitEn.pdf
Parent Council News
2016-2017 Parent Council Executive
Parent Council Account Balance
The Parent Council account balance
as of March 31, 2017 is $11,907.98
$11,907.98
Submitted by Jennifer McKee, Treasurer
Fundraising Update from Family Formal Night
Thank you to everyone who came out to the Lancaster Family Formal Night on March 23. It truly was a celebration of the arts! A big thank you to all the donors who contributed to our silent auction: Altered Ego, Arabesque Academy, Bar Burritos, Bayridge Cask & Keg, Bob's Butcher, CAA, Canadian Black Belt Centres, Canadian Tire, Cataraqui Dental, Confederation Hotel, Crusaders Basketball, Curry Original, Eyecare Kingston, Farm Boy, Felicity & Fritz, Flower Market, Flowers, Gino's Pizza, GoodLife, Haunted Walk of Kingston, Health Hut, Henderson Recreation Center, Homesense, Jack Astors, Jakk Tuesdays, Kenko Sushi, Kingston Clippers, Kingston Frontenacs, Kingston Mineral and Lapidary Club, Kingston Track and Field Club, Kumon West, Landmark, Lifetouch, Limestone Creamery, Love and Exposure Photography, Limestone Boat and Board Club, Loyalist, Long and McQuade, Mane Obsession, Merry Maids, Metro, Mino's Take-Out, Modern City Taxi, Mutt Hutt, Petrie Ford, Play It Again Sports, Playtrium, Red House West, Queen's Camps, Queen's Campus Book Store, Salonyetmir, Samatva Yoga, Siem Reap, St. Lawrence College Dynamic Design, Studio 296, Sterling, South Paw Cat Cafe, Subaru Kingston, Sunlife Financial, Tallack's Martial Arts, TG.co Hair Salon, The Ambassador, The Landings, Thousand Islands Cruise Lines, Tony's Pizza, Toys R Us, Ucosmetic, Urban Paws, Val Mitchell Photography, Very Shari. Thank you to Corrie Allingham, Janet Forsyth, and Mat Poirier for donations of art. Also, a big thank you to all the teachers and parent volunteers who donated their time and efforts to help make this event a success. Finally, we appreciate the efforts of Bayridge Culinary Arts students for providing the food!
This was our biggest event with 444 people in attendance that evening (220 adults & 224 kids). Our revenue from the event totalled $8,531 with $3,265 from ticket sales, $365 from the photo booth and $4,901 from the silent auction. While all expenses have not yet been accounted for, we estimate a net profit in excess of $5,000 from the event. A more precise amount will be given in the next report.
Thank you Lancaster for a great evening!
Help Wanted
Parent volunteers are essential to maintaining a rich learning environment. If you can help in any way, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator,
Laurie Gedke-Kerr at:
From The Board: Before & After School Care
Are you looking for Before and After School Care for your child in Kindergarten to Grade 6? The Limestone District School Board, in collaboration with community partners, is conducting a survey to identify the potential need for Before and After School Programs in our elementary schools for September 2017. For further information, please go to the LDSB website at www.limestone.on.ca and follow the links to the survey.
Inclusive Education
Summer Camp Registration is Here!
Spring is here and summer is coming, so it is time to plan what the children will do when school is out. Typical summer camps can be too much for some children with special needs to handle – there are usually large group sizes, a changeable schedule, inexperienced counselors and lots of new things thrown a camper’s way each day. Fun for some, but a recipe for disaster for others!
Fortunately, some camps cater to children with special needs. One is an off-shoot of the Quintilian School, a private school designed to meet the needs of children with learning and social differences such as ADHD, ASD, and anxiety disorders. The camp, called The Quintilian Way, offers five weeks of themed activities, and families can choose which weeks to attend. Siblings and friends are welcome, the camp is open to all children. Registration has already begun and the forms can be found on the camp’s website: www.quintilianway.org. Please note that there is no link from the school’s website so be sure you are at the right site!
Extend-A-Family also offers a camp for children with special needs, including developmental disabilities, ASD and ADHD. Their program is open to children who do not have a diagnosis as well. It runs for seven weeks during the summer and takes place at St. Lawrence College. Camp fees vary depending on the level of support required, with one-on-one support available if needed. Registration closes April 18 and there is a fairly extensive intake process, so parents are encouraged to contact the office as soon as possible for more information and to receive the registration forms: 613-544-8939.
Whatever your plans, here’s to a wonderful long summer – when it comes!
~ Emma Garrard
Inclusive Education Coordinator
APRIL IS AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH - LET'S CELEBRATE OUR CHILDREN!
Autism is a developmental disability that remains with a person for his or her whole life. This condition affects the brain's functions. The first signs usually appear before a child is three years old. People with autism often:
Find social interaction difficult.
Have challenges with verbal and non-verbal communication.
Demonstrate restrictive and repetitive behavior.
Have a limited set of interests and activities.
Autism affects girls and boys of all races and in all geographic regions and has a large impact on children, their families, communities and societies. The prevalence is currently rising in many countries around the world. Caring for and educating children and young people with this condition is an important priority for health care, education and training programs.
On November 1, 2007, the United Nations (UN) called for one day each year to be designated as World Autism Day. On December 18, 2007, the UN General Assembly designated April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day. It was first observed in 2008. This year marks the 7th World Autism Awareness Day. The month of April is Autism Awareness Month.
"The great gift of human beings is that
we have the power of
empathy."
~ Meryl Streep
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limestone.on.ca/lending_library
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www.limestone.on.ca/
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School Calendar