Parent Peek at the Week
November 29th, 2021
In case you missed it....
Winter is here!
Say Something!
Professional Learning
Important Dates
Monday, November 29th - Day 3
- Neil from the Pathways project is with us for a day of outdoor learning (Rees block one, Gunning block 2, Howson block 3)
Tuesday, November 30th - Day 4
- Subway Hot Lunch Day
Wednesday, December 1st - Day 5
Thursday, December 2nd - Day 1
- Boston Pizza Hot Lunch Day
Friday, December 3rd - Day 2
- Fantastic Plaid Friday
- Cougar Courage Awards
Upcoming days:
- November 29th - December 6th: Scholastic Book Fair
- December 6th and 8th - Jimmy Chapman (see below)
Festive Fridays!!!
Over the next 3 weeks, we'll be taking time to enjoy some festive time, with Festive Fridays. Please see the information below - we hope that students, families and staff will join in the fun!
Important Information from the Peterborough Health Unit
Over the past week, Peterborough Public Health (PPH) has noticed a local increase in school-related COVID19 cases and exposures. PPH would like to remind families to continue using the COVID-19 school screening (ontario.ca) daily to monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID19. Please keep in mind COVID-19 can present just like a general cold or flu virus. If you or your child is feeling unwell, please stay home and seek PCR testing immediately.
Testing can be arranged at: Getting Tested for COVID-19 - PRHC. Rapid Antigen Testing is not reliable for people with COVID-19 symptoms or individuals identified as close contacts.
A few additional tips to stay healthy:
- Avoid gathering with large groups of people, especially if individuals are unvaccinated.
- If you are currently unvaccinated and eligible to receive the COVID19 vaccine, consider booking an appointment by visiting: How to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment (ontario.ca).
- If you have questions or would like to learn more about the COVID19 vaccine, The SickKids COVID-19 Vaccine Consult Service is a by-appointment phone service that provides a safe, judgement-free space to have an open conversation about the COVID-19 vaccine for children and youth. It is available in multiple languages, using over-the-phone language interpretation. Book a consultation online or call 437-881-3505 to schedule an appointment.
In addition, please see the information below regarding upcoming vaccination clinics for children ages 5 to 11 years old.
Jimmy Chapman
School Council has kindly agreed to fund 3 different "movement" events for us this year...Jimmy Chapman's Breakdancing, Rocks and Rings Curling and National Lacrosse. They will also be funding an arts day - more details once the committee has figured that one out!
So.....Each class will have one 50 minute period with Jimmy on either December 6th or December 8th. He will then be coming back in February to give each class a second go at it.
Given the space needed and the sizes of our classes, we expect that we will be using the pavement outside, so please make sure your child comes dressed for the weather. Please take a look at the schedule below, for your information.
Book Fair
Once again, we'll be having everything online. The Fair will run from November 29th - December 6th, so save the dates! And if you have any little ones to shop for this upcoming holiday......start planning now :)
Here is a link that shows videos for books that are available at the fair:
http://scholastic.ca/bookfairs/resources/parents
Thank you for supporting our school library!
Salvation Army Food and Toy Drive
Our students and families are already sending in lots of food and toys. Please keep them coming! Help us reach our goal of 500 food items and 50 toys. Stay tuned to Twitter and Instagram this week to find out where we are on the road to reaching our goal!
From the KPR Board Office
To All KPR Parents,
What an eventful week this has been! There’s no shortage of news to share with you about COVID testing, vaccination, skilled trades programs, bullying and more.
Families can now book appointments for children ages 5-11 to be vaccinated against COVID-19. We are working with public health units on plans for many school-based vaccination clinics. Please note all clinics in our schools will take place after the school day or on weekends, for families to attend together. Parental consent will be required for children to be immunized.
Please visit our Youth Vaccination web page for details on clinics being offered by the four health units in the KPR area. Families can book appointments at https://covid19.ontariohealth.ca or by calling 1-833-943-3900, and at select pharmacies. Children must turn 5 years of age by December 31 to qualify for vaccination.
We expect rapid antigen COVID screening kits to arrive in schools by mid-December, to go home with each student before Winter Break. The tests are not mandatory, but health officials highly recommend completing the rapid tests every 3-4 days during Winter Break. Instructions will accompany the kits.
Also this week, the government announced additional funding to attract more students to rewarding and lucrative careers in the skilled trades, and to expand the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP).
KPR has a robust secondary program to support students in entering the skilled trades. We encourage families of Grades 7-11 students to participate in our virtual Make High School Work for You information night December 2. Please see registration information under KPR News below.
The province also introduced new funding to combat bullying and discrimination against students with disabilities, and updated its protocol on preventing in-person and online bullying and hate. The new protocol specifically references religiously motivated discrimination, such as anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, as well as discrimination based on sexual orientation and racism.Finally, the Board also is seeking input regarding the 2022-23 school year calendar. Please see KPR News below for information.
I wish everyone a safe, healthy weekend.
Sincerely,
Rita Russo
Director of Education
KPR NEWS
2022-23 School Year Calendar Survey
KPR wants your input on two options for the 2022-23 school year calendar. The only difference in the options is timing of the 2022 Winter Break. Please complete the survey by Monday, December 13 to let us know if you would prefer next year’s Winter Break to be held either December 19-30, 2022, or December 26, 2022 - January 6, 2023.
Make High School Work For You
Join us in a virtual Parent Pathways Night December 2 at 6:30 p.m. to learn how KPR can help teens prepare for success in the skilled trades. The event will include keynote speaker Dr. Jon Callegher from JobTalks, as well as details on KPR’s programs including OYAP (Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program), SHSMs (Specialist High Skills Majors), Cooperative Education, Dual Credits and other experiential learning. Registration for the program, geared for families of Grades 7-11 students, takes place at https://bit.ly/3q2boPE .
Community Use of Schools
KPR is working with our public health partners on a gradual, phased-in reopening of schools to after-hours community use. At this time, we are planning to make schools available for community groups starting in January 2022 on weekends only (Friday evenings to Sundays). This will allow us to clean schools thoroughly before classes resume on Mondays. As always, these plans may change if required by public health.
Bits and Pieces!
2. Over the past few weeks we seem to have some very hungry students! We are more than happy to support our students when they need an additional snack during the day (after the Breakfast program has also been by first thing). Lately we have noticed a very large increase in the number of students (especially in our Junior Grades) who are requiring top up snacks. While we will always continue to provide food as needed, we are hoping you might chat to your child to see if they are needing extra food that you might be able to send from home. Our nutrition program provides funding for the morning, but we are needing to invest a lot more to support snacks through the day. Thank you for your help!
3. Late arrivals: We know mornings can be challenging, especially with the darker/colder days. This is just a friendly request to please do your best to get our children to school on time. Lately we have been having as many as 30 - 35 students arriving late. This is hard on the children who miss the morning routine and beginnings of lessons. It's also very hard on the office (which can be very busy in the morning with announcements, attendance and calls) when we have to get so many students safely to school one at a time. Anything you can adjust in your morning routine to try to be at school by 9am at the latest would be greatly appreciated.