Parent Peek at the Week
Week of September 20th, 2021
New, new and more new!
To our wonderful parents - thank you. We all know that reorganizing now is not the most ideal situation. You've reached out when necessary and we've had some great conversations over the past week. Please know that as we move through the next little while, we'll be watching over our students carefully and supporting when needed. If you have any further concerns after a few weeks of transition, please get in touch so we can help.
Tuesday is International Gratitude Day. As we being this week 3 (but kind of like week 1) I am very grateful for our amazing Kawartha Heights family on so many levels!
In case you missed it....
Welcome to Supt. McNaughton!
Dot Day
Welcome Ms. Gunning
Important Dates
Monday, September 20 - Day 5
- all day: Student Vote for the Junior Grades in the Library
Tuesday, September 21 - Day 1
- All day - World Gratitude Day
Wednesday, September 22 - Day 2
Thursday, September 23 - Day 3
- 10:30am - 11:30am: Tim's for Good Truck visiting (see below)
Friday, September 24 - Day 4
- Fabulous Dance Party Friday!
Upcoming dates:
- September 29th - Terry Fox Run
- September 30th - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
The Kawartha Heights Team is being recognized!
On Thursday we got a call from the Tim Horton's head office. They have 4 trucks that travel the country, recognizing great work that is being done in communities across Canada. Local area Tim's stores nominate organizations that should be nominated AND....Kawartha Heights has been selected by our local stores!!!!
On Thursday between 10:30am - 11:30am, the #Timsforgood truck will be coming to our parking lot with coffee and donuts for our staff.
I can't think of a more hardworking and deserving team - congratulations to our Kawartha Heights staff and a big thank you to our local Tim Horton's stores for taking the time to think of us!!!!
New Staff
Kaya Gunning was originally hired as an Occasional Teacher for our Grade 1/2 class. She then had the opportunity to interview for a contract position and was the successful candidate for the new Grade 5/6 class. We are thrilled that she now has a contract position with KPR - and at our school. What a fabulous addition to our Junior division!
On Monday, Meg Elmhirst will be joining us as the planning teacher for Mrs. McConnell's class. She will be with us every day in the last period and in period 5 - 2 days a week. We are excited to welcome her to our team and we know Room 8 will help her to learn all about our great school.
Also starting Monday, Teresa Rossen will be taking over the .75 SERT/.25 Planning position for the next several weeks. For the next little while, please reach out to me (by phone, message or email) if you have any questions regarding Special Education at our school.
Our last change will be the new addition of a teacher for the Grade 1/2 class. We are working as quickly as we can through the interview process and hope to have the new teacher in place for Wednesday or Thursday. I'll be sure to contact the families of Room 11 as soon as we know who this will be. In the meantime, Ms. Gunning is working closely with a supply teacher to ensure as much consistency as possible through these changes.
New Schedules
Student Vote 2021
During the day on Monday, students will continue some last minute learning and then come to the library polling station in the last block. Results will be tallied and shared with our community after the polls have closed nation wide.
Thank you to Ms. Landry for leading this initiative and to all our Junior teachers for supporting this great learning.
Terry Fox School Run
We are gladly accepting donations online this year. Please see the link below - As in previous years, we are encouraging each student to donate a "Toonie for Terry". Of course more than a toonie is great too! Any support you can offer will also be greatly appreciated.
With each class collecting donations, they will each be able to consider one item of clothing or swag that Mrs. Sampson will have to wear for the run day. Based on previous years, this always ends up being a very interesting outfit. Stay tuned for pictures!
Last but not least, on the run day we are encouraging all students to wear their best "Sox for Fox". Stripes, polka dots, fun designs, knee highs..... the crazier the better. Let's make this Sox for Fox Run a great one!
Thanks to Ms. Bartlett for helping to organize this great event.
News from our KPR Board Office
Immunization Disclosure Process
Thank you to everyone who has completed the COVID-19 immunization disclosure process, as mandated by the provincial government. Follow-up is underway to distribute testing kits to those who are not fully vaccinated, or have not completed the attestation process, and more information on the education program will follow. The “KPR Vaccination Attestation App” will remain open for staff to declare their current vaccination status and upload their vaccination receipt, at:
https://vaccinationattestation-kawarthapineridge.msappproxy.net/
Screening, Vaccination Clinics and Masking for Parents
For everyone in our schools, health and safety remain our highest priority. We continue to meet all provincial directives, including thorough cleaning and disinfection; frequent and proper handwashing by everyone in the building; wearing masks; maintaining physical distancing to the fullest extent possible; implementing the mandatory vaccination attestation process for staff, and following all additional steps directed by the health units in our area. When there is a confirmed case of COVID, the health units oversee case and contact management, and direct schools on the next steps. We let families and staff know when there is a confirmed case of COVID in their school, and report cases through our website – kprschools.ca
We once again stress how vital it is for all families and staff to self-screen for symptoms of COVID every day before school, for every child in the family, using the screening tool at https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/. We also encourage everyone to take advantage of the many vaccination clinics taking place in and near schools; see the full list of clinics.
In addition, we ask parents and caregivers to wear a mask at the school during the congested, daily drop-off and pick-up times. For more information on COVID-19 safety protocols, please see our Return to School Plan.
Free Parent Conference
Registration is still open for KPR’s free, 20th Annual Virtual Parent Conference:
Saturday, October 16
9 a.m.-11 a.m.
Featuring Dr. David Templeman
You’ve Got This! Mental Health After COVID: Getting Back to Normal
While the event is free of charge, registration is required. Please register here.