CALVIN PARK UPDATE

Dear Calvin Park Parents and Guardians:

It is hard to believe that we are entering the month of June! We are waiting for news from the Ministry of Education about whether or not we will be able to return to in-person learning before the end of the year. Information will be sent out to our families as soon as a decision is made.

Last week, the new Administrative Team for the 7-12 Calvin Park/LCVI school was announced. We are pleased to welcome Margaret Connelly as the new Principal, along with the Vice Principal Team of Wilma Pettingill, Kate Myers and Suche James. This team brings a broad range of experiences to this exciting new chapter for Calvin Park and LCVI. Throughout the 2021-22 school year and beyond, they will be looking for input from all stakeholders as they work together to build a new 7-12 Calvin Park/LCVI culture and community. At our next School Council Virtual Meeting on May 31 at 6:00 p.m., Stephanie Sartor, our Associate Superintendent, will be joining us to speak more about this exciting transition and to answer any questions.

As we move into the last month of this unusual and challenging school year, I would also like to take this opportunity to let the Calvin Park community know that I am retiring this year, after 33 years as an elementary educator. Not only do I feel very grateful to have had the opportunity to end my career at Calvin Park, I also feel privileged to have been an educator in the Ontario public education system (one of the best in the world). Although this year has been unique in so many ways, it has also been very fulfilling and I have been honoured to be a part of your child's educational journey. Thank you for your support during my time at Calvin Park.

Take care and stay well,

Elizabeth Suriyuth, Principal

Wilma Pettingill, Vice-Principal and the Calvin Park Team

Monday, May 31

Virtual School Council Meeting 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, June 1

Rainbow Day - June is PRIDE Month - celebrate by wearing rainbow colours today!

Wednesday, June 2

Thursday, June 3

Friday, June 4

PA DAY - No school for students
Final day to register for the Elementary Virtual School for the 2021-22 school year

UPCOMING DATES

June 6 Canadian Armed Forces Day

June 20 World Refugee Day

June 21 National Indigenous Peoples' Day

June 21/22 Grade 8 Graduation (date to be confirmed depending on Public Health guidelines)

June 23 Term 2 Report Cards sent home

School Advisory Council (SAC) Executive for 2020-21:

Co-Chairs:

Claudine Elvidge (claudine_elvidge@hotmail.com)

Krystle Holton ( krystleholton@hotmail.com )

Secretary/Treasurer: Sarah Phinney

Our next School Council Meeting is May 31 at 6:00 pm. LDSB Associate Superintendent, Stephanie Sartor, will be attending as well to provide information and address any questions about the merging of Calvin Park and LCVI into a 7-12 school. We welcome new members at any time so please contact one of the Co-Chairs for the link to the meeting if you are interested in attending. This will be the final School Council Meeting for this school year.

Our Indigo and FlipGive fundraisers will be continuing until June 25th. For more information about these fundraisers, please view the Calvin Park School Advisory Council Update https://www.smore.com/beqxr Participation in these fundraisers is easy! Just sign up and a percentage of what you spend for regular purchases like groceries, gas, home products and gifts, will go to our school. All fundraising this year will be used to purchase new books for classroom libraries to reflect diverse lives and issues related to equity, racism, and inclusion.

JUNE IS INDIGENOUS HISTORY MONTH

In June, we honour National Indigenous History Month to celebrate the history, heritage and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada. National Indigenous Peoples' Day is June 21. The recent news of the 215 innocent Indigenous children buried in unmarked graves at a residential school in Kamloops, refocuses attention on how important it is that the true stories and experiences of Indigenous Peoples be acknowledged and shared to create a future based on understanding, empathy, equity and inclusion.

The LEAPCast - A Podcast from 7L1/7L2

Episodes 1 and 2 of The LEAPCast are now live! In Episode 1, listen to these Grade 7 students’ thoughts about virtual learning - what it looks like, what they love, and what makes this hard. In Episode 2, find out what matters for these middle school students!

https://spreaker.com/show/leapcast

JUNE IS PRIDE MONTH

The start of June marks the beginning of Pride Month. This month is an opportunity to show our support and allyship for students, staff, families and community members who identify as members of the LGBTQ2S+ community. Our Pride Flag will fly in front of our school for the month of June as a symbol of inclusion and love, and to show our commitment to creating an environment at Calvin Park that is welcoming for all our students and families.

IMPORTANT BUSING INFORMATION FROM TRI-BOARD TRANSPORTATION

If your child is enrolled in the Grade 7 Atlas, Leap or Challenge programs this year and has used Tri-Board busing, please read the following information from the Tri-Board Transportation website

ELECTIVE LEARNING PROGRAM TRANSPORTATION FORM

Complete this form if the student is enrolled in an elective learning program (LEAP, Challenge, ATLAS, etc) excluding French Immersion. Students enrolled in an elective learning program may be eligible to attend schools that are outside the student’s attendance boundary however, parents are responsible for transportation to and from the school that houses the elective learning program. Applications for transportation may be submitted to Tri-Board and transportation may be provided only if:

There is an existing bus route;
There is space on the bus;
There is no additional cost the School Board

If approved by Tri-Board, Tri-Board will assign the student to the bus stop on the route that is closest to the student’s residence. Tri-Board will not re-route buses or move stops for students in elective learning programs. Late arrival/early dismissal as well as extended ride time may be necessary. It is the responsibility of the coordinator of the elective learning program to advise parents and students at the time of registration that the student is not eligible for transportation unless special approval is granted by Tri-Board. The approval of transportation arrangements for students in elective learning programs outside of their attendance boundary will be determined on an annual basis.

YOUTH VACCINATION CLINICS IN KFLA

Youth aged 12 and older are now eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccination in Ontario. KFL&A Public Health will be offering special youth vaccination clinics beginning the week of June 7 and continuing to June 28.

How to book a first dose appointment at Youth and Family Vaccination Clinics:

To make a vaccination appointment, please use the link below.
Youth clinics will be held beginning on June 8 to June 28.
Please note you will need to be 12 years of age at the time of the appointment.
Appointments are for parents/guardians as well as youth and the link can accommodate different booking options. For example, youth only (if both parents/guardians are already immunized) or a parent/guardian with multiple eligible youth.

Booking Link:

KFL&A Public Health - COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic | Scheduling and Booking Website (simplybook.plus)

TERM 2 REPORTING

Teachers are beginning to prepare to complete Term 2 Report Cards. They will be considering evidence collected during "in person" and remote learning. Assessment continues to be based on conversations, observations and products (student work, projects, etc.). Students will be assessed based on grade level expectations, or their IEP with modified expectations. We encourage students to attend live lessons and small group sessions and/or complete assigned activities during remote learning to the best of their ability. This will give your child's teacher more complete evidence on which to base marks and comments. As well, some units and strands may only be taught during the remote learning period. These units will be assessed based on the evidence of learning online (e.g. observations, conversations, products). If you have any questions, please reach out to your child's teach

FOOD AND CLOTHING SUPPORTS

Just a reminder to our families that food and clothing supports are available for your family through the school if needed. Please contact the office if we can assist you in any way (613-542-2796 or calvp@limestone.on.ca) Please leave a message if we do not answer the phone. Phones are monitored regularly from 8:00am - 3:00 pm on Monday to Friday, even when office staff are working from home.

GRADE 8 GRADUATION PLANNING CONTINUES ...

At this point in time, due to current health guidelines, our Graduation will be a virtual ceremony. We are in the early stages of planning this and we will do our best to make it memorable and special for our Grade 8 students! Should health unit and provincial guidelines change, we may be able to modify our event. Please save the date of June 21 for our virtual Graduation Ceremony.

Once a decision is made by the government regarding virtual or in-person school for the rest of the year, will communicate more information about Lifetouch graduation photos and deposits that were made by some students for the composite graduation photos.

DAILY ATTENDANCE

Please continue to complete attendance through SafeArrival for your child when they are absent from school. Attendance is taken every day and the automated call-out is sent out at around 2:00 p.m. daily. Please make sure your child checks-in with their teacher in some way throughout the day so that they are not accidentally marked absent. If your child is accidentally marked absent, please contact our office.

PLANNING FOR THE 2021-22 SCHOOL YEAR

IN-SCHOOL MODEL: Elementary schools (Kindergarten to Grade 8) will offer full-time in-person learning. Students will continue to stay in cohorts with their classmates and homeroom teacher. Mask and hand washing protocols will likely be in place. As we have don this year, students will remain in their homeroom classroom and specialized rotary teachers will move from class to class. This model could change based on a variety of factors.

VIRTUAL SCHOOL REGISTRATION: The opportunity to enroll in virtual school is extended until June 4th. Here is the registration link. Please note, if your student will be attending in-person school, no action is required on your part.

More information about 2021-22 School Year Planning can be found by clicking the button below.

You may wish to access the following resources to support your child's mental health during this time. The Maltby Centre is a local organization that supports youth mental health and has counselling and other supports available. The other links are for organization websites which contain helpful information and resources to support children and families during this time. In addition, please reach out to your family doctor, your child's teacher or to our office if you are concerned about your child's mental health.