Monday, October 18th - Day 4

Tuesday, October 19th - Day 5

• IEP's to be completed for all students who require them
• Subway hot lunch day

Wednesday, October 20th - Day 1

• am - Trent Tutors begin for selected students

Thursday, October 21st - Day 2

• ECE Appreciation Day!
• Boston Pizza hot lunch day
• 2pm: First Lockdown Drill (see below)

Friday, October 22nd - Day 3

• Cougar Courage Awards

Upcoming days:

• ??? 1 surprise fire drill left
• October 26th - Pumpkin Patch Day
• November 1st - School Council Meeting
• November 19th - Progress Reports sent home

If you have a child in Kindergarten, Mrs. Rutherford's class or Ms. Henderson's class, then you may have started to hear about the "Feeling Buddies". Feeling buddies is a research based, trauma informed social/emotional program that at it's core helps students to learn strategies in order to self-regulate. Our youngest learners are spending time really getting to know 8 friends: happy, sad, angry, scared, frustrated, anxious, disappointed and calm. Getting to know these friends is the first step in learning how to self-regulate.

As we learn about each buddy, we take time to notice:

What are your eyebrows doing?

What are your eyes doing?

What is your mouth doing?

At home you can ask these questions too to help them begin to understand which emotion they are feeling. Sometimes we take for granted that our little ones know what they are feeling. Understanding WHAT emotion you are feeling is the first step in self-regulation.

More information will be coming from your child's teacher - check out their Edsby homerooms.

Our students in Grades 2 - 6 have now started the Mind UP curriculum that is a research based, brain focused program on learning more about how our brains work and how we can self-regulate.

This program is divided into 4 key topics and is delivered in 15 lessons over the course of the year. However, the Mind UP lessons are only the beginning - it's the learning that is happening in between each lesson that is the most important. This is where we coach, model and see evidence of students applying what they're learning. After the first lesson about how our brains work, this is already evident!

The chart below shows the difference between an unstressed and a stressed brain. Students have been learning about their amygdala which is a part of the brain that reacts to fear, danger and threat. It regulates our emotional state by acting as the brain's security guard, protecting us from threats. Ask your child if they can tell you more!

More information will be coming from your child's teacher - check out their Edsby homerooms.

As mentioned in last week's Parent Peek at the Week, we had our first Council meeting of the year. Since then, Council has continued to work hard to develop a fundraising plan which supports initiatives they wish to implement this year. It is attached below for your reference. We look forward to your involvement - and to the amazing opportunities that Council will support thanks to fundraising efforts!

A reminder that the hot lunch program is one way that Council supports their great initiatives. If you'd like to order from Subway or Boston Pizza for your child, please go to: www.lunchboxorders.com and place your order by Sunday at noon. You can also order several weeks at a time. Thanks for your support!

Under the guidance of Mrs. Beaton we are thrilled to announce that Kawartha Heights is now an Acorn Trailblazer School with the Pathway to Stewardship and Kinship Project. All 11 homerooms will be participating in this amazing project this year.

Pathway to Stewardship and Kinship promotes and supports healthy childhood development, community connection and environmental stewardship through building an early and ongoing relationship with nature.

At the heart of Pathway is a vision of local culture where citizens feel connected to and care for each other, their community, and the beautiful Kawartha region, of which they are a part.

Over the course of the year, each class will be participating in “landmark” experiences, to nurture caring, connected young people and directly link them to physical and mental health, community mentorship and creative expression.

Over the course of the year we will also have access to many community partners, wonderful school experiences and workshop learning for both educators and families.

Stay tuned for more information as we begin this wonderful journey together! And in the meantime check out this video for more information!

This Thursday we will have our first lockdown drill with Constable Tim Fish from the Peterborough Police. As was the case last year, our drill will be modified this year to ensure that we continue with our COVID safety protocols. Students will stay at their desks instead of going to one corner of the room. However, lights will be off, blinds closed and the curtain on the classroom door will also be lowered. Students are expected to be silent, until Constable Fish and Mrs. Sampson unlock the door to let them know the drill is over. Although it's something we hope we never need to do, it is an important drill to practice.

A huge thank you to our KH School Council who has generously offered to fund our second annual Kawartha Heights Pumpkin Patch! On Tuesday, October 26th, staff will turn our yard (main yard and Kindergarten yard) into a giant pumpkin patch. In the morning, students will have the opportunity to "pick" their pumpkin and then over the course of the week, classes will be using them to create. Coming home to you very soon!

Last week our Junior Intermural Soccer league started for students in the Junior Hallway. We have 5 teams that play - 3 different days of the week. We had been having a little trouble with rules and kindness during pick up soccer games, so we are hoping that having an adult referee who ensures the rules are followed will help. A huge thank you to Mrs. Rutherford, Mrs. McConnell and Ms. Gunning for taking on this additional referee role!

This year you can order school spirit wear whenever you want - from our website created by Imprinted Apparel. There were a few hiccups getting started, but now they have assured me we are ready to go! Orders take about 2 weeks to come in (delivered directly to the school). Check out the website at: https://imprintedapparelstore.com/KHPS

To All KPR Families,

This Saturday, October 16 marks the 20th anniversary of KPR’s annual Parent Conference. On the advice of our Parent Involvement Committee, we are offering the conference online for the second consecutive year, to reach as many families as possible.

We’re excited to see close to 900 people registered for this free, virtual conference – and it’s not too late to join us! To hear child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. David Templeman offer practical advice on the mental health of your children and teens, please register here by the end of today. You will receive a link to the presentation once registered.

Here are the conference details:

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

Dr. Templeman is an engaging speaker and author of A Teenager's Guide to Life: The Secret to Living Life and Being Happy. We will be recording and posting his presentation on our website at kprschools.ca in the coming week as well.

Next week also is Local Government Week. To mark the week, and in honour of KPR’s 13 hard-working Trustees, I would like to provide a bit of information about our Trustees and school board.

Dating back to 1807, school board Trustees are the oldest form of democratically elected representation in Ontario. They are elected every four years during municipal and school board elections. Our board includes 10 Trustees elected from across our 7,000-square-kilometre area, as well as one Trustee appointed by Alderville, Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations, and two student Trustees chosen by their peers.

Since joining KPR, I have seen Trustees continually place students at the centre of their decision making through challenging times. I am proud to share their focus on equity and inclusion, student success, and support for the mental and physical well-being of students and staff – all while being responsible stewards of public funds. For more information, visit https://www.kprschools.ca/en/our_board/boardroom/trustees/trusteeresponsibilities.html

Next week also marks a day that is important to us: October 21 is the 21st annual Child Care Worker & Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day. We will join fellow Ontarians in honouring these Early Learning Heroes. ECEs bring special expertise in early learning to our Kindergarten classrooms, working in tandem with teachers to create the best possible learning environments for our youngest students. We offer our ECEs sincere thanks for their caring, professionalism and hard work every day!

Enjoy this beautiful weather while it lasts!

Sincerely,

Rita Russo
Director of Education