Parent Peek at the Week
Week of May 11th, 2020
Happy Mother's Day Weekend
To all our mothers in the Kawartha Heights Community - HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!! I hope your families find a creative way to celebrate you this weekend.
Only one more week until the long weekend. The days are flying by - although I'm not quite sure how! I know we're all anxiously awaiting news on next steps for schools, and it's hard to wait. We all understand. We also understand that many of you will be finding yourself in changing situations. While many of you have been at home, you may now be facing additional challenges, such as returning to work and still needing child care. We are here for you! If there is anything we can do to support from afar, please reach out.
We continue into week 2 of our Pedal for Hope campaign. I hope that your children are enjoying our fun activities from home, and watching as our Kawartha Heights Cougar is trying to pedal his way out west. We're almost half way there - we've made it to Winnipeg already!
As we head into another weekend, please take time for yourself and your family to relax and rejuvenate. We may not know what the future holds, but we do know that things will be interesting for a long while yet. Rest up :) We've got this!!!!
Mrs. Sampson
A few photo reminders from our last week of distance learning....
Evelyn and Eloise finding robin's eggs on a morning walk
Breanna participating in Mrs. McConnell's scavenger hunt
Lillian joining in on Wednesday storytime
Elijah as a writer, with a special writing spot
Heidi and Delia, helping pedal for Pedal for Hope
Maeve and Sloane listening to storytime
Can we help?
Thanks to the kindness of Food for Kids, Kawartha Food Share, Peterborough Youth Services and The Bridge Youth Centre, we have been given 20 family spots to be part of the “Feeding Youth and Families Together” food box initiative. If you could benefit from the weekly support of a large box of food (you’ll be assigned a Tuesday or Thursday pick up/drop off) please email me at jennifer_sampson@kprdsb.ca. All requests are kept strictly confidential. We know that times are challenging right now - if this offer can help your family, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
A few other bits of information......
Storytime with Mrs. Sampson
This week we'll be continuing our "Storytime with Mrs. Sampson" - live on YouTube.This event happens once a week and I will also save the event so that if you miss it, you can watch it at another time. Please be aware that due to copyright issues, these events will need to be "unlisted" - which just means that you need a link to view. The link is posted on Edsby for all families - Then tune in on Wednesday at 3pm for our next story (which ties into Pedal for Hope) - Zoom! by Robert Munsch. Remember that you can also listen to previous books. Links for all past and upcoming events are listed in a document on the left hand side of all primary homeroom classes on Edsby.
Crestwood Intermediate Transition
On Thursday we had our first virtual Transition meeting with students, teachers, parents and Administration involved in the transition committee. What an interesting time! The transition is in full swing and we are considering many great ways to support the next steps. A huge thank you to Ms. Baker, Madison Caton and Andrea Grant who are our school reps. There is no doubt this adds a lot of extra work on to their plates. We hope to have a full "virtual" transition plan to share with everyone soon. In the meantime, expect an update from the board office this week.
Kindergarten Registration
We want to remind everyone that even though schools are physically closed, Kindergarten registration continues! School secretaries, principals, educators and school board staff are working behind the scenes preparing for Kindergarten 2020-21. Families can register online with any device connected to the Internet, at KPR School Registration. Please register as early as you can, as knowing how many new little ones will be joining our school community affects staffing and organization.
Some printed documents are required to finalize school registration, such as proof of age and address, and these can be handed in once schools re-open. Until then, our Kindergarten web portal www.kprschools.ca/kindergarten includes important resources and strategies to help prepare your little one for school. We've already started including our new friends in some "virtual" events, so register now and don't miss out!
Kawartha Heights Family Dashboard
Just a reminder that if you are looking for some alternate activities to do with your family, the Kawartha Heights Family Dashboard is for you! You can find the link below, but you can also access it any time in the top left corner of your child's classroom homepage on Edsby.
Pedal for Hope
Here are a few updates:
We now have 7 people on our official team. You don't have to be an "official" team member to support (although you're more than welcome). If you're able to support the team by donating even $5 or $10, it would be greatly appreciated. The top fundraiser this year will be receiving a drive-by parade by some of the staff - so let's all do our best!
This week, we're encouraging students to create a short promo video - to be shared with the school community on Friday as part of our morning announcements. Creators of videos shown will receive a $10 gift card for either Chapters or Best Buy. This runs in weeks 2 - 5, so if you don't have time to create a promo this week, consider doing it in the coming weeks.
Thank you to all those who sent in a picture of the people you are honouring through our Pedal for Hope Campaign. Look for our Tribute video to be launched early this week!
Update from KPRDSB
Graduation Ceremonies – Grade 8 and 12
We recognize that many students and parents are anxious to learn more about these events. As a result of provincial health directives and the physical distancing measures we expect to continue to be in place for some time, we must share that all Grade 12 graduation ceremonies have been postponed for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year, and spring proms are cancelled. Celebrations of the graduating class will be determined in the fall.
We greatly appreciate that these are momentous occasions in every student’s educational journey. To that end, our school administrators have been planning how graduation ceremonies may take place in the fall. As this planning continues, schools will be providing further information to students and families related to their individual schools.
Elementary schools are exploring a number of possibilities to recognize and celebrate Grade 8 graduations and Grade 6 leaving ceremonies. Again, more information on individual school ceremonies will be shared directly with students and families.
We have made this difficult decision after careful consideration, and we understand that it is disappointing for everyone.
Online Tutors Available – Trent University partnership
Trent University is offering a free tutoring program to our students! The tutors for this Remote Learning Support (RLS) Program are Teacher Candidates in the Bachelor of Education program at Trent who have experience working in classrooms as well as tutoring experience. Grade 1-12 students can access up to five hours of tutoring per week.
Areas of tutoring available are:
Math and Reading for Grades 1-6
Math, Reading and Science for Grades 7 and 8
A range of subject areas for Grades 9-12
For more information or to register, please click this link.
You can also send questions to SOETutoring@trentu.ca.
Mental Health Week and Education Week – May 4 to 8
We know these are stressful times for our students and parents. As we wrap up Mental Health Week in Canada, we wanted to remind everyone of the many mental health supports and toolkits to support students and families that are available from the home page of our website, www.kprschools.ca.
Kindergarten Registration
Another reminder that while our schools are physically closed, Kindergarten registration continues! School secretaries, principals, educators and school board staff are working behind the scenes preparing for Kindergarten 2020-21. Families can register online with any device connected to the Internet, at KPR School Registration.
Some printed documents are required to finalize school registration, such as proof of age and address, and these can be handed in once schools re-open. Until then, our Kindergarten web portal www.kprschools.ca/kindergarten includes important resources and strategies to help prepare your little one for school. We look forward to welcoming our new students and families this fall!
Technology Helpline for Students and Families
For parents who are experiencing technical problems, our Parent/Student Helpline is available to support students/families with resolving issues with KPR technology and online learning platforms. Please contact one of the regional numbers for support:
Peterborough: 1-877-741-4577 ext. 3001
Clarington: 1-877-741-4577 ext. 3002
Northumberland: 1-877-741-4577 ext. 3003
We remain committed to sharing information as soon as it becomes available. You may wish to follow us online through Twitter @kprschools or Facebook (Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board) and visit our website: www.kprschools.ca which includes regularly updated “frequently asked questions”.
Please continue to practice physical distancing.
Be well,
Jennifer Leclerc
Director of Education
Just one more thing....
So much has been shared about the tough parts of Covid-19, but there are blessings too! Told through the lens of a children's book, this video helps remind us of the good things we can be thankful for :)
Jennifer Sampson
Email: Jennifer_sampson@kprdsb.ca
Website: KawarthaHeights.kprdsb.ca
Location: 11 Kawartha Heights Blvd, Peterborough, ON, Canada
Phone: (705)742-7521
Twitter: @KawarthaHPS