December is a busy month at Polson. Good luck to our volleyball teams who will play in district tournaments on December 5th an 12th. Student council has scheduled some fun spirit days and events this month, so check your calendar. This week we will have a Red & Green Day on Friday & our Jingle Bell Run, Walk, & Wheel!

On Friday, December 2nd, 2022, Kingston's Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committee presented the 2022 Celebrating Accessibility Award to recipients, and Polson Park Public School is honoured to be one of the recipients of this award. Polson Park was nominated by Stacey Watson for the school's continued efforts to upgrade the playground so that it is accessible to all students. Special thanks to retired principal, Cathy Carson and to our vice-principal, Christine Desbiens, and to our school advisory council for their commitment to making the playground more inclusive with spaces where children of all abilities can play together.

Due to technical difficulties, individual photo retakes will take place on Monday, December 5th. We apologize for the the inconvenience and are working with Lifetouch to get photos to families prior to the holiday break.

This week we will be collecting non-perishable food items for our local food bank and for hampers for families in need. If you are able to donate, please send items with your child. The food drive will culminate with the Jingle Bell Run, Walk, & Wheel event on Friday, December 9th at 2:00 pm. Parents are welcome to join us.

Monday, December 5th Day 1

• Polson Kindness Nominations continue
• Polson Food Drive Begins: We are collecting non-perishable food items this week
• Boys Volleyball Tournament: Go Panthers!
• Individual Photo Retake Day

Tuesday, December 6th Day 2

• National Day of Action & Remembrance Violence Against Women
• Jive Dance 10:50 -11:20 pm
• Highland Dance Club 1:20 -1:40 in gym (See announcements for class schedule)

Wednesday, December 7th Day 3

• Primary Music Club at 10:50 am in Makerspace
• Highland Dance Club 1:20 -1:40 pm (See Announcements for Class Schedule
• Board Game Club 3:40-5 pm

Thursday, December Dec 8th Day 4

Bodhi Day

Jive Dance Practice 10:50 -1:20 am

Friday, December 9th Day 5

• Red & Green Spirit Day
• Junior Music Club 10:50 am in Makerspace
• Jingle Bell Run/Walk & Roll at 2:00 pm

Looking Ahead:

December 10th Human Rights Day

December 12th Girls Volleyball Tournament

December 13th Jersey Day

December 16th Fancy Friday

December 18th Hanukkah Begins

December 19th Door Decorating Challenge Week

December 20th Kindergarten Holiday Concert 12 pm

December 21st: Winter Solstice/Yule begins

December 22nd: Last Day of Classes before holiday break & Pyjama Day

December 23rd: Holiday Break begins

December 25th Christmas Day

December 26th Kwanzaa

As we look ahead to more snowy weather, we may have a few more inclement weather days and bus cancellations that affect students. A reminder that when buses are cancelled in the morning, they also do not run at the end of the day. If your child is unable to come to school safely on these days, you have the option of entering an absence by selecting "inclement weather" or "bus cancellations" where appropriate. If your child is dropped off at school instead of taking a bus on inclement weather days, please make sure to notify the teacher of their dismissal plan.

As always, please make sure that your child is dressed for winter weather, with extra mittens/socks in case they get wet. If you need assistance with providing boots/snowsuits, please do not hesitate to contact the school.

Please see communication shared with LDSB families from the Ministry of Health.

Our school now uses a new secure online portal that will allow families to complete payments and permission forms online. Instructions on how to register for this new system have been sent and almost 200 families have now signed up. Parents and guardians will be invited to view their student’s school-related events such as field trips, sporting events or activities such as hot lunch and yearbook purchases. Parents/guardians will then be asked to complete the required permissions (if applicable) and complete payment via credit card or electronic funds transfer from their bank account.. This new portal will remove the risks associated with sending money to school with students, the frustration of lost or missing permission forms, and significantly reduce the amount of paper our school consumes. Thanks for signing up as soon as you can!

LDSB is offering Virtual Tutoring Program for Limestone students in Grades 1 to 10. Tutoring will be available through MS Teams from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from October 11 until December 15, 2022. Tutoring will not be available on P.A. days or holidays. For more information about how to access this support, please follow the link below.

Polson is looking for paid yard supervisors. If you have a CPIC and are available to help during recess/nutrition break, please contact the main office!

Our family update has accessibility features that allow you to select your language of choice for translations and also to enlarge fonts for better viewing!

Yard Supervision begins at 8:55 am.

9:10-10:50 - 100 mins

10:50--11:40 - recess/nutrition

11:40 -1:20 - 100 mins

1:20-2:00 - recess/nutrition

2:00-3:40 - 100 mins

3:40-Dismissal

Thank you for making sure our students are safe by observing traffic rules and parking restrictions during arrival and dismissal times. If you drive, please be patient, watchful and alert!

A few reminders:

• The parking lots have limited space; please do not linger.
• Please remember that accessibility spots are for families with permits only.
• The area in front of the school is a Bus Zone. No parking, idling, or drop-offs are permitted.
• Yard supervision begins at 8:55 am. The school day begins at 9:10 am.

Please see the image below to make sure you are aware of bus zones and no-drop off areas.Thank you for looking out for our students and keeping everyone safe!

If you are new to our school, please take the time to download the School Messenger App to stay connected and report student absences. If you wish to receive our family updates, please follow the instructions for selecting email as one of your preferences.

For more information please follow the links below.

Our office administrator is Marie Campbell. If you need any assistance, please call 613-542-5926 between 8:00 am-4:00 pm or email the school at polso@limestone.on.ca and we will get back to you!

Email: polso@limestone.on.ca
Website: https://polsonpark.limestone.on.ca/
Location: 165 Robert Wallace Drive, Kingston, ON K7M 1Y3, Canada
Phone: 613-542-5926
Twitter: @PolsonPark_LDSB