Parent Peek at the Week
Week of April 26th, 2021
An Important Message.....
For many of you, technology has been a barrier. We have handed out LOTS of Chromebooks, with the opportunity for a few more families to pick up what they need this coming week. For others, connecting at specific times in a busy house is nearly impossible. When we see you're not connecting, we'll be in touch. Our intention is NOT to pressure you in any way, rather to work with you to find out what solutions we might come up with to make this work for your unique situation.
Most importantly - keep in touch. Let us know when things are going well, when you're struggling and need our help and when you have any questions. We'll get back to you as soon as possible - knowing how important timely communication is right now.
Stay safe, stay kind, stay hopeful,
Jennifer
Important Dates
Did you know.....that the day of the cycle (days 1 to 5) is always listed beside the date in the calendar below. That way you never have to go searching to find out what "day" it is!
Monday, April 26th - Day 3
- all day - launch of our Pedal for Hope Campaign! See below for more information
- Launch of the Pedal for Hope Poster Challenge by classroom teachers
Tuesday, April 27th - Day 4
- 12pm - 3pm: Next round of technology pick up; Pedal for Hope mask orders and Virtual Paint Night kits will also be available for pick up during this time
Wednesday, April 28th - Day 5
- Happy Administrative Professional's Day to Mrs. E!!!!
- Blue and Yellow Spirit Day in support of Pedal for Hope
Thursday, April 29th- Day 1
- Show your best "crossing the finish line" face - in support of Pedal for Hope! Take a picture and send it in to Mrs. Sampson.
Friday, April 30th - Day 2
- Pedal for Hope Poster Challenge entries (posters, photos, short 20 second videos) are due to Mrs. Sampson so they can be compiled into the Kawartha Heights Tribute Video
- 12pm - 3pm: Pick up for paint night kits, selected lawn sign students and Pedal for Hope masks
- Deadline for opting in to virtual learning for September 2021 (see below).
Upcoming dates:
May 3 - School Council Meeting at 6:30pm
May 7th - Final day for Pedal for Hope Campaign (please see below)
May 11th - Family Virtual Paint Night
Pedal for Hope begins!
When we reach our first benchmark of $1000, Ms. Tourloukis has agreed to have a pie thrown in her face (hint....this is happening sooner than later!). When we reach our second benchmark of $2000, then Ms. Tourloukis will have a pie thrown in her face. And if we reach our goal of $2500, then Mrs. Sampson has agreed to kiss a cow! Please help us reach our goal, and support pediatric cancer research.
The campaign will run over the next 2 weeks, and bring some much needed fun and spirit to our days. The details of the plan are below.
Here's what you need to know for this week:
1. Teachers will be introducing the Pedal for Hope Poster Challenge on Monday. Students are asked to create a poster, poem, or video (max 20 secs.) to help raise awareness of Pedal for Hope. The deadline is this Friday. If you'd like to see some examples of last year's poster challenge (many of which are from our school!), please go to:
https://pedalforhope.ca/poster-contest/
2. Each classroom teacher will be selecting 3 students from each class (9 homerooms x 3 students = 27 students total) who would like to colour a lawn sign (at home on the weekend) to display in front of our school. Selected students will be identified by Thursday at the latest.
Blank signs will be picked up by students and their families at the school on Friday and they’ll have the weekend to decorate it (Sharpies only please!) before delivering it back to the school on Monday. If your child is selected and you aren't able to stop by the school, we'll figure out a plan to get the sign to you.
3. Blue and Yellow Spirit day on Wednesday! We are encouraging everyone to wear their best blue and yellow. Take a picture and send it to Mrs. Sampson - I will add it to our tribute video!
4. Show your best "crossing the finish line" face! We are encouraging students to take a picture and send it in showing their best "cross the finish line" face. Let's go Kawartha Heights!
Attendance
If your child is going to be away, please call the attendance number (School Messenger) at 1-844-434-8119. You can also search for the app in the app store, and report any absences from your phone or tablet. Here is more information: https://go.schoolmessenger.ca/#/home This will ensure you aren't called repeatedly to provide a reason for the absence.
Please note - if your child will be absent for a block of time, you can sign them out for more than one day. This means you don't have to go into the system daily, but we still know where they are.
Thank you for ensuring we know that all our kids are safe - even if they are home!
And just so you're aware..... There may be times that our teachers or ECE's are feeling under the weather or have appointments they can't miss. When this happens, a supply teacher will be given access to their Google Classroom and will support the students for the day.
Ordering Photos
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Edge Imaging directly at their customer service hotline: 1-888-416-3343.
Technology Needs
Over the past week we have handed out close to 100 devices to students to support online learning.
Any requests received after 9am on Monday, April 19th, will be handed out this coming week.
If you have any issues with technology once you get it home, please call the technology support help line at: 1-877-741-4577.
If you still have not requested technology and need it, please fill in the form at the following link: https://forms.gle/1Gp3Vz4pajr4UugN9 AND email me to ensure I'm aware the request has gone in (jennifer_sampson@kprdsb.ca). The request goes directly to the board and I am not notified, so the only way I know that you have requested a device is for you to let me know.
Daily Online Screening
Just a little reminder to please ensure you complete the COVID screener daily with each of your children. If one of your children does not pass, everyone must stay home. Then follow the instructions on your screen. The screener can be found at: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/. If you would like a paper copy of the screener, please see the attachment below.
School Council Meeting
There were several items of discussion, most notably concerns regarding the safety of students during drop off and pick up time. Please see the minutes attached below for more information.
Our last Council meeting of the year will be Monday, May 3rd at 6:30pm. All meetings are virtual, so please consider joining us!
From the Board Office.....
Dear Parents and Care-givers,
As we end the first week of students’ return to virtual learning, we all are eager to know when elementary and secondary schools will be open again to in-person learning. Unfortunately, we do not have the answer to that as yet from the provincial government. We will share that information with you once we have it.
In the meantime, KPR has another important date to share with you. If you wish your child or teen to learn online full-time next year, please visit the online opt-in portal at https://optin.kprdsb.ca by Friday, April 30.
Opt-in Portal Closes April 30
The online portal for families to opt-in to full-time virtual learning for 2021-22 will close at midnight on Friday, April 30. The portal is at https://optin.kprdsb.ca
We continue to believe that in-person learning is best for students, but we also know some families have indicated they wish to continue virtual learning next year, given the pandemic. To help the school board ensure resources and staff are in place for September for both modes of learning, students and families interested in virtual learning are asked to indicate their initial commitment now.
You will be able to review your decision and confirm your commitment to online learning again in late August/early September, before school begins.
While final details are still being confirmed, we expect online learning will follow the same basic structure as this year, including both synchronous (live, online connection with the teacher) and asynchronous learning.
The following points may also help you in considering your choice:
- Elementary students will be able to enter or exit full-time virtual learning at the following designated times in the school year: beginning of September, Fall Progress Report (around mid-November), Term 1 Final Report (around early February), and spring 2022.
- Secondary students will be able to enter or exit full-time virtual learning at the start of each semester (September 2021 and February 2022). The virtual learning opt-in portal includes a list of anticipated online courses. Courses that have an in-person component cannot be offered virtually.
Both elementary and secondary families wishing to opt-in to virtual learning for 2021-22 should visit https://optin.kprdsb.ca before midnight on Friday, April 30.