Together in Education Family Update
Week of March 2-6
Lancaster Drive Public School and Parent Council
Email: lancd@limestone.on.ca
Website: http://lancaster.limestone.on.ca
Location: 1020 Lancaster Drive, Kingston, ON, Canada
Phone: (613)634-0470
Twitter: @LancasterPSLDSB
Upcoming Calendar Events
Mar 3 ~ Coffee Time 8:00 on the schoolyard
Mar 3 ~ Parent Council meeting MOVED to March 10th at 6:00
Mar 5 ~ SPIRIT DAY - International Day - wear anything that represents another country/culture
Mar 5 ~ TASTE OF LANCASTER - Multicultural Night 5:30-7:30
Trustee Brown visits to talk about Black History with Students
Information Updates for Families
INTERNATIONAL NIGHT:
We are excited for another opportunity to bring our school community together on Thursday March 5th, 5:30-7:30. Multi-Cultural night is a wonderful event facilitated by Parent Council that celebrates the beauty of diversity in our world and Lancaster community. Families have graciously offered to host a table that showcases their own culture or that of another country. There might be some art, maps, pictures, cultural food or games. You get to visit each country, ask questions, and engage with others in meaningful ways. An evening like this opens our awareness of the tapestry that we share and really does also highlight the humanity that connects us. We enjoy laughter, music and dance, we are curious about the world we live in, we feel emotions and we enjoy conversation making connections. We really are one. Come out and offer your time to each other, because it's important and we know that a strong school community has a positive impact on student achievement. See you on Thursday!
STAFF NEWS:
A warm welcome to Ms. Short-Hawley and Mr. Paul (3/4) who have joined us in LTO assignments at Lancaster. Ms. Short-Hawley will be taking on the grade 4/5 class on Fridays for the next few months and Mr. Paul continues in the 3/4 in the mornings until Ms. Kenyon returns after March Break. We also enjoy one last week with Mlle Cawthorne before she heads off to TCPS in Napanee in a kindergarten position. Mme Walsh will return on March 9th from her maternity leave in the primary French position. Warm welcomes and fond farewells to all.
ACTIVE TRAVEL COMMITTEE WORK CONTINUES:
You may have noticed a large paper map of the community in the Great Hall at Lancaster. Using this map we will be plotting students using a colour-coded dot that indicates where they live and the primary mode of transportation they use to get to school. Information from both our map and Mother Teresa will feed into the work of the committee in looking at the wider community to explore ways that active student travel can be facilitated. Many thanks to the continued work of our parent and student representatives, school administration, KFL&A Health Unit, and City of Kingston staff. We hope to roll out more information to families this spring....stay tuned!
LABOUR UPDATE:
Please check the Limestone District School Board for up to date information on labour updates and job action.
All elementary and secondary schools open for classes the week of March 2 - 6, 2020. LDSB is not affected by any strike action this week, including a one-day rotating strike announced by Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) scheduled for Thursday, March 5, 2020. We ask for your ongoing patience and understanding during this legal job action. We continue to hope for resolution at central bargaining table & agreement can be reached soon.
Please see full details at https://www.limestone.on.ca/
Exploring what impacted the length of our snowmen, collaboration and thinking in Gr. 1
Enjoying the February sun with our kinder friends and outdoor sleds
How long will it take to fill the dump trucks and transport it over to our snow soup?
INVENTION FAIR 2020 = A BIG SUCCESS!!!
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR 2020 - SCHOOL YEAR CALENDAR (PENDING APPROVAL)
https://limestone.on.ca/news/what_s_new/first_day_of_school_sept__2020
MARCH BREAK ACTIVITIES IN KINGSTON
Are you moving?
As we look to planning for next year's school organization, please let us know if you are moving or do not plan on attending Lancaster this coming school year. You can call the office directly or email the school.
Suspensions Due to Immunizations
Please contact KFL&A Public Health directly if you received a suspension letter due to unreported immunizations for your school-aged child. Suspensions will go into effect on March 10th 2020.
Kindergarten Registration Open for 2020-21
It's Kindergarten registration time for the 2020-21 school year!! Your child must be 4 years of age before December 31st to enroll in JK and you must live in the Lancaster catchment area. Complete the registration form online using the link below.
Student Census Information
This spring, the Limestone District School Board will ask students in Grades 4 to 12 to participate in a confidential Student Census so that we can learn more about our students – their backgrounds, experiences and needs – to identify where systemic barriers exist, and how to eliminate discriminatory biases in our classes and schools. The aim of Census information sharing is to communicate more about how and why this Census is important.
The Census info below focuses on Race and Gender.
What is Race?
People are often described as belonging to a certain “race” based upon how others see and behave toward them. These ideas about who belongs to what race are usually based on physical features such as skin colour. Ideas about race are often imposed on people by others in ways which can affect their life experiences and how they are treated. Society forms ideas of race based on geographic, historical, political, economic, social and cultural factors, as well as physical traits. Race is often confused with ethnicity, but there can often be several ethnicities within a racialized group.
Important Terminology:
Black - (African, Afro-Caribbean, African-Canadian descent)
East Asian - (Examples may include Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese descent)
Indigenous - (First Nations, Métis, Inuit descent)
Latino/Latina/Latinx - Latin American, South American, Central American, Hispanic descent. (Examples may include Mexican, Puerto Rican, Venezuelan, Honduran, etc.)
Middle Eastern - Arab, Persian, West Asian descent. (Examples may include Afghan, Egyptian, Iranian, Lebanese, Turkish, Kurdish, etc.)
South Asian - (Examples may include Indian (India), Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Indo-Caribbean, etc.)
Southeast Asian - (Examples may include Filipino, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai, Indonesian, other Southeast Asian descent)
White - People belonging to any of various peoples with light coloured skin, usually of European descent. (Examples may include British, Italian, German, Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, etc.)
As an adult, how do I think about race?
As educators, how can we explore race in our classrooms to know our students better? We can begin by asking the following:
1. Do you think about your race? How often?
2. Are there situations, events, news, etc. that prompt you to think about your race?
3. How do you envision the answers of your students to the previous two questions to be similar or different?
4. Do you believe your students experience school (hallways, activities, classrooms, curriculum, discipline etc.) differently based on their racial background?
Resources for Educators and Parents to help understand and address race and racism:
Kendi, X. Ibram. (2019). “How to be an Anti-Racist”. New York, NY: Penguin Random House.
Jewel, TIffany. (2020). “This Book is Anti-Racist”. Minneapolis, MN: Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Children's Books.
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What is Gender Identity?
Gender identity refers to a person’s internal sense or feeling of being a woman, a man, both, neither or anywhere on the gender spectrum, which may or may not be the same as the person’s sex assigned at birth (e.g. male, female, intersex) It is different from and does not determine a person’s sexual orientation.
Important Terminology:
Transgender = People whose gender identity or gender expression does not align easily or at all with the M or F they were assigned at birth.
Two-Spirit = (An Indigenous person whose gender identity, spiritual identity, or sexual orientation includes masculine, feminine, or non-binary spirits)
Non-Binary = Non-Binary people identify with neither side of the man/boy/male or woman/girl/female binary. Non-Binary people can be situated under the transgender umbrella
Gender-Fluid = People whose gender expression and/or gender identity don't park in any one place, or at least not for long.
How we can explore gender identity in our classrooms or at home through diverse books?
Grades K- 8: Transgender Reading List for Children - PFLAG
Parents looking for age-appropriate reading material for younger children who are transgender, gender expansive, or simply have a lot of questions, might think that their options are limited.
pflag.org
Grades 9 -12: Transgender Reading List for Young Adults - PFLAG
PFLAG is the extended family of the LGBTQ community. We're made up of LGBTQ individuals, family members and allies. Because together, we're stronger.
pflag.org
HEALTHY SCHOOL INFORMATION
Lancaster Parent Council Fundraising
Mabels Labels
Cobb's Bread
Love tasty baked goods from Cobbs Bread?? Every time you visit Cobbs Bread Bakery at 770 Gardiners rd. in Kingston simply let them know you are supporting Lancaster School’s Fundraiser and they will donate 10% of your sale to us!
Let’s “Raise some Dough”!
FlipGive
You can now shop online at your favourite stores and fund raise for Lancaster! As part of our 2018/2019 Fundraising efforts, Parent Council is putting a 3 year plan in place to raise funds for schoolyard improvements for all divisions - primary, junior and intermediates. This is a significant project and will require a lot of hard work and dedication from our Parent Council, Staff and Community.
FlipGive allows us to earn cash back for our school for shopping online! There are dozens of retailers to shop with including Indigo, Amazon, Walmart, Starbucks, Old Navy, Sport Chek just to name a few. You can even earn cash back for the school when you purchase gift cards - great teachers gifts or stocking stuffers! Going out for dinner? Order your gift card online through FlipGive ahead of time and use it to pay for dinner....So easy & something you were going to do anyway!
How it works
- Join our Lancaster Team at Flipgive.com or download the FlipGive App from the app store
- Go to https://www.flipgive.com/teams/164409 and click on "Join This Team"
- Enter code CFKGRP
- Happy Shopping!
Feel free to also share the link and code with family & friends - anyone can join our team! Every little bit helps. We appreciate your support.
- Indigo - Gift Cards gives 15%, Shop Online gives up to 3%
- Amazon - Shop Online gives up to 10%
- Walmart - Shop Online gives up to 1%
- Starbucks - Buy Gift Cards gives 2%
- Old Navy - Buy Gift Cards gives 2%, Shop Online gives 5%
- Sport Chek - Shop Online gives 10%
- Ultimate Dining Gift Card - gives 7%
- Jack Astor's - Buy Gift Cards gives 10%
FOR OUR PARENTS: COMMUNITY SUPPORTS, PROGRAMS, EVENTS AND WORKSHOPS
Kingston Gets Active’s Grade 5 ActivPass is a unique opportunity for students to enjoy physical activity at participating recreation centres, during designated times, free of charge until August 31, 2020.
The schedule can be found at www.KingstonGetsActive.ca
Music Lessons
Piano
Tanya Bezanson
613.539.8342
Piano
Maria Boston
613. 384.1057
Useful Links
Sign Up for the Parent Council E-mail List
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