Dear Families,

Our first week of full student attendance was terrific! We continue to be so impressed by our students' level of understanding of why we have to wear our masks and physically distance, and their respect for these protocols. We know that your support at home has a lot to do with this, so thank you very much!

We have noticed a fairly large number of parents/caregivers buzzing the office slightly before the end of the day to have their child called down: it is really important that if you must pick up your child early for an appointment that you communicate with the classroom teacher in the morning so that they can ensure that your child is ready and waiting. The end of day is an extremely busy time for our Office Staff, and we would greatly appreciate it if parents could meet their child/ren at their cohort line-ups, rather than ask the Office Staff to call them down early. Thank you for your support.

You will have received a Communicate broadcast from LDSB this afternoon regarding Elementary Reorganization. We are fortunate that we remain staffed for 18 French Immersion Classrooms and 8 English Classrooms. However, due to some extremely large classes we will be doing some re-organizing of student placements. Parents/Guardians of students who will be changing classrooms will receive a letter on Tuesday September 22nd and will begin their new classroom placement on Thursday, September 24th. If you receive no communication from the school, your child's classroom placement has not changed. We will not be able to accomodate any parental requests during this reorganization, and appreciate your understanding.

Important Reminders:

• if possible, please provide your child with a pouch or fanny pack to store their mask when outdoors

• please ensure that school staff are aware of any allergies or medical conditions and return all forms to the school as soon as possible

• if your child has alternate pick up arrangements, or will not be taking the bus at the end of the day, please ensure that you communicate with the classroom teacher if possible (send a note) or with the Main Office if a change occurs during the day

• please ensure that your child is dressed for the weather and has extra clothing in case of spills or bathroom accidents

• if your child borrowed school technology during the school closure, please return it to the school on Monday
• don't forget to send a water bottle with your child: our fountains have been turned off

The weather this weekend looks crisp, sunny and beautiful! We hope that everyone takes advantage and spends some time with friends and family outdoors, enjoying nature and taking some time to be active!

Mme Peart & Mrs. Davey

Our school will use a broadcasting tool called SchoolMessenger to communicate need-to-know information to families in a timely and efficient way. This system allows us to share important school information with families via text, email or phone message. We will also use it for sharing Weekly Updates to Families.

Registered parents/guardians will receive these messages through contact information collected in our student information system. Parents/guardians may choose how to receive these alerts; by text message, email or phone call with the exception of emergency events which will always be communicated via all contact methods on file with the school. If parents/guardians choose to receive text messages, they must opt-in due to potential charges from their cell phone carrier.

It is important that parents/guardians ensure schools have the most up-to-date contact information at the beginning of the school year. If your contact information changes during the school year, parents/guardians are asked to contact the school with the updated information.

In addition, teachers will also be able to take advantage of an instant message option to keep students and families up to date. Parents/guardians will be invited to join a group and receive messages related specifically to their group. Information on how to join groups will be shared directly with students and families by the teacher.

School Messenger App

All of our electronic communications tools can be accessed anytime, anywhere online and/or via Smartphones. To take advantage of this convenience and functionality, we encourage you to create a School Messenger account on your desktop, laptop, tablet and/or download the SchoolMessenger app. While an account is not required to use these new tools, it will allow you to review your contact information and communication preferences, and it stores all of your messages in one place.

For more information about SchoolMessenger and to access User Guides please click on the link below.

There are three options to use to report a student absence:

• call the automated attendance phone line at 1-855-257-9349 **Always enter "lates" as a full day even if the child will only be absent for half a day. It will adjust automatically once the student arrives.
• use the SchoolMessenger App on your phone.
• use the SchoolMessenger website portal.

For more information on how to report an absence please click on the link below.

Please continue to check the LDSB microsite for updated information on the Director's messages, Frequently asked Questions, Family Reference Guide, Wellness Resources & Supports, Remote Learning info, Public Health info and Ministry of Education information. This area is updated regularly as information becomes available or changes.

School ReOpening Microsite

School ReOpening Reference Guide

Limestone DSB Frequently Asked Questions

Wellness Resources & Supports

LDSB Website https://www.limestone.on.ca/

LDSB Twitter https://twitter.com/LimestoneDSB

LDSB Facebook https://tinyurl.com/wbhjtku

LDSB Instagram https://instagram.com/limestonedsb?igshid=1epyma6c0g5qd