It's hard to believe the first month of the year is already done and February starts tomorrow. Today intermediate staff worked on their reporting which will come home on February 14th. Secondary teachers said farewell to Andrea Ata and Adam Bonsall, we wish them well as they head to Kingston Secondary School for second semester. We welcomed back Jesse Graham, Monica Vico, Sean Kelly, Greg Thome and Ryan Lam to the La Salle team. Staff then engaged in professional development related to setting up a successful semester by sharing best practices, learning resource and hearing student voice related to the practice.

With a new term and new semester beginning, we will visit each homeroom to reiterate the school climate goals and expectations. We ask our parent/guardian group also review the materials below with their students.

This month we have a few dates we want to ensure you are aware of, including the grade 6-7 information night for families hoping to join our intermediate classes next year on February 13th from 5pm to 6pm. On February 12th, we welcome the grade 8 community who are planning to attend La Salle for secondary school, this event is also from 5pm to 6pm. Also on the 12th, Playwright Emil Sher will be performing an educational talk titled 'Unpacking the Holocaust: a Playwright's Journey' to grade 7 and 8 classes. More information is in the attachment below.

Finally, Graduation Photos are coming up for our grade 8s and 12s: please see the poster and information below. Grade 12s need to sign up to book a time slot.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Jen, Mike, & Kirsti

Cell Phones: Class time is valued for academic learning. As a school, we continue to reinforce our cell phone policy (see the chart below). In grade 7/8 classes cell phones should be away in lockers. At the secondary level, classroom teachers are to set out clear expectations at the start of the term and be consistent throughout the semester. All classes are equipped with cell phone hotels as phones are to be away unless the teacher has asked for them to be pulled out for instructional and/or research purposes.

In Director Burra's most recent communication with staff, he shared the following message:

The Provincial Code of Conduct requires boards to restrict access to all social media platforms and apps on school networks and school devices. Consequently, students and staff are not able to access a wide range of social media sites during the school day using the LDSB network or board devices. Given the expectations that cell phones are not to be used in the classroom unless the educator(s) explicitly allow students to use their personal devices for learning purposes, it is critical that as staff we all model responsible use of devices during instructional time.

Washrooms: Congregating in washrooms is not allowed. Please let your child(ren) know that staff will continue their supervision roles by being in and out of washroom common spaces as required.

Vaping: Vaping is banned anywhere on or within 20 metres of school property. Students may be subject to disciplinary action and parents and guardians will be notified and public health may apply fines of $305. You might be wondering about vape detectors, as per the ministry release of the PPM 128 in May; we will provide updates as we receive further direction from the school board and ministry.

Human Rights: The Human Rights reporting tool poster is posted in our halls and classrooms. When someone has experienced or witnessed rights violations, we encourage them to report to a trusted adult and/or complete the reporting tool by scanning the QR code. We will continue to ensure our school is a safe place to be for everyone. Slurs and epithets are not acceptable. Discrimination, bullying including verbal, social, physical or cyber as well as symbols of hate are in violation of the Human Rights code. If you or your child have questions or concerns please reach out to us.

Our school climate goal is to ensure a safe space that encourages respectful interactions.

In the age of digital technology and tools, and time-pressure in busy lives, students sometimes submit information that is not representative of their own thinking and growth by using the AI tools such as Grammarly, ChatGPT and many others. Staff will continue to educate students on classroom expectations for assessments. Student attendance and completion of formative work is crucial - it allows students to receive feedback, ask questions, advance their learning, and prevents them from feeling that they have 'run out of time' and 'need' to take a shortcut. If you or your child are ever unclear of the expectations please reach out. Below is one of the tools we use in the office to help educate as well as the board's current academic integrity chart.

Grade 12s, your grad photos are from February 19th to the 26th. You need to book your appointment online by following the link the poster below. The sitting fee is $35 which includes a grad composite and 10 to 14 poses. All grads, please sign up!

Grad 8s, you do not need to book an appointment. Your days to shine are February 27th and 28th. There is no fee and you will have 4 photos taken. More information will be shared shortly.

Back by popular demand is the La Salle Knights pairing with the Kingston Frontenacs for an action packed family day and chuck-a-puck experience. Tickets can be purchased at https://am.ticketmaster.com/frontenacs/buy/ism/MjRLRjAyMTc=?promoCode=TEFTQUxMRQ==

Our student services team is now visiting our feeder schools and working with grade 8 classes to share all of the great things about La Salle. In the secondary school, come the end of February students will be picking classes for next year. Please start to have conversations with your child(ren) about their future plans and what they hope to take and explore for them to successfully navigate their journey at La Salle and beyond. If they or you have any questions, all students have access to my Blueprint and students are welcome to come to student services to explore and discuss their path.

• First day of Semester Two: Monday February 3rd
• Grade 8 Open House: Wednesday February 12th
• Grade 6/7 Open House: Thursday February 13th
• Report Card Distribution in Homeroom Classes: Friday February 14th
• Family Day: Monday February 17th
• Secondary Parent/Guardian Night: Thursday April 3rd

New members are always welcome to join us at each meeting. Our next school council meeting will be on Tuesday, February 25th at 6:30 pm online. If you would like to participate, please email our Principal, Jen Grasse, to obtain access to the virtual meeting invitation.

Elected council for the 2024/25 school year:

Chair: Marsha Valente

Secretary: Stephanie Gratto

PIC Representative: Members will rotate attendance at PIC meetings

Members at Large: Laura Doherty, Todd Lamothe, Kishore Kumar and Sonika Sathish

Much appreciation to this team for their volunteer time in supporting our school!

Join our team to support the Black Knights by raising funds for sports equipment and uniform needs. Contact angelaLyon2118@gmail.com to learn more.

Go Knights!

LOWER FEES?!

Reduce your family's school fees by participating in our FundScrip fundraiser. This year found fundraiser can be accessed at anytime - when you are purchasing gift cards anyways, you might as well purchase them with added benefits. Did you know that, 80% of the rebates earned are given to your family as school credit which can be applied to school trips, athletic fees, or other extra curriculars.

We invite you to learn about our program to reduce your family's school fees for athletic fees and school trips. For FREE MONEY view the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N-MHYP5Ttg and visit https://www.fundscrip.com/support-a-group and enter the invitation code: DYHCNP

Order La Salle clothing ANYTIME at https://lasalleintermediatesecondaryschool.entripyshops.com/

Looking for a list of mental health support resources that are available in the Kingston area? Please access the pdf file linked for you below. Questions? Feel free to reach out to us.

There are many community organizations, including The Maltby Centre, that offer a variety of resources to support students and families. The Maltby Centre (https://maltbycentre.ca/) provides mental health and autism services to children and youth, and works with clients in schools, homes, and other locations.

Other supports include:

• School Mental Health Ontario (*Added new SMH Resource Document below!)
• Youth Diversion
  
• Kids Help Phone

We continue to see many students who struggle to safely and respectively use social media. Please monitor your student's phone usage, especially at night. Many students admit to staying up quite late each night, and therefore coming to school quite tired. Thank you for your vigilance and helping your student get the most out of their day.

The Ministry of Education has approved the Limestone District School Board’s 2024 - 2025 School Year Calendar.

The following key dates have been approved:

• First Day of School: Wednesday, September 4, 2024
• Winter Break: December 23, 2024, to January 3, 2025
• March Break: March 10, 2025 to March 14, 2025
• Last Day of School: Thursday, June 26, 2025

The 2024-2025 school year consists of 195 days;

• Secondary - 177 instructional days, 7 PA Days and 10 exam days.
• Elementary - 187 instructional days and 7 PA Days.

Professional Activity Days - no classes for students:

• Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024
• Friday, Oct. 11, 2024
• Friday, Nov. 22, 2024
• Friday, Jan. 31, 2025
• Monday, Mar. 31, 2025
• Friday, May 30, 2025
• Friday, June 27, 2025

Intermediate email - lasis@limestone.on.ca

Secondary email - lasss@limestone.on.ca

Website: https://lasalle.limestone.on.ca/
Location: 773 Highway 15, Kingston, ON K7L 4V3, Canada
Phone: Intermediate 613-542-9733 Secondary 613-546-1737

Twitter: @LaSalle_LDSB