Dear La Salle Families,

One month to go with final assessments, report card writing, final trips and OFSAA for some of our athletes. Some of our staff are also engaging in a book club reading, The Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt. The text explores the rise of smartphone use and the impact on adolescents, including the increase of mental distress.

In coming weeks, many of our athletes are moving on! Read further about the successes of our 7s and 8s. Our male rugby teams are still in play and some of our secondary track athletes are still competing. Athletics and school fundraising continues; please see the posters below and if you will be purchasing gift cards for any summer events, please consider signing up for Fundscrip. Our seniors boys rugby program is also hosting a Father's Day Brunch - please see the poster below if you are interested in attending.

As mentioned in our previous newsletter, the final exam schedule is out and linked below. Please continue to check in with your child about final assessments and exams, your encouragement and engagement will help support a successful end to the year. If you have any questions about your child's progress please reach out to their teachers.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Jen, Mike, & Kirsti

As a school we continue to work together to ensure our school is a safe space for all and that students know who and where to turn for support. We have done work this year around teaching and knowing the boards stance on exclusion of the N-word and the impact and harm of slurs. We continue to check washrooms and change rooms to remind students about places that are appropriate to congragage and that vaping is completely prohited on school grounds. Now with the warm weather some classes are building in outside time to allow students to move more. We continue to remind students that body breaks should be limited in time and within the area of the school of their class and that students are to be in classes until the bell goes.

With the warmer weather, please remind students that water pistols are not to be on school property. They will be confiscated and may result in suspension.

The board has collected student voice from across the board, now it is time for La Salle students to provide voice for La Salle staff and students to help ensure our school climate goals continue to align with student experience and need. Mrs. Singh-Graham and Mrs. Cubbit have worked with the schools Red Cross ABC (Anti-Bullying Club) to develop a servey for intermediate and secondary level students that will be completed the next few weeks in class.

If your child will be away from school for an extended absence, please ensure that your child completes an extended absence form. These forms can be obtained from our attendance clerk, Ms. Woods, in the secondary attendance office, and for elementary student from Ms. Jordan in the main office. This form is a communication tool between teachers/administration and home to share expectations about what work will need to be completed while your child is away and/or upon their return.

Grade 11 Physics students putting theory into practice!

The grade 11 and 12 Hospitality & Tourism Class hosted and operated a Pork Butchery Workshop.
This workshop was created by the interest in animal processing and butchery from La Salle staudents as well as students from LCVI and KSS. This workshop is to raise awareness for the Retail Meat Cutting and Food Processing Sectors in the Hospitality & Tourism Trades.

In the shop students are working away on their projects and receiving feedback from their teachers.

All of the grade 7 and 8 classes have worked hard to write speeches to share with their classes. From there, 18 finalists emerged, and on Thursday, these finalists presented to peers, staff and family members. The range of topics was incredible and everyone should be proud of their efforts. Congratulations to Anna who earned the bronze, Ryan who earned silver and Tatyanna who earned gold!

Thanks to Ms. Reid, Mr. Brunet, Mr. Olmstead and Mr. J Graham for volunteering and being great sports for the Pie a Teacher event! As a school La Salle raised $484 for Face the Foundation and got the kids hyped up for the day! Amazing!! Mr. Lam and the foods students put on a delicious spread. Thanks to Ms. Cubitt for running the chalk art competition, Ms. Rymal for the button-making, and Ms. McEwen for training our busy face painters. Thanks to Mr. Hill and the band for helping us rock out.

It was an amazing day for all who attended! Go Knights Go!

On Tuesday, May 29th, thirty-three of our Intermediate Black Knights competed at the LESAA Regional Track and Field Meet at Caraco field at the Invista Center. It was an incredible day! Beyond the beautiful weather and athleticism, event coordinators went out of their way to praise the character of our participants and the 15 student volunteers who supported the events. They did all things well and made us very proud.

Highlights of the day included first place finishes by Brynn Alblas (400m), Jill Anderson (2000m), Jacob Bell (Long Jump & Triple Jump), Joleen Karp (Long Jump), Elliot MacDonald (400m), Summer Philpot (800m), and Tayah Pratt-Vallier (Triple Jump). Our 4x100m relay teams - Girls: Maera Armstrong, Joleen Karp, Tatyanna Martin & Tayah Pratt-Vallier; Boys: Jacob Bell, Elliot MacDonald, Spencer Nicholson & Isaac Whidden - also finished first. An exciting performance was enjoyed by spectators and competitors alike when Jacob Bell broke the Regional Triple Jump record with a jump of 10.53m just moments after Elliot MacDonald had handily broke the record with a jump of 10.26m.

Special congratulations go out to our athletes who received individual honours as top athletes in the Senior Division of our region: Spencer Nicholson (tied 4th place overall), Elliot MacDonald (🥉Bronze Medalist); Jacob Bell (🥈Silver Medalist), Brynn Alblas (🥉Bronze Medalist) and Summer Philpot (🥇Gold Medalist).

In all, twenty-five of our athletes finished in the top 5 of their event(s) and advance to the District Meet on Tuesday. Congratulations to all who competed and best of luck to those competing on Tuesday.

Ms. Gibson

Senior art students with the guidance of Ms. Rymal and Ms. McEwen are working on 12 murals for Ecole Maple Elementary School. This mural features all of the names of current Maple students.

We also had the pleasure of hosting a grade 8 visit and on June 14th grade 6s from Maple are coming to visit.

Virtual Ventures which runs under the Faculty of Engineering and Design at Carleton University, has partnered with the Thompson Island Cultural Camp in Akwesasne to host a for-credit overnight land camp for Indigenous youth in Grades 8-12. Over the course of 10 days, students will participate in interactive STEM activities led by Indigenous community leaders and university instructors. The camp focuses on land-based learning to promote the preservation of cultural teachings and to help students see themselves in STEM, all while earning a high school credit.

Please see the details below:

Date: July 8th - July 18th, 2024

Location: Thompson Island Cultural Camp, Akwesasne

Cost: FREE!

Registration

To learn more about Virtual Ventures, visit here.

To learn more about Thompson Island Cultural Camp, visit here.

Tsi Kanonhkhwatsheriyo-IIPCT has invited Traditional Healer Joe Pitawanakwat to share his knowledge of traditional medicines. Please join them on June 7th at 6PM by Zoom or in-person at Queen’s University.

Scan the QR code on the attached poster or use the link on Facebook page. Please share this poster with your family, friends, coworkers and all those enthusiastic about traditional medicines.

For Students in Grades 6-8

Exciting news for LDSB students Grades 6 through 8...' Connection Club' is an online extracurricular experience where LDSB students will create new connections, learn new skills, and meet new friends after school!

An All-Inclusive adventure, ‘Connection Club’ combines online games, drama skills, and deeper connections with the environment around us - reigniting the spark of creativity & curiosity in LDSB students!

All-Inclusive Comedy believes laughter is a superpower for tearing down barriers & building a more inclusive, affirming space for everyone!

Every Wednesday afternoon, starting May 8th until June 12th, from 4:30pm to 6:00pm - students can join All-Inclusive Comedy online for a variety of virtual activities - each week is different! They've got Improv, trivia and all sorts of fun games!

‘Connection Club’ is brought to you (in partnership with LDSB Equity & Inclusion) by All-Inclusive Comedy, Improv Comedy Duo & Education Company!

All-Inclusive Comedy, Improv Comedy Duo & Education Company is: Wilding (They/Them) and Tony Babcock (He/Him)

Student Registration Is Open: https://forms.gle/QpjpLiqM7WNubAxw8

The registration link contains additional FAQs about the club 🙂

The City of Kingston Transit and Transportation department has shared that "previous pick-up and drop-off issues on Grenadier from the fall of 2022 have resurfaced. We have recently received concerns regarding ongoing non-compliance with the existing No Stopping regulations that are in place. The concerns indicate that parents may be continuing to use the No Stopping area around the pedestrian crossing for pick up and drop off, impacting the sight lines at the crossing.

We will continue to have our parking enforcement team attend as resources are available."

• June 13th: Athletic Banquet
• June 18-26: Secondary Exams Grade 12
  

• June 20-27: Secondary Exams Grades 9-11

• June 24th: Intermediate Graduation

• June 27th: Secondary Graduation

LOWER FEES?!

We invite you to learn about our program to reduce your family's school fees for athletic fees and school trips. See the FREE MONEY poster and this Tips video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N-MHYP5Ttg, which are located on the school website under Secondary/Athletics. Hear from from two LSS families:

" Over the years our family has had great success using the LSS Fundscrip program as we have saved over $1000 on our sports fees plus given over $250 towards the LaSalle Athletics Bursary Fund! The program offers a variety of gift cards from hundreds of retailers so you can buy what you need plus I love that you spend $100 on a $100 gift card and the earnings are like magic that adds up over time. I highly recommend looking into the program."

"This is SUCH a great program, I tell everyone about it. We have saved almost $630 on sports plus given the 20% contribution to LaSalle Athletics. It’s a no brainer really, just need to spend a few minutes learning how to do it. Thank you!"

Before you shop... learn more about reducing the cost of school trip fees or school athletic fees. The rebate adds up over time, so don't delay! Watch this video for more information https://www.fundscrip.com/how-it-works, then learn more at the school website under Secondary>Athletics https://lasalle.limestone.on.ca/secondary/athletics.

What will you wear for the next Black and Gold day? Check out our new online ordering platform below, proceeds from all sales come back to the school. A big thank you to Ms. Kotsovolos who has spearheaded this opportunity for us. Go, Knights, Go!

Graduation designs have now been added! 🎓

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.

Help us provide healthy food for students at your school

The Food Sharing Project is a registered charity that has been serving the area for almost 40 years. We are the organization which provides nutritious food and equipment to schools across Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox and Addington for their in-school breakfast, lunch and hearty snack programs.

Each week of the school year, our team of 12 volunteers pack about 450 boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, dairy and protein foods which are delivered to every school in KFL&A, including yours. In 2019, prior to the onset of COVID-19, we sent food with a value of $12,000 to schools each week and in 2022, that amount rose to $21,000 per week.

The 2022-2023 school year has been unprecedented for The Food Sharing Project. Due to increasing demand and the skyrocketing costs of food, we are facing a significant budget shortfall as we are now sending out over $25,000 in food every week. We need your help to ensure that students do not go through the school day hungry. Please consider making a donation to help us continue to get healthy food to students at your school.

Educators and research tell us that when they can eat nutritious food at school, students are more engaged in their learning, can focus better on tasks and can have more positive social interactions throughout the day. They are also more willing to try something new, which can lead to better food choices as adults.

Every donation, regardless of the amount, will make a difference for students in your school. Please go to www.foodsharingproject.org and click on the DONATE button to make a secure online donation today. Thank you.

Our next school council meeting will be on Tuesday, May 21st at 6:30 pm (in person meeting). New members are welcome to join. The meeting will be held in student services.

Elected council for the 2023/24 school year:

Chair: Marsha Valente

Secretary: Stephanie Gratto

Members at Large: Stephanie Saunders, Laura Doherty, Todd Lamothe

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

The Ministry of Education has approved the Limestone District School Board’s 2023-2024 School Year Calendar.

The following key dates have been approved:
First Day of School: Tuesday, September 5, 2023
Winter Break: December 25, 2023, to January 5, 2024
March Break: March 11, to March 15, 2024
Last Day of School: Thursday, June 27, 2024

The 2023-2024 school year consists of 194 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:
Monday, Sept. 25, 2023
Friday, Oct. 27, 2023
Friday, Nov. 10, 2023
Friday, Feb. 2, 2024
Monday, April 8th, 2024 (Date changed!!! from Friday, April, 12th)
Friday, May 31, 2024
Friday, June 28, 2024

Email: lasss@limestone.on.ca
Website: https://lasalle.limestone.on.ca/
Location: 773 Highway 15, Kingston, ON K7L 4V3, Canada
Phone: (9-12) 613-546-1737 613-542-9733 (7-8)
Twitter: @LaSalle_LDSB