Report cards were sent home today with our elementary and secondary students. Please review your students' successes with them and goals for next steps. Grades 9-12 are two weeks into their second semester and elementary students are now in term 2. Students in grades 8-11 are working with student services to pick courses for next year. If you have any questions about the course offerings, please visit the La Salle Student Services webpage.

Is your child graduating from grade 8 or 12 this year? Please see the poster below. Photos for grade 12s start this week and grade 8s the following week.

We have a lot to share about upcoming events as well as to review from the last two weeks:

• Grade 7/8 students attended the drama presentation Unpacking the Holocaust: A Playwright's Journey to work on deepening their understanding of the dangers of hate & building education through an arts lens.
• Please let your friends and neighbours know, who hope to join the La Salle community next year. Our grade 8 open house was well attended this week, though our upcoming grade 6/7 open house was been rescheduled due to inclement weather for Thursday February 20th from 5pm to 6pm.
• Our senior girls volleyball team won KASSAA GOLD!! Congratulations to the athletes, coaches and families for this achievement
• At the pool, 11 of our athletes competed at EOSSAA and represented themselves and our community very well. Two of our athletes have qualified to attend OFSAA.
• La Salle Girls Hockey have been training hard and play a quarter-final matchup with KSS on Tuesday, February 18th at Invista - good luck Knights!
• Tuesday February 25th is our next school council meeting, this will be a virtual meeting and new parents/guardians are always welcome. This is an opportunity to hear from administration what is happening in the school, ask questions and meet other members of the Knights community. If you would like to attend, please see the poster below for more details.
• If you and your family do not have plans for Monday, please consider attending the Kingston Frontenac's hockey game to help support La Salle athletics. To order tickets, please see the poster below.

Have a wonderful family day 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==

https://am.ticketmaster.com/frontenacs/buy/ism/MjRLRjAyMTc=?promoCode=TEFTQUxMRQ==

Thank you, Bridget Walker-Payne and Desjardins Insurance for believing in the work of our Diversity Club.

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.

• Report Card Distribution in Homeroom Classes: Today!
• Grade 6/7 Open House: Thursday February 20th
• Family Day: Monday February 17th
• School Council Meeting: Tuesday February 25th
• Secondary Parent/Guardian Night: Thursday April 3rd
• Spring Break: Monday March 10th to Friday March 14th
• Professional Development Day: Monday March 31st - No school for students

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/

Do you want to find out more about anxiety? Are you interested to learn ways you can cope with your anxiety? If you answered yes, we welcome you to join us for a workshop that will have creative strategies and learning in a safe space.

• Feb. 27, 2025
• 1600 - 1800
• Kingston Military Family Resource Centre

During this interactive workshop we will offer some information about anxiety, creative ways you can cope with it, and some resources and strategies you can take with you. Open to youth 12-18 years old. Snack will be provided. To register please visit CFMWS | MFRC | Kingston | CFMWS

It is important to note, our events/services are open to military families and those in their circle of care of Canadian Armed Forces members.

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