Dear La Salle Families,

We have officially hit the final stretch and we have so many great things to celebrate and highlight from the last two weeks. Our 7s and 8s did amazingly well at track and field as well as ultimate frisbee and our secondary athletes competed at OFSAA tennis, track and field and rugby where senior boys rugby won provincial GOLD! Jr boys finished an incredible third at the Barbarian Cup tournament.

This Sunday, fundraising efforts will continue with the boys rugby team hosting a Father's Day brunch on Sunday. FundScrip will also continue all summer - these funds can be applied to athletics OR other school related, so please see the information under the fundraising section if you are looking to purchase gift cards any time of year. Finally, there is a silent auction happening with amazing items to be won, please VISIT AND SHARE THIS AUCTION LINK with your network of friends and family!

With the end of the school year approaching, students are still working hard at final assessment tasks and exam preparation. Grade 7 and 8 students will have their report cards sent home with them on Wednesday June 26th. Secondary students will be able to view their marks online via MyBlueprint the week of July 2nd. If you would like a paper copy to pick up at the school please contact the main office the week of July 2nd.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Jen, Mike, & Kirsti

As you are aware the secondary students are moving into the exam period. While writing exams students are to leave knapsacks, bags, and coats on the sidewall near the bleachers or as directed by staff in accommodation spaces. No cell phones, electronic devices or smart watches are to be in the exam areas and if in a knapsack should be turned off. If students require assistance they are to raise their hand. Once the exam is complete they are to quietly return their exam to the appropriate deposit box.

On exam days, we ask all staff and students to respect the writers by remaining quiet throughout the halls, and move quietly to the library, caferia, or out of the school building. For secondary students, they should only be at school on days that have been scheduled to write an exam.

Graduating student, Seth, has been awarded the prestigious Schulich Leadership Scholarship. Seth will receive $120,000 over 4 years of his University Education. Seth will be studying Engineering at Dalhousie. Congratulations, Seth, this is an incredible accomplishment. We are all so proud of you.

From study art in French class to creating art in French class!

Grade 11 science students had the privilege to visit the labs and tour the campus at Loyalist College. These students were performing a bacterial DNA extraction and gel electrophoresis.

Throughout the year an amazing group of students and EAs delivery coffee (and sometimes candy) to staff. The profits from the program are used to help fund the S2C cooking program, subsidize buses and field trips, fund new games and supplies, buy treats for the class, and help to subsidize experiences for students that otherwise may have been inaccessible (like our weekly grocery store trip).

On this day, teaching staff Ms. Rymal, Mr. Conboy and Mr. Creighton suprised the students with a "reverse Coffee Cart" full of treats and hot chocolate!

The grade 7s set a goal to improve their class average in math class. They achieved their goal so Mr. Morris agreed to getting bejeweled!

The grade 8s travelled to Canada's Wonderland, the weather cooperated, the lines were manageable and everyone had a great time. Thank you to the staff who coordinated this opportunity for students and congratulations graduates!

In 2003 Students from La Salle followed a similar path down the Petawawa River from Lake Travers to Lake McManus in Algonquin Park. One of the people on the trip that year was Bert Horwood. Bert was a renowned outdoor educator and professor at Queen’s University and he loved being on the river. He was 73 at the time. When the trip was over he left us with this metaphor that has stuck with me and re-emerged in different forms over the years. He liked to say that the river was a teacher. As trips evolved over the years that fundamental metaphor stayed with the trip. What are we learning from the river this time around? The answer to that question often varies from person to person on these kinds of trips but in the end I think we all learn about ourselves and who we are becoming as people. To learn about ourselves we learn the lesson about the importance of traveling together and how to travel together. All of us bring things to these trips that help make the trip a more successful learning experience. Some of us are good at giving a laugh at the appropriate time to help carry a heavy load through a portage. Others are good at offering to help out, to wash the dishes, to cook a hamburger, to carry an extra load through the portage. Others show us how to embrace the natural world for what it is and the gifts that it provides us whether we are taking in the view as it passes or sitting out a rain shower on the bank of the river. The river though is constant, it has a power all its own, the river can be a raging torrent or it can be a peaceful meander, it helps us get down stream but it also presents us with obstacles while at the same time nourishing us with its waters.

One lesson that happens comes after every trip. The let down is often tough to deal with. It’s not that life is simpler on the river (sometimes it is). Travel like this requires an intensity of focus. You have to look at things that come to you and you have to deal with what is happening to you. Are you hungry? Are the bugs particularly bad on this portage? Are you prepared to take the risk required to run this rapid? The focus required to answer these questions is different from the day to day of the world and that is the power of the river as the teacher. As we gravitate more and more to the virtual, the focus on reality becomes a lot more important and the ability to look at it and make decisions about what is real and what is made up. It is the same focus that we need in everyday life but because of the nature of the day to day it becomes lost in a sea of stimulus. It is when that stimulus is replaced by the real that we are able to see everything for what it is and it is why we crave the next adventure.

In the end the let down is tough to deal with. It is tough to deal with because a lot of times it is the not knowing when the next time will be that we get to travel this way that is most difficult. We miss the deliberateness of traveling across the Canadian Shield with a pack on our back or a life jacket, a helmet and a paddle. We miss playing games around a campfire where the laughter that is only possible when we are all together occurs. Every canoe trip is special and as Isabel, one of the guides on the trip said: “when we walk through the halls of school and see each other we will all know that we shared this experience together and that will give us a connection that won’t have existed before”

Thanks to all the people who helped make this trip happen. The parent drivers, Gould Lake Outdoor Centre, the administrators who signed off on the trip, the Community Foundation of Greater Kingston who provided us with money to purchase much of the gear that kept us dry and protected us, Morley Jessup for sharing his land with us in Palmer Rapids, Marko Mrkobrada for his enthusiasm for all things river and wilderness related, and Stefi from Madawaska Kanu Centre who drove us and our canoes and equipment into Algonquin Park and provided us with a little extra stoke to make this trip possible.

Thank you to Ms. McEwen and the GSA for the great tie dye workshop! Some really awesome shirts in works! 😎

See the process unfold in pictures of a group project for Ms. McEwen and Mr. Conboy by students Paige Hedley and Camden Clayton.

Our grade 7 & 8 ultimate frisbee team faced off to win all of their games. Congrats to all who participated and thank you to the coaches for providing this opportunity.

On Tuesday, June 4th, members of our Intermediate Track & Field team returned to the Invista Center to compete in the Limestone District Finals. It was an incredible day where our Knights shone amongst the best in the District. Top 10 finishers were:

• Brynn Alblas - 9th in the 400m;
• Jacob Bell - 7th in the 100m, 3rd in Long Jump, and 3rd in Triple Jump;
• Reign Coleman - 9th in Shot Put;
• Elliot MacDonald - 2nd in the 400 and 4th Triple Jump;
• Spencer Nicholson - 6th in Shot Put
• and Tayah-Pratt Vallier - 9th in Triple Jump.

A special congratulations to our relay teams - The girls' team consisting of Joleen Karp, Tatyanna Martin, Maera Armstrong and Tayah Pratt-Vallier finished 11th overall and our boys team composed of Jacob Bell, Elliot MacDonald, Isaac Whidden and Spencer Nicholson placed 5th across the District. Amazing!

Congratulations to all of our athletes! You competed and ranked amongst the best of the best, many of you recording personal records. Well done, Knights!

Athletes Stella, Alex and Maddie represented La Salle at OFSAA Track and Field! Well done!

The junior and senior boys rugby team went as far as they could this season and both came back with a bit more bling! The juniors tied for third at the Barbarian Cup and the seniors won OFSAA taking the GOLD!

Senior art students, with the guidance of Ms. Rymal and Ms. McEwen, are working on 12 murals for Ecole Maple Elementary School.

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.

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 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!

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 in September. 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