In the last two weeks the school has been a hub of so many activities for students in and outside of the classroom. Monday is The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, originally and still known as Orange Shirt Day. This is a time to reflect and put into action learning and commitment.

Tuesday, October 1st is the annual Terry Fox Run for grade 7 to 12 students. Leadership students will set the course and staff will supervise and also participate in the event. Student leaders will be collecting donations from those able to contribute.

Wednesday evening, October 2nd we look forward to welcoming all grade 7 to 12 families from 5:30 - 7:00 pm. This is an opportunity for you to meet your child's teacher, learn about course curriculum, and see classroom spaces. No appointments are needed. The open house format is designed for you to make the acquaintance of each of your child's teachers and to hear about the learning that is occurring in their classes.

This week's addition of our newsletter is all about opportunities;

• To learn

• To participate

• To get involved

• To reflect

We hope that each and every one of your child(ren) see and find themselves in an opportunity they can connect with.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Jen, Mike, & Kirsti

Our first school council meeting was held on Sept 24th at 6:30 pm. New members are always welcome to join us at each meeting. Our next school council meeting will be on Tuesday, November 19th at 6:30 pm in Student Services. If you are unable to attend in person and would like to participate, please email our Principal, Jen Grasse, to obtain access to the virtual meeting option.

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!

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.

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 as (see graphic) 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.

On Sept. 27th, the LDSB Indigenous Education team organized a day of learning for La Salle Secondary classes with the theme of Resilience and Reclamation in honour of Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We came together and engaged in activities and teachings from Indigenous community members.

Over two days, students from grade 7-12 in a range of classes including English, Geography, Science, World Issues and Civics participated in a presentation and workshops by Jerri Jerreat from Youth Imagine the Future (https://youthimaginethefuture.com/ )

Jerri introduced our students to both new green technology and nature-based solutions that are being used successfully around the world and also here in Kingston. Students attending these presentations are inspired to design a better, believable future without fossil fuels and with more social justice, in creative writing bursts or in art. After, students are encouraged to create a short story or eco-art and submit it to this local, highly rated festival.

The director, Jerri Jerreat, is a published author and former instructor at St. Lawrence College. The festival is Sponsored by Queen’s University Faculty of Education, Community Foundation for Kingston & Area, KCCU, Sustainability Kingston, & others. Second Place winner of the Canadian Youth Climate Action Award sponsored by Pivot Green! This is the third year the team has delivered their presentations to schools across LDSB.

Kingston Transit and LDSB have partnered to provide bus safety training and unlimited-use bus passes for all secondary students.

Senior leadership students hosted the annual grade 9 day at Grass Creek Park. Students participated in a number of activities as seen below and built relationships to with our senior Knights.

Now that students have completed the safety components of being introduced into the shops, the hands on learning has begun!

Grade 7 students have been working away on their art projects.

Congratulations to all athletes for great play and great attitudes! Two silver medals is also an accomplishment to celebrate.

Basketball and volleyball are well into their seasons now, see https://kassaa.ca/ for the most up to date schedules.

Under the Lights Football Fundraiser is back October 10th! The event features a double-header football game, an epic match up between the Knights and Sydenham Golden Eagles. Please consider bringing cash for a voluntary contribution at the gate as well as to purchase 50/50 tickets and dinner at the canteen. Hope to see you and your family there!

We are excited to provide Kanyen'kéha (Mohawk) programming again for the 2024-2025 school year. Tahnee Bennett (Six Nations of the Grand River) is delighted to return as the language instructor for another school year. Tahnee is an advanced language instructor who has experience working with children and youth through Friendship Centres, other school boards, and universities. We will be offering programming via Microsoft Teams on Monday and Tuesday of each week, beginning on October 7th through to the end of the year. Please reach out to the school if your student is interested.

Math help is available everyday at lunch and after school on Wednesdays until 4PM in room 206 and they can contact Ms. Grewal at grewalsukhi@limestone.on.ca if they have any questions.

• • September 30th - National Day of Truth and Reconciliation
    
  • September 30th - Orange Shirt Day - Every Child Matters
  • October 2nd - Parent / Guardian Open House 5:30 - 7:00
  • October 3-4 - Rosh Hashanah
  • October 10th - Under the Lights - Football Game and Fundraiser
  • October 11th - Professional Development Day (no school)
  • October 12th - Yom Kippur
  • October 15th - Thanksgiving Monday (no school)

  
  

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.

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.

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