Together in Education
September/October 2018
Lancaster Drive Public School and Parent Council
Email: lancd@limestone.on.ca
Website: http://lancaster.limestone.on.ca
Location: 1020 Lancaster Drive, Kingston, ON, Canada
Phone: (613)634-0470
Twitter: @LancasterPSLDSB
Upcoming Events
Oct 2 - Coffee Time @ 8:00 on the schoolyard
Oct 2 - Parent Council Meeting @ 6:00
Oct 3 - Library Opens to classes
Oct 4 - Lancaster's Race Around the Park - first race @ 4:00
Oct 8 - Thanksgiving Monday, no school
Oct 9 - Jarbeau/Bruder to Fruition Orchard and Berry Farm
Oct 9 - Regional Cross Country race at Fort Henry
Oct 10 - Grade 7 Immunizations
Oct 15 - Open House Drop-in Evening 4:30-5:30
Oct 16 - District Cross Country race at Fort Henry
Oct 16 - Bus Safety Presentations
Oct 16 - Individual Education Plans go home
Oct 22 - Grade 4 and 4/5 class to "Fatty Legs" at the Grand Theatre
Oct 25 - SK/1 to Gr. 8 - French Ventriloquist performance 11:00
Oct 26 - PA Day, no school - School Improvement Planning
Oct 29 - Kindergartens to Maple Ridge Farm Visit - all day
Message from your Administrative Team
The beginning of any school year is an exciting and busy time for families and within the school community as we all dig in to set the stage for an amazing year ahead. Within our classrooms there is an eagerness to begin as we settle into our new learning environments and grow friendships both on the schoolyard and in the hallways. Staff have been engaging with students to bring their classroom communities together, establishing routines and a shared understanding of how to create a successful learning environment for all. Much effort is made to get to know students' academic, social and emotional needs so that classroom programming and supports are “just right” to help our students meet with success. As a school we have also focused on safety, setting time aside to practice procedures for fire and lock down drills and safe practices for arrival, playground play and use of the space we all share.
We celebrated the spirit of Terry Fox, learning about his strength of character and aligning it to some of our own goal setting this year. At our kick off assembly we reviewed important took time to review our school routiness and staff worked on the PA day to review and create school goals for this year. In this planning we inform our thinking by reflecting on student data and achievement, looking at student input on our school climate survey, and discussing the needs we see in our classrooms and on the school yard every day. We will continue this work at our next PA day and the creation of our school learning plan.
The fall season started with a burst of activity on the sports and clubs scene with our soccer teams competing at the end of September in the tournaments at Woodbine Park and our running club starting training through a wide array of weather conditions. At Lancaster we focus on developing both skill and player development but also invest in the athlete’s mindset, character and the life lessons that can be learned through sport. Dedication, working through hardship, celebrating the success of others, and the reward of working towards a common goal as a team are all key elements of the culture of sport and being a part of a team. We wish our runners great races as they participate in the cross country events at Fort Henry this month. Volleyball tryouts and seasons are just around the corner. : )
New this year in the realm of clubs and interest groups is a joint venture with Bayridge Secondary students who are launching a coding club at Lancaster, we are excited to see where students will take this new learning. We also celebrate the many student leadership opportunities available for students as lunch helpers, milk program leaders, green club, yard pals and learning buddies in classrooms.
Our students continue to learn outside of the walls of the classroom with trips taking them to Gould Lake Outdoor Education Centre, Maple Ridge Farms, Fruition Berry Farm and Apple Orchard, the Grand Theatre this month. We are fortunate to have our intermediate classes selected to be a part of the Experiential Technology program at Amherstview Public School this year as they explore hands-on learning in areas of woodworking and culinary arts.
It is with utmost thanks that we enjoy some new playground additions. The dedication and hard work of the group of parents who contributed to our Kindergarten Yard this summer is valued and appreciated by the staff and the wider school community. Special thanks to Krista Downie, Jenn DeJong who spearheaded the committee, parents who volunteered time, gathered donations and contributed money to our online fundraising efforts. We look forward to continuing to grow our outdoor learning spaces for all students at Lancaster.
At Lancaster we embrace the opportunity to invest in the growth, well-being and success of all of our students. We consider parents valued partners in the journey and invite open communication with our community. We look forward to another wonderful year.
Your leaders in learning,
Lani Fox and Sara Wellwood
Open House - October 15th 4:30-5:30
Lancaster will open it’s doors to families for an open house drop-in evening on October 15th from 4:30-5:30. Classrooms will be open for students and their families to tour and staff will be on hand to greet families and share classroom highlights. There will not be a BBQ portion of the event but fresh orchard apples will be available as a healthy snack as you tour the school.
Fall Food Drive
Thanksgiving is a time of food, family and tradition. It is also a time to recognize the many wonderful things we have and to perhaps help others in our community. This Thanksgiving, we invite you to join with us to support the Community and Family Services Fall Food Drive. Until the end of October, please donate non-perishable food items by sending them into school. Ms. Sidlauskas’ Grade 1 class will be helping to spread the word through the school and gather items from classes as the items arrive.
The Community and Family Services Food Pantry is set up as a grocery store so individuals can come and select items which best suit their household needs. For over 6 years, clients have felt more encouraged and respected while making food choices. This past year, the many food items were provided helped to support between 600-800 households per month. The following items are the most requested items from the Community Pantry:
* Cereal
* Coffee
* Tuna
* Pasta
* Rice
* Soup or Stew
* Canned Vegetables
* Canned Fruit
* School Snacks
Thank you for your generosity.
Letter from Parent Council Chair
Dear Lancaster Families,
Welcome Lancaster Lions’ families to the new school year! We hope you enjoyed your vacations and all the wonderful activities that come with the sunny days of summer. A special welcome to the new families that have joined our school this year. Your Parent Council hopes that you are excited and eager to be part of such a wonderful and supportive school community. Remember that your Parent Council is here to support you.
The hustle of the first few weeks of the school year are now behind us and everyone has settled into the busy routines of autumn. Your Parent Council has been busy too. Parent Council held its annual general election on the 18th of September and there was a great turnout. We are thrilled to welcome new and returning parents to take on positions to lead and represent us throughout the upcoming year. Our parent community is always welcome and encouraged to attend council meetings throughout the year too. It’s a great place to keep yourselves in the loop and to help make a difference in the learning environment for your children.
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Mike and I am your new parent council chair. My wife and I work full-time and we have 2 children attending Lancaster, with a 3rd eager to attend next year. We have both had wonderful and encouraging experiences with both the staff and teachers at Lancaster. The commitment and support they share is paramount to the growth of our children and is an inspiration to be proud of and to celebrate.
The parent council is involved in many great initiatives throughout the year, including fundraising, activity planning, and facilitating parent involvement. Our success is measured by our communities participation and we look forward to hearing from everyone. Much more to come…
And thank you for taking the time to read our parent council letter.
Sincerely,
Mike Marchand, Chair
Student Safety – Safe Arrival, traffic and parking reminders
Having each of our students arrive and depart safely to and from school is of utmost priority and a shared commitment between home and school. In June we updated our families about the timeline for the parking and traffic project that has been developed as a joint effort of the Limestone District School Board and Algonquin Catholic District School Board to address the traffic patterns on Lancaster Drive around school drop off and pick up times.
With this project slated to occur in the summer of 2019, we would like to make sure the Lancaster community is aware of and following the intermediary measures that are in place for student safety.
- Our school footprint within the community plan was designed to meet the needs of a primarily walking community. If your child, or you and your child, are able to walk to school please do so. This greatly reduces the congestion that occurs with the number of vehicles. Look into options of having an older student in your community walk your child to school as a “walking school bus”.
- Please pay attention to parking signs and do not park in places that are not designated as such. This reduces vision lines for other vehicles, for students who are trying to navigate their way to school and can also prevent our busses from entering their drop-off zone. It is essential that we are looking out for the collective not individual safety of our children. One person’s convenience can create very unsafe conditions for our students – please consider this at all times.
- When dropping your child off consider using some of the access points to Dunham park and schoolyard that are not out in front of the school. Arrange for the same meeting spot when picking your child up from school. These areas are quieter and offer more ease with finding parking and greeting your child at the end of day. Some of these access points can be found off of Limestone Dr., Irving Ct., Woodside Dr. (near Marsh Cres. and Crestwood Ave.) and Dunham St.
- On inclement weather days when it is rainy or too cold for students to be outside staff will invite students inside at 8:15 when supervision begins and students will wait in the hallways until the bell rings under staff supervision. To ensure the hallways are not crowded parents should not be walking their child to the classroom door (especially on days like these) as it creates even greater congestion in the hallways and can have the impact of creating a more stressful environment for students starting their day.
- The front doors of the school are not student entry doors. If you have dropped your child off they are to walk around to the back of the school and enter at bell time with their class. Students are best set up for a successful day when they arrive on time and are able to begin their day with their peers, receive valuable instruction and join in morning routines. If your child does arrive late they may enter the front doors and report to the main office to receive a late slip and have their arrival recorded on our attendance records. When signing your child in please do not walk them down to their classroom as this is disruptive to the classroom and does not reinforce in your child the skills and independence they exhibit throughout the day
Thank you to our families for supporting safe arrivals and departures for all of our students. We are a community of caring adults and share this responsibility with you.
Show Your School Pride - Order your Lancaster Apparel today!
Book Fair - THANK YOU!
A big thank you to all of the volunteers and families who supported the school book fair! We sold enough merchandise to earn back 60% of sales for classroom and library materials. Staff and students are grateful for your generous support!
~ Dawn Cunningham
Stay connected with board's new mobile app
The Limestone District School Board is excited to launch our new mobile app designed to enable students, families, staff and the broader community to stay informed about district and school news and events.
The free app (Limestone Dist School Board) can be downloaded for Apple in the App Store or for Android in the Google Play Store. Users can also select “push notifications” when they download the app to receive the latest news from the district and your school(s).
The new app will allow users to subscribe to their schools of choice and will provide families with instant access to school calendars and news items as well as links to sports schedules, busing information and social media accounts. New information will continue to be added to the app.
“Our new, official mobile app empowers everyone in our school communities to stay connected and up-to-date on the information that they want and need using the convenience of their mobile device,” says Director of Education Debra Rantz. “The app will allow the school board and our schools to manage and share content in a more timely manner with our families, students and staff.”
The mobile app is the latest tool in a new suite of electronic communication tools being deployed by the school board to improve communication with families and our school communities.
- New and improved district and school websites were launched in late spring.
- All schools will begin using a broadcasting tool called Communicate that allows the Board and schools to push important messages to students, families, and staff via voice mail, email or text message. The tool is linked to the Board’s student information system and families will choose how they wish to receive these important messages. Some schools are beginning the new school year with Communicate. All schools will introduce the tool by the beginning of October.
- The Board is piloting Safe Arrival, an enhanced two-way absence reporting tool with Southview Public School this September. This new system will make it easier for you to report your student’s absence, reduce the time it takes for our school staff to verify student attendance, and respond to unexpected or unplanned student absences. Safe Arrival will be rolled out to all schools during the upcoming school year.
- Some schools in the Greater Napanee area will begin piloting a cashless payment system that will allow families to pay for field trips, hot lunches and other items online. The system will also schools to include any necessary permission forms to increase efficiency and privacy.
We are excited to unveil these new tools to our school communities. We will share more information as each new tool is introduced. We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding as we improve to serve you better.
Coffee Time is Back!
This fun community building event has been sponsored locally this year by Starbucks.
Parent Council Account Balance
The Parent Council account balance
as of September 30, 2018 is
$5,545.50
Submitted by Kory Slovitt, Treasurer
Music Lessons
Piano
Tanya Bezanson
613.539.8342
Guitar
John Porter
613.328.6070
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