Together in Education:Family Update
October 23rd-November 3rd
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 Dates:
Dates of Significance October 22nd-November 10th
Islamic History Month
Woman's History Month
2SLGBTQIA+ History Month
Holocaust Education Week ~ November 1st-November 7th
Treaties Recognition Week ~ November 6th-November 10th
November 7th ~ International Inuit Day
November 8th ~ Indigenous Veteran's Day
* Please contact Mrs. Knowles at knowlesjo@limestone.on.ca if you would like any dates added to this list (we will update on a bi-weekly basis).
Lancaster Events
October 23rd ~ Picture Day
October 23rd ~ Th’owxiya: The Hungry Feast Dish - Mrs. Dowker
October 24th ~ Grade 7/8 Immunizations
October 24th ~ Grade Six Field Trip
October 26th ~ Grade 6-8 Bowling Trip
October 26th ~ Parent Council @ 6:00pm in library
October 27th ~ PA Day No School For Students
October 30th ~ Grade 4s to Grand Theatre
October 31st~ Orange and Black Day
Hot Lunch Schedule ~ Tuesdays
October 24th ~ 3 piece chicken fingers
October 31st ~ Pizza
November 7th ~ Panzarotti
November 14th ~ 3 piece chicken fingers
November 21st ~ Pizza
November 28th ~ Panzarotti
December 5th ~ 3 piece chicken fingers
December 12th ~ Pizza
December 19th ~ Panzarotti
Ms. Jarbeau ~ Plant Cycle Habitats
Mrs. Sidlauskas ~ Leaf Foxes
Mrs. Boriotis ~ Pastel Foxes
Kindergarten Outdoor Education
Ways to Help Students in Response to Acts of Hate
Many events taking place globally increase feelings of distress for students locally. World events, like war, accidents, natural disasters, mass violence, civil disorder, and conflict can impact individuals, classes, schools, communities and beyond, depending on their nature and scope. It is not uncommon for young people, and adults, to experience a range of emotions and to have questions about challenging world events. How students react to events will vary.
School Mental Health Ontario (SMHO) offers a range of supports for students, families, and educators. The resources provided by SMHO may help you support your student at this time:
- Listen to understand, not necessarily respond.
- If your student is not focused on the conflict do not dwell on it. Try to avoid having detailed adult conversations regarding the conflict in front of younger children. However, be available to answer questions to the best of your ability. Young children may not be able to express themselves verbally. Pay attention to changes in their behaviour or social interactions.
- For some, limiting exposure to media coverage may be important. Images of a disaster or crisis can become overwhelming, especially if watched repetitively. Young children may not be able to distinguish between images on television and their personal reality. Older children may choose to watch the news—be available to discuss what they see and to help put it into perspective.
- Be aware of your own needs. Don’t ignore your own feelings of anxiety and concern or anger. Talking to friends, family members, and mental health counsellors can help. Let them know you are concerned. You will be better able to support them if you can express your own emotions in a productive manner.
Canadian Paediatric Society has also posted tips for parents/caregivers to help support children and youth who may be experiencing feelings of anxiety, sadness, distress, isolation, or fear as a result of the Middle East conflict and associated social media images and videos circulating.
Our top priority remains to be the safety and well-being of our students. This is a responsibility we take very seriously. Additional resources are also available herehttps://bit.ly/3QaDt3K
October School Wide Spirit Events
Monday Oct 30th is the Pumpkin Carving Contest (drop off pumpkins in front foyer 8:15-8:30). Categories: Silly/funny, creative, celebrity, smallest, scary.
"Guess The Number" In The Jar Oct 30-31st. One non-perishable food item
Per guess.
Oct 31st Just Dance (Primary and Junior) and Intermediate Dance (Grade 7 &8)
Socktober
The senior & junior ministries of caring has started a new school-wide event called Socktober. The event runs from October 18 - October 31st. For the remainder of October, we will be collecting NEW socks to donate to those in need of warm winter clothing. The class that brings in the most socks by the end of October will get an extra 15 minutes of recess. Our goal is to collect 150 pairs of socks by the end of the month.
Headlice Checks
Please take a moment to read the information from the Canadian Paediatric Society on head lice: What does head lice look like? How do they spread? How to check for it? How to you treat head lice.
We remind families to check often for head lice as part of their routines.
Cross Country Regional Meet
Congratulations to the members of the Lancaster Running Club who participated in the Limestone District Regional Race yesterday at Fort Henry Hill. With over 80 athletes participating, Lancaster had the biggest team at the event, and all athletes should be congratulated on their excellent performances and effort.
As the goal of the day being to perform at the best of their abilities, their effort and commitment was shown by having each team win a team medal at the event. Special congratulations go to the Atom and Bantam Boys, who with the Bantam girls won team gold medals. Congratulations also go to the members of the Senior boys and Atom Girls who won team silver medals, and the Senior Girls team, who won a team bronze medal.
The day was filled with many outstanding performances. Of special note were Michael Irshkov, James Matthew, and Oliver Gibbs who finished 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the Atom Boys race. Mia Doucet and Julia Wang who finished first and second in the Bantam Girls race, and Atticus Andrecyk, Ethan Logan, Ryder Carman who finished 1st, 2nd, and 4th respectively in the Bantam Boys event. Noah Logan is congratulated for his fourth place finish in his first Senior Boys event.
Of the 82 athletes participating in the event, forty one athletes have qualified for the District Event.
Congratulations to all runners.
Cross Country District Meet
Congratulations to the members of the Lancaster running club who participated in the 2023 District Cross Country Championship yesterday at Fort Henry. Enjoying the beautiful sunny fall day, all 41 participating athletes did an outstanding job of competing to the best of their ability.
Special congratulations go to the members of the Atom boys and Bantam boys teams who won team metals. The Atom boys team benefitted from the outstanding runs completed by Max Roche and Hayden Bruce to win a gold metal tiebreaker against the Prince Charles Public School.
Of special note were the following performances:
Michael Irshkov, Oliver Gibbs and James Matthew who finished in the top five of the Atom Boys Race.
Atticus Andrecyk, Ethan Logan and Ryder Carman who finished 2nd, 4th and 6th respectively in the Bantam Boys Race.
Mia Doucet and Julia Wang who finished in the top ten of the Bantam Girls Race, and Noah Logan who finished 5th in the Senior Boys category.
Special thanks go to all the members of the senior boys and girls teams who helped guide the rest of the team through an outstanding season. Their leadership and guidance of the younger athletes was greatly appreciated.
Our season will resume after the March Break.
Terry Fox Run
How Do I get Information From The School?
LDSB schools and school board use School Messenger to send key messages, alerts and general communication to families. Lancaster uses this platform and will continue to use our Together In Education to provide updates to families. These newsletters are where we will share school-specific information and highlights of student work and events in the building. This newsletter is sent out via School Messenger and posted on our school Twitter account and website.
SchoolMessenger App: Download the SchoolMessenger App to stay connected. Use your mobile device to download and install the free SchoolMessenger blue app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store, the SchoolMessenger website portal, or from within the LDSB mobile app. *New families will be able to create their account after the first day of attendance.
The first time you use the app, you must select Sign Up to create your account. Please ensure you use the same email address your student’s school has on file. If you do not use that same email address, you will not be able to create an account.
School Day Online Payments
We are paperless and cashless at Lancaster. We use the platform School Day for online payments (field trips, milkshake days, etc) and for digital permission slip signatures. ALL families are required to sign up using their child's individual match key that will be provided within the first weeks of school.
Safe Arrival
Please use the Safe Arrival system to report your child's absence; do not call the school to report an absence. If your child is going to be absent from learning, please ensure you use the Safe Arrival system to report the absence. If your child will be late, you can register for a late arrival.
How to report your absence:
1. Toll-free telephone
- Call 1-855-257-9349 toll-free to report an absence using the automated phone system.
2. School Messenger App
- Use your mobile device to download and install the free SchoolMessenger blue app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store, the SchoolMessenger website portal, or from within the LDSB mobile app.
- The first time you use the app, you must select Sign Up to create your account. Please ensure you use the same email address your student’s school has on file. If you do not use that same email address, you will not be able to create an account, or may not be able to see the "Attendance" option. You may have already created an account when we introduced the Communicate broadcast system.
- Select Attendance, then select Report an Absence and follow the prompts.
- Visit the SchoolMessenger website portal.
- The first time you use the app, you must select Sign Up to create your account. Please ensure you use the same email address your student’s school has on file. If you do not use that same email address, you will not be able to create an account, or may not be able to see the "Attendance" option. You may have already created an account when we introduced the Communicate broadcast system.
- Select Attendance, then Report an Absence and follow the prompts.
School Year Calendar
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
Friday, April 12, 2024
Friday, May 31, 2024
Friday, June 28, 2024
Printable 2023-2024 School Year Calendar here.
Pick Up and Drop Off Routines
Lancaster Apparel available through our Spirit Store
Cobs Bread
Love tasty baked goods from Cobs Bread?? Every time you visit Cobs Bread Bakery at 770 Gardiners rd. in Kingston simply let them know you are supporting Lancaster School’s Fundraiser and they will donate 10% of your sale to us!
Let’s “Raise some Dough”!