November 2nd-November 13th

Dear Lancaster Families,

We had a fabulous Spirit Week filled with school-wide activities and opportunities for our Lions to come together and celebrate our school community! Highlights included the many activities led by our Senior Spirit Ministries. The week included Primary activity rotations, spirit days, our annual Pumpkin Contest, and the exciting return of Intermediate division dances.

A heartfelt thank you to all of our staff members who helped organize and lead these events, creating such wonderful opportunities for our students to connect, participate, and make lasting memories.

We have also finalized our School Achievement Plan for the 2026–2027 school year, outlining a number of specific goals to support student learning and achievement. Our educators will continue to work collaboratively to strengthen literacy instruction, build math fluency, and use ongoing assessment to respond to the individual learning needs of our students. These goals will guide our work throughout the year as we continue to provide meaningful, engaging, and responsive learning opportunities for all of our Lancaster Lions.

We would also like to extend a BIG thank you to our amazing Parent Advisory Council (PAC) for their generous support with our classroom wish lists. Your continued commitment to our students and educators makes such a meaningful difference at Lancaster!

As we look ahead to the coming weeks, our school community will come together for our Remembrance Day Assembly on November 11th. We will also recognize Indigenous Education Month, providing meaningful opportunities for our students to learn, reflect, and deepen their understanding of Indigenous histories, cultures, and perspectives.

Wishing all of our Lancaster Lions and families a wonderful week ahead!

Yours In Education,

Ms. O'Hearn, Mrs. Bates and the Lancaster Team

Upcoming Dates to Remember

November

Indigenous Education Month / National Indigenous Disability Awareness Month

Monday, November 2nd ~ Grade 7&8 Immunizations

Tuesday, November 3rd ~ Sr. Boys and Girls Volleyball Practices

Wednesday, November 4th ~ Sr. Boys Volleyball @ Fairfield PS and Sr. Girls Volleyball Practice

Wednesday, November 5th ~ Jr. Ministry of Caring ~ Morning Recess, Guitar Club ~ Morning Recess, Sr. Girls Volleyball @ Fairfield, Sr. Boys Volleyball Practice

Friday, November 6th ~ Photo Retake Day

Saturday, November 7th ~ Inuit Day

Sunday, November 8th ~ Diwali / Bandi Chhor Diwas / Indigenous Veterans Day

November 9th-15th ~ Rock Your Mocs

Wednesday, November 11th ~ Remembrance Day Assembly: All Lancaster Families welcome. Assembly will begin at 10:30am.

Friday, November 13th ~ Progress Reports to families, Mr. Dee's class to bowling

Sunday, November 15th ~ Purdy's Chocolate Fundraiser Due

Monday, November 16th ~ Louis Riel Day

Thursday, November 19th ~ Parent Council Meeting 6:00 pm in library

Friday, November 20th ~ PA Day ~ No School For Students

Friday, November 24th ~ Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Ji

Friday, November 24th ~ Dairy Farmers of Ontario Kindergarten Presentations

December

Wednesday, December 2nd ~ Holiday Winter Concert (Dowker, Sidlauskas, Tidman, Jarbeau, Matthews, Steele). Afternoon and evening performances (times to be determined)

Friday, December 4th ~ Shop & Drop Evening

Thursday, December 10th ~ Parent Council Meeting @ 6:00pm

December 4th-12th ~ Hanukah

Wednesday, December 9th ~ Big Bear Creek Land Claim Anniversary

Friday, December 18th ~ Last Day of Classes

December 21st ~ Winter Solstice

December 24th ~ Christmas Eve

December 25th ~ Christmas

Annual Pumpkin Contest

Hot Lunches

We’re excited to offer hot lunch twice a week this year! Tuesdays will be ordered through School-Day, featuring pizza from Riverhead. Thursday lunches will be ordered via Lunchbox, with meals from Greek Town and some new options for students to enjoy.

Purdy’s Chocolate Fundraiser

Get a head start on your holiday shopping while supporting Lancaster Drive Public School!

We are excited to share that our Purdy’s Chocolate Fundraiser is underway! By purchasing delicious, premium-quality Canadian chocolates, you can help support our school fundraising goals, with up to 30% of sales returned to Lancaster.

It’s a wonderful opportunity to treat yourself, share some holiday cheer with family and friends, and support our amazing school community.

How to Participate:

• Order Online: Visit our Purdy’s Fundraising Campaign and join the Lancaster Drive Public School 2026 Fundraiser.
• Place Your Order By: November 15, 2026.
• Order Pickup: December 4, 2026, at Lancaster Drive Public School.

A Friendly Reminder about E-Scooters

E-scooters are easy to find, but they aren't toys and aren't designed for kids. In Ontario, you must be at least 16 years old to ride wherever e-scooters are permitted. 

In Kingston, e-scooters are not currently permitted. The City is developing a Micromobility Regulations Strategy — with updated rules around e-scooters, e-bikes and other lightweight, rideable transportation — to support safe, accessible and sustainable travel around Kingston. The strategy, which considers public engagement feedback and research into best practices, will be presented to Council for consideration later this year. 

E-scooters are not currently permitted on municipal roads, sidewalks, trails, pathways, or other public spaces within the City of Kingston. Individuals who choose to operate e-scooters or similar devices that do not comply with provincial and municipal regulations may be subject to enforcement action, including charges, fines, vehicle impoundment, and other penalties where applicable. Riders are responsible for understanding and complying with all laws governing the operation of these devices.

Find out more at Micromobility Regulations | Get Involved Kingston by Communications & Public Engagement.”

Arrival & Pickup Safety Reminder

This is a gentle reminder that Lancaster has two designated accessible parking spaces at the front of the school, as well as a designated bus loading zone. We kindly ask all families and visitors to be mindful of these designated areas and help ensure they remain available for those who require them.

Thank you for your cooperation and support in helping keep our arrival and dismissal routines safe and efficient for everyone!

CPICs For Volunteers

For the safety of our students and school community, all volunteers are required to have a recent vulnerable sector police check completed within 6 months of their volunteer start date. Existing CPICs are valid for 5 years. To help make the process easier, we will provide prospective volunteers with a letter to take to the police detachment that serves the area where they live. The letter must be completed by a school representative before you take it to the police. Once you receive your completed police record check, please upload it to the LDSB Police Record Check Portal. Human Resources will review the record check and will contact you if any additional information or follow-up is required. Thank you for helping us create a safe and welcoming environment for all of our students!

Lancaster SAC Meeting Dates

Schedule of Parent Council Meetings for the year, please join us! 

·        November 19, 2026 – 6pm

·        December 10th, 2026 – 6pm

·        February 18, 2027 – 6pm

·        April 15, 2027 – 6pm

·        May 20, 2027 – 6pm

·        June 3, 2027 – 6pm

- Riverhead Family Pizza Night October 30th (see flyer for details)

- Purdys Chocolate Fundraiser - Campaign will start November 2nd! 

Allergy Awareness

We would like to gently remind Lancaster families that we have students in our school with severe, life-threatening anaphylactic allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, peas, and lentils.

We kindly ask families to keep these allergies in mind when packing lunches and snacks and to take a moment to carefully check ingredient labels. These ingredients can sometimes be found in unexpected foods and snacks.

Thank you so much for your continued care, understanding, and cooperation. By working together, we can help ensure that Lancaster remains a safe, welcoming, and inclusive place for all of our students.

Concussion Protocol - UPDATED!

LDSB is committed to helping all students succeed and lead safe, healthy, and active lives. As part of its commitment to student safety, injury prevention, and well-being, the Ministry of Education supports concussion awareness, prevention, identification, management, tracking, and training in schools through legislation, policy, and resources. Click HERE for more information on the LDSB website.

The office calls home for all students who have a head injury/suspected concussion. If a student has one or more symptoms of a concussion they are given an orange bracelet are will not particiapte in any physical activity (i.e., physical education, DPA, recess) until cleared (signed off) by a caregiver and/or medical professional using Form 142-D: Documentation of Medical Examination. We encourage all students with symptoms of a concussion to be picked up from school and monitored by a caregiver and assessed by a medical professional.

The Concussion Protocol has been updated to align with the Canadian Guideline on Concussion in Sport (2024) and current international concussion guidance. The changes simplify the Return to Learn (RTL) and Return to Physical Activity (RTPA) process and support a safe, gradual, symptom-informed return to school and activity.

Key changes include:

• Simplified RTL and RTPA stages: Several stages have been combined to create a clearer and more consistent progression for students, families, and staff. • Earlier return to school: Students may return to school as early as Stage 2, with appropriate supports and monitoring of symptoms.

• Symptom-informed progression: Mild and brief increases in symptoms during Stages 1–3 may be acceptable if symptoms resolve within one hour.

• Earlier medical clearance: Medical clearance from a medical doctor or nurse practitioner is required after successful completion of RTPA Stage 3 and before beginning Stage 4.

• Symptoms after medical clearance: If symptoms return during Stages 4–6, the student must return to Stage 3 and be reassessed by a medical doctor or nurse practitioner.

• School responsibility: The designated lead is responsible for monitoring the student's progression through the RTL/RTPA stages and ensuring medical clearance is received before Stage 4.

• Parent/guardian responsibility: Parents/guardians are responsible for communicating changes in symptoms and providing written medical clearance following RTPA Stage 3.

Safe Arrival - Reporting a Student's Absence

There are three options for families to use to report a student's absence:

• SchoolMessenger App on your phone.
• SchoolMessenger website portal.
• call the automated attendance phone line at 1-855-257-9349

**Always enter "lates" as a full day even if the child will only be absent for half a day. It will adjust automatically once the student arrives.
For more information on how to report an absence please watch the video below or contact Mrs. Davies in the office.

Daily Schedule

Allergen Awareness - Nut-Free School

Thank you for packing nut-free snacks! Please communicate with teachers before sending any treats in for your student's class.