Friday, October 16, 2020
Dear KPR Families,
It’s hard to believe it’s mid-October already! Changing colours, falling leaves and cooler temperatures are a fitting reminder that, even in the midst of change, we can thrive. Our students, staff and communities illustrate this every day, by continuing to learn, grow and succeed, despite the stresses and uncertainties of today.
Following are the latest updates on education locally and provincially.
Virtual Parent Conference: one day away
KPR's Virtual Parent Conference is just one day away, and we’re making it easy for you to join us, on:
Saturday, October 17
9 a.m.-11 a.m.
Theme: Drop the Worry Ball
Featuring Dr. Alex Russell
You will be able to “tune in” directly to the Parent Conference on the morning of the event, by simply clicking on the following link:
https://kprdsb.webex.com/kprdsb/onstage/g.php?MTID=ec88524730938f91cc940009914595b06
Dr. Russell is a Toronto-based clinical psychologist, a frequent keynote speaker, and co-author of the book Drop the Worry Ball: How to Parent in the Age of Entitlement. We look forward to “seeing” you at the conference, and we thank our Parent Involvement Committee for supporting the conference every year.
Equity and Diversity Strategy Thoughtexchange
As we develop our Equity and Diversity Strategy for the next four years, we invite families to share their perspectives on equity priorities for our school board. Our Equity and Diversity Strategy guides our work in valuing equity, diversity, inclusion, and the dignity and humanity of all students, staff and stakeholders.
Your participation is important and valued. To gather your feedback, we are asking for your thoughts on one open-ended question. You also will have a chance to consider and assign a rating or ‘stars’ to the ideas shared by others.
Your thoughts and stars are confidential. You can come back as often as you like to participate in the Thoughtexchange, and, in fact, we ask that you do come back to star some of the new ideas shared by others. The ratings will help us understand the most important areas to focus on in our Equity and Diversity Strategy.
Here is the question:
We value equity, diversity, and the dignity and humanity of all people. We aim to remove barriers to success and engagement, and support equitable outcomes. From your perspective, please identify 2-3 priorities for our Board's Equity Strategy moving forward.
Please click here to participate: https://my.thoughtexchange.com/scroll/517289218
The Thoughtexchange will be open until November 9. Thank you for your participation and input!
Wanted: Parent Involvement Committee members
KPR is seeking parents who are passionate about student success and parental involvement in schools, to serve on our Parent Involvement Committee. Parents from each of KPR’s three regions will be selected for the Parent Involvement Committee at the following Regional School Council Association meetings:
Clarington, October 21, 7 p.m., email kpr_info@kprdsb.ca for details
Northumberland, Date TBA, email kpr_info@kprdsb.ca for details
Peterborough area, October 20, 6:30 p.m., email kpr_info@kprdsb.ca for details
The Committee meets monthly throughout the school year to support, and provide advice regarding, meaningful and inclusive parental involvement in all of our schools. For further information on the work of the Parent Involvement Committee, please visit http://www.kprschools.ca/en/our_schools/getinvolved/parentinvolvement.html
Switching to or from the Virtual Elementary School (VES)
An important reminder: if you would like to move your elementary-age child from in-school to online learning, you must start the process by speaking with the principal of your home school by Friday, October 23. This is the deadline to let us know if you wish to move your child to the VES on the next available start date of Monday, November 2.
Similarly, if you wish your child to start VES classes on Monday, November 30, you will need to contact your home school principal between November 2-20.
In other words:
To start VES classes on:
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Register:
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Monday, November 2
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By October 23
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Monday, November 30
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Between November 2-20
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Please note there will be no new start dates in December. We will announce details for January soon.
If you do choose to transfer your child to online learning, they will be supported by their home school until the next VES start date noted above. Families wishing to move their children from VES to in-person learning also can approach their home school principal. There may be a waiting period before their children can move, however, as the school must ensure it meets all provincial requirements.
KPR Virtual High School (KPRVHS)
As noted last week, all Virtual High School classes are full for this quadmester. The next entry point will be for the second quadmester, which begins on Monday, November 23.
Requests to transfer into online learning for the second quadmester will need to be completed by October 30, so that appropriate staffing can be put in place to accommodate new enrolment levels.
If you wish to transfer your teen either into the Virtual High School or back to their home school, please contact the Guidance department at your home school to begin the process.
Speaking of online information…
…with KPR’s increased focus on digital communication and the move by thousands of students to virtual learning, we are no longer printing our traditional “fridge calendar”. Here are some important dates that were approved by our Trustees and the Ministry of Education earlier this year:
PA Days: Friday, November 27; Monday, February 1; Friday, May 14 (secondary ONLY); Friday, June 11 (elementary ONLY), and Wednesday, June 30
Winter Break: Monday, December 21, to Friday, January 1
March Break: Friday, March 12, to Friday, March 19
The dates also are posted at http://kprschools.ca/en/our_schools/resources/schoolcalendars.html
Should there be any changes due to the constantly evolving nature of COVID, we will let parents know.
Working together to prevent COVID-19
And, finally, as we find ourselves in the “second wave” of COVID-19 cases predicted by public health officials, it’s even more critical to screen ourselves every morning for possible symptoms of COVID-19. Students and staff who feel unwell should remain at home, even if their symptoms seem as minor as a mild cold.
It’s easy to do this daily self-screening. Simply use Ontario’s online self-screening tool at https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/ or print it from https://covid-19.ontario.ca/covid19-cms-assets/2020-10/Screening%20Children%20v1.0%202020-10-01%20FINAL%20EN%20AODA.pdf
We also encourage you to download the Government of Canada’s COVID Alert app, which can let people know of possible exposures to COVID before any symptoms appear. That app is available at no charge at https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/covid-alert.html
Take care, and enjoy the coming weekend.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Leclerc
Director of Education