Our Principal, Mr. Brent Pickering, is retiring on January 31st. His love and passion for all things La Salle will be greatly missed. As a student, teacher, and administrator at La Salle his mark will be forever cherished and fondly remembered. Brent is a tireless advocate for our school and our community; we want to take this opportunity to thank him for all he has done for La Salle and to wish him all the best on the next chapter in his life.

Once a Knight, Always a Knight.

I wish to inform the La Salle community that I will be retiring as of January 31st. It has been my sincere pleasure to have returned to La Salle for my final two and a half years. The La Salle students, staff and caregivers make up a vibrant, supportive community, that I have come to rely upon. I wish to thank all of you, for your support and understanding throughout our time working together!

It is my pleasure to announce that Jen Grasse has been appointed the new Principal of La Salle. Joining Mike Payne in the VP role will be Kirsti Siltanen. Kirsti joins us from KSS. I look forward to the continuing growth and success the new administration team will foster!

Brent

Dear families,

On behalf of the staff, we would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to La Salle Intermediate & Secondary School, home of the Black Knights. La Salle has much to offer – outstanding and innovative programs, beautiful facilities, an exceptional and supportive staff, and a safe learning environment. To ensure a successful startup, we are sharing key highlights of school culture in advance in hopes that you and your student can review and discuss them.

Respect. Everyone would agree that this is an important shared value. As outlined in the Ontario School Code of Conduct and the LDSB Progressive Discipline Policy (both found here on our school webpage), we must respect and treat others fairly, regardless of their race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, creed, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, family status or disability. We all need to consider the audience and impact of our words and actions and to remember that schools are places that must feel safe for everyone. Please consider viewing and discussing this short video clip with your student, and/or this more in-depth one.

Classroom Routines. In the community of almost 1,000 people at La Salle Secondary and Intermediate School, it is critical that we respect and observe the routines necessary to maximize learning. This September a focus will be on students arriving to each class on time and minimizing bathroom breaks and cellphone usage. Please see the Classroom Cellphone Use poster below that we are suggesting teachers use.

Academic Honesty. Technology is always changing, and there are new internet tools for content generation. If terms like Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, and generative tools are new to you, consider watching this video clip and having a conversation with your student about academic honesty. Our value is that student ideas and writing are cited properly or are entirely their own. Our academic honesty policy is also found on our webpage. For a view at the capability, see a computer-generated letter that was created instants after entering the prompt: “write a principal's welcome message 200 words about classroom routines, respect, and academic honesty”.

We're looking forward to a wonderful school year together!

Brent Jen and Mike

This month, Mr Severino launched the first ever La Salle chess tournament and 128 students from 7-12 have entered the tournament, which is now in its first round! Good luck Knights! (and pawns, and rooks, ...:)

Choices at 7 Memo - Updates, Deadlines and Community Communication:

For students and families who may be interested, please see the attachment below outlining Choices at 7 programming.

On January 11th, our Intermediate students enjoyed the therapy dog visit from LUV-A-K9. There were smiles all around! Please see the first three photos included in the snapshot below.

Excited to be a Black Knight? We can't wait to meet you!

Please join us at our Intermediate Open House on Thursday, February 8th .. Details can be found in the Flyer below.

A shout out to Ms. Kotsovolos and Student Council for organizing our beloved Therapy Dog Visit on January 11th. Our students enjoyed time to pet, cuddle, and admire our furry friends from LUV-A-K9.

Our school's Public Health Nurse Betty Betts visits to provide stress relief strategies for students.

Apply to be a Student Trustee for the 2024-25 school year ... details can be found in the poster below. Use the link provided to learn more!

Please explore the list below with your child and consider encouraging them to join a group - extracurriculars are an important way to build belonging, purpose and meaningful connections with staff members and other students.

If your child will be away from school for an extended absence, please ensure that your child completes an extended absence form. These forms can be obtained from our attendance clerk, Ms. Woods, in the attendance office. This form is a communication tool between teachers/administration and home to share expectations about what work will need to be completed while your child is away and/or upon their return.

This fall, the La Salle Student Diversity group coordinated celebrations of Diwali, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanza. The La Salle Student Diversity group meets each Thursday in Ms Grewal's room.

• January 25, 26, 29, 30, and 31: Semester 1 Final Culminating Activities and Exams
  

• February 1st: Buffer day in the event of Inclement weather during Semester 1 Exams

• February 2nd: PA Day (no school for students)

• February 5th: First Day of Semester 2 Classes

• February 8th: Grade 6 to 7 Information Night (for Ecole Maple Elementary School Families) from 5:30-6:30 pm

• February 13th: Intermediate Graduation Photos (more details coming as the date approaches)

• February 15th: Grade 8 Parent/Guardian Information Night 5-6:30 pm

• February 20-23, February 26-March1, March 4: Secondary Graduation Photos (see the attached document below for sign up information!)

• Monday, March 11th-Friday, March 15th: March Break (no classes for students)

• April 8th: PA Day (no school for students)

Details can be found in the doc below ...

The January Summative/Exam timetable has been created (see attachments below) and includes a day to account for potential inclement weather and bus cancellations. If buses are cancelled due to inclement weather, exams scheduled on that day will be rescheduled to the next exam day. Subsequent exams in the exam schedule will also be rescheduled to the next exam day. For example, if buses are cancelled on Friday, January 26th, Friday’s exams will be held on Monday, January 29th. Monday’s exams would be held on Tuesday, January 30th, Tuesdays exams would be held on Wednesday, January 31st, and Wednesdays exams would be held on Thursday, February 1st.

Schools will communicate with families through email, twitter, and our website, if the exam schedule needs to be adjusted due to inclement weather and bus cancellations. It will be important for families to watch for communication in the event of inclement weather. Students are expected to be present and available to write exams during the entire exam period, from January 25th through February 1st.

What will you wear for the next Black and Gold day? Check out our new online ordering platform below. A big thank you to Ms. Kotsovolos who has spearheaded this opportunity for us. Go, Knights, Go!

Math help is available daily to all students in room 206 at lunch and after school on Wednesdays until 4pm. Everyone is welcome!

• When buses are cancelled in the morning, schools remain open in LDSB and students can be driven to school. Buses will not run at the end of the day. You must arrange for end of day transportation at dismissal time.

• If your child is absent on an inclement weather day due to a bus cancellation, please report their absence using the SafeArrival App https://go.schoolmessenger.com/#/home.

A very generous donation from the Pittsburgh Benefit Fund has provided the opportunity for our secondary students to enjoy two new Apple computer labs. This is the first Apple computer lab in many years in the Limestone District School Board. We are very grateful to have the support of the wonderful individuals at the Pittsburgh Benefit Fund. Their generosity has opened doors to a new medium of learning for our students. Thank you!

Please enjoy a pic collage from Ms. Rymal that showcases student work on vector illustrations in our new computer lab.

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.

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.

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.

Our first school council meeting was held on Sept 26th at 6:30 pm. New members are welcome to join us at each meeting. Our next school council meeting will be on Tuesday, February 20th at 6:30 pm (virtual meeting). If you would like to participate, please email our Principal, Brent Pickering, to obtain access to the virtual meeting option.

Elected council for the 2023/24 school year:

Chair: Marsha Valente

Secretary: Stephanie Gratto

Members at Large: Stephanie Saunders, Laura Doherty, Todd Lamothe

Much appreciation to this team for their volunteer time in supporting our school!

Learn more about reducing the cost of school trip fees or school athletic fees. The rebate adds up over time, so don't delay! Watch this video for more information https://www.fundscrip.com/how-it-works, then learn more at the school website under Secondary>Athletics https://lasalle.limestone.on.ca/secondary/athletics.

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
Monday, April 8th, 2024 (Date changed!!! from Friday, April, 12th)
Friday, May 31, 2024
Friday, June 28, 2024

Email: lasss@limestone.on.ca
Website: https://lasalle.limestone.on.ca/
Location: 773 Highway 15, Kingston, ON K7L 4V3, Canada
Phone: (9-12) 613-546-1737 613-542-9733 (7-8)
Twitter: @LaSalle_LDSB