Dear La Salle Families,

We hope you had a restful March break and a positive return to routines. You will see from the photos below the engagement in the halls and classes as well as an international trip. It has been a wonderful start to spring.

Tonight La Salle will be taking over the Slush Puppy Place as the Kingston Frontenacs take on the Ottawa 67's. Funds from tickets sold will benefit our athletic program. It is not too late to purchase last minute tickets if you and your family are able to make it.

In coming weeks, midterms are around the corner for secondary students. Please encourage your child(ren) to seek out additional supports if needed as La Salle offers support every day at lunch in room 107 for all subjects, math supports every day at lunch in room 206 as well as Wednesdays after school, and teachers are also willing to support individual students as needed.

As a reminder, the next three weeks are shortened weeks with Good Friday, Easter Monday and the professional development day on Monday April 8th. This day, as you are aware, is the total solar eclipse which will be viewable in the Kingston area. All students will receive a pair of glasses to be able to safely view this phenomenon the afternoon of this day.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Mike, Jen & Kirsti

Students continue to be reminded of the policies in place at school to help ensure a safe place at all. Should you or your child have any questions please reach out and let us know.

Washroom congregating and vaping - Students should only be in and using the washrooms for their intended purpose. Those congregating when there is vaping may be searched (pockets, backpacks, lockers). Students with vapes or using vapes will be suspended and could face a fine from public health, and students repeatedly congregating the bathrooms may face consequences as well.

Slurs - Direct slurs will result in a suspension. Friend to friend banter is not okay and results in unintended consequences, and students and staff who walk by could also be hurt in the process: in both cases, using slurs goes against the human rights code.

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 secondary attendance office, and for elementary student from Ms. Jordan in the main 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.

• 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.

Students create beautiful works of art inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe.

Prior to March Break the 7s and 8s let loose on the dance floor with moves and vocals. The event was concluded with student, Ayana pi'ing Ms. Davis in the face as she was the winner of the pi challenge by reciting 102 numbers of pi (3.14...)

Ms. Cubitt and Ms. Farnell took the period 4 NBE 3U class to see Boil Alert at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival at The Screening Room.

Ms. Lawlor's grade 9 physical education class was happy to get outside and enjoy the weather!

Students in the gym and in one of the training facilities - keeping their bodies moving!

It's not too late for your child to explore the list below and join a group - extracurriculars are an important way to build belonging, purpose and meaningful connections with staff members and other students.

At La Salle in this past two weeks we have seen spirit days, celebrated Neurodiversity week, World Down Syndrome day with students rocking their socks, Ramadan Mubarak, and a trip to Greece!

This weeks highlight reel includes: curling, intersquad hockey and novice volleyball.

• Friday March 22nd: La Salle Athletics Fundraiser at Slush Puppie Place

• March 29th: Good Friday

• April 1st: Easter Monday

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

• June 24th: Intermediate Graduation

• June 27th: Secondary Graduation

Come out and support our La Salle Athletics Fundraiser at the Kingston Frontenacs hockey game on Friday, March 22, 2024 at 7 pm. Wear your LSS clothing!

BUY TICKETS HERE: https://am.ticketmaster.com/frontenacs/quickbuy?id=NjQ1

Before you shop... 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Our next school council meeting will be on Tuesday, May 21st at 6:30 pm (in person meeting). New members are welcome to join. The meeting will be held in student services.

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!

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