Dear Parents/Guardians,

I hope everyone had a great long weekend and enjoyed Easter if you recognize it and also the amazing sunshine that we had all weekend long as we kick off the beginning of April!

Once again please see the pictures below of our "Lost and Found" table. If any student is missing some mitts, gloves, hats, etc. PLEASE check our table to find it. There are a lot of items on there and will all be donated soon!

April 2nd is designated as World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) by the United Nations and has observed the day as a means to affirm and promote the full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for autistic people on an equal basis with others. We are encouraged to wear Blue on this day in recognition of WAAD.

A reminder that Monday, April 8th is a PA Day which was moved to this day from its original date of Friday, April 26th due to the Solar Eclipse happening on April 8th, 2024. For more information, please see the "KPR News section" of this Newsletter.

Please see the reset of the newsletter below for other important information, including some important Fundraising opportunities!

Have a great week!

~Mr. Coulter

Apr. 1st - Easter Monday - Schools Closed

Apr. 5th - Bus Evacuation Practice @ 9:30am

Apr. 8th - PA Day

Apr. 9th - Class Photo Day

April 18th - School Council Meeting @ 5:30pm in our Library

Apr. 25th - Primary Movie Night - Hold the Date

April is Recognized as Sikh Heritage Month.

Mar. 10th - Apr. 9, 2024: Ramadan (Islam) Continues this week!

April 1st - Easter Monday

April 2nd - World Autism Awareness Day - Wear Blue!

April 4 -5th - Jumu'atul-Widaa (Islam)

April 6 -7th - Lailat-ul-Qadr (Islam)

April 7th - World Health Day

We are extremely proud of the determination, teamwork, and most importantly, the sportsmanship the girls' team displayed in all of their games. After a back and forth championship game against tough competition, the girls finished a very respectful 2nd place! ~Ms. Martin

The boys' team did an amazing job playing hockey as well as representing RNPS with sportsmanship and determination. The team fought for a well earned 2nd place! ~Mr. Henderson

On Friday, May 10th, Pedal for Hope will be bicycling all the way to Roger Neilson P.S. for their 20th Anniversary! We would love for everyone to try to raise funds for this incredible cause. If your child raises money for Pedal for Hope, they can put this money into the SCHOOL CASH ONLINE (Live soon) or they can join our school team on: www.cancer.ca/pedalforhope.

For every $2.00 your child raises, they will receive a 'ticket’ that they can choose to put into either: a draw for a special prize, or they can toss a pie into one of our caring Roger Neilson Teachers faces (anything to support a great cause) at our school assembly!!!

The draw will take place on May 10th!! If your child is wanting to donate/shave his/her head, please let your homeroom teacher know. This will also be taking place at our school assembly after Pedal for Hope arrives to our school!!

Looking forward to a fun filled event!!

Just as the weather is warming up, the Grade 6 class is having a yummy fundraiser! Frozen Yogurt will be delivered to the students that purchase one every Thursday in the month of May!! There are seven different flavors to choose from, provided by YOYO's Yogurt Cafe on Hunter Street.

YOGURT FOR ALL DATES MAY MUST BE ORDERED ON SCHOOL CASH ONLINE ONLY BY NOON ON APRIL 25TH!!!

Don't miss out on this delicious treat!!! Unfortunately, no late orders can be accepted.

Funds raised will go towards the Grade 6 year end trip!

Our School Council meetings are held on Thursdays in our school library. Our next scheduled meeting is Thursday, April 18th, 2024 at 6:00pm. Any parent interested in being part of the school council is welcome to attend the meetings. We are always looking for new members. We meet once a month and there are a variety of roles and tasks that we need support with. Some don’t require much commitment at all. We will also offer a virtual drop-in if you can meet the first meeting via Cisco WebEx as the platform. If you do not have the use of a computer, a free app can be downloaded to most Smart Phones. To access the meeting, please use this link: https://kprdsb.webex.com/meet/kevin_coulter

If young childcare is a concern, we do have a few mature students available to help with that during the meeting too!

If you have any questions please contact Mr. Coulter. We hope to see you!

As we begin to plan for next year, please let your friends and family know they can visit kprschools.ca to register for Kindergarten and to learn more about KPR’s awesome Kindergarten classrooms, where children, and their learning, are supported by caring, professional educator teams.

Roger Neilson PS will also be hosting a Kindergarten Orientation Night on May 8th, 2024 from 5-6pm for our new students and their families!

Each day ALL students are offered something to eat in the morning when they come into the school. Not all students choose to take something to eat, but many do. We recognize the importance nutrition has on learning. We would like to thank the "Children's Breakfast Clubs" for their support with our morning nutrition program. However, running a school wide program comes with a cost. We are hoping that families would consider donating to our program if their child is accessing it in the mornings. Look for this opportunity on school cash online this week. $5 per month, which is roughly 25 cents a day would really help us out.

Thanks for considering!

We recognize that our parking lot is a concern. We sometimes do not have enough spots for our staff. The bus company has also asked that we continue to have room for them to safely enter our parking lot. We kindly ask families to not enter our parking lot with your car as it becomes crowed and unsafe for our school buses. We know this is not ideal, especially in inclement weather, but we thank-you for your support with this!

Before and after school can be very busy with picking up and dropping off students with many little ones around. We have also been asked to remind everyone to watch the language we use during this time around our students. Thank-you!

Arriving by car? Cars will not be permitted in the school parking lot BEFORE OR AFTER SCHOOL. Students are to be dropped off on one of the side streets and can use the sidewalks to walk to a designated entrance.

Arriving by bus? A staff member will be at the bus drop-off location to assist students getting off of the bus and to greet students. Students will go directly to their designated entrance.

Arriving by foot? Students are to use the marked crosswalks when arriving at the school. A staff member will be monitoring the entrances.

Arriving by bike or scooter? Please park your bike/scooter at the racks on the left side of the front of the school and then proceed to the sidewalks to enter the yard. For safety reasons, students are NOT ALLOWED to ride bikes or scooters in our parking lot. Please make sure to walk them to the rack when on school property.

Late to school? If you arrive after the gates have been locked, please go directly to front of the school, press the buzzer and wait for further instructions.

All busing information and issues happens through STSCO. Please use the link below if you have any questions or concerns.

Please ring the buzzer when arriving at the front door of the school and sign-in at the main office. We kindly ask that parents and caregivers not be in the hallways or going to classrooms during school hours unless they are volunteering.

Should you wish to speak with a teacher regarding your child’s progress, an appointment can be made by contacting the office or the teacher directly by email. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation. Your child’s safety and education is our number one priority.

Most communication from Roger Neilson and our KPR board office is delivered via text messaging or email. If you have not opted into these services and would like to, please do so. For text messaging, your cell number must be in our system. You can opt into text messages by simply texting the word “yes” to the number 978338. If your phone number or email is not registered in the school system, or you have changed your number, please call the school to update: 705-745-6456.

This Weekly Newsletter will be sent via email every Sunday evening, please check it for weekly updates!

A reminder, if your child is going to be absent, you can use the "very user-friendly" School Messenger app (a free download), to let us know. You can also call the student absence reporting system at 1-844-434-8119. This number is available 24 hours a day. Complete attendance information can be found at this link: https://www.kprschools.ca/en/our-schools/attendance-and-absences.aspx

Total Solar Eclipse – April 8, 2024

On April 8, 2024, a spectacular and rare celestial event is set to unfold over Canada, the United States and Mexico – a total solar eclipse! While schools will be closed to students on April 8th as a Professional Activity (PA) Day, this exciting event presents a unique educational opportunity for students and families.

The Government of Canada website has resources available to support learning and discussions about the solar eclipse, including information about how to observe the eclipse safely and a toolkit for educators and youth with age-appropriate activities.

School Year Calendar – 2024-2025

At this month’s Board meeting, the 2024-2025 School Year Calendar was approved. It will now be submitted to the Ministry of Education for final approval. Highlights of the approved calendar include:

1st day of classes – Tuesday, September 3, 2024

Last day of classes – Thursday, June 26, 2025

Winter Break – Monday, December 23, 2024 through to Friday, January 3, 2025
(Friday, Dec 20, 2024 will be the last day of school and Monday, January 6, 2025 will be the first day of classes)

March Break – March 7 to March 14, 2025

Final approval by the Ministry of Education is expected later this spring.

New Language Curriculum Grade 1 to 8 – A Guide for Parents

Ontario’s language curriculum for Grades 1 to 8 was updated last spring by the Ministry of Education for implementation beginning this September. The parent guide below provides an overview of the knowledge and skills that students will learn in each grade. Language, Grades 1 to 8: a guide for parents (gov.on.ca)

It’s that time of year again when the weather warms up, the ice and snow melts and it rains a lot more! This means rising water levels in our Rivers and Streams! PLEASE keep yourself safe by not going to near river banks or lakes this time of year. It can be very dangerous!

-if your child is currently 7 they are eligible to register. If your child is turning 7, they will be eligible after their birthday

-pick up is at this address:

All Saints’ Anglican Church

235 Rubidge Street

Peterborough, ON K9J 3N9

(the music program does not have a religious connotation; it is just using the space)

-the registration is to be put on a waitlist for November start

-your child does NOT require a letter of recommendation

If you have any further questions, please contact Rose Sanderson (rose_sanderson@kprdsb.ca) or Teresa Laton (teresa_laton@kprdsb.ca)

8:55am - School Gates Open and students can enter yard

9:10am - Morning Bell - Students Enter School

10:50 - 11:30 - Nutrition Break #1

1:10-1:50pm - Nutrition Break #2

3:30pm - Leaving Bell (Gates Open for Parents to Pick Students up on Yard)

Principal, Roger Neilson Public School

Email: kevin_coulter@kprdsb.ca
Website: rogerneilson.kprdsb.ca/
Location: 550 Erskine Avenue, Peterborough, ON, Canada
Phone: 705-745-6456
Twitter: @rogerneilson_ps