Dear Parents/Guardians,

It's hard to believe that November is already here. Last week many students recognized Halloween on Thursday with a fun day of wearing what they wanted. Some were in costumes and others in their favourite PJs or other outfits. Please remind your child to keep the "peanut" treats at home if they are bringing treats in their lunch.

Once again, we would like to wish "Happy Diwali" to those students who recognized this holiday at the end of last week!

November also marks the beginning of Indigenous Peoples Awareness Month at KPR. This month is an intentional time for students and staff to expand their learning, celebrate Indigenous excellence, and amplify the voices of First Nation, Métis and Inuit peoples. This week we recognize "Treaties" week (Nov. 3-9), Inuit Day (Nov. 7) and Indigenous Veterans' Day (Nov. 8).

School Council would like to thank everyone who support with the chocolate fundraiser. There is a message below from our Council Chair about some student winners. School Council would also like to remind all families of primary students (K-3) of the Movie Night on Nov. 15, 2024 (more info below.)

With rising food costs, our morning nutrition program is becoming more expensive to run. Thank you to everyone who support the last 2 months. If you are able to donate 25 cents a day or $5 a month to support this program, it will go a long way to help. Donations can be done through school cash online and it is open again for November.

Have a great week,

~Mr. Coulter

Nov. 11th - Remembrance Day

Nov. 15th - Primary Movie Night - 6pm

Nov. 19th - Picture Re-Take Day

Nov. 20th - Progress Reports Go Home

Nov. 22nd - Jr. Volleyball Tournament

Nov. 28th - School Council Meeting @ 5pm

Nov. 3-9: Treaties Recognition Week

Nov. 5: Veterans' Week Begins

Nov. 6: Gyan Panchami (Jainism)

Nov. 7: Inuit Day

Nov. 8: Indigenous Veterans Day

November is recognized as Indigenous Peoples Awareness Month in KPR and also Albanian and Hindu Heritage Month.

Jr. Volleyball practices will continue this week. Students, please listen to announcements in the morning for practice times. The area tournaments on Nov. 22nd will be here soon enough!

Our next school council meeting will be Thursday, Nov. 28th at 5:00pm in our school Library. Any parent interested in being part of school council is welcome to attend this meeting. 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 "Microsoft Teams" 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: RNPS Virtual Council Option at 5pm on the 28th.

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

This year we will offer, through Lunchbox on School Cash Online a different “hot lunch” every Wednesday. Up next, Papa John’s on October 9th. All money raised from our hot lunch program will go to our school nutrition program. LINK TO SCHOOL CASH ONLINE

If you are interested in volunteering at Roger Neilson PS, this is great news! However, you do need to have a police check on file with us. These last for one year from when they were issued. We have a letter that you will need from us in the school office. The link to get a police check can be found here: Link for Police Check

We would like to thank the "Children's Breakfast Clubs" for their support with our morning nutrition program. This started last week! 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. However, running a school wide program comes with a cost. We are hoping that families can donate 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!

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

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. REMINDER - ALL STUDENTS WHO QUALIFIED FOR A BUS HAD TO OPT-IN TO RIDE THE BUS THIS YEAR THROUGH THE PARENT PORTAL.

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.

Thanks to the generosity of the United Way. We still have some backpacks available in the office with start-up school supplies. If you are interested in obtaining one for your child, please contact our office and we are happy to help!

All students should bring a refillable water bottle to school labelled with their name. We have water bottle filling stations and drinking fountains throughout the school. We have few water bottles available for those students requiring one, but supply is very limited.

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!

Parent Involvement Committee Seeking Community Members

KPR’s Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) is seeking three community members with an interest in public education, to serve on the committee for a one-year term, effective November 4, 2024. To learn more about this volunteer opportunity, visit our website: https://www.kprschools.ca/student-and-family-support/parent-corner/parent-involvement/

Here is a link to our: School Code of Conduct

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

RNPS School Council Chairs 2024 - 2025:

Amanda Bush

Superintendent of Student Achievement:

Jodi Sepkowski

(705) 742-9773 ext. 2061

jodi_sepkowski@kprdsb.ca

Trustees:

Rose Kitney

rose_ kitney@kprdsb.ca

Steve Russell

steve_russell@kprdsb.ca