Friday, November 30, 2012

This week, our Terry Fox Helpers received a beautiful thank you letter from Martha, the Provincial Director, for their service to the foundation. Congratulations to Daniel, Jacob, Neave, Regan, Johanthan, Lulu (all in grade 2), Eilis, Fox and David (grade 3), David, Veronica and Miranda (grade 5), and a special mention to Annabel, Grace, Frances, Dana and Nicolette, all in grade 7 who have volunteered for the last four years. Special recognition also goes to Jason, a cancer survivor himself!

Mr. Bracht asked me to tell you that the Phys. Ed website is down and the kids have a schedule in their homerooms.

We are very proud of our students' academic achievements thus far. The preliminary DRA ( a reading diagnostic our primary teachers complete) show that in grade one, 42% of our students are approaching level, 32% are at level and 20% are already above level. 25% of our grade 2 students are at level and 69% are above, while are grade three students measure at 5% approaching, 35% at level and 57% above. We are very happy with these results at this point of the year.

Time to say goodbye to November! Have a great weekend!

December
3rd-Scientist in the School-Mrs. Perrin and Mrs. Wilson
5th-Sr Boys' Vball @ LKS
6th-Mrs. Olson, Mrs. Gibson, Ms. Hall to Young People's Theatre; Jr Boys' Vball
7th-PA Day
13th-Middle School Concert at 1:30 p.m.
14th-Grade 6-8 Dance
17th-Grade 7 & 8 Immunization-morning; Kindergarten Holiday Sharing Assembly
20th-Pizza Day; Grade 1-5 Musical Sharing Assembly at 10:30 a.m.
24th-January 4th-Holidays

JANUARY
7th-School Begins
8th-Police Visits for Grade 1 and 4
17th-Police Visits for Grade 2 and 5
22nd-Police Visits for Grade 6 & 8
24th-Pizza Day
25th-PA Day
29th-MADD Canada Presentation with grade 7 & 8s

FEBRUARY
1st-Optional Attendance Due date for Secondary Schools; Grade 6 Scientist in the School
11th- Report Cards Go Home!
15th-PA Day
18th-Family Day!
19th-Grade 8 Course Selection Sheets due to Secondary Schools
22nd-Pizza Day
27th-Grade 8 Grad Photo

MARCH
11th-15th-March Break
28th-Pizza Day
29th-Good Friday

APRIL
1st-Easter Monday
26th-Pizza Day

MAY
20th-Victoria Day
24th-Sharing Assembly
28th-Grade 3 and 6 EQAO begins
31-Pizza Day

JUNE
7th-PA Day
14th-Grade 8 Graduation
17th-21st-Grade 8 Quebec Trip
18th-Sharing Assembly
26th-Report Cards Go Home
27th-Lunch on the Lawn (Pizza Day); Year End Assembly; Last day for students

Thursday, November 22, 2012

I had to finish my blog early this week. It's been a great week at LKS! Staff continued to work on their "inquiry" projects in teams and shared the progress with their colleagues. As many of you know, professional development is instrumental in improving teaching practices and student achievement. We will continue this good work throughout the year.

Staff also had the opportunity to learn about the IXL math program the grade 4 and 5 teachers are using with their students. It's an on-line program the students are using to supplement their math program. I observed one of the classes using the software and it is evident the kids love the program. They can practise their skills by answering questions and there are rewards and incentives also! We will continue to study the correlations between the use of the program and the students' results.

The students had the opportunity to view a short documentary on Internet safety. The grade 1-4 students were taught some simple "do's and don'ts" to follow when using the computer, and the grade 5-8 students delved into a more complex issue; namely cyberbullying. I'll refer you to the following link for more strategies if you want to follow up at home: http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/kids-enfants/bullying-intimidation/index-eng.phputm_campaign=CHS1213&utm_source=bing_en&utm_content=ADV0096-12_sem-ad-1_en&utm_medium=cpc&utm_keyword=cyberbullying

I hope you have a great weekend!


Dates to Remember
27th-Kindergarten Sharing Assemblies at 9:00ish and 12:35ish
30th-Pizza Day

DECEMBER 2012
7th-PA Day
12th-Mrs. Olson, Mrs. Gibson, Ms. Hall to Young People's Theatre
13th-Middle School Concert at 1:30 p.m.
14th-Grade 6-8 Dance
17th-Grade 7 & 8 Immunization-morning
20th-Pizza Day; Grade 1-5 Musical Sharing Assembly at 10:30 a.m.
24th-January 4th-Holidays

JANUARY
7th-School Begins
8th-Police Visits for Grade 1 and 4
17th-Police Visits for Grade 2 and 5
22nd-Police Visits for Grade 6 & 8
24th-Pizza Day
25th-PA Day

FEBRUARY
1st-Optional Attendance Due date for Secondary Schools; Grade 6 Scientist in the School
11th- Report Cards Go Home!
15th-PA Day
18th-Family Day!
19th-Grade 8 Course Selection Sheets due to Secondary Schools
22nd-Pizza Day
27th-Grade 8 Grad Photo

MARCH
11th-15th-March Break
28th-Pizza Day
29th-Good Friday

APRIL
1st-Easter Monday
26th-Pizza Day

MAY
20th-Victoria Day
24th-Sharing Assembly
28th-Grade 3 and 6 EQAO begins
31-Pizza Day

JUNE
7th-PA Day
14th-Grade 8 Graduation
17th-21st-Grade 8 Quebec Trip
18th-Sharing Assembly
26th-Report Cards Go Home
27th-Lunch on the Lawn (Pizza Day); Year End Assembly; Last day for students

Friday, November 16, 2012

It's been a busy week with parent/teacher interviews. We've had 727 interviews since Monday.

Just a reminder that if your child will be away, please call 416-394-7897 to leave a message. The line is checked by the office regularly. Thank you.

Next week, you'll see that we have special programs in the school, including Scientist in the School and Author Visits. Both of these programs are funded through fundraising. These types of programs are what make LKS so great.  Thank you for providing these special opportunities that enhance the students' academic programs.

Have a great weekend everyone! Please remember there is no school on the 16th.

NOVEMBER
20th-Scientist in the School-Mrs. Hall
21st-Student Assembly-Topic: Bullying
22nd-Author Visit (and 23rd)
23rd-Grade 7 & 8-Musical performance by ECI
27th-Kindergarten Sharing Assemblies at 9:00ish and 12:35ish
30th-Pizza Day

DECEMBER 2012
7th-PA Day
12th-Mrs. Olson, Mrs. Gibson, Ms. Hall to Young People's Theatre
13th-Middle School Concert
14th-Grade 7 & 8 Immunization; Grade 6-8 Dance
20th-Pizza Day; Grade 1-5 Musical Sharing Assembly-morning
24th-January 4th-Holidays

JANUARY
7th-School Begins
8th-Police Visits for Grade 1 and 4
17th-Police Visits for Grade 2 and 5
22nd-Police Visits for Grade 6 & 8
24th-Pizza Day
25th-PA Day

FEBRUARY
1st-Optional Attendance Due date for Secondary Schools; Grade 6 Scientist in the School
11th- Report Cards Go Home!
15th-PA Day
18th-Family Day!
19th-Grade 8 Course Selection Sheets due to Secondary Schools
22nd-Pizza Day
27th-Grade 8 Grad Photo

MARCH
11th-15th-March Break
28th-Pizza Day
29th-Good Friday

APRIL
1st-Easter Monday
26th-Pizza Day

MAY
20th-Victoria Day
24th-Sharing Assembly
28th-Grade 3 and 6 EQAO begins
31-Pizza Day

JUNE
7th-PA Day
14th-Grade 8 Graduation
17th-21st-Grade 8 Quebec Trip
18th-Sharing Assembly
26th-Report Cards Go Home
27th-Lunch on the Lawn (Pizza Day); Year End Assembly; Last day for students

Friday, November 9, 2012

On Friday, we will be holding our Remembrance Day Assembly at 10:30 a.m. in the gym to honour those who served for Canada. Poppies will be given to all the children. A small donation will be collected for the Royal Canadian Legion until November 15, 2012. If you would like more information to share at home, please visit http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/ for resources.

Just a reminder that Progress Reports will be sent home on Monday. A letter from me will be attached to the weekly grade parent email. We look forward to parent/teacher interviews next week.

As you may know, full-day Kindergarten will be available at LKS in 2014. Currently, our kindergarten teachers are preparing by visiting demonstration classes and learning about the "Inquiry-based model of learning" that supports the program. LKS will be invited to implementation workshops starting in 2013. We will make sure the community is kept abreast of new information forthcoming.

Please keep informed of labour negotiations via the TDSB website, the local trustee or your MP's office. Currently, we have some activities that continue at LKS.

NOVEMBER 2012

12th-Report Cards Go Home
16th-PA Day
21st-Student Assembly-Topic: Bullying
22nd-Author Visit
23rd-Grade 7 & 8 Author Visit; ECI visits grade 8 classes
27th-Sharing Assembly: Empathy
30th-Pizza Day

DECEMBER 2012
7th-PA Day
12th-Mrs. Olson, Mrs. Gibson, Ms. Hall to Young People's Theatre
13th-Middle School Concert @ 7:00 p.m.
14th-Grade 7 & 8 Immunization; Grade 6-8 Dance
20th-Pizza Day
24th-January 4th-Holidays

JANUARY
7th-School Begins
8th-Police Visits for Grade 1 and 4
17th-Police Visits for Grade 2 and 5
22nd-Police Visits for Grade 6 & 8
24th-Pizza Day
25th-PA Day

FEBRUARY
1st-Optional Attendance Due date for Secondary Schools; Grade 6 Scientist in the School
11th- Report Cards Go Home!
15th-PA Day
18th-Family Day!
19th-Grade 8 Course Selection Sheets due to Secondary Schools
22nd-Pizza Day
27th-Grade 8 Grad Photo

MARCH
11th-15th-March Break
28th-Pizza Day
29th-Good Friday

APRIL
1st-Easter Monday
26th-Pizza Day

MAY
20th-Victoria Day
24th-Sharing Assembly
28th-Grade 3 and 6 EQAO begins
31-Pizza Day

JUNE
7th-PA Day
14th-Grade 8 Graduation
17th-21st-Grade 8 Quebec Trip
18th-Sharing Assembly
26th-Report Cards Go Home
27th-Lunch on the Lawn (Pizza Day); Year End Assembly; Last day for students

Friday, November 2, 2012

What makes a great community? I think one thing that makes a great community is the willingness to come together at events like Hallowe'en. What could have been a dreary and depressing time turned out to be a great day. The weather wasn't very cooperative, so we hosted the parades inside this year.  I loved how our older classes stood in the hallways to create a bigger crowd for our afternoon kindergarten students. It was touching to see how kind they were to the little ones. They really tried to make the day special for the kindies.  That's what community is at LKS! 

The grade 8 classes also hosted the Haunted House the day before. All proceeds go to cutting costs  (i.e. spending money) on the graduation trip.  The grade 6-8 Student Council should also be thanked for hosting the first dance of the year. The kids really enjoy the dances. Any extra funds raised at the dances will go to a worthy cause. 

Yes, the candy is great at Hallowe'en, but thank you to the Seeds of Hope Club for reminding us that there are less fortunate people who live in our city that need to be shown care and respect. The group organized a food drive over the last week and the Daily Food Bank picked up all the donations today. For those of you who don't know, the Seeds of Hope Club is a group of older students who focus on social justice concerns at local and global levels. 

This week was busy for the teachers as they continued working on their team projects. Each year, the teachers usually work in teams to focus on an aspect of their teaching practices to improve student achievement. They learned about a new planning directive through the Board called the "Inquiry Based Planning". The framework basically takes you through an adapted version of a good science experiment starting with formulating a question or hypothesis. For example, "How do graphic organizers affect students' recount of a written passage?" or "How does the amount of time spent using the Khan Academy impact students' achievement levels in math?"  We'll continue to work through our questions throughout the year.

We look forward to seeing you at the Remembrance Day Assembly next Friday, November 9th at 10:30 in the gym.

I hope you have a great weekend. Apparently, we might get a little reprieve from the rain. Don't forget to book your interview on-line next week. 

NOVEMBER 2012

5th-9th-Parents book on-line interviews-Please see Grade Parent email

9th-Remembrance Day Assembly

12th-Report Cards Go Home

16th-PA Day
21st-Student Assembly-Topic: Bullying
22nd-Author Visit

23rd-Grade 7 & 8 Author Visit
27th-Sharing Assembly: Empathy

30th-Pizza Day

DECEMBER 2012

7th-PA Day

13th-Middle School Concert @ 7:00 p.m.

14th-Grade 7 & 8 Immunization; Grade 6-8 Dance

20th-Pizza Day

24th-January 4th-Holidays

JANUARY

7th-School Begins

8th-Police Visits for Grade 1 and 4

17th-Police Visits for Grade 2 and 5

22nd-Police Visits for Grade 6 & 8

24th-Pizza Day

25th-PA Day

FEBRUARY
1st-Optional Attendance Due date for Secondary Schools; Grade 6 Scientist in the School

11th- Report Cards Go Home!

15th-PA Day

18th-Family Day!
19th-Grade 8 Course Selection Sheets due to Secondary Schools

22nd-Pizza Day
27th-Grade 8 Grad Photo

MARCH

11th-15th-March Break

28th-Pizza Day

29th-Good Friday

APRIL

1st-Easter Monday

26th-Pizza Day

MAY

20th-Victoria Day
24th-Sharing Assembly
28th-Grade 3 and 6 EQAO begins

31-Pizza Day

JUNE

7th-PA Day

14th-Grade 8 Graduation

17th-21st-Grade 8 Quebec Trip

18th-Sharing Assembly

26th-Report Cards Go Home

27th-Lunch on the Lawn (Pizza Day); Year End Assembly; Last day for students

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Just a reminder not to send any candy that contains nuts to the school please. We just reminded the students at the end of the day.  We've picked up a few packages of candy that contained nuts today (i.e. M & M Peanuts). For the safety of our children, please check the candy before coming to school.
Thank you in advance.