Thursday, December 19, 2013

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Lanis for all that he has accomplished at LKS over the last four years. He has worked hard to support staff on programming and spent hours as an advisor for extra-curricular activities. We wish him the best of luck at his new school and in his new role as Principal. 

I'd like to thank the community for a great first term. The students have accomplished so much both inside and outside the classroom, with staff and parent support. I'm really looking forward to next term as we begin registering  little ones for kindergarten. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday with their friends and family. We will see you on January 6th. 

January-Teamwork

 6th-School Begins

9th-Author Visit
14th-Special Education Grade 8 Reviews 

15th-Officer Rich visits Grade 1 and 2 
17th-Pizza Lunch  
20th-Parent Council @ 7:00 p.m.; 6:15-Question/Answer Period for LKS JK Parents (FDK); Primary Concert @ 6:30 p.m.  
21st-Grade 1-7 Special Education Reviews 

24th-PA Day
28th and 29th -Scientist in School-Grade 2 and Combined Grades 

30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Primary Concert @ 6: 30 p.m. 

31st-Grade 1-3 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

February-Fairness

3rd-Grade 4-8 Sharing Assembly 
10th-Report Cards Go Home 
11th and 12th-Kindergarten Registration 
13th-Grade 7 Scientist in the School 
17th-Family Day 
19th-Officer Rich visits Grade 5 and 6 
24th-Parent Council at 7:00 p.m. 
26th-Grade 3 and 2/3 to AGO 
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

March-Honesty

7th-PA Day

10th-14th-March Break
17th-Author Visit-Grade 4-8 

27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

April-Co-operation
1st-Scientist in the School-Mrs. Burn's Class 
16th-Earth Ranger's Presentation 
18th-Good Friday and Easter Monday 

24th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

May-Integrity

19th-Victoria Day

26th-EQAO Begins

29th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

June-Perseverance

6th-PA Day
12th-Grade 8 Graduation 
16th-Grade 9 Graduation Trip 

18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly

23rd-Report Cards Sent Home

27th-Last Day for Students; Lunch on the Lawn (Last Pizza Day)

Every November and December, we analyze our school's reading data.  Teachers will use the data in the classroom to create reading groups and monitor progress throughout the year. As a staff, we use the data in combination with other assessments, when analyzing overall school achievement. Currently, 63% of our grade 1 students, 83% of our grade 2 students, and 92% of our grade 3 students are reading at or above text level.  This data is similar to past results. These scores are largely due to the work being done in the classroom in conjunction with what you do at home. Reading at home and parental engagement in your child's school work is directly linked to high achievement. We are so proud of our students successes in this area. In the past, we have shared with you how we compare to Board results, but the school board is no longer allowed to collect this reading data.  We will be analyzing our junior results in the near future. 

Finally,  Mr. Lanis has been promoted to Principal. His last day will be next week as he will begin his new posting after the holidays. Mr. Lanis has provided curriculum support to our staff and guidance to our support staff. He has been an advisor to the students on teams and clubs. We are really going to miss his presence at LKS. We wish him success and happiness in his new role. Congratulation Mr. Lanis! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend. 

December-Kindness and Caring 
16th-Grade 6-8 Middle School Concert @ 6:30 p.m.; Delivery of Stonegate Gift Baskets 

17th-Carol Singing-morning; Sr Boys Vball City Finals 

18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day-Postponed until January 17

19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Carol Singing-afternoon; Last Day for Students/Staff  

20th-Holidays Begin

January-Teamwork

 6th-School Begins

9th-Author Visit
14th-Special Education Grade 8 Reviews 

15th-Officer Rich visits Grade 1 and 2
17th-Pizza Day  
20th-Parent Council @ 7:00 p.m.; 6:15-Question/Answer Period for LKS JK Parents (FDK) 
21st-Grade 1-7 Special Education Reviews 

24th-PA Day
28th and 29th -Scientist in School-Grade 2 and Combined Grades 

30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Primary Concert @ 6: 30 p.m. 

31st-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

February-Fairness

10th-Report Cards Go Home 
11th and 12th-Kindergarten Registration 
13th-Grade 7 Scientist in the School 
17th-Family Day 
19th-Officer Rich visits Grade 5 and 6 
24th-Parent Council at 7:00 p.m. 
26th-Grade 3 and 2/3 to AGO 
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

March-Honesty

7th-PA Day

10th-14th-March Break
17th-Author Visit-Grade 4-8 

27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

April-Co-operation
1st-Scientist in the School-Mrs. Burn's Class 
16th-Earth Ranger's Presentation 
18th-Good Friday and Easter Monday 

24th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

May-Integrity

19th-Victoria Day

26th-EQAO Begins

29th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

June-Perseverance

6th-PA Day
12th-Grade 8 Graduation 
16th-Grade 9 Graduation Trip 

18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly

23rd-Report Cards Sent Home

27th-Last Day for Students; Lunch on the Lawn (Last Pizza Day)

Friday, December 6, 2013

It's been a great week at LKS with our basketball teams heading into quarter and semi-finals and my grade 7 & 8 Girls Yoga Club finished off first term with a wonderful pot-luck lunch. We do like to exercise and eat great food at LKS! 

As you know, the LKS staff is committed to creating strong instructional programs. Every year, staff participate in a variety of professional development opportunities. One of our goals over the next couple of years is to create a school-wide Media Literacy Plan that staff can refer to when creating long-range plans. Today we started this process. Mr. Ross, Ms. McGee, Mrs. Gibson and Mrs. Tyndall worked with TDSB Instructional Leaders on the Primary portion of the plan. We will be sharing the plan with you throughout the process. 

During Monday's staff meeting, staff will also engage in discussions regarding our on-going learning about "Student Inquiry"  We will be reading and discussing the article,"8 Essentials for Project-Based Learning".  The article suggests strategies that teachers can use to create meaningful inquiry that engages students. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend. 

December-Kindness and Caring

9th-Grade 8s visit ECI

10th-Sr Boys VBall Conference Finals 

11th-Scientist in the School-Grade 8

16th-Grade 6-8 Middle School Concert @ 6:30 p.m.; Delivery of Stonegate Gift Baskets 

17th-Carol Singing-morning; Sr Boys Vball City Finals 

18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day-Postponed until January 17

19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Carol Singing-afternoon 

20th-Holidays Begin

January-Teamwork

 6th-School Begins

9th-Author Visit
14th-Special Education Grade 8 Reviews 

15th-Officer Rich visits Grade 1 and 2
20th-Parent Council @ 7:00 p.m.; 6:15-Question/Answer Period for LKS JK Parents (FDK) 
21st-Grade 1-7 Special Education Reviews 

24th-PA Day

30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Primary Concert

31st-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

February-Fairness

10th-Report Cards Go Home 
11th and 12th-Kindergarten Registration 
13th-Grade 7 Scientist in the School 
17th-Family Day 
19th-Officer Rich visits Grade 5 and 6 
24th-Parent Council at 7:00 p.m. 
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

March-Honesty

7th-PA Day

10th-14th-March Break

27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

April-Co-operation

24th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

May-Integrity

19th-Victoria Day

26th-EQAO Begins

29th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

June-Perseverance

6th-PA Day

18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly

23rd-Report Cards Sent Home

27th-Last Day for Students; Lunch on the Lawn (Last Pizza Day)

Thursday, November 28, 2013

This month we celebrated the Character Trait of Empathy. I was telling the Kindergarten parents that I was reading an article of compassion and empathy and thought I would share a couple of strategies for learning these skills. The author, Sally Kempton, says to develop real compassion you must actively feel what the other person feels. If the person is in pain, you must feel his/her pain and wish the pain ends for that person. Furthermore, do something kind for the person. The key to feeling compassion and empathy is to feel a connection to the person.

Discussions around making connections with people is a good entry point when talking to kids. If your child is mad at someone, ask them to discuss things they have in common with the person.  He/she may begin to make some small connections with the person, leading to a more compassionate view about the person.  These conversations do require lots of adult guidance depending on the age of the child. 

 I wish the Choir good luck at the Marlie's game. It should be a fun time!

December-Kindness and Caring

2nd-Parent/Student Council Stonegate Gift Baskets Begin 

9th-Grade 8s visit ECI

10th-Sr Boys VBall Conference Finals 

11th-Scientist in the School-Grade 8

16th-Grade 6-8 Middle School Concert @ 6:30 p.m.; Delivery of Stonegate Gift Baskets 

17th-Carol Singing-morning; Sr Boys Vball City Finals 

18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Carol Singing-afternoon 

20th-Holidays Begin

January-Teamwork

 6th-School Begins

9th-Author Visit

15th-Officer Rich visits Grade 1 and 2

24th-PA Day

30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Primary Concert

31st-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

February-Fairness

27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

March-Honesty

7th-PA Day

10th-14th-March Break

19th-Officer Rich visits Grade 5 and 6

27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

April-Co-operation

24th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

May-Integrity

19th-Victoria Day

26th-EQAO Begins

29th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

June-Perseverance

6th-PA Day

18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly

23rd-Report Cards Sent Home

27th-Last Day for Students; Lunch on the Lawn (Last Pizza Day)

Friday, November 22, 2013

Today, we ended our week with our monthly Pizza Lunch. It's always a good way to end the week. 

Thank you to all the parents who attended the Parent Council meeting on Tuesday. We had a chance to share our SIP. You can also see our school's goals on last week's blog and the website. 

This week, staff also had the opportunity to look at our EQAO results in detail. We will continue to work on areas where the students haven't done as well as expected: namely 

A) Continue to explicitly teach how to answer "open response" and "multiple choice" type questions. 
B) Continue to teach students how to make connections with text. 

C) Teachers will review Long Range Plans and create an action plan to review units taught to the children in the fall, to better prepare them for Spring EQAO Assessment. 

D) Teachers will continue to teach multi-step problems. 

Finally, the TDSB has published the Years of Action 2013-2017 under the new direction of Director Donna Quan. It can be viewed on the TDSB website for your reference. It will be the foundation for LKS, and all schools, to use when creating their School Improvement Plans. 


November-Empathy 
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Jr Girls BB Tournament 
26th-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Grade 4-8 Eco-Club at lunch 
27th-Sr Boys Vball @ LKS-afternoon
28th-Jr Boys VBall @ John English 
29th-Sr Girls BB @ Portage 
30th-Choir sings "O Canada" at Marlie's Game

December-Kindness and Caring
9th-Grade 8s visit ECI
11th-Scientist in the School-Grade 8
16th-Grade 6-8 Middle School Concert @ 6:30 p.m.
17th-Carol Singing-morning 
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Carol Singing-afternoon 
20th-Holidays Begin

January-Teamwork
 6th-School Begins
9th-Author Visit
15th-Officer Rich visits Grade 1 and 2
24th-PA Day
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Primary Concert
31st-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

February-Fairness
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

March-Honesty
7th-PA Day
10th-14th-March Break
19th-Officer Rich visits Grade 5 and 6
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

April-Co-operation
24th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

May-Integrity
19th-Victoria Day
26th-EQAO Begins
29th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

June-Perseverance
6th-PA Day
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
23rd-Report Cards Sent Home
27th-Last Day for Students; Lunch on the Lawn (Last Pizza Day)

Thursday, November 14, 2013

What did you learn today? Yesterday, I asked this question to one of our students and I got a blank look. This didn't surprise me as I got hundreds of those looks in my own home over the children's schooling. I know you know what look I'm talking about. I'm sure you are also familiar with the accompanying  verbal response of "nothing". Good news! It's pretty typical in many households (and schools)!

I did a little research on this topic and  Valerie Strauss, an education writer, said some kids are tired at the end of day, just like you and I, and they may be too tired to talk anymore. Sometimes they may feel that they are being "tested" on what they've learned. I agree with her advice when she said to ask your child one or two specific questions to illicit a response, for example, "How was your spelling test today?". You may get a short answer, but at least it's something, and not "nothing".

On Monday's Parent Council meeting, we will be presenting our School Improvement Plan. Staff will be working on the following goals:

Literacy and Numeracy: Teachers will continue to use common diagnostic assessments; Teachers will continue to use a variety of assessments/evaluations across students' program
Pathways: Teachers will identify students with whom they have academic and/or social concerns and monitor progress throughout the year through in School Team Meetings
Community, Culture and Caring: Teachers and Parent Council will collaborate to promote students' personal and social well being through initiatives like Safety Reps, Peer Mediation, Eco-Club, LIVE, Springfest, Holiday Gift Baskets, Clothing Drives etc

This week, Mr. Lanis and the intermediate teachers had to address some concerns of inappropriate Internet behaviour. In light of this situation, you may want to have conversation at home regarding appropriate usage of the Internet, especially social media sites.  In addition, it is wise to review "Streetproofing"  tips with your children; they can be found on our website.

Please remember tomorrow is a PA Day. Have a nice weekend!

November-Empathy
15th-PA/Interview Day-No School
18th-Scientist in School-Grade 1; Parent Council @ 7:00 p.m. in the library
19th-Author Ted Staunton visits Grade 4-8; Scientist in the School-Grade 1; Football Teams on Breakfast Television; Grade 4 Eco-Warrior meeting @ lunch
20th- Officer Rich visits Grade4, 7 and 8  K-3 Author Visit
21st-Sr Vball @ LKS-afternoon
22nd-Pizza Lunch
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
26th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
27th-Grade 5 to City Hall/Queens Park; Sr Boys Vball-afternoon
30th-Choir sings "O Canada" at Marlie's Game

December-Kindness and Caring
9th-Grade 8s visit ECI
11th-Scientist in the School-Grade 8
16th-Grade 6-8 Middle School Concert @ 6:30 p.m.
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
20th-Holidays Begin

January-Teamwork
 6th-School Begins
9th-Author Visit
15th-Officer Rich visits Grade 1 and 2
24th-PA Day
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Primary Concert
31st-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

February-Fairness
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

March-Honesty
7th-PA Day
10th-14th-March Break
19th-Officer Rich visits Grade 5 and 6
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

April-Co-operation
24th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

May-Integrity
19th-Victoria Day
26th-EQAO Begins
29th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

June-Perseverance
6th-PA Day
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
23rd-Report Cards Sent Home
27th-Last Day for Students; Lunch on the Lawn (Last Pizza Day)

Friday, November 8, 2013

I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome Ms. Plumley to our staff. Ms. Plumley will be working on the grade 6 team including Resource support. Ms. Plumley has strengths in a variety of areas including technology and early childhood education.

I'd also like to invite you to our Remembrance Day Assembly on the 11th in the gym at 10:30 a.m.

Report cards come home on Monday. The Report Card "season" can be very stressful and the following link may provide some support when discussing your child's progress at home: : 

  http://www.teachervision.fen.com/report-cards/teaching-methods/3673.html

I'd also like to point out that as we head into the winter months, stress and anxiety can play a toll on everyone, including some of our students. I've included the following link that may help you navigate through this with your child. If you see any changes in your child's social well being, please do not hesitate to speak to your child's classroom teacher as both home and school can provide support to each other. Here is the link: http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/seasonal_affective_disorder_sad_help_kids_beat_winter_blues

Have a great weekend everyone!

November-Empathy
11th-Remembrance Day Assemblies; Report Cards Go Home
12th-Grade 4 -8 Eco-Club at lunch
15th-PA/Interview Day-No School
18th-Scientist in School-Grade 1
19th-Author Ted Staunton visits Grade 4-8; Scientist in the School-Grade 1; Football Teams on Breakfast Television
20th- Officer Rich visits Grade 8 and 4; K-3 Author Visit
22nd-Pizza Day
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
26th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
27th-Grade 5 to City Hall/Queens Park
30th-Choir sings "O Canada" at Marlie's Game

December-Kindness and Caring
11th-Scientist in the School-Grade 8
16th-Grade 6-8 Middle School Concert
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
20th-Holidays Begin

January-Teamwork
24th-PA Day
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
31st-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

February-Fairness
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

March-Honesty
7th-PA Day
10th-14th-March Break
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

April-Co-operation
24th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

May-Integrity
19th-Victoria Day
26th-EQAO Begins
29th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

June-Perseverance
6th-PA Day
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
23rd-Report Cards Sent Home
27th-Last Day for Students; Lunch on the Lawn (Last Pizza Day)

Friday, October 31, 2013

Report Cards will be sent home on November 11, 2013. If you would like an opportunity to speak to your child's teacher, please make sure you book your interview on-line. The link to the website will be sent to you through this week's grade parent email.

This week I had the opportunity to meet with our Film Club. It is the first time that I've run this type of club and the grade 6-8 students are so enthusiastic. We will be making a short film on "Friendship" that will be shown at the AGO in the Spring, along with entries from other schools in our neighbourhood. I am looking for any parents with expertise in this area to run a workshop with the kids; I think they would get a kick out of seeing a professional at work. If you would be willing to share or know someone who might be, can you call me at the school (416-394-7890). Thanks so much.

I'd like to thank Mr. Kuru and Ms. Chandra for taking our grade 7 students on their annual Outdoor Ed trip next week. Hopefully, the weather co-operates for the group!

Have a great Hallowe'en tonight. Be safe!

November-Empathy
4th-Parent Book Interviews On-line until Friday
5th-Terry Fox Celebration Assembly
11th-Remembrance Day Assemblies; Report Cards Go Home
15th-PA/Interview Day
18th-Scientist in School-Grade 1
19th-Author Ted Staunton visits Grade 4-8; Scientist in the School-Grade 1
20th- Officer Rich visits Grade 8 and 4; K-3 Author Visit
22nd-Pizza Day
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
26th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
27th-Grade 5 to City Hall/Queens Park
30th-Choir sings "O Canada" at Marlie's Game

December-Kindness and Caring
11th-Scientist in the School-Grade 8
16th-Grade 6-8 Middle School Concert
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
20th-Holidays Begin

January-Teamwork
24th-PA Day
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
31st-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

February-Fairness
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

March-Honesty
7th-PA Day
10th-14th-March Break
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

April-Co-operation
24th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

May-Integrity
19th-Victoria Day
26th-EQAO Begins
29th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

June-Perseverance
6th-PA Day
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
23rd-Report Cards Sent Home
27th-Last Day for Students; Lunch on the Lawn (Last Pizza Day)

Friday, October 25th, 2013

Mr. Ellerker, Mrs. Wilson and myself would like to congratulate all the members of the Cross-Country Team.  We took 40 students to the City Finals and the runners did a great job with many reaching their personal best. Final results will be sent to us next week. Furthermore, our softball and football teams have completed their seasons, with our Jr Boys and Girls and Sr Girls Football, and Sr Softball teams making the City Finals next week.

We are so happy to have so many clubs and teams happening around the school. In the past, we've had a weekly Sports Calendar on our website outlining the dates for practices and games. This year, we are adding clubs to the calendar. Please be patient with us as we work our way through this process.

We received our grade 3-8 CTBS (Canadian Test of Basic Skills) results. Overall, the students continue to do quite well compared to national results. The scores below are shown as "Grade Equivalents". For example,  a "4-4" achievement level is the expected achievement level of a child in grade 4, 4th month. The following are overall grade results in Reading, Writing and Math:

Grade 3: 4-3, 4-2, 4-3
Grade 4: 5-8, 6-0, 6-1
Grade 5: 7-5, 8-1, 7-7
Grade 6: 7-7, 9-7, 9-1
Grade 7: 9-1, 11-1, 11-0
Grade 8: 9-6, 10-1, 11-2

We are really proud of our students' progress!

October-Responsibility
28th-1-8 Sharing Assembly celebrating the Character Trait "Responsibility"
29th-Grade 1 and 1/2 and 2s to Famous People Players
30th-Terry Fox Assembly @ 9:00 a.m.-postponed until the 5th
31st-Hallowe'en Parade

November-Empathy
1st-Middle School Dance
4th-Parent Book Interviews On-line
11th-Remembrance Day Assemblies; Report Cards Go Home
15th-PA/Interview Day
18th-Scientist in School-Grade 1
20th- Officer Rich visits Grade 8 & 4; K-3 Author Visit
22nd-Pizza Day
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
26th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
27th-Grade 5 to City Hall/Queens Park

December-Kindness and Caring
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
20th-Holidays Begin

January-Teamwork
24th-PA Day
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
31st-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

February-Fairness
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

March-Honesty
7th-PA Day
10th-14th-March Break
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

April-Co-operation
24th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

May-Integrity
19th-Victoria Day
26th-EQAO Begins
29th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

June-Perseverance
6th-PA Day
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
23rd-Report Cards Sent Home
27th-Last Day for Students; Lunch on the Lawn (Last Pizza Day)

Friday, October 18, 2013

We had such a great time at our first LKS Family Movie last night. The gym was packed with sleeping bags and pillows. It was nice to do something fun as a community. The snacks were great, although we ran out of popcorn at the end. We will make sure we have lots more next time. I do want to thank Sajjad, the Senior Food Services Manager at Cineplex Queensway Cinemas and the staff for donating the popcorn! What a fabulous gesture. 

This is a reminder that there are no dogs allowed on school grounds. This week a child was bit from a dog that was tied up. When that happens, Animal Services and Public health are informed, and the police may be called to investigate. For the safety of our children, do not bring any dogs on school grounds, this includes tying up dogs to the fence. Thank you in advance.

In closing, I wanted to share a terrific book I'm reading from Naoki Higashida, a young man diagnosed with Autism at the age of five. His memoir, "The Reason I Jump" recounts his experiences with the hopes of helping others understand those diagnosed with autism. You may want to add it to your reading list.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

October 
21st-Parent Council @ 7:00 in the library
23rd-Grade 2/3 and 3s to Famous People Players; Football Conference Finals
24th-Photo Re-take Day; Cross Country Finals; Senior Girls/Boys Football; Grade 8 Transition Parent Night
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day; Grade 8 Haunted House
28th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
29th-Grade 1 and 1/2 and 2s to Famous People Players
30th-Terry Fox Assembly @ 9:00 a.m.
31st-Hallowe'en Parade

November-Empathy
1st-Middle School Dance
4th-Parent Book Interviews On-line
11th-Remembrance Day Assemblies; Report Cards Go Home
15th-PA/Interview Day
18th-Scientist in School-Grade 1
20th- Officer Rich visits Grade 8 & 4; K-3 Author Visit
22nd-Pizza Day
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
26th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
27th-Grade 5 to City Hall/Queens Park

December-Kindness and Caring
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
20th-Holidays Begin

January-Teamwork
24th-PA Day
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
31st-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

February-Fairness
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

March-Honesty
7th-PA Day
10th-14th-March Break
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

April-Co-operation
24th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

May-Integrity
19th-Victoria Day
26th-EQAO Begins
29th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

June-Perseverance
6th-PA Day
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
23rd-Report Cards Sent Home
27th-Last Day for Students; Lunch on the Lawn (Last Pizza Day)

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Tomorrow is International Day of the Girl! This movement celebrates girls across the world and brings an awareness through a variety of activities, of the concerns that girls face today. I'd like to thank Mrs. Zappi and her grade 4 students for bringing an awareness of this very important day to our LKS community.

The month of September has been very busy for our special education teachers. As mentioned last week, all student IEPs will be sent home next week, and we have just finished completing the necessary paperwork for our gifted testing. Each year, our psychologist completes the "gifted testing" on selected students. The process has traditionally been done in November, but the TDSB department moved the process to September. To say the least, it's been very busy. We are also preparing for the October "School Support Team" meeting. Each month we have an SST meeting where a variety of personnel attend including, but not limited to, parents, Mr. Lanis, myself, Ms. Dacyshyn (main :LKS Special Education contact), our special education teachers, classroom teachers, social worker, speech pathologist, psychologist and a TDSB Special Education Consultant. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss and plan for the academic progress of students usually identified by the classroom teacher.

Furthermore to our resource teachers, we also have on staff  a half-time ESL (English Second Language) teacher; namely Mrs. Souter. Mrs. Souter teaches approximately 8 students coming from a variety of countries across the world. She also assists teachers in the classroom. For our ESL parents, a great resource for support can also be found at:  www.celebrateculturelink.ca.  

Tomorrow is a PA Day and there is no school. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! 

October-Responsibility
14th-Thanksgiving
15th-IEPs sent home; Book Fair (am) to the 18th (afternoon); Sr Boys/Girls Football
16th-Grade 7/8 Hep B and HPV; Jr Girls Softball; Grade 6 to Outdoor Ed
17th-Family Movie Night-Despicable Me 2 @ 6:30 p.m.; Cross Country Conference Finals
18th-Jr Boys Football
21st-Parent Council @ 7:00 in the library
23rd-Grade 2/3 and 3s to Famous People Players; Football Conference Finals
24th-Photo Re-take Day; Cross Country Finals; Senior Girls/Boys Football; Grade 8 Transition Parent Night
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day; Grade 8 Haunted House
28th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
29th-Grade 1 and 1/2 and 2s to Famous People Players
31st-Hallowe'en Parade

November-Empathy
4th-Parent Book Interviews On-line
11th-Remembrance Day Assemblies; Report Cards Go Home
15th-PA/Interview Day
18th-Scientist in School-Grade 1
20th- Officer Rich visits Grade 8 & 4; K-3 Author Visit
22nd-Pizza Day
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
26th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
27th-Grade 5 to City Hall/Queens Park

December-Kindness and Caring
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
20th-Holidays Begin

January-Teamwork
24th-PA Day
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
31st-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

February-Fairness
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

March-Honesty
7th-PA Day
10th-14th-March Break
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

April-Co-operation
24th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

May-Integrity
19th-Victoria Day
26th-EQAO Begins
29th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

June-Perseverance
6th-PA Day
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
23rd-Report Cards Sent Home
27th-Last Day for Students; Lunch on the Lawn (Last Pizza Day)

It's been a wonderful week. The students wore "Crazy Hair" on Tuesday and will be having a whole school dance this afternoon to celebrate reaching their Terry Fox fundraising goal. Thank you for supporting our annual initiative. I also want to thank those of you who have contributed to our LKS School Team who will be running the "Run for the Cure" this Sunday to support research in breast cancer!

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of watching Mrs. Militano, our guidance counselor, teach a lesson on "stress" to our grade 7 classes. The kids had the opportunities to explore causes of stress and strategies that can be used to help alleviate the stresses in their lives. The kids were really engaged in the discussion.  Mrs. Militano will continue to work with the intermediates on a variety of such related topics this year.

After Thanksgiving our IEPs will be sent home. An IEP is an "Individual Education Plan" which is a document outlining any modifications or accommodations a student may require to complete assignments and work in a subject area. Currently, we 73 students serviced by our special education teachers. The Exceptionalities range from Gifted, to Learning Disability, to Physical.  We believe that all children can learn and our homeroom and special education teachers, and assistants work together to provide the best possible programming for each student.

We put our Long Range Plans on the website I talked about on Curriculum Night. These are working documents that will change throughout the year.

Please remember that next Friday is a Professional Development Day and there is no school. The teachers will be working on program plans in the morning and meeting in teams with Mr. Lanis and I to review assessment tools used thus far in the term. We will be focusing on using a variety of assessments tools across the students' program.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

October-Responsibility
7th-Cross Country @ Centennial
9th-Sr Boys Football
10th-Jr Boys Football
11th-PA Day
14th-Thanksgiving
15th-IEPs sent home; Book Fair (am) to the 18th (afternoon); Sr Boys/Girls Football
16th-Grade 7/8 Hep B and HPV; Jr Girls Softball
17th-Family Movie Night-Despicable Me 2 @ 6:30 p.m.; Cross Country Conference Finals
18th-Jr Boys Football
21st-Parent Council @ 7:00 in the library
23rd-Grade 2/3 and 3s to Famous People Players; Football Conference Finals
24th-Photo Re-take Day; Cross Country Finals; Senior Girls/Boys Football; Grade 8 Transition Parent Night
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day; Grade 8 Haunted House
28th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
29th-Grade 1 and 1/2 and 2s to Famous People Players
31st-Hallowe'en Parade

November-Empathy
4th-Parent Book Interviews On-line
11th-Remembrance Day Assemblies; Report Cards Go Home
15th-PA/Interview Day
18th-Scientist in School-Grade 1
20th- Officer Rich visits Grade 8 & 4; K-3 Author Visit
22nd-Pizza Day
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
26th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
27th-Grade 5 to City Hall/Queens Park

December-Kindness and Caring
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
20th-Holidays Begin

January-Teamwork
24th-PA Day
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
31st-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

February-Fairness
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

March-Honesty
7th-PA Day
10th-14th-March Break
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

April-Co-operation
24th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

May-Integrity
19th-Victoria Day
26th-EQAO Begins
29th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

June-Perseverance
6th-PA Day
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
23rd-Report Cards Sent Home
27th-Last Day for Students; Lunch on the Lawn (Last Pizza Day)

Friday, September 28, 2013

It was great having so many parents and family members walk with us at the Terry Fox Walk on Thursday afternoon. Thank you so much for your support during the last few weeks of fundraising for the campaign.

We just finished our second Kindergarten Sharing Assembly. This month we are celebrating the character trait "respect". On Monday, we will be celebrating with our grade 1-8 students. Each month we will continue to celebrate our character traits.

An integral part of our school plan is developing students' personal responsibility.  This year, Mr. Kuru and Ms. Chandra have introduced to our grade eight classes a new club called "LIVE"- Lambton Intermediate Volunteer Experience. The teachers are currently discussing the initiative with the students. The purpose is to encourage the students to volunteer their time both inside and outside the school. In secondary, 40 hours of volunteering is a requirement for graduation, so this program will begin the process a bit earlier.  So many of our students already volunteer so the teachers thought they would "formalize" the process a bit and provide guidance as the kids begin their journey. Students' good deeds will be recognized throughout the year, and at final graduation.

Mrs. Hall and myself have organized a movie night to help fund some extra-curricular activities this year. We will be showing Despicable Me 2 on the 17th. A flyer went home with the youngest in the family this week. If you would like to come, just return the completed form by the 4th and we will send you a ticket. Please make cheques payable to Lamton-Kingsway School.

Finally, the grade 8 girls running club and myself formed a team and will be running the Run for the Cure on October 6th. If you would like to donate to our school team, please log onto the site "Run for the Cure", find the Toronto location, and donate to our LKS School Team. Thank you so much in advance. We have about 17 students and moms running to beat breast cancer.

Saturday is supposed to be beautiful. Enjoy!

October-Responsibility
5th-LKS Grade 6 Music Camp
11th-PA Day
14th-Thanksgiving
15th-IEPs sent home
16th-Grade 7/8 Hep B and HPV
17th-Family Movie Night-Despicable Me 2
24th-Photo Re-take Day
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day
28th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
31st-Hallowe'en Parade

November-Empathy
4th-Parent Book Interviews On-line
11th-Remembrance Day Assemblies; Report Cards Go Home
15th-PA/Interview Day
22nd-Pizza Day
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
26th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

December-Kindness and Caring
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
20th-Holidays Begin

January-Teamwork
24th-PA Day
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
31st-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

February-Fairness
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

March-Honesty
7th-PA Day
10th-14th-March Break
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

April-Co-operation
24th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

May-Integrity
19th-Victoria Day
26th-EQAO Begins
29th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

June-Perseverance
6th-PA Day
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
23rd-Report Cards Sent Home
27th-Last Day for Students; Lunch on the Lawn (Last Pizza Day)

Friday, September 20, 2013

I can't believe we are going into our last full week of September. It's been so busy this week and the time has flown.

I'd like to remind everyone of some safety concerns. While we strongly encourage you to walk to school, we do realize that some parents have to drive. If you are dropping your child off in the morning, please make sure you stop the car and ensure your child enters the playground safely. There is absolutely no parking in the staff parking lot, especially during drop off or pick up times. Also, please do not park in the other parking lot; it's actually a city street. There is parking available around the school.  Secondly, there are no dogs allowed on the school property.

Thank you for returning all your September Forms to the school. Shortly, the office will be sending home a "data verification" form home for you to verify the information that we have on file. Although we have tried to streamline the amount of forms being sent home, there does tend to be more at the beginning of the year. There also seems to be request for payments (i.e. agenda/T Shirt/pizza) or donations (i.e. Terry Fox, Classroom Fund). Please do not feel that you have to contribute to everything sent home; that is your choice. Parent Council and staff will continue to be cognisant of our requests and try to find even more efficient ways of collection. Thank you in advance.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

24th and 25th-School Photos (see your teacher's schedule)
26th-Terry Fox Walk (27th Rain Date)
27th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day
30th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

October-Responsibility
5th-LKS Grade 6 Music Camp
11th-PA Day
14th-Thanksgiving
15th-IEPs sent home
16th-Grade 7/8 Hep B and HPV
17th-Family Movie Night-Despicable Me 2
24th-Photo Re-take Day
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day
28th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
31st-Hallowe'en Parade

November-Empathy
4th-Parent Book Interviews On-line
11th-Remembrance Day Assemblies; Report Cards Go Home
15th-PA/Interview Day
22nd-Pizza Day
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
26th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

December-Kindness and Caring
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
20th-Holidays Begin

January-Teamwork
24th-PA Day
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
31st-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

February-Fairness
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

March-Honesty
7th-PA Day
10th-14th-March Break
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

April-Co-operation
24th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

May-Integrity
19th-Victoria Day
26th-EQAO Begins
29th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

June-Perseverance
6th-PA Day
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
23rd-Report Cards Sent Home
27th-Last Day for Students; Lunch on the Lawn (Last Pizza Day)

Friday, September 13, 2013

I'd like to thank everyone for attending our Curriculum Night on Tuesday. If you were not able to make it and would like to get an overview of the "learning expectations" that your child's teacher will be covering, please visit our website next week and look for Long Range Plans.

We will be hosting our first Parent Council meeting next Tuesday. I encourage you to attend as new members will be voted in and volunteer lists will be generated. Babysitting will be available. The meeting will be at 7:00 p.m in Room 210 (upstairs).

We have received our school budget for the year and we have been cut approximately $11, 000 to $99,000.  You can actually view all school budgets on the TDSB website. The TDSB is responsible for major facilities  and salaries and the school budget is mainly used for program expenses, minor facility repairs, and office expenditures (i.e. telephones, photocopier rentals, etc). We are so fortunate to work closely with the LKS Parent Council as we off-set the school's budget with the money that you donate to provide enriching programs like Artist in the School, Classroom Fund, Scientist in the School, etc.  If it wasn't for your donations, we couldn't possibly provide so much that we can to the students. I will continue to talk about Budget at our monthly Parent Council meetings.

This year, we are fortunate to have Rosa Militano, our new guidance counselor. Rosa will mainly be working with our grade 8 students and teachers completing the necessary paperwork as they move to secondary school next year, but she is also available to our families for counseling and guidance related concerns.  Here is a message from Mrs. Militano:

Hello LKS parents , My name is Rosa Militano and I am the guidance counsellor at Lambton –Kingsway My mandate is to work with the Gr.7 and 8’s . I am a well-seasoned guidance counsellor and have 4 other schools that I am currently responsible for. I am at Lambton-Kingsway ½ day in a 5 day cycle. I am looking forward to working and getting to know the Lambton-Kingsway community.If you need to get a hold of me, please email me at rosa.militano@tdsb.on.ca.   

I hope everyone has a great weekend. 

Thanks for the lemonade Mrs. Keogh

Cyberbullying Presentation!

September-Respect

16th-Parent Council @ 7:00 p.m.
24th and 25th-School Photos (see your teacher's schedule)
26th-Terry Fox Walk (27th Rain Date)
27th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day
30th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

October-Responsibility
5th-LKS Grade 6 Music Camp
11th-PA Day
14th-Thanksgiving
15th-IEPs sent home
16th-Grade 7/8 Hep B and HPV
17th-Family Movie Night-Despicable Me 2
24th-Photo Re-take Day
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day
28th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
31st-Hallowe'en Parade

November-Empathy
4th-Parent Book Interviews On-line
11th-Remembrance Day Assemblies; Report Cards Go Home
15th-PA/Interview Day
22nd-Pizza Day
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
26th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

December-Kindness and Caring
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
20th-Holidays Begin

January-Teamwork
24th-PA Day
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
31st-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

February-Fairness
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

March-Honesty
7th-PA Day
10th-14th-March Break
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

April-Co-operation
24th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

May-Integrity
19th-Victoria Day
26th-EQAO Begins
29th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

June-Perseverance
6th-PA Day
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
23rd-Report Cards Sent Home
27th-Last Day for Students; Lunch on the Lawn (Last Pizza Day)

Friday, September 6, 2013

It's been a wonderful week catching up with you and the children. Everyone seemed to enjoy the summer, even though many of our families were affected by the flood in some way. The clean up is still underway for some of our families. 

It's been pretty busy this week as staff and students get back into the routines of school. As many of you know, our school runs with the help of our volunteers, especially our grade parents. Currently, we are looking for grade parents for the following classes: Mrs. Hall, Ms. Mandel, Ms. Sunde and Ms. Bradshaw. Also, we need one more parent rep for Mrs. Tyndall (AM), Mrs. Younger, Ms. Kim and Ms. Walker. If you would like to volunteer for this position, please email karen.p.miller@rogers.com. Thank you so much. 

As of this post, we have approximately 650 students. We've had some new registrations and a few families have left the school. Right now, our class organization will remain the same and there is no need to re-organize.  We will continue to work on this next week.

Our Special Education teachers including, Mrs. Dacyshyn, Mrs. Young, Mr. Blais and Mrs. Souter (formerly MacPherson) have been busy meeting all our students who receive resource and making final adjustments to timetables to allow maximum amount of support. We are also very fortunate to have back Mrs. Lyons, Mrs. Najder and Mrs. Whale who will be working with the teachers and students.

Our library and computer room renovations are moving along at a good rate and we hope to be back in the rooms over the next two weeks. There ended up being limited damage to the computer room, with six needing  repairs  and all surfaces in both rooms have been cleaned and inspected by the Board. The shelving and books will be put back over the next couple of weeks in the library, and a new floor will be installed shortly. Mrs. McGee has been rotating to classes introducing the library program and the second computer room has been useful to accommodate all classes. 

We are also happy to share that we received an additional 3 security cameras and a "buzzer" system for the front door. The new safety door was installed and funded as part of a ministry initiative. As of Monday, all the doors will be locked. You will have to "buzz" in order to enter the school.  For this reason, we strongly encourage everyone to keep visits (i.e. dropping off lunch bags) to a minimum. Please continue to begin your visits at the office. We thank you in advance.

As we come to the end of the week, we ask that all monies and paperwork be sent back to the school as we will be going collecting them in the office for filing. We thank you in advance. 

I'd also like to thank Mr. Kuru and Mr. Bracht for coaching football this year, and Mr. Ross and Mr. Littlejohn for starting up the softball teams. Mr. Ellerker, Mrs. Wilson and myself sent home Cross Coutnry permission forms this week, with practices beginning on the 16th. I'd also like to extend a warm thank you to Mrs. Gibson as she has been so busy getting ready for the Terry Fox kick-off assembly on Monday. I love the Terry Fox Walk as it really brings us together in such a positive spirit at the beginning of the school year. Yes, I've agreed to be sprayed with "condiments" if we reach $25 000 and Mr. Lanis is going to shave off his beard!

We hope to see you at Curriculum Night on Tuesday. A flyer has been sent home with locations and times of meetings.

September-Respect

9th-Terry Fox Kick Off Assembly
10th-Curriculum Night
11th-Student Safety Assemblies
13th-Cyber Busters Performance
16th-Parent Council @ 7:00 p.m.
24th-School Photos
26th-Terry Fox Walk (27th Rain Date)
27th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day
30th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

October-Responsibility
5th-LKS Grade 6 Music Camp
11th-PA Day
14th-Thanksgiving
15th-IEPs sent home
16th-Grade 7/8 Hep B and HPV
17th-Family Movie Night-Despicable Me 2
24th-Photo Re-take Day
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day
28th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
31st-Hallowe'en Parade

November-Empathy
4th-Parent Book Interviews On-line
11th-Remembrance Day Assemblies; Report Cards Go Home
15th-PA/Interview Day
22nd-Pizza Day
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
26th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

December-Kindness and Caring
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
20th-Holidays Begin

January-Teamwork
24th-PA Day
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
31st-1-8 Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

February-Fairness
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

March-Honesty
7th-PA Day
10th-14th-March Break
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

April-Co-operation
24th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

May-Integrity
19th-Victoria Day
26th-EQAO Begins
29th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly; Pizza Day

June-Perseverance
6th-PA Day
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
23rd-Report Cards Sent Home
27th-Last Day for Students; Lunch on the Lawn (Last Pizza Day)

Friday, August 30, 2013

Welcome back to school everyone! I am so excited to begin the new school year and to see all the kids on Tuesday.  I hope you had a great summer with your family and friends. The weather was fantastic for the most part!

I'd like to welcome Walter Wozniak, our new head caretaker, and Andrew Robbie, our new evening caretaker who replaced George. They've done a fantastic job getting the school ready for Tuesday.  In addition to the "normal" clean up, they also had to deal with the flooding of the library and computer lab.

As some of you know, both rooms are still closed as work is being completed to ensure a safe environment for staff and students. We are in the process of working with the Board to complete this process including getting quotes for new computers, carpet and furniture. I'll update you on the process next Friday.

I will continue to update the LKS community by blogging every Friday.  I'm in the process of updating teacher blogs/websites this week.

I hope you have a great long weekend and we will see you on Tuesday. We will meet in front of the school as usual with the primary students lining up by the field, the grade 4-6 grades by the front door and the intermediates will meet their teachers at the north end.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Welcome back to our grade eight students and Mr. Kuru, Mrs. Dacyshyn, Mr. Ellerker, Ms. Chandra and Ms. Hoffman! We hope you had a great time in Quebec!

This week, we had the opportunity to watch a play that was written by Nicole, one of our grade 5 students, and performed by our very own LKS students.  The students put in hours of practice and their effort is appreciated. The play was well written and acted! Thanks to Mr. Blais for acting as staff advisor and directing, and to Ms. Entin and Mrs. Al-Joundi, our parent volunteers for sets and backstage direction.

Next week you will receive your child's report card indicating the 2013-2014 teacher. The following is the overall school model. As you can see, we are lucky to be in such a large school giving teachers an opportunity to team teach and plan as much as possible.

Kindergarten-Mrs. Burns (formerly Raymond), Mrs. Iafrate, Mrs. Tyndall
One-Mrs. Hall, Mrs. Younger, Mrs. Gibson
One/Two-Ms. Kim, Mrs. Wilson
Two/Three-Mrs. Heath, Mrs. Sunde
Two-Mrs. Mandel
Three-Mrs. Bradshaw, Mrs. Shklar, Mrs. Hoffman
Four-Mrs. Zappi, Mr. Littlejohn
Five-Mr. Ross, Mrs. Caligiuri, Mrs. Walker
Six-Mr. Bracht, Mrs. Taylor
Seven-Mr. Kuru, Ms. Moser
Eight-Mr. Ellerker, Mrs. Chandra
Special Education-Mrs. MacPherson, Mrs. Dacyshyn, Mr. Blais
Physical Education-Mr. Blais, Mr. Ourique
Library-Mrs. McGee
French-Mme Pagnotta, Mme Freitas
Music-Dr Grant
Support Staff-Mrs. Irvin, Mrs. Lyons, Mrs. Whale, Mrs. Najder
Office-Mrs. Stefanowicz and Mrs. Shakespeare
Lunchroom Supervisors and Caretaking-TBA

As school comes to an end, we are in the process of collecting year end student achievement data. We are so proud of our students accomplishments and successes.  At LKS, our grade 3-8 students write the Canadian Test of Basic Skills (CTBS). It provides a snapshot of the students skill level in reading, language and math. The following displays are year results. The first number indicates the grade level in the fall and the second number indicates the grade level in the Spring. Overall, our students scored very high grade equivalents (Grade Equivalent Example: A 4-4 score is what you might expect a child in grade 4, 4th month to achieve.)

Grade 3-Reading (4-3, 5-5), Language (4-8, 5-8), Math (4-4, 5-5)
Grade 4-Reading (5-8, 6-9), Language (6-4, 7-3), Math (6-3,7-6)
Grade 5-Reading (7-2, 8-6), Language (7-5, 9-3), Math (7-4, 8-5)
Grade 6-Reading (7-5, 8-3), Language (9-6, 10-8), Math (8-4, 10-7)
Grade 7-Reading (9-0, 10-0), Language (10-2, 11-9), Math (10-2, 11-6)
Grade 8-Reading (10-7, 12-0), Language (11-8, 12-3), Math (12-0, 13-1)

Finally, I 'd like to share a great poem that one of our grade 4 students wrote and successfully published in the TDSB "Urban Voices". Thank you to Paige.

Hope and Peace

Hope is waiting for your Dad to come home from work.
Peace is the first snowflake that falls from the sky on a winter day.
Hope is being in South Africa and seeing the first raindrop fall from the sky.
Peace is a firefly's first light.
Hope is piece for the world.
Peace is your father's kiss goodnight.
Hope is enough food to feed the poor.
Peace is being in your soft cozy bed.
Hope is one day everyone will follow the golden rule.
Peace is knowing you have a family that loves you.
Peace is your mom's hug goodnight.

June-Perseverance
24th-Mrs. Raymond's SK Graduation
25th-Volunteer Breakfast @ 8:30 in the library
26th-Report Cards Go Home; Mrs. Tyndall's  and Mrs. Mendrinos SK Graduation
27th-Lunch on the Lawn (Pizza Day); Year End Assembly; Last day for students; Mrs. Iafrate's Graduation

September-Respect
3rd-School Begins and Kindergarten Open House
6th-All kindergartens present
9th-Terry Fox Kick Off Assembly
10th-Curriculum Night
11th-Student Safety Assemblies
13th-Cyber Busters Performance
26th-Terry Fox Walk (27th Rain Date)
27th-Kindie Sharing Assembly

30th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

October-Responsibility
11th-PA Day
14th-Thanksgiving
15th-IEPs sent home
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
28th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
31st-Hallowe'en Parade

November-Empathy
11th-Remembrance Day Assemblies; Report Cards Go Home
15th-PA/Interview Day
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
26th-1-8 Sharing Assembly

December-Kindness and Caring
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
20th-Holidays Begin

January-Teamwork
24th-PA Day
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
31st-1-8 Sharing Assembly

February-Fairness
27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly

March-Honesty
7th-PA Day
10th-14th-March Break

27th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
28th-Kindie Sharing Assembly


April-Co-operation
24th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
25th-Kindie Sharing Assembly

May-Integrity
19th-Victoria Day
26th-EQAO Begins
29th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
30th-Kindie Sharing Assembly

June-Perseverance
6th-PA Day
18th-1-8 Sharing Assembly
19th-Kindie Sharing Assembly
23rd-Report Cards Sent Home
27th-Last Day for Students; Lunch on the Lawn

I'd like to congratulate all of our soccer, frisbee and cricket teams as they finished off their seasons this week. Thanks to Mr. Kuru, Mr. Littlejohn, Mr. Harrison, Mr. Ellerker, Mr. Ourique and Mr. Lanis for coaching this year.

Tonight we host our Grade 8 Graduation and we are so excited. Our parent committee has been decorating over the last couple of days and the lunchroom and gym have been transformed into a really special place for the big celebration. I'd like to congratulate all of our wonderful graduates as they move forward to the next phase of their lives. They have worked hard to achieve their goals and they deserve a great night! Have fun on the Quebec Trip!

I hope everyone has a great weekend and Happy Father's Day to our dads.

June 2013
17th-21st-Grade 8 Quebec Trip; Kindie Sharing Assembly (17th)
18th-Grade 1-8 Sharing Assembly; Time for Time Play (Gr 1-5 audience)
24th-Mrs. Raymond's SK Graduation
25th-Volunteer Breakfast
26th-Report Cards Go Home; Mrs. Tyndall's SK Graduation
27th-Lunch on the Lawn (Pizza Day); Year End Assembly; Last day for students; Mrs. Iafrate's Graduation

September-Respect
3rd-School Begins and Kindergarten Open House
6th-All kindergartens present
9th-Terry Fox Kick Off Assembly
10th-Curriculum Night
11th-Student Safety Assemblies
13th-Cyber Busters Performance
26th-Terry Fox Walk (27th Rain Date)

October-Responsibility
11th-PA Day
14th-Thanksgiving
15th-IEPs sent home
31st-Hallowe'en Parade

November-Empathy
11th-Remembrance Day Assemblies; Report Cards Go Home
15th-PA/Interview Day

December-Kindness and Caring
20th-Holidays Begin

January-Teamwork
24th-PA Day

February-Fairness

March-Honesty
7th-PA Day
10th-14th-March Break

April-Co-operation

May-Integrity
19th-Victoria Day
26th-EQAO Begins

June-Perseverance
6th-PA Day
23rd-Report Cards Sent Home
27th-Last Day for Students; Lunch on the Lawn

Thursday, June 6, 2013

I'd like to thank everyone who attended our concerts this week. It was a nice way to say goodbye to Spring and welcome the Summer. Both nights provided a nice evening of entertainment and the students should be proud of their efforts and talent. Thank you to Mr. Samotowka, Mr. Goldberg, Ms. Hoffman and Mrs. McGee for providing leadership within our music program.

As the school year comes to an end, it is time for us to say goodbye to some staff members.

First, I'd like to say thank you and goodbye to both Mr. Loncar and Mr. Gosling, our caretakers. Both will be retiring at the end of the school year. Mr. Gosling has only been with us for a year, but his presence will be missed. He has worked diligently to keep our school clean and organized as our day Head Caretaker. We wish him much success and relaxation. Mr. Loncar will be leaving us after working for close to 40 years of his adult life. He has cleaned, opened many locks, and worked many Springfests since being at LKS. We will miss him dearly. We wish George all the best with his family, especially the grandchildren!

I'd like to thank both our guidance counselor, Rebecca Forte, and our ESL teacher, Catherine Wong, for working with our student body over the last few years. Mrs. Forte has worked mainly with our intermediate staff and students transitioning our grade 8s to secondary school and Mrs. Wong has worked with our newcomer students across all the grades. I wish both much success as they will be working in other areas within the board.

I'd also like to thank Mrs. Mendrinos who taught kindergarten this year. Unfortunately, Mrs. Mendrinos was declared surplus to the school and has accepted another position. Her little ones, staff and parents are going to miss her dearly!

Mrs. Dias was also declared surplus to the school and has accepted another position. Mrs. Dias has taught at LKS for a few years now and will be greatly missed by her students, colleagues and parents. We wish her much success in her new school.

Mrs. VanSchoor has also accepted another teaching position. As many of you know, Mrs. VanSchoor has been at LKS for a number of years and has taught many of our students in the primary grades as she began her career with the kindergarten team. She has been involved with many extra-curricular activities and took on a leadership position on staff with a three year tenure as Chair. I thank her for her contributions to the LKS community.

In closing, Mrs. Adiar will be retiring at the end of the year.  Over the years, Mrs. Adiar has made a tremendous impact on the lives of our students. She has delivered a quality program focusing on reflection and revision. She knows the importance of teaching the "whole child" and nurturing global citizens. Her contributions to the Seeds of Hope Club over the last few years has positively influenced the student body and community at large. Furthermore, she has spent many hours coaching students in our school-wide plays.  As a staff member, Mrs. Adair has been a mentor to her colleagues and she has continued to reflect upon her own program to best serve her students. I want to thank Mrs. Adiar for her professionalism and thoughtfulness throughout the years.

Have a nice weekend everyone.

June 2013
10th-Frisbee City Finals
11th-City Track Meet; Grade 3 classes visit Kortright
14th-Grade 8 Graduation
17th-21st-Grade 8 Quebec Trip; Kindie Sharing Assembly (17th)
18th-Grade 1-8 Sharing Assembly
24th-Mrs. Raymond's SK Graduation
25th-Volunteer Breakfast
26th-Report Cards Go Home; Mrs. Tyndall's SK Graduation
27th-Lunch on the Lawn (Pizza Day); Year End Assembly; Last day for students

September-Respect
3rd-School Begins and Kindergarten Open House
6th-All kindergartens present
9th-Terry Fox Kick Off Assembly
10th-Curriculum Night
11th-Student Safety Assemblies
13th-Cyber Busters Performance
26th-Terry Fox Walk (27th Rain Date)

October-Responsibility
11th-PA Day
14th-Thanksgiving
15th-IEPs sent home
31st-Hallowe'en Parade

November-Empathy
11th-Remembrance Day Assemblies; Report Cards Go Home
15th-PA/Interview Day

December-Kindness and Caring
20th-Holidays Begin

January-Teamwork
24th-PA Day

February-Fairness

March-Honesty
7th-PA Day
10th-14th-March Break

April-Co-operation

May-Integrity
19th-Victoria Day
26th-EQAO Begins

June-Perseverance
6th-PA Day
23rd-Report Cards Sent Home
27th-Last Day for Students; Lunch on the Lawn