Farewell!

We had the best surprise yesterday that ended up being a big highlight of my 11 years at LKS. We got a call a while ago asking if a few past graduates could come and have a quick tour of the school, something not out of the norm. Well, little did we know that the entire Class of 1952 was coming! What a wonderful surprise it was to see the group walking up to the front doors from the parking lot. When we finally realized what was happening, we got our only 3 containers of archived items out of the closet for our guests to look at and arranged for some of our grade 7 students to tour the school. They ended up staying here for an hour and half catching up with each other, current staff and students before heading to the Old Mill for lunch and "schmoozing". A grade one class even got a special treat as one of the grads, Dennis Lee, author of "Alligator Pie", read to them and signed some of his books that Ms. McGee had in the library! Jim Wyse, the organizer of the entire event, left us with a book that he made to commemorate the 65th anniversary. We will cherish it forever. It was such a great surprise and wonderful memory for me as I end my time at LKS. It reminded me how special this school and community is and will always be for many of us.  Farewell!

Class of 1952

Special Education

I'm attaching a letter that was sent on behalf of TDSB. The letter has important information regarding Special Education and the Home School Program.

Dear Parents/Guardians:
The Toronto District School Board is exploring ways of transitioning towards greater inclusion in Special Education programs. Providing children with special education needs with the instructional support and services they need within the regular program in neighbourhood schools, will improve achievement and well-being for all students.

We know that inclusion isn’t just about keeping students in the regular classroom. It’s about meeting the needs of all students in a class. Collaboration between regular classroom teachers and special education staff will help us find the most effective ways to meet the needs of every student.

As part of this transition, we have reviewed the Home School Program (HSP). Currently, many students in Grades 1 to 8 receive a half-day of special education instruction in the HSP. In most schools, this support is provided apart from the regular program. A number of schools have already chosen to support these students in the regular classroom with great success.

We believe we can do a better job for all students in the regular class with appropriate resources beginning in the 2017-2018 school year, we will start phasing out primary grade placements in HSP, beginning with no Grade 1 students admitted to the program. In the 2018-2019 school year, HSP will only support students in Grades 4 to 8. Teachers and educational assistants who currently assist HSP students will continue to do so, but schools will have greater flexibility in deciding how to deliver HSP support. Please see questions and answers below for more details.

Transitioning towards inclusion will require collaboration and the creation of positive and welcoming classroom environments that will enable all students to succeed.

Sincerely,
Uton Robinson, Ed. D. Executive Superintendent Special Education and Section 23 Programs Toronto District School Board
5050 Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario, M2N 5N8
SPECIAL EDUCATION – HOME SCHOOL PROGRAM


Frequently Asked Questions
1. What might HSP look like at my child’s school next year?
Students admitted to HSP may spend part of their day learning in a regular classroom and part separately with the HSP teacher. Sometimes, they may receive support individually while other times, it may take place in small groups. Some students currently assisted in a withdrawal setting may instead receive all of their support in their regular grade classrooms. It will vary from student to student, based on their learning needs.
2. If my child entering Grade 1 in September has special education needs, what can I expect in terms of support?
On a regular basis, regular classroom teachers make adjustments to their teaching and assessment methods to meet a wide variety of student learning needs in the classroom. Grade 1 students, who might previously have been admitted to HSP for special education instruction, will instead receive support in their regular classroom. Close collaboration between the classroom teacher, school-based special education staff and special education consultants will assist teachers in planning and delivering this “differentiated instruction”.
3. If my child was in HSP this year, what will happen next year?
Students in Grades 2 to 8 will continue to receive HSP support in the ways described above. Since one of our goals is greater flexibility for schools to respond to the needs of their students, the delivery model will vary from school to school. Each school principal can provide specific answers to how the program will be delivered in their schools.
4. How will the effectiveness of changes to HSP delivery be evaluated?
On an on-going basis, teachers are required to evaluate, monitor and report on the success of their students in meeting the Ministry of Education curriculum objectives identified in students’ Individual Education Plans (IEP). Achievement data is also used as part of annual school improvement planning. Each school must address the three pillars of equity, achievement and well-being, using school-based measures and staff feedback to identify what is working well and areas that require attention. School superintendents can review school achievement data for the schools in their network and assist their school administrators in addressing identified needs. At the system level, the TDSB follows the progress of all students and of students with special education needs as a subset, through on-going analysis of achievement data in provincial report cards, progress reports and the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) assessments.
5. If I have questions or concerns, who do I contact?
As we make changes to the delivery of special education programs and services, we continue to value active and meaningful collaboration with all stakeholders. If you have additional questions, we invite you to follow the updates on our website at www.tdsb.on.ca/specialeducation. You can also contact your child’s school principal for more specific information about what HSP will look like for your child. If questions or concerns remain, the principal can help you connect with the appropriate school superintendent or special education department staff.

Friday, June 9, 2017

I'd like to thank everyone for their best wishes since yesterday. It's been a bit of a whirlwind for everyone. Thank you for your support. 

I'd also like to recognize other staff members who will be moving from or to LKS next year. We will recognize them again in my year end letter, but I wanted to share the information this week. We will be saying goodbye to Mr. Ellerker, Ms. Kim, Ms. Shakespeare (retirement), Mr. Iceton, Mr. Lynde, and Ms. Furzon. Ms. Barry will be taking a maternity leave.

 Ms. Hoffman and Ms. Perrin will be returning from maternity leave and we will be welcoming Ms. X. McCormick (teacher) and Ms. Kogas (Child and Youth Worker) who will be starting up our Intensive Support Class (Primary Autism), Ms. K. McCormick (grade 4) and Ms. Wieczorek who will be replacing Ms. Shakespeare. In addition, both our grade 6-8 band and strings itinerant teachers, Mr. Goldberg and Mr. Quintyne, will be leaving us at the end of June. 

Bob Sheldon are crossing guard will be here at drop off on the 20th to say goodbye to the community. Bob has recovered from his hip surgery, but decided it was time to retire. Bob has been instrumental in keeping our children safe and has developed close bonds with the community. We will miss him. Please drop by to say goodbye. 

I'd also like to thank all the Springfest volunteers who made the day so great. The weather co-operated and it was a fantastic event for everyone! A special note of thanks to those who took a lead in the organization and were instrumental in the success: Allison Needham, Kerry Collings, Julie Riach, Liza Snowden, Kristen Kidd, Elvira Fuda, Mr. Dowling, Ms. Dowling, Mr. deLeeuw, Ms. Tremaine, Mr. Cunningham, Ms. Williams, Mr. Calkowski, Ms. Thomas, Ms. Forte, Ms. Smith, Ms. Owen, Ms. Fenn and Ms. Busch. 

I'd also like to say thank you to Mr. Williams and his many volunteers from Rogers. Mr. Williams worked with Mr. Littlejohn and Mr. Ross to provide a whole day of coding experiences to our grade 3-8 students on Monday. As you know, we have been exposing the students to many enrichment coding experiences over the last few years and it was evident from the students' work on Monday that their skill level keeps improving. The students said they had a great time learning. Thank you Mr. Williams. 

A big thank you to Mrs. deBortoli and her committee for a fabulous Staff Appreciation lunch on Tuesday. We appreciate the support. 

Please join us on Wednesday for coffee and muffins as a token of our appreciation. Students Council will be serving the treat in recognition of our wonderful volunteers. 

We hope all of our grade 8 parents, friends, staff and students have a wonderful Graduation this week. 

Have a great weekend everyone. 

June 2017 

9-PA Day
12-Frisbee Finals
13-City Track and Field Finals
14-City Soccer Finals; Volunteer Coffee and Muffins at morning drop-off 
16-Grade 8 Graduation 
20-Bob (our crossing guard) visits at morning drop off to say goodbye 
23-Kindergarten Sharing Assembly 
26-Report Cards Go Home 
29-Last Day for Students; Pizza Lunch-Lunch on the Lawn; Year End Assembly 

Celebrations!

Congratulations to the LKS community for your efforts in supporting Terry Fox, a long standing tradition at LKS. A special thanks to Mrs. Gibson and her student helpers as you continue to bring awareness to this very important cause. The following article showcases are most recent event:

Terry Fox's brother visits Lambton-Kingsway JMS to recognize efforts

Please join us on Monday night to recap Springfest and the wonderful year that we have had at LKS. I will do a short presentation on our student achievements! 

June 2017 

5-Coding activities for our grade 4-6 classes, and some 7 and 8 students; Frisbee Conference Finals; Parent Council at 7:00 in the library 
6-West Conference Track and Field Finals; Grade 1-5 Amazing Race 
7-Last day for instrumental; Soccer Conference Finals 
8-Mrs. Souter and Ms. Furczon go to Outdoor Ed Centre; Grade 4 to Medieval Times; 
9-PA Day
12-Frisbee Finals
14-Soccer Finals; Volunteer Coffee and Muffins in the morning 
13-Track and Field Finals
16-Grade 8 Graduation 
23-Kindergarten Sharing Assembly 
26-Report Cards Go Home 
29-Last Day for Students; Pizza Lunch-Lunch on the Lawn; Year End Assembly 

Thank you!

This week, I’d like to thank all of the volunteers that have contributed to the school this year. We truly appreciate your service whether it has been at Springfest, reading to our young students, driving to an event, sitting on a committee or supervising a field trip. 

A special thanks is extended to  Ms. Collings and Ms. Needham (Parent Council Co-Chairs), Ms. Riach (Parent Council Treasurer), Ms.  Chechik (Parent Council Secretary) and Ms. Lowenborg-Frick (Parent Council Grade Parent Co-ordinator). They are the parents who make up our Parent Council Executive. They organize our events, recruit volunteers and committees and work with myself, Ms. Norton and staff to co-ordinate budgets and directions. I cannot thank them enough for their support. 

I’d also like to thank the Parent Council committee chairs who have contributed to many events this year: Ms. Snowden (Music), Ms. Beveridge( Physical Education), Ms. Forte (Resources and Parent Education), Ms. Clarke (Environment), Ms. Almedia and Ms. Lee (Literacy), Ms. Gardner (Pizza Lunch Chair) along with Ms. Copeland, Ms. Hodgson, Ms. Kanjee and Ms. Oosterveld (Pizza Lunches), Community Outreach (Ms. DeBortoli), Ms. Pereira (Lost and Found) and Grade 8 Graduation (Ms. Beveridge and Ms. Zimmer). 

Student Council, on behalf of all the students and staff, would love for  all of our volunteers to get a coffee and muffin on the 8th at drop off to celebrate your efforts! 

We can't wait for Springfest on the 3rd. Please read the bulletin for more information. Volunteers are needed still! 

If you are moving outside the catchment area, please make sure you contact the office and homeroom teacher. 

If you are going to be away and cannot receive your child's report card on June 26th, please pick it up in the office the first week of July or last week of August. You can also arrange for someone to pick it up, but you'll have to make those arrangements with the teacher. We do not mail report cards home. 

Kindergarten Placement Letters will be sent home in June. 

May 2017 
29-Parent Council at 7:00 in the library-Changed to June 5th at 7:00 p.m.; Grade 1-8 Sharing Assembly
30-Grade 3 and 6 EQAO begins; Grade 7s to drop off donated books to Children's Book Bank 

June 2017 

2-Cricket Tournament 
3-Springfest 
5-Coding activities for our grade 4-6 classes, and some 7 and 8 students; Frisbee Conference Finals
6-West Conference Track and Field Finals 
7-Last day for instrumental; Soccer Conference Finals 
8-Mrs. Souter and Ms. Furczon go to Outdoor Ed Centre; Grade 4 to Medieval Times; Volunteer Coffee/Treats in the morning 
9-PA Day
12-Frisbee Finals
14-Soccer Finals
13-Track and Field Finals
16-Grade 8 Graduation 
23-Kindergarten Sharing Assembly 
26-Report Cards Go Home 

29-Last Day for Students; Pizza Lunch-Lunch on the Lawn; Year End Assembly 

Thank you Grade Parents!

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the grade parents who have done a terrific job this year! Our grade parents are the "backbone" of the classroom and a valuable help for our teachers. They co-ordinate craft days, volunteers for field trips, and send out the weekly bulletin. Truly, they are another set of hands for the teacher. Thanks to Ms. O'Sullivan, Ms. Netupsky, Ms. Colter, Ms. Dmitrieva, Ms. Georgas, Ms. Oosterveld, Ms. Marcolin, Ms. Fox, Ms. Drewnowska, Ms. Clarke, Ms. Race, Ms. Barclay, Ms. Gavsie, Ms. Perrin, Ms. David, Ms. Shaw-Kruppe, Ms. Needham, Ms. DeCaria, Ms. Collings, Ms. Chechnik, Ms. Odorico, Ms. Gardner, Ms. Giancos, Ms. Terzaghi, Ms. Williams, Ms. d'Ombrain, Ms. Busch, Ms. Copeland, Ms. Forte, Ms. Decosimo, Ms. Calkowski, Ms. Keogh, Ms. Stecher, Ms. Thompson, Ms. Bonanno, Ms. Teron, Ms. Robinson, Ms. Beveridge, Ms. Greifenberger and Ms. Zimmer. 

A big thank you to Ms. Lowenborg-Frick who is our Parent Council Grade Parent Co-ordinator. Madeleine organizes our grade parents, answers all kinds of questions, and works with a lot of people to put our weekly Bulletin. We thank her for your commitment. 

Have a great weekend. We will see you on Tuesday. 

May 2017

22-Victoria Day
23-Book Fair until the 26th
24-LKS Folk Dance Festival-Mrs. Hall and Ms. Santiago; Sr Girls Soccer Tourney 
25-Bike Safety Presentation from Officer Rich; Terry Fox Assembly 
26-Pizza Lunch; Kindergarten Sharing Assembly; Grade 6-8 House Event 
29-Parent Council at 7:00 in the library 
30-Grade 3 and 6 EQAO begins; Grade 7s to drop off donated books to Children's Book Bank 

June 2017 
3-Springfest 
5-Coding activities for our grade 4-6 classes, and some 7 and 8 students; Frisbee Conference Finals
6-West Conference Track and Field Finals 
7-Last day for instrumental; Soccer Conference Finals 
8-Mrs. Souter and Ms. Furczon go to Outdoor Ed Centre; Grade 4 to Medieval Times; Volunteer Coffee/Treats in the morning 
9-PA Day
12-Frisbee Finals
14-Soccer Finals
13-Track and Field Finals
16-Grade 8 Graduation 
23-Kindergarten Sharing Assembly 
26-Report Cards Go Home 
29-Last Day for Students; Pizza Lunch-Lunch on the Lawn; Year End Assembly 

Kids' Run for Nature!

Once again, the Kids’ Run for Nature (www.kidsrunfornature.ca) is coming to West Toronto! On June 11, 2017, 300 kids aged 4-12 will be running through Etienne Brule Park to celebrate nature and raise funds for WWF-Canada that will help protect wild species and their habitats across Canada. 

There are 3 distances to choose from a 1km, a 3km and a 5km.  It is a great way for us to get outside and enjoy nature while exercising and raising money for animals and our environment.

WHERE DOES FEE MONEY GO?  All proceeds from the registration fee will go directly to World Wildlife Fund Canada, a global conservation organization.  They work diligently to conserve species at risk, protect threatened habitats, and address global threats. Theylook for long term solutions to benefit both people and nature.

If you would like to register for the event, you can visit: http://www.kidsrunfornature.ca

If you would like further information contact, Amanda Brown at 647 998 2934 or manda.brown77@gmail.com I hope to see you there!

May 12, 2017

Thank you to Mrs. Forte, our Parent Council representative, who organized our parent information night on Tuesday night. Our guest speakers, Dr Susan Mackenzie, Child and Adolescent psychiatrist at CAMH and Carm Viola, Social Worker at George Hull Centre for Children and Families, spoke on numerous topics related to our children's well-being. We will post links to resources on our website in the next couple of weeks. 

Last week, we posted our Evacuation Plan. Each school has to have a plan in place in case we have to evacuate for any reason (i.e. gas leak, heat and generator break in the middle of winter). If we were to evacuate, we will go to the Shale Pit and line up and then head to the church, or we might just go to the church depending on the situation. Our final evacuation site is Lambton-Kingsway United Church. If we were to evacuate, we will execute a mass email and/or phone call and the grade parents will send a message. All parents are to meet in the Shale Pit, west of the south baseball diamond. The vice-principal will co-ordinate the area. When you are instructed, you can sign out your child with the teacher. All children must be signed out with the teacher. If we end up at the church, you can sign your child out with the teacher there. 

Have a great weekend. Happy Mother's Day

May 2017
16-Mayor's Cricket Tournament; Grade 6-8 Concert at 6:00 p.m. 
17-Mrs. Hall hosts Scientist in the School
19-Forest of Reading Lunch; Whole School Author visit 

22-Victoria Day
23-Book Fair until the 26th
24-LKS Folk Dance Festival-Mrs. Hall and Ms. Santiago; Sr Girls Soccer Tourney 
25-Bike Safety Presentation from Officer Rich; Terry Fox Assembly 
26-Pizza Lunch; Kindergarten Sharing Assembly; Grade 6-8 House Event 
29-Parent Council at 7:00 in the library 
30-Grade 3 and 6 EQAO begins; Grade 7s to drop off donated books to Children's Book Bank 

June 2017 
3-Springfest 
8-Mrs. Souter and Ms. Furczon go to Outdoor Ed Centre 
9-PA Day
16-Grade 8 Graduation 
23-Kindergarten Sharing Assembly 
26-Report Cards Go Home 
29-Last Day for Students; Pizza Lunch-Lunch on the Lawn; Year End Assembly 

May 8, 2017

Next week is Children's Mental Health Week. Recently, our staff reviewed the goals that we set in this area for our current school year. Staff believe that they are learning more about the issues that young people are facing today and are using strategies in the class to create positive mental health. Furthermore, they believe that our school-wide monthly activities has been an effective way to promote positive mental health awareness. This is very important as staff, teachers and support, are with the students for a good portion of the day and we must work with parents to recognize concerns and provide support to families. 

Staff recognized a few strategies that promote a positive space including but not limited to: 

• creating a safe, warm environment through routines and rules 

• ongoing communication with parents 

• meditation 

• daily breathing techniques and yoga

• quiet times and moments of thoughtfulness 

• creating a positive growth mindset and being mindful

• celebrating positive character traits 

• community circles, class meetings, or class councils to talk and listen about student concerns 

• promote encouragement and positive conversations 

• conversations that reflect on successes and ways to improve 

In addition, Ms. Norton has been meeting with staff and students to already begin planning for next year. 


We hope that you are able to attend our Parent Information Night on the 9th at 7:00 in the library. Mrs. Forte, a Parent Council member, has organized our session that will focus on  key parenting strategies to promote mental health and well-being in our children (including the value of boredom, managing conflict resolution and the importance of failure).  Guest speakers include Dr Susan Mackenzie, Child and adolescent psychiatrist at CamH, Carm Viola, Social worker at George Hull Centre for Children and Families. The talk will be facilitated  by Dr Milena Forte, Mount Sinai Hospital, U of T.

Childcare will be provided.  Please RSVP  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/supporting-mental-health-wellness-tickets-34001215551

Please visit our website http://schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/lambtonkingsway/Home.aspx as I spent some time updating our School Improvement Plan goals and added information on the Turf and Cashless. 

Have a great weekend. 

May 2017 
8-12-Children’s Mental Health Week
9-Parent Council Information Night: Guest Speaker at 7:00 p.m. 
10-Grade 4-8 Track and Field  
11-Grade 8 Scientist in the School 
12-Grade 4-8 Author Visit; Dental Screening begins 
16-Mayor's Cricket Tournament; Grade 6-8 Concert at 6:30 p.m. 
17-Mrs. Hall hosts Scientist in the School
19-Forest of Reading Lunch; Whole School Author visit 

22-Victoria Day
23-Book Fair until the 26th
24-LKS Folk Dance Festival-Mrs. Hall and Ms. Santiago 
25-Bike Safety Presentation from Officer Rich
26-Pizza Lunch; Kindergarten Sharing Assembly
29-Parent Council at 7:00 in the library 
30-Grade 3 and 6 EQAO begins 

June 2017 
3-Springfest 
8-Mrs. Souter and Ms. Furczon go to Outdoor Ed Centre 
9-PA Day
16-Grade 8 Graduation 
23-Kindergarten Sharing Assembly 
29-Last Day for Students; Pizza Lunch-Lunch on the Lawn 

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

As the warm weather approaches, it is a good time to remind the students of traffic safety precautions. We will talk about those during our Sharing Assemblies and in the classroom, but you may want to have those conversations also. The following link was sent from our school's Community Officer, Officer Rich, that will help guide those discussions:  http://www.elmer.ca/safety-village/traffic-safety.

We've heard from Bob, our Crossing Guard, and his knee surgery recovery is doing well. We aren't sure if we are going to see him again this year, but time will tell. Crossing guards fall under the Toronto Police Services and they, as you know, will not be replacing Bob right now. I think the city is short of crossing guards overall.

At this weeks staff meeting, our learning coach, Katrina, presented on Equity and presented staff with some challenging activities. We will be forming an Equity Committee that will focus our goals for next year.

Thanks to Mrs. McGee for organizing the Forest of Reading Breakfast today. They had around 45 students show up to eat and vote!

On a final note, Kiss and Ride is getting a bit jammed up again. You are not allowed to park or idle in the Kiss and Ride as the traffic needs to keep moving. Please do not allow your children to leave the car if you are on a street (i.e. moving on Prince Edward and/or Government. It is extremely unsafe and it creates traffic jams on the street.

April 2017 
24-Grade 1-4 to TSO-thanks Ms. Barry; Parent Council at 7:00 p.m.
25th-Trustee Gough's Ward Meeting at Karen Kain at 7:00 p.m. 
26-Forest of Reading Pancake Breakfast 
27-Kindergarten Sharing Assembly; Wellness Activity 
28-Grade 6-8 House Event; Pizza Lunch 

May 2017
1-Grade 1-8 Sharing Assembly
8-12-Children’s Mental Health Week
9-Parent Council Information Night: Guest Speaker at 7:00 p.m. 
10-Grade 4-8 Track and Field 
11-Grade 8 Scientist in the School 
12-Grade 4-8 Author Visit; Dental Screening begins 
16-Mayor's Cricket Tournament 
17-Mrs. Hall hosts Scientist in the School 
19-Forest of Reading Lunch; Whole School Author visit 

22-Victoria Day
23-Book Fair until the 26th
25-Bike Safety Presentation from Officer Rich
26-Pizza Lunch; Kindergarten Sharing Assembly
29-Parent Council at 7:00 in the library 
30-Grade 3 and 6 EQAO begins 

June 2017
3-Springfest 
8-Mrs. Souter and Ms. Furczon go to Outdoor Ed Centre 
9-PA Day
16-Grade 8 Graduation 
23-Kindergarten Sharing Assembly 
29-Last Day for Students; Pizza Lunch-Lunch on the Lawn 

Thank you so much for attending last night's grade 1-5 Inquiry Fair. The students and staff were thrilled that you came out to support their learning. The positive comments left for the students were very much appreciated. The classes have been reading them all day. Once again, thanks to Ms. Kim, Mr. Bracht, Mrs. Furczon, Mrs. Younger and Mrs. Olson for providing professional development and for organizing the actual night. They did a fantastic job! 

Happy Earth Day! The classes will be cleaning the Shale Pit and school yard throughout the next month. 

Just a reminder if you are looking for counselling to reach out to the The Etobicoke Children's Centre Free Walk-In Clinic Counselling Service. They provide much needed support and can be reached at www.etobicokechildren.com or 416-240-1111. 

April 2017 
24-Grade 1-4 to TSO-thanks Ms. Barry; Parent Council at 7:00 p.m.
25th=Trustee Gough's Ward Meeting at Karen Kain at 7:00 p.m. 
26-Forest of Reading Pancake Breakfast 
27-Kindergarten Sharing Assembly; Wellness Activity 
28-Grade 6-8 House Event; Pizza Lunch 

May 2017
1-Grade 1-8 Sharing Assembly
8-12-Children’s Mental Health Week
9-Parent Council Information Night: Guest Speaker at 7:00 p.m. 
10-Grade 4-8 Track and Field 
11-Grade 8 Scientist in the School 
12-Grade 4-8 Author Visit; Dental Screening begins 
16-Mayor's Cricket Tournament 
17-Mrs. Hall hosts Scientist in the School 
19-Forest of Reading Lunch; Whole School Author visit 

22-Victoria Day
23-Book Fair until the 26th
25-Bike Safety Presentation from Officer Rich
26-Pizza Lunch; Kindergarten Sharing Assembly
29-Parent Council at 7:00 in the library 
30-Grade 3 and 6 EQAO begins 

June 2017
3-Springfest 
8-Mrs. Souter and Ms. Furczon go to Outdoor Ed Centre 
9-PA Day
16-Grade 8 Graduation 
23-Kindergarten Sharing Assembly 
29-Last Day for Students; Pizza Lunch-Lunch on the Lawn 

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Congratulations to the LKS community as we were ranked #4 in the elementary division of the "Top 50 Fundraisers of 2016" for The Terry Fox Foundation. Thanks to all the students, staff and parents who have contributed and to Ms. Gibson and the Terry Fox Helpers for organizing our events.

Another congratulations goes to Daria, one of our grade 7 students, who was the School Champion in "The 2017 Canadian Geographic Challenge." Thanks to Mr. Ellerker who organized and encouraged our intermediate students to participate in this very challenging competition.

We are looking forward to seeing our grade 1-5 students on Thursday night for our Inquiry Fair.

I hope everyone has a great long weekend, and extended warm wishes to those celebrating Easter.

See you on the 18th.

APRIL 2017 

14-17 Good Friday/Easter Monday
18-Folk Dance at lunch
20-Inquiry Fair-Parent Night; Folk Dance at lunch

22-Earth Day
24-Grade 1-4 to TSO-thanks Ms. Barry; Parent Council at 7:00 p.m.
26-Forest of Reading Pancake Breakfast 
27-Kindergarten Sharing Assembly; Wellness Activity 
28-Grade 6-8 House Event; Pizza Lunch 

May 2017
1-Grade 1-8 Sharing Assembly
8-12-Children’s Mental Health Week
9-Parent Council Information Night: Guest Speaker at 7:00 p.m. 
10-Grade 4-8 Track and Field 
11-Grade 8 Scientist in the School 
12-Grade 4-8 Author Visit; Dental Screening begins 
16-Mayor's Cricket Tournament 
17-Mrs. Hall hosts Scientist in the School 
19-Forest of Reading Lunch; Whole School Author visit 

22-Victoria Day
23-Book Fair until the 26th
25-Bike Safety Presentation from Officer Rich
26-Pizza Lunch; Kindergarten Sharing Assembly
29-Parent Council at 7:00 in the library 
30-Grade 3 and 6 EQAO begins 

June 2017
3-Springfest 
8-Mrs. Souter and Ms. Furczon go to Outdoor Ed Centre 
9-PA Day
16-Grade 8 Graduation 
23-Kindergarten Sharing Assembly 
29-Last Day for Students; Pizza Lunch-Lunch on the Lawn 

This week, it was wonderful to talk to the students about their Inquiry projects. Across the grades, the children are so immersed in the process and are excited about their learning. We look forward to seeing the grade 1-5 parents on April 20th when the children will be showcasing their learning.

The staffing committee finalized our classroom organization for the next school year based on the number of staffing and parameters given to us from the Board; 4 Kindergarten classes, three grade 1, three grade 2, one 2/3 combined, two grade 3, one 3/4 combined, two grade 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 classes each and one Primary/Junior Autism class. The remaining staff will teach French, Special Education, library, Physical Education and Information Library. We have also been allocated our support staff: 2 Office Clerical, 4 Early Childhood Educators, 1 Educational Assistant (Special Education).

Thank you to Parent Council for funding our Birds of Prey assemblies this week. It was very informative. The students got to learn and see a variety of raptors native to Ontario. You can visit http://www.conservationhalton.ca/mountsberg-raptor-centre for more information on Spring and Summer programs. Thanks to Mrs. Clarke for organizing this assembly.

This week, I received information from our Special Education Department about a webinar on recognizing and supporting students with anxiety and learning disabilities. Here is the link if you want to join: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2069492370995574786

Please remember to wear PINK on the 12th next week to support Anti-bullying! Let's build a positive space for all of us! Thanks to our Huddle Up Committee as I know they are planning something for that day.

Have a nice weekend!

APRIL 2017 

10-Dufflebag Theatre present Little Red Riding Hood (funded by Parent Council) 
11-Folkdance at lunch; Grade 1-8 Sharing Assemblies 
12-International Day of Pink-Wear Pink to support our positive, inclusive school 
13-Jr VBall Tourney at LKS; Folk Dance at lunch 
14-17 Good Friday/Easter Monday
18-Folk Dance at lunch
20-Inquiry Fair-Parent Night; Folk Dance at lunch

22-Earth Day
24-Grade 1-4 to TSO-thanks Ms. Barry; Parent Council at 7:00 p.m.
26-Forest of Reading Pancake Breakfast 
27-Kindergarten Sharing Assembly; Wellness Activity 
28-Grade 6-8 House Event; Pizza Lunch 

May 2017
1-Grade 1-8 Sharing Assembly
8-12-Children’s Mental Health Week
9-Parent Council Information Night: Guest Speaker at 7:00 p.m. 
10-Grade 4-8 Track and Field 
11-Grade 8 Scientist in the School 
12-Grade 4-8 Author Visit; Dental Screening begins 
16-Mayor's Cricket Tournament 
17-Mrs. Hall hosts Scientist in the School 
19-Forest of Reading Lunch; Whole School Author visit 

22-Victoria Day
23-Book Fair until the 26th
25-Bike Safety Presentation from Officer Rich
26-Pizza Lunch; Kindergarten Sharing Assembly
29-Parent Council at 7:00 in the library 
30-Grade 3 and 6 EQAO begins 

June 2017
3-Springfest 
8-Mrs. Souter and Ms. Furczon go to Outdoor Ed Centre 
9-PA Day
16-Grade 8 Graduation 
23-Kindergarten Sharing Assembly 
29-Last Day for Students; Pizza Lunch-Lunch on the Lawn 

We are very excited to be returning to the Toronto Science Fair on Saturday. Our grade 6-8 students who were the finalists at the LKS Fair will be showcasing their projects at U of T, Scarborough. Thanks to Mr. Littlejohn, Ms. Chandra and Mr. Iceton. I am really looking forward to it. 

Congratulations to our intermediate Chess team - they won their tournament today! It's a first for LKS! Thanks to all the parents who drove and to Mr. Iceton and Ms. Furczon, our coaches. 

We received some information on a guest speaker that might interest you. Sherry Turkle will be speaking at St. Clement's School on "Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age. You can reserve your seats at scs.on.ca/sherry-turkle/ or call 416-483-4835.

Don't forget that Crazy Hair day is tomorrow. Thanks for organizing Student Council.

Have a great weekend everyone.

April 2017
1-Grade 6-8 Students Finalists  at Toronto Science Fair 
5-Grade 1-8 Sharing Assembly 
6-Birds of Prey Assembly (funded by Parent Council); Grade 3 to Crawford Lake
10-Dufflebag Theatre present Little Red Riding Hood (funded by Parent Council) 
12-International Day of Pink-Wear Pink support our positive, inclusive school 
14-17 Good Friday/Easter Monday
20-Inquiry Fair-Parent Night 

22-Earth Day
24-Grade 1-4 to TSO-thanks Ms. Barry 
27-Kindergarten Sharing Assembly; Wellness Activity 
28-Grade 6-8 House Event 

May 2017
1-Grade 1-8 Sharing Assembly
8-12-Children’s Mental Health Week
12-Grade 4-8 Author Visit 
19-Forest of Reading Lunch; Whole School Author visit 

22-Victoria Day
23-Book Fair until the 26th
25-Bike Safety Presentation from Officer Rich
26-Pizza Lunch; Kindergarten Sharing Assembly
29-Parent Council at 7:00 in the library 

June 2017
3-Springfest 
8-2C and 1D to Outdoor Ed Centre 
9-PA Day
16-Grade 8 Graduation 
23-Kindergarten Sharing Assembly 
29-Last Day for Students; Pizza Lunch-Lunch on the Lawn 

Monday, March 27, 2017

Last week, I received our staffing numbers for 2017-2018. We have been allocated 31.5 teachers. Currently, we have 35 on our staff list. Some teachers will be returning from maternity leave and central positions, others may be applying for other teaching positions. Usually we finalize our staffing by end of year. Our staffing committee has been working on a classroom organization model that we will also talk about tonight at Parent Council. 

We have also been allocated a Primary Autism class at LKS. TDSB Special Education department will place students in the program, 6 in total. The class is assigned a teacher and Child and Youth Worker. We are very excited to start this new program as it will assist in supporting families in the West end of the city. 

Tonight, Ms. Norton and Mrs. Heath will be hosting a parent information night on the Grade 3 and 6 EQAO assessment. I will be hosting a question and answer period for new kindergarten parents who registered with us over the last month. Both presentations start at 6:15 p.m with the former in the library and the latter in the lunchroom. Parent Council will follow at 7:00 p.m. in the library. 

Have a great week. 

March 2017
27-Parent Council at 7:00 p.m. in the library/New Kindergarten Parent Meeting in lunchroom at 6:15 p.m.; Grade 3 and 6 EQAO Parent Information Night at 6:15 p.m. in the library 
28-Cookie Dough delivered to school 
29-Grade 8 Badminton at LKS; K-3 Scientist in the School 
30-LKS Monthly Well-Being Activity; Grade 8 Co-Ed VBall Tourney 
31-Kindergarten Sharing Assembly; Grade 7 an 8 Vaccines; Pizza Lunch; Grade 6-8 House Events 

April 2017
6-Birds of Prey Assembly (funded by Parent Council); Grade 3 to Crawford Lake
10-Dufflebag Theatre present Little Red Riding Hood (funded by Parent Council) 
12-International Day of Pink-Wear Pink support our positive, inclusive school 
14-17 Good Friday/Easter Monday
20-Inquiry Fair-Parent Night 

22-Earth Day
24-Grade 1-4 to TSO-thanks Ms. Barry 
27-Kindergarten Sharing Assembly; Wellness Activity 
28-Grade 6-8 House Event 

May 2017
1-Grade 1-8 Sharing Assembly
8-12-Children’s Mental Health Week
12-Grade 4-8 Author Visit 
19-Forest of Reading Lunch; Whole School Author visit 

22-Victoria Day
23-Book Fair until the 26th
25-Bike Safety Presentation from Officer Rich
26-Pizza Lunch; Kindergarten Sharing Assembly
29-Parent Council at 7:00 in the library 

June 2017
3-Springfest 
8-2C and 1D to Outdoor Ed Centre 
9-PA Day
16-Grade 8 Graduation 
23-Kindergarten Sharing Assembly 
29-Last Day for Students; Pizza Lunch-Lunch on the Lawn 

TDSB Special Education Survey

TDSB has created a survey for parent to complete regarding upcoming changes to programs. Please take the time to respond to this very important survey as the information will be valuable as the Board moves forward: 

http://www.tdsb.on.ca/Community/HowtoGetInvolved/CommunityAdvisoryCommittees/SpecialEducationAdvisoryCommittee.aspx

March Break

There is a Parent Conference on April 1st. Please visit ParentsAsPartners.ca if you are interested in attending. 

Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation will be undertaking a controlled burn in Lambton Park in early Spring 2017. You can read more at www.toronto.ca/trees. 

I hope everyone has a great March Break! 

March 2017
13-17-March Break
20-Grade 6-8 Girls Matter Club at lunch 
23-Girls' Hockey Tournament 
24-Theatre Arts club (Mr. Blais) performs for some classes 
27-Parent Council at 7:00 in the library/New Kindergarten Parent Meeting in lunchroom at 6:15; Grade 3 and 6 EQAO Parent Information Night 
30-LKS Monthly Well-Being Activity 
31-Kindergarten Sharing Assembly

April 2017
6-Birds of Prey Assembly (funded by Parent Council); Grade 3 to Crawford Lake
10-Dufflebag Theatre present Little Red Riding Hood (funded by Parent Council) 
12-International Day of Pink-Wear Pink support our positive, inclusive school 
14-17 Good Friday/Easter Monday
20-Inquiry Fair-Parent Night 

22-Earth Day
24-Grade 1-4 to TSO-thanks Ms. Barry 
27-Kindergarten Sharing Assembly; Wellness Activity 
28-Grade 6-8 House Event 

May 2017
1-Grade 1-8 Sharing Assembly
8-12-Children’s Mental Health Week
12-Grade 4-8 Author Visit 
19-Forest of Reading Lunch; Whole School Author visit 

22-Victoria Day
23-Book Fair until the 26th
25-Bike Safety Presentation from Officer Rich
26-Pizza Lunch; Kindergarten Sharing Assembly
29-Parent Council at 7:00 in the library 

June 2017
3-Springfest 
8-2C and 1D to Outdoor Ed Centre 
9-PA Day
16-Grade 8 Graduation 
23-Kindergarten Sharing Assembly 
29-Last Day for Students; Pizza Lunch-Lunch on the Lawn