Update for Families: December 9, 2022

Dear KPR Families,

Generosity and kindness are so important as we welcome the month of December. It is heartwarming to witness the giving spirit of our school communities as they come together to support each other and the broader community through the collection of food items and other important donations. Thank you to students, staff and families for your incredible acts of compassion and care! 

While December can be busy and exciting for many people, it can also be hectic and stressful for others. Please support your mental health with these Tips For Staying Well from School Mental Health Ontario. 

As a teaching and learning organization, we try to honor the lived experiences of all school communities and encourage staff and students to learn about and celebrate the diverse cultures, traditions, and spiritual significance of December. The Events Calendar on the KPR website lists upcoming days of significance and includes brief descriptions to support this collective awareness and learning.

Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy (CRRP) helps to ensure that students’ identities are seen and heard in our classrooms and schools. Schools have been using the CRRP Toolkit to ensure classroom learning activities are representative of students’ lived experiences. By feeling a connection to the learning environment, relationships between students, staff, families and the community are nurtured and grown.

The students and staff at Lydia Trull PS have made great strides in establishing environments where students feel comfortable being themselves and sharing their lived experiences. We visited the school at the end of June and asked them to share their reflections in this video, which aligns with our Board Action Plan. 

We are excited to see all of our schools continuing to focus on creating inclusive environments, reflective of our students and communities.

Take care,

Rita Russo,
Director of Education

KPR NEWS

Virtual School Registration 

In-person learning, which means learning face-to-face in school facilities, is the ideal learning model for students and the model we value at KPR. While our focus remains on having as many students as possible attend in-person, we also recognize that virtual learning is a preferred option for some families.

Families who wish to transfer to the Virtual Elementary School or Virtual High School (VES/VHS) for Term 2/Semester 2 should contact their home schools directly between December 9 and December 23, 2022.

The start date for any families requesting this change will be February 6, 2023.

Students who are already registered for virtual school will remain registered there for the rest of the school year unless they request a transfer back to in-person learning. Should a VES/VHS student want to return to their home school, home schools will continue to accommodate these student/family requests.

COVID Screening Tool Update 

The School and Child Care Screening Tool has been updated to align with recent recommendations from the Chief Medical Officer of Health. Please remember to screen daily and stay home when recommended by the screening tool.

KPR schools are mask-friendly environments where everyone’s personal choice is respected. Along with our public health partners, we strongly recommend masking in indoor environments, and in particular for 10 days after becoming ill, as identified in the screening tool.

International and Indigenous Languages Elementary Program Registration

KPR is planning to once again offer the International and Indigenous Languages Elementary (IILE) Program for students in Kindergarten to Grade 8 who are interested in the opportunity to develop their language skills through a free, non-credit course outside of school hours.

To learn more about the program scheduled to begin at the end of January, and to complete the registration form, please visit our website. 

Families who have registered their children will be contacted by email with further information after the Holiday Break.