Please enjoy our September 2020 newsletter.

Please enjoy our October 2020 Newsletter

Please find attached an introduction of our new School Council Chair Simon Farquhar. A list of future meeting dates and instructions on how to join us are also included

In response to COVID-19, processes have changed to provide the suggested and mandatory school-based vaccines to Grade 7 and 8 students. The vaccines will no longer be administered in the schools. Instead, students will access clinics in the community. All schools, including virtual classrooms, will access community locations, by appointment only.

Immunization clinic dates and community locations for 2020/21 are posted on the Durham Region Health Department website: www.durham.ca/immunizationclinics.

The site will guide families to book an appointment at one of the community clinic locations, starting in October and running until December. Included in this email, is communication to forward to parents on how/when to book an appointment for their child through our scheduling platform. The vaccines offered this upcoming school year will remain the same (Hepatitis B, HPV and Meningococcal).

Please note the following changes this year:

• There will be no classroom visits by immunization program public health nurses.
• Consent forms for grade 7 and 8 students will be onsite at community locations for families to complete with a nurse.

We would ask that the intermediate teachers disseminate the information to their students and families. Attached is a Fact sheet for immunization information and a message to send to parents on how to access immunization community clinics. Please forward these two attachments to all grade 7 and 8 teachers to send out to the parents of the students in an email or via your chosen communication platform. 

Hello VMPS Family,

Exciting news, we are going to be having our school's Public Health Nurse join our School Council Meeting on Nov. 2 at 5:30 p.m. to answer Q&As. 

Please complete the following survey if you have any specific questions you'd like to ask and we will provide them to Joanne and she will provide answers to the trending questions that she sees.

Online survey: https://forms.gle/TpW41JsiEhE9NmX28

Kind Regards,

Mr Shea
Principal
VMPS

DRHD Hallwe'en...during COVID-19

School Yard Spook Instructions

School Yard Spook Poster

School Council Message

At this time, we are asking parents to make decisions about school attendance in September, so we can ensure proper staffing for both our school classrooms and the Learn At Home program.

On July 29, the provincial government announced that elementary students in KPR will attend school five days per week, with enhanced health and safety requirements. Secondary students in our school board will also attend school full-time, with timetable adjustments that reduce the number of classes each day, and limit student and staff contacts.

Earlier this week, we shared our Return to School Plan with families and staff. Our plan supports one central principle: safeguarding the health and welfare of students, staff and the community in a manner that reflects the Board’s core values. Our planning is based on advice, guidance and directives of provincial and local public health officials and includes important information and protocols for students, staff and families.

The full document is available on our website, at: www.kprschools.ca/en/COVID-19.html along with an extensive list of Frequently Asked Questions. Please click here to access the Frequently Asked Questions.

Registration – Online Learn At Home Program

Families with elementary and secondary students may choose not to attend in-person school at this time (both elementary and secondary). Students who opt-out of in-class learning will continue to receive instruction through our established distance learning models, with an emphasis on real-time learning.

Students participating in online distance education will sign-in daily, participate in both real-time and independent study, follow the same curriculum as their peers attending school in person and be able to contact their teachers for help and to have questions answered.

If families change their decision regarding whether they want their children to attend in person after the start of school, their requests for a change will be addressed as soon as possible. We will ask that families be patient as some time will be required to develop transition plans from one form of learning to another as we will need to adhere to Ministry of Education and Public Health guidelines that support student and staff health, safety and well-being. Secondary students returning to in-person learning may be limited to the new term or new semester based on course availability, enrolment, and time missed in the course.

Families who wish to enroll their children in the online Learn At Home program are asked to do so by Wednesday, August 19, 2020 by clicking here.

 Year 1 Kindergarten students who wish to participate in the Learn At Home program will need to send a message to kpr_info@kprdsb.ca to register since these students do not yet have an OEN. Please include your student's name and the school name in your message.

Only students participating in the Learn At Home Program need to register. All other students will be assumed to be participating in the full-time in-school model.

To All KPR Families,

As you may be aware, since we sent out our back-to-school update for families yesterday, the Ministry of Education announced new information. In particular, we received new details regarding the Ministry’s planning for online, at-home learning. We recognize that families would like as much information as possible regarding our learn-at-home plans before they enroll their children by the August 19 date we communicated yesterday. To help you in making that decision, we are pleased to forward the provincial information to you as quickly as possible.

For the 300 minutes per day that must be spent on online instruction, the province has outlined how much time must be devoted to synchronous learning. Synchronous learning refers to live, real-time teaching when students in the class are connected by computer directly with the teacher and can interact with the teacher.   The requirements are as follows:

The table below outlines the minimum amount of time per day that students, depending on their grade level, must be provided with synchronous learning as part of their scheduled or timetabled learning.

Secondary students at KPR will follow a full course schedule over the year with four quadmesters, each quadmester including two, 150-minute classes per day.

We are now planning how these Ministry requirements will be put in place in each grade. We will provide more information to parents as soon as we are able. Planning for school in these unprecedented times continues to be very fluid and changeable, and we are responding as quickly as we can.

We have also added information to our Frequently Asked Questions, which you can access by clicking here. This includes further details on:

• Use of Alternate Learning Spaces
• Learn At Home program for French Immersion Students
• Transferring from In-person to Learn At Home program
• School Ventilation.

We encourage parents to check our website often at http://kprschools.ca/en/COVID-19.html for any further news.

August 19 Update

Staggered Start to In-school Learning

The board will be putting in place a staggered start to the first week of the school year. This will allow different grades or students to return to school on different days so students and staff can become more comfortable with new routines and health and safety practices. More information will be shared home to parents through schools as these schedules are finalized.

At last night’s Board meeting, school board Trustees also approved the use of an additional $5.5 million from reserves to support back-to-school planning efforts to support the:

• hiring of additional custodial staff,
• hiring of additional teachers to lower some class sizes,
• potential lease of space for classes should there be no space in specific schools, and
• hiring of staff to develop and offer the virtual, online Learn at Home program.

More information about these areas can be found in our Frequently Asked Questions, available here:  Frequently Asked Questions.

Dear KPR Parents and Guardians:

We want to provide everyone with another update on our continued planning for the upcoming school year.  We appreciate your patience as we work through these many interrelated issues. As you can appreciate, these are complex matters that take reflection and consideration to resolve.

Throughout all, we want to emphasize that our planning supports one central priority, which is safeguarding the health and welfare of students, staff and the community.

To that end, we are sharing today that we have made an adjustment to our secondary school planning model. The details are outlined below for families with secondary students.

We know that everyone is anxious to learn more about our plans for the staggered start to the school year. Once again, our emphasis has been on making our school environments as safe as possible for our students and staff.

For our in-person school operations, this means giving our principals and school staff enough time to:

• realign elementary classroom sizes and staff assignments based on changes resulting from students choosing to stay home for the online school option; parents should be aware that this could potentially mean your child’s assigned teacher may change
• confirm and adjust secondary student timetables, especially for our Learn At Home students
• properly set up and become familiar with our new pandemic-related school practices
• organize classrooms in safe layouts, which includes the moving and storage of a considerable amount of furnishings, desks and other equipment throughout the school.

At the same time, we are also organizing our Learn At Home online school for over 5,300 students. This is a challenging undertaking that requires a significant amount of planning and development with our teaching and administrative staff.

For all of these reasons, we are sharing today that our staggered start will now take place over a two-week period.

This two week period will be as follows:

September 8 – September 11 – Schools remain closed to students. Staff continue preparing school for the new year.

September 14 – September 18 – Student and class groups will attend school on different days to become familiar with classroom and school processes. All students will be in attendance full-time on Friday, September 18.

This two-week period will provide all our staff and students the additional time we believe will be crucial for everyone to prepare learning spaces, and to finalize, understand and be comfortable with, the many new routines that will be a part of the normal school day.

Finalized schedules will be shared with parents through their local school as soon as possible.

We know this will be disappointing to our families and students who are eager to get back to school with all their friends, but we need to take the time to get this right from the start.

Changes to school day structure for In-Person Learning – Secondary students

Our back-to-school planning continues to change and evolve over time in support of student and staff safety.

As we worked through the implementation of our plan and timetabling for secondary students, we realized that our initial structure for the day could be changed and improved to make it better and safer.

The key part of this change is that while students will still be in school all-day, every day, they will now alternate their two subjects every week, instead of every day.

This means that students will take their Period 1 class every day for Week 1. Students will then take their Period 2 class every day the following week. This will continue alternating for the first quadmester.

The following example may be helpful:

We realize this is an extended amount of time for students on each subject. The safety improvements of this model, however, are significant:

• students can remain in a defined classroom for the entire week without traveling to another classroom, similar to our elementary model
• this further limits the number of contacts and touch points for students and staff throughout the day, so that we will no longer have students using two different desks during the same day
• the possibility of schools implementing staggered breaks and lunches for students during the day, so that they can have a break from their classroom; our previous plan was based on students remaining in their Period One classrooms to have lunch.

While our intent with the original school plan was to structure the school day safely for everyone through organized timetabling and limited movement, we feel this plan is a safer and better alternative. Any parents or students who feel that this change may affect their interest in participating in our online Learn At Home program should contact us at kpr_info@kprdsb.ca

In closing, we appreciate your continued patience as we work through these uncommon days in preparation for the new year.

We wish you health and wellness.

Jennifer Leclerc
Director of Education

Is your child eligible for transportation and attending a KPR school in person in September, but won’t be using the bus? If so, please visit https://www.stsco.ca/NotUsingBus.asp as soon as possible to let us know you’re opting out from using the school bus.

You may have seen media reports yesterday regarding the provincial announcement of updated directives for local health units and school boards in ensuring schools remain safe for students and staff.

We are currently reviewing those documents, in collaboration with our local health units, and will be updating our health and safety procedures for all schools to reflect this guidance.

A letter from the Minister of Education outlining these directives is attached here for your information, the highlights of which include:

- Updates to illness protocols to deal with students who become ill while they are at school, including how they will be cared for by staff and provided with personal protective equipment
- The critical importance of parents screening their children every day before school, and keeping them at home if they are ill
- The ways school communities will be updated if a student or staff member tests positive for COVID- 19, and the immediate contact tracing that will begin by local health authorities
- Situations where required classes or cohorts of students will be recommended for testing or sent home, or where the school will be closed until public health officials determine it is safe for students and staff to return.

We know that the health and safety of your children, our students, is your greatest priority. Along with the health and wellness of our staff, we want to assure you that we share that priority.

As mentioned above, we are presently working together with our health units on this newly released guidance document, and will update parents and guardians on our enhanced measures as they are finalized.

 Learn At Home Program

We continue to work on establishing our online, virtual school for over 5,300 students who have chosen this education program. As parents can appreciate, this is a challenging undertaking that requires a significant amount of planning and development with our teaching and administrative staff.

Principals and vice-principals have been assigned to oversee and manage both the virtual elementary and virtual secondary Learn at Home programs. They will be reaching out to families next week with more information about school start-up.

Helping your child become comfortable with mask wearing

One important part of back-to-school routines involves helping students become more comfortable wearing masks. KPR has compiled some tips and videos to help children become more comfortable with putting on and wearing masks. Students in Grades 4 and up are required to wear non-medical face masks when indoors at school, while students in Kindergarten to Grade 3 are encouraged to wear masks in indoor spaces. Please see the attached poster, to support this important part of our back-to-school preparations.

Dear KPR Parents and Guardians:

As the Labour Day long weekend draws closer, we want to take a moment to share with you our excitement in returning to what is our passion, and what we love to do the most – educating your children.

We say this fully understanding that many parents and students are concerned and anxious about what the future will bring. We appreciate those feelings – no one remains unaffected by the events of the last few months – and, in the days ahead, we will do all that we can to support our students in their transition back to school.

We also believe strongly that bringing students together, in person and virtually, is a critical necessity for their overall health and wellness. 

The closures of our schools last spring was a necessary step that we supported, for the health of our communities. The impact of these closures on our students and staff, however, was significant.

From September until March, our students and staff were learning and growing together, in common spaces. Regrettably, from that point in time, life in our communities and schools changed in fundamental ways for us all.

We look forward to taking another step towards our new normal by reuniting students with their peers, and students with our staff, who have missed them.

As I have mentioned, we know that these are uneasy times for families, and that you have understandable concerns for your children’s health.

We have worked with focus and intention to consider all parts of the school day, to make attending school safer for students. As recommended by health authorities, we are making many adjustments to the school day. These include:  

• The way our students enter our buildings and walk through hallways and classrooms each day
• Set-up of desks and classrooms so that students are as far apart as possible
• Keeping classes together in one group with one teacher, as much as possible
• Staggered lunches and breaks for different classes
• Mandatory masks for staff and students in Grades 4 and up, and strong encouragement of masks for Kindergarten to Grade 3 students
• Supplies of hand sanitizer in classrooms and hallways, as well as frequent reminders to wash hands often with soap and water
• A strict health protocol for students or staff who become ill
• Increased cleaning and sanitization of all high touch surfaces, such as handles, door knobs, and faucets, three times a day
• Thorough evening cleaning, including the use of electrostatic sprayers that disinfect all items in large areas, and
• Following all federal and provincial requirements for school bus safety.

Next week, as students begin to hear more from their schools and teachers, we will also share Back to School Information packages with important reminders about the new protocols in place at schools, to keep everyone safe.

Once again, I thank all of our families for your patience and understanding. There have been many changes to our educational programs this spring and summer as we continue to work through the many interrelated issues before us.

I also can’t promise that there won’t be more changes in the days ahead as we adapt to evolving educational and health directives. I can, however, assure everyone that our staff members are an amazing group of committed and caring adults, who have come together in these unprecedented times, to work with purpose and intention to support our students.

We know that no plan is perfect, but we will be tireless in improving and refining our actions and practices each day.

We wish you a joyful start to the school year. 

Jennifer Leclerc
Director of Education

Update for Families of Virtual School Students

We want to thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we launch our Virtual Elementary and Secondary Schools for over 5,600 students in KPR.

Please find below an update for students and families for both the elementary and secondary virtual school.

Virtual Elementary School

Given the overwhelming interest in the virtual school, staff are working as quickly as they can to respond.  The complexity of creating these schools and transferring student information has created technical challenges requiring additional staff and time.

Many parents and students have already been contacted by your child’s teacher. For those that have not heard from your teacher yet, you should hear from them by Monday afternoon.

We trust the following questions and answers will provide you with timely information to support your planning for next week.

Is my child registered?
For those families who completed the “Opt Out Form” in August, please rest assured that your child is registered in the virtual school and has been assigned a teacher.

For those families who did not complete the Opt Out Form because you are new to the board and/or made a decision to attend the virtual school after the August deadline, please know that we working as quickly as we can to add your child(ren) to our school database.

For those families who completed the Opt Out Form in August and have since made the decision to not participate in the virtual school, please know that we are working through a process of removing your child(ren) from our database and transferring this information back to your child’s home school.

When will my child’s teacher contact us?
Once your child’s information is successfully transferred to the virtual school from their home school or a new registration is completed, they will be assigned to a teacher who will contact you about next steps.  Staff are working over the weekend to continue this process.  While we are working diligently to contact families by the end of today, it is possible that your child’s teacher may not contact you until Monday of next week.

What will September 14 to 18 look like?
As you know, all schools in KPRDSB are having staggered entry of students during this week.  This applies to our  virtual school as well.  With students, teachers and parents being new to learning virtually, the plan is for virtual students to attend for increasing periods of time each day as outlined by your child’s teacher.  Your child will not be expected to be online all day until Friday, September 18.   When not online, your child will be assigned work to complete independently.  The focus will be on learning how to use the technology, developing relationships and getting back into the routine of school.

How do I get a device for my child?
Many of you have completed the online survey and already picked up a chromebook.  Should you still need a device, please send an email as soon as possible to: kpr_technology@kprdsb.ca

How do I get technical support for my child?
We have set up Student/Parent Helplines to support virtual students.
Student/Parent Helpline Virtual Elementary School
1-877-741-4577 Ext 3002
Elementary_Helpline@kprdsb.ca

 Who do I contact with my questions about Virtual School?
Please reach out to your child’s teacher with questions or concerns after your initial contact
If you have not heard from your child’s teacher by Monday afternoon, please contact the Education Centre at 877-741-4577, extension 2030.  Your patience is appreciated as we work as quickly as we can to get back to you.

Virtual High School Update (VHS)

We know that a number of students still do not have complete timetables and that some students are having difficulty accessing their KPR online account.  We understand that this creates anxiety given that school starts on Monday.  Please know that the first four days of next week are dedicated to learning about our online learning environment in D2L. 

During this time we will be working hard behind the scenes to resolve all the timetabling and access issues.  No student will fall behind because of timetabling or access issues. 

 How do students access their timetable?
Virtual High School Students should be able to see their timetable in Edsby.  If you are having trouble accessing Edsby because you forgot your username or password please use the following link to access this information. You will need the PIN number that was sent to you via email from KPRDSB. 
https://studentcreds.kprdsb.ca/

If you do not have a PIN number or are still having issues accessing Edsby please call 1- 877-741-4577 Ex 3001

If you need access to technology please use the following email.  kpr_technology@kprdsb.ca 

When will students begin?
Like all schools, the VHS has planned a staggered entry.  The VHS has approximately 1500 students and the staggered entry will allow students to begin by learning how to navigate the online classroom.  The staggered entry schedule is listed below:

Grade 12 Students – Monday, September 14^th
Grade 11 Students – Tuesday, September 15^th
Grade 10 students – Wednesday, September 16^th
Grade 9 Students – Thursday, September 17^th

On Friday September 18^th regular classes will start for all students.  The first priority for students is to familiarize themselves with the D2L environment which can be accessed at the following online address: https://kprdsb.elearningontario.ca/

Students will need their school network username and password to access D2L.  Once they have gained access to D2L there are two introductory modules for them to work through. 

Timetable Adjustments?

We know that there are students who have timetables that are incorrect or who wish to make timetable changes.

Please visit this link to request a timetable change: forms.gle/TLkD74cayh79BzTt7

All courses being offered at the VHS can be viewed by going to the link below.  This will help to inform change requests:  

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JCnMFdIOPLMSl7QaN7A2idVNbDywiSjT_aZv4zredPw/edit?usp=sharing

If your concerns are of an urgent nature, please contact the Virtual High School by calling 705-760-8630. 

How do I get technical support for my child?
We have set up Student/Parent Helplines to support virtual students.
Student/Parent Helpline Virtual High School
1-877-741-4577 Ext 3001
Secondary_Helpline@kprdsb.ca

Unfortunately, STSCO has informed us that the continued, severe bus driver shortage has resulted in more First Student bus routes being cancelled for the rest of this week (to September 18). A full list of affected routes is available at http://www.stsco.ca/driver-shortage-cancellations.asp

September 25, 2020

Dear KPR Parents and Guardians,

As we approach the end of September, it has been reassuring to see KPR students of all ages settling into their new routines for the 2020-21 school year. Whether attending school in person or online, students have been getting to know their teachers, completing their first projects, and adapting to the many changes brought about by COVID-19.

All of this has been possible thanks to the tireless efforts and support of our staff and our families, who have done their best to encourage a sense of normalcy and certainty in these uncertain times. In addition to offering sincere thanks to all of you, this week’s message provides several updates and information about resources available to you.

Confirmed COVID-19 Cases at Adam Scott CVI

You may have heard that Peterborough Public Health confirmed three cases of COVID-19 at Adam Scott CVI. Peterborough Public Health has indicated that it is not declaring an outbreak at the school at this time, because it is not believed that these cases were transmitted through the school. Fortunately, the affected individuals, who are close contacts of each other, are experiencing mild symptoms and are recovering at home in self-isolation.

While this is unwelcome news, we are committed to sharing information with families as quickly as possible. Adam Scott families were notified last night through email, posts on the school and board websites and Edsby, and through social media.

The health unit has identified close contacts who may have been exposed to the ill individuals while they were infectious. The health unit has called close contacts directly to advise them as to any next steps they must take, such as self-isolation and/or testing. 

The school is still open, and individuals who were not contacted may continue to attend school. Families have been reminded to continue to self-monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19; this includes completing the daily self-assessment for symptoms, available at https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/ 

We are continuing to follow all health recommendations, including thorough cleaning and disinfecting of all areas; frequent and proper handwashing by everyone in the building; wearing masks; maintaining physical distancing to the fullest extent possible, and following any other steps directed by the Health Unit. If you would like further information on KPR’s COVID-19 protocols, please visit http://kprschools.ca/en/COVID-19.html 

Daily self-screening

We also wish to highlight the importance of every family and every staff member in every school completing self-screening each morning for any possible signs of COVID, before heading to school. Two particularly helpful sources of information include:

• the provincial government’s online, interactive screening tool, available at https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/  
• KPR’s Self Screening Tool and Morning Checklist, available at http://kprschools.ca/en/DailyScreeningTool.html

By working together, we can all help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Illness Protocol

As students begin to experience cold and flu-like symptoms this fall, we want to remind everyone of the key points of our Illness Protocol, based on evolving guidance from our local Public Health partners.

• Most importantly, in the event that students experience any symptoms of illness identified on the COVID screening tool at https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/, families must keep children home, contact their health care provider or a COVID Assessment Centre for guidance, and follow their recommendations.
• If testing is recommended, children must stay home from school until the test result is received.
  • If the test result is negative for COVID-19, but the child still has symptoms of illness, they should stay home until symptom-free for 24 hours (or 48 hours in the case of vomiting or diarrhea).
  • If the test result is positive for COVID-19, Public Health will be in regular contact and will inform families when children can return to school.
• If testing is not recommended because the primary health care provider has diagnosed that the symptoms are not due to COVID-19, children must stay home until symptoms have been resolved for 24 hours (or 48 hours in the case of vomiting or diarrhea).
• If children are not diagnosed with an illness other than COVID-19, or are recommended for testing for COVID-19 but they do not get tested, they must self-isolate for a minimum of 14 days from the time their symptoms started.  They cannot attend school during this 14-day period.

COVID Alert App

We also want to remind you of the Government of Canada’s new COVID Alert app, which can be downloaded for free to let people know of possible exposures to COVID before any symptoms appear. That app is available at https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/covid-alert.html

 KPR’s Parent Conference goes virtual

For the past 19 years, KPR’s annual Parent Conference has given parents and guardians free, direct access to expert advice on supporting their children’s learning and on raising healthy, resilient families. This year, we are hoping even more people will be able to participate in the event as it goes virtual.

We encourage all interested parents, guardians, staff and community members to join us online for this year’s Virtual Parent Conference, which will be held: 

Saturday, October 17
9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
Theme: Drop the Worry Ball
Featuring Dr. Alex Russell

 Dr. Russell is a clinical psychologist, a well-known and engaging speaker, and co-author of the book Drop the Worry Ball: How to Parent in the Age of Entitlement.

Online registration for his presentation will begin next week. All registrants will receive a link to watch the presentation live, and to ask Dr. Russell questions. Watch for more information soon.

Orange Shirt Day and Rowan’s Law Day

And, finally, we invite everyone to join us in recognizing two important events next week: Orange Shirt Day, and Rowan’s Law Day. Both are on Wednesday, September 30.

KPR has participated in Orange Shirt Day for several years, to honour survivors and remember victims of Indian Residential Schools. Each year, we encourage students and staff to wear orange to demonstrate their commitment to reconciliation and to ensuring that “Every Child Matters”. We encourage everyone to learn more about Orange Shirt Day by visiting www.orangeshirtday.org

Rowan’s Law Day honours an Ottawa student who died after sustaining several concussions over six days. In 2018, the provincial government passed Rowan's Law (Concussion Safety), to protect amateur athletes on the field and at school, and to support concussion awareness and prevention. To see KPR’s concussion safety protocols and resources, visit http://www.kprschools.ca/en/our_schools/getinvolved/parentresources/concussionresources.html

KPR and our schools will continue to communicate regularly with parents and guardians, to keep you up to date on latest developments affecting your children and teens.

In the meantime, stay well.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Leclerc
Director of Education

Parents: get expert advice on raising mentally strong, well-adjusted children, without having to leave home!

The KPR school board’s 19^th Annual Parent Conference is going virtual this year. Please join us online on:

Saturday, October 17
9 a.m.-11 a.m.|
Theme: Drop the Worry Ball
Featuring Dr. Alex Russell

Dr. Russell is a clinical psychologist, well known and engaging speaker, and co-author of the book Drop the Worry Ball: How to Parent in the Age of Entitlement.

As always, the parent conference is free and open to all interested parents, guardians, community members and staff.  Registrants will receive a link to watch the presentation live, and to ask Dr. Russell questions.

Watch for an update from KPR October 1, when registration opens.

Friday, October 2, 2020

Dear KPR Families,

As I write this update, it strikes me that nothing is more predictable this year than its unpredictability. With that in mind, I would like to share with you a few new developments that have taken place since last week’s update.

New COVID-19 Self-screening Tool

The provincial government this week released a new COVID-19 self-screening tool for families and individuals to use every morning. The new tool, which goes into effect immediately, is meant to help families and individuals make an informed decision about whether they should attend school or child care, consult a health care provider, or get tested for COVID-19.

The new self-screening tool now has two sets of questions about possible symptoms. The first set asks about symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath. Children with any of these symptoms will still be advised to stay home until they receive a negative COVID-19 test or other medical diagnosis. 

The second set of questions asks about symptoms that are common to other illnesses as well, such as runny nose, headache and nausea.

• Children who have only one of these symptoms will be advised to stay home for 24 hours, after which they can return to school or child care if their symptoms are improving.
• Children with two or more of these symptoms will be advised to stay home until they consult with a health care provider and receive a diagnosis other than COVID, or a negative COVID-19 test.

Another change in the symptom list is removal of abdominal pain and conjunctivitis (pink eye).

The new self-screening tool is attached, and posted at https://covid-19.ontario.ca/covid19-cms-assets/2020-10/Screening%20Children%20v1.0%202020-10-01%20FINAL%20EN%20AODA.pdf  All KPR schools will follow these new directions. Please self-screen every day.

Confirmed COVID-19 Cases

Health authorities this week notified us of a confirmed case of COVID-19, at Highland Heights PS in Peterborough. In addition, there is a probable case of COVID at the YMCA GTA child care centre located within the John M. James PS building in Bowmanville. Both schools are responding as directed by Durham Public Health and Peterborough Public Health. In both cases, we have worked closely with public health officials to identify anyone who may have been exposed to the ill individuals while they were infectious. The health unit called close contacts directly and advised them as to any next steps they must take, such as self-isolation and/or testing.

Highland Heights PS, John M. James PS and the child care centre are still open, and individuals who were not contacted by their health units may continue to attend school and child care, including the after-school program.

Meanwhile, we are pleased to report that the three individuals at Adam Scott CVI who were confirmed last week as having COVID-19 have been recovering well at home. 

All KPR schools are continuing to follow all preventive steps identified by health officials, including thorough cleaning and disinfecting of all areas; frequent and proper handwashing by everyone in the building; wearing masks; and maintaining physical distancing to the fullest extent possible.

We also remind all families and staff of the importance of daily self-screening, using the new screening tool attached.

COVID Alert App
We also want to remind you of the Government of Canada’s new COVID Alert app, which can be downloaded for free to let people know of possible exposures to COVID before any symptoms appear. That app is available at https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/covid-alert.html

Text Message Alerts from KPR Schools

Text message alerts are a quick and easy way to receive information about school news, attendance, and more. We will also be using text message alerts to notify families about confirmed cases of COVID in their schools.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to opt into this service now, by sending a text message to 978338 with the message of “Y” or “Yes”. 

You can opt out of these messages at any time by simply replying to one of our messages with “Stop”.  If you choose not to opt in to text messaging, you can still receive school information via email. You can also decide which types of communications you receive, and how, through the School Messenger App under Preferences, or by logging into https://go.schoolmessenger.ca/#/account/login

Joining the Virtual Parent Conference is easier than ever

Please join us at KPR’s free Virtual Parent Conference, which will be held: 

Saturday, October 17
9 a.m.-11 a.m.
Theme: Drop the Worry Ball
Featuring Dr. Alex Russell

Dr. Russell is a clinical psychologist, well known and engaging speaker, and co-author of the book Drop the Worry Ball: How to Parent in the Age of Entitlement.

To make joining the Virtual Parent Conference as easy as possible for everyone, separate registration will not be required.  You will be able to “tune in” directly to the Parent Conference, the morning of the event on October 17, by simply clicking on a link that we will be sending out to all families and staff next week.

In addition, KPR will be recording Dr. Russell’s presentation and posting it on our website, the week after the Parent Conference, for those unable to participate in the live, real-time event. Our website also will include links to information and resources provided by agencies that serve families across KPR.

 If you need assistance, have questions or if there are accommodations that would make the conference more accessible for you, please email kpr_info@kprdsb.ca or call 705-742-9773 or toll-free 1-877-741-4577, ext. 2018.

We wish everyone a safe, healthy and relaxing weekend.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Leclerc
Director of Education

Thursday, October 8, 2020

Dear KPR Families,

As we approach the Thanksgiving long weekend, we would like to extend our sincere best wishes to our students and families.  We are living through historic times, and we continue to be incredibly proud of our students and staff as they adapt to the new realities of our school day.

Together, they are finding moments of joy, happiness and inspiration, and most importantly, they are learning.

These are difficult times, without question, but with positive intention we continue to work through challenges as they come, and to do all that we can to ensure the safety and wellness of everyone in our schools. We remain thankful for the opportunity to be together, in person and virtually, engaged in our life’s work and passion: public education.

We urge everyone to be responsible in our Thanksgiving observations, and to continue to do all that we can to keep our communities healthy.

Please find below further information as part of our weekly update.

Important: please self-screen daily!

We remind families and staff that it is extremely important to screen themselves for possible symptoms of COVID-19 every morning, before heading to school. Please use the Ontario government’s updated, online self-screening tool for this purpose. It will help you make an informed decision about whether you should attend school or child care, consult a health care provider, or get tested for COVID-19.

The new self-screening tool can be completed online at https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/. A printable version also can be downloaded from https://covid-19.ontario.ca/covid19-cms-assets/2020-10/Screening%20Children%20v1.0%202020-10-01%20FINAL%20EN%20AODA.pdf 

In addition, we have attached a copy of the self-screening tool for you to print if you choose. Please self-screen every day.

We also wish to remind parents of two other important sources of information on COVID:

• We encourage you to download the Government of Canada’s COVID Alert app, which can let people know of possible exposures to COVID before any symptoms appear. That app is available at no charge at https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/covid-alert.html
• The KPR website has a wealth of information on COVID, including our illness protocol, mental health resources to help support families at this time, details on wearing masks properly, posters in eight languages, and a COVID-19 Reporting page that provides an update on numbers of confirmed cases at schools throughout KPR. All of this information can be accessed from http://www.kprschools.ca/en/COVID-19.html

 KPR Virtual Elementary School (VES)

With 4,300 students now attending the VES, an intake process has been created to support a successful transition for students and their families. VES students will be able to move from in-person to online learning at the end of each month. This will allow sufficient time for principals and teachers to make the transition as smooth as possible for students.

If you would like to move your child from in-school to online learning, please start the process by speaking with the principal of your home school.  Families will need to register by October 23 if they wish their children to make the change on the next available start date of Monday, November 2.

Similarly, families who wish their children to switch to online classes on Monday, November 30 will need to register between November 2-20.  Please note that this process will not occur in December. 

In other words:

Watch for more information on the transition and registration dates for January.

After registering for the VES and while waiting for their online classes to start, students will be supported by their home school until they transition to the virtual school. They will have two choices during this waiting period: either attend class in person at their home school until the VES start date, or complete work assigned by their child’s teacher at home.

Kawartha Pine Ridge Virtual High School (KPRVHS)

At the secondary level, all Virtual High School classes are currently full for this quadmester.  The next entry point will be for the second quadmester, which begins on Monday, November 23.  

Requests to transfer into online learning for the second quadmester will need to be completed by October 30, so that appropriate staffing can be put in place to accommodate the new enrolment levels.

To start the process of transferring to the Virtual High School, parents must contact their home school’s Guidance department. 

Families requesting a transfer to online learning at KPRVHS should be aware that:

• Students will no longer have a timetable at their home school, and course availability may change if the student chooses to return to their home school later in the school year.  The student will be registered with the KPRVHS and no longer registered at their home school.
• KPRVHS does not offer all the courses that a regular high school offers, so it may not be possible to match courses.
• KPRVHS is not able to offer specialized programs such as International Baccalaureate (IB) and skilled trades-related courses.
• Students are required to participate in a minimum of 225 minutes of daily scheduled synchronous learning (live, real-time learning) between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Parents and guardians interested in transferring their teen from the virtual school to their home secondary school also will need to contact their Guidance department to begin the process.

KPR Parent Conference: one click away
You are just one click away from receiving free, expert advice at KPR's Virtual Parent Conference next week.

KPR's 19th annual conference - the first one to be held virtually - will take place: 

Saturday, October 17
9 a.m.-11 a.m.
Theme: Drop the Worry Ball 
Featuring Dr. Alex Russell 

To make participating in the Virtual Parent Conference as easy as possible, we are not requiring pre-registration this year. You will be able to “tune in” directly to the Parent Conference on the morning of the event, by simply clicking on the following link:  
https://kprdsb.webex.com/kprdsb/onstage/g.php?MTID=ec88524730938f91cc940009914595b06

Dr. Alex Russell is a clinical psychologist, well known and engaging speaker, and co-author of the book Drop the Worry Ball: How to Parent in the Age of Entitlement.

If you need assistance, have questions or if there are accommodations that would make the conference more accessible for you, please email kpr_info@kprdsb.ca or call 705-742-9773 or toll-free 1-877-741-4577, ext. 2018.

Sign up for Text Message Alerts

And, finally, we encourage families to sign up for KPR’s Text Message Alerts to get quick updates on school news, attendance, any possible confirmed cases of COVID in their child’s school, and more. You can opt into this service now, by sending a text message to 978338 with the message of “Y” or “Yes”. 

You can opt out of these messages at any time by simply replying to one of the Text Message Alerts with “Stop”.  If you choose not to opt in to text messaging, you can still receive school information via email. You can also decide which types of communications you receive, and how, through the School Messenger App under Preferences, or by logging into https://go.schoolmessenger.ca/#/account/login

We wish everyone a healthy, relaxing and enjoyable Thanksgiving weekend.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Leclerc
Director of Education

Friday, October 16, 2020

Dear KPR Families,

It’s hard to believe it’s mid-October already! Changing colours, falling leaves and cooler temperatures are a fitting reminder that, even in the midst of change, we can thrive. Our students, staff and communities illustrate this every day, by continuing to learn, grow and succeed, despite the stresses and uncertainties of today.

Following are the latest updates on education locally and provincially.

Virtual Parent Conference: one day away

KPR's Virtual Parent Conference is just one day away, and we’re making it easy for you to join us, on:

Saturday, October 17
9 a.m.-11 a.m.
Theme: Drop the Worry Ball 
Featuring Dr. Alex Russell 

You will be able to “tune in” directly to the Parent Conference on the morning of the event, by simply clicking on the following link:  
https://kprdsb.webex.com/kprdsb/onstage/g.php?MTID=ec88524730938f91cc940009914595b06

Dr. Russell is a Toronto-based clinical psychologist, a frequent keynote speaker, and co-author of the book Drop the Worry Ball: How to Parent in the Age of Entitlement. We look forward to “seeing” you at the conference, and we thank our Parent Involvement Committee for supporting the conference every year.

 Equity and Diversity Strategy Thoughtexchange

 As we develop our Equity and Diversity Strategy for the next four years, we invite families to share their perspectives on equity priorities for our school board. Our Equity and Diversity Strategy guides our work in valuing equity, diversity, inclusion, and the dignity and humanity of all students, staff and stakeholders.

Your participation is important and valued. To gather your feedback, we are asking for your thoughts on one open-ended question. You also will have a chance to consider and assign a rating or ‘stars’ to the ideas shared by others.  

Your thoughts and stars are confidential. You can come back as often as you like to participate in the Thoughtexchange, and, in fact, we ask that you do come back to star some of the new ideas shared by others. The ratings will help us understand the most important areas to focus on in our Equity and Diversity Strategy.

Here is the question:
We value equity, diversity, and the dignity and humanity of all people. We aim to remove barriers to success and engagement, and support equitable outcomes. From your perspective, please identify 2-3 priorities for our Board's Equity Strategy moving forward.

Please click here to participate: https://my.thoughtexchange.com/scroll/517289218

The Thoughtexchange will be open until November 9. Thank you for your participation and input!

Wanted: Parent Involvement Committee members

 KPR is seeking parents who are passionate about student success and parental involvement in schools, to serve on our Parent Involvement Committee. Parents from each of KPR’s three regions will be selected for the Parent Involvement Committee at the following Regional School Council Association meetings:

Clarington, October 21, 7 p.m., email kpr_info@kprdsb.ca for details

Northumberland, Date TBA, email kpr_info@kprdsb.ca for details

Peterborough area, October 20, 6:30 p.m., email kpr_info@kprdsb.ca for details

The Committee meets monthly throughout the school year to support, and provide advice regarding, meaningful and inclusive parental involvement in all of our schools. For further information on the work of the Parent Involvement Committee, please visit http://www.kprschools.ca/en/our_schools/getinvolved/parentinvolvement.html

Switching to or from the Virtual Elementary School (VES)

An important reminder: if you would like to move your elementary-age child from in-school to online learning, you must start the process by speaking with the principal of your home school by Friday, October 23. This is the deadline to let us know if you wish to move your child to the VES on the next available start date of Monday, November 2.

Similarly, if you wish your child to start VES classes on Monday, November 30, you will need to contact your home school principal between November 2-20. 

In other words:

Please note there will be no new start dates in December. We will announce details for January soon.

If you do choose to transfer your child to online learning, they will be supported by their home school until the next VES start date noted above. Families wishing to move their children from VES to in-person learning also can approach their home school principal. There may be a waiting period before their children can move, however, as the school must ensure it meets all provincial requirements.

KPR Virtual High School (KPRVHS)

 As noted last week, all Virtual High School classes are full for this quadmester. The next entry point will be for the second quadmester, which begins on Monday, November 23.  

Requests to transfer into online learning for the second quadmester will need to be completed by October 30, so that appropriate staffing can be put in place to accommodate new enrolment levels.

If you wish to transfer your teen either into the Virtual High School or back to their home school, please contact the Guidance department at your home school to begin the process.

Speaking of online information…

 …with KPR’s increased focus on digital communication and the move by thousands of students to virtual learning, we are no longer printing our traditional “fridge calendar”.  Here are some important dates that were approved by our Trustees and the Ministry of Education earlier this year:

PA Days:            Friday, November 27; Monday, February 1; Friday, May 14 (secondary ONLY); Friday, June 11 (elementary ONLY), and Wednesday, June 30

Winter Break:   Monday, December 21, to Friday, January 1

March Break:    Friday, March 12, to Friday, March 19

The dates also are posted at http://kprschools.ca/en/our_schools/resources/schoolcalendars.html

Should there be any changes due to the constantly evolving nature of COVID, we will let parents know.

Working together to prevent COVID-19

 And, finally, as we find ourselves in the “second wave” of COVID-19 cases predicted by public health officials, it’s even more critical to screen ourselves every morning for possible symptoms of COVID-19. Students and staff who feel unwell should remain at home, even if their symptoms seem as minor as a mild cold.

It’s easy to do this daily self-screening. Simply use Ontario’s online self-screening tool at https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/ or print it from https://covid-19.ontario.ca/covid19-cms-assets/2020-10/Screening%20Children%20v1.0%202020-10-01%20FINAL%20EN%20AODA.pdf 

We also encourage you to download the Government of Canada’s COVID Alert app, which can let people know of possible exposures to COVID before any symptoms appear. That app is available at no charge at https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/covid-alert.html

Take care, and enjoy the coming weekend.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Leclerc
Director of Education

Did you miss KPR's Virtual Parent Conference on Saturday, October 17?  No worries, you still can hear the keynote address by clinical psychologist Dr. Alex Russell.  A recording of Dr. Russell’s presentation – titled Drop the Worry Ball – is available at http://www.kprschools.ca/en/our_schools/getinvolved/parentresources/parentsconference.html

On that web page, you can check out this year’s Virtual Information Fair as well, featuring agencies that serve families in our area.  KPR’s Parent Involvement Committee sponsored our 19^th annual Parent Conference, the first one to be held virtually.

KPR invites all families, students and staff to help us shape our Equity and Diversity Strategy for the next four years. Please share your perspectives on equity, diversity and inclusion priorities, through a special Thoughtexchange at https://my.thoughtexchange.com/scroll/517289218 .

The Thoughtexchange asks you to offer your feedback on one open-ended question: 
We value equity, diversity, and the dignity and humanity of all people. We aim to remove barriers to success and engagement, and support equitable outcomes. From your perspective, please identify 2-3 priorities for our Board's Equity Strategy moving forward.

The Thoughtexchange will be open until November 9.  Thank you for participating!

Thursday, October 22, 2020

Dear KPR Families,

With almost two months into the start of the 2020-21 school year, it’s great to see all the wonderful learning happening in both our physical classrooms and online. It’s amazing how adaptable, resilient and creative our students and staff truly are.

It’s also remarkable how quickly changes can happen in our day-to-day lives. As always, I have news to share with parents from the past week.

Virtual Parent Conference: keynote now online

KPR offers sincere thanks to the 200 parents and guardians who took time out of their busy schedules to join us at our Virtual Parent Conference last weekend. Don’t worry if you missed hearing the expert advice offered by clinical psychologist Dr. Alex Russell. We have posted a recording of Dr. Russell’s presentation – titled Drop the Worry Ball – at http://www.kprschools.ca/en/our_schools/getinvolved/parentresources/parentsconference.html

While you’re there, please feel free to check out the link to this year’s Virtual Information Fair as well. We appreciate the support of KPR’s Parent Involvement Committee in once again sponsoring KPR’s 19^th annual Parent Conference, the first one to be held virtually.

 Equity and Diversity Strategy Thoughtexchange

Please help us shape KPR’s Equity and Diversity Strategy for the next four years. We invite all families to share their perspectives on equity, diversity and inclusion priorities, through a special Thoughtexchange at https://my.thoughtexchange.com/scroll/517289218 .

The Thoughtexchange asks you to offer your feedback on the following open-ended question:  
We value equity, diversity, and the dignity and humanity of all people. We aim to remove barriers to success and engagement, and support equitable outcomes. From your perspective, please identify 2-3 priorities for our Board's Equity Strategy moving forward.

The Thoughtexchange will be open until November 9. Thank you for your participation!

Switching to or from our Virtual Schools

 Families: please remember to contact your home school if you wish to switch your children or teens between in-person and online learning. Here’s a quick reminder of the timelines you need to follow to make this change.

For ELEMENTARY students to move from in-person to online learning on the first available start date of Monday, November 2, parents must speak with their home school principal by this Friday, October 23. After that, to move to the Virtual Elementary School (VES) for the next available start date of Monday, November 30, parents will need to speak with their home school principal between November 2-20.  

Families wishing to move their children in the opposite direction, from VES to in-person learning, also should approach their home school principal.

The timeline and process for SECONDARY students are different. The next available entry point to the Virtual High School is Monday, November 23, the start of the second quadmester. Requests to transfer into online learning for the second quadmester will need to be completed by October 30. If you wish to transfer your teen either into the Virtual High School or back to their home school, please start the process by contacting the Guidance department at your home school.

Update your contact info!

A quick reminder: please make sure to update your children’s school on any changes in your contact information, such as a new phone number or email address. This will help ensure you continue to receive vital, timely information from the school.

In addition, please remember that you have the option of choosing how the school communicates with you; to do that, please use the School Messenger App or log into https://go.schoolmessenger.ca/#/account/login and click on Preferences. Our newest method of reaching out to families quickly is via KPR’s Text Message Alerts. You can opt into this service now, by sending a text message to 978338 with the message of “Y” or “Yes”.

Community representatives wanted

Do you know someone in the community who does not have children in school, but who avidly supports public education? If so, please pass on this call for volunteer community representatives on our Parent Involvement Committee.

KPR is seeking one non-parent community member from each of the Board’s three regions (Clarington, Northumberland-City of Quinte West/Murray Ward, and Peterborough) to join nine parent representatives in advising the Board on ways to encourage meaningful and inclusive involvement in children’s education. Community members are invited to submit a letter of interest by 4 p.m. on Thursday, November 5 to director_education@kprdsb.ca  For information on the Parent Involvement Committee, visit http://www.kprschools.ca/en/our_schools/getinvolved/parentinvolvement.html

Preventing the spread of COVID-19

 And, finally, I can’t miss this opportunity to address a topic that is top-of-mind for all of us: preventing the spread of COVID-19. Please remember to self-screen every morning by using the province’s online tool at https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/ or by printing the tool from https://covid-19.ontario.ca/covid19-cms-assets/2020-10/Screening%20Children%20v1.0%202020-10-01%20FINAL%20EN%20AODA.pdf . Students and staff who feel unwell should remain at home, even if their symptoms seem as minor as a mild cold.

Please take advantage as well of the federal government’s COVID Alert app, to learn of any possible  exposures to COVID before any symptoms appear. You can download the app for free from https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/covid-alert.html

Our local health units also have posted some new and helpful advice for families on celebrating Halloween safely. You can find tips at:

https://www.durham.ca/en/health-and-wellness/novel-coronavirus-update.aspx#Halloween

https://www.hkpr.on.ca/2020/10/07/halloween-safety-during-covid-19/

https://www.peterboroughpublichealth.ca/novel-coronavirus-covid-19/covid-19-social-gatherings-holidays-events/?highlight=halloween#halloween

I wish everyone a healthy and rejuvenating weekend.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Leclerc
Director of Education