Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays and all the best for 2012!

The first day back to school after the break will be January 9, 2012

Holiday Concerts: A HUGE success!

We were lucky enough to have three concerts at LKS last week.  A very big congratulations to all the students for their hard work in making our Holiday Concerts such a success.  Also, thank you to all the teachers for their hard work and to the parent community for their continuous support!

I would also like to thank everyone for their donations of food to Second Harvest and the donations to Stonegate Community Medical Centre.  I was able to help deliver Baskets on Friday to Stonegate with parents and students and it was overwhelming to see what was donated to those in need!

Kindness and Caring

The school Safety Reps, which are Grade 4 - 8 students, are working hard to share Character Trait messages around the school.  This month, the Character Trait is Kindness & Caring and the Safety Reps have been active on the morning announcements and have created posters that are outside the main office.  Here are some samples of their work.

Good work Safety Reps!

Anti-Bullying Assembly

WOW... what a presentation!  Q-Mac and J-Box captivated LKS students last week with a spectacular anti-bullying presentation!

Quincy Mack (aka Q-Mack) is a professional basketball freestyler and premiere motivational speaker who shared his own story of being bullied.  In addition, Canada's #1 beatboxer Scott Jackson (aka J-BOX) added to the excitement with his sound effects.  Combined, the students had a great time and learned a great deal about bullying, respect, and making the right choices in life.

After the presentation, a school anti-bullying poster campaign was launched with the help of the school safety reps.  Below are some samples of the great posters that students created that will be on display around the school. 

Halloween Kindness!

Congratulations to our Seeds of Hope Club for raising over 1100 lbs of food in their "Halloween for Hunger" campaign.  All food was donated to the Daily Bread Food Bank.

Happy Halloween and have a safe night!

LKS Public Health Note - Chicken Pox

We just received notice from Public Health that an individual at Lambton Kingsway has been diagnosed with Chicken Pox.  As required by Public Health, all individuals who may have come into contact with this individual are required to be notified. This is standard procedure and not intended to create alarm, but to inform you of what to look for.  Click below for the notice.
LKS Chicken Pox Note - Public Health

New Grade 7 / 8 Lunchroom @ LKS

Lambton Kingsway JMS is now offering a special lunchroom environment solely for Grade 7 and 8 students. The lunchroom will open on November 1st, and will be available to all Grade 7 and 8 students. Students who wish to stay for lunch will sign in, and can stay the entire lunch period, or can leave once they are done eating. Once students choose to leave, if they were given parental permission at the beginning of the year, they will sign out with the lunchroom supervisor and can have the remainder of the lunch period to themselves. We will try to maintain this Grade 7 and 8 lunchroom if we continue to receive adequate supervision and there is an interest.

What a great week!

This week has been busy, but a great one as always.  On top of all the softball tournaments and cross country races, we had a great Terry Fox Assembly on Friday where there was a staff vs. student volleyball game and other exciting activities.  I was also lucky enough to accompany the Grade 8 students to the ROM to participate in the Planet in Focus Film Festival.  We viewed The Polar Explorer, which was a great documentary on the impact of global warming.
In addition, today, LKS is hosting its first ever Grade 6 Instrumental Music Camp.  Walking from class to class and seeing the great musical instruction happening is wonderful!  Once again, thank you to the parent council for their support in making this happen.

This coming week is also filled with a large number of activities.  We have our Anaphylaxis day where students will learn about allergies and safety.  Our Grade 6 Peer Helpers will also receive their training this week which will help them assist younger students with conflict resolution during recess.  In addition, our Eco Warriors will be conducting a waste and recycling audit as part of our Eco Schools growth and development plan for the year.  WOW, what a busy week, and I am just naming a few activities.

Thank you also to all the parents for their support of the TDSB Hockey Academy that I am involved with.  Your equipment donations have found a great home with students who would otherwise not have the opportunity to play.  I am always looking for equipment so if you have any not in use, please feel free to contact me.

Public Health Letter - LKS

Dear Parents / Guardians,


We just received notice from Public Health that an individual at Lambton Kingsway has been diagnosed with Pertussis (Whooping Cough). As required by Public Health, all individuals who may have come into contact with this individual are required to be notified. This is standard procedure and not intended to create alarm, but to inform you of what to look for.

The letter which can be found here:  LKS Public Health Letter Whooping Cough is provided by Public Health and outlines some specific medical information pertaining to signs and symptoms, and provides the name of the contact person at Public Health should you require additional information.

Grade 8 - High School Transition Night

Join us on Wednesday, October 12th, 2011 at 6:30—7:30 p.m. in the Lunchroom at Lambton Kingsway School to learn about the High School Transition process. For further information please contact
your Guidance Counsellor, Rebecca Forte: rebecca.forte@tdsb.on.ca

Please RSVP to Your child’s Grade 8 Teacher by Friday, October 7th, 2011

Hockey Equipment Donations Needed

Hello everyone,

I am once again reaching out to the LKS community for some help with a program I am involved with called "The Hockey Academy".  We are in need of hockey equipment of all kinds (bags, skates, helmets, etc..).
The focus of this program is to provide 60 Grade 5 students in the South Region of the TDSB with full equipment and hockey instruction at no cost.  These are students who otherwise would not have the opportunity to play hockey.

If anyone has any hockey equipment that needs a new home, please contact me at the school.

Thank you!

Special School Presentation

Yesterday, Grades 1 - 8 students took part in a very exciting and engaging performance by John Park.  His comedy routine called "The Power of Persistence" truly captivated all students.  His message focused on being persistent and never giving up, setting goals, dividing goals into smaller achievable steps, and finding a role model to emulate positive behaviour.

Many thanks to the parent council for fully subsidizing this event.  It was a great success!

Photo Day / Curriculum Night

Just a reminder that School Photo Day will take place on either September 20th or 21st.  Teacher BLOGS will provide more specific information. 

In addition, Curriculum Night is this Thursday, September 22.  Please follow the link below for the schedule.

LKS Web Site - Notices

Terry Fox Assembly

LKS has always been a proud supporter of the Terry Fox Run. Our school community has raised a great deal of money and awareness around cancer. The kick-off assembly today was very inspirational. One of our own LKS students shared his story or survival. Jason, in Grade 6, did an outstanding job! His story was one of courage and hope and I was glad to hear that he will be sharing his story with other students at other schools. Congratulations Jason on a wonderful job today and thank you for sharing your story with us. Thank you as well to all the student helpers and to Mrs. Gibson for organizing the assembly and for all her work with the LKS Terry Fox committee.

A message from the TDSB Chair

A message from the TDSB Chair

September 6, 2011


Dear Parent/Guardian/Community Member,

What your child is learning, how your local school operates, and what resources are spent on education are based upon the policies and decisions of the Ontario Provincial Government. With a Provincial election just around the corner, your vote matters.

The Ontario Public School Boards’ Association has declared September 20 as Education Day. In support, Toronto School Board Trustees are organizing all-candidate meetings in school board wards across the city.

These non-partisan events are a great opportunity for voters to hear directly from their local candidates of the major provincial parties. Please join us to:

• learn more about key issues that affect public education in Ontario

• find out where your local candidates stand on questions that matter to parents in your community

Your local meeting will take place at:

• Etobicoke - Lakeshore, Etobicoke School of the Arts, September 20, 2011, 7:00 PM (Trustee Pamela Gough / Kate

Hammer)

• Etobicoke Centre, Martingrove Collegiate Institute (auditorium), September 20, 2011, 7:00 PM (Trustee Chris

Glover / Peter Kuitenbrower)

• Parkdale - High Park, Bishop Marrocco SS (auditorium), September 20, 2011, 7:00 PM (Trustee Irene Atkinson)

For more information or to learn about other meeting locations, please visit: www.tdsb.on.ca/educationday or

www.opsba.org

Sincerely,

Chris Bolton

Chair of the Board of Trustees

Toronto District School Board

Chair’s Office • 5050 Yonge Street, 5th Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M2N 5N8 •

Tel: (416) 397-2572 • Fax: (416) 397-3114 • Chris.Bolton@tdsb.on.ca

Welcome Back!

Welcome back!  I hope everyone had a wonderful summer and I wish everyone a very successful year!

First Day of School 2011 - 2012

The first day of school this year is September 6th.  

Hope you enjoy the remainder of the summer!

TDSB @ CNE - August 30

TDSB @ CNE day is August 30.  A great deal of fun and exciting activities are planned. 
Check out the link below for further information.

http://www.tdsb.on.ca/cne/

Have a Wonderful Summer!

Another school year has come to an end and I would like to thank the LKS staff, parents and community for making LKS a wonderful place to be.  I wish you all a safe and happy summer and see you on September 6th!

City of Toronto Middle Childhood Project

The Middle Childhood Project is a project of the City of Toronto, Children Services Division that focuses on the after school needs of children ages 6 – 12. The project is part of the City’s Vision for Children that outlines a commitment to provide children with experiences that promote their chances of developing into healthy, well-adjusted and productive adults. Within this Vision, the City of Toronto has a commitment to develop a Middle Childhood Strategy.


If you are interested in sharing your opinions, a survey can be found at this link:

http://app.fluidsurveys.com/s/TorontoParentSurvey/

Art @ LKS

What a wonderful exhibit of art!  Students from LKS are displaying their photo art in the gym today.  If you are able to visit, please do so!  The LKS "Gallery" looks GREAT! 

Congratulations to all the students and to Ms. Caddel, Mme. Pagnotta, Mr. Elias, and Mr, Blais.

Bicycle Safety

Now that the warmer weather has approached us children will be participating in many outdoor activities like bike riding. The Toronto District School Board and Toronto Public Health want kids to be safe while playing outdoors this summer. Parents and caregivers can "stay a step ahead" by protecting children when they ride.

Here's how:

1.An adult should always supervise children 10 years of age or younger when they are using a bicycle or other wheeled sports equipment. Even older children may need on-going supervision when riding near the road.
2.Make sure children wear the correct helmet properly when they ride. Ontario's bike helmet law requires all children and youth under age 18 to wear an approved bike helmet when riding a bicycle.
3. Keep children away from traffic when they use wheeled sports equipment. Make sure they ride in a safe place.
4. Teach children how to:
a. steer, brake and ride in a straight line
b. wear the right safety gear, and
c. do a safety check every time they ride a bicycle, scooter, skateboard, use in-line skates or wear shoes with wheels.
5. Be within arm's reach when your children are learning to ride any wheeled equipment.
6. Always walk a bicycle, scooter or skateboard across a street intersection, instead of riding across.
7. Tell children that you are happy when you see them riding safely.
8. Remind children of the safety rules when they forget.
9. Be a good role model - wear a helmet and safety gear yourself. Children copy what adults do.

Physical Activity vs. Screen Time: Who’s Doing What and How Much?

Here is an interesting article published by the TDSB.  The article Physical Activity vs. Screen Time: Who’s Doing What and How Much? highlights TDSB findings, some of which are referenced in the 2011 Get Active Toronto Report on Physical Activity.  

Click here for the Research Today  article (2011).

EcoSchools GOLD Certification

Congratulations LKS on achieving EcoSchools GOLD Certification!

Thank you to all the teachers, students and parents involved!



Ministry of Tourism: Electronic Summer Fun Pass 2011

As an EcoSchool, LKS will continue to make every effort to go GREEN!


This year, LKS will pilot The Ministry of Tourism and Culture's Electronic Fun Pass. In the past, this was a paper coupon inserted into the June Report Card envelope. The Fun Pass offers students coupons for Ontario Attractions. Starting in June you will be able to access the coupons through the Fun Pass website at http://www.ontariofunpass.com./ Just type in your child’s last name and school board in the correct fields. Once all the information is entered you will be able to print the coupons and then simply present them for redemption at any of the participating Ontario attractions.

Here is more information. Ontario Fun Pass

LKS Dental Screening: May 16 - 26

LKS will once again participate in its annual Public Health Dental Screening between May 16 - 26.

The link below offers more information.

LKS Dental Screening

Ward 3 Forum - May 26

Upcoming Toronto District School Board (TDSB) Ward Forum: May 26th, 2011 at Islington Junior Middle School, 44 Cordova Avenue, 7-9 p.m.


Dr. Chris Spence, the TDSB's Director of Education, will be the guest speaker at a ward forum to be jointly hosted by Trustees Pamela Gough, Ward 3 (Etobicoke-Lakeshore) and Chris Glover, Ward 2 (Etobicoke Centre).

All TDSB parents and staff from Etobicoke-Lakeshore and Etobicoke Centre are invited. Refreshments will be served and child-minding will be available free of charge.

Please RSVP to Adam Sproat at Adam.Sproat@tdsb.on.ca. If you require child-minding, please include the age of your child and any special needs.

LKS Dental Screening: May 16 - 26

LKS will once again participate in its annual Public Health Dental Screening between May 16 - 26. 
The link below offers more information.

LKS Dental Screening: May 16 - 26

Earth Week: April 18 - 21

Next week is Earth Week.  Our Eco Warriors have planned many exciting activities including our kick-off assembly on Monday, many activities throughout the week focused on Energy Conservation and Ecosystems, and our LKS Yard clean-up.

GO GREEN!!!

Cadence Performance

The Grades 5 - 8 students participated in a wonderful assembly this week.  The "A Capella" musical group CADENCE performed live.  The students were engaged and excited.  A BIG thank you to the parent council for supporting this event and making it happen!

Pink Day

Thank you to everyone for supporting this wonderful Anti-Bullying campaign.  The school was filled with PINK and a strong united message of Anti-Bullying was heard loud and clear!

Celebrate Pink Day with the TDSB!

April 13 has been designated as Pink Day by the TDSB to support anti-bullying.  Pink Day started in a Nova Scotia high school in 2007 when two Gr. 12 students marshalled their friends to wear pink in support of a younger student who was bullied for wearing a pink shirt on the first day of school.  Please wear pink if you can and encourage your students to do the same.

Great Work LKS!

Congratulations to the LKS Community for all their hard work with the Terry Fox Foundation.  This year, almost $22 000 was raised. On Friday, LKS had a special assembly, which was organized by Ms. Gibson.  Mr. Littlejohn played Guitar Hero with some students, Mr. Bracht and Mr. Ross shaved their heads, and one of our lucky students won a bike.

Way to go LKS!!!

Safety Warning

SAFETY WARNING

*********************
Some nearby schools have been asked by police that they be contacted if they notice a man around his fifties who is driving a light-coloured beige car with a licence plate beginning with an "A".  Please remind your children, as we will, of the things they can do and not do if approached by a stranger.  Please call 22 Division if you have further information (416-808-2200).

March News

I hope everyone had a wonderful March Break and Welcome Back! 

March was a very exciting month.  Congratulations to the Junior Hockey Team for their City Championship win.  It was a great game and the hundreds of Grade 4 - 8 students from LKS were a great support for the team.

LKS is celebrating Earth Hour 2011 on March 25 from 2 to 3 p.m.  Our EcoWarriors have been on the announcements every morning promoting Earth Hour and Conservation.  Great work! 

February was Kindergarten Registration Month at the Toronto District School Board!  If you did not get a chance to register or for further information, please call our office.

LKS - Second Floor Painting

LKS will be looking better than usual in the next few weeks!

Our school has been scheduled for painting that will start on February 22, 2011, and will be completed in approximately two weeks. The painting will involve the second floor walls, doors and frames and will only use low odour latex paint.   

Feel free to contact the office if you have any questions.

Valentine's Day - Seeds of Hope Campaign

What a great way to spend Valentine's Day! 

Congratulations to our Seeds of Hope members who are truly showing the meaning of Love today! 
They have been working very hard with their "Have a Heart Buy a Heart" campaign where all proceeds will  support "Free the Children" and build a school in Africa. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Figura Theatre Visit

On Friday, the Grades 1 - 4 classes participated in a wonderful performance called Metamorphosis, by the Figura Theatre.  The performance was a series of silent short stories using puppets.  The students were completely engaged with the superb puppetry and story telling of Bearndt, the visiting artist from Iceland.

Thank you to the Parent Council for sponsoring this event, and for all the parents in this community.  Your fundraising dollars allow us to have such wonderful performances in the school!

Safety Reps

Congratulations to the School Safety Reps, under the direction of Ms. Caddel, for their excellent presentations today.  The Safety Reps are students in Grades 4 - 8 who volunteer and meet on a regular basis to teach others about Safety.  They decided that this month, they would prepare a skit on Bullying.  It was a truly inspiration presentation and all the students in Grade 1 - 3 had a chance to learn about School Safety and Bullying, and dialogue during the question and answer period.  One Grade 2 student said " I really liked the play because it taught me to treat others how I would like to be treated".  WOW... what a great message.  One of the Safety Reps, in a post-presentation meeting said "we should plan more activities because this is fun".
Great work everyone and THANK YOU for making LKS a safer place!

TDSB Snow Day - February 2, 2011

All schools are closed in the TDSB today.  There are no classes.  Have a safe day!

Family Literacy Day - January 27

January 27, 2011, is Family Literacy Day in Canada. This special day promotes the value of families reading and learning together.   Parents and family members are a child’s earliest and most important teachers. Family literacy can mean reading a bedtime story, telling stories, playing word games, singing songs, writing letters, notes and shopping lists and Reading interesting blogs or Internet news sites.

At LKS this year, Storyteller Cheryl Thorton will be visiting on January 27.  She is a wonderful storyteller and this is a fantastic opportunity for LKS.


Happy Family Literacy Day & Happy Reading!

Jan 21 - PA Day

Just a reminder that tomorrow is a PA day and there are no classes for students.  Teachers will be working on report cards and planning. 

Have a great weekend!

LKS Spelling Bee

The spelling bee held last week was a huge success!   All involved loved the experience.  Congratulations to all the spellers and to Lily, a grade 6 student, for being the top speller in the school.  We wish her success at the regional level.