Dear Families:

Happy August! This week we moved back into the school after a relaxing and rejuvenating summer.

I am Jessica Outram, the new Principal at Dr GJ MacGillivray. For the last four years I was Principal at Colborne Public School. Prior to that I worked in high schools for 15 years. Working in a big school is exciting and I’m thrilled to be joining the Dr GJ MacGillivray team!

Our Administrative team also includes two vice principals: Tamara Best and Christy Thompson.

We are committed to student safety, well-being, and achievement. If you would like to share your wishes for our school community for the upcoming year, please click here for a short survey.

We will send you another email at the end of next week with notes about the first day of school. This is a good time to start getting your child ready for school routines. Here is a short article you may find helpful.

We have a new Student Absence system.  You will see this information go out a few times over the next couple weeks.

New Phone Number, Web Address, Phone App for Reporting Absences

Hello to all KPR families!  This message is about the new automated Student Absence Report System that will be introduced in all KPR schools starting in September 2018.

This change means you will need to create a NEW account to report your children’s absences online.

To create your new account and register your children for the new automated system, please visit studentabsence.kprdsb.ca .  If you use the mobile app, please search for SchoolMessenger (one word) on Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

Once you have re-registered your child, you once again will be able to inform the school of your child’s upcoming absences at:

·         studentabsence.kprdsb.ca

·         1-844-434-8119

·         the SchoolMessenger mobile app on your cell phone or tablet.

Every family is receiving a magnet with the new web address, phone number and mobile app info.  Re-registering will allow you to report all of your children’s upcoming absences at a time that’s convenient for you - 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Sincerely,

Jessica Outram

Principal

Dr GJ MacGillivray

We want to make our dismissal at the end of the day safer for students and families.

As of Friday, September 7, 2018 we will be implementing a new dismissal routine in order to ensure student safety.  Please keep in mind this is a new routine and will take everyone time to adjust. Thank-you for your patience and flexibility.

The biggest changes are where students are exiting and where you can pick them up. The changes in routine affects our students in Grade 1 to Grade 3.

An email was sent through Edsby on Thursday, Sept 6 with details.

We had some technical difficulties with the September Newsletter the first time it was posted.  Hopefully this link will work better!

Thanks!!

Enjoy the October Newsletter!  

Please click the link below to view.

New Phone Number, Web Address, Phone App Coming for Reporting Absences

At KPR, student safety is our highest priority, and we thank families for adopting the automated safe arrival system to help ensure students arrive safely at school each day. 

Starting this September, we will be introducing a new automated Student Absence Reporting System.  Therefore, you will need to create a NEW account to report your children’s absences online. 

You will receive an email in August with instructions on how to create your new account and download the mobile app.  You also will receive a magnet in September with the new Student Absence Reporting System details.  Unfortunately, since ownership of the reporting software has changed, we cannot simply transfer your child’s information to the new system.

Watch for more information in the summer.

 FREE FIRST RIDER PROGRAM TEACHES SAFETY TO YOUNG, FIRST TIME RIDERS

The First Rider program for young students who will be riding a school bus for the first time is back.  

The successful program, offered by Student Transportation Services of Central Ontario and local bus operators, will be held:

Friday, August 24, from 3-6 p.m.,

and

Saturday, August 25 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Families are welcome to attend the free sessions at any of the three locations:

Northumberland Mall in Cobourg

Lansdowne Place in Peterborough.

Pre-registration is not required.  Each session lasts about 20 minutes and will include a safety video and a on a school bus for children and their parents or guardians.  For details visit stsco.ca

Registration is now open for KPR’s free, annual Parent Conference. Registration continues until October 12 at www.kprschools.ca for:

2018 Parent Conference – Mental Health, Math & Modern Learning

Saturday, October 20

8:15 a.m.-12:35 p.m.

Bowmanville High School, 49 Liberty St.N., Bowmanville

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Greg Wells

The Ripple Effect: Sleep, Think, Eat & Move Better

Plus choice of workshops, agency displays, refreshments & child minding for ages 2 & older

**NEW this year: Workshops for Parents & Kids or Teens Together, and a Workshop Just for Teens!

 It’s all FREE. If you need assistance, have questions or if there are accommodations that would make the conference more accessible for you, your child or teen, please call 705-742-9773 or toll-free 1-877-741-4577, ext. 2001, or email judy_malfara@kprdsb.ca

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Second EdTechTeam Kawartha Summit Hosted by Bowmanville High School

 On November 17 and 18, over 200 administrators and teachers from all over Ontario will converge at Bowmanville High School to learn from certified teachers, trainers and their peers about the newest ways to engage Kindergarten-Grade 12 students in learning and integrating technology.

The event allows teachers to share meaningful and practical ways to utilize a variety of apps and online tools, including Google for Education.

“We are proud and excited to host an event of this high calibre for a second time,” Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board Superintendent Gloria Tompkins said. “The feedback from participants in the last Summit was overwhelmingly positive. This is another step in continuing to integrate more technology into our classrooms as a tool to help our students thrive far into the future.”

"We're excited to be working with the KPR Board to host the Kawartha Summit,” EdTechTeam Canada's CEO Michelle Armstrong said.   “We have been producing Summits since July 2012, and in 2017 alone, EdTechTeam hosted over 50,000 participants at 540 live events worldwide. Educators all around the world have experienced a ‘mind blowing,’ ‘life changing,’ and ‘downright fun’ event often evaluated as ‘the best professional development of my career’.”

The Summit brings together K-12 teachers and administrators to learn ways to implement everything from individual lessons to school-wide technology programs, as a way to build 21^st Century skills in students while they learn the curriculum.

* For more information on registration and scheduling, go to: https://events.edtechteam.com/kawartha18

 Event Details:

Date and Time: Saturday, November 17, 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. – Sunday, November 18, 7:30 a.m. - 4:15 p.m.

Location: Bowmanville High School, 49 Liberty Street N., Bowmanville

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Bowmanville High School Contact: james_patenall@kprdsb.ca, 905-623-4416

EdTechTeam Contact: charity@edtechteam.com

Many parents and guardians have been wondering what effect the legalization of marijuana will have on  KPR schools. In short, KPR schools will treat cannabis in much the same way they treat alcohol: students of any age will not be allowed to use marijuana at schools, on school buses or field trips. 

 Once the new federal law comes into effect this October 17:

• non-medical marijuana use will be legal only for those age 19 and older 
• any student, at any age, could be suspended for possessing or being under the influence of cannabis at school
• any student who shares marijuana with others younger than 19 could be expelled from school
• it will be illegal for adults to use cannabis on, or within 20 metres of, school grounds
• it will be illegal to drive under the influence of cannabis, and drivers age 21 or under will not be allowed to have any cannabis in their system.

 If you have any questions about cannabis at school, please speak with your principal or vice-principal.  Further information on the new law is available at Ontario.ca/cannabis.  Information on how to talk to your child about cannabis can be found at Cannabis Information – CAMH.