News

<img src="/images/de06adf7-cd27-549d-b705-91421f9a569f?fingerprint=ppb20251217015036" alt="" width="inherit" height="inherit" style="float:right"><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">June is National Indigenous History Month. This month is an opportunity to learn about the diverse cultures, traditions, and experiences of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples. It’s a time to honour and give voice to the stories, achievements, and resilience of Indigenous peoples across Canada, who have lived and cared for this land since time immemorial and who continue to make significant impacts, today.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">During this month, we also celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21</span><sup style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span>st</span></sup><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">. This day is an opportunity to honour the histories and diversity of Indigenous peoples in Canada. This day is important as it gives us an opportunity to acknowledge the Indigenous peoples whose histories and cultures are rooted in this land, and whose historical impact and presence have long been ignored by Canadian society. We are now in a place where we are beginning to recognize the importance of Indigenous peoples and their contributions to what we now know as Canada. In the Limestone District School Board, it is critical that we continue to teach the truth and to make a commitment to life-long reconcili-ACTION and living in right relations with the Indigenous community whose traditional territory we are fortunate to teach and learn on.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Working in partnership with the Kingston Friendship Centre and several community organizations, the Limestone District School Board’s, Indigenous Education Team is proud to offer several opportunities for staff, students, caregivers, and the community to engage in throughout this month.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">June 6</strong></b><b><sup style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><strong class="editor-text-bold">th</strong></sup></b><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </strong></b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">– Self-identified Indigenous students and students enrolled in NAC10 are invited to participate in a fish scale art workshop with Cree-Métis artist, Jamie Morse. This opportunity is being funded generously by the Kingston Native Centre and Language Nest through the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centre's.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">June 11</strong></b><b><sup style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><strong class="editor-text-bold">th</strong></sup></b><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </strong></b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">– Storytelling session by Bomgiizhik (Isaac Murdoch): “Stories of the Summer Solstice”. All classes are invited to participate in a virtual session through Zoom on June 11</span><sup style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span>th</span></sup><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> to learn about the Summer Solstice.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">June 19</strong></b><b><sup style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><strong class="editor-text-bold">th</strong></sup></b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> – Caregivers, students, and the community are invited to attend a Public Virtual Hodinohsho:ni Governance Workshop hosted by the Woodland Cultural Centre. This workshop will be on June 19</span><sup style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span>th</span></sup><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> at 6:00 PM. The donation for this workshop helps to support the education department in creating and delivering virtual programming at the Woodland Cultural Centre. Topics covered include Hodinohsho:ni system of governance, use of Wampum, the Royal Proclamation, the Haldimand Proclamation, the Indian Act, and how these conflicted with the traditional Hodinohsho:ni Governance structure.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><a href="https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84279518633?pwd=ckUxb3VLT0J0NnBTMCtONlZnc2xudz09" class="editor-link"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Join the Public Virtual Hodinohsho:ni Governance Workshop on ZOOM</span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">June 21</strong></b><b><sup style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><strong class="editor-text-bold">st</strong></sup></b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> – National Indigenous Peoples Day at City Park in Kingston. On June 21</span><sup style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span>st</span></sup><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">, staff and students are invited to attend the National Indigenous Peoples Day event in City Park from 11:00 – 4:00 PM. On this day there will be market vendors, a community services fair, food vendors, activities for children and youth, and an evening event starting at 7:00 PM in Springer Market Square featuring a concert by 2</span><sup style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span>nd</span></sup><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> Line Bluegrass. The LDSB Indigenous Education Team will be working in collaboration with the Kingston Frontenac Public Library to create buttons, play large outdoor games such as cornhole and Jenga, and other fun activities! We are thankful for the continued collaboration with the Kingston Native Centre and Language Nest to help make this event possible for staff, students, and the community.</span><br><br></p>

<img src="/images/e61a0df0-e3a8-5259-9b1d-90b8936eb8fb?fingerprint=ppb20251217015125" alt="" width="inherit" height="inherit" style="float:right"><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The Limestone District School Board is seeking new members for the Technical Advisory Group for the next phase of Student Census data collection.&nbsp;The purpose of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) is to give advice, opinions, and make&nbsp;recommendations in the design of methods for data collection, analysis, and the representation of results. Most importantly, TAG ensures that multiple and diverse perspectives are applied to the analysis of Student Census data to minimize the risk of bias.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Recruitment:</strong></b></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The committee will be formed by seeking expressions of continued interest from current members and new expressions of interest from individuals who possess the required lived&nbsp;experience and research skill set. Limestone staff will be notified by email of the opportunity to join TAG. The opportunity will also be posted to the LDSB website and advertised on LDSB’s social media channels New interested parties can express their&nbsp;interest using the&nbsp;</span><a href="https://ldsb.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2aXfk1Af78UcseO" class="editor-link"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">TAG Expression of Interest Form</span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">. Printable copies of the form are also available&nbsp;</span><a href="https://limestoneschools-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/clostlamberte_limestone_on_ca/EUjk3z0ydglFjxSb2QBRtREBeMUgAtZZe3fZhGEnW2vjUA?e=DlGsax" class="editor-link"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">. All submissions must be received by 4:00 p.m. on June 3, 2024.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">It is important to read the&nbsp;</strong></b><a href="/documents/3b3da70a-68e5-55e0-b8ec-80d58d9bbb44?fingerprint=ppb20251217013540" target="_blank" class="editor-link"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> TAG Terms of Reference </span></a><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">&nbsp;before you apply.</strong></b></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Selection:</strong></b></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Expressions of interest will be reviewed by the core Census Team (Limestone Research Team, Equity Consultant, Superintendent);&nbsp;the Vice Principal of Indigenous Education; and the Human Rights and</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Equity Officer. The goal is to create a committee that is as equitable and intersectional as possible from the applications received. Interested parties are invited to share the ways in which they are willing and able to share their lived experiences alongside their research and/or data experience.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">TAG Membership Drive: Proposed Timeline</strong></b></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Please note, the timeline subject to change</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Spring 2024</strong></b></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Recruitment of new TAG Members May 6 to June 3, 2024</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Early June: Review applications</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Mid- to Late-June: Confirm members</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">&nbsp;</span></p>

<img src="/images/14147d46-b4e8-5537-9ebc-533450f25435?fingerprint=ppb20251217013201" srcset="/thumbnails/14147d46-b4e8-5537-9ebc-533450f25435?fingerprint=ppb20251217013201 450w, /images/14147d46-b4e8-5537-9ebc-533450f25435?fingerprint=ppb20251217013201 600w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 450px, 600px"> <p><span>Limestone is excited to offer our families a new secure portal to complete permissions and payments online. With School-Day: Permissions &amp; Payments, you will be able to complete permission forms and payments from any web browser using your SmartPhone, tablet, laptop or desktop. </span></p> <p><span>Through this new online portal, you will be able to pay for items such as:</span></p> <ul> <li><span>Field trips</span></li> <li><span>Hot lunch</span></li> <li><span>Monthly Milk Orders</span></li> <li><span>Fundraising Initiatives</span></li> </ul> <p><span>The new easy-to-use portal will remove the risks associated with sending money to school with students, the frustration of lost or missing permission forms, and significantly reduce the amount of paper our school consumes.</span></p> <p><span>Look for the School-Day Introduction Letter coming home with your child on January 20th.&nbsp; Use the instructions in it to sign up for a School-Day account at </span><a href="http://www.school-day.com" title="url to School Day">www.school-day.com</a><span> and connect to your child’s events and activities.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span>With your support, we look forward to a successful implementation of this practical application!</span></p>

<img src="/images/44b55847-8d33-50c0-a3ce-541bcd23d485?fingerprint=ppb20251217013634" srcset="/thumbnails/44b55847-8d33-50c0-a3ce-541bcd23d485?fingerprint=ppb20251217013634 450w, /images/44b55847-8d33-50c0-a3ce-541bcd23d485?fingerprint=ppb20251217013634 600w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 450px, 600px"><span></span> <p><span><strong><span>SafeArrival Program</span></strong><span> begins on January 14, 2019</span></span></p> <p><strong><span>How to report an absence using SafeArrival</span></strong></p> <p><span>There are three ways you can report your student’s absence in advance:</span></p> <ol> <li><span>Using your mobile device, download and install the SchoolMessenger blue app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store or from <span><a href="https://go.schoolmessenger.com/#/home">School Messenger website</a></span> (<span><a href="https://go.schoolmessenger.ca/">https://go.schoolmessenger.ca</a></span>)or you can select it from within the LDSB mobile app. The first time you use the app, you must select Sign Up to create your account. </span><span>Please ensure you use the same email address your student’s school has on file. If you do not use that same email address, you will not be able to create an account.</span><span> You may have already created an account when we introduced the Communicate broadcast system. Select Attendance, then Report an Absence.</span></li> <li><span>Use the <span><a href="https://go.schoolmessenger.ca" title="School Messenger">School Messenger website</a></span> (<span><a href="https://go.schoolmessenger.com/">https://go.schoolmessenger.ca</a></span> ). The first time you use the app, you must select Sign Up to create your account. </span><span>Please ensure you use the same email address your student’s school has on file. If you do not use that same email address, you will not be able to create an account.</span><span>You may have already created an account when we introduced the Communicate broadcast system. Select Attendance then Report an Absence.</span></li> <li><span>Call 1-855-257-9349 toll-free to report an absence using the automated phone system. </span></li> </ol> <p><span>&nbsp;</span><span>Learn more at </span><span><a href="http://bit.ly/LDSBSafeArrival" title="SafeArrival">http://bit.ly/LDSBSafeArrival</a></span></p>