Kanétskare November Update

November Lightning News

The month of October has been a very busy one with our students representing us at the HWDSB Cross Country Meet and our Junior and Senior Boys and Girls’ teams competing in volleyball.  We had a great turn out for our Meet the Teacher Night and want to thank everyone who supported our Scholastic Book Fair. The money raised will be used to purchase books for the library.

Autumn Spirit week – The week of October 28^th to November 1^st, we are celebrating Autumn with various school spirit events taking place.  We will be hosting a dance for all students on October 31^st during periods 7 and 8. Students who do not want to attend the dance can participate in the games room, colouring club and Diwali Art Activities. We appreciate your cooperation in making this day a joyful and respectful experience for all of our students. Let’s come together to celebrate in a way that promotes understanding and unity.

If students are dressing up please respect the following guidelines for costumes:

• No weapons or props
• No costume masks covering the face
• No inappropriate images
• Cultural appropriation

Cultural appropriation means taking or borrowing a look or trait from a culture that is not your own. The following are suggested questions to reflect on when choosing a costume to avoid being disrespectful or offensive:

• Is my costume making fun of a group of people, their culture, religion and/or belief systems?
• Does my costume reinforce jokes and stereotypes about certain groups, cultures, religions and/or belief systems?
• Am I altering my skin colour, facial/body features to make it like a particular race, ethnicity or cultural group?
• Am I dressing up as a culture or borrowing from a religion that is not my own or is not part of my background?

Grade 8 Trip to Westdale – Westdale Secondary School is hosting our grade 8 students, along with other feeder schools, on November 6, 2024. This is an opportunity for students to see the school, walk the hallways, meet their teachers, visit classrooms, and experience a day in the life of a Grade 9 student. We will be leaving the school at 9:40 am, travelling to Westdale Secondary via school bus. Students are asked to bring along their lunch, snacks and water bottles, as there is not an opportunity to purchase lunch on this day. Trips forms will be coming home the week of October 28^th.

Progress Reports – Progress reports will be sent home with students on November 19^th. Prior to this, teachers will be sending letters home with students for families to book interview times with homeroom teachers on either the evening on November 21^st and during the day on November 22^nd. If you are unable to attend either of these days, on the letter coming home you will have the opportunity to choose a phone interview or email update for a later date. At anytime if you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to reach out to the classroom teacher. A list of teachers can be found on our school website.

Attendance – We have noticed an increase in the number of students who are absent with no explanation. Just a reminder to please update the reason why a student is away in the parent portal or call the office to report the absence. We will be reviewing absences on a regular basis and contacted families to help support regular attendance at school. Attendance has a direct correlation on student achievement and engagement.

Lates – School starts at 8:40 am. We ask that students be on time to reduce the amount of extra traffic in the office and hallways, along with interruptions in the classroom. Being on time is a life skill, so let’s create good habit!

Intramurals & Clubs – There are lots of extra curricular activities to keep students engaged and active during nutrition break. We have the games club, art club, Dungeons and Dragons, Sewing, Loom bracelet making, and Anime club to name a few. For the next couple of weeks, the intramural will be volleyball by grade on the one side of the gym and open gym on the other side. There is lots to do including joining our healthy action team, celebrations team and fundraising team.

School Website – Please make sure you are checking daily for school announcements at the bottom of our website. We attempt to put all announcements up by 9:30 am each day.

Personal Devices – Over the last couple of weeks we have noticed that some students are not placing their personal devices in their lockers upon arrival. If personal devices are used during the day for anything other than educational purposes they will be confiscated and placed in the office for the day. Your support is greatly appreciated. We also want to remind families that if you need to contact a student during the day, please contact the office as we are more than happy to assist.

Upcoming Dates

• October 30^th – Photo Day
• November 1^st – PD Day
• November 6^th – Grade 8 students visit to Westdale
• November 6^th – Band Trip
• November 19^th – Progress Reports sent home
• November 21^st – Parent Teacher Interviews (4:30 to 7:00 pm)
• November 22nd – Parent Teacher Interviews (PD Day)
• November 28^th – School Council Meeting from 6:00 to 7:00 pm in the library
• December 19^th – School wide trip to Movies (more information to follow)
• December 20^th – Last day of school before the Winter Break