A reminder that there is no school on Friday, November 22^nd, as it is a divisional PD Day for staff.

Access to Power School (Parent Portal):

All families should have received an email this week with information about how to create a parent portal account which will provide you with access to the LRSD Connect app, the Power School parent area (report cards, schedules, etc.) and School Cash (for school fees – coming soon). It will be important to follow the instructions in the email or posted here to create an account prior to report cards being posted to the portal next week.

United Way Fundraisers:

Order forms for the pizza fundraiser on November 29^th were sent home this week and are due back by the end of next week. We will also be having a popcorn sale on Thursday, November 21^st; students who are interested can purchase a small bag of popcorn for a $2 donation. Teachers are also planning a small fundraiser for Grade 5-8 students the afternoon of November 29^th, with the sale of snacks while attending a dance or a movie in the afternoon.

We will also begin collecting new or gently used outerwear for Koats for Kids in a box in the main school entrance the week of November 21^st.

News from the PAC:

Thanks to those who attended this week’s meeting. The first movie night of the year is scheduled for Wednesday, December 4^th. The first Subway fun lunch will be on December 13^th, and orders can be placed through Healthy Hunger. If your student eats lunch at the daycare, you must order their lunch to their daycare room. Fun Lunch volunteers will not be responsible for missed lunches if ordered to the wrong room. Information about setting up a Healthy Hunger account are attached: How to Order Fun Lunch.pdf

Report Cards:

We are anticipating that Term 1 report cards will be available on the Parent Portal by the end of next week. With this being the first time this is being done in Power School, they are being centrally posted by divisional staff, so we don’t know exactly when they will be available at this time. If we are told that they won’t be up by November 22^nd, we will provide that update next week.

We would also like to provide the reminder that report cards offer merely a snapshot of student progress at a particular moment in time; they should be only one way of learning about student progress throughout a school year. Families should feel comfortable reaching out to teachers at any time that they have a concern about their student’s progress or want to check in on how things are going. Teachers can equally provide updates about progress throughout the school year, particularly when things are not going well or there has been a significant change in a student’s progress.

For kindergarten students, there is no provincial report card in Term 1. Instead, parents will receive a report of the Early Years Evaluation (EYE) that teachers have completed over the last few weeks. These reports are not posted to the parent portal and are instead provided at the parent conference. All families are invited to book a conference time, and these meetings will be used to go over the report. The attached letter provides more information about the evaluation: EYE_TA_Letter_November_2024.pdf

For Grade 1 to 8 students, marks are given in each academic area (on a 1-4 scale) and to describe the student’s learning behaviours (from consistent to rarely). Grade 7/8 students also receive a percentage grade in each academic subject area, which is a cumulation of all the 1-4 indicators in that subject area. As an important reminder, all marks 1-4 mean that your child is working at grade level, ranging from:

1 – Student understands some key concepts/skills but rarely makes connections amongst similar concepts/skills

4 – Student thoroughly understands all or nearly all concepts/skills, makes connections and applies the concepts

While all families would likely hope for strictly 3s and 4s on their student’s report card, 1s and 2s are still an indicator that the student is participating in grade level activities and succeeding the majority of the time. Some students will receive an ND indicator, which means that a student does Not Yet Demonstrate the required understanding and application of concepts/skills, or that this is happening less than half the time. In most cases, an ND is an indication that the student needs extra help, whether that be in that particular academic domain or to help follow school and classroom routines and expectations. In these cases, the school team will reach out to families to discuss what plans are in place to support the student’s learning. The classroom teacher will typically be the first person to connect with you about these plans and will oversee the daily management of the plan given that they spend the most time with the student throughout their school day. For some students, plans are already in place and have been communicated; for others with emerging or changing needs, contact with families will be coming soon as new plans are developed. In some cases, the plan might involve additional learning goals that will be shared with the family and may involve support from other members of the school team, such as the Student Services teacher who collaborates regularly with each classroom teacher. We recognize that such plans also require the support of the family, which is why your input and feedback is valued as we share and build these plans together.

Over the last year, there have been changes across Manitoba about how student progress is reported, which in some cases may lead to a higher number of NDs, 1s and 2s appearing on the report card. There are also ongoing changes to how/when individual student plans are implemented, which include documentation such as an Individual Education Plan (IEP), an Adaptation Plan, or other student support planning. Families who may see a change in the type of plan or support a student has been receiving should hear from the school team in the coming days.

For all students, we encourage families to consider the report card as merely one indicator of student progress, and to find successes within the report to celebrate the student’s progress and learning. The hope is that there are no surprises, and that families feel comfortable being regularly engaged with their student’s learning and keep in regular contact with members of the school team who support that learning.

Parent Conferences:

We encourage all families to book a conference with the homeroom teacher either November 27^th or 28^th from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m, using Conference Manager. The system will open November 21^st at 6:00 a.m. and close November 26^th at 11:30 p.m.

Lost and Found:

With our two bins overflowing, we have sorted and placed all student items on EIGHT tables in the hallway. These items will remain there until the parent conference evenings, after which we will pack up the remaining items for donation. Here are photos of just a few of the items: 

Other announcements or reminders:

-Hastings School is hosting a free flu & Covid vaccine clinic on Thursday, November 21^st: Hastings Vaccine Clinic Nov 21 2024.pdf

-LRSD is looking for homestay families for international students: HomeStay Families.jpg

-See attached for information about Greendell’s Shopping Spree on December 1^st: Shopping Spree 2024.pdf

Important Dates:

Thursday, November 21, 2024............... Term 1 student progress reports posted online (To be confirmed)

Friday, November 22, 2024................... Divisional PD Day – No classes

Tuesday, November 26, 2024................ Staff Meeting / Early Dismissal (2:37 p.m.)

Wednesday, November 27, 2024........... Student Progress Conferences (4:00 – 8:00 p.m.)

Thursday, November 28, 2024............... Student Progress conferences (4:00 – 8:00 p.m.)

Friday, December 20, 2024.................... Last Day of School – Early Dismissal (2:37 p.m.)

Monday, January 6, 2025...................... Classes resume

Tuesday, January 28, 2025.................... Staff Meeting/Early Dismissal (2:37 p.m.)

Tuesday, January 28, 2025.................... 7/8 Winter Concert (evening)

Thursday, January 30, 2025................... Winter Concert K to 6 (afternoon & evening)

Friday, January 31, 2025........................ Divisional PD Day – No classes

Have a great weekend and Go Bombers!

 Tyler & Joy