Welcome Back!

Please enjoy our September Newsletter.  It also includes a letter that can be used to receive a discount on a police record check for individuals hoping to volunteer

Please enjoy the Vincent Massey October Newsletter.

Vincent Massey PS is excited to announce their Winter Fundraiser. The money raised comes back to the school and directly enhances your child(ren)'s learning experience at VMPS. Please watch for an email regarding Cash Online and go to the school website for the Purdys Chocolate link.

KPR’s Annual Parent Conference is returning this fall as a hybrid event, where you can choose to attend in-person or online!

This year’s conference will focus on Building Skills and Resilience in a Supportive Environment of Risk-Taking, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Colin King.

Join us Saturday, October 15, 9:30am – 12:00pm at Adam Scott CVI, 175 Langton Street, Peterborough or virtually. For more information on this FREE event, and to register, please open the attachment or go to our website. 

Dear KPR Families,

With cooler temperatures starting to set in, I am looking forward to the many new beginnings and fun learning opportunities the fall season holds for students, staff and families. It has been inspiring to see the many ways our school communities have welcomed students and families back to school over the past few weeks, hosting open houses, parent/teacher nights, school assemblies, and special events. 

Tomorrow, September 30th is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This is a solemn day of remembrance, and a time to recognize the harm caused by residential schools, honour survivors and their families, and remember those who never returned home. Our school communities will be recognizing this day in age-appropriate ways, and engaging in discussion, reflection and learning that supports our collective journey towards reconciliation. 

As part of this observance, staff and students are invited to wear orange this Friday, and flags will be flown at half-mast at KPR schools and education centres from sunrise to sunset. 

It is important to remember that reconciliation does not focus on one day alone. Last year, KPR’s Indigenous Education team launched the Passport to Reconciliation program as a way for school communities to work together and actively engage in broad-based collective learning and action year-round. I urge everyone to learn more about the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and consider how the tools in KPR’s Passport to Reconciliation program can further support this learning, and our broader commitment to Indigenous knowledge, culture and perspectives. I also invite you to reflect on the following #WeAreKPR story, that highlights some of the ways our students and staff have engaged in the program to date. Follow @KPRIndigenous on social media for more information and to access the Passport to Reconciliation program from home. 

Lastly, I’d like to share a reminder to visit KPR’s events calendar and follow @kprschools on social media for information on upcoming days of significance next month, including Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit Peoples (MMIWG2S) Honouring and Awareness Day on October 4, and Yom Kippur on October 5. 

Wishing everyone time for rest and reflection with your families. 

Sincerely,  

Rita Russo

Director of Education

KPR News

2022 Parent Conference 

Registration is now open for KPR’s Annual Parent Conference! Join us on Saturday, October 15, 9:30am – 12:00pm at Adam Scott CVI, 175 Langton Street, Peterborough or virtually. This year’s conference will focus on Building Skills and Resilience in a Supportive Environment of Risk-Taking, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Colin King. Attend in-person or online to learn about practical parent-led strategies that build resilience and hear from a panel of educators and professionals about how these skills can be supported at school and at home.

For more information about this FREE event, and to register, please visit our website. 

COVID-19 and Illness Protocol

To help maintain a healthy and safe school environment, we remind all staff, students, and visitors to self-screen daily before attending school, using the provincial screening tool. 

We are continuing to monitor daily absence trends and sharing this information with local public health units. For more information about COVID protocols, please see our Return to School Plan, which reflects the latest provincial guidance.

The learning focus for the month of October is Indigenous Film. To access weekly activities, reflection questions and resources to support your learning, visit the Passport to Reconciliation resource at the following link:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vQaQrE0ELENw_FtCRpm12wEWmYMynbadKW1K7eOThVYjjO4KUM7nmzLy8SvfHDwGbqyoNB6Oz3nkgAE/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000&slide=id.g1592378e483_0_47 

Dear KPR Families, 

I’ve had the wonderful privilege of visiting many schools and classrooms over the past month. Witnessing, first-hand, the smiling faces of students and staff, I know it has been a busy, but successful start to the school year! In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to each and every one of you for making KPR an amazing place to learn and grow as a community. I hope that the long weekend allowed you an opportunity to rest and connect with your loved ones.

I’d also like to extend my appreciation to two very important, passionate members of our KPR community, Student Trustees Maria Mahfuz and Kelly Mitchell. If you have not had the opportunity to meet our Student Trustees yet, I am pleased to share an introduction in this week’s #WeAreKPR story. Their commitment to student advocacy and leadership is inspirational to us all!

As we look ahead to the end of the month, October 24 is Diwali. To everyone celebrating, may the festival of lights bring you joy and happiness. For more information on this important day celebrated by Hindu, Jain and Sikh communities worldwide, visit KPR’s events calendar and follow @kprschools on social media. 

Sincerely, 

Rita Russo, 

Director of Education

KPR NEWS

2022 Parent Conference

This Saturday, October 15th is KPR’s Annual Parent Conference! We look forward to having you join us for this FREE, hybrid event from 9:30am - 12:00pm at Adam Scott CVI, 175 Langton Street, Peterborough or virtually. 

This year’s conference will focus on Building Skills and Resilience in a Supportive Environment of Risk-Taking, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Colin King. To learn more, and to register, please visit our website. 

Labour Negotiations Update 

As many of you may know, there are ongoing labour negotiations with education sector staff across Ontario. Contracts have expired and are currently being bargained, as outlined in legislation, between the provincial government, unions, and the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA), which represents public school boards at the provincial table.

At the provincial level, the government and the trustees’ associations bargain central terms with teachers’ federations and education workers’ unions. These terms can include areas such as: wages, class sizes, benefits and sick leave. The provincial issues are ones that have the greatest monetary effect and they apply to all school boards across the province. Recently, you will have seen news that CUPE provincially has announced the result of a strike vote of its members and asked for a ‘No Board’ report as part of the bargaining process. CUPE represents educational support staff within our schools, and others within the province.

This does NOT mean that a strike or job action is going to occur or is happening soon. CUPE must provide significant notice of any possible labour disruption, which could include a work-to-rule, rotating or complete strike. To date, we have not been given notice of any impending strike activity.

We know that central negotiations are ongoing with this employee group and, like you, are hopeful of a resolution as soon as possible. We will continue to provide any further updates as they are known in the coming weeks. 

COVID-19 and Illness Protocol

To help maintain a healthy and safe school environment, we remind all students, staff and visitors to self-screen daily before attending school, using the provincial screening tool. 

While our schools continue to promote respectful and inclusive environments where everyone’s personal choice about wearing masks is respected, we encourage our students and staff to wear masks indoors at school, in accordance with current recommendations from our local public health partners. Parents and guardians can also find the most up-to-date information regarding community rates and recommendations through their local public health units:

Peterborough Public Health

Durham Region Health Department

Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health

We continue to monitor daily absence trends and share this information with local public health units. For more information about COVID protocols, please see our Return to School Plan, which reflects the latest provincial guidance.

As always, we encourage everyone to please stay home when you are unwell, and use the provincial screening tool as a guide to when you should return to school.

Regional School Council Meetings 

• Clarington Regional School Council meetings are at Kirby Professional Learning Centre (Great Room) at 7:00pm on the following dates: October 26, November 23, January 25, February 22 and April 19.
• Northumberland/East Regional School Council meetings are at 6:30pm on the following dates: October 18, December 6, January 31, and April 11.
• Peterborough Regional School Council meetings are held virtually at 6:30pm on the following dates: October 18, December 6, January 31, and April 11.

Dear KPR Families, 

As the days get shorter, and schedules get busier, I want to take a minute to recognize a situation that may be a source of stress for many staff and families - the ongoing provincial negotiations with CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees). 

CUPE represents a large number of our education workers in KPR schools, including custodians, maintenance workers, clerical staff, educational workers, early childhood educators, and professional staff. CUPE staff in our schools are vital to students’ success, their safety and the effective functioning and operation of our schools and buildings each day. 

Please review the important information below in the news section, about the possibility of a full withdrawal of service, as early as late next week, if notice is received from CUPE.  

We recognize the valuable role of CUPE staff in supporting students, staff and schools. We continue to follow the provincial negotiations closely and, like you, remain hopeful that an agreement can be reached soon that will avert disruption to our students and families. 

As we move into November, KPR schools will once again recognize and celebrate November as Indigenous Peoples Awareness Month. As part of our ongoing commitment to championing Indigenous education, achievement and awareness, November was chosen because it includes several important dates, such as Treaties Recognition Week (Nov. 6-12), Rock Your Mocs Week (Nov. 14-20), Inuit Day (Nov. 7), Indigenous Veterans’ Day (Nov. 8), and Louis Riel Day (Nov. 16). While there is a dedicated focus during the month of November, this important learning takes place throughout the entire year for both students and staff. 

The Passport to Reconciliation program supports this important work and encourages staff and students to engage in learning focused on Indigenous knowledge, culture, perspective and history. The learning focus for the month of November is Treaties. Schools and classes will learn directly from authentic Indigenous voices, Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers and then share their learning with others. All year long, the @KPRIndigenous account on Twitter shares valuable resources and reflections that can help us all to think deeply about reconciliation.

For more information about these and other significant days coming up in the next couple of weeks, please visit KPR’s online Events Calendar. 

Thank you,

Rita Russo,

Director of Education

KPR NEWS

CUPE Labour Negotiations Update

As you may know, CUPE will be in a legal strike position on Thursday, November 3, 2022. Strike actions can include a partial or full withdrawal of service. We are, of course, very concerned about this possibility and know that our staff and families share that concern.  

To assist staff and families in their planning, we are sharing today that IF a provincial agreement is not reached next week, and IF there is a full withdrawal of service by CUPE employees, our schools would be CLOSED to students.  

We appreciate that the potential of closing our schools is difficult news, and not a decision we make lightly, but the reality is that without CUPE education workers on-site, we could not ensure safe conditions for all our students. This course of action is based on the following considerations:  

• supervision of students; 
• medical support and care for all students; 
• safe operation of water and sanitation systems, including required water flushing; 
• conditions of school buildings and classrooms, and 
• overall safety and security. 

School boards must be given five days’ notice of any possible strike action. If we receive notice from CUPE about pending strike action in the coming days, we will share further detailed information with all staff and families at that time.

2022 Parent Conference

KPR’s Parent Involvement Committee would like to thank all those who attended and contributed to this year’s Parent Conference - Building Skills and Resilience in a Supportive Environment of Risk-Taking. If you missed it, Dr. Colin King’s keynote address, the panel discussion and resources for families, are now available on our website. 

Ventilation Improvements

Student and staff well-being is our highest priority. With financial support from the federal and provincial governments for COVID-related safety improvements, all classrooms in KPR are serviced by either a stand-alone HEPA unit or a mechanical HVAC system. We continue to make ventilation improvements, including major projects at 10 elementary and secondary schools to replace older HVAC systems, and upgrades to the HVAC systems in 40 portables.

KPR’s Ministry Ventilation Report has a complete list of approved projects funded by federal and provincial grants.

Hello everyone,

Further to our CUPE Labour Negotiation Update on Friday, please find below the latest information on this issue:

• Yesterday, on Sunday, CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) provided notice that if a provincial agreement is not reached during negotiations this week, they plan to begin a full withdrawal of service on Friday, November 4, 2022. 
• Today, the government of Ontario has introduced legislation that, if passed, would impose a new contract for CUPE workers, and is intended to prevent strike action.
• In response, CUPE has suggested that they may proceed to withdraw services on Friday, in protest of the legislation.

This is a rapidly evolving situation that we are following closely.  

We appreciate that this is a difficult situation, and we will continue to share further information with staff and families throughout the week once confirmed.

The learning focus for the month of November is Treaties. To access weekly activities, reflection questions and resources to support your learning, visit the  resource at the following link: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vR7qdPyeOPsMcdcpzmW4YYOjiAen5-e4K-pwuWmXSwzmrWDdO4C6eVHa5IgwEFZIPq_3hYoVi4UEkNP/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000&slide=id.gfb0e25950a_0_9  

Dear KPR families, 

Please see below for the latest information on the provincial labour situation. 

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) have announced that their members will not be at work on Friday, November 4, 2022, as part of a province-wide full withdrawal of service. 

IF this takes place, we will be unable to safely operate our schools for students, and all schools will be CLOSED to students on Friday, November 4, 2022.   

This is a rapidly evolving situation that we are following closely.  

We will provide confirmation to families on Thursday afternoon/evening, as soon as we are able, about school status for Friday, November 4, through School Messenger (direct email), website and social media platforms.  

We appreciate that the potential of closing our schools is difficult news, and not a decision that we make lightly, but without CUPE education workers on-site, we could not ensure our schools would be safe for all students. This course of action is based on supervision of students; medical support and care for all students; safe operation of water and sanitation systems, including required water flushing; conditions of school buildings and classrooms, and overall safety and security. 

Asynchronous Learning 

If schools are closed, teachers will provide asynchronous learning opportunities for students by sending materials home Thursday, or through their regular communication platforms (e.g., Edsby, Google, D2L). Students may complete this work any time on Friday. 

If the job action extends beyond Friday, information will be shared about a technology deployment plan. 

For students enrolled in our virtual schools, programming will proceed as usual on Friday. 

Child Care 

If schools are closed on Friday, child care centres will be permitted to remain open. Families should contact their child care operator directly for more information. 

Before and after school programs, early years centres and facility partner programs will be closed. 

Community Use of Schools/Permits 

If schools are closed on Friday, all school permits will be cancelled for the day. We will provide further information to community use groups about future permits.  

We sincerely appreciate your ongoing patience and understanding as we continue our planning in response to these provincial issues. 

If there are any positive developments between the province and CUPE that may avert Friday’s withdrawal of service, we will message families directly. This may include communications late into the night on Thursday - please check your emails regularly throughout the evening and watch for any developments reported by the media.   

KPR SCHOOLS CLOSED TO IN-PERSON LEARNING FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2022 

Dear KPR families, 

We have been monitoring the provincial labour situation closely today.  

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) have announced that their members will participate in a province-wide full withdrawal of service tomorrow (Friday). 

As a result, ALL KPR schools will be CLOSED to students on Friday, November 4, 2022.   

We appreciate that this is difficult news, and not a decision that we make lightly, but without CUPE education workers on-site, we could not ensure our schools would be safe for all students.  

Student Learning 

Teachers will provide asynchronous learning opportunities for students. Work may have been sent home today, or it may be shared through regular communication platforms (e.g., Edsby, Google, D2L). Students may complete this work any time on Friday. 

For students enrolled in our virtual schools, programming will proceed as usual. 

If the job action extends beyond Friday, more information will be shared with families.  

Child Care 

Child care centres are permitted to remain open on Friday.  

Before and after school programs, early years centres and facility partner programs will be closed. 

Community Use of Schools Permits 

All school permits will be cancelled until further notice.  

We will continue to provide further updates in the coming days. 

SCHOOLS TO REMAIN CLOSED FOR DURATION OF CUPE FULL WITHDRAWAL OF SERVICE   

Dear KPR Families,   

Further to our note yesterday, and to support ongoing planning, we are confirming that KPR schools will remain closed to students throughout the province-wide full withdrawal of service by Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). 

As we have shared, without our CUPE staff, we are unable to ensure our schools would be safe for students. As a result, schools will be CLOSED ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022. 

We will continue to monitor the situation and will provide an update if there is any change to this status. 

Student Learning  

As part of our ongoing planning, teachers will continue to provide remote asynchronous learning opportunities for students. Work will be shared through regular communication platforms (e.g., Edsby, Google, D2L).  

Student tasks will be a continuation of the learning that is ongoing in the classroom/subject area. These assigned tasks will be completed by students at their own pace.   

As schools become aware of individual family technology needs, we will seek to address those as best we are able. 

For students enrolled in our virtual schools, programming will proceed as usual.  

Child Care  

Child care centres will remain open. 

Before and after school programs, early years centres and facility partner programs will be closed.  

Community Use of Schools Permits  

All school permits are cancelled until further notice. 

We will continue to provide further updates in the coming days.  

Sincerely,  

Rita Russo, 
Director of Education 

KPR Schools to Re-open Tuesday, November 8

Dear KPR Families,

We appreciate that the last few days have been extremely challenging for everyone. We value and appreciate all CUPE staff, and the important work they do in our schools and workplaces. 

Today, the government has announced that it will repeal Bill 28. Following that, CUPE has announced that employees will return to work and end the withdrawal of service.

As a result, I am pleased to share that all KPR schools will be OPEN tomorrow (Tuesday, November 8). 

All previously scheduled school activities and events may resume, as schools return to normal operations on Tuesday.

Provincial negotiations will continue with both CUPE and the government returning to the negotiating table, and we are hopeful an agreement will be reached soon.

We continue to follow the negotiations closely and will provide timely updates for families.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school tomorrow. 

Thank you,

Rita Russo,

Director of Education

Dear KPR Families,

I want to begin my message this week from a place of gratitude. During Veterans’ Week, and on November 11, KPR students and staff honour all those who have served our country, and continue to serve, to protect freedom and peace within our own borders and around the world. We appreciate and honour the bravery and sacrifice of our fellow Canadians.

As time passes and fewer veterans are alive to share their stories, an important part of remembering is discussing this part of Canada’s history with students. We remember the victories and heavy losses during World War One, World War Two and the Korean War, and significant peacekeeping efforts in many places around the world. Canadian forces continue to have an important presence here in Canada, supporting people in times of floods, storms and other disasters, and we say thank you for these incredible efforts. 

On Indigenous Veterans’ Day, November 8, we specifically recognize the contributions of thousands of Indigenous people who served during times of war and peacekeeping. Indigenous veterans, along with many women and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, bravely fought for and supported our country, while enduring many hardships due to unfair treatment and systemic barriers at home. We remember all those from our diverse society who have served our country.

Flags at all KPR schools and buildings will be lowered to half mast on November 11, from sunrise to sunset.

As Indigenous Peoples Awareness Month continues, our school communities are engaging in important learning and discussion about First Nation, Métis, and Inuit people. We all have so much more to learn, in support of reconciliation, and we invite families to access the activities and resources available through KPR’s monthly Passport to Reconciliation program. 

Please visit KPR’s Events Calendar for a list of upcoming significant dates, including Louis Riel Day and Rock Your Mocs week.

The last week has been a stressful one for many. As we near the weekend, I hope you have a chance for some rest and relaxation. Please continue to take good care of yourselves and each other. 

Rita Russo, 

Director of Education

KPR NEWS

Community Representatives - Parent Involvement Committee 

The Board is seeking three community members, with an interest in public education, to serve on its Parent Involvement Committee for a one-year term, effective November 28, 2022.

The Parent Involvement Committee works with parents, school councils and community partners to foster parental involvement and community engagement in support of student success. The non-parent Community Representatives on the committee serve in addition to three parent members from each region of the Board (Clarington, Northumberland-City of Quinte West/Murray Ward and Peterborough). The Parent Involvement Committee meets six times a year.

Candidates interested in serving in this volunteer position are invited to submit a letter of interest by 4:00 p.m. on November 23, 2022. More details and application information can be found on the Board website.

Grade 8 Information Nights

KPR secondary schools are hosting information nights for incoming Grade 8 students. We look forward to welcoming parents, guardians and Grade 8 students to learn more about the exciting programs and opportunities KPR has to offer! Dates and times of the Information Nights are available on our website.

Wednesday, November 16, 2022 

CUPE Negotiations Update   

Dear KPR Families, 

As the provincial negotiations process continues, these remain challenging days for our staff and families, with outcomes largely beyond our control. We appreciate your continued support and understanding as we move forward.  

Today, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) have announced that their members will not be at work on Monday, November 21, 2022, as part of a province-wide full-withdrawal of service, if they are unable to reach a new collective agreement with the provincial government. 

IF this takes place, we will be unable to safely operate our schools for students, and all schools will be CLOSED to students on Monday, November 21, 2022.  

This is an evolving situation that we will continue to follow closely in the coming days.  

It is our understanding that negotiations are continuing, and we remain hopeful that an agreement can be reached soon that would avert the potential strike. 

We will provide confirmation to staff and families as soon as we are able, about school status for Monday, November 21, 2022. 

We appreciate that the potential of closing our schools is difficult news, and not a decision that we make lightly, but without CUPE education workers on-site, we could not ensure our schools would be safe for all students. This course of action is based on supervision of students; medical support and care for all students; safe operation of water and sanitation systems, including required water flushing; conditions of school buildings and classrooms, and overall safety and security. 

We are currently finalizing our learning plan for Monday, if needed, and will share further information with families in the coming days.  

For students enrolled in our virtual schools, programming will proceed as usual on Monday. 
 

Child Care 

If schools are closed on Monday, child care centres will be permitted to remain open. Families should contact their child care operator directly for more information. 

Before and after school programs, early years centres and facility partner programs will be closed. 

Community Use of Schools/Permits 

If schools are closed on Monday, all school permits will be cancelled for the day. We will provide further information to community use groups about future permits.  

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue our planning in response to these provincial issues. 

If there are any positive developments between the province and CUPE that may avert Monday’s announced withdrawal of service, we will message staff and families directly.  

This may include communications late into the night on Sunday - please check your emails regularly throughout the evening and watch for any developments reported by the media.    

Sincerely, 

Steve Russell                                               Rita Russo 

Chairperson                                                Director of Education 

KPR SCHOOLS MAY BE CLOSED TO IN-PERSON LEARNING MONDAY 

Dear KPR families, 

Further to our message earlier this week, and to support ongoing staff and family planning, we are confirming that CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) has announced their members will participate in a province-wide full withdrawal of service on Monday, November 21, if a provincial agreement is not reached before then. 

If the withdrawal of service occurs, ALL KPR schools will be CLOSED to students on Monday, November 21, 2022.   

We appreciate that this is difficult news, but without CUPE education workers on-site, we could not ensure our schools would be safe for all students.  

Student Learning 

Teachers will provide remote learning opportunities for students on Monday as we prepare for synchronous learning beginning on Tuesday. Work may be sent home with students, or it may be shared through regular communication platforms (e.g., Edsby, Google, D2L). Students may complete this work any time on Monday. 

Synchronous (live/virtual) learning will begin on Tuesday if the situation remains unresolved. 

As schools become aware of individual family technology needs, we will seek to address those as best we are able. 

For students enrolled in our virtual schools, programming will proceed as usual. 

Child Care 

Child care centres are permitted to remain open on Monday.  

Before and after school programs, early years centres and facility partner programs will be closed. 

Community Use of Schools Permits 

All school permits will be cancelled for Monday evening if the full withdrawal of service takes place. If the withdrawal continues beyond Monday, permits will be cancelled until further notice.  

We continue to monitor this provincial situation closely and we understand that negotiations are continuing, with a deadline of 5:00pm on Sunday. We will provide an update at that time, and share further updates as new information becomes available. 

Steve Russell                                            Rita Russo  

Chairperson of the Board                        Director of Education 

Dear KPR families,

It’s been an incredibly difficult week for our KPR community and our thoughts remain with the Thomas A. Stewart students, staff and families, and all those in our schools and communities with connections to the MacHart (Hart & MacDonnell) family. So many people have been affected by this terrible tragedy and our hearts and minds are with all those who have been impacted. We continue to hold Rowghan MacHart in our thoughts as she remains in hospital.

As we approach December, there are a number of important days that support our work in creating safe, inclusive schools. I invite you to visit our Events Calendar to learn more.

Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week (November 20-26) is an opportunity to learn more about bullying and cyberbullying, and its effects on student learning and wellbeing. Bullying is a deliberate act that is persistent over time, with an intent to harm. When bullying is based on race, gender, creed, sexual orientation or other factors identified in the Ontario Human Rights Code, it is a form of discrimination. KPR schools are committed to providing safe, caring and restorative schools to support student learning, achievement and wellbeing. We encourage people to report all incidents of bullying as soon as possible to your school principal. KPR's online Report IT! Tool also continues to be available to students, staff and community. 

Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and December 6 is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, in memory of the  14 young women killed at Polytechnique Montréal and the many others who were injured because of their gender. Many women, girls, 2SLGBTQIA+, and gender-diverse individuals in our communities continue to experience violence and discrimination. As an educational organization, we must confront issues of gender inequality in all the forms in which they are found. To acknowledge the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women KPR schools will join others across our country and lower our school flags on December 6.

On December 10, International Human Rights Day, we recognize the important work the KPR community has done to raise awareness, effect meaningful change and positively influence human rights movements. This is a day to celebrate the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, a day when we should all think about what human rights means to our daily lives. We know there is still much more to do, and we are committed to taking action in support of systemic change. KPR’s Commissioner's Office of Human Rights, Equity & Accessibility (COHREA) was established last year as a resource for all members of the Board community to be part of the human rights conversation. COHREA provides human rights education, information, assistance and advice in fostering and supporting an inclusive culture free of discrimination and harassment.

Thank you for your support of safe and inclusive school environments.

Rita Russo
Director of Education

KPR NEWS

Letter from the Chief Medical Officer of Health and Masking Recommendations

Due to an increase of respiratory illnesses, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health is strongly recommending masks for all indoor public settings, including schools and childcares. KPR schools are mask-friendly environments. Along with our local public health unit partners, we strongly encourage masking, while also respecting individual choice about wearing masks. Schools continue to have 3-ply masks available for students. Please use the screening tool, stay home when you are sick and clean your hands often to help keep everyone healthy.

This letter from Dr. Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health, to Ontario parents and caregivers, shares some important information and reminders to help protect against the spread of respiratory infections. 

Parents Reaching Out GrantsAll school boards receive Parents Reaching Out grant funding annually from the provincial government to support parent involvement and to lead projects with a focus on the identification and removal of barriers that prevent parents and families from participating and engaging fully in their children's learning. School councils are encouraged to submit applications for projects that will engage parents and families in their communities. Applications should be submitted by December 23 to be eligible for funding. More information is available in the Parent section of KPR’s website.