Dear KOTR Families, 

We are very excited to welcome all of our students and staff back to school on Tuesday, September 2nd. If you are new to Kars on the Rideau, we are so pleased to have you join our school community. 

At the school, we have been busy preparing for the students' return. We wanted to share some start-up information. We usually send weekly updates to families, but they are not usually this long, so we appreciate you taking the time to read all the information below.

Here are few things you should know:

Important dates

• Tuesday September 2nd, 8:00am:  First day of school for all students Kindergarten to Grade 8! 
• Wednesday, September 17th - Meet the Staff event; 4:00-6:00pm (more info to come)
• Tuesday, September 24th - First School Council meeting (elections will be held at the outset, followed by the meeting); 6:00-8:00pm

How should we prepare for the school year?

Families often ask this question. Here are a few suggestions:

• Focus on enjoying the last bit of summer right now!  There is no academic preparation required.  However, reading for pleasure is a great way to relax and keep your reading skills sharp at the same time.  It is important that students enjoy reading and discovering new adventures in stories.
• Adjust your routines before school starts.  In the week before school, students can start moving towards getting up around the time they will need to in order to get to school on time.  It doesn’t have to be exactly the time for going back to school, but this will allow your children to be able to enjoy the new school year fully without being too tired.
• Transitioning to snacking/eating close to 10am and 12:45pm is also recommended.
• If your child is new to walking, take some practice walks to and from school so they can get used to the route.
• Putting down the devices more frequently is a good change to make before the school year starts.  Making sure that your child can tie any new shoes or open any new containers/backpacks/lunch bags is a perfect way to ease worry for that first day.
• Get your school supplies ready!  See the list of voluntary supplies later in this message.
• We recognize that students have a range of feelings about starting a new school year. This is normal. Every new school year brings some change and many new opportunities to build new relationships and to learn new things! As you know, adults have a huge impact on how children approach the year, and they will take their cue from your own actions and emotions. It is important to listen and validate their feelings, and to share that there will be many positives, but also many people at the school who are available to support and help.  As I’ve been saying frequently, “Everything is figureoutable!”
• Talk about all the friends they will reconnect with and the new ones they can also make.  When children say they really want to be in the same class with certain students, it is important to share that there is always a chance that students will be in different classes than some of their friends.  They will have the opportunity to see all their friends at recess. It is important to highlight before the school year starts that every year each student gets the opportunity to meet even more friends. 
  
  

 Changes to OCDSB blue bin recycling

We recently received word that the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is no longer able to support blue bin recycling at our schools. This change is due to recent developments with their waste management services.

The OCDSB previously relied on a private vendor to collect school blue bin recycling, as the City of Ottawa does not provide this service to school boards. Unfortunately, the vendor is no longer able to service the schools.

To help reduce waste at school, we encourage you to pack litterless lunches whenever possible. We also ask that you send your child to school with a small bag to bring home any blue bin recycling that is generated during the school day. Paper recycling (black bin) will continue as usual. 

Please note that at this time, we do not offer a composting program at our school.

We appreciate your understanding and support in this matter. Thank you for your continued partnership in helping us build a more sustainable future for our students and our community.

Staffing updates

We are saying a fond farewell to Ireland Harris, who has officially accepted a full-time, permanent office position at South Carleton. It seems she just couldn't bear to part with last year's fantastic Grade 8s!!

We also have some new faces to welcome. A warm welcome to Krystal Dodd-Wass, our new Assistant Office Administrator. And please say hello to Tyler Kennedy, who will be joining us as the long-term occasional teacher for R6A.

On a related note, Mme Gordon will be off for the time being, and we are currently looking for a full-time Grade 5 EFI LTO to join our team. In the meantime, Mme Eileen Leitch will be taking on the start-up for this class.

School transportation

OSTA has shared detailed information about busing information on their Parent Portal. This includes bus route information, and service cancellations due to any busing and driver shortages. If you haven’t already, we encourage you to sign up for email notifications so that you are notified if your child’s school bus or van is cancelled or delayed.

Arrival and dismissal routines

• Designated drop/off and pick up areas – Families are encouraged to park on a side street across Rideau Valley Dr. and cross at the crosswalk.  Staff will be on duty as of 7:45am.  This Walk a Block initiative continues to be in place across the Board. At the end of the day, parents are welcome to park and meet their children at a predetermined area or at the cenotaph close to the crosswalk.
• The large bus loop is designated for school transportation vehicles only.
• Please be aware that our school vans use the school parking lot for drop-offs and pick-ups. Please drive slowly and carefully.
• Students will arrive on the first day and will be directed by staff to their grade designated area on the yard. Homeroom teachers will be holding grade signs and will have their class lists. They will be gathering their students prior to entering the building, as a class.
• Students in grades 1 - 5 will be meeting their teachers on the pavement at the back of the school.
• Grade 6 students will meet their teachers on the lower field (soccer field). 
• Grade 7 and 8 students - more info to come separately on our exciting welcome activities for next week!
• Students are to head directly to the yard when they arrive at school, whether it’s by bus, van, car, or by walking. They are not to enter the school by the front doors unless they arrive after 8am and need to get a late slip at the office. Students are dismissed out of the doors at the back of the school to catch the bus or to meet parents. Only students who catch school van transportation can be dismissed by the front doors at the end of the school day. 
• Please consider using the OSTA walking route maps help children walk to school safely. Parents are asked to consider parking a few blocks away from the school to help avoid congestion near the school
• Students and parents are not to ride their bicycles/scooters, skateboards, etc.  through the parking lots, on the walkways, or through the yard when arriving at or leaving the school. Bicycles should be walked safely to the bike racks at the front of the school.

Attendance/late arrivals/early dismissals

• Last year the OCDSB implemented a new Safe Arrival procedure across all their schools. Please see our school website (Safe Arrival) for information on how to report your child’s absence from school..
• Classroom attendance is taken shortly after the 8:00am bell. Students are encouraged to be at school well before 8am and to get organized and into class for attendance when the bell rings. All late students have to check in at the office to get a late slip. Students then make their own way to the class. We do not permit parents to escort students to class.
• If your child needs to be picked up early, please let the office know. We need students to be signed out at the office by a parent or guardian that we have listed as contacts. If your child will be picked up by someone we don’t have on our records, please let us know via phone or email to karsontherideaups@ocdsb.ca 
• All communication about students needing to go home is to go through the office so we are aware of what is happening. As per the new Ministry rules, students are not to be texting or calling parents from their cell phones and families are not to texting or calling their children on their cell phones. More information on the policy (PPM 128) is below.

Daily timetable and other procedures 

• Our instructional day starts at 8am and ends at 2:30pm. If they are being driven, students can be dropped off at earliest 7:45am, and are to be picked up at 2:30pm. Supervision begins at that time. 
• Students in grades 1-8 have 2 nutrition breaks and 2 recesses throughout the day: 10:00am-10:45am and 12:45pm-1:30pm. Due to staffing reductions, this year, students in grades 1-8 will eat and have recess at the same time. Recess will be from 10:00-10:25, and 12:45-1:10; with eating times 10:25-10:45, and 1:10-1:30.
• Students in grades 6-8 will be assigned lockers during the first week.  Students in grades 6-8 will need to bring a lock and it is recommended that they practice using the combination. 
• Students will have physical education 3 times a week (and likely one of these classes will be outdoors), so proper footwear is necessary.
• Teachers will be communicating with you soon to welcome your child to their classroom. 
• Extra curricular clubs and teams will be offered this year. More information to come. If there are any families who have hobbies or interests and would like to be involved in clubs, please reach out to the school.

Administering medication to students 

In May 2023, the District approved revisions to Procedure PR.691.SCO Administration of Prescribed Medication for Students with Non-life-threatening Medical Conditions.

The full procedure is available at the above link, but some important changes are:

• Schools are not responsible for the handling of non-prescribed medication.
• Non-prescribed medications are allowed on a student’s person only where the student is capable of safely self-administering them.
• Schools no longer require authorization for students to self-administer prescribed medication provided that they adhere to the new parameters included in the procedure.

The above procedure applies when a health care professional requires the administration of medication during school hours and school-related activities, on school transportation, during field trips, or at other school-related activities off school premises. It applies only to the handling of prescribed medications for non-life threatening medical conditions (i.e. acute episodes of short-term, non-life threatening illness, such as an infection). Injections by staff are not permitted. Requests of staff to administer or supervise the administration of prescribed medication for students with life-threatening medical conditions will be accommodated in accordance with Procedure PR.548.SCO: Care for Students with Severe or Life-threatening Medical Conditions. 

Students with serious health concerns or conditions

Any parent or custodial caregiver of a student with a serious or life-threatening medical condition must complete a form to inform the school. This allows us to be prepared and knowledgeable about how best to support the student and respond should an emergency arise.

The forms can be found in the Parent Portal of the OCDSB website: www.ocdsb.ca 

School Supplies 

The most important things for students to bring to school each day are: 

1. Backpack
2. Litterless lunch as much as possible
3. Refillable water bottle- LABELLED 
4. Extra layers of clothing (students are outside for at least two 25 minute recesses.  Students also participate regularly in outdoor learning and have one of their three phys ed classes outdoors in all types of weather.) 

School supplies are voluntary. Please see the list below. 

GRADE 1 TO GRADE 3

12 pencils 

2 erasers (preferably white) 

1 package of crayons 

1 package of coloured pencils 

1 package of coloured markers 

1 metric ruler 

1 pair of blunt scissors 

2 glue sticks 

1 pencil case (2 pencil cases for grade 1 students)

GRADE 4 TO GRADE 8

12 pencils 

2 erasers (preferably white) 

1 metric ruler 

1 pair of scissors 

2 glue sticks 

1 package of coloured pencils 

1 package of 3-hole lined refill paper 

4 different colour duotangs 

1 package of coloured markers 

1 calculator  

1 geometry set 

2 highlighters 

1 pencil case

3 binders (These are NOT required, but your child’s teacher may ask for them in September. Please wait until you hear from your child's teacher. We don’t want anyone buying things that won’t be used!)

1 combination lock for a locker for students in grades 6-8 (and we recommend having extras as we often have to cut locks off if and when they break - we encourage investing the money in a decent lock to avoid this)

We will also be asking for a voluntary school levy. More information will come shortly.

PPM 128 - Cell Phones and Personal Mobile Devices (PMDs) in Schools

At the end of the previous school year, the Ontario Ministry of Education issued the above Policy and Program Memorandum (PPM) to all school boards in the province. PPMs are essentially directives and/or minimum requirements for school boards to develop coordinating policies and procedures. 

We  have had the expectation in our school that all students are to keep their cell phones off and away while at school, unless given explicit permission from educators to use them for educational purposes, during instructional time. Away means in a locker or bag - not in a pocket. If after several requests for cooperation we find that students are not meeting this expectation, they are directed to the office to hand in their phones until the end of the day. This is the expectation that will continue for all our students.

As we gear up for a fantastic new school year, we're filled with excitement for all the learning and growth that lies ahead. We can't wait to welcome all of our new and returning students and their families. We believe that a strong partnership between home and school is essential for a successful year, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns you may have. Here's to a wonderful year of learning and discovery together!

Erin Paynter (she/her) 

Principal 

Mark Keeping

Vice-Principal