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Dear Families, 

I hope you are enjoying the last few days of school before the holiday break. The stretch between Thanksgiving and the December/January break can feel like a long one, but only six more school days remain before the holiday.  

As we approach the end of 2023, I have some updates to share with you. 

Amendment to School Year Calendar 2023-2024 – Total Solar Eclipse 

As mentioned in my last email update to you, on April 8, 2024, the southern portions of Limestone, including Napanee and Kingston, are in the pathway of a total solar eclipse. This is a very rare and exciting solar event which will result in complete darkness for a few minutes around 3:20 p.m. that day.  

Given many students will be in transit at that time, or preparing for dismissal, the timing of the eclipse is not ideal from a supervision perspective to ensure student eye safety. We considered shifting the school day by 90 minutes, but there are several logistical challenges from a staffing and busing perspective, as well as a disruption to regular routines for families. This would particularly be the case with the Friday that same week previously being a Professional Activity (PA) Day. 

We consulted with our co-terminus school boards, Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board and Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board, as well as Tri-Board Transportation since the three boards share transportation services, to propose moving the PA Day scheduled for Friday, April 12, 2024, to Monday, April 8, 2024. This would ensure only a one-day impact for families during that week.  

This amendment has been approved by all three school boards as well as the Ministry of Education. As such, April’s PA Day will now occur on Monday, April 8, 2024. This change does not add an additional PA Day for the school year, but simply adjusts the date of the April PA Day. Friday, April 12 will now be a regular school day. 

A total solar eclipse is a unique and spectacular occurrence. A similar event has not occurred in this region for nearly 700 years, and another one will not occur again for another 375 years. As a result, leading up to the event, we will provide learning opportunities for students to maximize their safety and enjoyment.  

An updated copy of the school year calendar will be available on the LDSB website early in 2024. 

See Yourself in Limestone: Student Census Achievement Report 

The See Yourself in Limestone: Student Census Achievement Report is now available. This is the third report related to data from the Student Census from 2020. The Preliminary Report was released in fall 2021, while the Student Sense of Belonging Report, was released in spring 2023. The focus of this third report is traditional measures of student achievement for all census related identity groups and includes some information on student sense of belonging for groups who were not the subject of the first report. 

This report includes information about achievement indicators: one caring adult at school; one adult at school expects me to do well; suspensions; reasons for absent or late; special education (IEPs); EQAO math and literacy; pathways (Applied); credit accumulation; and graduation. This Student Census Achievement Report will offer the LDSB the opportunity to reflect on system practices in the future. 

While there is much to celebrate in Limestone on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis, we cannot ignore the data and voice of students in indicating the student experience in Limestone is uneven. In Limestone schools we have an individual and collective responsibility for serving all students, and doing our very best to meet their needs, regardless of their demographic characteristics. Much work remains in front of us in reducing disparities.  

Absences and Public Health 

With more seasonal weather upon us, people are spending more time indoors and unfortunately, as a result, we have seen a rise in staff and student absences across the district. Staff absences started to increase in early-to-mid November, and student absences have ticked up a bit in the past couple of weeks. As influenza has been detected on the rise in the region, KFL&A Public Health strongly advises getting vaccinated against the flu. 

With the flu season underway, Public Health indicates the risk of infection is expected to peak towards the end of December and the beginning of January. Indications suggest COVID-19 infections have also increased in the last few weeks. Flu and COVID-19 vaccines are available at the following locations: ontario.ca/vaccine-locations. 

Director’s Annual Report 

The 2022-2023 Director’s Annual Report is now live at SeeYourselfInLimestone.ca. This report provides a snapshot of the teaching and learning that took place across the board during the last school year, including stories related to the LDSB’s three strategic pillars, Wellness, Innovation and Collaboration. Many of these good news stories are due to the critical work of LDSB team members who are dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of students. This will be the last report on the current strategic plan. As you are aware, we have been consulting on the next plan. Thank you to all of those families who provided feedback in November in the second phase of consultation that focused on the proposed mission, vision, and values. A summary of this feedback will be shared early in 2024. 

I hope you enjoy your weekend when it arrives. 

Krishna Burra 

Director of Education