October 23 2026 Family Update

Lord Strathcona Public School Family Update

October 23, 2026

Principal's Message

Monday is a PA Day for students. There is no school for students, while staff will be engaged in professional learning together around our student achievement plan and various trainings. We look forward to seeing everyone back on Tuesday.

There are lots of events coming up as we head into November, including Remembrance Day, our Harvest Lunch, and Progress Reports. There is more information about these events and others in this week's newsletter, so read through carefully. Please reach out to your child's teacher or to the office if you have any questions.

Don't forget that Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday, Nov. 1 this year, so don't forget to set your clocks back an hour. We don't want our students to be an hour early on Monday!

G. Seiveright, Principal

Upcoming Dates

Oct. 26 - PA Day - no school for students

Nov. 1 - Daylight Savings Time ends (Fall back one hour)

Nov. 5 - School Council 5:15 p.m. Library

Nov. 11 - Remembrance Day

Nov. 12 - Harvest Lunch

Nov. 13 - Progress Reports sent home

Nov. 20 - PA Day - no school for students

Harvest Lunch

We are very excited to share that with our partners in the Bayridge SS culinary program and thanks to School Council, we are once again this year hosting our Harvest Lunch. This year, lunch will be provided to all students on November 12. It will consist of roast chicken (halal), mashed potatoes, corn, gravy and a cookie, along with a juice box. Students will eat together in the gym between first and second recess (11:30 - 12:30). This is a great community-building event that is always a favourite for our students. Students do not have to eat the lunch that is offered, however you may wish to send fewer snacks that day if they do.

Hot Lunch

Hot lunch has returned to Lord Strathcona! We will be offering lunch for purchase every Thursday this year. This year we are using Gino's as our hot lunch provider. The next scheduled lunches are as follows:

• Thurs. Oct. 29: Gino's Pasta (order closes Oct. 25)
• Thurs. Nov. 5: Gino's Pizza (order closes Nov. 1)
• Thurs. Nov. 13: Chicken Fingers/Halal Chicken Fingers (order closes Nov. 8) *Please note this is a Friday due to Harvest Lunch on Nov. 12
• Thurs. Nov. 19: Gino's Pizza (order closes Nov. 15)

All orders and payments must be made online using School-Day. You must order before the deadline (10 days before the lunch). LATE ORDERS CAN NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Halloween

Families are asked to not send their children in costumes to school for Halloween on Friday. We have run into many problems in the past with costumes getting destroyed or dirty at school, and creating trip hazards at recess. Masks and toy weapons, including play swords, guns, knives, etc., are not allowed at school. Instead we invite students to wear orange, black and purple on Friday if they would like, as part of our Spirit Week next week (see below).

Spirit Week

We invite all students to participate in our Spirit Week next week, to have some fun and show school spirit. Each day will be a different theme. You can join in as many as you wish:

• Tuesday: Hat day (wear your favourite hat)
• Wednesday: Sports Day (wear a team jersey or sports shirt)
• Thursday: Green n' Gold Day (wear School Colours or a school shirt)
• Friday: Orange/Black/Purple Day

School Council

We are pleased to share that our Lord Strathcona School Council for 2026-27 will include the following executive members:

Chair/Secretary: Bethany Hufnagel

Treasurer: Jay Macdonald

Bingo & Fundraising Coordinator: Angela McGinnis

PIC Rep: Lauren Hudson

Members-at-Large: Diana Guinee, Chantal Gignac

Our School Council plays an important role in supporting school events, planning and organizing fundraisers, and consulting with the Principal and school staff on a variety of important school issues. Our next meeting of the year will be on Nov. 5 at 5:15 p.m. in the library. All parents/caregivers are welcome at all meetings.

Free Community Event: An Evening with Babara Coloroso – Monday, October 26, 2026

Join us on Monday, October 26, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Napanee District Secondary School (245 Belleville Road, Napanee) for an evening with best-selling author and parent educator Barbara Coloroso. With humour, heart, and real-world wisdom, Barbara inspires parents, educators, and community members to raise resilient, empathetic children while building stronger relationships and connections. Barbara is the author of the best-selling books Kids Are Worth It! and The Bully, the Bullied, and the Not-So-Innocent Bystander. 

This free community event is open to all; however, online registration is required. Attendees are also invited to submit questions in advance through the registration form.

Volunteers

We love having volunteers in our school! Volunteers fill a variety of important roles at Lord Strathcona, including helping in classrooms, going on field trips, helping out with special events, keeping the library in order, and more!

Board policy states that people wishing to volunteer (including parents/guardians attending school field trips) are required to complete a mandatory screening process that includes a police criminal record check, sometimes better known as a CPIC that has a completion date within the last six (6) months. In most instances, a Vulnerable Sector Check CPIC will be required if the volunteer will be working regularly, directly, and/or alone, with students.  In some instances, for example if a parent/guardian is participating on a field trip to attend to the needs of their child, a CPIC may not be required (a condition of this situation must be that this parent is never alone with children other than their own). In this case, an offense declaration would be acceptable. A Vulnerable Sector Check CPIC can be obtained from the Kingston Police. The office will provide a letter to anyone requiring a CPIC to confirm that you are requesting it to work in a school.

Parking info

As you may have noticed, the Unitarian church across the street is under construction, and we can no longer use their parking lot. Our school parking lot is for Staff Parking only. Street parking is permitted as posted in the neighbourhood on Jane Ave., Westmoreland Rd., and Seaforth Rd. There is no parking on either side of the street on McMahon Ave. in front of the school. Students and families are encouraged to walk or ride bikes/scooters where possible, and to be very careful at pick-up/drop off times if driving around the school.

Human Development and Sexual Health Curriculum

As part of LDSB's ongoing commitment to transparency and collaboration with families, we would like to share information related to the implementation of the Human Development and Sexual Health component of the Health and Physical Education (HPE) curriculum for Grades 1-8. Prior to instruction, your child's classroom teacher will inform parents/guardians what the specific expectations are for your child's grade and when the expectations related to Human Development and Sexual Health in Strand D will be covered. Families can request to have their child or children exempted from instruction related to Human Development and Sexual Health expectations by completing and returning an exemption form for each child by completing Form 325-B five school days before the start of instruction. For a more detailed overview of this process, please refer to Administrative Procedure 325: Exemption from Human Development and Sexual Health Instruction (listed under the Policies and Procedures section of the LDSB website), or contact the school.

E-Scooter information from City of Kingston

E-scooters are easy to find, but they aren't toys and aren't designed for kids. In Ontario, you must be at least 16 years old to ride wherever e-scooters are permitted. In Kingston, e-scooters are not currently permitted. The City is developing a Micromobility Regulations Strategy — with updated rules around e-scooters, e-bikes and other lightweight, rideable transportation — to support safe, accessible and sustainable travel around Kingston. The strategy, which considers public engagement feedback and research into best practices, will be presented to Council for consideration later this year. Find out more at Micromobility Regulations | Get Involved Kingston by Communications & Public Engagement.

Busing Information

You can check your busing information and apply for any changes to transportation at https://triboard.ca/ . All students must be registered for the bus in order to be able to ride. Please note that new applications and any changes take several days to process, so be sure to have alternate transportation plans in place. Please be at your child's bus stop 10 minutes before their scheduled pick-up/drop-off time to make sure you are there on time. You do not need to re-apply for busing in September if your school and address have not changed, but if you have moved or your child is changing schools, you must re-apply!

Office Notes

Please note that our Office Administrator is on lunch from 11:30 - 12:30. Phones may not be answered during this time, and it may take longer than normal to answer the front door. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

All parents dropping students off or picking students up are asked to wait in the foyer for your child. To help ensure school and student safety and to minimize disruptions, parents/caregivers are not allowed to go down to classrooms during the school day. If you need to pick your child up early from school, please notify the office before 3:15. After that regular dismissal routines start to get very busy and it can be difficult to get a message to classrooms. Thank you for your understanding.

PlayYGK! Charitable Gaming fundraising

Through our School Council, Lord Strathcona is a proud participant of Charitable Gaming! Through funds raised at Play! Gaming and Entertainment Centre we are able to continue our important work supporting students. Money raised from this partnership goes to covering a variety of expenses, including buses for field trips, yard equipment and Chromebooks for students! Over $750 million has been raised for charities across Ontario through Charitable Gaming.

School Council Facebook Group

NEW this year is an unofficial Facebook Group for Parents and Guardians in the LSPS community to connect. Any parent or guardian is welcome to join at the QR code in the image, or by following the link: Facebook.com/groups/LSPSparents This will be a place to find reminders of upcoming events and to build connections with other families in the community. This group is not monitored by the school and is not a place to ask student-specific questions or raise concerns. Please feel free to share the link with any LSPS parent or guardian you are connected with - the more the merrier!

Daily Schedule (2026-2027 school year)

If you have any questions, please contact school administration. Thank you for your continued support.

Allergen Awareness - Nut-Free School

Thank you for packing nut-free snacks! Please communicate with teachers before sending any treats in for your student's class.

2026-2027 LDSB School Year Calendar

A PDF version of the 2026-2027 School Year Calendar is available online.