Newsletter #9 - 10/31/25

JR Henderson Weekly Update #9 - October 31st, 2025

Good afternoon Henderson Families,

This week was fang-tastic at JR Henderson! Our little ghouls and goblins were full of energy, diving into learning with monster-sized enthusiasm.

Thanks to our boo-rilliant staff and spirited students for making this week a real treat! Have a spook-tacular weekend and don’t forget to carve out some time for rest and fun!

Preparing for Winter Bus Delays
As we enter the chillier weather, please see here for more information about winter delays.

Spooky Fun!
This week, we had some festive Halloween fun with our Spooky Hair Day, our door decorating and our glowstick parties.

Lockdown Drill
This week, with support of Kingston Police, we completed a lockdown drill, building walkthrough and a review of our emergency procedures to ensure collaboration exists between JR Henderson and this vital community agency. As always, safety is our priority in all senses, and ahead of the drill, we explained to students using child-friendly and supportive language, why we complete these drills. As always, we are available to support questions or thoughts from students, staff and families.

Attendance Draw
As we continue to prioritize the importance of attendance, Hawks rose to the plate again and we had lots of ballots in this month's draw. Students celebrated with an ice cream party with all the fixings. Way to go, Hawks! We are seeing big gains with attendance this year.

Nominations for the Prime Minister's Award Now Open
The nomination period for the 2026 Prime Minister’s Awards is now open, and we’re looking for your help in recognizing outstanding educators who empower Canada’s youth. The Prime Minister’s Awards are a chance to celebrate educators for their leadership and exemplary education practices. Any person or group (i.e. parents, colleagues, principals, board members or students) can nominate educators in three different categories: 

• Teaching Excellence 
• Teaching Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics 
• Excellence in Early Childhood Education 

Save The Date - Curriculum Evening!
We are delighted to inform families that we are doing another Curriculum Night on Wednesday November 19th from 5pm until 6:30pm. This is a family-friendly event where families come to learn new math, literacy and self-regulation strategies. All are welcome and we hope you can attend!

Save the Date - School Council Movie Night!
On Thursday November 27th and Friday November 28th, School Council are hosting Movie Nights in the JR Henderson gym. These events are family-oriented opportunities to relax, enjoy a flick and connect with the community. More info to come!

KFL&A Public Health Updates
As part of our ongoing communication with our public health nurse and KFLA Public Health, we would like to share some November updates. For more information, see the below links and posters.
- Vision: kflaph.ca/SchoolVision
- Routine Immunizations / Vaccine Reminder: kflaph.ca/ImmunizationReporting

Choices at 7
We're approaching the time of the year for Choices at 7 for our current Grade 6 students. See here for more info.

See Yourself in Limestone – Student Census Survey
Limestone is committed to creating safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environments for all students. To help us better understand how students’ identities and experiences relate to their achievement and well-being, we are launching our second See Yourself in Limestone Student Census Survey this fall. The census is a voluntary and confidential survey for students in Grades 4 to 12, running from November 24 to 28, 2025. It gathers information about students’ identities and their experiences at school. This data is then paired with academic information to help us understand what school is like for different groups of students.

Important information for families:

• The survey is optional.
• Responses are confidential and students can skip any questions they do not wish to answer.
• Students will complete the survey during class time.
• Students who do not participate will be provided with an alternative activity.

Families who do not want their student(s) to complete the survey must contact their school principal by Friday, November 14, 2025. Opting out means the student will not receive the survey in their e-mail inbox.

By better understanding students’ identities and experiences, we can remove barriers and better support students in accessing what they need to succeed.

Learn more about the Student Census and how it supports equity in Limestone: limestone.on.ca/student_census

Photo Re-take Day
On November 5th, it's photo re-take day. If your child missed photos in September, this is their chance! LifeTouch also shared this with us:

ENJOY 10% OFF your order!

CODE: F202510OFF

EXPIRES: July 31, 2026

Hot Lunch Reminder
As a reminder, if you haven't yet, be sure to order hot lunch through https://www.lunchboxorders.net. We are offering subs on Tuesdays and pizza on Thursdays. Money raised from hot lunch goes directly back into our school community to support athletics, learning materials, student initiatives and more. Orders are due Sunday at noon for the following week. Finally, if buses are cancelled because of the weather, hot lunch will be cancelled as well. If you have questions, please email jrhschoolcouncil@gmail.com

School Council 
The next School Council meeting is on Wednesday November 19th from 6:30pm - 8:30pm. Free childcare will be available. Don’t forget - here’s the School Council email address: JRHSchoolCouncil@gmail.com School Council looks forward to hearing feedback and voices from all Henderson community members.

Have a great weekend, Hawks!

Mme Brennan, Mme Rodé and the JR Henderson Staff

2025-2026 LDSB School Year Calendar

A PDF version of the 2025-2026 School Year Calendar is available online.

School Day Schedule