Hello Maple Families,
Happy November! We wrapped up October in style, with lots of fun on Friday as students and staff showed off their costumes and enjoyed festive activities throughout the day. Thank you to everyone who helped make the day such a joyful celebration for our school community.
As we head into a new month, classrooms are digging into fact fluency in math. Fact fluency is more than memorizing answers or working quickly. It means students can recall number facts accurately, use efficient strategies, and flexibly choose the approach that makes sense for the problem. When students are fluent with their facts, they have more energy to focus on reasoning and problem solving.
Families can support this work at home with a few simple, playful strategies:
- Kindergarten: Practise quick looks at dot patterns, dice, or fingers to recognize amounts without counting, and use ten frames, egg cartons, or snacks to explore how numbers can be made (for example, 5 is 3 and 2).
- Primary: Build on facts your child already knows, such as doubles (6 + 6) and near doubles (6 + 7), making ten (8 + 5 = 8 + 2 + 3), and skip counting to connect to multiplication.
- Junior: Break facts into friendlier parts (7 × 8 = 7 × 4 doubled), explore fact families to connect multiplication and division, and talk about which strategy is most efficient and why.
Card games, dice games, and quick “number talks” in the car or at the dinner table are easy ways to keep facts fresh while having fun together.
Student wellness remains at the heart of everything we do at Maple. To complement the work happening here at school, we have linked School Mental Health Ontario’s free By Your Side resource hub below. Developed with Ontario families and mental health professionals, it offers practical, evidence-informed articles, videos, webinars, and guides on topics such as managing stress and anxiety, supporting positive school experiences, navigating digital technology, and knowing when and how to seek help.
As always, thank you for your partnership. We look forward to a wonderful month of learning together!
The Maple Team 🍁
Maple Daily Schedule
The Maple Daily schedule can be found here.
What's Happening This Week
- November 5-6 - Knitting Club Starts!
Looking Ahead
- November 9 - Dairy Farmer Presentations
- November 11 - Remembrance Day
- November 13 - Bus Safety Presentations
- November 13 - Progress Reports go home
- November 20 - PA Day (No School for Students)
- November 24 - School Advisory Council Meeting at 6:30pm
- November 25 to 27 - Book Fair Viewing
- November 30 to December 2 - Book Fair Purchasing
- December 2 - Book Fair Family Purchasing Night from 4:00-5:30pm
- December 3 - Maple Movie Night at 6:30pm
- December 21 - First Day of Winter Break
LSDB 2026-2027 School Calendar
The calendar for the 2026-2027 school year is available online. Click here.
Scholastic Book Fair
The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to École Maple! Students will have an opportunity to view the fair with their class from November 25-27.
Book Purchase Days:
- November 30: Kindergarten
- December 1: Grades 1-3
- December 2: Grades 4-6
Family Shopping Night 📚 Wednesday, December 2, 4:00-5:30 p.m. in the Library/Makerspace.
All proceeds from the Book Fair support the purchase of new books and educational resources for our school. If your child is purchasing items, please send cash in a clearly labeled envelope or zip-top bag.
Happy Reading! 📖😊
Knitting Club Volunteers Needed! 🧶
École Maple’s Knitting Club will run on Days 4 and 5, and we are looking for family and community volunteers to help teach and/or supervise. Knitters of all experience levels are welcome!
Volunteers working regularly and directly with students require a current Vulnerable Sector Check (VS CPIC), which must be submitted through the Board’s online portal. Visit the LDSB Volunteers page for information about volunteer screening and CPIC requirements.
If you are interested, please email Mrs. Maggie Bailey at baileyma@limestone.on.ca.
Tri-Board Busing Information
2026-2027 Busing details are available in the Student Portal.
Keep informed of late and cancelled buses by visiting the TriBoard website portal. Click on the Delays and Cancellations to check the status of your child's bus.
If you require assistance, please visit triboard.ca/contact to contact them.
You can log-in or create an account here.
Pick Up & Drop Off Information
When picking up and dropping off students, please use the parking lot off of Rose Abby Drive, not St. Martha Street. The large lot on St. Martha Street is for staff parking. Families should not be parking in the staff parking lot off St. Martha.
Reporting A Student Absence
Please use the Safe Arrival system to report your child's absence; do not call the school to report an absence. If your child is going to be absent from learning, please ensure you use the Safe Arrival system to report the absence. If your child will be late, please report a full day absence and then we will sign them in when they arrive. You cannot indicate a half day absence.
SCHOOL-DAY
Limestone DSB uses an application called School-Day to allow families to complete permission forms and make payments for school-related events, products, and activities easily and securely online. Parent/Guardians create an account in School-Day and to link their student(s). Visit the School-Day website portal.
LUNCH BOX
Click this link to Access Milk Monday and Subway Fridays. SAC Pizza orders are also available through School Day. Families can now log in and place orders.
Order Maple Spirit Gear!
Looking to buy Maple spirit wear? T-shirts, sweatshirts and other swag will be available through the online store. Click on the image below to see what's available.
School Trips and Volunteers
If you wish to volunteer or attend field trips with your child's class you will require a valid Vulnerable Sector Check on file with the school board prior to going, we cannot accept it at the school on the day of the event. It must be valid within the last 6 months.
To facilitate this process, prospective volunteers should contact the office for a letter to take to the police detachment that covers the area in which they reside.
Once received, the prospective volunteer must upload their completed police record check to LDSB Police Record Check Portal. The school will then have access and if there are any questions, they will call the prospective volunteer.
There was new legislation introduced for the education sector and there is no leeway for anyone who does not hold a valid VSC. Information on acquiring a VSC in Kingston is available here: www.kingstonpolice.ca/services/background-check/
School Mental Health Ontario Resources for Families
Did you know that School Mental Health Ontario offers a free online resource hub for parents and caregivers called By Your Side? Developed in partnership with Ontario families and mental health professionals, the hub provides practical, evidence-informed resources to support children's mental health and well-being at home, at school, and in the community. Topics include understanding mental health, managing stress and anxiety, supporting positive school experiences, navigating digital technology, substance use prevention, and knowing when and how to seek help. Resources are available in a variety of formats, including articles, videos, webinars, and downloadable guides. Learn more at School Mental Health Ontario – By Your Side.
Concussion Protocols
The Limestone District School Board is committed to helping all students succeed and lead safe, healthy, and active lives. As part of its commitment to student safety, injury prevention, and well-being, the Ministry of Education supports concussion awareness, prevention, identification, management, tracking, and training in schools through legislation, policy, and resources.
On March 7, 2018, the Ontario government enacted Rowan’s Law (Concussion Safety), 2018, and amended the Education Act, to protect amateur athletes, including students, by improving concussion safety on the field and at school. The amendments to the Education Act came into force on July 1, 2019, and give the Minister of Education the authority to require school boards to comply with policy and guidelines on concussions, consistent with Rowan’s Law.
All school boards in Ontario are required to have a policy on concussion safety for students. These are outlined in Administrative Procedure 142: Concussions, as well as a variety of supporting resources and documents that outline a code of conduct for students and families, flow charts to identify and diagnose a concussion and assessment and management forms. The Ontario Physical Activity and Safety Standards in Education has information on their website regarding the concussion protocol.
Concussion awareness resources:
Limestone District School Board Concussion Codes of Conduct:
- Concussion Code of Conduct for Interschool Sports - Coach/Team Trainer
- Concussion Code of Conduct for Interschool Sports - Parent/Guardian
- Concussion Code of Conduct for Interschool Sports - Students
Student Accident Insurance
The Limestone District School Board requires that students have student accident insurance in order to participate in extra-curricular activities. Before students will be allowed to participate in these events, parents/guardians must confirm their own coverage for items not covered under the Provincial Health Plan, or purchase an insurance plan.
Each year a Student Accident Insurance Plan is made available to all students on a voluntary basis. The plan provides protection for dental damage due to accidents, fracture benefits and other important coverage, which are not covered under the Provincial Health Plan. Some parents may have dental plan coverage through their workplace but many of these plans are limited in one way or another, while this accident coverage is not. You should compare plans to make sure you have the coverage you need or desire.
In making this plan available, the Board wishes to make its position clear in the matter of insurance. Under the Education Act, the Board is not permitted to provide insurance coverage for accidents to pupils, therefore, the Board recommends consideration of this plan to any parent who wishes to obtain this kind of insurance. Although the policy has all the advantages of a group plan, it is essentially a direct contract between the parent and the insurance company.
A family plan is also available for three or more students which permits the enrolment of students in the family who are attending schools outside the jurisdiction of this Board as long as at least one child in the family is attending a school within the Limestone District School Board.
If you wish to subscribe to this insurance, you may do so by completing the form handed out to students the first week of school and mailing it directly to Reliable Life Insurance Company in the stamped envelope provided. Or, for your convenience, you may purchase directly online at www.insuremykids.com.
E-Scooters
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.
Self-Identification
School board self-identification is based on any degree of Indigenous ancestry (Status, Non-Status, Métis citizenship, etc.). Self-identification can be withdrawn at any time. LDSB, in accordance with the Ministry of Education, Ontario, does not require proof of identity to self-identify. https://www.limestone.on.ca/indigenous-self-identification
Kingston Community Events and Programming
Operation Warm Feet
Saturday November 7, 2026
9am - 1pm
KCHC, 263 Weller Ave.
New boots $5 a pair
Available to youth and children born 2008 and after.
1 pair per child
Bring identification for proof of age, while supplies last
For more information, contact Stephanie at 613.449.6225 or stephaniew@kchc.ca.
