Dear Families,
It is hard to believe that we are nearing the end of the third month of school. Given the time of year, Elementary Progress Reports and Secondary Mid-Term Report Cards were distributed earlier this month. These reports provide valuable insights into your student’s academic achievements and areas for growth. We encourage you to review the reports with your student(s) and discuss their progress and goals as we continue through the school year.
As we move towards the start of December, and are embracing the cooler weather upon us, I am pleased to share some updates:
Limestone’s Board of Trustees Welcomes Two New Trustees
At the November 13, 2024, Annual Board Meeting, the Limestone District School Board of Trustees formalized the appointments of Jamie Maracle and Chris Scott to the Board. Trustee Jamie Maracle was appointed as Indigenous Trustee by the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, following the retirement of Trustee Kelly Maracle last month, and Trustee Chris Scott was appointed by the Board of Trustees to represent the Loyalist-Cataraqui, Collins Bay, and Bayridge Districts in the City of Kingston, filling the vacancy left by the passing of Trustee Judith Brown on October 11, 2024. The Board of Trustees is looking forward to working with both Trustee Maracle and Trustee Scott moving forward. Trustees Hutcheon and Godkin were re-elected to serve as Chair and Vice-Chair for the 2025 session of their term.
Generative Artificial Intelligence at LDSB
Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) is a popular topic these days across many sectors, including education. As you may be aware, Gen AI is a type of artificial intelligence that can create new and original content, like text, images, and sounds. While there are some concerns with ethical use of Gen AI, there are also tremendous opportunities for educational use.
As this is an incredible, relatively new technology that grows and changes every day, questions and concerns about how Gen AI can and will affect education are vast. To address this, the LDSB has been working on developing Gen AI Guiding Principles (amongst other resources) that will help students, staff, families, and community members understand what responsible Gen AI use looks like in Limestone. I will have more to share about this topic in upcoming family updates.
Family Engagement in Limestone
We encourage families to stay engaged and involved in their student’s education. Your partnership is invaluable, and together, we can create a nurturing community that supports the growth and development of students. Families and students can find lots of resources to support learning and family engagement on the Limestone website.
The Ministry has also provided a Family Guide filled with information to help you support your student’s success and make informed decisions about their education.
LDSB Equity Action Plan Update – Student Human Rights Reporting Data
At the October 2, 2024, Education, Policy, and Operations Committee (EPOC) meeting, the Equity Team shared data surrounding the Human Rights Reporting System.
The LDSB Student Human Rights Reporting System serves as a critical tool for students, families, and staff to report human rights concerns involving LDSB students. The platform is designed to help in fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment by addressing issues such as discrimination, harassment, and other human rights violations. This data is critical in making sure that we are providing necessary supports to the system to address the source(s) of complaints.
Meet with the Human Rights and Equity Team December 9
All families are invited to join the Human Rights and Equity Team for an online information session to learn about the LDSB Human Rights and Equity Team roles, how to navigate the Student Human Rights and Incidents Complaints system in our schools, and where to find helpful resources on LDSB’s website.
The first session was held yesterday, and the next session will take place Monday, December 9, 2024, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Families can join online by using this link. If you require any accommodations to attend, please contact our Human Rights and Equity Officer by e-mail.
This session is not intended to address specific school-based concerns. If you do have a specific concern, please reach out directly to your student’s school.
I wish you a wonderful end to November, an exciting lead up to the December/January break, and I thank you for the on-going support and partnership in your student’s education and being a part of the Limestone community.
All the very best,
Krishna Burra
Director of Education