Wrapping Up September With Spirit and Purpose
Somehow, we’ve already arrived at the final week of September — and honestly, how did we get here this quickly? September has flown by in a swirl of learning, teamwork, and community spirit, and this week is shaping up to be one of the most meaningful and memorable yet.
It was wonderful to see so many families at the Open House last Thursday. Thank you for making the time to come and see the spaces where your student(s) learn and play.
Tonight, Monday, September 28th at 6:15 p.m., we will be holding our School Council Elections. A strong School Council is essential to keeping our events, initiatives, and financial supports thriving. Even a small amount of time makes a big impact, and we truly value every voice at the table. We hope to see many families join us. JOIN: https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fus06web.zoom.us%2Fj%2F81326295046%3Fpwd%3DT7hl0p0EL5jhD3UVwrAtwwkNpB3b4Y.1&data=05%7C02%7Chartki%40limestone.on.ca%7C2d25005a68234c90c16908df1b11e81c%7Ce1f4165febae4d82a73ca0de593830be%7C0%7C0%7C639259435858531144%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=a7muNQPsYID5OZb7EFJ1unXHf2wrWVvNUleQPMCp2JI%3D&reserved=0
A huge congratulations goes out to our Welborne soccer teams, who represented the school with tremendous skill, sportsmanship, and pride. They played with heart and showcased what it means to be a Welborne Wildcat. We are so proud of them!
This week also brings two important events for our students:
- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Orange Shirt Day) - Wednesday, September 30
We honour survivors, families, and communities, and reaffirm that every child matters. Students and staff will engage in learning and reflection as we recognize this important day together. Students are encouraged to wear an orange shirt on Wednesday. - Terry Fox Run – Friday
Welborne students will be running in honour of Terry’s legacy of courage and determination. We encourage families to help us reach our fundraising goals — every contribution supports cancer research and continues Terry’s mission of hope. https://schools.terryfox.ca/131488
Updating Your Contact Information
To help reduce paper waste, we ask that families notify the school of any changes to their address, phone number, or email address by sending an email to welba@limestone.on.ca with the updated information. Keeping your contact information current ensures that school communications reach you promptly. If you require a copy of your Data Verification Form, please request one by emailing welba@limestone.on.ca, and we will be happy to provide it.
As we close out September, thank you for your ongoing support, enthusiasm, and partnership. Welborne is a special place because of the community we build together.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at welba@limestone.on.ca
Ms. Fraser, Ms. Rondeau, and Ms. Hart
Upcoming Events
Monday, September 28
- Grade 7 Immunization Clinic
- School Council Elections & Meeting 6:15PM
Wednesday, September 30th
- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, recognized as Orange Shirt Day. Students are encouraged to wear an orange shirt.
Friday, October 2nd
- Welborne Terry Fox Run Day - See below for more details or click here https://schools.terryfox.ca/131488 to donate today!
Thursday, October 15th
- Picture Day
🐾 Wildcat Families, We Need Your Voice!
🎉 School Advisory Council Elections & First Meeting
📅 Monday, September 28, 2025
🕕 6:15 PM
💻 Virtual Meeting (Attend from the comfort of your couch, favorite chair, or while wearing your coziest slippers!)
As we settle into another exciting school year, we're inviting all Wildcat parents and guardians to join us for our first School Advisory Council (SAC) meeting of the year. Whether you're a returning council member, a first-time parent, or simply curious about how you can get involved, we'd love to have you join us.
The School Advisory Council plays an important role in supporting student success, strengthening our school community, and bringing family voices to the table. Plus, it's a great way to meet other families and have a direct impact on life at Welborne.
🗳️ Interested in Joining the Council?
We're currently accepting nominations for several School Advisory Council positions.
✅ Nominate yourself
✅ Nominate another parent or guardian (with their permission)
Please note that submitting a nomination is not the same as voting. Parents and guardians must attend the virtual meeting to participate in the election process.
The nomination form is now closed, however additional nominations and volunteers will also be accepted during the meeting.
If you have questions about any role, please contact past Co-Chairs Sherry McCauley or Maggie Hunter, or Principal Alison Fraser.
🌟 Positions Available
Chair
Lead the council, work closely with school administration, support council initiatives, facilitate meetings, and help guide the council's vision throughout the year.
Vice Chair / Co-Chair
Support the Chair, lead meetings when needed, and help coordinate council-sponsored events and activities.
Treasurer
Manage council finances, prepare financial reports, oversee budgets, and ensure funds are handled responsibly.
Secretary
Record meeting minutes, maintain council records, and help keep everyone informed and connected.
Indigenous Representative
A meaningful and evolving role that helps bring Indigenous perspectives and voices to the council. This position is open to individuals who self-identify as Indigenous.
Members at Large
Represent Kindergarten, Primary, and Junior divisions and contribute to discussions, decisions, and school initiatives.
Fundraising Coordinator
Organize fundraising opportunities, work with council members, and help support programs and experiences that benefit students.
Community Representative
A member of the local community who lives within the school catchment area and does not currently have children attending Welborne.
💬 Why Get Involved?
Because your ideas matter.
Because every child benefits when families and schools work together.
Because a few evenings a year can help shape memorable experiences for hundreds of students.
And because it's one of the only meetings where attending in pajama pants is completely acceptable. 😉🐾
We hope to see many new and familiar faces on September 28th! Together, let's make the 2026-2027 school year a fantastic one for all our Wildcats. 🐾💙
Friday, October 2nd
In 1980, Terry had a dream of a world without cancer. Forty-five years later, Terry's Marathon of Hope lives on. If we work together, we can make such a difference in the lives of so many. Please help fund critical cancer research in Canada by supporting our participation in the 2026 Terry Fox School Run. https://schools.terryfox.ca/131488
Crossing the finish line means hope for everyone with cancer. Together, we can Finish It
To ensure student safety, students should only seek donations from people they know. We kindly request that they refrain from participating in door-to-door fundraising activities.
Thursday, October 15th
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.”
🚗 Drop-Off & Pick-Up Reminders: Parking Lot Safety First
🚫 Parking Lot Access
To protect our students during high-traffic times, the school parking lot is
closed to parent and guardian vehicles during drop-off and pick-up.
Only school buses, vehicles with accessible parking permits, and staff vehicles are permitted entry. This helps reduce congestion and keeps pedestrian pathways clear and safe. We truly appreciate your cooperation in keeping our school community safe.
🚶 Morning Drop-Off
Parents/guardians may walk students to the yard, where supervision begins at 8:50 a.m. We kindly ask that families drop children off at the foot of the path, allowing students to walk independently to their designated zones. Staff will be flexible during the first few days, especially for students new to Welborne who are still learning the routines.
👋 Afternoon Pick-Up
Please arrange to meet your child in the same location each day. If your child is walking home with siblings or older students, help them plan a consistent meeting spot. Older students will exit through their designated doors and walk around the outside of the building to meet younger siblings.
📞 Connecting with Teachers
Teachers are focused on student safety during drop-off and pick-up, so we ask that families please respect that the educators are responsible for the safe dismissal of all children in their care and cannot engage in a conversation with you about your child during this busy time. If you need to speak with your child’s teacher, please email welba@limestone.on.ca or call the office—we’ll be happy to help coordinate a time.
🚲 Active Transportation Encouraged
Whenever possible, we encourage families to walk or bike to school. Bike racks are available at the front of the building.
🚌 Bus Transportation
Families eligible for bussing should have received details from Tri-Board. You can log in to the Tri-Board portal to view stop locations and times. If you haven’t yet applied, please note that late submissions may be processed after the second week of school.
🚗 Vehicle Drop-Off Options
If you’re driving your child to school, please observe city parking signs and consider using one of our nearby walking paths located on Bicknell Crescent, Glen Castle Road, or Nordic Avenue.
Kingston Police remind the public that e-scooters are not currently permitted on municipal roads, sidewalks, trails, pathways, or other public spaces within the City of Kingston.
Daily Schedule
It is very important that children arrive on time for school and gather with their class cohort in their designated zone. Lateness causes disruptions to the classroom routines, particularly as children are learning the flow of entry and opening routines.
Regular attendance is essential for academic success and personal development. It helps build knowledge, responsibility, and routine, while enabling teachers to better support individual learning needs and foster a connected classroom environment.
Families can support attendance by encouraging daily participation, reserving absences for illness, and scheduling appointments outside school hours when possible.
We recognize that some students may face challenges that affect regular attendance. By working together with schools, we can ensure students receive the support they need. Every school day matters and together we can make a difference by making attendance a shared priority.
Visitors to Welborne Avenue Public School
We welcome visitors to our school. We do ask that all visitors, parents/guardians included, sign in with the main office and remain in the front lobby until directed/escorted by a staff member.
All LDSB elementary schools are equipped with a Safe Welcome system which requires all external doors be locked during the school day. All visitors are required to report to the school’s main entrance and request access using an intercom and buzzer system.
When it is necessary for a student to leave school during the day, a note is required from a parent or guardian. The note must be given to the homeroom teacher or the office. If parents/guardians of students are coming to pick up/drop off your child, you are asked to wait at the main office. If necessary, office staff will alert your child’s classroom. These measures are in place to help keep all students safe and minimize disruptions to learning.
LDSB Concussion Protocol
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.
Please review the LDSB Concussion Protocols and Resources here: https://www.limestone.on.ca/concussion_protocols
Volunteering for your child's class & Vulnerable Sector Checks
Parents Volunteers
Throughout the school year, classes participate in off-site learning activities on various field trips as well as after school events.
During these excursions and events, teachers will be looking for parent volunteers to accompany the class. If you would be interested in participating, we require a Vulnerable Sector Check to be on file at the school. These VSCs are valid for 3 years once we have them on file, however they must be within 6 months of the report date when you first bring them to us.
After we have your VSC on file we will ask you to complete a yearly Oath of Confidentiality as well as the Declaration of Offence.
If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to Ms. Hart at welba@limestone.on.ca for a volunteer letter from the school.
Report a Student Absence
One of our greatest priorities is ensuring that all students arrive safely to school every day. To improve our safe arrival process, Limestone District School Board has made some changes to our SafeArrival absence reporting management system. All parents/guardians are asked to report their student’s absence regardless of the reason.
How to report an absence
In some instances, students may need to be away from school for illness, appointments or other events. Parents/caregivers can use the SafeArrival system to report a full day absence, an extended student absence and also a late arrival to school. When reporting an absence for a secondary student parents/caregivers will also be able to select an early departure. To report an absence, use one the following methods:
School Messenger application
- Use the email address you provided to the school.
- Use your mobile device to download and install the free SchoolMessenger blue app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store, the SchoolMessenger website portal, or from within the LDSB mobile app.
- Tap Sign Up to create your account. Please ensure you use the same email address your student’s school has on file. If you do not use that same email address, you will not be able to create an account, or may not be able to see the "Attendance" option. You may have already created an account when we introduced the Communicate broadcast system.
- Select Attendance from the menu, then select Report an Absence and follow the prompts.
SchoolMessenger SafeArrival website portal
- Use the e-mail address you provided to the school.
- Go to the website SchoolMessenger website portal.
- Click Sign Up to create your account. Please ensure you use the same email address your student’s school has on file. If you do not use that same email address, you will not be able to create an account, or may not be able to see the "Attendance" option. You may have already created an account when we introduced the Communicate broadcast system.
- Select Attendance from the menu, then select Report an Absence.
Interactive toll-free telephone
- Call 1-855-257-9349 toll-free to report an absence using the automated phone system.
- Follow the instructions to report an absence.
These options are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For any school day in the school term up to the cut-off time on the day of the absence. Future absences can be reported at any time using any one of these methods.
Please do not call the school directly to report your student's absence.
Reporting late arrivals
Parents/caregivers are instructed to report late arrivals using the new Late Arrival option, including the expected arrival time to school. When a student arrives, they are expected to sign in at office and staff make the amendment in our student information system. When a student leaves early, again they are expected to sign out (with parental permission) and again the amendment is made in our system. This method allows us to best track student attendance to ensure safety.
The SafeArrival system makes it easier for you to report your student’s absence, reduces the time it takes for our school staff to verify student attendance, and responds to unexpected or unplanned student absences. This time savings makes it faster and more efficient to account for all students and their safety.
Additional resources
Allergen Awareness - Nut-Free & Scent Free School
Grade 7 and Grade 8 Lunch Privileges
Historically, the students in grades 7 and 8 have the opportunity to get parent permission to leave the school property during recess/eating break on designated days. Additional information and a permission form has been sent home to families of students in grade 7 and 8. Students must return these forms to their homeroom teacher.
Hot Lunch
We will resume hot lunch in October. You will be able to order selections through your school-day account.
