Earl Kitchener School Home & School Association
300 Dundurn St. S., L8P 4L3 Hamilton, ON, Canada

EK's only BOOK FAIR this school year ends on Friday. Don't miss your chance to buy some books and support the school! SPECIAL OFFER: Free shipping Wednesday 6-8pm LINK: https://virtualbookfairs.scholastic.ca/pages/5158133

Final week of the EK Book Fair. Get your orders in now! https://virtualbookfairs.scholastic.ca/pages/5158133

REMINDER: EK Book Fair is on NOW! Get your orders in here: https://virtualbookfairs.scholastic.ca/pages/5158133... Family Fun night is Wednesday 6-8pm when shipping is FREE!

ATTENTION! GET A FREE Canadian Parents for French (CPF) MEMBERSHIP! (normally $25) Get your membership before March 31st, 2021 and get some amazing perks! https://cpf.ca/en/member-registration-and-renewal/... CPF Hamilton Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CPFHamilton/ PERKS - Access to resources and tools to support all FSL programs: Core French, Extended French, and French Immersion; - e-Communiqués highlighting FSL initiatives including advance notice on French contests (Concours d'art oratoire: class activity), special events, grants; - Exclusive access to virtual programs for students (i.e. homework help) and workshops for parents (How to Support Your Child in their French Program); - Quarterly CPF National e-magazine highlighting an abundance of information and resources for students, parents, and teachers; - Discounts on CPF-sponsored events and products (i.e. The Keys to French). About Canadian Parents for French Ontario CPF was founded in 1977 by parents who wanted to ensure that children would have the opportunity to become bilingual in the Canadian school system. Originally a small group of concerned parents who met in Ottawa, CPF has evolved into a proactive national network with 10 Branch offices and some 150 Chapters in communities nationwide. Mission, Vision, Values, and Official Position Statements CPF is the national network of volunteers which values French as an integral part of Canada and which is dedicated to the promotion and creation of French-second-language learning opportunities for young Canadians. For more information, please visit CPF website: https://cpf.ca/en/member-registration-and-renewal/

REMINDER TO ALL EK FAMILIES - MEETINGS TONIGHT: EK Virtual (Online) School Council & Home and School Association Meetings via TEAMS Date: Tues., Mar., 16, 2020 at 7PM... All parents are invited to attend the EK Virtual School Council & Home and School Association Meetings on MS Teams. If you were not at a prior Virtual Meeting you will not automatically receive an invite. Please email EK School Council: [email protected] or EK Home and School: [email protected] TODAY (by 4PM in advance of the meeting) to receive the TEAMS invite/session details to connect (it will be the same link for both meetings). For more information about EK School Council or Home and School Association, please visit: https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/earlkitchener/school-council/ We look forward to "seeing" you tonight!

REMINDER These are the last few days for The Giving Tree at EK! All photos need to be sent in by Thursday, December 17 at 5PM (sent to: [email protected]), please provide the Student or Family name that you’d like printed on the ornament. ... Today is "Giving Tuesday", if you were thinking of donating a monetary contribution to a charity of your choice, many charities are offering to match donations on Giving Tuesdays - today! Please consider buying locally and supporting our EK community businesses who, over the years, have continued to support our EK fundraising events. We have several donations already confirmed and photos keep coming in! Thank you for supporting our Hamilton Community this Holiday Season. Earl Kitchener Home and School Association

REMINDER Today is "Giving Tuesday", this is a reminder of The Giving Tree 2020 at Earl Kitchener School. *see prior posts for info* If you were thinking of donating a monetary contribution to a charity of your choice, many charities are offering to match donations on Giving Tuesdays - today! ... We have several donations already confirmed and photos are coming in, please help to spread the word and donate if you are able. Please consider buying locally and supporting our EK community businesses who, over the years, have continued to support our EK fundraising events. Please send photos to: [email protected] by Dec 17, and provide the Student or Family name that you’d like printed on the ornament. Thank you for supporting our Hamilton Community this Holiday Season. Earl Kitchener Home and School Association

Today is "Giving Tuesday", this is a reminder of The Giving Tree 2020 at Earl Kitchener School. Please help to spread the word and donate if you are able. If you were thinking of donating a monetary contribution to a charity of your choice, many charities are offering to match donations on Giving Tuesdays - today! The Giving Tree went up on display last Friday on the bulletin board at EK's main entrance/hall for the Students and Staff to enjoy and ornaments are being... added to the tree as donation photos come in. Special Shout Out to Mrs. Matthews for creating this tree for EK Staff and Students to enjoy! Here's a peek inside EK to see The Giving Tree that is on display! Please send photos to: [email protected] by Dec 17, and provide the Student or Family name that you’d like printed on the ornament. **See the prior post for all details and information about this year's Virtual Giving Tree at EK. Please consider buying locally and supporting our EK community businesses who, over the years, have continued to support our EK fundraising events. Thank you for supporting our Hamilton Community this Holiday Season. Earl Kitchener Home and School Association

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT It's a wordy one but mighty important, please read and share! The Giving Tree 2020 Nov 27-Dec17, 2020...Continue reading

Thank you to the Earl Kitchener School Staff for all that you do for our children! Since the Home and School Association wasn't able to hold their annual EK Staff Appreciation Day last June, due to the COVID-19 closure, we decided to celebrate in October instead! Last week, each EK Staff member received a voucher to enjoy a beverage at Dundurn Market. ... The Home and School Association would like to thank the entire EK Staff, Early Childhood Educators (ECEs), Educational Assistants (EAs), Teachers, Office Administrators, Caretaking Staff, Vice-Principal, and Principal, for all that they do and all that they have been doing since our return in September, keeping our school open and children safe. THANK YOU and enjoy!

The EK Home and School Association was saddened to learn that the Lunch Lady Hamilton has closed. We would like to send a heartfelt thank you to the Lunch Lady Team for providing services to some of our families over the last 4 years. While we are sad to see the Lunch Lady Hamilton go, we wish her great success in her new business of providing meals to Seniors. To find out more click here: http://www.setthetablekitchen.ca

The School Nutrition Program started back up this week! Yesterday was the first day and clementines were provided. The School Nutrition Program runs Tuesday and Thursday mornings at EK providing a healthy snack to students. This program is made possible by Tastebuds Hamilton, we are fortunate to have this program available to our students at EK. For more information on Tastebuds Hamilton visit: http://www.tastebudshamilton.ca/ ... A shout out to Lesley Yip who coordinates this program at EK, and to the volunteers that help make this program a success! We are so grateful for you/your time!

Get Involved: Earl Kitchener’s School Council & Home and School Association Are you interested in becoming involved in the E.K. community? Join one (or both!) of our parent organizations! What is School Council? ... School Council acts as a parental advisory group that: Represents the parents’ interests to the principal/school board Makes recommendations in its advisory role Includes parent, teacher, and staff representation Is required by provincial law Why join? School Council is a great way to keep on top of what’s going on at Earl Kitchener and across the HWDSB. It also gives you the opportunity to have your say regarding school matters. In the past, these discussions have included playground revitalization, parent engagement activities, traffic calming measures, and student achievement. If interested in joining this group, please email [email protected] What is the Home and School Association? The role of the Home and School Association is to promote parent engagement and community participation in the school. It’s the fun stuff! The Home and School Association works independently to: Organize events and activities to enrich the school community and provide additional funds for the school Foster communication between the school and the parent community Determine how fundraising dollars are spent Where do you see Home and School Association activity around Earl Kitchener? Although this year looks quite different due to the pandemic and additional safety measures in place (which may delay the start of or cancel some of these programs altogether), the past years have included the following fundraising and/or E.K. community initiatives: Pizza and Milk Program Nutrition Program Fright Night Scholastic Book Fairs Art Auction Teacher Appreciation Book Swap How can you get involved? All of these programs run only with the help of parent volunteers. You can find out about volunteer opportunities in the following ways: Join us at meetings this year we’ve gone virtual via Teams (usually the 3rd Tuesday of each month) our first meetings are planned for tonight - Oct 6 at 7PM Sign up for the E.K. weekly reminders via https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/earlkitchener/ Follow this Facebook page! Watch for paper bulletins in your child’s backpack Email us at [email protected] to join our distribution list

REMINDER TO ALL EK FAMILIES - TUES OCT 6 at 7PM: EK Virtual (Online) School Council & Home and School Association Meetings Date: Tues., Oct. 6, 2020 at 7PM... All parents are invited to attend the EK Virtual School Council & Home and School Association Meetings on Tuesday, October 6 at 7pm on MS Teams. We will be holding our annual AGM and Elections for EK School Council. If you were not at the Sept 22 Virtual Meeting you will not automatically receive an invite. Please email EK School Council: [email protected] or EK Home and School: [email protected] by Tuesday, October 6 (by 4PM in advance of the meeting) to receive the TEAMS invite/session details to connect (it will be the same link for both meetings). For more information about EK School Council or Home and School Association, please visit: https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/earlkitchener/school-council/ We look forward to "seeing" you on October 6!

Virtual School Council & Home and School Meetings Date: Tues., Oct. 6, 2020 at 7PM All parents are invited to attend the Virtual School Council & Home and School Meetings on Tuesday, October 6 at 7pm on MS Teams. ... We will be holding our annual AGM and Elections for EK School Council. For more information about Home and School or School Council, please visit: https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/earlkitchener/school-council/ If you were not at this week's (Sept 22) Virtual Meeting you will not automatically receive an invite. Please email School Council: [email protected] or Home and School: [email protected] by Tuesday, Oct 6 (by 4PM in advance of the meeting) to receive the TEAMS invite/session details to connect (same link for both meetings). We look forward to "seeing" you on October 6!

Virtual School Council Meeting - Tues Sept 22 at 7PM All parents are invited to attend the Virtual School Council Meeting on Tuesday September 22 at 7pm on MS Teams. We will be discussing the new school policies and reopening plans. Please email [email protected] (in advance of the meeting) to receive the TEAMS invite/session details to connect.

If you have a child graduating grade 5 at Earl Kitchener - today (and tomorrow 12-6) is the day to come pick up your special treat from Cake and Loaf. They will be there until 6pm. Lily and Sloane can’t wait to say Hi to their classmates!

Happy Canada Day EK Families! We hope you have all been well and safe these past months. It's hard to believe the school year has ended. Since our last update at the beginning of May there have been a few initiatives the Earl Kitchener Home and School Association has been working on and we wanted to share these with you. Through our EK community's generous support, we were able to make the following donations in June:...Continue reading

Thanks EK Staff for the bike parade! See video in the comments!

A message from E.K. Staff: Hello E.K. Families,... Tomorrow morning some of the E.K. staff will be doing a ride around the neighbourhoods to wish students and families a happy summer! We hope that if you are around and available you will take part by waving hello and making some noise as we bike our way around some of the streets. Look for E.K. purple and gold and maybe some bells:) Date/Time of Ride: Friday June 26th -We will start our leisurely bike ride at 10:15am sharp and end around 11:00am Our Route: We cannot say for sure what time we will be riding past each street however below is the route we are taking so if you can meet us at your preferred location that would be amazing! -We will start at 10:15am and head down Dundurn Street to Melbourne Street -Make a RIGHT onto Melbourne and continue until Lock Street where we will make a LEFT -Then a RIGHT onto Canada Street -Then a quick RIGHT onto Pearl Street over the bridge and over to the HAAA Grounds for a spin through the park -From the park we will get onto Kent Street down to Stanley Ave and make a RIGHT -We will ride back past the school on Stanley and make a LEFT onto MacDonald Street -After crossing Aberdeen Street at the lights we will go up Chedoke Ave and make a LEFT onto Glenside Ave and then make a RIGHT onto Dundurn Street -Then we will make a LEFT onto South Street (turns into Glenfern Ave) all the way over to Spruceside Ave and head down Spruceside to Aberdeen Ave. -Once on Aberdeen we will make a LEFT and ride back to Dundurn Street and our ride will be done! We are looking forward to seeing anyone who can join in the fun! Thank you, E.K. Staff Members

Max’s Big Ride Be sure to watch @chchtv tonight at 6pm and again at 11pm! Max and Andrew were interviewed for the news - great local coverage of our cause and we are so grateful! #duchenne #duchennemusculardystrophy #duchenneawareness #dmd #endduchenne #fckdmd #duchennemusculardystrophyawareness #duchennesucks #musculardystrophy #raredisease #rarediseaseawareness #charity #support #nevergiveup #makelemonade #stayhome #stayathome #athome #stayhomesavelives #zwift #zwiftcyc...ling #research #uoft https://www.instagram.com/p/CBGvoIDlbTs/

A Reminder Please reach out and let us know. Thank you and be well.

MAX’S BIG RIDE AT HOME STARTS TOMORROW! Andrew will be setting off at 4pm and the kids will be jumping on their bikes at 5pm. We’ll also have Tim riding from Melbourne, Australia, and others are starting to come forward and announce that they’ll be riding too. We’re so excited! If you’d like to watch the action, stay tuned to Facebook and Instagram where we’ll be live streaming footage periodically from Hamilton and Melbourne. ... + + + #duchenne #duchennemusculardystrophy #duchenneawareness #dmd #endduchenne #fckdmd #duchennemusculardystrophyawareness #duchennesucks #musculardystrophy #raredisease #rarediseaseawareness #charity #support #nevergiveup #makelemonade #stayhome #stayathome #athome #stayhomesavelives #zwift #zwiftcycling #research #uoft https://www.instagram.com/p/CA3WRbIlelI/

Just a reminder to please contact us regarding your unused milk and pizza funds if you haven't yet done so. At this time, we are offering a couple of options: (1) the opportunity to make a donation (a lump sum donation will be made on behalf of EK families to Food4Kids and Hamilton Food Share), or; (2) a refund. At your earliest convenience, please contact Danielle at [email protected] or 289-339-3097 to indicate your preference. Please note that unused funds include all funds paid for pizza, milk and cheese beyond March 13th as well as for the strike days that preceded that date. Furthermore, if your family is particularly struggling and could benefit from some financial relief during this difficult time, please reach out as it may be possible to support individual families with some of the donated funds.

Max’s Big Ride

Hello EK Families! We hope you are keeping well during this challenging time. With the abbreviated in-person school year, we would like to address the matter of unused milk and pizza funds. At this time, we are offering a couple of options: (1) the opportunity to make a donation (a lump sum donation will be made on behalf of EK families to Food4Kids and Hamilton Food Share), or; (2) a refund. At your earliest convenience, please contact Danielle at [email protected] o...r 289-339-3097 to indicate your preference. Please note that unused funds include all funds paid for pizza, milk and cheese beyond March 13th as well as for the strike days that preceded that date. Furthermore, if your family is particularly struggling and could benefit from some financial relief during this difficult time, please reach out as it may be possible to support individual families with some of the donated funds. Take care, be well, and enjoy the sunshine :)

Max's Big Ride - Additional Info!

Max’s Big Ride will be happening this year on a stationary bike, stay tuned for details.... https://www.instagram.com/p/CAYpZyIl34C/

So many local businesses supported Earl Kitchener’s annual Fright Night Fundraiser this past October 2019. EK students made/sent cards to thank these businesses for their generous donations and support. Please if/when you can, keep our local businesses in mind, those open now and others as they begin to open up. They supported us when we needed it, now it’s our turn to support them. #hamilton #earlkitchener #community #grateful #thankful #supportourbusinesses #shoplocal #takeout #curbsidepickup #online #instore

Hello Earl Kitchener Families, We hope you are all staying well and safe during this challenging time. We wanted to update you on a few initiatives we've been working on since we left EK for March Break. Food Donations... All leftovers from Milk & Pizza and Tastebuds Nutrition Programs along with any non-perishable items from Fright Night were donated to support EK Families in April. Milk & Pizza Program Subsidies Through our EK community's generous donations, subsidies leftover for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year were used to support our EK community. We are providing grocery store gift cards to support families and have made a donation to the Food4Kids Program which provides support for families in our EK community. Milk & Pizza Program - Moving Forward We have been looking into refunds, credits, and/or donations regarding the Milk & Pizza Funds that have been collected for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. We will have more information for EK Families once we know more with respect to plans for the remainder of the school year. Thank you to our EK Community for your generous donations and support to make all of this possible. If you have any questions or would like to reach out, please feel free to email [email protected] Take care, be well and safe, The Home and School Association

Kindergarten registration is currently ongoing and can be completed online (JK for those born in 2016 and SK for those born in 2015). Please see the following link: https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/kindergarten/. Contact school staff at [email protected] with any questions. Be well and stay safe!

Stay safe and well https://youtu.be/ljffdYwJg3Y

The teachers invite you to join them to picket tomorrow morning from 8-820am out front of the school. https://www.buildingbetterschools.ca/our_priorities http://www.etfo.ca/DefendingWorkingCondit//Solidarity.aspx

A reminder that Pizza Day is after March Break - on Friday, March 27th.

School Council & Home and School Association Meetings are tonight in the EK Library starting at 7pm. We hope to see you there!

Apples and Triscuit crackers for Nutrition Program this week!

Earl Kitchener Parents we have a Parent Support Library funded by the Home & School Association available to you! The library has resources for parents looking for answers about behaviours, differences, and childhood in general. Books to guide and support parents to better meet your child’s needs. Books to support learning and provide more information for those looking to broaden their knowledge on all different types of children. Parents can sign out these books at the main office. Happy reading!

Apples and Cheerios for Nutrition Program this week!

Earl Kitchener is looking for volunteers to help with the re-shelving of books in the library. Volunteers do require the VSS (Police Check). Please spread the word! If interested, please reach out directly to the Principal, Mr. David Thorne at: [email protected]

Blueberries and oatmeal cookies for Nutrition Program this week!

A reminder that it's Pizza Day tomorrow! Still looking for a few more parent volunteers...please contact Shannon at [email protected] if you are free to help out.

Looking for parent volunteers for Pizza Day on Mon, Feb 24th! Prep help starting at 11:30am and delivery help starting at 12:45pm. Everything wraps up by about 1:30pm...any help within that time range would be much appreciated! Please contact Shannon at [email protected] if you are available.

Pizza Day has been moved to Monday, February 24

With the strike on Friday, Pizza Day has been moved to Mon, Feb 24th! Anyone who has ordered milk or cheese on Pizza Days will also be getting their dairy on that day.

Craisins and cheese crackers are on the menu for Nutrition Program this week!

NOTICE: School Council & Home and School Meetings originally scheduled for this evening have been cancelled. We will resume meetings in March. Due to March Break the meetings will be one week earlier on March 10, 2020 starting at 7PM. We look forward to seeing you in March!

A reminder that February Pizza Day is next Friday, the 21st. Also, due to the strike this week, Thursday's Lunch Lady will be pushed to Friday, the 14th (order by Wednesday at midnight for Friday service).

A reminder that Thursday Lunch Lady orders for this week (if parents have not cancelled) will be moved to Monday, Feb 10th. You can still order for Monday lunch service until end of day tomorrow (special Valentine's and regular menus available).

Cheerios and raisins for Nutrition Program this week!

A reminder that this Wed Feb 5th is Wear Yellow Day! Students, Staff, and Parents are encouraged to wear yellow and walk or wheel to school. This event supports our commitment to increasing active and sustainable school travel and reducing our carbon footprint! Looking forward to seeing all that yellow!

Wed Feb 5th is Wear Yellow Day! Students, Staff, and Parents are encouraged to wear yellow and walk or wheel to school. This event supports our commitment to increasing active and sustainable school travel and reducing our carbon footprint! Looking forward to seeing all that yellow!

A reminder when planning lunches: EK is a nut-free school, please ensure lunches are nut-free. Thank you.

School Council & Home and School Meetings are tonight in the EK Library starting at 7PM. All are welcome! See you there!

Sugar snap peas and Cheerios will be served for Nutrition Program this week!

Yogurt tubes and clementines will be served for Nutrition Program this week!

A reminder that it's Pizza Day tomorrow!

Happy New Year! We're back at it! Thursday Lunch Lady service resumes this week and it's Pizza Day on Friday. Tuesday/Thursday Nutrition Program will start back up next week.

The Nutrition Program will not be running this week. Lots going on at the school with the Holidays and Winter Break quickly approaching!

It's Pizza Day on Friday!

***PLEASE NOTE*** School Council & Home and School Meetings scheduled for this evening have been CANCELLED. The next meetings are planned for January 21, 2020 starting at 7PM.... We hope to see you there!

Cantaloupe and granola bars for Nutrition Program this week!

The next Home and School Association and School Council Meetings are next Tuesday, December 10, 2019 starting at 7PM, we hope you can join us!

Thank you to Zee Float for supporting the Earl Kitchener community on Fright Night. Check them out! https://www.zeefloat.com/

Thank you to White Elephant for supporting the Earl Kitchener community on Fright Night. Check them out! https://whiteelephantshop.ca/

Thank you to the West Town Bar & Grill for supporting the Earl Kitchener community on Fright Night. Check them out! https://www.facebook.com/westtownlocke/

Thank you to Westdale Pilates for supporting the Earl Kitchener community on Fright Night. Check them out! https://www.w-pilates.com/

Clementines and granola bars for Nutrition Program this week!

Thank you to Textures Craftworks for supporting the Earl Kitchener community on Fright Night. Check them out! http://www.texturescraftworks.ca/

Thank you to Ten Thousand Villages for supporting the Earl Kitchener community on Fright Night. Check them out! https://www.tenthousandvillages.ca/store/5012

Thank you to Starbucks - Locke Street for supporting the Earl Kitchener community on Fright Night. Check them out! https://www.starbucks.ca//158-locke-st-s-158-locke-street-

Thank you to SoBi Hamilton Bike Share for supporting the Earl Kitchener community on Fright Night. Check them out! https://hamilton.socialbicycles.com

Thank you to Red T Media for supporting the Earl Kitchener community on Fright Night. Check them out! http://redtkids.com/

Thank you to Ragamuffins for supporting the Earl Kitchener community on Fright Night. Check them out! https://ragamuffinscs.ca/