April 5, 2024 QEB Family Communication

April 5, 2024 QEB Family Communication
Posted on 04/05/2024
PA Day

April 5, 2024

Good afternoon to our QEB families,

Don’t forget that Monday, April 8, 2024 is a PA Day. We look forward to welcoming back our students on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. 

In Ontario, the solar eclipse is expected to start at 2:04PM and last for about 2.5 hours on Monday, April 8, 2024. Many parts of Ontario, including Belleville, will experience a total eclipse (the sun is 100% blocked by the moon). Remember that your eyes and vision are precious and regardless of what is happening in the sky, it is up to you to protect them! Please be safe! 

Boston Pizza QEB Fundraiser Monday, April 8, 2024 5:00-8:00PM - 10% of all drink and food restaurant sales from this evening (in-store & online) will be donated to QEB for the purchase of technology  & student resources. Hope to see you there if you are able to make it! 

Queen Elizabeth PS, in collaboration with our School Council and Hastings Prince Edward Public Health, is excited to offer a no-cost community event. Join us on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 from 2:30 to 5:30PM for our "Make and Take Lunch and Math Event"! Learn how to make delicious and easy school lunches that won't break the bank. Students and family members will move through stations, making their own lunch items and learning about food. Families will also have the opportunity to participate in a variety of Math Based activities that our students participate in throughout the school day! At the end of the event, all participants will go home with lunch for the following day and a Math Kit for use at home. (Re-usable bento boxes will also be provided.) This event is drop-in between 2:30-5:30PM and is open to QEB students and their family members. Family Expression of Interest (please let us know if you are planning to attend so we can have adequate supplies purchased for the event): https://forms.gle/67XherEAyHYW7nwS8

Tri-Board Student Transportation Services begins planning school bus routes for the next school year in early April for more than 30,000 students for our school boards on more than 600 school bus routes. The earlier applications are submitted for new students or returning students who need transportation from new addresses or to a different school, the better. For the 2024-2025 school year, the deadline for transportation applications is August 11, 2024, and we strongly encourage families to apply online as soon as possible. Families with students that are attending school for the first time (including Kindergarten students), students that are changing schools (including elementary students transitioning into a secondary school or Easthill Elementary School), or students that are changing their pick-up/drop-off address need to apply by August 11, 2024, to ensure that they have access to transportation on the first day of school.

We encourage all eligible families to use the online application on triboard.ca. To be eligible for transportation under policy, an address must meet the Minimum Distance Requirement from the school and be within the school’s attendance boundary. Use the Eligibility Tool on triboard.ca to determine if an address is eligible before applying. Eligible students are guaranteed transportation for the first day of school in September if they apply by August 11, 2024. Applications submitted after August 11th will be processed with a start date of September 16, 2024, at the earliest.

It's that time of year again where we as a QEB community raise funds for the Hastings and Prince Edward Learning Foundation. Our school community relies daily on access to the nutrition provided via the Food for Learning program. The Annual Food For Learning Student Benefit Auction is fast approaching and QEB has committed to donating a basket for the auction. Our theme for the donation basket is quite simple - Gift Cards!  If you would like to donate a gift card (your choice of place and value), it would be greatly appreciated!  Let's work together and remember that any small amount of donation helps! Gift cards will be collected at the front office throughout the month of April. Thank you! 

HPE Kindergarten registration is open now. Register today for September 2024. Building Foundations … Creating Bright Futures! https://www.hpeschools.ca/programs.../programs/kindergarten

Student Absences -  Detailed information about SafeArrival can be found at HPEschools.ca/Absence. Please use the toll-free number, website, or mobile app to report your student’s absence in advance. The toll-free number is 1-833-568-2535. Links to the SafeArrival website and mobile app are available at go.schoolmessenger.ca. 

QEB Community Supports & Updates:

  1. Mental Health & Well Being Supports for Families:

    1. Kids Help Phone – 1 800 668-6867 or text CONNECT to 686868

    2. Children’s Mental Health Crisis Line – 613 966-3100 (15 years old and under)

    3. Quinte Health Care Crisis Line – 613 969-7400 (16 years +)

  2. We’re here to help! Please contact your child’s teacher or QEB Administration if you would like to connect with our Child and Youth Worker (Ms. Blakely) and/or have support getting connected to community resources.

  3. Children’s Mental Health Resource Poster: CMHS Resource Poster

QEB Information Items & Updates:

  1. Every Tuesday is QEB school spirit wear day! Wear your QEB gear or our school colours (Blue & Yellow) to show your school spirit!

  2. QEB April Spirit Days:

    1. April 12 - Opposite or Backwards Day

    2. April 26 - Decades Day (each class picks a decade and everyone dresses in clothes from that decade ex. 70s, 80s, 90s)

  3. April 5, 2024 - Grade 6-8 Vacation Dance at ESS 5:00-7:30 PM - Vacation Dance ESS Information Poster

  4. April 8, 2024 - PA Day

  5. April 8, 2024 - Boston Pizza QEB Fundraiser 5:00-8:00PM - 10% of all drink and food restaurant sales from this evening (in-store & online) will be donated to QEB for the purchase of technology  & student resources. Hope to see you there if you are able to make it! 

  6. April 10, 2024 6:00PM - QEB School Council Meeting: Our fifth meeting of the school year will be held in person and virtually.  If you would like to be a part of this meeting (and you were not in attendance last year or at our last meeting) please contact the office and we will share the information and virtual link. All parents/guardians with students in attendance at QEB are welcome to attend and participate on our 2023-2024 QEB School Council.

  7. April 17, 2024 - QEB Make and Take Lunch & Math Event 2:30-5:30 (Expression of Interest: https://forms.gle/67XherEAyHYW7nwS8)

  8. Pizza days are running with cheese pizza from Bourbon Street Pizza. Orders for Wednesday, April 10 & April 17 can be placed through School Cash Online or paid by cash with an order form from the office.  Pizza is $2.50 per slice per week.  Orders are due by Friday, April 5, 2024 at the end of the school day (due to the PA day on the Monday). 

  9. The Royal City Soccer Club is excited to host their 32nd annual grassroots summer day camps to families in the Belleville area again this summer. Information Poster: RCSC Summer Camp Information Poster

  10. Through our Food For Learning (FFL) program, we will be offering a hot lunch every Thursday and Toast or Cereal & Fruit every Friday for all students that would like to participate. Please see the calendar on our  QEB website for specifics regarding each hot lunch day - https://queeneb.hpedsb.on.ca/ 

  11. Kernels Popcorn is available for purchase Tuesdays & Thursdays at second break for $2.25.

  12. QEB spirit wear is available online at (Back by request!): http://goteamwork.com/schools/product-category/queen-elizabeth-public/. Orders are sent directly to the school for pick-up during the school year. 

QEB Student Teams & Clubs (currently running with staff involvement):

  1. QEB Student Council - Leadership team for intermediate students to further develop the QEB Purple School Community through student voice and involvement in fundraising and event planning for whole school participation.

  2. Rainbow Club - A club for junior/intermediate students with a focus on creating a safe space for student voice while students enjoy a variety of activities and cooperative games in the gymnasium.

  3. JEDI (Justice/Equity/Diversity/Inclusion) Club - A school-based equity club of intermediate students and staff working together to assist and inform our equity plan, considering different perspectives and setting priorities for our school and community.

  4. Forest of Reading Book Club -  A school based reading group that offers the opportunity to experience and celebrate award winning books written, illustrated, and published by Canadians. 

  5. Blue Jays Club - QEB has been picked to be a Blue Jays Affiliate School and have created a Rookie League for our K-Grade 6 Students: Rookie League provides a platform for a wide range of children and youth experiencing diverse barriers to join together and participate in highly inclusive, mixed ability, safe and fun softball and/or baseball programming. Rookie League is the ultimate safe-space for any young person looking to develop new skills and have fun. The goal of Rookie League is to build a sense of community and belonging for children and youth. It is a club that is focused on students from K-6 where students engage in team building games and baseball development activities.