Did you know that the Kawartha Pine Ridge School District has approximately 34,000 students? Every day your children head to school, and as a parent, you want to know what they are learning and that they will be safe.
Here at Insurdinary, we are parents too. Our children attend school alongside your children. We understand your needs as parents.
With so many students to manage, the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board (KPRDSB) has its work cut out for it. However, this team has implemented many tools to help ensure that the schools are running smoothly and your child's learning system is optimized.
Keep reading to learn what you can expect from your child's school and find other Kawartha Pine Ridge School resources.
KPRDSB Staff
The staff at Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board consists of ten departments. These departments are here to support you and your child as you seek to further their education.
The Corporate Affairs Department consists of the communications office, design and print services, community outreach, reception, and community use of schools and eBASE.
The Facilities Services Department contains several sections dedicated to keeping buildings safe and clean. The custodial operations team keeps the schools and other facilities clean and safe.
Maintenance services keep everything, including mechanical, electrical, and plumbing, working and in good shape through maintenance and repair.
Engineering services are responsible for functions that include window replacements, roof replacements, heating system upgrades, and more.
Finally, energy and environmental services within the facilities services department are responsible for reviewing, developing, and implementing energy conservation initiatives and waste management reduction.
The Human Resources Department is responsible for staffing, labour relations, disability management, occupational health and safety, benefits, and data management.
The ICT Department (or Information and Communications Technology Department) have a few responsibilities when it relates to social media and technology.
This department provides support to both students and teachers. They also ensure that all technology is relevant and current. The ICT Department maintains a Flipboard with recent news on technology and education.
The Finance Department is responsible for budgeting, internal auditing, cash flow, and financial reporting. They are also responsible for the facilitation of the development and submission of the yearly board budget.
In addition, they report on the budget on a regular basis, provide end-of-year statements, coordinate banking services and capital financing, and oversee payroll services.
The Planning Department is responsible for planning for the registration of students. They do this by providing data and aid to the public and the Board on enrollment and projections.
The Purchasing Department ensures that supply chain activities are ethical, professional, and accountable. The Purchasing Department has policies and regulations regarding the supply chain.
The Teaching and Learning Department contains your regular and special education programs. This department strives to build educational programs that will lead your child to succeed.
The Library and Information Services Department consists of a virtual library and school libraries.
Finally, the Student Success/Learning to 18 Department focuses on improving the learning experience for students enrolled in grades 7 to 12. This department ensures there are high-quality options for courses both inside and outside the classroom.
In addition, they provide more individualized support when needed to ensure student success. The overall goal of this department is to create a school experience that engages teenagers.
eLearning KPRDSB
KPRD offers eLearning for students in a few ways. This gives students the opportunity to learn and connect digitally when they have conflicts in their schedules or experience other challenges.
If students are interested in eLearning but also still need a traditional classroom experience, KPVDSD offers blended learning. It is important to note that eLearning may not be right for every student.
When choosing to learn in this format, there are tips and tricks that can help to ensure success. eLearning is a very different format than your traditional classroom.
Utilizing tools to ensure your child's success is of the utmost importance.
Create a learning space. Is your student easily distracted? Create a space for your student to learn that is free from distractions and signifies that it is time to work.
While working at the kitchen table may sound like a great idea, ultimately, your student needs a space that will decrease distractions and allow for better learning.
Parents, if you have concerns with your student visiting other websites and browsing the internet when they should be doing school work, consider implementing parental controls.
Be consistent with your schedule. While eLearning does provide flexibility, sometimes that flexibility can be dangerous. Work with your student to set a consistent "school time."
This will allow you and your student to ensure you set aside the right amount of time to complete work and will offer a routine.
Know expectations. Within an eLearning course, teachers will have expectations for how assignments are submitted and the communications that follow. It is important to learn and know these expectations.
Know the technology. To be truly successful in your eLearning experience, you need to know how to use the technology. Take time to familiarize yourself with the system and how it works.
Ask questions. Questions are just as important in a digital learning environment. If you do not know the answer, you cannot be successful.
If you have questions regarding your learning and education, be sure to reach out to your teacher for help.
Forums and discussion posts. Make sure you are participating in discussions in forum posts. Also, ensure you go beyond just agreeing with your classmate's answers.
Offer your own thoughts. When posting, ensure that you know if you can use slang or abbreviations. Your teacher may want you to utilize professional writing. Make that clarification.
Know your due dates. You should always track the due dates for your work. You can use the calendar in D2L or the Pulse app to help keep track of deadlines.
If your work is going to be late, contact your teacher as soon as possible to talk about options. If you're struggling with the technology, contact your teacher for assistance.
Know where to turn in your work. Your teacher may require your work to be submitted through various platforms. This can include Dropbox, Google Share, or other platforms.
Make sure you know what the expectations are for your assignment. The only time your work should be e-mailed to your teacher is when they specifically tell you to do so.
Edsby KPRDSB and Login
What is Edsby? Edsby is a standardized communication system utilized by Kawartha Pine Ridge to help parents and students access information about the student's day at school.
The information gets presented in a form that is clear and easy to understand. Here you can see what your child is learning in the classroom and read school and board news.
This tool can only get accessed by those with the correct logins. To get your Edsby login, you will need to contact your school office.
Edsby is available on your phone through a mobile application. You can also access Edsby through a web browser. Parents can learn more about Edsby at the Edsby website.
D2L Brightspace and Login
Kawartha Pine Ridge eLearning programs utilize Brightspace. To login to Brightspace, visit this webpage. Your login will be your username@kprschools.ca.
If you are struggling to access your account, you can also recover your account information from this page.
Once you have logged in to your Brightspace account, you will access your courses on the right side of your main page.
If your course is through Kawartha Pine Ridge Schools, you will utilize the widget labelled "My Courses." If your course is through another school district, you will utilize the "My Courses in Other Orgs" widget. Both widgets are located on the right side of your screen.
Have the right technology. You can complete some of your work from a phone. But, when completing larger projects, it is recommended you use a tablet, Chromebook, or laptop.
When accessing the D2L learning system, it is best to do so from a Chrome browser.
KPRDSB Bus Cancellations
Every day over 20,000 students are sent to school on 500 different bus routes in the Kawartha Pine Ridge School District. When cancellations happen, the last thing you want is for your child to be waiting for their bus and not know.
Unfortunately, the Covid-19 epidemic has affected the school busing system as well. Currently, there are shortages of school bus drivers.
This has caused routes to get cancelled or delayed. School districts are working to remedy this. However, in the meantime, you can stay in the know by visiting the Student Transportation Services of Midwest Ontario website.
Cancellations and delays will be listed here.
In response to the Covid-19 epidemic, students and drivers are required to wear masks while on the bus to ensure safety. The buses are regularly disinfected and cleaned to help ensure that your child's bus ride is a safe one.
You are also able to request out-of-boundary bus pickups and drop-offs from the Student Transportation Services website. If your child goes to a babysitter or daycare that is out of boundaries, make sure to visit this section of the website using your parent login.
Your parent login will require you to have a few pieces of information. You will need your student's Ontario Education Number (OEN), date of birth, and PIN.
Your student's OEN can be obtained from their report card or by calling their school. In addition, if you have not received your student's PIN, you can also contact your student's school for access to that information.
Are you worried about the safety of your child on the school bus? Check out this video provided by STSCO that looks at safety for bus riders. This video is geared towards your children but a great watch for parents as well.
Please ensure that students arrive at their bus stop ten minutes early. Make sure your child knows what behaviour is expected of them on the bus. In addition, treat the bus as an extension of the classroom.
When on the bus, your child's driver should be respected and listened to just as they would a teacher in the classroom. If your student's bus has a monitor, they should be treated with the same courtesy.
Children riding the bus should stay in their seats at all times and speak quietly. If your student needs to cross the street to board the bus or after getting off the bus, make sure they know to watch for the driver's okay to cross.
Ensure that your student knows that if they drop something near the bus, they need to make sure the driver knows before attempting to pick it up.
Retrieving items dropped under or near the wheels of the bus is unsafe if the driver is not aware. This can result in the driver not seeing your student and beginning to move the bus.
Have A Great School Year with KPRDSB
KPRSB is working through the pandemic to ensure your children have the educational opportunities needed in life to be successful. Make sure as a parent you are staying up to date on school news and opportunities for your child.
Insurdinary is dedicated to providing information that helps protect Canadian families. We have families, too and recognized the importance of education.
Let us help you as you seek to give your child a great start. Ensure that your child stays safe in school and beyond with the right medical care.
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