Bi-Weekly Bulletin: September 22 - October 3, 2025

A Message from your Administrators

Dear Langstaff Families and Community Members:

Although the leaves are beginning to turn, we are still enjoying summer weather – and we love the continuation of summer.

We are very excited that fall sports have begun, and students have the opportunity to participate and get involved in their school community. Tryouts for the sports teams are announced over the morning announcements. Our Cross Country Running Team, Girls Basketball, and Boys Soccer are off to a great start. We also had our Clubs Fair a couple of weeks ago, and many clubs are up and running. 

This upcoming week is YRDSB’s Safety Week. During this week (and into next week), we have held or will be holding a practice Fire Drill, Lock Down Drill, Hold & Secure Drill, and Bomb Threat Drill. Also, all our students have attended a Safe School’s Assembly led by the LSS administration. 

On Thursday, September 25, all of our students will be participating in the Terry Fox Walk/Run during period 4. We ask all students to bring $2, a toonie, as we collect “Toonies for Terry”. All money raised will be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society. In addition, we ask all students and staff to wear Red that day to support the Terry Fox Walk/Run.

September 26 will also be our first Professional Activity Day. On that day, while all students will be at home enjoying a day away from school, our staff will be participating in professional learning all day. In the morning, the staff will be engaging in our safety compliance training. In the afternoon, we will be working on our school improvement plans for this year, and teachers will then have an opportunity to work in their departments on department planning.

With the return to fall, many of our Grade 12 students begin to think about their options in terms of postsecondary offerings for next year.  The Guidance department will be hosting an assembly on October 22 for all potential graduates. At this assembly, the grade 12 students will learn about the various pathways available to them and the application process to both college and university. We will continue this learning for parents at our October School Council meeting on Monday, October 20, at 7:00 pm in the Library. Don’t worry. We will have a few reminders before this date is upon us.

Thank you again for your optimism and patience.  We look forward to a rewarding semester.  Should you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us in the main office. We love hearing from you!

Ms. S. Epstein

Principal

School News

On Friday, September 5, 2025, students were able to sign up for various extra-curricular teams, clubs, and councils. The pictures below are just some of the many opportunities that exist at Langstaff SS! It’s not too late to sign up. Students listen to announcements on meeting dates and times. 

A reminder also to submit the $40 Student Activity Fee via CashOnline.

School Start-Up Forms

School Start-Up Packages were sent home with your child on Wednesday, September 3rd, 2025. 

The packages contain school information and 4 forms which are to be returned with your child to school and given to their period 2 teacher by September 25th, 2025

Attendance Reminder

Parents/Guardians are reminded to report all absences and/or late notices to the Attendance Office

AS SOON AS POSSIBLE by calling: 905-889-6266 extension 1: 

OR

email: langstaff.ss.attendance@yrdsb.ca

Should your student have a planned absence for 3 or more days, an Extended Absence Form must be signed by each subject teacher, parent/guardian, and the Vice-Principal before leaving for the absence; Extended Absence Forms are available at the Main Office.

Student Parking

Langstaff SS has a student-designated parking lot, which is on the west side of the school.  To park there, students must come to the main office and pick up a student parking form and have it filled out and signed by their parent/guardian. 

School Bell Times

Age of Majority Consent

Once a student turns 18, it becomes more complicated for School/Teacher to reach out and connect with you, either with specific concerns or to share information in general.  In order for the school to maintain contact, our adult child (i.e., after their 18th birthday) must sign and return the Age Majority Consent Form.  This form can be obtained from the Main Office.

For any student who has not submitted the form after their 18th birthday, contact between school and home ceases.  If your child is turning 18 this school year, please discuss with them what will happen when they turn 18.

 If you have any questions, please connect the Main Office.

Communication with Home

At LSS we offer several methods of communication to share information on a regular basis with our parents’ and guardians’ homes.  A calendar of school events and our bi-weekly news bulletins are posted on our school website.

We also provide daily attendance reports to parents and guardians every day.  In order to provide you with up-to-date attendance reports and other information, we request that all parents and guardians submit current email addresses; these can be updated by sending your email address to: langstaff.ss@yrdsb.ca 

Allergies/Medical Conditions

If your child has a serious life-threatening allergy or medical condition, please let the Main Office know immediately and complete the appropriate medical forms.

There are students and staff members in our school who have life-threatening allergies to nuts and other allergens. If they smell or come into contact with these foods, they may have an anaphylactic reaction.

To help create an allergen-safe environment, do not bring nuts or nut products to school.

Please notify the school if your child has one of the following medical conditions:

• Anaphylaxis - Anaphylaxis Health Care Plan
• Asthma - Asthma Health Care Plan
• Diabetes - Diabetes Health Care Plan
• Epilepsy / Seizure Disorder - Epilepsy Seizure Disorder
• Health Care (Other) - Health Care Plan (Other) 

In addition to completing forms, please provide any life-saving medication your child may require at school (e.g., EpiPen, Inhaler/Puffer, etc.)

Thank you for your cooperation in helping ensure a safe and supportive environment for all students and staff.

Student Council

Langstaff’s Student Council, or STUCO, is excited to be back in action this school year.  We have a lot of activities planned throughout the school year, such as:

· Halloween pumpkin carving competition

· Global Bears orientation

· Holiday Candy Grams

· Battle of the Bands

· Fundraiser events

· Valentine's Serenades 

· International Food Festival

· And many more!

You can keep up to date with STUCO news and upcoming events via our Instagram: @yrdsb.schools also on: (@langstaffstuco)

Guidance News

 Contact Information: Please note the Guidance Counselors below

Stay Connected and in the “Loop”: Continue to stay up to date

 by following us on Instagram and LSS Guidance & Success Google Classroom 

Instagram: @lssguidance

Google Classroom: https://classroom.google.com/c/NjcxOTQwNzYzNDFa?cjc=4rjwryf

Guidance Appointments: can be made in person by coming to guidance. There is a red binder on a standing desk in the Guidance Office. Students can book with their respective counsellor, by alpha last name. The appointments are made available every Monday morning for the week.

Timetables 

Thank you for your patience during the busy school start-up! All timetable requests were reviewed and completed on Friday, September 12. Timetable changes are now closed.   

Guidance office 

Guidance is open for appointments.  See sign-up instructions at top of page. 

NIGHT SCHOOL - Continuing Education 

Registration is now closed. 

The program will be delivered virtually in real-time (synchronous). Classes are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30-9:45 p.m. 

Semester 1 - Fall: September 25, 2025 to January 22, 2026 

More info, including courses offered for both semesters, can be found here.

POSTSECONDARY PREPARATION

Please see the flyer below for all YRDSD events 1.The Ontario Universities Fair (OUF)

Date: Sep 27-28

9:30 am - 5pm Daily

Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building - Free

Register here (optional) 

Plan your day

2. The Ontario College Fair will not take place in 2025. Students are invited to attend one of the College Information Program opportunities offered at colleges and polytechnics throughout Ontario

3. Grade 12 Post Secondary Presentation: Preparing to apply to College and University

Guidance is hosting a presentation for Graduating Grade 12 students to help prepare for applications.

Date: October 22

Time: Period 2 

Teachers will accompany their classes.  Please share with Grade 12 students who have Period 2 Spare or are in grade 10/11 classes and graduating in period 2.

4. YRDSB POSTSECONDARY FAIR 

Thursday, November 6 @ Alexander Mackenzie High School, 6:30pm-8:30pm

All LSS students and parents are welcome.

OYAP AND APPRENTICESHIP

Accelerated OYAP & Apprenticeship Information Virtual Open House Information

• Flyer (see flyer below)
• Date: Tuesday, October 15, 2025
• Time: 6:30PM - 8:30PM
• Registration for this Open House is now open - https://forms.gle/QLntgPv7XcrgSUy9A
• A link to the virtual open house will be provided after registration.

Information about the Open House

• This is a multi-board event where families can go to specific Training Delivery Agents (TDA) (i.e. Centennial College or Carpenters Union) to hear about their programs.
• It is a virtual event
• This event will be of interest to:

o    Students in Grade 12 who are interested in applying for one of the Accelerated OYAP Level 1 Training programs (note: students must have 4 credit Co-op/ALEP on their timetable in semester 2 and have completed 26+ credits towards their OSSD)

o    Students in Grades 10-12 who are interested in learning more about apprenticeship and OYAP programming and;

o    Parents/guardians/educators who want to learn more about OYAP and Accelerated OYAP opportunities. 

Accelerated OYAP is for students in Grade 12 who are in full day Co-op/ALEP in semester 2. Please visit www.yrdsb.ca/ACCELOYAP for more information. Information regarding OYAP for all other Grade 11 and 12 students can be found at www.yrdsb.ca/OYAP.

 For more information on the open house event, please do not hesitate to contact:

• David Lovisa (david.lovisa@yrdsb.ca), Regional Dual Credit and Accelerated OYAP Teacher
• Sabrina Liu (sabrina.liu@yrdsb.ca), OYAP Consultant

 Accelerated OYAP Information:

The application for the semester 2 Accelerated OYAP programs is now open. The direct link to it is www.bit.ly\DCOYAP  . The application deadline is Friday, November 7th. Information about each Accelerated OYAP program offered can be found on the Accelerated OYAP SharePoint. The exact dates for each program have not been finalized for the 2025-2026 school year, however, they will be very similar to the dates for the 2024-2025 school year.  The following is a brief summary of the Accelerated OYAP Program Eligibility:

• Graduating Grade 12 students (June 2026)
• Strongly recommended to have completed 40 hrs. community service and literacy test (or OLC4O)
• Registered in a 4 credit Co-op/PAE/ALEP in Semester 2 of Grade 12
• Must be sponsored by an employer/Co-op placement and be signed as an apprentice by the time the Accelerated OYAP program begins.
• Have related technical and/or Co-op experience and/or work experience and a strong interest in Skilled Trades
• Transportation to and from the location of the Accelerated OYAP level 1 programming is required.  G2 Drivers license is strongly recommended

Student Success News 

The Bear Den - our student success room 132 is open for students as a quiet place to work.  Ms. Monroe and Ms. Starkman are available for support as needed. Students are welcome during their spares or if they have a form and teacher permission.

Please join the Guidance and Student Success Google Classroom for all important information, including volunteer and leadership opportunities, post-secondary, and more.  Join code is:4rjwryf

Clubs and Teams

“The Wellness Club is a student-led group focused on building supportive, inclusive spaces at Langstaff.“The Wellness Club’s focus is on building supportive, inclusive spaces at Langstaff. We organize Wellness Wednesdays 3 days a month; low-barrier activities such as sport, music, or art-related group activities that give students opportunities to connect, de-stress, and express themselves.

The club itself meets formally on every fourth Wednesday to plan upcoming activities. These meetings are used to coordinate logistics, assign responsibilities, and prepare for future Wellness Wednesdays and larger projects such as Grade 7 Mental Health Day.  Our next planning meeting will be held on October 8th in the bear’s den-room 132 during lunch.  All students are welcome to all events and to be a part of the planning process.

Upcoming wellness events include bracelet-making, cozy lunch movies, and a refreshing walk to Starbucks, perfect ways to relax, recharge, and connect with friends. 

Stay tuned to the announcements for location information!!

School Cash ONLINE

Langstaff Secodary School accepts online payments through School Cash ONLINE!

School Cash Online is our preferred method of payment and provides the following benefits:

•   A convenient fee payment option can be made anywhere, anytime!

•   No need to send cash or cheques to school

•   A quick way to register. It takes less than 5 minutes to register

•     You can choose the language of your choice by clicking Google Translate! 

Parents that opt to participate will receive notification via email of student fees and can make secure online payments by credit card and receive a receipt.

Follow the easy steps below to Register and get started!

Step 1: Register

1. Please go to the School Cash Online parent site: https://yrdsb.schoolcashonline.com/
2. Select the “Register” button
3. Enter your parent information to create an account. 

*For Security Reasons your password, requires 8 characters, one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter and a number.

 Step 2: Confirmation Email

A registration confirmation email will be automatically forwarded to you. Click on the link provided inside the email to confirm your email and School Cash Online account. The confirmation link will open the School Cash Online site prompting you to sign into your account. Use your email address and password just created with your account.

Step 3: Find/Add Student

NOTE: Enter Student Number (not OEN)

 This step will connect your children to your account. 

1. Select the School Name from the list
2. Enter student information: Student Number and Last Name
3. Select Confirm

4. On the next page confirm that you are related to the child, 

   check in the Agree box and select Continue

5. Your child has been added to your account 

Step 4: View Items or Add Another Student 

• If you have more children, select “Add Another Student” option in My Account/My Students and repeat the steps above. 5 children can be added to one parent account.
• If you do not wish to add additional children, select “View Items For Students” option.
• A listing of available items for purchase will be displayed.

NEED HELP?

If you require assistance, select the GET HELP option in the top right hand corner of the screen or contact School Cash Online – Parent Help Desk at 1-866-961-1803 or parenthelp@schoolcashonline.com.

Community News

The York Region District School Board offers language learning for students at the elementary level (SK to Grade 8) and at the secondary level (Grades 9–12).

Elementary Classes

These extra-curricular classes are available for in-person or online classes. Each class is

2.5 hours long and runs once a week.

Class times are:

• Tuesday to Friday evenings from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM
• Saturday mornings from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM

Registration is now open. To join the full language program, please register early by Monday, September 8, 2025. Registration will close September 8 to organize classes. Registration may reopen on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, if thereis space.

For more information about the elementary program, language class offerings, and locations, visit the ILIL Elementary webpage.

Secondary Credit Courses

These courses count for high school credits and are offered remotely only. Students can earn up to three credits in International Languages, and successfully completing the Level D (University) course can be used as one of their top six marks for

post-secondary applications.

Each course runs for the whole school year and takes place once a week for 3.7 hours. Choose one of the following class times:

• Wednesday evenings from 5:45 PM to 9:25 PM
• Saturday mornings from 8:45 AM to 12:25 PM

Registration is now open and will close by the third class (Saturday September 27, or Wednesday, October 8).

For more updates and information about the secondary credit program, visit the ILIL Secondary webpage to see what credit language classes are available.

*Please Note:

• Not all languages are offered at the elementary and secondary levels.
• All courses offered are subject to enrolment and teacher availability.
• Stacked classes may be created basedon registration numbers.
• $20 resource/consumable fee is collected which supports the costs of digital resources and classroom materials.
• Additional fees are required for international fee-paying visa students.
• The ILIL office can be contacted at ILIL@yrdsb.ca

*Languages Offered:

Arabic Cantonese Dari

Farsi German Greek Gujarati Hebrew Hindi Italian Japanese Korean

Macedonian Mandarin (combined) Mandarin (Simplified)

Mandarin (Traditional) Punjabi

Ojibwe Russian Sanskrit Spanish Tamil Turkish Urdu Vietnamese Yoruba