Emma KingElementary School

Emma King’s September 2026 newsletter

Posted on 09/08/2026

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For your convenience, we've provided the content from our September 2026 newsletter in plain text below.

Message from the Office 

It is with great excitement that I join the Emma King community as your new Principal. Over the past few weeks, I have already had the opportunity to meet many of our dedicated staff members, as well as some of our students and families. I would like to sincerely thank everyone for the warm welcome and for helping me feel at home so quickly. I am excited and optimistic that the 2026-2027 school year will be a rewarding, successful, and enjoyable one for all members of our Emma King community.

As we begin a new school year, we also begin a new chapter filled with opportunities for growth, learning, and connection. I encourage all parents and guardians to become actively involved in their child's education and in the broader school community. Family engagement plays an important role in student success, and we are always grateful for volunteers who support our school initiatives and School Council. Your involvement helps strengthen the vibrant community we value so deeply.

As always, class placements and teacher assignments remain tentative until the Simcoe County District School Board's annual Turnaround Day on September 29. During this period, schools may experience reorganization based on enrollment changes and staffing allocations. While we will do our best to minimize disruption and maintain stability for students, adjustments may be necessary. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this process and will communicate any changes to affected families as soon as possible.

We recognize that the beginning of a new school year can bring a mix of excitement and anxiety for both students and families. While many students return home eager to share positive experiences, others may need time to adjust to new routines, classrooms, or friendships. We encourage families to help children focus on the opportunities and positive experiences that come with a fresh start. Learning to adapt, persevere, and embrace change are valuable life skills that support both academic and personal growth.

Finally, just as I encourage our staff to establish and nurture positive relationships with families, I ask parents and guardians to do the same with our staff. You are your child's first and most important teacher, and you know them best. By working together, we can provide every student with the best possible educational experience. We look forward to partnering with you throughout the year and getting to know your children and families.

I am truly looking forward to a wonderful year at Emma King and wish all of our students, staff, and families a successful and memorable 2026-2027 school year.

Alison Golding

Dates to Remember

• Sept 8- First day of school for Year 2 Kindergarten to Grade 8

• Sept 10- First day of school for Year 1 Kindergarten 

• Sept 25- Terry Fox run 

• Sept 26- Colts Game (Choir/school fundraiser)- more information to follow 

• Sept 29- Turn Around Day

• Sept 30- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation/Orange Shirt Day 

• Oct 2- School Council Nomination forms due 

• Oct 5- 5:15pm- Volunteer orientation 

• Oct 5- 6:00pm- School Council 

• Oct 8- School Open House 

Current Staff Assignments 

School Council 

The Emma King School Council is looking to welcome more members from our school community. We are a great group of parents, guardians, and community members who are interested in supporting our school and helping it continue to thrive.

We typically meet monthly on the first Monday of most months at the school. Attendance at every meeting is not required, and you do not need to be a voting member to participate. Everyone is welcome to attend and share their ideas.

Those interested in becoming a voting member should return the completed nomination form to the office by October 2.

Nomination form:  https://www.scdsb.on.ca/common/pages/GetFile.ashx?key=2d4sAwoi 

Alternative Pick-Up Arrangements

The final 30 minutes of the school day are particularly busy, especially in our primary classrooms. To help ensure the safe and efficient dismissal of students, we kindly ask that any changes to your child's pick-up arrangements be communicated to the school no later than 3:00 p.m.

Please note that due to the high volume of activity at the end of the day, our office staff may not be available to answer phone calls after 3:00 p.m. Providing notification of any changes before this time helps us ensure that messages are received and communicated to the appropriate staff.

Thank you for your cooperation and support in helping us maintain a smooth and safe dismissal process for all students.

Volunteering at Emma King 

Volunteers are an important part of what makes our school a great place to learn and grow. We value and appreciate the support of our volunteers. Volunteers have various roles at our school including: School Council members and participants, Field trip supervisors, Classroom helpers, Kiss-n-ride supervisors, and much, much more!

 

If you’re interested in learning more about volunteering at Emma King, or if you want to continue volunteering during the 2026-2027 school year, you will need to attend a volunteer orientation at the beginning of this school year. We have two volunteer orientations scheduled this year: Monday, October 5th at 5:15 pm and Wednesday, October 14th at 9:30 am. Both will take place in the school library, and will be approximately 30 minutes in length. If there are volunteer opportunities that arise in our school prior to these orientation sessions, we will work with you to make sure the orientation information is reviewed and acknowledged so you can support our school.

 

If you are unable to attend either of the volunteer orientation sessions mentioned above, and are interested in volunteering this year, please contact Mr. Kirwan to discuss alternate orientation arrangements.

 

In addition to attending an orientation session each year, you must also be registered on SCDSB Community Apps (visit emk.scdsb.on.ca, go to ‘Our School’ and select ‘Volunteer’ to get the link) and make sure all your requirements are ‘complete’. 

 

If you were a volunteer at Emma King last school year, your current status as a volunteer will be reset to “Pending Admin Approval”, even if you have all your documents completed and up-to-date, until you complete an Offence Declaration for this current school year as well as completing an Orientation Session.

 

If you are no longer interested in volunteering, please be sure to remove Emma King as a preferred school in your volunteer portal.

 

We look forward to working with all our amazing volunteers this year!

Information and updates from the SCDSB 

This month, the SCDSB is sharing information related to the below topics. To read this information, visit the SCDSB website.

 

• School board communication with parents/guardians

• SCDSB Code of Conduct

• Creating safe and welcoming spaces for students, staff, and visitors

• Reporting a student absence

• SCDSB 2026-27 Student Handbook

• Use of Traditional Indigenous Medicines

• Policy Consultation

• Student and Family Support Office

• National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – Sept. 30

• Universal Otis-Lennon School Ability Test Screening Process

• School council nominations for 2026-27 school year

• Annual notice to adult students or parent(s)/guardian(s) of students under the age of 16

• Standard acknowledgment and permission form/student information computing technology appropriate use agreement 2026-27

• Student accident insurance 2026-27

• Updating student information on file at the school

• Volunteering in schools during the 2026-27 school year

• Current volunteers

• Procedures help keep our school safe

• Student dress code

• School bus ‘Bus Tag’ program helps students get to and from school safely

• Learn a new language for free with the SCDSB!

• Looking for international and Indigenous language instructors

• Equity Advisory Committee seeks members

• September PA Day

 

A Message from The Children’s Treatment Network

The Children’s Treatment Network (CTN) and Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) are excited to share that the School-based Rehabilitation Services Occupational Therapy (SBRS-OT) program will continue to be implemented using the tiered model of service at your child’s school for the 2026-27 school year.  

In this model, Occupational Therapists (OTs) and OT assistants (OTAs) can support school staff and the students in their classrooms to enhance all students’ learning and participation in the school environment. Further information about this model is available on CTN’s webpage. 

CTN partners with Closing the Gap Healthcare (CTG) to bring occupational therapy services into Simcoe County schools. OTs are regulated health professionals who assist children in developing fine motor skills (e.g., printing, cutting, etc.), gross motor skills (e.g., jumping, throwing, etc.), self-care skills (e.g., putting on coat, doing up zippers, opening packages, etc.), and sensory self-regulation skills (e.g., being able to control emotions and/or actions). The risks of this service are comparable to typical day to day school activities (e.g., focus/calming activities, school tool use, and/or written output) within the school setting. The benefit is provision of potential strategies to further enhance student’s development.  

At times during the school year, there will be an OT/OTA at our school. They will be collaborating with school staff to support the students. The OT may:  

• observe students in the school environment (e.g., classroom, gym, playground);  

• assist school staff with ideas and ways to support students in participating more effectively in classroom activities and routines;  

• recommend different types of tools or equipment that may be helpful to any child in a classroom (e.g., fidget tools, wiggle cushions, pencil grips); 

• provide workshops to school staff on relevant topics (e.g., self-regulation, fine motor skill development); and/or,  

• support school staff in determining if more individualized occupational therapy and/or physiotherapy (PT) services are recommended.  

If any student appears to need more individualized occupational therapy and/or PT assessment and recommendations, the school will discuss this with parent/guardian and request permission to make a referral to CTN’s School Based Rehabilitation Services (SBRS).  

If you have any questions or concerns about an OT being in your child’s classroom, please contact your school administrator directly to discuss potential options for additional information or opting out of this collaborative effort with CTN’s SBRS program.