Sydenham High School

<h2 class="editor-heading-h2" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">What's Happening at Sydenham High School</span></h2><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">February 2026</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/939609bb-0496-4f64-8fc4-886e988a21b9" alt="school image" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><h2 class="editor-heading-h2" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Looking Ahead - Semester Two! </span></h2><hr><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Hello SHS Golden Eagles and Families,</span><img src="/images/41ce618e-ef8b-4e8b-941b-7be7805473a0" alt="IMG 6791" width="156" height="268" style="width:156px;height:268px;display:inline-block;float:right"></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Today, Feb. 2nd, was our last official day of exams. Semester two will start tomorrow, Feb. 3, 2026. We appreciate everyone's patience and flexibility as we navigated so many bus cancellation days and a cold and snowy winter. I hope you can find the beauty and wonder during this season. Stay active by sledding, snowshoeing, building snow forts, skating, cross-country skiing, et. We hope that semester two will be less disruptive and look forward to getting off to a great start. We also welcome Mr. Duncan Cowan, new Vice Principal (Grades 9 and 11) </span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We will post homeroom lists tomorrow morning for students to know where to go period 1 where they will then get a printed copy of their timetable for this semester. This week students will also be given information on course selection for next year, which will also be passed onto families. Reach out to Student Services with any questions. </span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Save the date for our Youth and Money event scheduled for Mar. 11th. We will have a keynote speaker and two break out sessions: saving for post secondary (RESP, TFSA) and one on Scholarships and Bursaries. </span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Also, it is very exciting to share that SHS Alumni Jay Dearborn will be competing in the Olympics in the bobsled. We are so excited to watch a former Golden Eagle compete. Our students will also have an opportunity to hear him speak at the end of March. Good luck Jay! </span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p><h2 class="editor-heading-h2" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Upcoming Dates</span></h2><hr><div data-lexical-layout-container="true" style="grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; display: grid;"><div class="editor-layoutItem"><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Feb. 2 - Last day of exams - No regular classes</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Feb. 3 - First Day of Semester 2</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Feb. 3 - Grade Assemblies and Course Selection</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Feb. 10 - Winter Pep Rally</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Feb. 12 - OUAC Mark Upload</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Feb. 13 - Report Card Distribution</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Feb. 14 - OCAS Mark Upload</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Feb. 16 - Family Day</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Feb. 20 - Course selection due in MyBlueprint</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Feb. 23 - School Council Meeting 7 PM</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Feb. 26 - Calabogie Ski Trip</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Feb. 26 - Pink Shirt Day</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Mar. 6 - Grad Photo Retakes</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Mar. 11 - Youth and Money Workshop</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Mar. 25 - Olympian Jay Dearborn at SHS</span></p></div><div class="editor-layoutItem"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/204bcea9-c771-4642-9c83-48cc6431dd68" alt="download" width="364" height="346" style="width:364px;height:346px;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Team Canada Bobsled - Jay Dearborn</span></p></div></div><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/295bd6c0-1dfb-488a-8f36-011015db0593" alt="2026 2027 Youth and Money" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p><h2 class="editor-heading-h2" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Spotlight on Our Math Department</span></h2><hr><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">SHS math classes are hard at work, building skills and consistently achieving highly. SHS math classes are filled with collaboration through the use of whiteboards and group discussions.&nbsp; Students often learn as much from each other as they do from their teachers. Collaboration is a skill that math teachers emphasize which students will take with them well beyond high school, into their careers and daily lives. </span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Grade 9 math teachers also hosted an EQAO Fun Day where students came into school on a Saturday to practice for their exam. With all this effort, comes consistently high results. SHS EQAO scores (71% above level 3) are far above the board (55%) and the province (58%). We have been the top scoring English-speaking public school in the Kingston area for three years running. Even the Fraser Institute rated our school 158</span><sup style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span>th</span></sup><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> of the 735 secondary schools in the province where the “average level of achievement on the grade 9 EQAO assessment in mathematics” is a significant criterion for their assessment (Cowley et al. 5).</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">SHS math teachers are busy supporting students outside the classroom in a variety of ways as well. For example, department head Shane Cook runs the Syd’s Hockey League and coaches the boy’s hockey league, Brett Walsh and Adrian Grew coach basketball and bring teams to many tournaments. Pauline Farmer coached our field hockey team to a silver medal, Michelle Plumb leads students council in their efforts to run school wide events, Steven Lee is leading our Trivia team to their first competition in Ottawa on February 7</span><sup style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span>th </span></sup><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">and Tyler Elliott was the assistant director of the play </span><i><em class="editor-text-italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Murder by the Book</em></i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> which helped raise money for the school library. Our math teachers strive to help students learn and achieve both inside and outside the classroom.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">&nbsp;</span></p><div data-lexical-layout-container="true" style="grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr 1fr; display: grid;"><div class="editor-layoutItem"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/4af21bf0-f93c-4102-a5bc-97e368ced423" alt="Mr Cook" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></div><div class="editor-layoutItem"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/b73cc72f-3401-422d-aa80-1a23feb35925" alt="SHS House League" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></div><div class="editor-layoutItem"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/49acc8c0-f4de-4770-b48e-a582ad7e9823" alt="EQAO Prep" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></div></div><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p><h2 class="editor-heading-h2" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">2025-2026 LDSB School Year Calendar</span></h2><hr><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">A </span><a href="https://www.limestone.on.ca/documents/7291ab76-99b5-43a1-8f2b-edaade7c53e8/2025-04-07-LDSB%20School%20Year%20Calendar-2025-2026.pdf" rel="noreferrer" class="editor-link"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">PDF version of the 2025-2026 School Year Calendar is available online</span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/1161a439-a52c-4144-ad44-b2b141f1f967" alt="2025 2026 LDSB School Year Calendar" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p><hr><h2 class="editor-heading-h2" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Concussion Protocol</span></h2><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">SHS is committed to student safety, injury prevention, and well-being, and supports concussion awareness, prevention, identification, management, tracking, and training. Our point of contact is Ms. Ash Ward, Vice Principal.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Our </span><a href="https://www.limestone.on.ca/concussion_protocols" rel="noreferrer" class="editor-link"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">LDSB Concussion Policy/Concussion Code of Conduct </span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">is here as well to ensure we work together to support our students if a concussion is suspected or diagnosed. </span></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/d2d534f2-a37f-4106-a903-2977022c738c" alt="thumb cef5db28763b3ff1d271b5f827629038" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p><hr><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p><h2 class="editor-heading-h2" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Allergen Awareness - </span></h2><h2 class="editor-heading-h2" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Nut-Free &amp; Scent Free School</span></h2><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p><p class="editor-paragraph" style="text-align: center;"><img src="/images/77143b36-64d5-4f80-a9f2-cf2bf339fb88" alt="Nut Free School" width="205" height="293" style="width:205px;height:293px;display:inline-block;float:left"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/20f12d85-2a46-4137-bd1e-ab4d5273e2c1" alt="Scent Free" width="206" height="256" style="width:206px;height:256px;display:inline-block;float:right"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p></p><hr><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><h2 class="editor-heading-h2" dir="ltr" style="text-align: start;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Threat/Risk Assessment Notification and Process</span></h2><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The Limestone District School Board and community partners are committed to making our schools safe for students and staff. As a result, schools will respond to all student behaviours that pose a potential risk to other students, staff, and community members. The Community Violence Threat Risk Assessment Process is designed to be proactive in developing intervention plans that address the emotional and physical safety of those involved. Families are asked to review the steps of a&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.limestone.on.ca/safe-caring-schools" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="editor-link"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Threat/Risk Assessment online</span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></p></p><hr><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br></p><figure><a href="https://specialtytrophies.ca/sydenhamhighschool/" target="_blank" title="Spirit Wear"><img src="/images/93a00b71-9d11-44c1-88dc-c7bfba2579cd" alt="Spirit Wear" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></a></figure></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><img src="/images/a25e9f58-b0ae-4c6a-9c8e-96863f2e3e0a" alt="New Land Acknowledgement" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Students who arrive&nbsp;</span><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">within the first 15 minutes</strong></b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">&nbsp;of class should proceed&nbsp;</span><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">directly to their classroom</strong></b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">. Late slips are no longer required to enter class late during the first 15 minutes. Classroom teachers will record the late arrival during attendance, which is taken 15 minutes into the period. At that time, teachers will submit attendance to the office for follow‑up communication with parents or guardians.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Students who arrive&nbsp;</span><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">more than 15 minutes late</strong></b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">&nbsp;are required to report to the&nbsp;</span><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">attendance window</strong></b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">&nbsp;to sign in&nbsp;</span><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">before</strong></b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">&nbsp;attending class. Late arrivals beyond 15 minutes require&nbsp;</span><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">parent or guardian authorization</strong></b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">If parent or guardian authorization has not been provided, the school administration team will follow up with the student in accordance with school attendance expectations.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This procedure is in place to ensure accurate attendance reporting, reduce congestion at the attendance window, and&nbsp;</span><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">minimize the loss of instructional time</strong></b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the school.</span></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: start;"><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Limestone International Education is looking for families to become hosts for international students for the upcoming school year. Please consider sharing the following information in your school newsletters in the coming weeks:</strong></b></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: start;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Limestone is proud of our long tradition of hosting students from other countries.&nbsp; The demand for Kingston, and Canada, as a learning destination is rapidly growing.&nbsp; Students from over 15 different countries are here now staying with great homestay families in Limestone. Our International Education team is looking for more families to become homestay hosts to great international students.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: start;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We currently have 19 students on our waiting list that have applied to Limestone for 2026-2027 and need a home. They range from one semester to one year stays and are from Germany, Spain, Japan, Brazil, Slovakia, Czechia, Italy and Denmark.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: start;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Host families will be paid a tax-free monthly stipend to host students. All students in the program attend local intermediate or secondary schools and range in age from 12 to 17 years old. Our International Education team works hard to make a great match for your family, that can last a lifetime.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: start;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Families can learn more by visiting&nbsp;</span><a href="https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https://internationaled.limestone.on.ca/become_a_homestay&amp;data=05%7c02%7ccrothersm%40limestone.on.ca%7c6718c3f0165148f85ef608de58f57ee2%7ce1f4165febae4d82a73ca0de593830be%7c0%7c0%7c639046008601667698%7cUnknown%7cTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7c0%7c%7c%7c&amp;sdata=B%2BA1lkiEhmCVdakJpUMKkW1j/TQUztz2j/Fq/KzHyB0%3D&amp;reserved=0" class="editor-link"><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Limestone’s International Education website</strong></b></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">&nbsp;or phoning the International Education offices at 613-544-7745 ext. 288.</span></p>