Larkhall Academy

School Based Professional Learning Day

Larkhall Academy will be closed on Thursday, October 23rd for a school based professional learning day. Staff will be focusing on our school development plan for the 2025-2026 school year.

Scholastic Book Fair - Saturday, October 25th
Our annual scholastic book fair will take place on Saturday, October 25th.Please refer to a separate email sent home earlier today for more details.

Fundraiser for our Kids Eat Smart Breakfast Program

Photographer “With Love, Emma” has kindly donated her time to offer professional outdoor family photos during our Scholastic Book Fair (weather depending). Families can have their photos taken and receive 1-3 photos back with ALL proceeds going directly to our breakfast program. A monetary donation of your choice for our Breakfast program is all that is required. Please note, the photographer will only be here for 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. and photos will be taken on a first come first serve basis.

Jamarama Day for the Janeway Children's Hospital - Friday, October 24

The Janeway holds a special place in all of our hearts. The students can wear their pajamas on this day to honor those children who are in them all the time at the Janeway Children’s Hospital. If you wish you can also send along a small donation on Friday that Larkhall Academy can make on behalf of our school community.

Lost and Found

Our virtual lost and found has resulted in many new items being claimed. If you have not had a chance to check it out you can view it here. If you see an item belonging to your child please email larkhallacad@nlschools.ca and we will make sure it is returned. Don’t forget to always put your child’s name on their clothing as this will help get it back to them if it winds up in our lost and found. 

Dismissal Procedures

It is important for your child to have a regular dismissal routine.  We understand there are times when things do change, so please email your child’s teacher as soon as you are aware of the change. Dismissal is a very busy time with many moving parts, so last minute changes can unfortunately get missed.  While we always make every effort, it is very important to note, late day changes by email and / or by phone are not guaranteed to be delivered.  

Halloween 

Our students are so excited about Halloween! It is such an exciting time for everyone.

When students come to school on Friday, we ask that they are not dressed in their costumes, as they will be getting dressed at lunch time. If costumes have weapons of any sort, we ask that families keep these at home, as they are not appropriate for school. 

Please refrain from sending in any treats for your child’s class, as we have a number of students with allergies and we want to ensure their safety. Treats such as pencils, erasers, etc. are permitted. 

Lastly, we wish our students a safe and fun-filled night of trick or treating! Please keep Halloween Safety  in mind at all times.

Request for Photos for Remembrance Day Assembly
As our Grade 4 students prepare for their Remembrance Day assembly we are reaching out to all of our Larkhall families to share photos of family members who served in any branch of the military, past or present. Please include their name, the relationship to your child, and a sentence or two describing their service. We prefer digital pictures (scans or pictures of the original photo - such as one taken with your phone). If you only have an original picture to share we ask that you bring it to school and we will scan it and give it directly back to you. 

Pictures and details can be emailed to Ms. Pickett jennypickett@nlschools.ca  The deadline to have your pictures sent to Ms Pickett is 3:00 pm, Friday, October 31.

Allergy Update:
To ensure the safety of all children and to help reduce the risk of a medical emergency, please do NOT allow your child to bring the following items to school:

• latex (balloons, gloves, etc)

• bananas (products containing bananas are fine such as smoothies and baked goods)

• kiwi

• fish and shellfish (recently added) 

• tree nuts (e.g. hazelnuts), peanuts, peanut butter, or any product known to contain nuts/peanuts or peanut oil. WOW Butter, Nutella (or similar no name or store brand Hazelnut spreads) are also included in this list.  

On Street Stopping and Parking Reminders

When you pick up your child after school, please be mindful of the residents on Vinnicombe Street across from Larkhall Academy. We have received calls from residents who are unable to get in or out of their driveways because they are being blocked. Please do not block driveways while you wait for your child. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Busing 

We want to thank our families for your cooperation this week as our drivers get used to their new routes. In the coming days pickup and drop off times should get closer to the posted times on the 2025-2026 bus routes for Larkhall Academy which can be found here. 

For the benefit of families new to Larkhall please note that all bus routes including stops are determined by NLSchools Student Transportation. 

Families should be aware that school buses can only stop at designated stops. Drivers are not permitted to alter their routes or stop locations. Children need to be at the bus stop 5 minutes prior to the posted pick up time.

We encourage all families, especially those new to school busing this year, to view the bus safety video located on the NLSchools Student Transportation website.

If you have a busing concern you can complete this form and someone from NLSchools Student Transportation will get back to you. 

Morning Drop Off

Please use the Vinnicombe Street entrance for morning drop-off. Mr. Worthman will be there to greet your child and help them safely exit your car. To ensure a smooth flow of traffic, please remain in your vehicle and only stop long enough for your child to exit.

If you need to park to help your child with something, please park further down Vinnicombe Street. 

The Larkhall Street main door is for busing students only.

Stopping or parking on Larkhall Street in the bus zone is not permitted. For safety reasons please respect the posted no parking signs.

To reduce traffic around the school, we strongly encourage all families to avail of student transportation. 

Parent / Guardian Email

All parents and guardians need to have an updated email address on file, as this will be our primary means of sharing information with you. Be sure to check our website regularly for updates as family memos and other school information will be posted there.

Contact Information

For returning families, it is important to notify the school of any changes to your contact information; address, phone numbers or emergency contacts by emailing larkhallacad@nlschools.ca

Breakfast Program

Thanks to the support of Kids Eat Smart, President's Choice Children’s Charities, and families, we will once again offer our grab-and-go breakfast program. Each classroom will have a bin of various items such as fruit, cereal bars, yogurt and cheese, that students may take upon arrival at school. 

Water Bottles

All students should have their own water bottle clearly labeled with their name.

Speed Camera for Larkhall Street

The NL Government Speed Camera is now active on Larkhall Street.

Office Drop offs 

Recognizing that mornings can be chaotic, we know that things can come up, and things are forgotten. We kindly ask that families try to ensure that their children have everything they need before they leave in the morning.

Dressing for Outside

Fresh air and play are two driving factors behind our students’ Social Emotional Well-Being. Please ensure that your child (children) come to school each day prepared for all the weird and wonderful weather that our beautiful province of Newfoundland and Labrador has to throw our way!

Please label any personal items belonging to your child/children. It breaks our hearts to see so many items left in the Lost and Found with no home!

Secure School / Lockdowns / Fire Drills

In the coming weeks, classroom teachers will be having discussions and practices with their classes around all three of these procedures. It is important that you speak to your child/children about these and stress their importance. 

Knowing what needs to happen in times of stress helps reduce anxiety around possible incidents that can occur. Our classroom teachers will take great care in their conversations around these topics. There will be more information to come to help you navigate these discussions with your family.

If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to us.

Visitor/Family Access

During the school instructional day, please come to the Office Door located on Vinnicombe Street and buzz to gain entrance to the building; this is the only door where entry into the school is permitted.  You must check in at the office; parents/ guardians are not permitted to go to classrooms.  While you are a welcome visitor to us; to the students who don’t know you, you are a stranger.

Late Arrivals

All students arriving late must check in at the office prior to going to class. Parents / Guardians of students in Grades Kindergarten and Grade 1 are encouraged to bring your child into the school and check at the office. 

BlueSky

Larkhall Academy is now on BlueSky. You can follow our feed on our school website or by following us directly at @larkhall.bsky.social‬

School Supply Lists for September

• Kindergarten

• Grade 1

• Grade 2

• Grade 3

• Grade 4