With all the snow and related inclement weather days, the start of Semester 2 now begins on Tuesday, February 3rd. Monday, February 2nd is the last day of semester 1; only students with scheduled exams or work to complete in Student Success should report to school. On Tuesday, students will find their homeroom on the lists posted in the front foyer. Once in your homeroom, you’ll receive your full Semester 2 schedule. You can always check your schedule in Aspen too. For students who have a first period spare, you will be able to obtain your timetable from Student Services. Here’s to a fun, fresh start to Semester 2 (and hopefully fewer snow shovels in our future)!
Recent happenings
We are proud of our Bayridge Blazers for finishing strong and handling all the changes to schedules with patience and flexibility. Our Equity class had a strong end to the semester spreading positivity and awareness throughout the school, creating cards of care for seniors, setting up an exam‑time wellness station, organizing an end‑violence‑against‑women display, filling a Kingston Youth Drive trunk with donations, and the list goes on! Our semester 1 history classes also had a great trip to the Military Communications & Electronics Museum.
Looking Ahead
February 3
Second semester starts
February 5
EcoTeam's 'Cozy Sweater day'
February 6
Blorange Day
February 6
Exam Review Day
February 9-13
Grad Photos
February 12
Club Carousel
February 13
Health Canada Opioid Awareness Display
February 16
Family Day
February 20
Semester 1 Report Cards Distributed
Reminders
Please take extra precautions during these wintery months if you choose to drive your child to/from school. We’ve had reports of some concerns in the Bayridge Public School parking lot, so we kindly ask families to use our school’s parking lot instead and help keep everyone safe during busy pick‑up and drop‑off times. If our roundabout is busy, please avoid blocking the road and park in our parking lot to wait.
Limestone International Education
Limestone is proud of our long tradition of hosting students from other countries. The demand for Kingston, and Canada, as a learning destination is rapidly growing. 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.
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.
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.
Families can learn more by visiting Limestone’s International Education website or phoning the International Education offices at 613-544-7745 ext. 288.
Upcoming Events
LDSB Black History Month Opening Ceremony
When: Wednesday, February 4, 2026, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Where: LCVI, 153 Van Order Drive, Kingston
All students, staff, families, and community members are invited to join us for an evening of community, connection, and celebration with food, music, and dancing! Featuring: Kids Zone with "Ruthy's Reading Room," and a performance by Cassel Miles as Josiah Henson.
This event is presented by the LDSB and the LCVI BIPOC affinity group. We hope to see you there!
Skills Competition
The Limestone Skills Competition is coming up on February the 26. The deadline to register is February 8.
There are lots of different categories that students can compete in. Some of them include Baking, Culinary, Photography, Graphic Design, Carpentry, Coding as well as many others. See the posters around the school, Ms. Lees and Ms. K for details.
Winter Photo Gallery Contest
The Arts Council presents the Winter Photo Gallery Contest! The best winter photo, voted on by students, will win a jar of candy! Submit your wintery photos to bssphotogallery@gmail.com by February 10, 2026
BSS Charity Golf Tournament
Community Connections
Coop
Bayridge students have been busy exploring careers and gaining practical work experience this semester through co-operative education. We would like to thank the following employers and organizations for hosting our students this past semester:
Bayridge Public School
Braden Nissan
Crom Welding
GO Italian
Holsgrove Public School
HomeSense
Lancaster Drive Public School
McDonalds
Metro
Omega Fit Club
Shopper’s Drug Mart
Sims Animal Hospital
St. Paul the Apostle Parish
Subway
Truedell Public School
Bayridge is always looking for new placement opportunities. Please don’t hesitate to contact the school if your business or organization is interested in hosting a student placement.
SLAP!
SLAP! Student Laptop Access Program is raising funds to offer free premium laptops to all students who need them. If you’d like to be added to the waitlist to receive a free laptop, please complete the application form at www.slap-kingston.ca right away.
Kiwanis Music Festival
Registration for the 2026 Kingston Kiwanis Music Festival closes on February 4th. The festival runs from March 26 to April 11, 2026 , and offers opportunities for participants of all ages to present work in areas such as classical music, popular music, and music theatre. Please see flyer for more information!
Black History Month
Special Exhibit, City of Kingston
January 20th - May 22, 2026
Market Wing Cultural Space at City Hall, 216 Ontario St.
Tuesday- Friday: Noon to 4 p.m.
Admission is free!
Please note: The exhibition contains images and text describing violence endured by enslaved peoples and includes documents with racist and colonialist language. This content may challenge and disturb visitors.
Adults with young children may wish to preview the exhibition beforehand.
the black experience...time & memory
Union Gallery, Queen's University, Project Room
January 20–February 11, 2026
𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲... is an experimental archival exhibition that gathers 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙮 as a living practice rather than a fixed record. rooted in black student life at queen’s university; the project traces how stories; relationships; and forms of care move across 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚; shifting yet familiar. this exhibition understands 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙮 not as something lost to the past; but as something actively made; carried; and reshaped in the present.
bringing together archival materials; photographs; film documentation; poetry; sound; and live gathering; the exhibition creates a shared space where multiple generations of black student organizing and cultural work exist side by side. established groups; emerging collectives; and individual contributors are woven together; not to flatten difference; but to reveal continuity. similar experiences appear in different forms; like the same story told in new fonts.
the exhibition is structured through an inside and outside wall; offering moments of quiet reflection alongside visible & collective expression. interactive prompts invite participation; while live recordings and performances mark the exhibition as something still unfolding.
𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲... resists closure. 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻; asking how 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘆 is preserved; who holds it; and how it might remain open for those still arriving.
the black experience...time & memory
SouthEast Public Health
Contaminated Drug Alert
Southeast Public Health (SEPH) is alerting residents to a concerning recent drug-checking result reported by Consumption and Treatment Services in Kingston. An alarming combination of stimulant, hallucinogenic and depressant substances was detected in an expected cocaine sample; no cocaine was detected. This combination of substances significantly increases the risk of serious adverse effects, including physical, psychological, and dissociative symptoms, as well as drug poisoning and death.
SEPH emphasizes the ongoing unpredictability and toxicity of the unregulated drug supply. Naloxone should always be administered when opioid poisoning is suspected. While naloxone will not reverse the effects of non-opioid substances, it can counteract opioids that may be present.
In addition to informing key partners, including the public, promoting access to naloxone kits and other harm reduction measures, and continuing efforts to prevent drug-related harms, SEPH is urging people to:
- Avoid using alone. Roughly 75 percent of opioid poisoning deaths happen when no one is there to help. If you use alone, tell someone before you do and have a safety plan that includes having someone check in on you. Alternatives may include:
- Using with a friend or family member present or virtually, staggering use if both are using drugs.
- Using at a supervised consumption service:
- In-person at Consumption and Treatment Services at 661 Montreal St. in Kingston – drug checking services are available.
- Virtually by calling the National Overdose Response Service (NORS) at 1-888-688-NORS (6677).
- Avoid using more than one drug at a time, including alcohol.
- Go slow. The quality of unregulated drugs is very unpredictable.
- Get a free naloxone kit and training. Always carry it with you. Consider carrying multiple doses of naloxone.
- Call 911 immediately if you suspect drug poisoning to ensure emergency medical treatment is provided.
If you have a friend or family member who uses drugs, please share the above safety information with them. We also advise that you obtain a free naloxone kit and training.
For more information on harm reduction, visit the website of the region nearest you: Kingston, Frontenac, and Lennox & Addington
Kingston’s CTS is located within the Integrated Care Hub at 661 Montreal Street in Kingston. Anyone is welcome to come to the CTS, which is open seven days a week, between the hours of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. CTS is a drop-in service and does not require an appointment or a referral to access the site.
The National Overdose Response Service (NORS) is a phone-based virtual safe consumption service. The service is available by calling the toll-free number 24/7 across Canada. Trained peer volunteers answer calls, assist in making a safety plan, and stay on the line with the person for approximately 20 to 35 minutes. Safety plans can include a community response (someone you trust nearby with Naloxone) or an EMS dispatch. The volunteer will check in with the person every few minutes and will follow the agreed-on safety plan if the person becomes unresponsive.
NORS virtual safe consumption line: 1-888-688-6677
For more information: https://www.nors.ca/
Non-Smoking Resources
The nicotine industry continues to target young people through fun flavours and high-tech devices designed to increase addiction. Families can help young people better understand the risks and start important conversations at home.
Parents and caregivers can watch this short video to learn more: www.notanexperiment.ca/parents
Students who would like help quitting or cutting back on vaping, smoking, alcohol, other substances, or even technology use can book a free virtual appointment at: www.youthvast.ca
This 2-minute video will tell you more about the process:
Students can also download the Quash app for quit support at quashapp.com
KEYS SWIS program
Having SWIS in the school provides several benefits, including smoother school integration for newcomer families, improved communication between home and school, increased access to community and settlement resources, and additional support for students’ academic and social success. We also work closely with school staff to promote cultural understanding and help create a more inclusive and welcoming environment. Please note that our services are available to all newcomer families regardless of their immigration status.
Families in TRANSition
Community partners at Trellis and FACSFLA have been working on developing a group for parents and caregivers of Trans and gender exploring youth. This 10 week program launches in March and will run on Monday evenings.
Maltby Resources
Mental Health Services Winter 2026
Winter Workshops At A Glance 2026
HYPE Tutoring
HYPE Tutoring is a Queen’s student-run club offering free tutoring services to families who are interested. We are reopening our Tutor Request Form (linked below) for the second high school semester.
Charity Gaming
We’re grateful for the ongoing support of the Gaming Centre and our partnership through Charity Gaming, which helps fund important initiatives in our school community. We appreciate their continued commitment to enriching opportunities for our students.
|
|---|
