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Dear Families,

Happy Spring! I hope you are enjoying the warmer weather, even if it is a little unpredictable. With April upon us, I wanted to provide you with a couple of important updates:

Reminder – P.A. Day: Monday, April 8, 2024

A reminder to families that Monday, April 8, is a Professional Activity (P.A.) Day in Limestone. Schools are closed and there are no classes for students.

Solar Eclipse Safety

A very exciting and rare solar event is taking place on Monday, April 8 in the Kingston area. This type of solar event only occurs every few hundred years. We are expected to be in a solar eclipse between 2:09 p.m. and 4:34 p.m., with the peak of totality (where the sun appears to be completely covered by the moon for a short period of time) happening at approximately 3:22 p.m., and ending at approximately 3:25 p.m. 

There are safety precautions everyone should exercise to ensure they safely enjoy this solar event.  It is dangerous to look directly at the sun at any time, and especially during an eclipse. KFL&A Public Health and Queen’s University have provided information on how to view the eclipse safely and properly protect your eyes:

• Do not look directly at the eclipse at any time without proper protection.
  
  
• If you want to look at the eclipse, you must use approved solar eclipse viewers that meet international standards ISO 12312-2.
  
  
• Queen’s University is distributing solar eclipse glasses to the Kingston community through our schools (LDSB students will receive a pair at school this week), as well as the Kingston Frontenac Public Libraries at no cost.
  
  
• Regular sunglasses, even those with a very dark tint, will not protect your eyes.
  
  
• It is not safe to view the eclipse through a camera or phone lens, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device.
  
  
• When to wear eclipse glasses:
  • During the solar eclipse, only look directly at the sun if you are wearing certified solar eclipse glasses.
    
    
  • Totality is when the sun is totally eclipsed by the moon, which lasts only a few minutes (approximately 3:22 p.m. to 3:25 p.m.). During totality, it is safe to look in the direction of the sun with the naked eye. If you are using certified eclipse glasses or viewers and are in the path of totality, it is safe to take your glasses off and observe totality when you can no longer see any part of the sun through your glasses. There will be a few minutes of darkness.
    
    
  • When any part of the sun becomes visible after totality, you must put your glasses back on or look away. Keep glasses on, or remain looking away, for the remainder of the eclipse (as the moon moves past the sun).

Enjoy the rest of your week, and the weekend when it arrives.

Thank you,

Krishna Burra

Director of Education