Limestone Community Education

<h2 class="editor-heading-h2"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">A vibrant event celebrating neurodiversity with inspiring talks, creative spaces, and an inclusive community experience.</span></h2><p class="editor-paragraph"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Now entering its third year, Neurovibes is a community event celebrating neurodiversity through engaging talks, creativity, and connection.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Attendees can hear from inspiring speakers, explore interactive spaces, and connect with community partners and vendors in a welcoming, inclusive environment. The event is designed to support different sensory needs while bringing people together to learn, share, and celebrate neurodivergent experiences.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" style="text-align: start;"><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">When: April 29, 2026, 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. (Doors open at 4:00 p.m.)</strong></b></p><p class="editor-paragraph" style="text-align: start;"><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Where: Queen's Biosciences Complex, 116 Barrie Street, Kingston</strong></b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">&nbsp;</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" style="text-align: start;"><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Register now at:&nbsp;</strong></b><a href="https://bit.ly/Neurovibes2026%20" class="editor-link"><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">bit.ly/Neurovibes2026</strong></b></a><b><strong class="editor-text-bold" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">.</strong></b></p><h2 class="editor-heading-h2"><br></h2><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/0d9fba3e-4cf2-480e-973b-7617e4932a7f" alt="Neurovibes 2026 Poster" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: start;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Limestone DSB is hosting a community event, Life Beyond School, on Thursday, April 23, 2026 from 5:45 to 8:30 p.m. at Limestone Educational Services (164 Van Order Drive, Kingston, entrance at the front and side doors, parking is located on both sides of the building). Light refreshments will be serviced as well as SWAG bags for guests! No registration is required. </span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: start;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The presentations and slideshows will be recorded and shared virtually for those unable to attend in-person. </span><a href="mailto:ABBINKD@LIMESTONE.ON.CA" rel="noreferrer" class="editor-link"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Please contact Donna Abbink for more information.</span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><h2 class="editor-heading-h2" dir="ltr" style="text-align: start;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Presentations between 6:30-7:30 p.m.:</span></h2><ul class="editor-list-ul"><li value="1" class="editor-listitem"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Developmental Services Ontario (DSO)</span></li><li value="2" class="editor-listitem"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Passport Funding Agency</span></li><li value="3" class="editor-listitem"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">DSO Housing</span></li><li value="4" class="editor-listitem"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Student Experiences </span></li></ul><h2 class="editor-heading-h2" dir="ltr" style="text-align: start;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Booths and Resources</span></h2><ul class="editor-list-ul"><li value="1" class="editor-listitem"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Developmental and ASD Service Agencies</span></li><li value="2" class="editor-listitem"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Employment Services</span></li><li value="3" class="editor-listitem"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Recreational Services</span></li><li value="4" class="editor-listitem"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Respite Services</span></li><li value="5" class="editor-listitem"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Legal Services</span></li><li value="6" class="editor-listitem"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Volunteer Services</span></li><li value="7" class="editor-listitem"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Community Connection and Programs</span></li><li value="8" class="editor-listitem"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Social and Leisure Services</span></li><li value="9" class="editor-listitem"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Mental Health Services</span></li><li value="10" class="editor-listitem"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Post-Secondary Education Programs</span></li><li value="11" class="editor-listitem"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Social Services</span></li></ul><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: start;"><img src="/images/53d7c6fd-0176-41ac-a361-f93569b41a9d" alt="Life Beyond School Event" width="100" height="inherit" style="boxSizing:border-box;borderStyle:none;height:inherit;maxWidth:100%;objectFit:cover;display:inline-block;width:100px"></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: start;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Dear&nbsp;Families,&nbsp;</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: start;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The Limestone District School Board is&nbsp;deeply&nbsp;saddened to learn of&nbsp;the&nbsp;horrific events&nbsp;that took place&nbsp;yesterday&nbsp;impacting&nbsp;a&nbsp;school and community in Tumbler Ridge, British&nbsp;Columbia.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: start;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">No words can&nbsp;adequately&nbsp;express our condolences&nbsp;to&nbsp;those affected.&nbsp;Our hearts are with the students, families, and community members who have been&nbsp;directly&nbsp;impacted&nbsp;by&nbsp;this&nbsp;awful event.&nbsp;While there are many national and international events that&nbsp;affect&nbsp;people&nbsp;on a daily or weekly basis, events&nbsp;impacting&nbsp;schools have an impact on everyone attached to schools and education.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: start;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Significant events&nbsp;like these, that are in the public eye and heavily featured on news and social media, can have an impact on students and families&nbsp;in&nbsp;different ways. These impacts may&nbsp;look different&nbsp;for each person&nbsp;and be&nbsp;impacted&nbsp;by&nbsp;their source(s) of&nbsp;information&nbsp;and/or media&nbsp;coverage.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: start;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We are here to offer support.&nbsp;The board’s Educational Services team is available to support students and families as needed.&nbsp;Educational Services&nbsp;has prepared&nbsp;the following tips to help&nbsp;families support students&nbsp;during&nbsp;this time:&nbsp;</span></p><ul class="editor-list-ul"><li value="1" class="editor-listitem" style="text-align: start;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Recognize that&nbsp;students may&nbsp;become concerned that something bad will happen to themselves, family, or friends. Explain that safety measures are in place and reassure them that you and other adults will take care of them.&nbsp;</span></li><li value="2" class="editor-listitem" style="text-align: start;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">If your student is not focused on&nbsp;what&nbsp;happened,&nbsp;avoid dwelling&nbsp;on it&nbsp;or&nbsp;having detailed adult conversations in front of younger&nbsp;students. However, be available to&nbsp;answer questions to the best of your ability. Young&nbsp;students&nbsp;may not be able to express themselves verbally. Pay attention to changes in their&nbsp;behaviour&nbsp;or social interactions.&nbsp;</span></li><li value="3" class="editor-listitem" style="text-align: start;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">For some, limiting exposure to media coverage&nbsp;or other sources of information&nbsp;may be important,&nbsp;particularly when&nbsp;social media&nbsp;platforms&nbsp;contain&nbsp;significant amounts of&nbsp;misinformation&nbsp;or disinformation. Images of a&nbsp;horrific event&nbsp;can&nbsp;become overwhelming, especially if watched repetitively. Young&nbsp;students&nbsp;may not be able to distinguish between images on television&nbsp;or their&nbsp;screen,&nbsp;and their personal reality.&nbsp;For older&nbsp;students who&nbsp;choose to watch the news&nbsp;or&nbsp;scroll&nbsp;social media&nbsp;stories&nbsp;related to&nbsp;the event,&nbsp;be available to discuss what they see and to help put it into perspective.&nbsp;</span></li><li value="4" class="editor-listitem" style="text-align: start;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Be aware of your own needs. Do not ignore your own feelings of anxiety and concern or anger. Talking to friends, family members, and mental health counsellors can help. You will be better able to support&nbsp;others&nbsp;if you can express your own emotions in a productive manner.&nbsp;</span></li></ul><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: start;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In addition, community supports and resources are available:&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p><ul class="editor-list-ul"><li value="1" class="editor-listitem" style="text-align: start;"><a href="https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrack.spe.schoolmessenger.com%2Ff%2Fa%2F5dtj2RpKyWZVMFip7eilAg~~%2FAAAAARA~%2FAhbXHyCLOOtfzcyagEZuGKPLbV5K-tlSWExqTmCL9-NVHVXd5eNYIKPxB8LGeEHouRZa2lvNZ1rO5TreJ7ri-UP7lxBJGi8V600JPmsZCBQkGsmS2uYlqi57IsFtWQki4gqwYIYAWuGuphCTy3wTmUSdDqaCRDgUxId5Uo6sZ2R_Gd8xfoLplCx5s2_bp68vOlgOv7CA2h3n9lyUcaj26A~~&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cgrangea%40limestone.on.ca%7C1dd4b994643e4a1f80be08de698eb5e8%7Ce1f4165febae4d82a73ca0de593830be%7C0%7C0%7C639064258884292586%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=qfUtl3ogntDAI3yxWjmDmIvm79eSfhc0xUDxYtAllIk%3D&amp;reserved=0" title="Original URL: http://track.spe.schoolmessenger.com/f/a/5dtj2RpKyWZVMFip7eilAg~~/AAAAARA~/AhbXHyCLOOtfzcyagEZuGKPLbV5K-tlSWExqTmCL9-NVHVXd5eNYIKPxB8LGeEHouRZa2lvNZ1rO5TreJ7ri-UP7lxBJGi8V600JPmsZCBQkGsmS2uYlqi57IsFtWQki4gqwYIYAWuGuphCTy3wTmUSdDqaCRDgUxId5Uo6sZ2R_Gd8xfoLplCx5s2_bp68vOlgOv7CA2h3n9lyUcaj26A~~. Click or tap if you trust this link." class="editor-link"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">School Mental Health Ontario (SMHO):&nbsp;Noticing mental health concerns for your child (available in multiple languages).</span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">&nbsp;</span></li><li value="2" class="editor-listitem" style="text-align: start;"><a href="https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrack.spe.schoolmessenger.com%2Ff%2Fa%2FsGaKSHHdGG8SUiGKz0wycA~~%2FAAAAARA~%2FfF10_692oyb2YdpPnGy3Q4XV6o3Mk67DwV5Tqn3UlvMyZsmhfOnNBKorxt8Mh8kf3FDVQPjqQpY6DERBy4OAqUCK7S7FnlRLgn_LV8oHPlXWyOzqWQhHhMs4wYeeA5jP7TRNn5yo_wplUeQLt8H-9TxadhgDxh7YXcS2EaYZ34wA230Yv8qLBX7xFwFj6yoNposKTqEfR160-lfZbXLJR-qpRqfiZ0x3j3Z1RD6Ed5Q~&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cgrangea%40limestone.on.ca%7C1dd4b994643e4a1f80be08de698eb5e8%7Ce1f4165febae4d82a73ca0de593830be%7C0%7C0%7C639064258884323230%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=HcQCVcNrn7fz%2Fd3Bxo%2BMhUIHlGVBubuVsMOqKNtjdCY%3D&amp;reserved=0" title="Original URL: http://track.spe.schoolmessenger.com/f/a/sGaKSHHdGG8SUiGKz0wycA~~/AAAAARA~/fF10_692oyb2YdpPnGy3Q4XV6o3Mk67DwV5Tqn3UlvMyZsmhfOnNBKorxt8Mh8kf3FDVQPjqQpY6DERBy4OAqUCK7S7FnlRLgn_LV8oHPlXWyOzqWQhHhMs4wYeeA5jP7TRNn5yo_wplUeQLt8H-9TxadhgDxh7YXcS2EaYZ34wA230Yv8qLBX7xFwFj6yoNposKTqEfR160-lfZbXLJR-qpRqfiZ0x3j3Z1RD6Ed5Q~. Click or tap if you trust this link." class="editor-link"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">SMHO: Help me understand -&nbsp;Talking with your child about mental health</span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">&nbsp;</span></li><li value="3" class="editor-listitem" style="text-align: start;"><a href="https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrack.spe.schoolmessenger.com%2Ff%2Fa%2FB-rUGjR_ntoPgfTuv4IxDw~~%2FAAAAARA~%2FGOPsHpRkdN8JRwFaB_44rvlvO2Wd68Qjl-QA1-H3CkYvc6KxCOMxzrUNdE02hQfB7LyLqAOW96jpWnyoI3Gj3RRzqUjzGjKbgXD-64VVvzYUWzyeSueuY0Cfpqa1KPkGUpHDp_B_O44DqTr4HmyGmv31Yfwv-8sOkxthyTC6IHc~&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cgrangea%40limestone.on.ca%7C1dd4b994643e4a1f80be08de698eb5e8%7Ce1f4165febae4d82a73ca0de593830be%7C0%7C0%7C639064258884342394%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=m9mEfYyan7f5ApKOq2M3EKtkirEFAW75tMfTEPvHiZM%3D&amp;reserved=0" title="Original URL: http://track.spe.schoolmessenger.com/f/a/B-rUGjR_ntoPgfTuv4IxDw~~/AAAAARA~/GOPsHpRkdN8JRwFaB_44rvlvO2Wd68Qjl-QA1-H3CkYvc6KxCOMxzrUNdE02hQfB7LyLqAOW96jpWnyoI3Gj3RRzqUjzGjKbgXD-64VVvzYUWzyeSueuY0Cfpqa1KPkGUpHDp_B_O44DqTr4HmyGmv31Yfwv-8sOkxthyTC6IHc~. Click or tap if you trust this link." class="editor-link"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">MediaSmarts:&nbsp;Talking to kids about the news</span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">&nbsp;</span></li><li value="4" class="editor-listitem" style="text-align: start;"><a href="https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrack.spe.schoolmessenger.com%2Ff%2Fa%2FPpJyaOfrMZI5jxlmAY1AuA~~%2FAAAAARA~%2FutqsihRUAlNFqHS6i0_r2eWrq9k46bXvJGBcg9iKBpfLwvkzu0rrHfDAgIx4YjsPQaxM6sA37Dj2uHCkAg7lCFGtuiMYSGbMigwAkhXjo-kQzHwwa-vqFaZli2F9TR61&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cgrangea%40limestone.on.ca%7C1dd4b994643e4a1f80be08de698eb5e8%7Ce1f4165febae4d82a73ca0de593830be%7C0%7C0%7C639064258884362998%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=6z4yQ70qwPOrEaqU6eRTmE%2Bizkj7MeYT4f0bpeYJPQw%3D&amp;reserved=0" title="Original URL: http://track.spe.schoolmessenger.com/f/a/PpJyaOfrMZI5jxlmAY1AuA~~/AAAAARA~/utqsihRUAlNFqHS6i0_r2eWrq9k46bXvJGBcg9iKBpfLwvkzu0rrHfDAgIx4YjsPQaxM6sA37Dj2uHCkAg7lCFGtuiMYSGbMigwAkhXjo-kQzHwwa-vqFaZli2F9TR61. Click or tap if you trust this link." class="editor-link"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Kids Help Phone</span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">&nbsp;is available to students&nbsp;24/7&nbsp;by calling&nbsp;1-800-688-6868 or&nbsp;by&nbsp;texting&nbsp;“CONNECT”&nbsp;to 686868.&nbsp;</span></li></ul><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: start;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">As always, Limestone’s top priority&nbsp;remains&nbsp;the safety and well-being of students and staff. This is a responsibility we take very seriously. If you have concerns about how your student is reacting to this&nbsp;event,&nbsp;or&nbsp;any&nbsp;other&nbsp;national or&nbsp;international&nbsp;significant events,&nbsp;or&nbsp;feel&nbsp;additional&nbsp;support may be helpful, please reach out to your school.&nbsp;</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">​​​​​​​</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: start;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sincerely,&nbsp;</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Krishna&nbsp;Burra, Director of Education&nbsp;</span></p>