westdale`s newsletter - Westdale Public School

WESTDALE’S
NEWSLETTER
THE
Principal:
Mrs. Poppy Gilliam
Vice-Principal:
Mrs. Jane Brown
Secretary:
Mrs. Dawn Holderney
Superintendent:
Mrs. Kelly Pisek
INSIDE
THIS ISSUE:
Kindergarten
Open House
2
Gr. 8 Open
House and
Academy
3
French Immersion a
4
Snow Policy
5
CAT’S
TALE
JAN UAR Y
20 1 4
Principal’s Message...
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! I hope everyone had an enjoyable and relaxing holiday season! As we return to school, we will be encouraging students to regain their
focus and put forth their best efforts. Parents, you can help children at home by
checking organizers daily, checking assignments, reading together and working together at home.
For parents, please make being mindful of our parking lot situation one of your New
Year’s resolutions. If we all work together to find appropriate parking spots and/or
park on side streets and walk to get our children, we can make our lot safer for everyone! Older students are highly encouraged to walk which is a wonderful, healthy
alternative and this will help eliminate parking congestion.
We want to congratulate Ethan Chase, one of our Grade 7
Westdale students, who was chosen by Shreddies Canada as
one of its 5 contestants for the “Spread the Goodness” campaign. Ethan, a hockey player himself, has been collecting
used hockey equipment since 2009 and he has been distributing it to underprivileged hockey players throughout Ontario and around the world. Good luck, Ethan!
If you ever have any questions or concerns, please call me,
make an appointment, or pop by the school and try to catch
me.
~ Mrs. Poppy Gilliam
Mayor Brian
McMullan
6
Contest Winner
7
Jr Volleyball
8
Food & Gifts Raised for Community Care
We had thousands of dollars of food and gifts raised by our Westdale community and through our Dance-a-thon which helped designated families
within our own school. Way to go Westdale! Thank you for your incredible generosity and helping teach Westdale students the incredible importance of helping others! We also send out a huge thank you to Mrs. Trush
who came back to volunteer to separate and organize all of our donations!
This was a HUGE task! And finally a thank you to Mrs. Autumn Young
(our School Council Chair) who got all of the bins from Zehr‟s donated.
Thank you for making a difference!
PAGE
2
Get Ready!
February is New
to Kindergarten
Registration
month!
Thursday, February 6th
Professional
Activity Day
Friday, January
17th is a
Professional
Activity Day for
our staff. The
school will be
closed for
students.
KINGERGARTEN REGISTRATION
Children who will be four years of age or older by December 31 are eligible to
enrol in Kindergarten starting September 2014. Going to school for the first time
is a major step for children and their parents. At the DSBN, families start that
journey together at the „Kindergarten Countdown‟ open houses. Families can
visit our school, meet the kindergarten teacher, and receive a gift bag filled with
fun learning resources and information that will help children develop school
readiness skills. Mark your calendar for Thursday, February 6, 2014
from 4- 6 p.m. for our Kindergarten Countdown open house. Visit
www.dsbn.org and click on “Kindergarten Registration” for all the details!
If you have a neighbour or friend who should register, please share this information with them. Thanks!
WESTDALE’S
NEWSLETTER
THE
CAT’S
TALE
PAGE
Grade 8 Secondary School Open Houses
Secondary School Open Houses are running during the week of
January 13th. This is a great opportunity for parents and Grade
8 students to get to know their local secondary school—find
out about the courses needed for a Secondary School Graduation Diploma, learn the difference between Academic, Applied
and Essential level programs; find out what extra-curricular activities are available at your school; tour the facility and see
what it has to offer; and, have an opportunity to ask lots of
questions! (For more information, please go to www.dsbn.org/
yourfuture/ ).
St. Catharine’s Collegiate Open
House:
Wednesday, January 15th 6pm—8pm
Sir Winston Churchill Open
House:
Thursday, January 16th
6:30pm—8:30pm
VANDALISM AT GORDON SCHOOL
DSBN ACADEMY
DSBN Academy is a unique program designed to help students become the first in their family to attain a college or university education. It is the first program of its kind in Ontario. Students attend
the Academy from Grades 6 through 12 for what is called “postsecondary immersion”. The Academy is a regional program that students may apply to become a part of.
Applications Due: Monday January 13th, 2014
Contact Tom Reynolds, Elementary Administrator 905-684-8708 - [email protected]
3
Bienvenue!
In January the DSBN will open registration for Grade 1 at selected sites and Grade 4 at all sites. The
French Department will be accepting applications on the DSBN website www.dsbn.org/fi Application packages will also be available at the office.
Registration will open January 6, 2014 and will close on
February 14, 2014 @ 4pm.
******************************************************************************************************************
“The ability to communicate in French is a valuable skill, because French is one of Canada’s two official languages and because it is a language used widely around the world. Research confirms
that knowledge of a second language strengthens first language skills and that the ability to speak
two or more languages generally enhances reasoning and problem solving skills, as well as creative-thinking skills. Learning a second language not only strengthens students’ ability to communicate, but also develops their capacity to understand and respect other cultures. In this way, second-language learning prepares students to participate more effectively in the workplace and in
the global economy, and provides them with a distinct advantage in a number of careers, both in
Canada and internationally.” (pg 3 of theE.F./F.I. Curriculum Document (C.D.) 2001.
For anyone interested… please visit
Sir Winston Churchill on January 22nd from
6:30pm -7:30pm
for grade 1 or 4 French Immersion for
September 2014
(FYI - French Immersion School for September
2014 will be Jeanne Sauve Public School at
91 Bunting Road, St. Catharines)
PLAYING OUTSIDE EVERY DAY
Each and every day, unless there is a severe winter weather alert, we will endeavour to get
our students outside to play and get some fresh air. Please send your child with appropriate
warm winter gear. Hats are essential for warmth and when dressed properly, kids can really
enjoy our Canadian winter and have fun!
WESTDALE’S SNOW POLICYNOW!
The snow is here!!! Now that the kids are dressed warm, Westdale‟s policy with respect to snow is “Please
leave it on the ground”. To ensure the safety of students on our playground during the
winter months, it is necessary for us to ban the throwing/kicking of snow/ice, as well as
the use of the playground equipment. Children are also not permitted to slide on the ice for their
safety. The students are constantly reminded of this rule during in-class discussions and over announcements. We just want to make sure that everyone is safe. Kindly keep your children after school off of the
equipment as well for their safety.
We have a “1-2-3” policy to keep it easy for our students. All snow incidents are tracked.
1st offense - Warning & sent to office
2nd offense - Removal of recess outside and Parent contact
3rd offense - Suspension
We use the progressive discipline model and each situation considers mitigating factors. We have
found this very successful in the past to prevent unsafe situations. As always, student safety is our
first priority.
SCHOOL CLOSURES… WHERE DO I GET THE INFORMATION?
There may be times during the school year where inclement weather or other situations could cause transportation
cancellations or school closures. Information about transportation changes and school closures will be available on
the websites, social media, and radio and television stations listed below as soon as it is available. Please do not
phone the school for transportation or school closure information.
Websites/Social Media: www.dsbn.org
http://twitter.com/D_S_B_N
http://www.facebook.com/DSBNiagara
Television:
Cogeco Cable 10 , CHCH Television, City TV
Radio: CKTB 610 am, CHML 900 am, EZ Rock 105.7 fm, Htz 97.7 fm, KLite
102.9 fmThe River 105.1 fm, Wave 94.7 fm, Y-108 – 107.9 fm, Z 101.1 fm
Congrats to Westdale, chosen to paint the
windows of City Hall
Special thanks to Ms. McClay, who took a crew of 12 Grade 5 - 8 students to paint the windows of
St. Catharine‟s City Hall! We also thank Mr. Falon, one of our student teachers, and Ms.
McClay‟s brother-in-law and sister-in-law (both artists) for joining our students. They had a
chance to meet Mayor Brian McMullan who took time to answer questions as some of our students were studying civil politics.
Cameron McGregor wins
Director’s Holiday Card Contest!
Congratulations to Cameron McGregor, one of our
Kindergarten students in Mrs. Petro‟s class, for
winning the Director‟s Holiday Card contest. This
was a huge accomplishment as only 10 students
won across the entire District School Board of Niagara. Cameron was honoured at the Board meeting last month and got to meet the director and received a special plaque for his accomplishments!
Principal Mrs. Poppy Gilliam and Cameron
Director Mr. Warren Hoshizaki & Cameron with
his card projected on the screen
CONGRATULATIONS JUNIOR GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TEAM!
Congratulations to our junior girls volleyball team who placed 3rd at the DSBN tournament! The girls
had an incredible season and were nicknamed the “Comeback Queens” by their coaches as they managed on several occasions to beat what seemed like insurmountable odds to rally and win! To make it to
the DSBN tournament is a real honour and to come 3rd is absolutely AMAZING! Thanks to Mrs. Petro
and Mrs. Sacco for coaching the girls this season!
Vaccines and Elementary School Children
Niagara Region Public Health is conducting an annual review of vaccination records for all
elementary school children in the Niagara region. If the vaccination information we have
on file for your child is NOT complete, you will receive a letter and questionnaire from
us in the mail later this month (January, 2014).
Please follow the instructions for reporting your child’s vaccinations to us, as outlined
in the letter. Various options for reporting are available.
If your child is overdue for one or more vaccinations, you will need to make an appointment with your child’s doctor to get your child vaccinated. You can also make an
appointment for your child at one of Public Health’s General Immunization Clinics by
calling 905-688-8248 or 1-888-505-6074 ext. 7425.
If you are a parent/guardian not wishing to vaccinate your child, you will need to provide Niagara Region Public Health with an original legal exemption document.
Students under 18 years of age attending Ontario schools must have proof of immunization
against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, and rubella (German measles). We are
required to have this information by law (Immunization of School Pupils Act, 1990). Please
provide us with your child’s missing vaccination information by March 7, 2014 or your
child may be suspended from school.
For more information, please call the Vaccine
Preventable Disease Program at 905-688-8248
or 1-888-505-6074 ext. 7425.
“Hey Parents! Do you know what your kids are watching?”
Young people look to celebrities for reassurance about their fashion and behaviour.
The evidence is clear….the more youth see smoking in movies, the more likely they are to
start smoking.
Ways to Protect our Kids
1. Be aware of what your children are viewing and learn which movies have
smoking in them.
2. Talk to your children about tobacco and movies and teach them to be media aware.
3. Show your support to get tobacco out of youth-rated films in Ontario at
smokefreemovies.ca
4. Spread the word to other parents and join the discussion on facebook and twitter.
www.smokefreemovies.ca