December 2015 Newsletter

PONSONBY PUBLIC SCHOOL
#5923 Wellington Road 7, R.R. # 5
Guelph, ON N1H 6J2
Phone: (519) 824-9447 FAX: (519) 824-9041
Ab Henshaw, Principal
Anita Way, Office Co-Ordinator
www.ugdsb.on.ca/Ponsonby
________________________________________________________________________________________
Principal’s Report
DECEMBER 2015
November was a busy month. Students became mad scientists every Tuesday in the gym and library. It was wonderful
to see such participation.
Students learned a great deal about combatting bullying. Elsie Morden delivered a strong message in her “No Time for
That” Assembly.
th
On November 11 Ponsonby students travelled to the Salem Cenotaph. Our students were very respectful during the
Remembrance Day Service. Thank you to everyone who contributed money towards the Elora Poppy Fund. It was the
most ever raised for this worthy cause; $222.00!
You may also be aware that Mr. Henshaw retired after a long and worthy career. We all wish him well as he moves on. I
have the pleasure of working at Ponsonby until the end of December.
As you might be aware, Ponsonby students raised $412.00 with their colour houses for men’s health; a Movember
Challenge. They celebrated on Thursday, November 26 in an assembly to acknowledge this achievement. Special
thanks go to Ms. McPhedran and Ms. White for coordinating this effort. Additional votes of gratitude go to Ms. Salmon for
her dramatic reading of Moosestache. Mr. Ellis for providing audio-visual support and Mr. Boyce for his microphone
acumen.
Friday, November 27 was a PA Day and Saturday was the presentation of the Christmas Bazaar. Thank you, School
Council and parents who made the day such a success. Not only were there gifts galore, donated by a giving community,
but also activities for children to allow adults to enjoy the offerings.
Speaking of December, as you can imagine, a great deal is happening.
• Marden Library personnel visit the school;
• Grade 1 and 2 classes enjoy the River Run;
• Grade 6 students learn about Pompeii at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto;
• The Book Fair begins December 7;
• Our Holiday Celebration Concert is on December 8 at 9:00 am (Please Note: lost & found items will be on
display)
• The Annual Turkey Dinner is appreciated on December 9 at 11:45; and
• Our Kindergarten and Grade 2 students are involved in a Dental Screening on December 15!
As always we thank you for allowing us the pleasure of working with your children. Please have a safe and happy
holiday. Our first day back at school will be Monday, January 4, 2016!
All the best,
Paul Tribe, Acting Principal
Violence Threat Risk Assessment Protocol (VTRA)
The Upper Grand District School Board is committed to providing safe learning environments for all students, staff, school
visitors, and community members. When a student behaves inappropriately, Principals use progressive discipline to help
a student take responsibility for their actions, change their behaviour, and learn from their mistakes.
When safety is threatened by the potentially violent or dangerous behaviour of a student, which places either the student
or others at risk, school staff follow specific protocols for the protection of all. It is important that you and your children are
aware of these protocols.
For more information, please visit the board’s website: http://www.ugdsb.on.ca/parents/article.aspx?id=51057
This is just a reminder that the last day before Christmas Break is Friday, December 18th.
During the holiday season as well as Birthday celebrations many baked goodies are brought into the
school. Please ensure none of the items contain nuts or nut oils. Some of these are listed on the bright
orange sheet you received in September. You should also check with the classroom teacher or Mrs. Way
before bringing baked goods into the school.
Once again THANK YOU for your continued effort to send snacks that DO NOT contain nuts.
Since the colder weather is now upon us our students are wearing hats to
keep warm. We all know that kids like to share things, including hats. With
this, of course, comes the potential for little critters to appear, in the form of
head lice. They can be a real nuisance! Please check you child’s head
weekly to help eliminate these critters.
If you would be willing to volunteer to help with monthly head checks
please contact Mrs. Way in the office 519-824-9447. Thank you 
HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS
Come one, come all to the Ponsonby Holiday Celebration Concert on
Tuesday, December 8th – 9:00 a.m.
We hope you can join us!
APPROPRIATE WINTER WEAR
It seems that due to our mild November weather, some students are coming to school unprepared for the
winter weather and our wind chill effect due to the open fields. Please encourage your child to dress
appropriately for the weather as they spend 40 minutes outside at each nutrition break. We no longer have a
clothing cupboard to borrow. Please remember to label your child’s clothing! Thank you for your support.
Kindergarten Registration - 2016 - 2017
Kindergarten Registration for the School Year 2016 - 2017 will take place early February 2016.
Eligible students for the Junior Kindergarten program must be four years of age on or before December 31,
2016 and students must be five years of age on or before December 31, 2016 to register for Senior Kindergarten.
Parents must provide proof of birth date (original birth certificate), and immunization & address information at the time of
registration. Please complete the attached Pre-registration slip and return it to Mrs. Way. Also, if you have a neighbour
with a young child ready for Junior or Senior Kindergarten please have them call the school at 519-824-9447.
REPORTING ABSENCES:
We are asking for your help! As a school, we are required by the Health Unit to report daily absences. Part of the
information we need to report is whether the absentees have cold or flu symptoms. If you are calling to report your child’s
absence, we ask that you leave “cold symptoms” or “flu symptoms” as part of your message. Thank you for your help !
December Library Link
Book Fair
The book fair is coming to Ponsonby! Classes will have a sneak peek on December 4th and students will
have a chance to make a wish list. The Book Fair will be open for business from December 7th - 9th during
the second nutrition break between 2:00-2:40pm each day. Also, on December 8th, the Book Fair will be
open from 10:40-11:30am following the Christmas concert. Please stop by to do some Christmas
shopping! Purchasing from the Book Fair helps the school library earn credits to go towards purchasing
new books for our library and the gift of reading is the best gift ever.
Library Helpers
The Library Helper schedule has been set and I am so pleased with the keen and eager helpers who have
signed up to be Library Helpers this year. Library Helpers help shelve books, organize books for classes,
repair books and do other jobs in the Library. They are valuable to helping keep our Library neat and
organized. I want to thank all the students who have signed up this year…they are doing a great job!
Soup Labels
Thank you to the families who continue to bring in their Campbell Soup and product labels. The labels go
towards earning points that enable us to get a variety of supplies/equipment for the school. If there is a
parent who would like to take on the job of counting and recording our labels, please contact
Mrs. Cruikshank. Thanks again for all of the support!
Mrs. Cruikshank, Teacher Librarian
INCLEMENT WEATHER
The decision to cancel transportation is made by 6:30 am.
School bus cancellation information is posted daily on the foloiwng web sites:
-Upper Grand District School Board: www.ugdsb.on.ca
-Wellington Dufferin Student Transportation: www.stwdsts.ca
Media
School bus cancellation and school closure information is also available by listening to the following radio
stations and watching the following news programs:
AM 570 News
AM 680 CFTR
AM 820 CHAM
AM 900 CHML
AM 920 CKNX
AM 1090 OLDIES
AM 1150 CKOC
AM 1460 CJOY
89.1 CBC KW
94.5 THE BULL
96.7 FM CHYM
98.1 FM CHFI
99.1 FM CBC
101.7 FM CKNX
102.9 FM CKLH
105.3 KOOL FM
106.1 MAGIC FM
107.9 FM CJXY
CKCO-TV
A Channel News
CTV News, Barrie
The announcement on the radio will be one of the following:
1. All school taxis and buses in Division 2 – Blue – Centre Wellington will not be operating today.
2. All schools, both Public and Catholic, are closed today.
“NO BUS” Days for Ponsonby PS !
When there is a “No Bus” day, our school will be OPEN for students. We certainly hope that as many students
as possible are able to come to school, but it is up to parents/guardians to decide whether or not it is safe to
get them here. When the buses don’t run in the morning, they won’t run in the afternoon either. Parents will
need to make arrangements for both directions: getting their children to school and making sure they get home
at the end of the day. As has happened in the past, announcements will be made early in the morning on the
radio and on the Transportation website (http://www.stwdsts.ca/) about any transportation cancellations.
Inclement Weather Policy
It is a parent/guardian’s responsibility to determine whether or not it is safe for their child(ren) to leave for
school in inclement or severe weather.
Parents/Guardians must be aware of the following:
a.
When a bus does not travel a route in the morning due to fog, ice or snow conditions, it will not
travel that route in the afternoon.
b.
If a parent/guardian elects to drive their child(ren) to school on a day when buses do not run, they
are responsible for pick-up of the children at dismissal time.
c.
Walkers are expected at school on Inclement Weather Days. If your child is a walker and you elect to
keep them home please call the school and leave a message on ext. 100.
SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS
Thank you, thank you & thank you to each and every one of you for all your donations, baking etc. and coming
out to help make our Christmas Bazaar such a huge success. A fun day was had by all.
For those of you who were unable to attend we have poinsettias still available to be purchased in the office.
These are stunningly beautiful plants in two different sizes and two colors. These would make a perfect gift or
they can be used to dress up the home or office for the upcoming season.
Congratulations to all our basket winners! Please remember to pick up your items ASAP from the office.
Our annual Fundscrip fundraiser is now complete with just over $12,000 worth of gift cards ordered. Delivery is
scheduled for Dec. 11. Envelopes will be sent home with your oldest or only child unless you have been
notified of another delivery method. Thank you again for supporting our school.
Last year was a big year regarding fundraising for the outdoor classroom. Thanks to everyone for helping us
see this project through. We are heading into next year with a great budget and money available for many
inschool opportunities for our students. Some of these items have been returned from previous years and
some are new additions. A few of the items council is supporting this year are scientists in the classroom, an
author visit, spring play, $500 for new primary reading books, $500 budget for juniors (use to be
determined)and the yearend trip. Please see the minutes posted for the complete budget. We are looking at
Elmira chicken dates for later in the New Year as this may be our only fundraiser until school year end. Please
remember supporting a fundraising program is always optional. If you wish to help in another way see the
“Learning Foundation” link on our homepage to donate. Remember this is tax deductible !!!
Ponsonby has once again received a $1000 grant from the Ministry for our “Get Creative Ponsonby” day. The
date and theme for this year will be announced later as it is run in the springtime. We would love to hear some
of your ideas for themes.
Council has a new email address [email protected] Please send any ideas, comments or question
to this address. We would love to hear from you!
Council would like to take this opportunity to wish Mr. Henshaw a happy & healthy retirement!
Council would like to officially welcome Mr. Paul Tribe as Acting Principal to Ponsonby PS.
We look forward to working with you.
Next council meeting is January 18, 2016 @ 6:30 pm….All are welcome to attend.
Wishing you all a wonderful, safe holiday season……Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
Laurie Kaczmarczyk, Council chair
TURKEY DINNER
Wow – can’t believe it is December already! Thank you to everyone who sent in forms and money. Also
thanks to parents who signed up to volunteer. You will be receiving a phone call soon to confirm your
participation and to arrange pick up of food if you volunteered to cook. Looking forward to turkey and fixings
on Wednesday, December 9th…
Tina Meissner & Leah Graff
Some photos from Saturday’s Christmas Market !
“Greatness starts within a community”
THREE DAYS OF CHIRSTMAS !
On Friday December 4th, the Grade 6 class will be off to the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto to see the Pompeii
exhibit, and learn about the people of our First Nations. To help reduce costs, the students are selling Christmas candy
grams. Each week in December, a small order form will be sent home, and for $3.00, you can send a little Happy Holiday
treat to a fellow student, or teacher.
On the following afternoons, before buses, the Grade 6’s will be delivering the candy grams:
-
Thursday, December 3
Friday, December 11; and
Friday, December 18
Any additional profits will carry over towards their May camping trip. Thanks again for your continued support.
Mr. Ellis
Upper Grand Learning Foundation
One way people in our community support our school is through The Upper Grand Learning Foundation (UGLF). This is a
non-profit, registered charitable organization and is independent and separate from the Upper Grand District School
Board. Therefore, if you decide to direct money to support programs at Ponsonby Public School, you would also receive
a charitable donation receipt. We have included a copy of the donation form in this month’s newsletter.
Please feel free to visit www.uppergrandlearningfoundation.com to learn more.
There are many ways your money makes a difference. We include this picture showing the grand opening of our
outdoor classroom funded by our committed School Council. This would not have been possible without the financial
commitment of this community. The UGLF provides another way to assist in enriching your children’s experiences.
Thank you!
UPPER GRAND LEARNING FOUNDATION
500 Victoria Road North, Guelph, Ontario N1E 6K2
Charitable Registration Number 89445 0444 RR0001
CONTRIBUTION FORM
Name _____________________________________________________________________________________
Address ___________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________ Postal Code___________________
Please accept my gift of $________________________
Donor(s) Signature(s) __________________________________________________________
Method of Payment
A. Enclosed is my cheque ________________________
(Please make payable to: Upper Grand Learning Foundation)
B. Charge my VISA_____ MasterCard________ Card Number________________________
Signature________________________________ Expiry Date___________________
Please credit my gift to (circle your choice) :
A. General Fund – I want to donate to these unrestricted funds accessible to schools and community groups for educational programming or
activities. Applications for these funds are reviewed by UGLF and funds are disbursed according to funds availability.
B. School Fund – I want to designate my donation to:
____________________________________________________________________________________
(Name of school)
C. Scholarship Fund – I want to donate a Scholarship to a particular school; I have discussed my intention with that school’s Principal and/or
Guidance Head; I have completed the Scholarship Agreement with UGLF.
D. Sponsor an Award – to recognize student achievement at:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(Name of school)
Please forward your donation and completed Contribution Form to the Upper Grand Learning Foundation at the above address or to the attention
of Upper Grand Learning Foundation through Waverley Drive Public School.
Tax receipts will be issued for contributions of $10 or more.
For more information, please see our Privacy Policy at www.uppergrandlearningfoundation.com
PONSONBY PUBLIC SCHOOL
KINDERGARTEN PRE-REGISTRATION NOTICE
CHILDREN MUST BE 5 YEARS OF AGE BY DECEMBER 31, 2016 FOR KINDERGARTEN
AND 4 YEARS OF AGE BY DECEMBER 31, 2016 FOR JUNIOR KINDERGARTEN.
PLEASE PRINT !
Child’s Name:
Date of Birth:
Month
Day
Year
Father’s Name:
Mother’s Name:
Email Address to receive School Information: _________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Postal Code:
Sibling: ___________________________________________
Telephone Number: Home - ___________________
________________________
Work -
Please return to the main office
December 2015
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
1
Wednesday
(D3)
2
Mad Science
Marden Visits
Sub Day
6
7
(D2)
Book Fair Begins
14
(D2)
20
21
5
11
12
Pizza Day
10
(D5)
KA, KB Trip to The
Museum—KW
15
(D3)
9:00 am J/SK,Gr. 2
Dental Screening
16
17
Sub Day
22
Hot Dog Day
(D5)
24
(D1)
LITTERLESS
LUNCH
Pizza Day
Pizza Day
23
Saturday
4
(D1)
7:30 am Gr. 6 Trip
to Toronto
9
(D4)
11:45 Annual
Turkey Dinner
& Legion Awards
(D4)
Friday
3
(D5)
12:45 pm—Gr. 1,2
River Run Trip
8
(D3)
9:00 am Holiday
Celebration Concert
FINAL Mad Science
Sub Day
13
(D4)
Thursday
18
(D1)
19
Grilled Cheese Day
25
26
H A P P Y
27
28
29
30
31
H O L I D A Y S
HAPPY NEW YEAR !!
First Day back to school is:
Monday, January 4, 2016
January 2016
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
1
Saturday
2
DRAFT
3
4
(D2)
Happy New Year &
Welcome Back !
5
(D3)
6
(D4)
Sub Day
10
11
(D2)
12
(D3)
18
(D2)
6:30 pm School
Council Meeting
25
(D1)
Sub Day
31
8
19
(D3)
26
(D2)
(D1)
Hot Dog Day
14
(D5)
12:45 pm—Gr. 5,6
River Run Trip
15
22
Volleyball Team
- Elora P.S.
21 (D5) Pizza Day
12:45 pm—Gr. 3,4
River Run Trip
Volleyball-Weather
27
28
29
13
(D4)
Pizza Day
Sub Day
24
(D5)
Pizza Day
Sub Day
17
7
20
(D4)
(D3)
Pizza Day
16
Litterless Lunch
Day
23
P.A.
Day
Date
(D4)
(D1)
9
(D5)
9:00 Gr.3-4 Scientists in Classroom
Grilled Cheese Day
30