Uniacke District School Newsletter

Uniacke District School Newsletter
October 3, 2016
Principal: D. Walker [email protected]
Volume 1, Issue 2
Vice-Principal: M. Peveril [email protected]
Administrative Assistant: P. George
Website: www.uniacke.ednet.ns.ca
Fall has arrived!
Dear Parents / Guardians,
Contents
Principal’s News
1
Allergy Alert
1
Lost and Found
1
Busing
1
Terry Fox
2
UDS Fundraiser
2
Arrival and Dismissal
2
Hat / Casual days
2
Noon supervisors
3
School Advisory Council
3
Home and School
3
Upcoming dates
3
Sports News
3
World Teacher Day
3
Early Dismissal Pilot
4
Message from Dept
4
September has been a busy,
organizational time for all of our staff
and this year is no different. We are
now into the brilliant, colorful month of
October, routines have been established
and everything and everyone is settling
into a year filled with great
expectations.
Ghosts and goblins are just around the
corner and, again this year, Uniacke
District School is celebrating Halloween
with the wearing of orange and black.
The combinations of the black and
orange, and the interesting ways they
are combined, are as interesting as any
costume could be. Please check with
your child’s teacher to see if his /her
class is celebrating in any other way.
A thank you is due to all the parents
who came out to Curriculum night in
Lost and Found
We have a number of sweaters and
jackets in the lost and found. Please
ask your children to check at the office
to find lost and misplaced items. Please
label your child’ / children’s clothing.
Thank you.
Thank you for your support in
creating an “allergy-safe”
environment for our staff and
students.
September. We hope you were able
to take home information that will
help you understand our goals for
your children.
On behalf of the staff, we wish our
families a peaceful Thanksgiving
weekend.
Sincerely,
Darlene Walker
Please ensure your son/ daughter
knows
her bus
Newshisor/“Back
to driver’s
School.”name
As you
andchoose
stop to
and
from
school.
the
title,
also
take If
time to
students
/parents
any questions
think about
the have
newsletter’s
theme.
concerning
the
bus,
please
What important messagesdon’t
do you
hesitate
tosend
give parents
us a calland
andfamilies?
we’ll
want to
try our best to answer your
Next, establish
how much
time and
questions.
Bus changes
are only
money you
can
spend on your
permissible
for
babysitting
newsletter. These
will help
requirements,
not forfactors
play dates
and
determine
how
frequently
you
parties. A written note is required
publish
the newsletter
and its length.
from
the parent
/guardian.
Use the body of your school
newsletter to keep parents apprised
of major assignments and class
events, as well as of any school
district news. Share news for specific
grade levels, and tell parents about
upcoming events, new faculty, and
school policies. You can also provide
explanations of how projects and
daily work conform to the state
standards.
The purpose of a newsletter is to
provide specialized information to a
targeted audience. A school
newsletter can be a great way to
develop a strong relationship with
parents.
First choose a short title for your
newsletter— something like "School
Page 2 of 3
October News
School Newsletter
Terry Fox National Run Day
Uniacke District School run was held
on Thursday, September 29th. At 1pm
the entire school population was off
and running. Thank you to the
students, parents, relatives, friends
and staff of UDS. Your generosity is
appreciated! Terry Fox had a dream
one day the world would be free of
cancer. We are one big step closer to
making that dream come true. Once
again, thank you for your support.
Thank you to Ms. Wilbur for their
support in organizing the event.
UDS Fundraiser
Home of the
Wolves
Uniacke District School
551 # 1 Highway
Mount Uniacke
Nova Scotia B0N 1Z0
Phone:
(902) 866-5100
Fax:
(902) 866-5105
Website:
www.uniacke.ednet.ns.ca
“Children are the
world's most
valuable resource
and its best hope
for the future”
(John Fitzgerald
Kennedy)
It is time for the first school fundraiser
of the year. There will be another
fundraiser in the New Year. These
fundraisers are important to our school
community as they assist us with costs
during the school year. We use monies
raised to do such things as; support to
school trips and bringing in special
guests during the school year such as
Neptune Theatre, Discovery Centre or
the Wildlife Park. a timely return and a
Arrival and Dismissal
Supervision of students begins at
7:40am and we ask that parents not
drop off children prior to this time.
Dismissal time is 2:05pm and we ask
parents who choose to pick up their
child to provide a written note to the
teacher for safety purposes. When
making arrangements for pickup of your
students for the end of the day, we ask
that these be done prior to the school
day. A note for the teacher is the best
Hat / Casual Days
This year the students and staff of UDS
will once again be participating in Hat
/Casual days on the Friday of each
week. Students bring in a donation
(usually 25 cents) for the privilege of
wearing their hat during class and staff
make a donation ($2.00) to wear their
jeans.
While there are many, many worthwhile
charities, we have selected three
charities to support:
NOON HOUR SUPERVISORS
We are still looking for people who are
interested in being “spare” noon hour
supervisors. The responsibility is to
supervise students during our two lunch
periods from 11:10 -12:55. The
candidates must be willing to have child
abuse and criminal records checks
done. If interested, please contact the
main office at 866 -5100. Thank you
correspondence to let us know of
changes. Due to full loads on our
busses, bus changes can only be
accommodated for childcare reasons.
If you are picking up your student at the
end of the day, we kindly ask that
pickup be done after the first bus
students are dismissed. If your child
knows ahead of time that the
arrangement is to be picked up, you can
check in to the office after the first bus
run to collect them to reduce the
congestion in the front foyer and
minimizing classroom interruptions.
Thank you for your cooperation.
1.
We thank
you for your help on these
2.
Terry Fox foundation
issues.
It
is
for the safety of all of our
3.
Unicef
students.
4.
is unavoidable
due to appointments
and
Early Literacy
Initiative
trust that you will support minimizing
classroom interruptions. Thank you.
Thank
you for
support
these
All
visitors
are helping
asked tousplease
check
in
very
worthwhile
charities.
at the main office and enter by the
main door of the school. This is to
ensure the safety of our students. If
picking up your child during the day, we
ask
thatyou
youcan
please
sign
money
spend
onthem
your out at the
main
desk
and
the
administrative
newsletter. These factors will help
October News
School Newsletter
Visitor Check in
SPORTS NEWS
In an effort to keep our school safe and
Secure we monitor individuals entering our
building during school hours. Anyone
entering our building during school hours
Is required to report to the office to sign in
and wear a visitor’s tag. Any individual
found in our school without a visitor’s tag
or a CCRSB ID will be asked to return to
the office.
The visitor’s tag indicates to our students
and staff that you are a safe person.
Please be mindful and respectful of our
Safe School procedures.
procedures.
School Advisory Council (SAC)
Uniacke
District School will have
.
openings
formindful
parentand
/ community
Please be
members
respectfulfor
of the
our 2016
Sa -2017 academic
year. The council meets once per
month. If you are interested or know of
a community member that may be
interested please contact the school at
866 -5100. More information will follow
in upcoming newsletters. Our first
meeting is October 17th @6:30pm
Page 3 of 5
Wow! Just over a month has come and gone already.
It has been a very busy and exciting time around the
school gymnasium and outdoor fields. The girls’
volleyball team are busy preparing for the season
with the support of Ms. Creelman and Ms. O’Donnell.
Boys soccer is underway and we are very thankful
for the volunteer commitment from Chris Horne,
Chris McDaniels, and Matthew Cohen. Cross country
running is underway for our students under the
leadership of Mr. Mac Donald, Mr. Mac Mullin, and
Ms. Crowell. We wish all the best to the teams and
thank the volunteers for providing the athletic
opportunities for students. GO UDS!!!!
Home and School
We are very fortunate to have an outstanding Home and School
association at Uniacke District. Funds raised through the
icture or graphic.
generosity of the association have supported the completion of
the playground swings, field trips, special events, baseball field
upgrades, sports clock and many other events. On behalf of the
school community we would like to thank the committee for
their support and look forward to the upcoming year.
Dress Code
Upcoming Dates
We do have a dress code, and ask
students to wear clothing that
October
5th bodies. Thin straps,
Picture Day
covers
their
th
October
6
Junior High Class Trip (Halifax Oval)
low cut tops,thlow cut jeans, and
October
103
Thanksgiving Holiday (no school)
exposed midriffs
are inappropriate
October 26th
attire for school.
Baggy pants Junior
that High Dance (6:30 -8:30pm)
October 28th
Provincial In service (no school)
hang
low and
November
11thexpose underwear
Remembrance Day (no school)
areNovember
inappropriate.
Clothing should
14th
Assessment / Evaluation Day (no school)
not advertise sex, alcohol, smoking,
or drugs. Appropriate dress is self
respect. Help encourage students to
a Teacher - World Teachers' Day 2016
respect Thank
themselves.
th
October 5 is a day to celebrate teachers and the central role they play in guiding children
through the life-long learning process. I am most grateful and fortunate to work with a
fantastic group of teachers. Their hard work, commitment to students, and professional
expertise are a wonderful asset to our school community. Please remember this dedicated
group of individuals on October 5 as we celebrate World Teachers’ Day by offering a sincere
“thank you” to your child’s teacher.
School Newsletter3 of 4
New Year and New Initiatives for Students and Teachers
As we head into year two of Nova Scotia's Action Plan for Education, there are
many more exciting initiatives for students at all grade levels this school year.
This fall, students in grades Primary to 3 will benefit from hands-on learning,
including using floor robots to learn sequencing and programming. Students in
grades 4-6 will benefit from Innovation and Exploration Kits that include
Spheros and Makey Makey invention kits. Students in grades 7 to 12 will learn
coding through events, such as the Hour of Code and STEAM Olympics, and
courses, such as Computer Programming 12. Coding promotes problem solving,
teamwork, critical thinking, creativity and innovation. These skills are not only
related to learning math, science and the arts, but they are also directly linked
to many careers, including computer programming and the marine industries.
With the province's first literacy strategy for students in all grades, there will
be a greater focus on the teaching of reading and writing and the development
of oral communication skills. Reading Recovery support has been increased for
grade 1 students. Students in grades 4 to 6 will have a renewed curriculum,
with more time for literacy and math. Class caps are expanded to grades 4 to
6.
To help more students succeed in math, additional supports will be made
available for both teachers and students. Career education outcomes will assist
students as they begin thinking about their futures and the many possibilities
ahead. To learn more about what is new this year, go to
http://novascotia.ca/educationactionplan/ to sign up for ongoing updates from
the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
Winter Weather is Coming: Early Dismissal Pilot for CCRSB
Schools
Deciding when to keep schools open, and when to cancel them during the
winter can be challenging.
CCRSB staff consult with multiple weather forecasts and forecasters, check on
road conditions throughout the school board region via the RCMP and the Nova
Scotia Department of Transportation, as well as our own staff members on the
ground in each area, to help make the call to cancel school.
This year, we’re trying something new.
Beginning this winter season, CCRSB schools and offices will be participating in
an early dismissal pilot. Days when the forecast predicts developing winter
weather conditions (blowing snow, icy roads, freezing rain, etc.) late in the
day, CCRSB may consider announcing an early dismissal for schools. The early
dismissal will be based on predicted weather conditions for certain
geographical areas (Pictou, Colchester, Cumberland and East Hants), just like
morning cancelations. Individual schools will not be dismissed early, only
groups of schools, by geographical area.
Why is this pilot needed?
The early dismissal pilot has two goals:
• To reduce the number of instructional (learning) days lost to a full day
cancelation due to the weather, while keeping the health and safety of
students and staff our top priority.
• To assist parents and guardians in their planning for days when the
forecasted weather is poor.
How will it work?
Early dismissal will be one or two hours before the usual school day end. For
example, on a day when a one-hour early dismissal is announced in the
morning, a school normally dismissing at 2:30 pm would dismiss at 1:30 pm that
day. Bussed students who normally arrive at their bus stop at 3:15 pm should
arrive at their bus stop at 2:15 pm. The end of the day simply rolls back an
hour
. or two depending on the early dismissal decision.
How will students, parents and guardians know about the early dismissal?
• The early dismissal decision will be announced on the school board
website (ccrsb.ca), Twitter and Facebook by 6:30 am.
• The “All Schools OPEN” button on the CCRSB website will turn orange,
and will read “Early Dismissal”. Click on the button to get information
about the early dismissal decision, including were it will be happening.
• The early dismissal decision will be sent to all local media, to be carried
on the radio and on news websites.
• Schools will announce the early dismissal on their own websites, and via
their social media channels.
• Some schools may also choose to send an “Alert” email or text message
to parents and guardians, announcing the early dismissal.