April 2015 Newsletter - Amherstview Public School

LIMESTONE DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
EQUITY, DIVERSITY, INCLUSION & HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION
DAYS OF OBSERVANCE
April 2
Maundy Thursday
Christian
April 3
GOOD FRIDAY
Christian
April 3
MAHAVIR JAYANTI
Jain
Apr3 sundown Apr 11 sunset
PESACH PASSOVER
Judaism
April 4
FROG MOON
April 4
THERAVADIN New Year
Cree; traditional First Nations;
Métis
Buddhist
April 5
EASTER
Christian
April 5
PALM SUNDAY
Orthodox Christian
April 10
HOLY FRIDAY
Orthodox Christian
April 12
PASCHA (Easter)
Orthodox Christian
April 14
BAISAKHI
Sikh
April 15
THE LORD`S EVENING MEAL
Jehovah`s Witnesses (Christian)
Apr 15 sundown Apr 16 sunset
YOM HaSHOAH
Jewish
Apr 20 sundown Apr 21 sunset
First day of RIDVAN
Bahaì
Apr 28 sundown Apr 29 sunset
Ninth Day of RIDVAN
Bahaì
HEALTHY SCHOOL CALENDAR
National Oral Health Month
www.cda-adc.ca
National Cancer Month
www.cancer.ca
World Health Day (April 7)
www.who.int/world-health-day/en/
Earth Day (April 22)
www.earthday.ca
National Immunization Awareness Week (April 25 to May 2, tentative)
www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niiw/index.html
AMHERSTVIEW PUBLIC SCHOOL
NEWSLETTER
April is here and we are hoping for spring-like weather soon. It will be a busy
month full of learning along with many activities and experiences. Students
continue to have various opportunities to develop their interests and skills inclass and outside of class. In the classroom, students are engaged in their
learning and continue to work toward their goals. Our annual Public Speaking
contest will be coming at the end of April. Students in junior and intermediate
grades are working hard preparing their speeches. Many field trips are
planned such as outdoor learning at Gould Lake, gymnastics, Swim to
Survive for Grade 3 students. Intramurals and chess club will continue and
Running Club will be starting up again soon.
Our school wide focus for March and April is respect – respect for ourselves,
others and the environment. We introduced our focus at our recognition
assembly in March. Classes will continue to promote character education
through activities and discussions in their classrooms. Amherstview students
show their respect to each other, guests at the school, peers, staff and themselves. We are very proud of our students!
AVPS School Council continues to be very active and supportive of our
teachers, the children and their programs. Currently our council members are
planning our annual Fun Fair that will take place on Thursday, June 11 – a
wonderful school and community event. Please join us for our next meeting
on Tuesday, April 21st at 6 p.m. Childcare will be available. All parents and
guardians are welcome!
APRIL
2015
Phone:
(613)
389-0628
Safe Arrival
No. (613)
389-0656
Fax:
(613)
389-8809
Please feel free to contact us at the school if you have any questions or
concerns. Thank you for your continued support.
Margot Panet, Principal and Mary Jane Jarvis, Vice Principal
Web Address:
http://
amherstview
ps.limestone.
on.ca/
REMINDERS
SCIENCE FAIR
Allergen Aware— Please refrain from bringing or sending products that contain or
On March 11th, AVPS held their first annual
Science Fair. There were a wide range of topics
and ideas. Participants included grade 5’s and
6’s from M. Manolakas’ and Mme Fischer’s
classes. Congratulations to our 1st, 2nd and
3rd place winners. Everyone had a great time
participating as well as spectating and sharing
their ideas with parents, staff and classes that
visited the Science Fair.
have come in contact with nuts or peanuts, due to severe anaphylactic reactions.
Supervision before school begins at 8:35 a.m. Students should not arrive on the yard until
this time as there is no supervision.
With the beginning of spring weather conditions, the school yard can become very wet
and muddy. It is always a good idea to send extra socks, mittens, etc. for your child.
MARK THE DATE!
The AVPS Annual Fun Fair will be held Thursday, June 11 from
5pm to 8pm.
Aboriginal Self-Identification
If your child has First Nation, Métis or Inuit ancestry we ask you to consider selfidentifying.
By doing so you help our school know if we are meeting the needs of our First Nation, Métis and Inuit students. You also help the school board get additional funds and know where
to allocate resources to best support Aboriginal students.
Self-identification will also allow us to direct services and opportunities for First Nation,
Métis and Inuit students to your child. These additional services and opportunities may
include
 Focused support,
 Access to the board`s elementary and secondary Aboriginal
programs,
 Access to the Aboriginal Student Support Counsellor,
 Access to leadership and university experience camps for
Aboriginal students,
 Information about scholarships and bursaries for Aboriginal
students.
You can find more information and the self-identification form online at our board website.
http://www.limestone.on.ca/Programs/Aboriginal _Ed/Self_Identification
A few students represented AVPS at FLA
Science Fair on March 26 and 27 at Queens
University. They were given the privilege of
watching two presentations, both focused
mainly on keeping our earth pollution free.
Congratulations to Angela, Mikayla M., Matthew
and Parker for winning awards.
Big thanks to Mrs. Hilton and Ms. Bolduc for
bringing our students to FLASF, as well as to all
the staff and parents involved who made our
school Science Fair possible.
Michael G. and Angela L.
CONGRATULATIONS TO AVPS
STUDENTS!
The AVPS Talent Show was outstanding!
Many students were on stage showing
off their talents. Congratulations to all
students who auditioned and who
performed in the show!
A Science Fair was also held the last
week before the break. Many students
completed science projects which were
on display in our resource centre.
Students and parents came to see the
projects and learned about a vast
number of interesting topics.
Congratulations to all students who
participated!
Thank you to
everyone involved
who helped to make
these wonderful
opportunities
happen.
STUDENT SAFETY
Thank you for your cooperation during drop-off and pick-up times. As you
know these are very busy times for vehicle and pedestrian traffic around the
school—in the parking lot, near the bus loading zone as well as at the front
of the school on Fairfield Blvd. It is imperative that motorists be diligent in
following the posted parking signs.
There are several short-term parking spots on the west side of Fairfield
Blvd. near the front of the school but there are No Parking signs on the east side. Please do
not park in the No Parking areas directly in front of the school as it makes visibility difficult for
motorists driving in front of the school. We have crossing guards on Fairfield Blvd. near the
front of the school as well as at the corner of Amherst Drive and Fairfield Blvd. They cross
students before school, during both breaks and at the end of the school day. We all play a
role in student safety! Thank you for your cooperation.
Amherstview’s Got Talent!
Why is my child talking so much during math?
Adults’ attitudes about
math affect children’s
confidence and success with
math learning.
Help children become excited and eager to learn
about math. Turn everyday activities at home into
fun math experiences.
On March 12 many talented
people performed for our school.
There were a variety of acts from
dancing and singing to a karate
performance and musical acts. It
was really fun when we all go up to
dance to “Uptown Funk”.
You might remember from math class when you were a child that you were to “show your work”.
Today, students are expected to “show their thinking”, which is very different! Showing steps and
explaining one‛s thinking both have a place in a mathematics class. Showing one‛s steps is a wellestablished practice, but explaining one‛s thinking is an important part of doing mathematics that
should be included when learning any math concept. Explaining one‛s thinking has the following
benefits
Children discover:
The show was well organized and
very enjoyable to watch. We think
the parents in the audience were
shocked by how talented our
students are. A talent show was a
great idea!
Count Me In!
patterns and relationships through sorting laundry, cutlery or groceries
numbers and sequencing skills through card
games, and board games like Snakes and Ladders
geometry when playing I Spy games to spot
shapes in traffic signs, doorways, windows, and
rooflines
estimation and quantity by guessing how many
steps it will take from the car to the front door,
or how many dog food kibbles will fit into a pet’s
dish
measurement by using shoes or mittens as rulers
to calculate the height of people or tables, or the
length of stuffed animals or counters.
Children’s picture books and playful h :
Kaiden and Xander
Ontario Early Literacy Specialists
NOW HEAR THIS!
Amherstview Public School’s annual Speakers’ Festival will take place
on Monday, April 27th. Students in grades 4 to 8 have been working on
speeches that they have prepared for their classmates. Each class will
then select two class representatives to present their speeches at our
Speakers’ Festival. The intermediate division speeches will begin at
12:00 p.m. Junior division students will deliver their speeches beginning
at 1:45 p.m.
This event is sponsored by the Amherstview Lions Club, whose members provide the
prizes and encouragement for students to develop their skills in public speaking.
Remember, you may be listening to some of the voices of our future television and radio
broadcasters, You heard them first at AVPS!
A student uses a strategy that makes sense to him.
A student learns from hearing and/or watching other student strategies.
There are often many ways to approach a math problem, so the process captures the nature
of real mathematics.
A student is in the role of mathematician rather than just an observer. This practice accommodates different learning styles and different backgrounds.
A student is not imitating the teacher, but inventing. This higher-level thinking process involves truly “doing mathematics”.
*Taken from Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, February 2007, p. 339.
When students are showing their thinking, they are communicating mathematically! Communicating in math takes lots of practice. Students improve over time!
How might I support my child with communicating mathematically?
· Encourage your child to explain their thinking or to “think out loud” when they work on a
math problem.
· Listen to your child explain math in their own words and then paraphrase what they have said
using mathematical words that they may be learning.
· Ask your child‛s teacher for a list of math words that might be challenging for students in your
child‛s grade.
PEDICULOSIS (Head Lice)
We regularly check students’ heads for pediculosis. Please check your child’s head
regularly at home for lice or nits, and let the school know if you find anything.
Information is available from your family doctor, school, the KFL&A Health Unit and most
pharmacies.
KINDERGARTEN 2015—2016
We are currently accepting registrations for Junior and Senior Kindergarten age students
for the 2015-2016 school year. Amherstview Public School has full-day, every-day kindergarten for both English and French Immersion children.
Families may register in person at the school. Please bring
your child’s Birth Certificate, Immunization Card, Health Card,
and proof of home address.
Registration forms and other information for Kindergarten are also available on the
Limestone District School Board website at www.limestone.on.ca and follow Elementary
Programs. Please contact the school if you have any questions.
DISCOVER KINDERGARTEN IN LIMESTONE
Parents who register their child for next year’s junior kindergarten class will be invited to
attend a Discover Kindergarten in Limestone evening for parents and students. At this
meeting the kindergarten teachers, Vice Principal and Principal will present information
about the kindergarten program.
At this event you will receive a Discover Kindergarten in Limestone bag with a non-fiction
book to share with your child, sidewalk chalk to encourage outdoor play and creativity, a
play dough recipe to encourage fine motor development and creativity, a school readiness
information pamphlet and an aboriginal self-identification package.
Students’ Council
March was a very busy month! The week before March Break, we had a Spirit Week and we
were happy to see so many students participating and joining in the special days. We felt
like we were seeing double on Friday because there were so many twins in the school that
day. Students did a great job of listening to the clues to figure out that our Mystery Day was
actually Twin Day!
Canadian kids can move more—
especially after school! Physical
Activity Guidelines recommend
that children and youth get at
least 60 minutes of moderate to
vigorous intensity physical activity
daily in order to live healthier,
happier lives. You heard right—
that’s every day. Kids should
participate in vigorous-intensity
activities and muscle– and bonestrengthening activities at least
three days per week.
We are showing our Spirit right away this month! On
Thursday, April 2nd we will have Crazy Hat Day. Try to be
creative and come up with some daring designs for your
head apparel!
The next Students’ Council meeting is on Wednesday,
April 15th to plan some fun activities for May!
ParticipACTION