April Newsletter - Johnson Street Public School

Website: http:/jon.scdsb.on.ca
105 Johnson St., Barrie, ON L4M 4R4
Telephone: (705) 728-9251
Twitter - @Johnson_Street
PRINCIPAL: Jennifer Brown
APRIL 2015 NEWSLETTER
IMPORTANT
Mar 31st - Apr 28th – Grade 1 & 2 Swim Program
April 2nd – World Autism Day
April 3rd – Good Friday, No School!
April 6th – Easter Monday, No School
April 8th – International Day of Pink
April 8th – School Council 6:30 in library
Community Maple
Syrup and Pancake
Breakfast
Mark the date on your calendar:
Saturday, April 18th from 9:00 to
11:30. Join us for pancakes, fresh
maple syrup and sausages. And bring some loonies
and toonies for the Jars of Joy sale. This fun community
event is not to be missed!
Looking for FUN FAIR Volunteers
Johnson Street Public School is excited to announce our
upcoming Fun Fair and Silent Auction on Thursday June 4th.
This event will help the Parent Council raise money to support
school programs including: funding field trips and sports
teams, technology (student laptops and Ipads), outdoor
education and play equipment.
We are asking for your assistance and support with this event.
We would love to have your participation in one of the
following ways:
1. Volunteer for the event. The Fun Fair would not be
possible without the support of our volunteers who
assist with setup, games, concession and cleanup.
2. Donations for our silent auction. These could include
gift cards, new items or services.
3. Bring your family and friends to help make this a
great event!
If you are interested in helping make this a successful
fundraiser for Johnson Street Public School or have any other
inquiries please contact Shannon Stephenson at
[email protected]
THANK YOU
Johnson Street PS would like to thank Ed DeBiasio and
Chris Simpson from United Lumber Home Hardware
on Bayfield Street for their generous donation to our
school, and Matt Pryce who connected them with us.
Thanks to their wonderful donation, we now have the
wood required to build four planter boxes that will be
used to teach our students about gardening and growing
food.
We would also like to thank Marc Gelinas and his
woodworking students at Eastview Secondary School
DATES
April 18th – Community Breakfast! All Welcome!
April 23rd – Kindergartens at Tiffin Centre
April 24th – Spirit Day – Pj Day
April 30th – Character Education Assembly 9:00
May 21st – Welcome to Kindergarten – 5:30 – 6:30
for building our planter boxes. We are looking forward to
having them installed and starting our gardening soon!
Thank you for helping us grow together!
PARKING LOT SAFETY
We appreciate how careful the majority
of parents have been when dropping off
and/or picking up their children.
Thank you for supporting our kiss and
ride procedure. As long as everyone
adheres to using the curb lane as a drop off or pick up
point, the system actually works. The important part is not
to get out of your vehicle and leave it unattended. If you
would like to get out of your vehicle, you are welcome to
park on Adam Street, Alexander Street or our school
parking lot. Thank you for helping us to provide a safe
environment for your child.
Are you moving?
Believe it or not, planning for the next school year has
already begun! It is very helpful for us to have an
accurate enrolment projection. When you know if you
are moving in or out of our attendance area, would you
let us know right away? Thank you. We appreciate this
courtesy as it facilitates the organization of classes and
staff allocation.
Circle of Learning Parent Academy - Free
workshops to help you boost your child’s
success
As a parent/guardian, you were your child’s first teacher
and you are still his or her most important teacher. Your
involvement in your child’s education has an impact on
success. Register to attend workshops throughout the
year designed to help you support your child’s learning
and development.
Upcoming workshops include:
 April: Math 101 - all parents can support their
children in math
 May: Resilience: Nine things kids need from
their families, schools, and communities
Find workshop dates, times, descriptions and register
online at www.scdsb.on.ca/circleoflearning.
The Circle of Learning Parent Academy is hosted by the
Simcoe County District School Board’s Parent
Involvement Committee and made possible with the
support of the Ministry of Education through a Parents
Reaching Out Grant.
 show proof of their child’s age (original birth
certificate is a required)
 immunization record
 live within our school boundaries
 bring work numbers for either or both parents
 bring an emergency number where we can reach a
friend or relative if we are unable to reach you.
 Please call the office to set up a time to register your
child as soon as possible @728-9251.
Appropriate Dress for School
Our students need to choose modest clothing for the
school setting. It is important to create positive
relationships with one another based on respect of
themselves and others. Dress and body image are
included in the issue of mutual respect as are bullying
and harassment prevention. Parents are asked to be
involved in discussing the choice of school clothing with
their children and to support the following guidelines:
 Shoulder straps on tops must be at least 3 cm wide.
Bra straps must not be showing. No undergarments
should be showing.
 The midriff area of the body must be covered.
 Writing and pictures on clothing must not reflect
themes of alcohol, drugs, violence, sexual
connotations or vulgarity.
When students are not dressed appropriately, a phone
call home for a change in clothing will be made, or clean
clothing we have on hand will be worn over instead of
the inappropriate item.
Believe or not!
We really do encourage, insist, beg students
to wear appropriate footwear and stay out of
the mud and puddles! I’m sure you must
sometimes wonder given the state of their
socks and shoes. Rubber boots or outdoor footwear
should continue to be worn in the school yard and
students should continue to change to indoor shoes so
classrooms remain clean, comfortable areas for
learning. Nonetheless, an extra pair of dry socks in
knapsacks is a smart idea!
Bradford Greenhouses
As spring approaches we start to think about
gardening. Once again this year, Bradford
Greenhouse has included us in their rebate
program. When you are shopping at Bradford
Greenhouse this spring, please mention our school
name before the cashier starts checking out items.
Thank you for your support. Every little bit helps!
PROVINCE-WIDE TESTING
GRADE THREE AND SIX EQAO PROVINCIAL
ASSESSMENTS
WHAT? An integrated assessment unit wherein
students are encouraged to probe, ponder, question,
hypothesize and to contemplate their world. There are
performance-based, short answer and multiple choice
assessment activities in reading, writing and
mathematics. It takes approximately 6 hours over 3
days.
WHEN? For your advanced planning, this year’s
EQAO assessment window is as follows:
Grade 3 & 6 – May 25 – June 5th, 2015!
Please do not schedule appointments as interruptions in
the testing are difficult to accommodate.
Results will be released in the fall of 2015.
DOGS!
A number of our students are frightened by
dogs - big or small. Please do not bring dogs onto the
school property near the main gate. There is a
designated waiting area behind the recycling shelter
near the bike rack. Thank you for respecting this policy.
Please remember as well that the school playground is
not a dog park. Unfortunately in the fall, we had issues
with dog excrement on the yard.
Johnson Street has Character!
We will be celebrating those students who have
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION!
FULL DAY – EVERY DAY!
Kindergarten classrooms are active, stimulating,
supportive and challenging. Your child will learn to
make choices, take risks, create, explore and solve
problems. A good Kindergarten program provides a
sound foundation for all future learning.
If your child was born in 2011 he/she is eligible to attend
Junior Kindergarten in September 2015.
To register, parents must:
demonstrated great character in March and
April on April 30th at 9:00. The character trait
focus is Integrity for March and Empathy for
April.
April 30 event for parents highlights social
media safety, cyberbullying and digital
citizenship
On Thursday, April 30, all Simcoe County District School
Board parents and students are invited to attend an evening
event with Chris Vollum. Chris, a well-known speaker on the
topic of social media, will speak about the potential of online
communication among youth and how to use it for positive and
meaningful connections. His talk will help parents develop the
skills to communicate with their children and minimize the risk
of bullying, cyber-bullying and loss of reputation. He will
highlight opportunities and platforms with which students may
build a positive social presence and reputation.
The event will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Nantyr Shores
Secondary School, 1146 Anna Maria Ave. in Innisfil. If parents
and students are not able to attend in person, the presentation
will also be livestreamed via the following link:
https://plus.google.com/events/cs0u4bms6ofivnft85phtt7
o88c.
This event is brought to you by a Ministry of
Education’s Parents Reaching Out Grant to
support parent engagement.
Register now for spring 2015 Triple P Parenting
programs
The SCDSB’s Continuing Education Department, in
partnership with Parents as Partners, is pleased to offer
new spring Parenting Programs available April through
June. These are free for all parents who have children in
school. For more information, visit the Learning Centres
website at http://thelearningcentres.com/ and then click
on ‘Parent’.
Homework Help for students in Grades 7 to 10
Homework Help is a free online math help resource for
students in Grades 7 to 10. Homework Help provides
free, live one-on-one tutoring from Ontario teachers
Sunday to Thursday from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. The program
is funded by the Ontario government and administered
by TVO's Independent Learning Centre. To log in,
students will need to register with their Ontario
Education Number (OEN), found at the top of their report
card near their name. For more information, visit
https://homeworkhelp.ilc.org/
Child care options in Ontario
The Ontario government recently launched an
advertising campaign to raise public awareness about
child care options in this province. The campaign’s
objective is to support and empower parents, so they
can choose child care that suits their family’s needs. It
provides information about different types of care, and
indicators of quality in child care settings.
For more information and resources about child care
options in our province, visit www.ontario.ca/childcare.
For more information about child care in our schools,
including before- and after-school care options, visit
SCDSB’s public website at www.scdsb.on.ca and then
click on ‘Schools’ – ‘Before and After School Care.’
Pack a rainbow in your kid’s lunch!
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit would like to
remind parents about the importance of a school lunch
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full of colourful veggies and fruit. Try some of these tasty
kid-friendly ideas to ensure they will eat what you pack:
Add grated carrot to egg or tuna salad
Pack veggies or fruit in small bite size pieces for easy
eating
Prepare veggies and fruit with different tools that change
the shape and add interest to your child’s lunch. Use
melon ballers, vegetable crinkle cutters, cookie cutters
or even an egg slicer to make some great shapes
Use a shake of cinnamon on cut fruit if it tends to turn
brown - they will enjoy the new flavour to their favourite
apple or banana pieces
If your kid is a dipper, add a small container of yogurt or
pudding for fruit dipping or cottage cheese or hummus
for veggie dipping
For more information you can call Health Connection at
705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-5720 and speak with a
public health nurse or visit the health unit website at
www.simcoemuskokahealth.org.
Working Together To Support Our Children
presentation on May 7
Dr. Bruce Ferguson will focus on how the community,
school and family can work together to support children
as they develop and grow into healthy citizens. This
event will be free to parents and takes place on May 7 in
the evening at Liberty North in Barrie. Language
interpretation services will be available.
Children’s Mental Health Week
Children’s Mental Health Week is May 3 to 9. One in five
Ontario children and youth struggle with mental health
concerns - that's about 500,000 kids. Children's Mental
Health Week is about promoting positive mental health,
increasing the awareness of signs related to children
and youth struggling with mental health problems,
decreasing stigma and understanding how to access
community supports that are available to improve wellbeing. For more information, visit
http://www.kidsmentalhealth.ca/. Our school is
recognizing this week by having an on-site school-wide
walk. More details will be provided closer to the date.