April 2015 - Lydia Trull Public School

LYDIA TRULL PUBLIC SCHOOL
April 2015
80 Avondale Drive
Courtice, Ontario
Phone: 905-438-9648
Fax: 905-438-9649
Cheryl Fowler
Principal
Email: [email protected]
Michelle Borgatti
Vice Principal
Email: [email protected]
Shelly Roy
Superintendent of Schools
905-623-4687 Ext. 223
Email: [email protected]
Diane Findlater
Administrative Assistant
905- 623-4687 Ext. 221
Email: [email protected]
Cathy Abraham
Clarington Area Trustee
905-987 -1833
Email: [email protected]
Sarah Bobka
Clarington Area Trustee
289-356-2133
Email: [email protected]
A Message From The Principal
We have received our initial 15-16 allocations to begin the
staffing process at Lydia Trull Public School. Again, because
of the projected declining numbers of students, we will
have one fewer class over last year and the number of
teachers will also decrease. Another big change for Lydia
Trull is the loss of the Vice Principal position. Lydia Trull is
no longer large enough to have a VP, so not only will we be
saying good-bye to Michelle Borgatti, we will not see a
new person in that role.
At KPR Schools, we are all working on staffing, and
knowing actual numbers of real students helps us
immensely! If you know of a family with elementary school
students who have recently moved into our area, please
encourage them to register as soon as possible. Waiting
for August to register is not the best approach to
transitioning students into our school. By registering in
the spring, we can factor these students into our
organization of classes.
When we organize the students into classes, teachers give
consideration to many factors. We work to create
balanced groupings comprised of mixed academic, social,
behaviour and gender factors to create homogenous
groups. Combined grades are inevitable in any given
school year due to numbers. Every effort is made to
ensure that students in combined grades receive the same
high quality instruction as in single grade classrooms. We
do not make a practice of “streaming” students based on
academic achievement, i.e. we do not put “low grade 2s”
with “high grade 1s” in a 1/2 combined classroom. All
students are considered to be on a continuum of learning.
Full day kindergarten classes with a teacher and a
Registered Early Childhood Educator are allowed to be as
large as 30 students. Primary classes (grades 1-3) are
capped at 20 students. This means that if there are 43
grade 1 students, for example, we cannot make two
classes of 21 and 22. This is why we sometimes end up
with more than one combined grade, so as to not have a
group of very few students of any particular grade in with
another grade. Sometimes we create combined classes to
allow particular groupings to be split apart in the best
interests of classroom harmony and achievement.
In May, we will provide some further information around
staffing and class placement, and how you can have input.
Cheryl Fowler
Principal
April 2
April 2
April 3-6
April 7
April 8
April 8
April 17
April 21
April 21
April 21
April 22
April 23
Grade 8 Grad Photos
Character Assembly “initiative” 12:10 p.m.
Easter Holidays
Immunization Updates Due
Day of Pink for Bullying
Skills Canada Presentations (Gr. 7/8)
Badminton Tournament at Lydia Trull
School Council Meeting 6:15 p.m., library
Lacrosse Workshops (Gr. 6-8)
European Handball Jr. Tournament at CSS
Earth Day
Grade 7/8 Immunization Clinic
Immunization Updates Due
A reminder for parents who received Health
Department immunization update forms, they are
due on Tuesday, April 7th. Please send completed
forms into the office, we will send them to the
Health Department on your behalf.
Grade 7/8 Immunizations April 23rd
On April 23rd the Health Department will be at Lydia
Trull Administering Grade 7/8 immunizations. Those
students should wear loose clothing, eat a good
breakfast, and pack a healthy lunch.
Safe Arrival
It is important to call the office if
your child(ren) will be away or late
for school. This enables us to
know that all of the students at
Lydia Trull are safe as well as helps
us complete the attendance in a timely manner.
Please note that you may call the school and leave a
voice mail in regards to your child’s absence before
and after office hours.
Community Corner
Numeracy Tips
Clarington Baseball Association
When students are at work doing math tasks at school, it
can look very different than you may remember from your
days in the classroom. One key difference is that there is a
lot more talk. And not it’s not just any talk-its math talk!
There are two important reasons for this change:
Registration in person March 29th from 1-4
Or online at www.claringtonbaseball.ca
For more information and in person
registration address visit the website
Oshawa Storm Ringette
Come Try Ringette
Saturday, April 11th at 12:00 p.m.
Oshawa Legends Arena, Pad 2
Free event for ages 4 and up
Pre-register at www.cometryringette.ca
Equipment required: Helmet, Skates, Gloves
For more information contact Megan Campbell
at [email protected]
Fragrances & Scents
In the interests of the well being of our school community, we are
requesting that individuals refrain from using strongly scented
products. Exposure to fragrances, cologne and scented hand or
body lotions can cause allergic reactions, asthmatic symptoms
and migraines, as well as general discomfort for certain individuals. In some cases, reactions can occur to even relatively mild
scents, so we are asking for everyone to be aware and accommodate those that suffer from these sensitivities.
Researchers and teachers now know that students
learn and become better at math when they talk
with others and explain their thinking or when
they convince someone that their solution to a
problem makes sense.
The skills of working with others and the skills of communication will be needed by students as they
progress through school and beyond into the
world of work.
As parents, you can help your child develop these important skills just by asking a few simple questions each
day. For example, if you say to your child, “Tell me why
you think that”, you are helping your child to become
better at explaining his or her reasoning. This skill is useful
not just for math, but for many areas of daily life.
You can encourage math talk when your child is involved in
homework as well. Have your child explain what he or she
has done to complete a task or problem. If your child has
done something in a different way than you would have
done it, be patient. Try not to jump in. Watch. Listen. Ask
your child to show you again or ask, “Do you think that will
work every time?”.
Try using some of the questions or prompts on this handy
reference card along with some of the activity suggestions
below to help your child develop both better communication skills and a deeper understanding of mathematics.
And remember to have fun!