JD Hogarth P.S.
March 2016 Newsletter
Principal’s Message
At JD, we will continue to focus on our character education traits (Respect, Responsibility, Compassion,
Fairness, and Honesty) through in class activities, learning buddies, morning announcements, daily
interactions and special events. Fairness will be the focus for March and April. The students will be
involved in ongoing activities to gain a better understanding of how fairness impacts our daily lives. In
the coming weeks, be sure to ask your child to share with you the types of activities that he/she
participates in and review different ways that he/she demonstrates fairness within the school
community.
Every two years the UGDSB conducts School Climate Surveys in all schools to assess the perceptions of
safety from students, parents and staff. During the week of February 29 to March 4, students in
grades 4-8 will be completing a School Climate Survey at JD Hogarth. The purpose of the survey is to
determine whether or not our students feel that their school provides a safe and inclusive learning
environment. The survey asks general questions about how the student is feeling at school, as well as
specific questions about bullying. Parents are encouraged to complete the parent survey using the link
below or by accessing it through our school website.
https://uoguelph.eu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_87VAOCZ4TdwN52Z
On February 16th, JD Hogarth welcomed a number of visitors to our school. Superintendents, Principals,
and curriculum leaders arrived to spend time with our school’s Leadership Team hearing about the
positive impact our character education focus is having on our school climate, as well as our work as it
relates to School Improvement Planning; more specifically our math plan for improving student
achievement. A special thank you goes out to the following staff members: Mrs. Preston, Mrs. Pagnan,
Ms. Arnold, Mrs. Derma, Mr. Anderson and Mrs. Crawford for their participation in redefining our math
plan, reflecting on our school climate and for clearly presenting “Life at JD Hogarth” to our visitors.
Our visitors also had time to observe student learning in classrooms, interact with some students and be
a part of our positive school culture.
It is important that we continue to work together to support the students at school and at home
through their ongoing learning experiences. Time for daily reading is a must to improve fluency.
Consistent practice of basic math computation facts is also key to improving and developing strong math
skills. Our students will also continue to be encouraged to focus on strengthening their learning skills
such as collaboration, working independently, taking initiative, being organized, taking responsibility and
setting goals.
As March break is approaching quickly, I would like to wish all our JD Hogarth families an enjoyable
break spending time with family and friends!
Ms. Barrow
Principal
Time 2 Read
Attention parents of SK & Grade 1 students:
Upper Grand DSB has an exciting 5 week, evening program for parents and children in primary
grades. This program will show parents how to effectively help their children with reading skills
at home.
JD Hogarth is hosting the program again this year! This is sure to be an excellent opportunity
to learn fun and easy ways to help your child become a more successful reader.
There is no cost. Just a commitment to attend the 5 workshop nights: March 30, April 6, 13, 20
& 27 from 6:00 - 7:30 pm in the JD Hogarth library.
The participating children come with their parents. The children have their
own program for part of the evening and will also spend part of the evening
with parents practicing skills. Space is limited. Please let your child's teacher
know if you are interested by Friday, March 11th.
Mrs. Pagnan & Mrs. Hoad-Reddick
EcoTeam Battery Busters: Spring Cleaning Contest
Hey Hawks! Did you know that our school is participating in a battery
contest against other schools all over Canada? There are 2 prizes and
the EcoTeam is looking to WIN! We will be collecting all of your used
batteries - that's right! If you have single-use household batteries
that no longer have any juice, bring or send them into the
school. There will be a collection box in the front office. For safety reasons, and if possible,
please tape both ends of the batteries before dropping them off. The contest runs from
April 1st-29th, so start sending the batteries in now!
Book Drive for the Philippines
A big thank you goes out to all of our families who supported our book drive
for the Philippines. With your generous donations we collected over 15
cartons of gently used books that will soon be on their way to the Agape
Boracay Academy to help replace their books that were lost in a devastating
fire. Way to go Hawks. We know how to show global compassion!
French Review Public Meeting
The French review public information session is scheduled for March 31, 2016, from 7:00 pm –
9:00 pm at Centre Wellington District High School in Fergus.
Public information sessions are also scheduled in March in Mount Forest, Orangeville and Guelph.
For more information, please visit www.ugdsb.on.ca/frenchreview/.
UGDSB invites parents to learn about classroom technology at ‘Digital
Saturday’
The Upper Grand District School Board is hosting an open house featuring displays and
workshops on how students are using technology to learn. “Digital Saturday” takes place on
March 5, 2016, from 9 am to 12:30 pm at Westminster Woods Public School in Guelph.
“In the last few years there has been exponential growth in the use of technological tools and
resources in Upper Grand schools,” said Brent McDonald, Superintendent of Education
responsible for Information Technology. “Students don’t stop using what they’re learning as
soon as the bell rings at the end of the day. A good number of these resources are available
24/7, so they’re used at home and school.”
A presentation on technology in the classroom to the board’s Parent Involvement Committee was
the inspiration for the idea of hosting a technology open house for all parents.
“We thought a Saturday morning would be the best time for parents to come out and see what
we’re doing,” said McDonald. “Students can come too.”
Digital Saturday will be an opportunity to explore and learn about:
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New technologies in the classroom like Chromebooks, UGCloud
Assistive technologies to support all learners including Kurzweil and Read & Write for
Google
Robotics and coding and virtual reality in the classroom demonstrations
Online digital resources for assisting student learning such as UG2GO, UGCloud and
Homework Help
There will be lots of opportunities for interaction and co-learning. Older children (8 and up) may
find the display tables and workshops informative and engaging.
We hope to see you there as partners in education!
Event details:
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DATE: Saturday March 5, 2016
TIME: 9 am to 12:30 pm Open house closes at 12 pm
LOCATION: Westminster Woods Public School, 140 Goodwin Drive, Guelph
For more information:
Heather Loney, Communications and Community Engagement Officer
519-822-4420 ext.725
heather.loney@ugdsb.on.ca
Engaging Your Child in Mathematics At Home!
As parents we have the wonderful opportunity and responsibility for nurturing our children’s
growth. Parents play a key role in the physical, emotional, and intellectual development of their
child. As parents we can usually find time to read a story to our children, thereby instilling a
love of literature, but we are often at a loss as to how to instill a love and appreciation for
mathematics.
Like reading, mathematics is a subject that is indeed necessary for functioning adequately in
society. More than that, mathematics is a subject that should be more enjoyable than it is
perceived to be. Parents’ attitudes towards mathematics has an impact on their children’s
attitudes. Children whose parents show an interest in and enthusiasm for mathematics around
the home will be more likely to develop that enthusiasm themselves.
Activities in the Home
If you have dice, playing cards, and a bit of time….oh the “number sense” fun you can have.
1. Work on Place Value-use a grade appropriate number of dice and use the numbers rolled
as digits to “make the biggest number you can, make the smallest number you can, make a
number close to 100” etc.
2. Work on Number Sense-use 2 die to add numbers together….to make it harder, you can
use the 2 die to subtract, and multiply.
3. War-Use a deck of cards to compare numbers. Each person flips their cards at the same
time, the person with the higher number gets both cards.
4. What’s My Number-Someone holds a card on their forehead and asks the other person
questions to try to guess their number (for example, is it greater than 5, is it odd or
even).
Give it a go and have fun building number sense fluency together.
Intermediate Basketball
On February 8th, our Intermediate Basketball teams travelled to Erin PS to participate in the
Erin Invitational Tournament. The Boys team went undefeated and was awarded the first place
trophy.
On February 18th the Boys and Girls Intermediate Basketball teams travelled to the University
of Guelph for the County Basketball Tournament. The Boys team took first place, going
undefeated for the day. The Girls team played well, demonstrating excellent team play.
Thanks to Mr. Newton and Ms. Linthwaite for coaching. Thanks to the parent council for
our new uniforms. Not only did we play well, but we looked good doing it!
Sledge Hockey
A Lesson of Inclusion and Acceptance.
JD Hogarth is excited to introduce Sledge Hockey this
year. Students will have the opportunity to get in sledges and try
this amazing game. Here are some details of the program:
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Students will walk to and from the arena.
We will be inviting students from Grade 4 - 6 to participate in the program
Program runs Monday, March 1st, 2nd, and 3rd
Each class gets 2 hours of ice time
Here is a breakdown of what is going to be taught:
Hour 1 : Get Down to the Basics
Learn about the equipment
How to move and turn in the sled
How to avoid injury
Discuss modifications made to the game of sledge hockey
Hour 2: Hockey Skills
Move with a puck
Passing the puck
Shooting the puck
Basic Drills
Games
Feedback Welcome on Draft Policies
The Upper Grand District School Board is welcoming public input on draft policies. Currently
under review are Equity and Inclusive Education (#504) and Alcohol and Drugs (#513). You are
invited to review the draft documents and submit online feedback at www.ugdsb.on.ca/policy.
The deadline for public input is April 13, 2016. Persons without internet access may call 1-800321-4025 ext. 723 to request a printed copy of the draft documents.
Free to Play Program
The Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington’s Free to Play Program can help low-income
families pay for their children’s recreational activities, such as sports, camps and the arts. Up
to $400 per child per year is available for youth from birth through to 18 years who live in
Guelph or Wellington County and fall below the low-income cut off. Applying is easy and
confidential. Go to: www.childrensfoundation.org/free-to-play or call 519-826-9551, ext 23.
March’s Environmental Theme: REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
The environmental theme for this month is not a new one. We are talking about Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
These are the 3 R’s of environmental stewardship and by practicing them we will help planet Earth. Did
you know all of them are not created equal? The best one of the three is: Reduce.
Reduce means to use less of something. This is the best of the 3 R’s because we don’t even use
our natural resources to begin with! What could we use less of? There are many things you can think of.
Use less water, or use less paper, or – very important - buy less ‘stuff’.
Recycle is critical if we want to keep things out of the landfill. More and more items are starting to be
recycled, so be responsible and put them in the proper containers provided. If you don't, they end up in
the regular garbage and harm nature by forcing us to create more garbage dumps that pollute our planet.
We also need to make sure toxic items like paint and batteries don’t end up in the garbage, but are
brought to the hazardous waste depot. And never throw out your old smart phone. Take it back to your
cell phone company for recycling. It contains minerals that are being mined in areas that are destroying
precious habitats.
The Möbius loop is the universally recognized recycling symbol. It consists of those 3 circular arrows.
We can put compostable items into our organic bins, like food scraps including fruit & vegetables, dairy,
meat, breads, as well as paper tissues and paper towels. We can recycle containers including
plastics, glass, metals and tetra paks and milk cartons. And we can also recycle paper,
boxboard like Kleenex boxes, and cardboard. So DO NOT throw these items into the garbage
at home or the garbage containers here at school. Find the right recycling bin. Let these items
be turned into something new again!
Slogan of the month: Don't trash our future! Recycle!
Live Free Campaign
A reminder that on March 4th, JD Hogarth will be participating in the 8th Annual Live Free Campaign. On
this day, the students and staff at JD Hogarth are being challenged to Live Free of something they take
for granted. For example, maybe your child will give up their computer or candy for one day. We
encourage students to bring a Toonie to symbolize what they’re Living Free of. All of the money raised
through our campaign comes back to support our Food for Friends snack and salad day programs that so
many students enjoy every week.
Our goal is to raise a total of $1000 and so far we have raised over $450. Online donations are
accepted on School Cash Online:
https://ugdsb.schoolcashonline.com/
or donate on the following Live Free Campaign link: Receipts can be sent to you when donating $20 or
more.
http://www.livefreewdg.ca/donate
We also welcome any corporate donations.
Thank you to all the parents and student helpers who continuously support our snack and salad day
programs on a day-to-day basis. Providing healthy eating options for our students supports optimal
learning for all.
Dates to Remember
March
March
March
March
March
March
March
March
March
March
March
March
March
March
1-3 – Sledge Hockey
8 – Jr Skating
9 – Jr Basketball Tournament – JD Hogarth
9 – Primary Skating
10 – Jr Basketball Tournament – Inclement Weather Date – JD Hogarth
10 – Snowshoeing at Shade’s Mills - 3E, 3F, 34C
10 – School Council Meeting
11 – Dance-for-a-Donation
14–18 – March Break
24 – Jersey Day
25 – Good Friday – No School
28- Easter Monday – No School
29- Grade 1’s – Sugar Bush Trip
31 – French review public meeting – Centre Wellington
Hello JD Hogarth families!
Have you heard the buzz? Spirit wear is finally here! With an awesome new logo courtesy of
Terri Hobson, t-shirts, hoodies, long-sleeves, and sweatpants are a breeze to order through
your School Cash Online account. The order deadline is March 9th and we expect delivery to
happen before Easter.
Your children will be bringing home information regarding our annual Dance-for-a-Donation that
will take place on March 11th. All students will have the opportunity to have fun and get active
while dancing and raising money! Lights and sour keys will be available for purchase. Please send
a reusable water bottle. Funds raised with this campaign support our ever-popular Family Arts
Night at the school. What a great way to kick off March Break!
Easter is the time for chocolate, so it’s good news that our annual chocolate bar fundraiser will
kick off at the start of March. We have a GREAT new supplier this year with tasty Belgian
chocolate and a better profit margin. Funds raised will go towards our playground improvement
fund.
Our next School Council meeting is Thursday, March 10th at 6:45 pm in the school library.
Everyone is welcome, whether you'd just like to listen in, or have an idea to share. Free
babysitting is provided during our meetings!
Keep tabs on all School Council happenings on our new Facebook group JD Hogarth
Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1810548639172149/