Kortright Hills Public School
23 Ptarmigan Drive, Guelph, Ontario N1C 1B5 (519)-827-1601 Fax (519) 827-9251
Wendy Donaldson, Principal
Amy Ewing, Vice Principal
Della Broderick, Office Coordinator
Rosemary Coghlin, Administrative Assistant
6
Newsletter for February, 2015
From the Principal’s Desk
I hope all of you have enjoyed the beginning of our
New Year as we wind down our first term. As a school
we have been working with our students to develop
their understanding about how they tackle difficult
tasks. We are learning that many students in our
school do not know what to do when faced with a
challenege and often turn to adults to solve challenges
and problems for them. Over the last few months we
have been talking to our students about this and
developed strategies with them to begin to support
them in developing the skills needed to face challenges
as they arise; providing them with coaching rather
than solving the problem for them. We are realizing
that this is very much a mind set for our students,
that you will not always know how to do something or
what to do, but the goal is to try to work through it
using a variety of strategies. Our goal is to develop a
culture in our school that focuses on "trying, learning
and persevering", where not finding a solution yet is an
important first step to succeeding. Our students are
often worried about what it means about them if they
"fail" or "don't have the answer" or "don't know what
to do". We are working to break these mindsets and
develop a culture of "trying" to gain knowledge and
skills. Over the next few months, we as a school will
be talking about this quite a bit both at school as well
as at School Council meetings. The exciting thing we
are seeing is that students are beginning to use
different language and starting to jump into difficult
tasks with a slightly different attitude. This is a
process that will take a while to develop, but we are
excited about the work that is happening and the small
changes we are starting to see within our students.
If you have questions or would like to discuss this
work, feel free to contact me directly at school. Enjoy
your next month and I look forward to seeing you in
the community.
Wendy Donaldson
Library News
Our Forest of Reading programs have begun with a
record number of students choosing to participate! In
addition to all of the students in the Kindergarten Grade 2 classes who participate in the Blue Spruce
program during their weekly library visits, 134 Grade 3
- 8 students have signed up to read books from the
Silver Birch Express, Silver Birch, and Red Maple
programs. Our daily "Forest Cafe" has been filled with
excited readers every day during snack and morning
recess.
It's not too late to join! If your child would like to
join in the fun, please encourage him/her to drop by
the library to let me know.
Author Visit
Canadian author, Kevin Sylvester, will be visiting with
our Grade 4 - 6 students on February 19th. He will be
sharing his "Neil Flambe" series with our students,
discussing some of his character's "life lessons", and
also sharing some of his tips on how to draw better
cartoons in just 5 seconds! All four books in the "Neil
Flambe" series were nominated for Silver Birch awards
in consecutive years (2011 - 2014). The fifth book in
the series was just released in January and is sure to
be a nominee next year! For more information about
Kevin Sylvester and his books, please visit our Author
Visits page on our library website.
http://bit.ly/AuthorVisits
Thank you for your continued support
of our library programs,
Sheila Morgan
Teacher Librarian
sheila.morgan@ugdsb.on.ca
[Link]http://bit.ly/KHPSLibrary
School Stuff
Honouring Black History Month
Every year Canadians are invited to take part in the
festivities and events that
honour the legacy of Black
Canadians, past and present,
during Black History Month.
Black History Month exists to
remind us all of the rich
contributions within our society from people of
African and Caribbean decent, and of their ongoing
struggle for equity and social justice. This is a time to
celebrate the many achievements and contributions of
Black Canadians who, throughout history, have done so
much to make Canada the culturally diverse,
compassionate and prosperous nation we
know today. It is also an opportunity for the
majority of Canadians to learn about the
experiences of Black Canadians in our
society, and the vital role this community has played
throughout our shared history.
Centennial CVI Secondary School
Grade 8 Parent Information Night.
When:
Where:
Thursday, February 5th, 7:00-9:00 pm
Centennial CVI Cafeteria
Tour the school and find out what Centennial has to
offer.
Come and see Education that Works!
Kindergarten Registration
Kindergarten registration will take place the week of
February 3rd – 7th, 2015. To register for Junior
Kindergarten your child must be four
years old on or before December 31st,
2015. To register for Senior
Kindergarten (if your child is new to
our school) he/she must be five years
old on or before December 31st, 2015.
If you can’t register during this week, please call the
school office at 519-827-1601 to arrange an alternate
time. You must bring your child’s birth verification
and his/her immunization record and proof of address
to register.
Report Cards
Term 1 Report cards go home on Thursday, February
12th. Please sign and return page
three by Wednesday, February 18th.
Parents wishing an interview can
check off the appropriate box on
page three. Your son/daughter’s
teacher will contact you to set up a time suitable for
both parties.
Inclement Weather
It is the parents’ responsibility to
determine whether or not it is safe for
his or her child to leave for school in inclement or
severe weather. A parent must be aware of the
following:
• When a bus does not travel a route in the
morning due to fog, ice, or snow conditions, it
will not travel that route in the afternoon.
•
While we have an excellent transportation
system, buses may be delayed in the morning
due to traffic, poor road conditions,
mechanical breakdowns, etc.
To ensure your child is not stranded at his/her pick-up
point; please make sure they know what to do and
where to go if their bus is more than 15 minutes late.
Listen for messages on your local radio station for
the City of Guelph - Yellow Card.
Winter Dressing
We try to go outside for each recess
and we do monitor the weather
carefully. Our students need fresh air
and love to play outside. Students have
one outside 15 minute recess and a 40 minute outside
lunch recess each day. All students are
expected to be outside for fresh air
and activity. Thus, students must
dress appropriately for winter
weather. Thank you to all parents for
providing hats, snowsuits, scarves,
mittens and footwear for your children.
In the event of inclement weather, students will be
supervised inside the school.
June 26th
Bus/Taxi Cancellations
During times of inclement weather, please listen to our
local radio stations: 1460 AM CJOY, 106.1 Magic FM or
900 AM CHML, 107.9 FM CJXY, Oldies 1090 AM,
105.3 FM CHYM, 1150 AM CKOC, 102.9 FM CKLH, 820
AM CHAM, CKCO-TV for school transportation
cancellations. Information on bus/taxi cancellations
and school closures are also posted on the Upper
Grand District School Board’s website:
www.ugdsb.on.ca.
If your child(ren) regularly
travel(s) by bus, parents do not
need to inform the school when
the buses are cancelled. If,
however, your child(ren) regularly walk to school, you
are asked to leave a message on the 24 hr attendance
line (519 827-1601 ext. 200) for any absence or late
arrival.
PLEASE NOTE: On days when buses/taxis are
cancelled, unless otherwise informed, the school will
be open and a regular school program will be offered.
Also, if parents of bus students drive their child(ren)
in the morning, they must also pick them up at 3:20
p.m.
Extra Clothes
Now that our weather is turning considerably colder, it
is a good idea to send along some extra
clothes with your child. An extra pair of
dry socks and an extra pair of
mittens are always good things
to have tucked into the backpack.
At minus 25° Celsius (including the wind chill), safety
patrol duty is reduced to the last five minutes of the
morning scheduled time and the first
five minutes of the afternoon
scheduled time. Parents and patrols
should check the local radio stations or
internet weather reports for
temperature readings.
Dates to Remember
Family Day
March Break
Easter Break
P.A. Day
Victoria Day
P.A. Day
School Closed
School Closed
School Closed
No Classes
School Closed
No Classes
No Classes
Tired of preparing lunches? The Grade
Eight class is selling subs and pitas as a
way to help with their fundraising for
their Quebec trip. Orders can be
placed online at
www.lunchboxorders.com.
Pitas (from Pita Pit) are available on Tuesdays for a
cost of $5.25.
Choices: bacon, chicken breast, chicken souvlaki,
turkey, ham, veggie.
Subs (from Subway) are available on Wednesdays for a
cost of $4.00 (4 inch) or $4.25 (6 inch).
Choices: ham, turkey, turkey and ham, veggie.
Family Day Holiday
The Upper Grand District School Board
will be observing Family Day on Monday,
February 16th and our school will be closed. We hope
you enjoy the day with your family!
March Break
Just a reminder that the March Break is
Monday, March 16th to Friday, March
20th. School will resume on
Monday, March 23rd .
Head Lice Watch
Winter is the time of year when head lice is most
common in our school. To try to keep it under control,
we ask parents to periodically check their children’s
hair and inform the school if head lice are found.
Homework for Family Trips
Weather for Safety Patrols
February 16th,
March 16-20th
April 3rd & 6th
April 24th
May 18th
June 5th
Lunch Options
P.A. Day
We have reached the time of year when many families
plan trips to exotic locations. This has become evident
because the number of requests for homework from
teachers has increased sharply. Parents are asking for
work that their child(ren) will be missing so that they
won’t fall behind. Teachers are not always able to
provide this advance work for students. A valid
alternative that parents should consider
is having their child(ren) complete daily
journals or researching local features.
This is very practical and educational.
It also is something he/she can present to classmates
and teachers when they return to school.
Sabrina’s Law
Stay Well Month
Sabrina’s Law, an Act to Protect
Anaphylactic Pupils came into
effect January 1, 2006. Each
student with a life-threatening allergy must have a
detailed Life Threatening Illness Management Plan.
All staff have copies of these plans and have training
in the administration of the epi-pen. Parent volunteers
must be aware of these plans as well. If you are
volunteering in a classroom, please check with your
child’s teacher about any students who have a Life
Threatening Illness Management Plan.
Reduce the risk of serious
infections - proper hand-washing is one of the best
ways to avoid getting sick.
Stay home when you are sick and limit contact with
others -Children should not be in school with a fever,
undiagnosed rashes, vomiting, or diarrhea and should
stay at home at least 24 hours following the end of
symptoms.
Cover your mouth and nose - when you sneeze or
cough; use a tissue or the bend of your elbow.
You can prevent many serious illnesses by keeping
immunizations up-to-date for you and your children.
Call 1-800-265-7293 for more information.
Allergies
Many students suffer daily from allergies. Reactions
to allergic substances vary from relatively mild
irritations, such as itchy eyes, sneezing, scratchy
throat, etc., to potentially fatal
conditions where the sufferer
experiences breathing problems
and/or anaphylactic shock. A student
who is allergic to peanuts
often falls in this second
category. There are
students at Kortright Hills P.S. who
react to nuts. Please be aware that
there may be restrictions in your
child’s class to protect a student with
such an allergy. We ask you to abide by any
restriction(s) that may be imposed in these cases and
in the case of nuts or nut products; we ask that you
avoid sending any to school.
Thank you for your co-operation.
Concussion outside of school hours
A concussion is a type of brain injury that changes the
way the brain normally works. It can affect a student’s
performance in both school work and physical
activities. Rest is very important after a concussion
because it helps the brain heal. While a child has a
suspected or diagnosed concussion, full participation in
school academic and physical activities can worsen
symptoms and make for a longer recovery period.
In the best interest of your child, parents and
guardians are requested to contact the principal when
a suspected or diagnosed concussion occurs outside of
school hours (i.e. during outdoor play, sports, or a car
accident). The principal will work with you to develop a
plan for an individualized, gradual return to full
participation in school activities. For more information,
visit www.ugdsb.on.ca/concussions.
Class Disruptions
A major goal for staff is not to disrupt classes during
the day. To assist them in this goal,
the office will keep interruptions to
a minimum. If parents are bringing
in something for their child(ren),
please bring these items to the
office with their name and grade on
it or complete the drop-off form provided in the
office. These items will be distributed at recess
breaks throughout the day. Parents picking up
students are asked to come to the office and wait for
their children to meet them.
Reminder
Adults entering the building are asked to come to the
office and sign in. Please do not walk your child(ren)
to their classroom without checking into the
office first. If you are staying to
volunteer or as a visitor, please pick up and
wear the appropriate badge from the office.
Adults in our building who are not wearing a visitor’s
badge will be asked to return to the office to sign in.
Children’s Mental Health Week
Children’s Mental Health Week is taking place
May 3rd-9th, 2015.
For the 6th year in a row, Children’s Mental Health
Ontario (CMHO) will host our YouTube video contest
called “Change the View”. Ontario youth are invited
to make a short video that shows how we can all take
the stigma out of kids’ mental health issues like
stress, depression, ADHD, bullying and psychosis - for
a chance to WIN $1500!!
Over the past several years, Change the View has
become CMHO’s vehicle for connecting with teachers
and students across the province. Video messages
from youth helped inform our Youth Action
Committee’s report about mental health in schools. A
number of teachers have incorporated the contest
into their curriculum as a way of promoting mental
health awareness and reducing stigma in the classroom.
Last year’s winning video has received over 250,000
views on YouTube.
The contest opens on February 19th and the deadline is
April 9th, 2015. Full details may be found on our
contest page here. www.kidsmentalhealth.ca
HYPERLINK
"http://www.youtube.com/changetheview14"__
Mental Health – Let’s Keep Talking!
Bell Let’s Talk is a nationwide campaign to increase
awareness and decrease stigma around mental illness.
Likely you havre heard the ads and hopefully
participated in Let’s Talk Day on Jan 28. What a great
way to get the conversation going on mental illness!
However, mental illness does not just occur in January
and the discussion should not end there either. Here
are some tips and ideas to keep the conversation going
so that each one of us can do our part to increase
awareness, decrease stigma and improve the lives of
children, youth and adults with mental illness.
Bell Let’s Talk’s 5 Ways to Help (from
http://letstalk.bell.ca/en/end-the-stigma/)
1. Language Matters
Words matter…but they can also hurt. Pay
attention to the words you use. Explain to
friends and colleagues who use words like
“psycho” or “nut” without thinking that their
comments may be hurtful and provide an
alternate view.
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/
04/29/9-things-not-to-say-to-someone-withmental-illness/
2 out of 3 people with mental illness suffer in
silence, fearing judgement and rejection.
Canadian Medical Association
2. Educate Yourself
Myths exist about mental illness that
contribute to stigma. Learn the facts. Learn
more, know more. Be knowledgeable and help
fight the stigma with facts.
http://www.cmha.ca/mentalhealth/understanding-mental-illness/
On any given week, more than 500,000
Canadians will not go to work because of mental
illness.
Mental Health Commission of Canada
3. Be Kind
Small acts of kindness speak volumes. Don’t
stand by if someone is being labeled or bullied.
Treat a person who has a mental illness with
the kindness and care you give to people with
other illnesses through a friendly smile, a
helping hand, a phone call or a visit.
http://mindyourmind.ca/wellness/random-actskindness
Only 49% of Canadians said they would
socialize with a friend who has a serious mental
illness.
Canadian Medical Association
4. Listen and Ask
Sometimes it is just best to listen. Don’t
trivialize someone’s illness. Instead, say: “I’m
sorry to hear that, it must be a difficult time.
Is there anything I can do to help?”
http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/talk-aboutmental-health/tips
Once depression is recognized, help can make a
difference for 80% of people who are
affected, allowing them to get back to their
regular activities.
Canadian Mental Health Association
5. Talk About It
Start a dialogue, not a debate. Break the
silence. Talk about how mental health touches
us all in some way directly or through a friend,
family member or colleague. Stories of lived
experience are the best way to eradicate
stigma. Support mental health and anti-stigma
programs in your community.
http://letstalk.bell.ca/en/toolkit/
1 in 5 Canadians will experience a form of
mental illness at some point in their life.
Canadian Institute of Health Research
For more information go to our board website:
www.ugdsb.on.ca/parents click on the Mental Health
tab.
For all our mental health, let’s keep talking and
listening and caring and connecting.
Dr. Lynn Woodford is the Mental Health and Addiction
Lead for Upper Grand District School Board
Follow me on twitter: @drlynnwoodford
Keeping Our Children and Youth Safe
Online
Over the last few years, there has been a significant
increase in the number of reported cases of young
people involved in self/peer exploitation. This is
generally defined as youth creating, sending or sharing
sexual images and/or videos with peers via the
Internet and/or electronic devise. The Board
recently purchased a resource for every elementary
and secondary school called Self/Peer Exploitation,
School and Family Approaches to Intervention and
Prevention. The resource was created by the Canadian
Centre for Child Protection, which is a non-profit
charitable organization dedicated to promoting safety
of all children. Principals and Vice Principals also
received an in-service on the guide.
The following two links may assist youth and families
who have been impacted by child sexual exploitation:
Cybertip.ca may be used to report child sexual
exploitation.
NeedHelpNow.ca is a website that offers find some
practical information for youth on how to deal with
this (for example, how to get pictures removed from
the internet, how to deal with peers, how to talk with
someone, etc.).
February 10, 2015 is international Safer Internet
Day. Please consider using this day to talk to your
child(ren) about internet safety. The Canadian Centre
for Child Protection also produces several useful
resources for parents that may be found using the
following links:
https://www.cybertip.ca/pdfs/C3P_SafetySheet_Self
PeerExploitation_en.pdf
https://www.cybertip.ca/pdfs/C3P_SafetySheet_Cyb
erbullying_en.pdf
From School Council
If all this frigid weather has you thinking about spring,
perhaps you may want to help the School Council plan
the up-coming spring events. We are starting to plan
for a “variety of activities” including a Multi-Cultural
Event being held in May and the popular Ice Cream
Social in June. Further details on both events will be
sent home over the next couple of months.
The School Council is always looking for new people
with new ideas on fundraising or other events. If you
have an idea or suggestion for future fundraising
initiatives we would like
to hear about them. Even
better, join us at a
future meeting which is a
great opportunity to
connect with other
parents and school
administrators. Our next
meeting is Monday February 23rd at 7:00 pm in the
school library.
February 2015
Sunday
1
8
Monday
2
Day 1
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
4
Day 3
Police Presentation
9:50 - Gr. 4 & 5’s
(Computer Safety)
11:20 Gr. 2 & 3’s
(Safe Side)
12:40 Mad Science
5
Groundhog Day
Jr. Volleyball
3
Day 2
Police Presentation
10:00 - Gr.7
11:20 - Gr. 8
9
10
11
12
Day 1
Day 2
Safe Internet Day
Day 3
Gr 3&4’s to River Run
Day 4
Friday
6
Day 5
Saturday
7
Junior
Volleyball
Day 4
13
Day 5
14
20
Day 4
21
27
Day 4
28
REPORT CARDS GO
HOME
Valentine’s Day
12:40 Mad Science
15
16
FAMILY DAY
17
Day 1
9:00 Gr. 4’s to
Medieval Madness
SCHOOL IS
CLOSED
Gr. 8 Grad Pictures
Pancake Tuesday
22
23
Day 5
Gr. 5 Trip to
Crawford Lake
7:00pm School
Council Meeting
24
Day 1
18
Day 2
Ash Wednesday
12:40 Mad Science
25
Day 2
Gr. 1/2 River Run
1:00pm Saultos
Gymnastics Trip
12:40 Mad Science
19
Day 3
Author Visit
Kevin Sylvester
Chinese New Year
26
Day 3
6:30pm
Performance Dance
Club
An Evening
Of Arts &
Entertainment
Talking about Art with Your Child
The gallery on your refrigerator:
The refrigerator is the mini art gallery in many homes where student art is the featured exhibit.
How wonderful for students to have their work honoured in their home and for them to be
supported by their family! Also, we know that when the family is involved in a student’s learning,
the student’s confidence, positive attitude and achievement grow.
Show your child that you value their judgement as well as their art. Each week or so when the
“exhibit” changes, let your child select the work to be displayed. Ask: “Which work are you most
proud of - why?” or “Which work show your learning best - why?”. Research shows that when
students assess and reflect on their own work their critical thinking skills develop.
Before or after the art makes it to the fridge, reinforce creativity, risk-taking and the ability to
communicate with some open questions ... think questions with no ”right” answer. Ask these
questions or turn them into prompts for your comments about artwork:
What can you tell me about your art?
Tell me the story of your art.
How did you make this?
How would you describe your art to someone who hasn’t seen it?
What I notice is (name what you see in their art). What I wonder is (ask a questions about it).
What I like the most about your (name the type of art) is (name what you like in their art).
How do you hope people will feel when they look at your art?
If someone could walk into your art, where should they walk in? Would it be easy or hard for
them to get in? Tell me more about that.
What title would you give your art? Explain ...
The gallery in your community:
Taking your child to an art gallery to view and discuss art gives them a place to apply their
thinking and learning. Using the same questions/prompts you use at home will help your child
make connections between their work at school and the wider world.
Walk through a room in the gallery, survey the art then return to discuss and spend more time at
the work(s) that capture your interest. Try some gallery games to build critical thinking and
discussion. In any room play:
National Gallery: Choose (or make up) a country. Select 5 works that will hang in the welcome
room at the airport where you enter the country. Explain what each piece of art reveals about
the country.
Ping Pong: Choose any piece of art and call it a Ping. Choose another and call it a Pong. Don’t
explain why or how you made your choices. Then, thinking about your choices, your family
classifies other pieces in the room as Ping or Pong. They explain how they made their decisions
while guessing what your criteria was.
Statue: Each person chooses a figure or object in a piece of art and creates a pose that
represents it. The rest of the family tries to guess which piece of art.
To view contemporary and historical art, visit the MacDonald Stewart Art Center in Guelph
(free), the Dufferin County Museum and Archives in Orangeville and the Wellington County
Museum and Archive between Fergus and Elora (free).
(If you want references:
Nethery, Carrie, “One Great Question”, Arts & Activities, San Diego CA, 2011
Ritchart, Ron et al, “Making Thinking Visible”, Jossey-Bass, San Franciscio CA, 2011
“Student Self-Assessment”, LNS Capacity Building Series, 2007
“The Ontario Arts Curriculum”, 2009)
Prevent pollution – and show RESPECT for the Earth
Pollution of our planet – air, water and land - is a big issue. It damages our environment, harms
or kills plants and animals, and spoils our quality of life. The largest contributor to air pollution is
human activity resulting from the burning of fuels such as used in industry and transportation
using cars and trucks. Water pollution occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or
indirectly into rivers and lakes without adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds. This
is done on purpose by some unscrupulous industries or can happen by accident from toxic spills
of chemicals or oil. Pollution of our land is often caused by littering or improper disposal of
waste or by contamination of our soil by harmful chemicals. The Canadian Environmental
Protection Act was put in place to monitor pollution and give guidelines for industries. We need
to be aware of what causes pollution and its effects so that we can individually make a
difference in protecting our planet.
You as an individual can have a great impact on reducing pollution. Don’t litter, not even
something as small as a gum wrapper. Where do you think it eventually goes? Even better, help
pick up litter on your school yard and participate in annual cleanups in your local parks and
rivers. Don’t use disposable plastic products like bags or water bottles. Bring a cloth bag and
use reusable water bottles. Tell your family to use “green” cleaning products like baking soda
and vinegar instead of chemical cleaners. Take all batteries, leftover paints, and motor oil to the
hazardous waste depot instead of putting them in the garbage. Take unused prescriptions back
to the pharmacy for proper disposal. Encourage friends and family to help with the anti-pollution
cause! As individuals we can put our voices together and make ourselves heard in our effort to
stop pollution on planet Earth.
Green revolution is the best solution to stop pollution. - Let’s go green, everyone!
Self-regulation
Does your child struggle to calm his/her body and mind in order to cope with challenges
or solve problems? The ability to be calmly focused and alert can be difficult for many
children, as well as adults. The ability to self-regulate may change in different situations
and stages of life.
As parents, you can help your child use strategies to calm his/her body and mind by
modelling what works for you. For example, when frustrated about being caught in
traffic, you may use self-talk and listening to music to help calm the situation. You may
say, “This traffic is terrible and I am feeling very frustrated. I know that I can’t do
anything about the traffic so I am just going to tell myself to relax, this will pass, I can
turn on some of my favourite tunes!”
Strategies that may work for your child as calming or focusing strategies include:
exercise (e.g. a short run), reading a book, listening to music, talking to someone, selftalk, counting to 20, getting a drink, taking a break, or deep breathing.
Generally speaking, calming the body and mind is necessary before challenges or
conflict can be successfully handled.
Resources for Parents Book: Zones of Regulation by Leah M. Kuypers
Zones of Regulation http://andersoncarla.blogspot.ca/2014/08/zones-of-regulation.html
Relaxation Techniques http://visuals.autism.net/main.php?g2_itemId=138
Today’s Parent: Easy Ways to Teach Your Child to Self-Regulate
http://www.todaysparent.com/kids/preschool/easy-ways-to-teach-your-child-to-selfregulate/
Responsive Classroom: Teaching Self-Calming Skills
https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/blog/teaching-self-calming-skills
Video: A story: Staying Calm When Angry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnmFfxWjsvs
Self-Regulation http://andersoncarla.blogspot.ca/2013/12/self-regulation.html