JANUARY 2016
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
On behalf of the staff at Rockwood Centennial Public School, we would like to wish all of our
parents, guardians and students a very happy and healthy holiday season. Whether you
celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, or another cultural tradition, we hope that everyone has an
opportunity to enjoy the company of family and friends during the holiday. Please accept our
sincere thanks for all of the support that we have received over the past year. We greatly
appreciate all that has been done to assist the students and staff at our school. A special thank
you to our School Council members for all of the work that they continue to do on behalf of our
students. Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous new year.
We look forward to seeing everyone on Monday, January 4th, 2016.
INFORM US!
Please notify the school if there are any changes in your child’s information (such as your work numbers
and emergency contact numbers). This is really important should we need to contact you during the day.
Also, this is a reminder to please call the school attendance line) to notify the office if your child will be late
or absent.
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
Kindergarten Registration for the 2016-2017 school year for Rockwood Centennial P.S. will take place
the week of February 1st to February 5th , 2016. Students who will be four years of age by December
31st, 2016 are eligible to register for Junior Kindergarten. Students who are already attending Rockwood
Centennial for the Junior Kindergarten program are not required to register again
Parents registering new students are required to complete the “STUDENT ADMISSION FORM”, which is found on our
School Board website in PDF version - http://www.ugdsb.on.ca/schools/article.aspx?id= and provide the following:
Proof of Birth Date, Proof of Date of Entry, if born outside Canada, Proof of and full address - i.e. driver’s license,
purchase/rental agreement, bank statement, hydro bill, Immunization Record, Custody Order documentation (if
applicable)
If you know of anyone with a child who will be four or five years of age by Dec. 31st, 2016 and who wants to register
their child at our school, please ask them to call Mrs. McCallum at 519.856.9556 or stop in at our office. All
kindergarten students welcome!
INDOOR SHOES
Parents are asked to ensure that all students have indoor shoes (or running shoes). With the wet weather outside, it is
inevitable that the floors will occasionally be wet.
Not only is it unhealthy and dangerous for students to walk around the floors of the school in socks,
students will not have a chance to change into their footwear if there is a fire alarm or a drill.
HOLIDAY CONCERTS
All of our holiday concerts were a big hit this year with parents, grandparents and students alike. Our
kindergarten teachers led their students in a wonderful singing performance complete with some really fast
dancing. The primary and junior teachers get a big thank you for heading up the Holiday Concert this year.
We all enjoyed the many showcased talents of our students . Thanks to all teachers for the many hours of
planning and rehearsals dedicated to making our concerts a success.
INCLEMENT WEATHER
It is the parents’ responsibility to determine whether or not it is safe their 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 Division 2, Centre Wellington, the Town of Erin, and the Town of Rockwood- Blue Card.
BUS/TAXI CONCELLATIONS
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
856-9556 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 3:10 p.m.
INTERMEDIATE VOLLEYBALL
Thank you to the Intermediate Volleyball teams for the determination and sportsmanship that they
demonstrated throughout the season and at our tournament on December 10th. Our coaches; Mr. Beilhartz
and Mrs. Soper appreciate how well the teams worked together and supported each other, in true Renegade
style.
FROM THE LIBRARY
With all of the hubbub during the holidays, it is often easy to misplace library books. Please set them in a safe place so
that they are ready to be returned in January. I hope that you enjoy reading with your children during the break there
are so many great seasonal stories to enjoy together!
We will begin our Forest of Reading program in January. Here is a short blurb about how it works for the various age
groups:
Blue Spruce: Students in the primary division will take part in the Blue Spruce program. Teachers will read ten picture
books by Canadian authors to their classes and students will get to vote for their favourite author.
Silver Birch Express: Students in Grade 3 may join the Silver Birch Express reading club. They will read Canadian
stories and vote for their favourite author.
Silver Birch: Our junior students can join the Silver Birch Reading Club. In this club, students may choose to
read fiction or nonfiction Canadian books, have discussion about the books with their peers, and vote for their favourite
author.
Red Maple: This club is for our intermediate students. Students have a choice of reading Canadian fiction or nonfiction
books, have discussion about the book with their peers, and vote for their favourite author.
V. Soper, Teacher Librarian
COLOUR HOUSES IN THE NEW YEAR
We had so much fun in December Colour Houses. The best part was definitely seeing how many
nonperishables we collected for EWAG. On behalf of the Rockwood community, thank you to
everyone who supported this important initiative.
Students also decorated our school halls with Colour House maps, as we celebrated how various countries celebrate
Christmas. The school spirit and team cooperation was outstanding. Thank you to all of our Colour House Leaders for
their remarkable leadership!
V. Soper and L. Benstead
WELLINGTON COUNTY LIBRARY – ROCKWOOD BRANCH
Bedtime Stories (All Ages) Wear your PJs and snuggle up to our quiet evening story time for families. Please
register. Mondays, January 11 - February 22, 6:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Page Turners Book Club (Grades K- 6) Read together and come to discuss at this parent-child book club. Please
register. Tuesday, January 12, 6:30 pm - 7:15 pm
PA Day: Let's Talk Science! Animal Adaptations (Grades K- 6) How do living things adapt for survival? Learn some
of the ways animals survive in different climates – how they move around, how they stay hidden and how they catch
prey. Join “Let’s Talk Science” in this free, hands-on programme for kids! Please register. Friday, January 22, 1:30 pm
Mix It Up! Art Workshop (Grades 1 - 3) Inspired by bestselling author and artist Hervé Tullet, this beautifully messy
workshop will be active, collaborative, and entertaining, no matter your skill level. Space is limited. Please register.
Saturday, January 23, 1:30 pm - 2:45 pm
Rockwood Branch Library
85 Christie Street Rockwood, ON
519.856.4851 • www.wellington.ca/Library
HIGH SCHOOL INFO NIGHTS
There is a night for grade eight students and their parents to learn more about J.F. Ross C.V.I. and College Heights
S.S. programs.
College Heights S.S. Info Night
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
John F. Ross C.V.I
Thursday, January 14, 2016
6:15 pm
SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS
Happy New Year, RCPS Families! We hope you had time to enjoy special moments with family and friends
during the holidays. The Fundraising committee is now gearing up for an exciting winter and spring season.
In February your children will participate in a DANCE-A-THON, raising dollars toward much needed school
equipment and enhanced learning opportunities. Our next school council meeting is January 11, 2016 at 6:30
pm in the Library. All are welcome!
SNACKS AT SCHOOL
Thank you for helping keep the school safe for all students by sending lunches and snacks that are peanut/nut
free. Most parents/guardians send nutritious snacks for the children to eat. Please carefully monitor what your
child brings to school for snacks and lunch. Some students bring items that have a very high content in sugar or
chocolate.
Often these ingredients affect children by making it difficult for them to sit long enough or have the ability to concentrate
and complete academic tasks.
JANUARY’S ENVIORNMENTAL THEME; WASTE MINIMIZATION
In Canada, we create a lot of garbage. We throw away too much paper, plastic bags, food, old toys, electronics and
much, much more! The good news is that at our school we have made a really good start to reducing some of our
waste. We recycle paper, cardboard and containers made of metal, glass and plastic. We try to photocopy doublesided and use GOOS bins (bins that hold paper that is Good On One Side and can still be used). We do waste audits to
see what we are throwing away and it seems we need to try to reduce our food waste as well as our packaging. Start
thinking about bringing uneaten food from lunch back home to eat as a snack after school because we find perfectly
good apples and other fruit, or even uneaten sandwiches, in the school garbage cans.
The best way to solve the problem of too much waste is to not create it in the first place. We have been talking about
reducing the number of things we buy and buying items that can be reused instead of immediately being thrown away
and taking up more landfill space. For example: use cloth towels instead of paper towels, borrow most books from the
library instead of buying them new, use cloth bags instead of plastic bags, use litterless lunch containers and a metal
water bottle that you can refill, and use reusable gift bags instead of wrapping paper. The list goes on and on - there are
so many ways you can help to reduce waste!
We also need to let our government know that we don't want all that extra packaging when we buy things. Other
countries have already banned all that unnecessary plastic, cardboard and Styrofoam that toys and cosmetics and
games and food come covered with. So make a difference - write a persuasive letter to both the Ontario and Canadian
Governments to ask them to be tougher on packaging laws. Our garbage dumps are filling up. They need to hear from
you to stop all this waste!
Slogan of the month: Let's reduce our waste - our planet is worth it!
NOISY TOYS
Parents may think that noise is a problem they need not worry about until their child reaches the teenage
years. Not so. Some toys are so loud that they can cause hearing damage in children. Some toy sirens and
squeaky rubber toys can emit sounds of 90 dB, as loud as a lawn mower. Workers would have to wear ear
protection for similarly noisy sounds on the job.
The danger with noisy toys is greater than the 90-dB level implies. When held directly to the ear, as children often do, a
noisy toy actually exposes the ear to as much as 120 dB of sound, the equivalent of a jet plane taking off. Noise at this
level is painful and can result in permanent hearing loss.
Toys that pose a noise danger include cap guns, talking dolls, vehicles with horns and sirens, walkie-talkies, musical
instruments, and toys with cranks. Parents who have normal hearing need to inspect toys for noise danger.
Before purchasing a new toy, listen to it. If the toy sounds loud, don’t buy it. Examine toys you already have at home.
Remove the batteries or discard the toys if they are too noisy and pose a potential danger to hearing. Some parents
place heavy duct tape over the speakers on noisy toys.
The Sight and Hearing Association publishes a list of the noisiest toys each November for your information.
JANUARY 2016
SUNDAY
3
MONDAY
4
Pizza Day
TUESDAY
5
Pita Pit Day
WEDNESDAY
6
Sub Day
THURSDAY
7
Pizza Day
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
1
2
8
9
15
16
22
23
Gr. 6 trip Parent
Meeting 5:30pm in
Library
10
17
11
Pizza Day
12
Pita Pit Day
13
Sub Day
14
Pizza Day
School Council –
6:30pm
Junior Classes to
River Run Centre
18
Pizza Day
19
Pita Pit Day
Gr. 8 Info Night at
College Heights SS
6:30pm
20
Sub Day
Gr. 8 Info Night at
J.F. Ross CVI
6:15pm
21
Pizza Day
Movie Night 5 – 9
pm in the library
JF Ross to visit Gr.
8 students.
24
31
25
Pizza Day
26
Pita Pit Day
27
Sub Day
28
Pizza Day
PA Day
No School for
students
29
30