DECEMBER 2015
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
It is hard to believe the holidays are nearly here! It seems just yesterday that we were opening
our doors to September. As you will notice on our December calendar, we are planning many
special activities this month. There will be carol singing, 5 Days of Giving, volleyball
tournaments, intermediate intramurals, and a winter concert! Check the calendar to find dates
and times. Please join us for as many events as you can: Our doors are open!
The progress reports and IEP’s will be going home December 11th. If you have any questions
with regards to the progress of your child, please contact their classroom teacher. Home-school
communication is one of the most important factors in student success at school. We hope that all parents will take the
time to call us with any comments, questions or concerns so that we can continue to work together.
Enjoy the holidays with family & friends
L. Doering
PRIMARY/JUNIOR HOLIDAY CONCERT: DEC. 16th
It's that time of year again as the Holidays creep near and we have some amazing performances for you this year! We
encourage you to come out and show support for our community and your children as we showcase their many talents.
The theme to this years concert is, Christmas Through the Movies, written by Mrs. Benstead. What a wonderful way to
put us all in a festive mood. Show starts at 9:00 am! The Grade 8 Grad Committee will be having a bake sale in the
hallway to support our Grade 8 Grads.
FOOD DRIVE
In the spirit of giving, Rockwood Centennial P.S. will be holding our annual week long food drive. For the
past sevaral years, our school community has been incredibly generous with their food donations. We will
begin collecting on Monday, December 7th. To encourage the spirit of giving in a fun and non-competitive
way, we will include friendly Colour House activities to go along with the food drive. The Rockwood Food
Bank/EWCS is so grateful for our contributions. We thank you in advance for spreading the holiday spirit by making a
daily donation to our 5 Days of Giving.
MR. STAFFORD’S MITTEN TREE: AN RCPS TRADITION
A reminder too, that Mr. Stafford, our Custodian, will have the Mitten Tree up in the front hall! We will
gladly accept donations of new mittens, hats or scarves to decorate the tree from Dec. 7th to Dec.18th.
These will then be given to families in need through EWCS.
GET ME TO THE SCHOOL ON TIME!”
Getting your child to school on time is an important part of ensuring their academic progress. Arriving even
ten minutes late each day interrupts the day’s routine and important information is missed. With
announcements held at 10:15 am each day, our learning time starts right at 8:40am.
LIBRARY NEWS
Do you have a holiday tradition that involves reading Christmas stories with your children? If you don't, maybe this is
the year to start. Some titles that I would recommend adding to your bookshelf include:
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One Hockey Night by David Ward
The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
A Porcupine in a Pine Tree by Helaine Becker
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
The Christmas Magic by Lauren Thompson
Little Donkey's Wish by Marianne Martens
Mortimer's Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson
Merry Christmas and happy reading from Mrs. Soper!
INTERMEDIATE VOLLEYBALL
On December 10th or 11th our Intermediate volleyball teams will compete in a tournament. The boys,
coached by Mrs. Soper will head to Elora P.S., and the girls, coached by Mr. Beilhartz will go to J.D. Hogarth
to show off their skills. Go, Rockwood Renegades!
LOST AND FOUND
Our lost and found bin is full with some very expensive clothing! Clothing items will be put on display in
the front hallway during our concerts. Items not claimed by the Winter Break will be cleaned and sent to a
local charity for redistribution.
TEACHER APPRECIATION
Often families like to give gifts to teachers at this time of year. While we so appreciate your generosity, the staff would
like you to consider, in lieu of staff gifts, a donation to one of the following:
• Food Bank - Our annual food drive will take place from in early December. All donations will be passed on to the Food
Bank who will create Food Hampers for distribution in our community. Please help make this year’s collection a HUGE
success. Items such as toothpaste, canned goods, paper products and any dried goods are greatly appreciated.
• Giving Tree - We now have our Giving Tree up in the front foyer. Please consider sending in a pair of new mittens or
gloves, a hat or scarf, which will decorate the tree throughout December and then be distributed to children in our local
community.
• School Library - We always appreciate donations of new books for our school library. This is a gift that benefits all of
our students.
• Upper Grand Learning Foundation - If you make a donation to the Upper Grand Learning Foundation in our school’s
name, we will receive 100% of the donation. Tax receipts will be issued
INCLEMENT WEATHER – BOARD POLICY
It is the parent’s responsibility to determine whether it is safe for their child to leave for school in
inclement weather. Parents 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. If a parent elects to drive their child/children to school, they are responsible for pickup of their child/children at dismissal time (no later than 3:15pm). The Board no longer sends buses home early in
cases of inclement weather. When buses travel their route in the morning they will complete their afternoon route at the
regular time.
Each morning, listen to local radio stations (1460 AM, 106.1 FM) for information about bus cancelations and any school
closings for bad weather. This information is also posted on the home page of the Upper Grand District School Board’s
web site at www.ugdsb.on.ca click on the bus on the top of the homepage. The web site is updated daily by 6:30am to
provide you with the same information that is distributed to the news media.
Important Notes:
The school will not call parents of bus students who are absent on those days when the buses are canceled due to
inclement weather and you do not need to call the school. We will assume that your child is absent because he or she
could not take the bus to school. Parents of students who normally walk to school or are driven in are asked to call the
school’s attendance line as usual if these students will be absent. Unless the Board closes the school due to inclement
weather, the school will be open even if buses are not running.
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.
Each driver is ultimately responsible for deciding if it is safe to complete their route. If they decide to cancel or delay
their route, they will ensure that every effort is made to inform parents of their decision.
VIOLENCE THREAT RISK ASSESSMENT PROTOCOL (VTRA)
The Upper Grand District School Board is committed to providing safe learning environments for all students, staff,
school visitors, and community members. When a student behaves inappropriately, Principals use progressive
discipline to help a student take responsibility for their actions, change their behaviour, and learn from their mistakes.
When safety is threatened by the potentially violent or dangerous behaviour of a student, which places either the
student or others at risk, school staff follow specific protocols for the protection of all. It is important that you and your
children are aware of these protocols.
For more information, please visit the board’s website: http://www.ugdsb.on.ca/parents/article.aspx?id=51057
COLLEGE HEIGHTS SECONDARY SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE
Attention Grade 7 & 8 Students and their Parents/Guardians:
You Are Invited to College Heights Secondary School Open House, Wednesday, January 13th, 2016 6:30 pm - 8pm
DATES TO REMEMBER
Pizza Days
December 3, 7, 10, 14, 17th
Sub Days
December 2, 9, 16th
Pita Pit Days
December 1, 8, 15th
Popcorn Days
Each Friday at 2nd Break for $1
Gr. 8 College Heights visit
December 1st
Fundscrip order delvery
December 1st
1B & 12A River Run Trip
December 2nd
JK/SK Screening
December 2nd
Gr. 8 Career Pathways trip December 3rd
Gr. 7 & 8 Immunizations
December 4th
5 Days of Giving
JK/SK Vision screening
Gr. 8 Ottawa trip Meeting
Fundscrip orders due
Kindergarten Tea
Progress Reports go home
Intermediate Volleyball
Christmas Concert
Last day of school
First day back to school
December 7th – 11th
December 7th & 9th
December 7th, 6:30pm
December 9th
December 10th, 2pm
December 11th
Dec ember 10th or 11th
December 16th, 9 am
December 18th
January 4th, 2016
ROCKWOOD’S 5 DAYS OF GIVING
Rockwood School will be holding a Food Drive the week of Monday December 7th to Friday December 11th. Each day
we will be collecting something different, but don’t worry we have a schedule that will help you remember. The
Rockwood Food Bank is so grateful for our contributions that we have been making over the last 7 years. Last year we
collected 24 boxes of food this years goal is 28 boxes. We thank you in advance for spreading the holiday spirit by
making a daily donation to our 5 Days of Giving. This is a Colour House event so with each item brought in your child
will earn 2 points per item and we will have a bonus day on Monday December 14th where each item brought in will
earn them 5 points.
DATE
FOOD GROUP
EXAMPLES
Monday December 7th
Breakfast Food
cereal, jam, hot cereal
Tuesday December 8th
Lunch Food
soup, tuna, kraft dinner
Wednesday December 9th
Dinner Food
pasta, pasta sauce
Thursday December 10th
Snack Food
granola bars, canned fruit, crackers
Friday December 11th
Toiletries
toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap
MONDAY DECEMBER 14th
BONUS DAY
ANY CANNED GOODS
COLOUR HOUSE PRESENTS 12 DAYS OF HOLIDAY FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Welcome to our 3rd Annual 12 DAYS OF HOLIDAYS. We are very excited to be celebrating the holiday season with
days of fun and frolicking in our Colour Houses.
Date and Country
Time
Activity
Thursday December 3rd, 2015
Canada
No time needed
Wear Red and Green
Friday December 4th, 2015
Finland
9:00-10:20 am
Winter Wonderland Walk
Monday December 7th, 2015
Norway
1:30-3:00 pm
5 Days of Giving Kicks Off (Breakfast Food)
Salute to Holiday Movies
Tuesday December 8th, 2015
Hong Kong
No time needed
5 Days of Giving (Lunch Food)
Wear Red and Gold
Wednesday December 9th, 2015
Belgium
12:00-12:45 pm
5 Days of Giving (Dinner Food)
Christmas Card Making for the Community
Thursday December 10th, 2015
Mexico
No time needed
5 Days of Giving (Snack Food)
small sample of Nacho and Salsa
Friday December 11th, 2015
Australia
No time needed
5 Days of Giving (Toiletries)
Boomer Beach Day
Monday December 14th, 2015
Africa
No time needed
Bonus 5 Days of Giving each food item gets your
Colour House team 5 points.
A Sporty African Christmas
Tuesday December 15th , 2015
The Philippines
9:00-10:20 am
Dress Rehearsals for Primary/Junior Concert
Intermediates to watch
Play Christmas Carols all throughout the day
Wednesday December 16th, 2015
Venezuela
9:00-10:20 am
CONCERT DAY
Rolling into Christmas
Thursday December 17th, 2015
Jamaica
9:00-9:15 am
Dance Hallway Reggae Style
Friday December 18th, 2015
United States
2:30-3:00 pm
PJ Day/ New Year’s Eve Dance Party
And the Christmas Pickle
DECEMBER’S ENVIRONMENTAL THEME: WATER POLLUTION
Water might seem like an endless resource. It covers more than 75% of our planet, but only 1% of the water on planet
Earth is fresh, usable, and drinkable. The rest is either saltwater or frozen. And now the 1% that is drinkable is being
threatened by pollution because of humans.
We need to conserve the water that exists on planet Earth. Did you know that almost 1 billion people do not have
access to clean water? That is really hard for us to understand because Canada's most valuable natural resource by far
is freshwater. While we have only 0.5% of the world’s population we have approximately 20% of the world’s fresh water
resources. But unfortunately Canada is also one of the highest fresh water users in the world. Of 29 nations studied,
only the United States uses more water than Canada on a per capita basis. Canada’s consumption is an alarming 65
per cent above the average!
What are some of the ways we can reduce water pollution? At home, purchase environmentally friendly, non-toxic
cleaning products. Or clean with baking soda, lemon or vinegar. Conserve fresh water by collecting rainwater in barrels.
Use it to water your lawn and garden or even indoor plants. Don’t pour chemicals or paint or oil down the drain, and
especially not into the storm drains on the street, as it goes directly back to our rivers and lakes. Using natural products
that are biodegradable, for example, is a great way to go. Most importantly, don’t waste the clean water that we have.
Turn off the taps when you brush your teeth, take shorter showers, and know that lawn watering is now no longer cool!
Slogan of the month: Conserve our water - it's all we have!
ALL STUDENT CAL LEARN IN A FRENCH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE PROGRAM (FSL)
In recent years, there has been a call to action to strenghen FSL programming. The belief that all students can learn in
a Core French, French Immersion and Extended French program is embeddid all through this plan. While this may
sound like a trendy statement, holding on to this belief can be the most essential ingredient to breaking down barriers
and making school work for all students.
Finding solutions is critical when working with students who experience challenges. Understanding what they can learn,
when they can learn it and how they learn best is ley. Also important is the direct involvement of parents in their
education. This can no doubt be overwhelming for some. Knowing how to support their child, especially when there
are struggles, is not always evident. Studies show, hovever, that when schools and families work together to support
learning, students do better.
Tips for Parents to Support Student Learning
 Become familiar with your child’s FSL program
 Show our child that you value the learing of French
 Maintain consistent communication with the teacher
 Share what you have observed about your child’s learning with the teacher and inquire about the observations
made at school
 Inquire about the supports provided to your child
 Learn which strategies can be used to support your child’s learning at home
 Read all information shared about your child’s classroom program (teacher’s newletters, blogs, websites, etc.)
 Ask that any new learning be shared with you and celebrate your child’s progress
KISS AND RIDE
Dear Rockwood Families:
We wish to take this opportunity to outline and review the Kiss and Ride Program that operates in front of the school on
Pasmore St.
This area is a designated NO PARKING zone. A NO PARKING Zone means an area on a highway where properly
worded signs are on display indicating that parking is prohibited. “Park” or “parking” means the standing of a vehicle
whether occupied or not except when standing temporarily for the purpose of and while actually engaged in loading or
unloading merchandise or passengers. (Ref: Guelph/Eramosa Township By-Law 5000-05)
The outlined plan for the operation of the Kiss and Ride Program is as follows:
Enter into the Kiss and Ride zone slowly. Allow your children to exit vehicles (with or without assistance) and exit the
zone in a timely manner.
Escorting or collecting children from the kinder yard or school defines parking. Please do not arrive prior to 3:10pm or
during inclement weather and stop and wait in the zone. We also request that parents refrain from engaging in
extended conversations while in the Kiss and Ride zone area.
The O.P.P. is there to monitor the area. As it is a bylaw, enforcement of township bylaws are carried out by the O.P.P.
or a by-law officer. The school administration and staff are there to assist to ensure the Kiss and Ride program runs
smoothly and most of all, safely.
We have discussed the information with all the school staff to ensure we are all communicating effectively. If you have
any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us for further discussion.
We all want our school and the roads surrounding it to be safe. The goal is not to put limitations to make it inaccessible,
rather to allow a maximum number of vehicles to flow through. It’s about respecting everyone and being considerate of
others waiting to find a free spot.
TALKING ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH
31 Days of Taking Care of Ourselves
In December, as the days get shorter and colder, we all need to take some time to do something good for ourselves.
Taking a little time each day to take care of ourselves makes so much difference to keeping in good mental health. You
may choose to do some activities on your own or with your family or with a friend. Try one or a few or try them all.
Enjoy!
December 1 : One Minute – Take deep breaths, in and out, for one minute.
December 2 : Two Minutes – Smile at yourself in the mirror.
December 3 : Three Minutes – Listen to a favourite song.
December 4 : Four Minutes – Eat some fresh fruit.
December 5 : Five Minutes – Light a candle and quietly watch the flame.
December 6 : Six Minutes – Sit quietly for six minutes.
December 7 : Seven Minutes – Enjoy the taste of a holiday snack.
December 8 : Eight Minutes – Spend fun time with someone who a person or pet .
December 9 : Nine Minutes – Think of the best things that happened this week.
December 10 : Ten Minutes – Take some time out with a cup of tea. Sip slowly and enjoy.
December 11 : Eleven Minutes – Sing along with your favourite songs.
December 12 : Twelve Minutes – Send an email to a friend setting up a time to meet up during the holidays.
December 13 : Thirteen Minutes – Draw, paint or doodle.
December 14 : Fourteen Minutes – Go outside and breathe in the cool, crisp air.
December 15 : Fifteen Minutes – Read a favourite story.
December 16 : Sixteen Minutes – Call or skype with someone.
December 17 : Seventeen Minutes – Do something active: dance, walk, run, skip, play.
December 18 : Eighteen Minutes – Make a cup of hot chocolate and pay attention to the flavor and warmth as you sip–
add marshmallows if desired.
December 19 : Nineteen Minutes – Help someone else out who needs some extra help in the holidays.
December 20 : Twenty Minutes –Watch the sunset on the shortest day of the year.
December 21 : Twenty One Minutes – Enjoy the holiday decorations in your neighbourhood.
December 22 : Twenty Two Minutes – Reflect on traditions you have enjoyed or currently enjoy.
December 23 : Twenty Three Minutes –Make your favourite meal and enjoy every bite.
December 24 : Twenty Four Minutes – Enjoy a bubble bath or extra long shower.
December 25: Twenty Five Minutes – Take a walk to appreciate nature and being outside.
December 26: Twenty Six Minutes – Take a nap, lie down and take a rest.
December 27: Twenty Seven Minutes - Watch your favourite TV show that makes you laugh.
December 28: Twenty Eight Minutes – Spend time with friends or family.
December 29: Twenty Nine Minutes – Go to the library and take out a new book, CD or DVD.
December 30: Thirty Minutes – Take some time to do a hobby or something you enjoy that you have not done for a
while.
December 31: Thirty One Minutes – Make a list of all the things you were grateful for this year.
Dr. Lynn Woodford, Psychologist, is the Mental Health and Addiction Lead for Upper Grand District School Board
Follow me on twitter: @drlynnwoodford