It seems that the wet and colder weather is now with us.
Students are reminded to bundle up properly with a good hat and mitts, for these colder days. An extra change of clothing may also be helpful for days that are wet, sloppy, and slushy.
As usual, October was a very busy month at Credit Meadows. We did exceptionally well at the County Cross
Country Run meet with many of our students placing in the top 10 of their division. Furthermore, some clubs have started up this month including our Chess Club and Green
Machine Team. The last week of October was also busy with an “Author Visit” from Hugh Brewster for our grade 6,
7 and 8 students. As well as, a carnival for JK to gr. 6 students and a dance for our 7s and 8s.
Progress reports will be going home on November 14th.
Parent—teacher interviews will take place on November
21st and 22nd. The sign up form for these interviews will be sent home with the progress reports. Parents/ guardians please ensure that you complete this form and return it to your child’s teacher asap. Teachers will need these forms back to start booking interviews. Confirmation of interview times will be sent home no later than November 19th.
On November 18th we will have our second lock down drill for this year. Please note that during the lock down drill no one will be permitted to leave the building. Lock down drills are just one more way, along with regular fire and tornado drills, that help us continue to ensure the safety of our staff and students
We are looking forward to a productive and busy month ahead.
Sincerely,
Principal
NOVEMBER 2013
November 1 Swimming—
Mrs. Dampier & Mr. VanMaren’s classes
Popcorn Day
November 5 Respect Ed.—gr. 7s
November 6 Pasta Day
November 11 Remembrance Day
School Council Meeting @ 3:15pm
November 13 Junior Volleyball after school...
@ Princess Margaret
Pita Pit Day
November 14 Progress Reports go home
November 15 Cookie Day
November 18 Lock down drill
November 20 We Day
Hot Dog Day
November 21 New Canadian Kid production trip
(Mr. Barron’s and Mrs. Langman’s classes)
Parent-Teacher Interview Night
November 22 PD Day...Parent-Teacher Interviews
November 27 Pizza Day
November 28 Trappers & Traders Trip—gr. 7s
UG2GO/Homework Help presentations for parents @ 6:30pm in the Library
November 29 Popcorn Day
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 22nd IS A
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY.
Teachers will be involved in
Parent-Teacher Interviews.
THERE WILL BE NO CLASSES FOR STUDENTS.
Stop a Bully!
Did you know that in the majority of cases, bullying stops within 10 seconds when peers intervene or don’t support the bullying behaviour?
The Upper Grand District School Board takes all incidents of bullying seriously.
That’s why we developed an online bullying reporting tool.
Stop a Bully gives students and parents 24/7 access for reporting bullying. You don’t have to identify yourself – just your school – and your message gets sent directly to your school principal for follow-up.

Help us make our school safer and more inclusive for everyone!
Parents are encouraged to fill in our voluntary school climate survey by the end of November. Our students in grades 4 to 8 will be taking the survey during the weeks of November 11th and November 18th.
The information we collect will help us find out how safe our children feel at school, develop programs to prevent bullying and promote safe and inclusive schools, and decide if our current programs are working. We’ll use the results to make our school better than ever. All our staff will be asked to take the survey too.
This is easy!
 Go to http://edu-climate-surveys.ca/
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
Choose a language by clicking either the
“English” or “Français” button
Enter our school’s survey code ( which is:
8-ABW-145-J ) and click the “Submit

Code” button
Follow the instructions on the survey
Remember – this is your school. Let’s make it safe and inclusive for everyone. Please fill in your survey by the end of November. If you want the survey in another language, ask us for a copy. If you have any questions, contact the school. Thanks for your help.
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Remember that should the buses be cancelled in Dufferin County, or the school closed, a notice will be placed in voice mailbox 605.
Decisions on cancellation of buses and school closures will usually be made by 6:30 a.m.. If you are unsure, you can check the Board website at www.ugdsb.on.ca or call the school at 519-941-
7487 ext 605. This extension is the Inclement Mailbox for CMES. It will be updated as soon as the information has been relayed to administration.
We, as a town school, remain open on almost all occasions. Final decisions about your child’s attendance rest with each individual family. If your child is going to be absent, please notify the office through the attendance line ext. 100 . This will alleviate the need for many calls needing to go out regarding attendance. Also, please note, that if buses are not running then any school trips involving buses would also be cancelled.
Please note that, for safety reasons, our playground climbers are now shut down for the winter season.
We look forward to using them once again sometime in April. If parents would take a moment to review this with their children, noting that children should not be using this equipment before or after school either, that would be appreciated.
We are pleased to inform you that CMES has embarked on a year-long journey of learning to make our school more inclusive. Each class will be involved in several literature-based activities related to inclusive monthly themes. These units focus on concepts that promote equity and social justice (e.g., Sharing Our
Lives, Peace, Building Supportive Communities, Rights of the Child, Caring Hands, Untie the Knots of
Prejudice, Local and Global Citizenship, True Worth and Beauty, and Circles and Cycles).
We believe this initiative will help equip the students of Credit Meadows to operate successfully in today’s diverse world.
We look forward to sharing our work with you and value your input and involvement in any of our schoolwide and community activities.

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There is a great deal of information and research out there that talks about Parent Involvement in
Schools. There are Parent Involvement Committees, Parent Advocacy Groups, Parents for Education and Parent Councils. There is also the 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, parent responsibilities of work, home and outside activities that require our attention. In today’s world – parents are pressed for time.
So what do you say when you get that request from us, your children’s school, to volunteer? How can you fit it all in this school year? How do you stay involved in your child’s education, manage all of your other responsibilities and carve out even a minute for yourself?
The good news is that the research about Parent Involvement has shifted. While we used to talk about parents being in the schools (which we’d still love to see happen), it now talks about ways that we can work together to support your children’s well being and learning. John Hattie (2009) suggests that you can best support your children’s learning by talking with them. When you do this, he suggests that children will be more successful at school. As the start of the 2013-2014 school year begins, make it a daily habit to talk with your children about their day at school. Other than the traditional, “What did you do at school today?” try these questions to get more than the typical “nothing” response.
What helped you learn today?
What was hard for you today?
What are you going to try to do differently tomorrow?
What questions did you ask today?
What questions could you have asked?
What are you interested in learning more about?
As your children’s teachers, educational assistants, principals, vice principals, office and custodial staff, we value and want your support. Support however comes in many shapes and sizes. Being involved includes more than attending Open House, Parent-Teacher interviews and meetings, reading the school and classroom newsletters and volunteering. Being involved means being a partner in your children’s education. It means talking and working with your children’s teacher to ensure your children are coming to school each and every day this school year ready to learn.
Support means being a listener, asking questions, mentoring, being a coach, talking about school and being a co-learner (Building Parent Engagement 2011).
Parent Involvement means holding high aspirations and expectations for our children. (Hung & Ho,
2005) Expect the best from your children, hold the bar high and, this school year, when you ask,
“What did you do at school today?” don’t accept “nothing” as a response. There’s a lot going on in school and, as partners in your children’s education, we want you to know about our day at school!

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A Parent’s How-To Guide for Helping Your Child in Math
Math education looks different than it did even ten years ago. Employers today cite that the essential 21st century skills of problem solving, collaboration, logical reasoning and the ability to think critically are the most important ‘look
-fors’ when interviewing candidates. In schools today, students are asked to solve challenging mathematical problems that put more importance on conceptual knowledge instead of procedural knowledge. This leaves parents sometimes at a loss about their role and how to best support their child. As a parent, you are an invaluable partner in your child’s mathematics education; you are the first educator in your child’s life. Research shows that when there is a high level of family involvement, students do better in school. Below are some tips to support your role as a mathematics parent.
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Tips for Parents:
(adapted from Doing Mathematics with Your Child - A Parent’s Guide http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/ literacynumeracy/parentGuideNum2012.pdf)
 find real-life experiences that encourage and engage your child to think and talk about mathematics (shopping, sorting, construction, managing time and money, understand patterns and trends, make predictions based on patterns, analyze data)

 encourage and provide manipulatives to explore mathematical concepts (toothpicks, popsicle sticks, money, chocolate chips, etc…) be mindful of your attitude towards mathematics; strong, positive attitudes about math increase a child’s ability to feel successful and to persevere with challenging math tasks encourage risk taking provide a supportive, relaxing environment build your child’s confidence by engaging them in math activities that will allow them to feel successful engage in math activities or math talk in the language you are most comfortable with
 a math problem is not necessarily a word problem; don’t allow language to be the barrier to the mathematical concept presented build on memorization of math facts by ensuring the understanding of the concept (What does multiplication/ division mean? When would we use it? Why would we use it? How did you figure out that fact? How can you use
 one fact to help you figure out another?) familiarize yourself with the Ontario Math Curriculum (http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/ math18curr.pdf) in order to understand what your child is learning and what is expected of him/her
Resources:
Homework Help (Gr. 7-10) https://homeworkhelp.ilc.org
Math Activity Sites
*there are many more sites in the Doing Mathematics with Your Child - A Parent’s Guide referenced above http://www.mathstories.com
http://www.hoodamath.com/games/ http://www.mathplayground.com
http://www.funbrain.com/teachers/subj_math.html
http://www.aplusmath.com
http://cemc2.math.uwaterloo.ca/mathfrog/main.shtml

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What a good feeling!
November 2013
The flu is a respiratory illness that spreads quickly from person to person. Common flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, muscle pain, joint pain, and weakness.
The flu is more serious for the very young and elderly. They can get the flu from schoolaged children who don’t seem sick but m ay have a mild case. Get your free flu shot. It protects everyone. Visit www.wdgpublichealth.ca
to find a flu clinic near you.
If you don’t like needles, there is an alternative. FluMist is a nasal spray available for children and adults ages 2 to 59. FluMist is not available at drop-in clinics . Call 1-800-265-7293 to make an appointment. There is a cost of $20 for the nasal spray vaccine.
PROGRESS REPORTS CARDS COMING HOME SOON
The Progress Report that is coming home soon will provide students and parents with early and specific feedback on the progress made during the first two months of the school year.
It will tell you how your child is doing in all subjects using the words: “progressing very well”, “progressing well” or “progressing with difficulty”. After these reports go home, there will be an opportunity for parent/teacher interviews. This is your chance to find out early in the school year how your child is progressing, what staff will do to help, and what you can do at home to support your child’s learning.
Please take some time to go over this Progress Report with your child, and help your child to establish some learning goals for improvement.
Candy Cane Fair
Kick off the holidays with a fun-filled event for the whole family. Bring the kids to the Headwaters Health Care Centre and enjoy many festive activities including a picture with Santa, face painting, carrollers and entertainers. Get your Christmas shopping started with our fabulous vendors, bake tables and craft sale. Let the kids pick out a secret present for you at our Christmas Market. Celebrate the season at your welcoming community hospital.
Free Parking Date: Saturday November 23rd
Time: 9AM to 2PM
Location
Headwaters Health Care Centre,
100 Rolling Hills Dr,
Orangeville, Ontario,
Canada
We know that many parents/guardians prefer to receive our newsletter electronically. Please know that we are working to get this in place as soon as possible. Your patience is appreciated as we work through this process. Thank you.
Please note that our newsletter is always posted on our website.