OCTOBER 2013
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE:
We have had a very smooth start to the 2013-2014
school year. For the first time in many years we did
not need to re-organize our classes. This allowed staff
and students to settle quickly into routines.
Our annual “Meet the Teacher Night” was very successful with a steady flow of families visiting classrooms and getting a bite to eat. Many also enjoyed an
opportunity to check out our Book Fair in the library.
A huge thank you goes out to our School Council and
other volunteers, for their organization and food service for the evening. Thank you also to staff for hosting families in their classrooms, and to the many families who were able to join us for this event.
During the last week of September CMES students participated in a Junior and an Intermediate Soccer Tournament. The weather was spectacular and our CMES
Cobras played exceptionally well in both tournaments—demonstrating great teamwork and sportsmanship. Thank you to Mr. Barron for coaching our Junior team, and to Mr. VanMaren for coaching our Intermediate team. Cross Country Running will be our
next athletic county event, taking place on October
2nd.
This year’s annual Terry Fox School Run took place
on September 27th. Thank you to Mrs. Gammage,
Madame Cleary, and Mrs. Ecclestone for organizing
this event at CMES. The weather was amazing!
Thank you also to Mr. Barron’s, Mrs. Langman’s, and
Ms. Robert’s classes for leading our Kindergarten run
in the morning. Finally, thank you to students who
created and sold bracelets to support this cause and to
all community members who made financial contributions.
CMES recently received its 2013 EQAO results. Overall, we had mixed results. While we were very pleased
with our Junior results, our Primary scores were much
lower than anticipated. Over the next little while staff
will have an opportunity to look more closely at the
results and plan some next steps for school improvement.
Sincerely,
Vicky Crandall
Principal
CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
October 1
October 2
October 4
October 7
October 8
October 9
October 11
October 15
October 16
October 18
October 22
October 23
October 24
October 25
October 29
October 30
Swimming—Junior classes
Cross Country Running Meet
Pizza Day
SwimmingMrs. Dampier & Mr. VanMaren’s classes
Popcorn Day
School Council Mtg. @ 3:15pm Library
Career Pathways trip—gr. 8
Swimming– Junior classes
Walk to School Day
Swimming–
Mrs. Dampier & Mr. VanMaren’s classes
Pasta Day
PD Day
Swimming—Junior classes
Pita Pit Day
Swimming–
Mrs. Dampier & Mr. VanMaren’s classes
Swimming– Junior classes
Swimming–
Mrs. Dampier & Mr. VanMaren’s classes
Hot Dog Day
Picture Retakes
PD Day - half day of classes
Swimming– Junior classes
Pizza Day
Half Day PA Days
Please note that this year we have two half day Professional Activity Days on Friday October 25 and Friday
June 6. This may be challenging for some parents but it’s
because of the government’s Putting Students First Act
(Bill 115) and our long standing contractual agreement
with our elementary teachers. Students will attend school
in the morning only on these two days. Students will be
dismissed at 11:30am on these days.
We understand and apologize for the frustration this will
create for many families who need to arrange child care
and juggle work schedules. Please read the full information about the two half day PA Days on the Board’s website www.ugdsb.on.ca/calendars.
Stop A Bully
Upper Grand District School Board has implemented a new electronic site for students to report cases of bullying. When incidents
of bullying are reported through this tool, the information is forwarded to the school principal for follow-up. This is just one
more way for our school community to stand up against bullying.
www.ugdsb.on.ca/stop-a-bully
Page 2
General Safety on the School Yard:
We would like to ask all parents/guardians to please review with your child(ren) that rough play is not allowed
on our CMES yard. Too often students get hurt when engaged in this type of activity and while staff continue
to remind and consequence students for this, we feel that reminders from home would also be beneficial.
We would also like to ask parents/guardians of younger children to please be mindful of the age restrictions
on our climbing equipment. Our two larger structures are not designed for young children (under age 5) to
use safely. Signs are posted indicating this.
Dogs on the School Yard:
This is a friendly reminder to our school community
that dogs are not to be on school property during
school hours (including pick-up time), unless they
are service dogs. We truly appreciate your understanding and support in this matter. Between allergies and anxieties, dogs can create great discomfort
for some members of our school population. So
please be understanding if you happen
to be on school property with a dog
and a staff member kindly reminds you
of this policy.
Parking Lot Reminders:
This is a reminder that all student drop
off and pick up should take place in our
north parking lot. The front parking lot
is for busses, deliveries, and staff parking.
When parents/guardians are entering the north parking lot it is critical to remember to stay to the right as
this is a one way lot …. and please always watch out
for others—especially our children.
Community Violence Threat Risk Assessment Protocol
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 students' behaviour pose a potential threat to safety or serious harm, the Community Violence Threat Risk Assessment
Protocol (VTRA) helps principals take further steps to protect students' well-being.
More information is provided on our school website as well as the UGDSB website.
Celebrate International Walk to School
Day
I WALK Day is Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Did you know that most children can walk 1 kilometer in only 11 minutes! There are many good reasons to walk
or bike to school. Its good exercise, improves concentration, builds neighbourhood awareness, protects the environment, and promotes independence.
Being outdoors and walking with family and friends is fun.
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health · 1-800-265-7293
www.wdgpublichealth.ca · info@wdgpublichealth.ca
Page 3
PD DAY REMINDERS:
Please note that there are 2 PD days in October:
Friday, October 11th is a full day PD day.
Friday, October 25th is a half day PD day.,,,On this
day students are expected to attend school from
8:30am to 11:30am. Following dismissal at
11:30am, staff will be engaged in PD activities focusing on assessment and evaluation.
STUDENT SAFETY AND
SCHOOL SECURITY:
A reminder that all visitors to the school need to
sign in at the office. Even if you are only stopping in briefly to pick up your child from class, you
must sign in at the office if you are going to the
classroom. This allows us to know who is in our
building at all times should an emergency arise. It
also helps us to ensure the safety of our students.
Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
REPORTING STUDENT
ABSENCES/LATES:
A reminder to parents that you need to
notify the school of your child’s absence each day
your child will be absent or late. Doing this prior to
8:30am is appreciated. Please select the “Absences
and Lates” mailbox at ext. 100 to report if your child
will be absent or late.
Thank you.
Mini Stick Hockey at CMES:
Mini stick hockey at CMES is a very
fun and engaging recess activity.
We are pleased to see so many students enjoying this sport. However, students are reminded
that only small plastic mini sticks are allowed
(no wooden sticks). They are also reminded to
demonstrate good sportsmanship and safe playing at all times. Furthermore, in order to maintain safety for students we are strongly recommending that students bring protective eyewear
that will not shatter.
E.Q.A.O. PROVINCIAL TESTING:
Each year the Gr. 3 & Gr. 6 students complete
Standardized Provincial Testing late in the Spring
that takes place over three to six different days.
Staff are in the process of examining individual, as
well as overall results to discover learning patterns
or trends. This is yet another way that we are able
to identify specific areas of need that help drive
teaching practices and our School Improvement
Plans.
Tasks in which students were engaged are based
on the expectations for Gr. 3 & 6 as described in
the Ontario curriculum documents for Language
and Math. Student work was assessed according
to achievement levels 1 to 4.
Results are reported by the percentage of students
achieving levels 3 and 4 combined. Level 3 reflects
consistent knowledge of expectations (B achievement range of 70 to 80%.) Level 4 reflects a more
thorough, complex knowledge (A achievement
range or the equivalent to 80-100%). The following
chart is a summary of the 2013 Primary and Junior
EQAO results. This chart highlights the performance of students at our school, as compared to students in the school board and the Province.
Grade 3
Reading
Writing
Math
School
57
57
43
Board
68
74
64
Province
68
77
67
Grade 6
Reading
Writing
Math
School
91
85
65
Board
76
70
52
Province
77
76
57
As a staff, we will continue to address student performance and school goals through our School Improvement Plan.
Page 4
CURRICULUM CONNECTION FOR PARENTS:
Everyday children go about their daily lives exploring and discovering things around
them, and by doing so they’re exposed to the world of mathematics. And since mathematics has become increasingly important in this technological age, it is even more important
for our children to learn math at home, as well as in school.
Attitude is Important
How do you as a parent feel about math? Your feelings will have an impact on how your children think about
math and themselves as mathematicians. Take a few minutes to reflect on these questions:
Do you think everyone can learn math?
Do you think of math as useful in everyday life?
Do you believe that most jobs today require math skills?
If you answer "yes" to most of these questions, then you are probably encouraging your child to think mathematically. Positive attitudes about math are important for your child's success.
Mathematics as Problem Solving, Communication, and Reasoning
Helping your child learn to solve problems, to communicate mathematically, and to demonstrate reasoning
abilities are fundamental to learning mathematics. These attributes will improve your child's understanding
and interest in math concepts and thinking.
A problem solver is someone who questions, investigates, and explores solutions to problems. They stick with
a problem to find a solution and understand that there may be different ways to arrive at an answer and attempt different ways to get there. You can encourage your child to be a good problem solver by involving him
or her in family decision making using math.
To communicate mathematically means to use words, numbers, or mathematical symbols to explain situations; to talk about how you arrived at an answer; to listen to others' ways of thinking and perhaps alter their
thinking; to use pictures to explain something; and to write about math, not just give an answer. You can help
your child learn to communicate mathematically by asking your child to explain a math problem or answer.
Ask your child to write about the process she or he used, or to draw a picture of how he or she arrived at an
answer to a problem.
Reasoning ability means thinking logically, being able to see similarities and differences about math concepts
in different domains and make choices based on those differences or similarities. You can encourage your
child to explain his or her reasoning behind answers and encourage them to ask themselves, “Does this make
sense?” As you listen, you will hear your child sharing his or her reasoning.
Look forward to next month’s newsletter more about how you can help you child/children further develop
these attributes of a strong mathematician.
October 2013
Preparing lunches day after day can be a challenge!
Make sure you pack lunches that have all four food groups in Canada’s Food Guide:
Include at least:
•
One fruit or vegetable,
•
one serving of milk or milk products (like cheese or yogurt)
•
One meat or alternative (like sunflower seeds or hard- boiled eggs)
•
One whole-grain item
Here are resources to help you:
• Canada’s Food Guide available from your school nurse or www.wdgpublichealth.ca
•
Healthy eating on a budget. Visit http://www.mhp.gov.on.ca/en/healthy-ontario/healthyeating/eathealthy-budget.asp
•
Healthy eating resources at www.eatrightontario.ca
When we improve what we eat, we can make a big difference to our health and well-being for
years to come.