January 2015
Principal’s Message:
2015—2016 Kindergarten Registration:
Our School Council has been busy
planning for our 2nd annual Dance—
a –thon which will be held on Friday,
February 13th, 2015. The theme for
this year’s Dance-a-thon is “Freaky
Friday.”
Kindergarten Registration will be held from Monday, February 2nd until Friday,
February 6th, 2015.
Our Dance-a-thon is the largest fundraising event held at the school each
year.
Last year, the Glenbrook
School Council was able to raise over
$10 000.00 with the assistance of the
Scotiabank funds matching program.
Parents are required to come to Glenbrook E. S. to complete the Student Admission Form and provide the following documentation:
We are looking forward to our Intermediate students assisting with the
planning of this event. Information
and pledge sheets will be sent home
with students later on this month
(January).
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We thank all parents and students in
advance for your support of this initiative. We are hoping
that this will continue
to be a profitable
fundraiser again this
year.
January 23rd P. D. Day:
January 23rd is a full day Professional Development Day. School staff
will be engaged in writing Provincial
Report Cards.
Teachers will be
meeting to discuss student progress
and to develop the comments that
will appear on first term reports.
Report Cards will be
sent home with students
on Thursday, February
12th, 2015.
Eligible students for the Junior Kindergarten program must be four years of
age on or before December 31st, 2015 and students must be five years of age
on or before December 31st, 2015 to register for Senior Kindergarten.
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Proof of Birth Date—i.e. Birth Certificate/Canadian Citizenship, Permanent
Resident Card
Proof of and Full Address—i.e. Driver’s License, Purchase/Rental Agreement, Bank Statement, Hydro Bill
Proof of Date of Entry (if born outside of Canada)
i.e. Stamp in Passport, Citizenship & Immigration Canada Documentation,
Statement Notarized by a Notary Public, Permanent Resident Card
Immunization Record
Custody Order (if applicable)
If you know of a neighbour or friend who presently does not
have children at Glenbrook E. S. and lives within the school
boundary, please give them this information or ask them to
contact Ms. Mitchell at the school, 519-925-0580 ext. 221.
New Arrival:
School Council Meeting:
We are excited to announce that
Mrs. Whitehouse delivered a baby
girl, Alicia Marie, at 9:45 p.m. on
December 25th. Mrs. Whitehouse
reports that she and Alicia are both
doing well.
The next Glenbrook School Council
Meeting will be held on Wednesday,
January 7th, at 6:15 p.m. in the
School Staff Room.
We look forward to having Alicia
come to visit the staff and students
at Glenbrook in the near future.
Congratulations to
Mrs. Whitehouse
and her husband
on the safe arrival
of their new daughter!
We encourage all parents of students at Glenbrook to attend these
meetings. New members are always
welcome. Come to hear about all of
the wonderful things that are happening at Glenbrook E. S. We
look forward to
seeing you at this
meeting.
P.D. Day —Friday, January 23, 2015 (full day)
C.D.D.H.S. Fine Arts and Grade 8 Course Info Nights:
Grade 8 Grad Photos:
Fine Arts Information Night
The teaching staff from Centre Dufferin District High School’s (C.D.D.H.S.) Fine
Arts department invite all parents of Grade 7 & 8 students to attend an
“Understanding the Arts” information session that will be held at Centennial Hylands Elementary School on Thursday, January 8th, at 7:00 p.m.
Representatives from
Edge Imaging will be
at Glenbrook Elementary
School
on
Wednesday, January
28th, 2015, to take
photos of our Grade 8
students who will be
graduating this June.
The Fine Arts staff will review a range of topics which include: enrolment particulars; enrichment opportunities provided within the Arts Programs; understanding transferrable skills gained; and appreciating the demand for creative thinking
skills in today’s education and employment sectors.
Additionally, because all secondary students are required to obtain at least one
Arts credit in order to successfully complete their Ontario Secondary School
Diploma (OSSD) requirements, Fine Arts staff will be discussing the best approach for determining the most suitable Arts program for your child.
Grade 9 Course Information Night
At 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 29th, 2015, the staff at C.D.D.H.S. plan to
hold a Grade 9 orientation and information evening at the high school
(C.D.D.H.S.). Parents are asked to accompany their Grade 8 child to this
presentation. We are hoping to have 100% attendance from Glenbrook parents
and students at this important meeting. We look forward to seeing you there!
Grade 8 students will be bringing
home information regarding these
photo packages. Students will be
informed of the proper attire for these
photos.
What To Do If You Discover That Your Child Has Head Lice:
During the fall and winter months, we do receive reports of students who must be treated for head lice. We ask that all
parents periodically check their children for this “nuisance.” Please check all children under bright lights, parting and
lifting strands of hair and looking close to the scalp. The nits (eggs) are sesame seed shaped and are usually found in
the fine hair behind the ears, at the back of the head and above the forehead. If you discover that one child in your family has head lice, please check everyone in the family and notify the school, parents of playmates, and your child’s babysitter(s).
Pharmacies sell products to treat lice. Very young children, pregnant women, nursing mothers and anyone with a skin
irritation should be referred to a doctor because of the chemicals contained in these products. The products sold in
pharmacies often do not kill 100% of the nits. Parents will need to remove the eggs and egg cases manually.
When school personnel discover that students have head lice, we notify parents and ask them to treat their child(ren).
We ask parents to ensure that hair has been treated and that all nits have been removed. We recognize that this is
very labour intensive but it is one of the best ways to ensure that lice do not return.
If you would be willing to assist the school in checking students’ heads for lice, please contact the
school office. We would like to train a group of parents who could assist when we suspect that head
lice is becoming a problem. We are creating this team in an attempt to prevent an outbreak of head lice
in the school. If you have any questions about this procedure, please feel free to contact us (519) 9250580. We appreciate all that you do to eliminate this nuisance.
Read This Newsletter and Win a Prize!!!
Win A Galaxy Movie Pass:
After your family has read this newsletter, please sign and detach this coupon. “Our family” must include at least one
parent/guardian who has read the newsletter. This coupon must be placed in the yellow mailbox in the front office at
Glenbrook school. A ballot will be drawn from the yellow mailbox each month indicating the winning family for the
month. This month’s draw will be held on Friday, January 30th, 2015.
Our family has read the newsletter corresponding to this draw.
Family Name:
___________________________Parent’s Signature:
____________________________
Wellington, Dufferin & Guelph—Safe and Active Routes to School:
Gillian Maurice is the School Travel Planning Facilitator hired by the Active and Safe Routes to School Committee for
Wellington, Dufferin and Guelph. Glenbrook is participating in the Active and Safe Routes to School program this year
(2014—2015). Gillian has been visiting Glenbrook E. S. and conducting surveys with our students to determine the
number of students who walk or who receive a ride to school. She has also been visiting the school in order to monitior
traffic flow / traffic congestion at the school in the mornings (8:15—8:45 a.m.) and at the end of the day (2:30—3:00
p.m.).
Gillian will be returning to Glenbrook during the second week of January in order to complete her survey and monitor
traffic flow.
We look forward to hearing about Ms. Maurice’s findings and learning about potential solutions to some of
the traffic congestion that is experienced at the beginning and at the end of the day. Our goal is to implement strategies to enable students to travel to and from school in a safe and efficient manner.
Colds and Illnesses:
Welcome:
Year End Trips Planned:
Unfortunately we have a lot of student
and teacher absences due to illness
spread by those who attend school
while sick. Doctors tell us that cold
fresh air aids in recuperation from
most illnesses unless there are respiratory complications, in which case,
children should not be at school.
We welcome Ms. Walter to Glenbrook Elementary School. Ms. Walter is taking on the teaching responsibilities in Mrs. Whitehouse’s class
while Mrs. Whitehouse is on maternity leave.
Our Intermediate staff members (Mrs.
Kennedy, Ms. Walter & Mr. Henry)
are in the process of organizing the
Grade 7 and Grade 8 year end trips.
Please check with your family doctor
before writing a note for children to
remain indoors at recesses. We realize that some children pressure parents to write notes to remain in at recesses for successive days. Your cooperation in appreciated.
We are pleased to have Ms. Walter
join our teaching staff and encourage the parents of students in her
class to come in to the school to
meet her at a mutually convenient
time.
Our Grade 7’s will be going to Camp
Kandalore for 3 days (June 8th, 9th
and 10th).
Our Grade 8’s will be travelling to
Ottawa for 3 days (June 2nd, 3rd and
4th).
We are confident
that our students
will enjoy participating in these excursions.
Is Conflict The Same As Bullying?:
People may sometimes confuse conflict with bullying, but they are different. Conflict occurs between two or more people
who have a disagreement, a difference of opinion or different views. Conflict between students does not always mean it’s
bullying. Children learn at a young age to understand that others can have a different perspective than their own, but
developing the ability to gain perspective takes time and the process continues into early adulthood. In conflict, each person feels comfortable expressing his or her views, and there is no power imbalance. How people deal with conflict can
make it positive or negative.
Conflict becomes negative when an individual behaves aggressively by saying or doing hurtful things. Then the conflict is
an aggressive interaction. Conflict only becomes bullying when it is repeated over and over again and there is a power
imbalance. Over time, a pattern of behaviour may emerge where the person who behaves aggressively in the conflict
may continue or even make it worse. The person who is the recipient of the aggressive conflict may feel less and less
able to express his or her point of view and feel more and more powerless. That is when negative conflict may turn into
bullying. A school will respond to bullying and conflict differently. For example, in the case of a conflict, a school staff
member may try to have the students come together to tell their side of the story and help them resolve the situation together. In the case of bullying, a principal will consider progressive discipline, which may include suspension or expulsion.
J a nu a r y 2 0 1 5
Sun
4
11
Mon
Tue
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
9
10
7 Primary Skating
(8:45)
Junior Skating
(11:10)
Grade 7 & Grade
8 Immunization
School Council
Meeting (6:15)
8 Pizza Day
12
14
15
16
Kindergarten
Skating (11:00)
17
22 Pizza Day
23
24
Grade 7 & 8
Arts Day
Professional
Development
Day
(no school for students)
13
19
20
School Council
Playground
Committee Mtg
(6:30 p.m.)
25
Thu
5
6
First School Day Kindergarten
for 2015
Skating (11:00
a.m.)
Welcome Back!
School Council
Dufferin Parent Fundraising
Council Meeting Committee
(7:00 p.m.)
Mtg. (6:15)
18
Wed
26
27
Grade 6, 7 & 8
Skating (1:30)
Arts Night at
C.H.E.S. (7:00)
School Council
Greening Committee Workshop (6:30 at Ken
Danby - Guelph)
21 Grade 6 Students to Trappers and Traders
Program (Island
Lake Conservation Area)
28 Primary Skat- 29
ing (8:45)
Gr 8 Graduation
Photos
Junior Skating
30
Primary Zumba
(9:00 a.m.)
31
Grade 8 Parents
Night at Centre Popcorn Day
Dufferin District
High School
(7:00 p.m.)
Library News: January is the perfect time to curl up with a good book, and that is just what we are encouraging our students to do! From January to April, the library will be running the Forest of Reading Book Club. A special
thank you to Parent Council for supporting this school wide club. Students from K - 3 will be reading 10 picture books
during their library time. Students in grades 3 - 8 will be introduced to the titles through a book talk and can join the Silver Birch (grades 3-6) or Red Maple (grades 7- 8) Book Club. Students who join the club must read 5 out of 10 titles to
be eligible to vote. These books are written by Canadian authors and include titles by Kenneth Oppell, Eric Walters,
Richard Scrimger, and Deborah Ellis. Books are available at the Glenbrook and Shelburne libraries. Happy Reading!