February 2015
Principal’s Message:
“Live Free” Nutrition Program Fundraiser:
We continue to experience significant
traffic congestion in our front and side
parking lots when students are coming to and leaving school. We ask
that parents use extreme caution
when dropping off and picking up
children at school during these two
high traffic times.
On Friday, February 27th, Glenbrook staff and students will hold our second
“Live Free” fundraiser for our Nutrition Program. Students and staff are being
asked to take the challenge to live free of something that we would normally
take for granted. Again this year, we will write and post the Live Free promises in the front hallway of the school. Promises for the day may include living
without television, computers, video games, internet, cell phones, talking and
even living without food to name just a few! Students are being asked to donate a toonie to the Nutrition Program on this day.
We also ask that parents not double
park in the front and side parking
lots . This is an extremely dangerous
practice. Please park cars in these
lots and walk to the school entranceways in order to drop off and retrieve
students. This is the safest way to
get your child to and from your vehicle. We appreciate your cooperation
with this request.
Our school nutrition program, run by Kit Stewart and Tara Bernard-McCabe,
serves between 30 and 40 students every day. Our breakfast club is open to
any student who would like to enjoy some social time with staff and students
while enjoying a healthy breakfast. All of the money raised on our “Live Free”
day will stay in our school and will be utilized to support our Nutrition Program.
Winter Walk to School:
Thursday,
February
5th is Winter Walk to
School Day at Glenbrook. Students and
parents who walk to
school on Thursday,
February 5th will receive a Winter
Walk to School Sticker and a cup of
hot chocolate.
Our School Council is organizing this
event in conjunction with the Wellington Dufferin Guelph Health Unit and
Pete’s Donuts. We invite all parents
and students to participate.
We
would like to thank the Health Unit for
supplying the Walk to
School stickers and Pete’s Donuts for supplying the hot chocolate for
our Winter Walk To
School Day.
We thank Mrs. Stewart and Mrs. Bernard-McCabe for coordinating our Nutrition Program and for organizing this fundraiser
for our students. The Live Free event will continue to be an
annual event at Glenbrook and is a mandatory fundraiser in
order to receive continued financial support for our Nutrition
Program from the Children’s Foundation.
Kindergarten Registration—February 2 — 6, 2015:
Students are eligible for the Junior Kindergarten program if they will be four
years of age on or before December 31, 2015 and students must be five years
of age on or before December 31, 2015 to register for Senior Kindergarten.
Registration will take place from Monday, February 2 to Friday, February 6,
2015, between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the main office. Parents
will be required to complete the “Student Admission Form” which is found on
our website in PDF version www.ugdsb.on.ca/admission and should provide
the following:
 Proof of Birth
 Proof of Date of Entry, if born outside Canada
 Proof of and Full Address
 Immunization Record
 Custody Order Documentation (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.
Family Day —Monday, February 16, 2015 (no school)
Grade 3 Students Pilot On-Line Math Program:
Report Cards Home:
Glenbrook Grade 3 students have been given the unique opportunity to pilot a
new on-line math program called “Dreambox.” Dreambox is a program that
supports students at an individualized level of mathematical understanding, and
helps all children improve their Number Sense. The program also helps inform
our regular classroom mathematics instruction.
Glenbrook students from Senior Kindergarten to Grade 8 will receive their
Provincial Report Cards on Thursday,
February 12th. These reports will
provide parents with information regarding student progress up until
January 31st, 2015.
Our students will be using this program in addition to our regular math instruction. Students will have the opportunity to access the program for up to 60
minutes a week at school and are encouraged to utilize the program when at
home as well. At the end of this trial, we will monitor
student improvement and will ask for feedback about
the program. We are very pleased to be given this opportunity. Student responses to the program have
been extremely positive so far!
Concussions Outside Of School Hours:
A concussion is a type of brain injury that changes the way the brain normally
works. It can affect a student’s performance in both school work and physical
activities. Rest is very important after a concussion because it helps the brain
heal. While a child has a suspected or diagnosed concussion, full participation
in school academic and physical activities can worsen symptoms and make
for a longer recovery period.
In the best interest of your child, parents and guardians are requested to contact the principal when a suspected or diagnosed concussion occurs outside
of school hours (i.e. during outdoor play, sports, or a car
accident). The principal will work with you to develop a
plan for an individualized, gradual return to full participation
in school activities. For more information, visit
www.ugdsb.on.ca/concussions.
Talking About Mental Health—Let’s Keep Talking:
Bell Let’s Talk is a nationwide campaign to increase awareness and decrease
stigma around mental illness. You may have heard the ads and hopefully participated in Let’s Talk Day on Jan 28th. What a great way to get the conversation
going on mental illness! Mental illness does not just occur in January and the
discussion should not end there either. For more tips and ideas to keep the conversation going so that each one of us can do our part to increase awareness,
decrease stigma and improve the lives of children, youth and adults with mental
illness, please access the following website: Bell Let’s Talk’s 5 Ways to Help
(http://letstalk.bell.ca/en/end-the-stigma/).
Please take some time to review
these report cards with your child
(ren). These report cards follow a
traditional format with marks/letter
grades being provided for all subject
areas. Learning skills will once again
be highlighted because developing
good work habits is crucial for your
child to be successful in school and
later in life.
If after receiving your child’s report,
you wish to meet with your child’s
teacher to discuss his/her progress,
please contact your child’s teacher at
the school (519) 925-0580. An interview will be scheduled at a mutually
convenient time.
QSP Ordering:
We would like to remind parents that
our QSP online magazine campaign
is still running. Magazines that are
ordered online using the Glenbrook
Elementary School Group I.D.
#33763 will allow parents to receive
magazines at reduced rates and will
result in additional funds going to our
School Council. Please feel free to
place magazine orders at your convenience. Thank you for supporting
this fundraising initiative!
Read This Newsletter and Win a Prize!!!
Win a $20 Gift Certificate for Booklore:
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, February 27th, 2015.
Our family has read the newsletter corresponding to this draw.
Family Name: __________________________
Parent’s Signature:
____________________________
Glenbrook School Council to Hold Dance-a-thon on Friday February 13th:
The students at Glenbrook will be participating in a school wide dance-a-thon on Friday, February 13th, 2015.
This will be our biggest fundraiser of the year. The students voted in mid-January to have a Freaky Friday
theme for this dance-a-thon. Ms. Williams is working with a group of parents, staff and students here at the
school in order to plan for this event. A number of local businesses have donated prizes for students to win.
Students will be bringing home an envelope and information sheet in order to collect pledges from family members, relatives and friends. We again ask that students NOT go door to door to seek pledges. The proceeds raised from this
event will be used to purchase playground equipment for the students at the school. We are very fortunate to have Jerry
Daniel providing the music for this Dance-a-thon through JD DJ Services. We appreciate the work done by our School
Council to arrange this fund-raiser and thank all parents for your support of this fundraising initiative.
Self-Regulation:
Does your child struggle to calm his/her body and mind in order to cope with challenges or solve problems? The ability
to be calmly focused and alert can be difficult for many children, as well as adults. The ability to self-regulate may
change in different situations and stages of life.
As parents, you can help your child use strategies to calm his/her body and mind by modelling what works for you. For
example, when frustrated about being caught in traffic, you may use self-talk and listening to music to help calm the situation. You may say, “This traffic is terrible and I am feeling very frustrated. I know that I can’t do anything about the
traffic so I am just going to tell myself to relax, this will pass, I can turn on some of my favourite tunes!”
Strategies that may work for your child as calming or focusing strategies include: exercise (e.g. a short run), reading a
book, listening to music, talking to someone, self-talk, counting to 20, getting a drink, taking a break, or deep breathing.
Generally speaking, calming the body and mind is necessary before challenges or conflict can be successfully handled.
Resources for Parents:
Book: Zones of Regulation by Leah M. Kuypers
Zones of Regulation http://andersoncarla.blogspot.ca/2014/08/zones-of-regulation.html
Relaxation Techniques http://visuals.autism.net/main.php?g2_itemId=138
Today’s Parent: Easy Ways to Teach Your Child to Self-Regulate http://www.todaysparent.com/kids/preschool/easyways-to-teach-your-child-to-self-regulate/
Responsive Classroom: Teaching Self-Calming Skills
https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/blog/teaching-self-calming-skills
Video: A story: Staying Calm When Angry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnmFfxWjsvs
Self-Regulation http://andersoncarla.blogspot.ca/2013/12/self-regulation.html
From Ms. Stewart In The Glenbrook Library:
Central Registration:
This February is the 10th anniversary of Black History Month in Canada.
Books reflecting Black History and contributions of African-Canadians will be
on display in our library. In addition, students and parents can check out
www.blackhistorycanada.ca to find out the history of African-Canadians and
information about leaders in the Black community.
The Centre Dufferin Recreation Complex will be hosting four (4) upcoming
Community Information & Registration
Dates (Central Registrations). The
purpose is to showcase summer
sports and activities in the Shelburne
area at one location. Registration
dates are as follows:
Our Forest of Reading Clubs are under way! Students who have joined these
reading clubs will be reading at least 5 books before April. Books are available in our library, the Shelburne library, and on Overdrive. Overdrive can be
accessed through the UG2GO website. There are also blogs available if your
child would like to blog about the books they have read or in order to read the
opinions of others. Happy Reading!
Saturday, Feb. 21 (9:30am-12:30pm)
Thursday, March 5 (6:00-8:30pm)
Saturday,March 21 (9:30am-12:30pm)
Thursday, April 23 (6:00-8:30pm)
Febru a r y 2 0 15
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
4
5
Winter Walk to
School Day
6 Kindergarten
Skating
(11:00)
7
Grizzly Cheer
deadline
Junior Division
Zumba Classes
Primary Zumba
School Council
Mtg. (6:15)
Pizza Day
8
9
10
11
Junior Division
Zumba Classes
12 Kindergarten 13
14
Students to The- Kindergarten
atre Orangeville Skating (11:00)
(9:10—11:45)
Freaky
Friday
Report Cards
Dance-a-thon
Home With
Students
(SK—Grade 8)
18
Primary Skating
(8:30—10:15)
19 Pizza Day
School Council
Fundraising
Committee Mtg
(6:15 p.m.)
15
16
17
Family Day
(No school)
School Council
Playground
Junior Skating
Committee Mtg. (11:15—12:45)
(6:30 p.m.)
22
23
Grade 6, 7 & 8
Skating (1:30—
2:30)
20
Kindergarten
Skating
(11:00)
21
27 Live Free
Day
28
Kandalore Parent Info Night
(6:00 p.m.)
Grade 8 Ottawa Primary Zumba
Information
Night (7:00 pm)
24
25 Canadian Pink 26
Playground
Shirt Day
Committee Mtg.
(1:30 p.m.)
Junior Division
Zumba Classes
Badminton
Tournament at
Badminton TourGlenbrook
nament at Glen(4—7pm)
brook
(Raindate)
Kindergarten
Skating
(11:00)
Primary Zumba
From The Wellington Dufferin Guelph Health Unit: Stay Well Month
Reduce the risk of serious infections - proper hand-washing is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick.
Stay home when you are sick and limit contact with others -Children should not be in school with a fever, undiagnosed rashes, vomiting, or diarrhea and should stay at home at least 24 hours following the end of symptoms.
Cover your mouth and nose - when you sneeze or cough; use a tissue or the bend of your elbow.
You can prevent many serious illnesses by keeping immunizations up-to-date for you and your children.
Call 1-800-265-7293 for more information.