January 2016
Principal’s Message:
2016—2017 Kindergarten Registration:
Our School Council has been busy
planning for our 3rd annual Dance—a
–thon which will be held on Friday,
February 12th, 2016. The theme for
this
year’s
Dance-a-thon
is
“Masquerade“.
Kindergarten Registration will be held from Monday, February 1st until Friday,
February 5th, 2016.
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
$11 000 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 22nd P. D. Day:
January 22nd 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 Wednesday, February 10th, 2016.
Eligible students for the Junior Kindergarten program must be four years of
age on or before December 31st, 2016 and students must be five years of age
on or before December 31st, 2016 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.
Welcome to New Staff:
School Council Meeting:
We would like to extend a warm
Grizzly welcome to several new
staff at Glenbrook. Mrs. McFarlane
will be our new Special Education
Resource Teacher, Planning Time
Teacher and Grade 1 class room
teacher, Mrs. Wagner will be our
new Grade 3 teacher and Ms. Walter will be teaching in our Grade 7/8
classroom.
The next Glenbrook School Council
Meeting will be held on Thursday,
January 14th at 6:15 p.m. in the
School Staff Room.
Each of these teachers is kind, caring and excellent. We know they
will enjoy becoming part of our community and we look forward to
learning.
We encourage all parents of students at Glenbrook to attend these
meetings. New members are always
appreciated. There are many ways
in which you can
choose to be involved with this
group. We look
forward to seeing
you at this meeting.
P.D. Day —Friday, January 22, 2016 (full day)
Building a Welcoming and Inclusive School Community:
Cultural diversity, whether it be in your background or in the Glenbrook community,
has a tremendous influence on the choices your child makes regarding the clothes
they wear, the music they listen to, the technology they use and the television they
watch. All children should be introduced to and taught to recognize and respect the
cultural diversity that is in their region, province and country. Here’s how you can
help:
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Teach your child that cultures are dynamic and that people in different cultures have preserved traditions despite overwhelming pressures to assimilate.
Provide books, dolls, toys, wall decorations such as painting, drawings, photographs, welcome signs,
TV programs, and CDs that reflect racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity.
Expose your child to a variety of real life role models to demonstrate the possibilities for their own future.
Make it a firm rule that a person’s identity is never an acceptable reason for teasing or rejecting them.
Your child will learn from open, honest discussions of differences, prejudice, and the unfairness of
biases. Answer their questions carefully. Listen with empathy to what your child may want to know
and what your child is feeling.
Help your child learn the difference between feelings of superiority and feelings of self-esteem. Teach
your child how to feel good about themselves without feeling that they are better than others.
Nurture a sense of responsibility for addressing racism. Teach your child the importance of change in
making a better society.
~ At Glenbrook, everyone belongs.~
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.
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 clear mailbox each month indicating the winning family for the month.
This month’s draw will be held on Friday, January 29th, 2016.
Our family has read the newsletter corresponding to this draw.
Family Name:
___________________________Parent’s Signature:
____________________________
Noisy Toys ~ Should you Worry?
Parents may think that noise is a problem they need not worry about until their child reaches the teenage
years. Not so. Some toys are so loud that they can cause hearing damage in children. Some toy sirens and
squeaky rubber toys can emit sounds of 90 dB, as loud as a lawn mower. Workers would have to wear ear
protection for similarly noisy sounds on the job.
The danger with noisy toys is greater than the 90-dB level implies. When held directly to the ear, as children
often do, a noisy toy actually exposes the ear to as much as 120 dB of sound, the equivalent of a jet plane
taking off. Noise at this level is painful and can result in permanent hearing loss.
Toys that pose a noise danger include cap guns, talking dolls, vehicles with horns and sirens, walkie-talkies,
musical instruments, and toys with cranks. Parents who have normal hearing need to inspect toys for noise
danger.
Before purchasing a new toy, listen to it. If the toy sounds loud, don’t buy it.
Examine toys you already have at home. Remove the batteries or discard the toys if they are too noisy and
pose a potential danger to hearing. Some parents place heavy duct tape over the speakers on noisy toys.
The Sight and Hearing Association publishes a list of the noisiest toys each November for your information.
Continuing Education Programs 2016
Badminton – All ages
Come out and play a fun game of badminton!
Mon Jan 11 – Mon Mar 7 or Mon Apr 18 – Mon Jun 12
Centre Dufferin High – Double Gym
7-8:30pm
8 Classes
Individual $40.00
Family Rate $80.00
Acting 101 – Ages 8 & up
This program will help to develop confidence both off and on stage. Children will learn improvisation techniques and will
play drama games to enhance confidence and gain comfort working in a group. They will also work towards a showcase on the last day of the course to perform for friends and family.
Danielle Gamache
12Classes
Tue Jan 26- Tue Apr 19 Centre Dufferin High – Cafetorium 6:45-8:15pm
$85.00
Home Alone – Ages 10-12
This Canada Safety Council program is designed to provide skills and knowledge to be safe and responsible when
home alone for short periods of time. They will learn how to prevent problems, handle real-life situations, and keep them
safe and constructively occupied. Small group discussion problem solving, role-playing, and instructor-led demonstration with a student reference book will allow participants to actively participate in class assignments. The child will receive a certificate upon successfully completing the program. Fee includes student reference book.
Kim McLelland
1 Class
Tues Mar 8 or May 17 Glenbrook ES - Library 4:30-7:15pm
$27.00
Babysitting Bootcamp
It is our most famous and popular program delivered to thousands of kids every year. Like all Kidproof courses, the
Babysitter's Training program has tons of activities and hands-on practice to increase student confidence and provide
skills needed to be the best babysitter possible. After successfully completing the Kidproof Babysitter's Training Program, students will be confident, prepared, professional, safe, and in demand. Each student receives a Babysitter's
Handbook and wallet card upon successful completion. Parents trust Kidproof to bring them the most up-to-date, valuable and beneficial child safety program. Please bring a nut free lunch, pen/paper, doll or stuffed animal.
Kim McLelland
2 Classes
Mon Feb 22 & Tue Feb 23 or Mon Apr 18 & Tue Apr 19
$50.00
Glenbrook ES – Library 4:30-8pm
Please feel free to register on line at www.learningforyou.ca
Or call us at 519-941-2661
January's Environmental Theme: Waste Minimization
In Canada, we create a lot of garbage. We throw away too much paper, plastic bags, food, old toys,
electronics and much, much more! The good news is that at our school we have made a really good
start to reducing some of our waste. We recycle paper, cardboard and containers made of metal, glass and plastic. We
try to photocopy double-sided and use GOOS bins (bins that hold paper that is Good On One Side and can still be
used). We do waste audits to see what we are throwing away and it seems we need to try to reduce our food waste as
well as our packaging. Start thinking about bringing uneaten food from lunch back home to eat as a snack after school
because we find perfectly good apples and other fruit, or even uneaten sandwiches, in the school garbage cans.
The best way to solve the problem of too much waste is to not create it in the first place. We have been talking about
reducing the number of things we buy and buying items that can be reused instead of immediately being thrown away
and taking up more landfill space. For example: use cloth towels instead of paper towels, borrow most books from the
library instead of buying them new, use cloth bags instead of plastic bags, use litter-less lunch containers and a metal
water bottle that you can refill, and use reusable gift bags instead of wrapping paper. The list goes on and on - there are
so many ways you can help to reduce waste!
We also need to let our government know that we don't want all that extra packaging when we buy things. Other countries have already banned all that unnecessary plastic, cardboard and Styrofoam that toys and cosmetics and games
and food come covered with. So make a difference - write a persuasive letter to both the Ontario and Canadian Governments to ask them to be tougher on packaging laws. Our garbage dumps are filling up. They need to hear from you to
stop all this waste!
Slogan of the month: Let's reduce our waste - our planet is worth it!
Wellington, Dufferin & Guelph—Safe and Active Routes to School
Winter is now here! Snow is beginning to fall and temperatures are dropping. However this is Canada and we love winter! Please be aware that we continue to work with the school board and Public Health Department to create a school
community where children are safely able and encouraged to walk each day to school. We continue to promote walking
as a healthy and environmentally way for our students to travel each day. Please ensure your child is warmly dressed
for walking and recess activities at school. Vehicle traffic patterns at the school have also been examined and consideration has been given to how traffic flow might be made safer for our walking students and those arriving by bus or car.
If you are dropping off/picking up students at Glenbrook, we ask that you please use the sidewalk area on the west
side of the school, rather than the north sidewalk area at the front of the school. Students should enter the tarmac area
through the west gates. If you would like to see your child right to the door or tarmac area, we ask that you please park
your vehicle in the gravel parking area to the south west of the school and walk with your child onto the playground.
Please do not leave your vehicle parked (i.e. no driver) in our front driveway loop or along the sidewalk on the west side
of the school. We greatly appreciate your cooperation with this procedure as it will help to keep all of our students safe.
Term 1 Report Cards:
Your child’s teacher continues to assess and evaluate learning skills and
academic progress for term 1 report
cards. Term 1 ends on January 21st,
2016. Report Cards will go home with
your child on Wednesday, February 10th, 2016.
Making Better Use of our Budget.
You can help us reduce our photocopy cost, making
more of our budget available for other school needs,
including student supplies and resources. How? Go to
www.ugdsb.on.ca/CASL and sign up to receive the
monthly Glenbrook Newsletter in electronic format. The
newsletter will be emailed to an address of your choosing! All of the same great information in an environmentally and economically friendly format!
Nutrition Break Supervisors and
School Volunteers:
We are currently seeking Supervisors for our
Nutrition Breaks. These breaks occur from
10:30am -11:10 am and 12:50pm - 1:30pm.
Supervisors are responsible for keeping students safe and assisting with student needs during meals and while at play. Supervisors are
required to complete training in Health & Safety
and a Police Record Check. If you are available daily during
these times and interested in this position, please submit a
cover letter and resume to the school Principal, Valerie
Smith.
We are also seeking volunteers to assist students with their
literacy and numeracy skills. Many of our students would
benefit from extra opportunities to practice their skills with an
adult volunteer. If you have an interest in assisting in the
classroom please contact your child’s teacher or the school
Office Coordinator. A volunteer application and Police Record Check will be required.
J a nu a r y 2 0 1 6
Sun
Mon
3
10
Tue
Corrections to
skating dates
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
4
5
First School Day
of the New
Year!
What are your
goals for 2016?
6
7
Pizza Day
8
KDGN skating
11:00 am
9
11
13
Junior Skating
11:30am
Gr.7 & 8
Immunization
School Council
Meeting (6:15)
14
15
Parent Council Popcorn Day
Meeting 6:15pm
KDGN skating
12
16
Grade 6 Students
to Trappers and
Traders Program
Gr. 8 Art’s night
CDDHS
17
18
19
20
21
KDGN Skating
22
PA Day
23
29
30
Pizza Day
24
31
25
26
27
Primary Skating
9:00-12:30
28
KDGN skating
FEBRUARY 3rd
Grade 8 Parent’s
Night @ CDDHS
7:00pm
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 vote. These books are written by Canadian authors and include titles by Gordon Korman, Eric
Walters, Susin Nielsen, Caroline Pignat and Deborah Ellis. Books are availabe at Glenbrook and Shelburne libraries. Happy Reading!