December 2015
Principal’s Message:
It’s here, it’s here, our playground is here!
As I listen to reports of recent global
events, I have taken time to reflect on
the community in which I live and
work. I am sure you join me in appreciating the sense of inclusion and
mutual support we enjoy here at
Glenbrook Elementary School.
I would like to extend best wishes to
friends and families in the Glenbrook
Community for a safe and happy holiday.
I hope you are able
to relax and spend
treasured time with
those you hold near
and dear through the
holiday season.
Our Natural Playground is officially open! A very big thank you goes out to all
those in the Glenbrook Community for helping to make this dream a reality.
The Playground is an excellent example of what can happen when inspiration
and Grizzly GRIT work together.
Our students are enjoying exploring, climbing, running, deciding,
inventing and problem solving together. This playground will help
to foster the skills and positive character traits our students will
need to become life long learners. Our students look forward to
building friendships and learning about their natural world.
Warm Winter Wishes to All!
Glenbrook Grizzlies:
Are you looking for a Christmas gift to
give your child? How about a Glenbrook Grizzly Bear?
We continue to sell our stuffed Glenbrook Grizzly Bears through the office here at the school. Each bear is
wearing a royal blue Glenbrook Grizzlies shirt with the Grizzly logo. If you
are interested in purchasing one of
our souvenir bears, please contact
Valerie Smith or Suzee Kennedy in
the school office. Bears can be purchased for $10.
Parking Lot Safety Reminder:
There has been a significant increase in traffic in the school’s front parking lot
and in the parking lot at the arena since the arrival of our winter like weather.
We are becoming more and more concerned about the safety of our students
as they travel to and from school each day. Please be extremely careful
when driving through these parking lots.
We ask that parents park their vehicles in parking spaces
in the gravel parking lot to the west of the school rather than
in the driving lanes in front of and beside the school.
Please walk young children to our doors when dropping
them off and picking them up. We appreciate your cooperation in making sure that all students are safe when walking
to and from school.
Glenbrook Skating Trips:
We are very fortunate to have a wonderful recreation center and arena located
right next to Glenbrook. This allows us convenient and affordable access to
skating opportunities throughout the winter. Each Division has scheduled specific dates for class skating trips. The dates and costs will be
shared with you via classroom teachers.
Please know that CSA approved helmets are mandatory for all
skaters on the ice, adults and children.
We do have some extra helmets and ice skates available at the
school should you need to borrow equipment. Please speak with your child’s
teacher well in advance of the skating dates to make these arrangements.
Donated skates and helmets are gladly accepted.
Parent volunteers are greatly appreciated on these days as many
children need help with laces and skating skills. Please let your
child’s teacher know if you are available to help on skating days.
Christmas Holidays — Monday, December 21, 2015 to Sunday, January, 3rd, 2016
Children arriving to school late:
Colds and Illnesses:
We continue to experience a large number of students arriving to school just
after the morning bell time. Often students indicate they need to wake up earlier to be able to get ready for school in a timely way.
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.
If your child is frequently arriving late, we ask that you please
consider your family’s morning routines and how you might
make changes which would enable your child to arrive at
school prior to our 8:30am bell time.
If you are uncertain if lateness is a problem for you child,
please contact your child’s teacher for this information.
Anaphylactic Shock: Life Threatening Allergies
Many children have allergies. A few, however, are life-threatening. Some children, for example, are severely allergic to peanut butter. Even a tiny bit can be
fatal within minutes. Nuts, shellfish, fish, eggs and milk are also known to
cause severe reactions. Knowing that your child has allergies and knowing
how to deal with them is your best defense.
If your child is allergic to peanuts, peanut products or any other food item,
please let us know. With your help, we will do our best to prevent mishaps and
to make sure that all of our students are safe, healthy and can concentrate on
learning.
Please call the school if you have not informed us about a medical
condition or allergy that your child experiences (519) 925-0580.
Grade 8 Student and Parent Night at C.D.D.H.S.:
Grade 8 students and their parents are invited to an Information Night being
held at Centre Dufferin District Secondary School on the evening of February
3rd starting at 7:00pm. C.D.D.H.S. staff will be on hand to provide parents and
students with information about course selection.
We encourage all parents of our Grade 8 students to attend
this important information evening. Staff from C.D.D.H.S.
will also be meeting with the staff and students here at Glenbrook to review the courses that will be available for students next year and to review course selection procedures
with students. Further information about Grade 9 course
selection will be sent home with students during the month
of January.
Please check with your doctor before
writing a note for children to stay in at
recesses. We realize that some children pressure parents to write notes
to remain in at recesses for successive days. We have very limited indoor supervision at recess.
Your cooperation is appreciated.
Lost and Found:
Lost and found items are located in a
box in the front hallway of the school
across from the student washrooms.
We encourage all parents to come to
the school to examine these items.
We would like to
ensure
that
these articles of
clothing etc. are
returned to their
rightful owners.
Items that are
not claimed will
be packed up prior to the Christmas
break and will be donated to a charity.
Read This Newsletter and Win a Prize!!!
Win Glenbrook Water Bottle:
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 clear box in the front office at Glenbrook school. A ballot will be drawn from the clear box each month indicating the winning family for the month. This
month’s draw will be held on Wednesday, December 16th, 2015.
Our family has read the newsletter corresponding to this draw.
Family Name:
___________________________Parent’s Signature:
____________________________
December's Environmental Theme: Water Pollution
Water might seem like an endless resource. It covers more than 75% of our planet, but only 1% of the water
on planet Earth is fresh, usable, and drinkable. The rest is either saltwater or frozen. And now the 1% that is
drinkable is being threatened by pollution because of humans.
We need to conserve the water that exists on planet Earth. Did you know that almost 1 billion people do not
have access to clean water? That is really hard for us to understand because Canada's most valuable natural
resource by far is freshwater. While we have only 0.5% of the world’s population we have approximately 20%
of the world’s fresh water resources. But unfortunately Canada is also one of the highest fresh water users in
the world. Of 29 nations studied, only the United States uses more water than Canada on a per capita basis.
Canada’s consumption is an alarming 65 per cent above the average!
What are some of the ways we can reduce water pollution? At home, purchase environmentally friendly, nontoxic cleaning products. Or clean with baking soda, lemon or vinegar. Conserve fresh water by collecting rainwater in barrels. Use it to water your lawn and garden or even indoor plants. Don’t pour chemicals or paint or
oil down the drain, and especially not into the storm drains on the street, as it goes directly back to our rivers
and lakes. Using natural products that are biodegradable, for example, is a great way to
go. Most importantly, don’t waste the clean water that we have. Turn off the taps when you
brush your teeth, take shorter showers, and know that lawn watering is now no longer cool!
Slogan of the month: Conserve our water - it's all we have!
Glenbrook Christmas Concerts:
The students and staff at Glenbrook are planning to hold both a Kindergarten and Primary Christmas concert to celebrate our festive season. Students in Grade One, Grade Two and Grade Three will be involved in a variety of presentations at an assembly on Tuesday, December 15th at 1:30pm. The Kindergarten Concert will be held on
Wednesday, December 16th at 1:30pm.
Parents are welcome to attend. This concert will take place in the school gym. Parents are reminded
to park in the gravel parking lot to the south-west of the school if the parking lot at the front of the
school is full. We look forward to seeing you at this event.
Recording School Events:
Many of us like to record (video tape or photograph) school plays, concerts, graduations and other events that take place
at school. There is a risk that recording such events will invade the privacy of students, parents and school staff.
Personally recording school events and then the subsequent public posting of these recordings on
social networks such as Facebook or You Tube is not respectful of the privacy rights of all those parents, staff and particularly students whose images are shared without their knowledge or permission.
We ask that parents not take photos of anyone other than your own child.
When school staff plan to record school events, parents will be notified in advance of this recording
taking place. We appreciate the cooperation of all involved to ensure that our students’ safety is not
compromised.
A Message From Mrs. Stewart in The School Library:
The winning book of our second annual Glenbrook Reads was The Can Man. Congratulations to the winners of copies
of all the nominated books and a huge thank you to Parent Council for supporting this literacy event! Our first Book Fair
is well underway. It will run from Monday November 30th - Wednesday December 2nd. Every purchase made at the book fair will help stock our library. Thank you for your continued support of this
event. Throughout the month of December, the kindergarten, grade 1 and 2 classes will be finishing
their author studies and making a class book which will remain in their classroom. In January, we will
begin our Forest of Reading Book Club. The primary students will be reading the Blue Spruce selections during library time; Junior and Intermediate students will have the option to join this club in January. The Forest of Reading Book Club is Canada’s largest reading program with participants
from across Canada and the world. If you would like more information on the titles, please visit
www.accessola.org
Staff –Student Hockey Game:
Junior Ball Hockey & Primary Mini Sticks:
We are excited to once again be able to engage
in a fun game of hockey between our staff & students on Thursday, December 17th at 9:00am10:00am at the Centre Dufferin Recreation Centre next door.
Our goalie equipment for outdoor hockey has arrived!
Extra supervision will be needed at this event to
allow for some of our teachers to be on the ice
playing in the game.
Please be aware that all students playing outdoor hockey
must provide their own hockey helmet with cage/
screen.
Please contact your
child’s teacher if you are
available to help supervise and cheer along at
Junior students will need a hockey stick with a plastic
blade. Primary students will need a plastic mini-stick
(primary). Student must have signed permission forms to
play hockey at recess.
Our games will begin at 1st recess on Tuesday, December 1st. If the number of students wishing to play increases, we will add games at 2nd recess.
Talking About Mental Health – December 2015
31 Days of Taking Care of Ourselves
In December, as the days get shorter and colder, we all need to take some time to do something good for
ourselves. Taking a little time each day to take care of ourselves makes so much difference to keeping in
good mental health. You may choose to do some activities on your own or with your family or with a friend. Try
one or a few or try them all. Enjoy!
December 1 : One Minute – Take deep breaths, in and out, for one minute.
December 2 : Two Minutes – Smile at yourself in the mirror.
December 3 : Three Minutes – Listen to a favourite song.
December 4 : Four Minutes – Eat some fresh fruit.
December 5 : Five Minutes – Light a candle and quietly watch the flame.
December 6 : Six Minutes – Sit quietly for six minutes.
December 7 : Seven Minutes – Enjoy the taste of a holiday snack.
December 8 : Eight Minutes – Spend fun time with a special person or pet .
December 9 : Nine Minutes – Think of the best things that happened this week.
December 10 : Ten Minutes – Take some time out with a cup of tea. Sip slowly and enjoy.
December 11 : Eleven Minutes – Sing along with your favourite songs.
December 12 : Twelve Minutes – Send an email to a friend setting up a time to meet up during the holidays.
December 13 : Thirteen Minutes – Draw, paint or doodle.
December 14 : Fourteen Minutes – Go outside and breathe in the cool, crisp air.
December 15 : Fifteen Minutes – Read a favourite story.
December 16 : Sixteen Minutes – Call or skype with someone.
Technology in UGDSB:
The Upper Grand District School Board now has Chromebooks for student use in all 25 public libraries across
the district.
The program first launched in April at three pilot sites within the Wellington County library system and has grown to include all 25 public
library branches that serve our region.
Each branch has been outfitted with five Chromebooks that are available exclusively for Upper Grand students to access and complete their
homework and assignments.
For more information, visit the board website at www.ugdsb.on.ca
December 2015
Sun
6
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
30
1
Book Fair and
Book Fair con’t
Monday Morning 8:10am-3:10pm
Muffins!
7:30am-3:30pm
2
3
4
5
7
9
10
Parent Council
Meeting
6:15pm
11
Grizzly GRIT
Assembly
9:00am
12
8
Walk to School
Day
Last day of
Book Fair
8:10am-3:30pm
Report Cards go
home.
13
14
15
Pizza Day
Primary Concert
1:30 pm
16
17
18
19
Kindergarten
Staff Student
Candy Gram
Concert Hockey Game
Day
1:30pm 9:00am-10:00am *Gr 5&6 Skating
9:00-10:00
*Gr 7&8 Skating
*Gr 1&2 Skating
9:00-10:00
9:00-10:00
Whole School
*Gr 3&4 Skating
Assembly
11:30-12:30
1:30pm
20
21
No School
22
23
24
25
Christmas Day
26
27
28
29
30
21
1
New Years Day
2
3
4
Return to Glenbrook for the
New Year.
5
6
7
8
9