JD Hogarth P.S.
April 2016 Newsletter
Principal’s Message:
Greetings, We hope everyone had a great March Break and Easter Holiday. Spring is here “I
hope” despite the unpredictable weather we have been experiencing. It is important to be
checking the weather daily to ensure that your child(ren) is/are dressed appropriately each and
every day. At times our playground can be wet and muddy. As a result, we try and keep the
students to the dry areas. We do remind students on the morning announcements that when
the field is muddy and wet they need to wear proper footwear and splash pants. In the school,
all students are expected to wear indoor shoes to help keep the floors clean and to be prepared
in the event of an emergency.
With only three months for our students to reach their goals that they have set for
themselves, we encourage them to apply themselves at school and complete their homework in a
timely manner. Daily reading at home is a must to improve fluency. Practicing those basic math
computation facts, and playing those math games are also key to strengthening and building
strong math understanding. Making math applicable to everyday life helps students recognize
why math skills are so important.
As you know our School Council has been busy with a couple
of recent fundraisers. On March 11th the students and
staff spent time dancing to raise money for our annual
Arts Day which will be held on April 13th. Arts day will
include a presentation to each of our divisions and all our
students will participate in a number of workshops.
Thanks to the school council members who volunteered their time to organize the dance and
sales. As well, JD Hogarth would like to thank Mark Haynes for volunteering once again to DJ
at our Dance For a Donation Fundraiser.
Every year your child’s life is enriched with those special events and support that your school
council brings to JD Hogarth. For those individuals that make up your school council, their lives
too are enriched, knowing that with a little support and effort JD Hogarth PS is simply a great
school!
Ms. Barrow
Principal
Are You Moving?
Please contact the office ASAP if you know you are moving and your child(ren) will
not be attending JD Hogarth in September. This will help us plan for September.
Thank you!
Concussions:
Concussions can have a servious effect on a young, developing brain. Proper
recognition and response to concussions can prevent further injury and help with
recovery. Children and adolescents are among those at greater risk for
concussions due to body trauma at any time. Although falls and motor vehicle
accidents are the leading causes of concussions, physical activity and sports can
also cause a concussion.
To address the risks of concussions and to assist parents and students to identify
the signs and symptoms of concussions, the Board is presenting free workshops to increase awareness.
Wednesday, April 20th–7:00–8:30 p.m. - Westside SS, Library, 300 Alder St, Orangeville
Tuesday, May 10th–7:00-8:30 p.m. - Norwell DSS, Library, corner of Main and Cumberland St, Palmerston
Wednesday, May 11th–7:00 – 8:30 p.m.- Centennial CVI, Lecture Room, 289 College Ave W, Guelph
Fairness:
You may remember in last month’s newsletter that fairness is our character education trait that we are
focusing on. Therefore, you might be asking asking yourself......What does fairness look like? What does
fairness sound like? What does fairness feel like?
Mrs. Preston and our Safe and Inclusive Schools Committee have been busy teaching and learning about
fairness. Here are a few thoughts the committee has shared with staff and students: Fairness makes
the world go around. Being fair is one of the most important ingredients of being a good person. If we
all treat each other fairly, it
helps make school a more
peaceful place.
Fairness is...
• Sharing and taking turns
• Playing by the rules
• Treating people with
respect
• Compromising when difficulties arise
• Caring and including others
• Not blaming others
• Admitting when you are wrong
• Listening to other people’s opinions
• Giving someone a second chance
Take time to discuss with your child what fairness looks, sounds and feels like.
Safety on the Playground:
With the warmer weather approaching our students are anxiously waiting for our playground structure
to reopen. This is a good time to remind everyone - students, parents, staff and yard supervisors of the
rules on the playground and play structures that help make break times fun and safe.
On the playground........ Remember:
• Play in the designated boundaries
• Play safe, fair and appropriate
• Use appropriate language
• Avoid any physical contact, games, rough play, or play fighting
• Eating or drinking on the playground or play structures is not
permitted
• Share playground equipment
• Respect playground equipment
• Leave stones/rocks on the ground
• Get a hall pass to use the washroom
• Enter/exit through the appropriate door with permission
• Respect the environment
• Refrain from use of personal sports equipment (i.e. roller blades, skateboards, scooters)
We know how much the children enjoy our play structures and are looking forward to the spring weather
so they can use them again. We make safety at play our major concern, and will be reminding our
students and staff on a regular basis about playground rules. We hope that you will reinforce them at
home with your child.
Periodic Head Lice Checks:
Please check your children under bright lights, parting and lifting strands of hair. Let us know if your
child has lice. Please treat your child and remove all nits. Thanks for your help.
Student Safety - School Lockdown /Tornado/Fire Drills:
In the interest of student safety, the Upper Grand District School Board has directed all schools to
conduct two Lockdown drills, one tornado drill per year and three fire drills (each term). In a lockdown,
students and staff are directed to secure areas where doors can be locked and the
children are kept out of sight. No one may leave their secure area until they receive an
“all clear” from the authorities. At JD Hogarth, we will have our second Lockdown drill in
the month of April, and our three fire drills will occur during the months of May and
June. During these drills everyone in the school is required to participate in the drill and
follow the same procedures as the students and staff.
Pizza Day:
There will be a make up Pizza Day on Tuesday, April 5th due to the school closure on
Thursday, March 24th.
Tasty Treats Help Those in Need:
Our Me to We group will be selling cookies and popcorn the help raise funds
for local and global causes. Profits from our Me to We sales will support Free
the Children and their mission to help provide education, clean water and sanitation, alternative income
and livelihood, agriculture and food security and health care to impoverished countries around the
world. We will also be donating some of our profits to a local cause (yet to be determined).
A variety of flavours of cookies and popcorn will be available to purchase for $1 each every Thursday
at second Nutrition Break.
Live Free Campaign a Success!
A special thank you to all students, staff and parents for their generous donations to our Live Free
Campaign. Many students and staff were willing to give up their favourite food or comfort for the day
such as their bed, electronics and sweets. Our school was able to surpass our goal of $1000 and raised
$1004. The money raised will support our salad and snack programs through our Food and Friends
program.
A very special thank you goes to Mrs. Greenaway for all of her hard work in arranging a special salad day
with Mayor Kelly Linton on Live Free day and her “over the top” work and effort she puts in everyday
supporting our students with healthy snacks and salad days. Thank you Mrs. Greenaway!
Barb Tomkins
Vice Principal
Credit Card Payments Now Available:
We are excited to announce the addition of credit cards as a method of payment on
School Cash Online. Now when you pay for items online, you will have the option to pay
with Visa or MasterCard.
If you have not already registered for our online payments, please visit our school website
atwww.ugdsb.on.ca/jdh and click on the School Cash Online link on the right hand side.
SAVE THE DATE - May 5th - Open House!
We are very excited about the Art Show/Math Night Open House which will take place on Thursday,
May 5th! More details will be coming in the next newsletter, but please save the date for this fun-filled
family evening!
Child Abuse Prevention Policy and Program:
The Upper Grand District School Board places a high priority on the safety of our students. The
child Abuse Prevention Policy is evidence of our commitment to this priority. The following is a quote
from this policy:
“Every citizen in the community shares a responsibility for our children. School officials and teachers
share this collective community responsibility for creating safe and nurturing environments for
children. Under the Child and Family Services Act, this responsibility includes the legal requirement
to report to the local Children’s Aid Society any suspected child abuse or other situations where a
child may be in need of protection. Teachers and other Board employees have a special opportunity to
know and understand children during their most influential years of development. They are in a unique
position to be able to see early signs of maltreatment, and to know or hear about the abuse and
neglect that is often suffered by children.”
As required in the Policy, we will be teaching age-appropriate lessons to help our students identify
abuse and protect themselves from abusive situations. The goal is to provide children with the tools
they need to keep themselves safe. The lessons cover a broad range of safety issues including
bullying, stranger danger and abuse by a known and trusted adult.
During the month of April or early May, students in grades one and three participate in lessons from
the Red Cross C.A.R.E kit and grade five students will be taught the new Kids in the Know Child Abuse
Prevention program by their classroom teachers with the support of the Child and Youth Counsellor.
There is no formal program in grade two, four and six, although the safety concepts are reviewed by
classroom teachers informally. Students in grade 7 will participate in a more age appropriate Red
Cross program presented by the Child and Youth Counsellor entitled “It’s Not Your Fault.”
We encourage you to discuss with your child at home, the concepts taught in the Child Abuse
Prevention Curriculum.
For more information regarding the Child Abuse Prevention Policy and/or Programs, please contact
Rhonda Spindley, Child and Youth Counsellor.
CASL:
Canada’s Anti-spam Legislation requires the Upper Grand District School Board to have consent from
parents to receive newsletters, school and Board updates, event initiatives and other electronic
messages which may contain advertising or promotions including fundraisers, field trips, etc. If you wish
to receive the above communication from us, you must visit our CASL registration website at:
www.ugdsb.on.ca/CASL. You can unsubscribe from this list at any time.
Light it up BLUE!- World Autism Awareness Day:
The eighth annual World Autism Awareness Day is April 2, 2016. Every year autism
organizations around the world celebrate the day with unique fundraising and awareness raising
events. This year, global landmarks will light up blue to raise awareness. In Canada the CN
Tower will participate by shining blue to shine a light on autism and turn awareness into action.
Please join Upper Grand District School Board in our effort to inspire compassion,
empowerment and hope by wearing BLUE on Saturday, April 2, 2016. Use #LIUB to share your
experience across social media and help light the world up blue this April!
https://www.autismspeaks.org/liub
Autism Ontario
Kerry's Place Autism Services
April Environmental Theme: ECOSYSTEMS:
In April we celebrate Earth week and Earth Day so it is fitting that the environmental theme is
all about what we are really trying to protect. We are working together to save our Ecosystems.
An Ecosystem is a group of plants and animals living in their own environment of soil, water, air
and sun. Examples are a garden, a forest, a lake, and a fallen decomposing log.
As humans on planet Earth we have a responsibility to take care of all Ecosystems. We need to
have thoughtful, long-range plans on how many forests to cut down and turn into houses, parking
lots or factories. We need to think about the long-term effects of turning good farmland into a
subdivision. There are more and more people living on this planet every year and we need to
make plans on how to give everyone a place to live without destroying our essential Ecosystems.
With good planning this can be done.
We need to get outside and learn more about all of the many different Ecosystems on planet
Earth and do everything we can to protect them. When we pollute or destroy habitats, the
plants and animals can no longer live there and species become endangered or extinct. When we
buy too many things we don't need, don't buy locally, or use the car too often instead of biking
or walking, Climate Change speeds up and Ecosystems can't survive the new temperature
changes, flooding or drought. So all the suggestions we have been talking about all year including turning off the lights, not wasting water when you brush your teeth, using cloth bags
instead of plastic, and reducing, reusing and recycling are really very important. Together we
can make a difference!
Slogan of the month: Go outside and explore an Ecosystem today!
Dates to Remember:
April 5 – Seeds in the Classroom – Primary
April 6 – River Run – Grades 3E, 3F & 34C
April 6 – Swim to Survive – Grades 7D & 7B
April 7 – UGDSB Chess Tournament – Aberfoyle
April 12 – Youth Symposium – Grade 8 – Guelph Woodlawn Cineplex
April 13 – Arts Day
April 15 – Empowerment Day – Grades 6 & 7
April 18 & 19 – Community Cleanup
April 19 – Footloose at CWDHS – Grade 8
April 21 – Tree Planting - Intermediate
April 25 – PA Day
April 28 – Club & Team Photos
April 29 – Tye-dye Day
April 29 – Tree Planting – Intermediate
School Council Corner
Hello JD Hogarth community,
March was a busy month with our ever-popular Dance-a-thon, chocolate bar sales, and spirit
wear order! Thank you so much for your ongoing support. Because of your help, we are able to
provide wonderful experiences for our students including our spring arts day and art
night/open house, improvements to our playground, team jerseys, support for our snack
program, and so much more!
Looking for a way to get involved? Have a great idea to share? Want to meet others in your
school community? Please join us for our next school council meeting on April 7th at 6:45 pm in
the school library. Everyone is welcome!
If you're looking for a quick and easy way to stay in the loop regarding school council
happenings, please join our Facebook group JD Hogarth Community.
And don't forget, we have an ongoing, paperless fundraiser with Elora Labels! Any time you or
your family and friends need labels to help cut back on lost belongings, simply order from Elora
Labels and select JD Hogarth as your fundraiser, and a portion of your sale will come back to
the school. So easy! Visit: http://www.eloralabel.com/jdhogarth
Happy spring!