Paisley Road Public School Newsletter
Andrew Creighton, Principal
Marina Harrison, Vice Principal
Dear Parents/Guardians,
2015
Contents
Principals Message
Pg.1
Dress Code Reminder
Pg.1
JK/SK Registration
Pg.2
Pause to Play
Pg.2
Changes for September
Pg.2
Library News
Pg.3
Talking Mental Health
Pg.4
Environmental News
Pg.4
Calendar
Pg.5
Spring has finally sprung and the good weather appears
to be here now! I would like to thank our school council
and staff for all of the hard work they have put into
several recent learning events such as Technology night,
Math night, and Literacy night. We had a wonderful
turn-out of families at these events and we look
forward to offering them again next year. Thank you to
all of the families that were able to join us! School
council is also busy planning a movie night this Friday and
our year-end Petite Blanche celebration.
Enjoy this lovely weather!
Andrew Creighton
Upcoming Events
*May 6
Emergency Preparedness
Day Gr. 5
*May 7
Class/Team Photos
*May 8
Movie Night 6:30 p.m.
*May 13-15
Grade 6 to Mansfield
*May 18
Canada Day – No School
*May19
School Council 6:30 p.m.
*May 25-June 4
EQAO Gr 3&6
Dress Code Reminder
Now that the weather is getting warmer, we would like
to remind you of the school dress code. Shirt or dress
straps should be 3-fingers’ width and shorts or dress
length should not be above the fingertips when arms are
fully extended at the sides of the body. We ask that
the boys refrain from muscle shirts and that no
undergarments are visible.
We thank you in advance for your help and co-operation
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Page 2 of 5
Join the 2015 Pause to Play challenge May 10th – 16th 2015.
The Pause to Play challenge encourages students and their families to put their television, video
games and computers on pause for one full week. Participants are more likely to feel good about
themselves. Exercise that gets your heart pumping has many benefits to your health!
Being active for at least 60 minutes daily can help children:
• Improve their health
• Do better in school
• Improve their fitness, grow stronger and maintain a healthy body weight
• Have fun playing with friends and feel happier
• Learn new skills and improve their self-confidence
•
•
Take the challenge for a week or more and learn how much fun it can be to pause to PLAY!
Go to www.wdgpublichealth.ca for more information and for a list of free or low cost
activities your local library and recreation centres are offering.
Talking about Math
Understanding the Equal Sign
Most children see = and they know it is an equal sign, but do they really understand what it means?
Many children believe the equal sign means “the answer is” or “the total”. They do not understand
that the equal sign is a symbol of balance or sameness. Think about 3 + 4 = 7. 3 plus 4 is the same
as 7. When children understand that the equal sign shows a relationship between numbers, they
develop stronger number sense and are able to work with numbers more flexibly. For example,
children who know that the equal sign shows balance understand that 3 + 4 is the same as 5 + 2.
Children who think of the equal sign as showing the answer often struggle with mental math and,
later on, with algebra.
Parents can help support understanding of the equal sign in many ways. First, using the word “equal”
in everyday conversation to highlight equal relationships helps to promote an understanding of
sameness. Use the words “equal” and “the same” together. When sharing snacks among people, talk
about amounts. Are they equal? How do we know?
Also, many children enjoy missing number problems, especially when presented as a puzzle or
challenge. Challenge children to find the number to balance equations, like these:
5 + ___ = 1 + 8
or
14 - 6 = ___ + 3
or
5 x ____ = 4 x ____
When playing with Lego, talk about how the different sized pieces are related. How many little
pieces are equal to a big piece? Build different creations with equal number of pieces. Build
creations with equal sizes but different number of pieces.
Go to www.wdgpublichealth.ca for more information and for a list of free or low cost activities your local
library and recreation centres are offering.
The more exposure children have to the idea that the equal sign means “the same”, the better set
they will be to develop solid number sense and number flexibility.
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Page 3 of 5
FOREST OF READING EVENTS
Blue Spruce and Le Prix Peuplier:
Kindergarten and Primary students have cast their ballots choosing which Blue Spruce Book
they think was the best. Our Paisley and Provincial results will be shared with the students
during our Blue Parties on May 20th and 21st. Students are invited to wear Blue clothes. We
will celebrate the winning book and author together in the Library. Our Kindie Parties will
be May 20th in two sessions between 1:45-3:10. Our Primary Party will be on May 21th from
2:40-3:15 pm. The Le Prix Peuplier Party will be held on May 21st in the Library from 1:502:30 pm. Students are invited to wear Purple.
Silver Birch and Le Prix Tamarac:
Our students participated in 3 different Silver Birch clubs and Le Prix Tamarac. Some
students read from all of them! For each club students read the minimum of 5 books they
were able to vote and cast a ballot. Those eligible students will also be invited to attend a
special walking Trip on June 12th to the Boat House for complimentary ice cream and to
take part in games and activities at the park (weather permitting- date will be rescheduled
in the event of poor weather conditions).
Forest of Readings Honours reading more than 10 books:
Johnathan
Kiara
Shane
Zoe
Konner
Thanks to Parent Council Fundraising for the support of this programme!
Used Clothing Drive was a big success!
A huge mountain of clothes that weighed almost a full tonne was donated for reuse! We also
raised $130 towards the Clean Water Project to build a well in a village in Africa. Paisley
families are amazing! Thanks to our students and parents for carrying all those heavy bags
into the school!
Book Drive Continues!
Wanted: Kids books for donation. We can take any children’s or Young Adult books in
English or French. We are trying to gather books for the One World School House
Organization who delivers books to schools in Haiti, St. Lucia and Grenada again this year.
Some of our Grade 5 and 6 students are working to make a difference globally. Please bring
in donations to the collection box in the front foyer. Donations will be accepted until May
15th. Together we can reach out to help set up schools with books where they are
desperately needed.
The Dragon Book Store Free Comic Book Day
Saturday May 2nd is Free Comic Day at the Dragon in the Quebec St. Mall. You can also get
a free reusable shopping bag with a donation to the Food Bank. Enter your school for a
chance to win $100 in Graphic Novels for your Library! For more info go to
www.thedragonweb.com
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Page 4 of 5
Talking about Mental Health - May 2015
May 2-9 is Child and Youth Mental Health Week!
Have a SUPER Week! Let’s increase everyone’s mental health and well being! Let’s focus on increasing these
positive skills!
Social Connections Uplifting Emotions Personal Health Emotional Calming Resilient Thinking
Now that you have started building all those wonderful skills, keep it going throughout the month and the year!
Our community partners have some excellent activities planned:
Norfolk Psychological Services is presenting a series of free seminars, hosted at the Guelph Public Library on
Child, Youth and Family Mental Health.
For more information and to register, please visit www.guelphpl.ca or 519-824-6220.
DCAFS and Shed the Light will be presenting in schools and a display and information will be available at DCAFS. She
the Light is hosting 'Artistry in Mind' at ODSS on Friday May 8th in the evening. For more information go to dcafs.c
CMHAWWD is hosting: a film showing, May 4, 7:00 pm of The Mask You Wear at 10 Carden St., Guelph. A BBQ
and Art Show, May 8, 1-4 pm at 30 Centre St., Orangeville and a BBQ/Open house on May 8, 1:30-1:30 at 292
Stephenson St. N., Guelph.
GLOWW and CMHAWWD are hosting a family day and walk to bring Mental Illness out of the dark into the light,
May 2,12-5, at Exhibition Park, Guelph.
For more information go to https://wwd.cmha.ca/
Enjoy and participate and keep talking about mental health!
Dr. Lynn Woodford is the Mental Health and Addiction Lead for Upper Grand District School Board Follow me on
twitter: @drlynnwoodford
May Environmental & Character Education Theme
Live local – be HELPFUL in your neighbourhood
Think local and save the environment. It is time to celebrate our local talent and to appreciate the wealth of
natural goodness grown locally. Every decision we make to purchase local products, reduces carbon emissions.
Our province produces an abundance of fruits, vegetables, meat, nuts, and grains. However, the richness of local
products doesn't end with food products. We have many local talented artists, sculptors, and fashion designers.
Every time we choose local
products we are making a choice to support our local economy and individual microeconomies.
What is an ecological footprint? "An ecological footprint is used to depict the amount of land and water area
you would need to provide the resources required to support yourself." By caring about your environment and
making careful choices you can have a positive impact on the planet and leave a smaller ecological footprint so
that your own and future generations - not to mention the other creatures - can enjoy this beautiful planet.
Help the planet by starting in your own backyard. Look around your neighbourhood to see what places—parks,
gathering spots, natural places, quiet nooks, play areas, walking routes, commercial centers—could be
protected or regenerated. Think about what changes could be made to reduce pollution and environmental
degradation. So don’t pollute, conserve water and other resources, ride your bike or walk as much as possible
and eat and shop locally, and you will help keep your “footprint” small! If you live your life locally, you protect
globally! - Let’s go green, everyone!