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Paisley Road Public School Newsletter
A nd r ew Cre i ght o n, P r i nci p a l
Ma r in a H ar r i s o n, V ic e P ri nc i p al
APRIL 2015
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Contents
Principals Message
Pg. 1
Library News
Pg. 2
EQAO
Pg. 3
Autism Awareness Day
Pg. 3
Parent Council News
Pg. 4
I would like to thank school council for the extra work they
have put into our Dance-a-thon and the support for our
technology and math nights!!! We have also had several
parents who have put a significant amount of time into
planning our year-end Petite Blanche event. We are
fortunate to have such a dedicated, supportive school
council! Our students will have the opportunity to once
again this year, participate in a range of art-based learning
experiences and our whole school will be participating in a
photography project. Please feel free to join our school
council meetings, which are held the third Tuesday of each
month, from 6:30 to 8:00, in the school library.
Spring seems to be very slow in arriving this year, and as
such, our school yard has largely remained frozen. As
temperatures begin to rise, our field can become quite
muddy until the frost is fully out of the ground and things
have dried up. If possible, an extra pair of track pants is a
handy thing to send to school. While we do our best to keep
students clear of muddy areas, slips still happen.
Bring on Spring!
Best wishes,
Andrew
Upcoming Events
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April 3rd – Good Friday April 6th – Easter Monday April 8th Crawford Lake Gr. 5’s April 9th Mansfield Parent Information Night April 21st School Council Meeting 6:30 p.m. April 24th PA Day – No school April 30th Literacy Night 6:30 p.m. 2
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Bags2School Used Clothing and Textile Drive April 20th and 21st
Bags2School is Fundraising programme that will convert our used clothing into money that our Social Action
Team plans to use towards a Clean Water Project in Africa. By donating clothing we can work to raise money
to build a well in a remote village in Africa.This initiative is also helping the environment by diverting
unwanted textiles away from land fill sites. In addition, it will help raise the students’ awareness of the benefits
of the 3 “R’s”—Reuse, Recycle and Reduce.
Please donate any unwanted clothing - hats, belts, purses, footwear (tied in pairs please) - and soft/stuffed
toys. If your donation bag is not big enough for all of your items, you can use any other type of bag(s) as
well. To help raise the maximum funds for your school, please ask your relatives, neighbours and friends to go
through their closets too – a team effort makes all the difference! Please bring donations in bags to the
front foyer in the collection area on April 20th and 21st only.
Graphic Novel Book Fair April 17th 1:30-4:00pm
This April we welcome back a wonderful Graphic Novel Presenter from the Dragon Book Store. She will
present for many classes on April 17th and she will also set up a Graphic Novel Book fair for the afternoon in
the front Foyer. Graphic Novels are extremely popular with students and are a wonderful way for students to
enjoy reading. Students will be able to purchase books during the fair in the afternoon.
Forest of Reading Voting April 29th
Wow! So many incredible readers again this year! Our Paisley students have really taken to the
challenge! We have lots of students reading in Silver Birch Clubs and/or Le Prix Tamarack clubs. Those
students in Grade 3-6 that have read a minimum of 5 books in one club will be able to vote for their favourite
books this April 29th and attend our Celebration in June. It has been a pleasure to conference with students
about the books they have read, read their blog posts, e-mail and written paragraphs. Our students really
seem to enjoy the books this year! Thank you to Parent Council for their ongoing support of the Forest of
Reading.
-Silver Birch and Le Prix Tamarack Voting April 29th - 2:30pm-3:15pm
(Students who miss the voting day can still see Mrs. Richer for a ballot on the 30th)
-Our first Tree of Fame Reader who has read more than 10 books so far is Johnathan S!
-Primary Blue Spruce and Le Prix Peuplier Clubs -Our Kindergarten and Primary Paisley Panthers have
also been participating in our Forest of Reading Clubs in their classrooms and during Library times. Students
will be voting for their favourite books on April 29th during our voting events in the front Foyer. The winning
books will be announced and celebrated during special Library events in May.
Lost and damaged books
Thank you to the families who have paid or provided quality replacements for lost and damaged
books. Accidents happen and when they do we appreciate your support of our library. Please let your child’s
teacher or Ms. Richer know of any issues of lost or damaged books so we can help you resolve it and make
sure your child continues to enjoy exchanging books in the Library.
Library Volunteers and Student Library Pages
Thank you to our wonderful team of volunteers in the library. Having parents and community members working
in our Library is such a gift. I am very grateful and so are the staff and students. Also thank you to our Student
Library Pages Annabelle, Ola and Shae who make a world of difference. You are an amazing team!
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School Newsletter
“Show What YOU know on EQAO”
Tips For Your Child’s Success!
What is EQAO:
EQAO undertakes research for two main purposes:
to maintain best-of-class practices and student improvement
ensure high standards of education quality
Standardized tests provide different information. A standardized test is essentially a snapshot in time
using one method of assessment. Teachers assess their students using a broad range of tools. A
more holistic and complete picture of a student's performance can be seen from various types of
assessment that the teacher does throughout the year. (tvoparents.tvo.org)
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
There is no need to study. The EQAO assessment does not count towards a child's marks in grades
3 and 6, so there is no need to increase anxiety by cramming. If you are curious about the questions
your child will be asked, check out the EQAO site and run through some practice tests yourself so you
have some understanding of the structure of the assessment and can better reassure your child.
Remember this is practice. Let your child know that this is a way to show off what he or she knows
and to practice test-writing skills so your child can be prepared for tests in later grades.
Be supportive. It is normal and natural to get nervous and this is a big deal for your child. Do not
downplay fears or dismiss them as silly. Instead, encourage your child to talk about these fears
Talk to the Teacher. If your child is experiencing severe anxiety, there are things the teacher or
school can do to help.
Set the alarm. The best thing you can do for your child the day of the assessments is to make sure
your child is well rested, fed and gets to school on time.
Read more. For more on EQAO assessments and what they mean for your child, check out our
Parent's Guide to EQAO Assessments.
Understand the Test. Don't use your child's EQAO test scores to measure overall achievement.
You're better off relying on regular contact with the teacher who can show you your child's portfolio,
which is being updated all year long. You'll have a more clear and accurate picture of your child's
progress.
EQAO resources http://tvoparents.tvo.org/article/understanding-standardized-testing
www.eqao.com
April 2015 WORLD AUTISM DAY WEAR BLUE!
In 1974, 1 in 5,000 people, or 4,400 Canadians, had Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).Today, 1 in
88,or almost 400,000 are diagnosed. What will the next 40 years look like?
The seventh annual World Autism Awareness Day is April 2, 2015. Every year autism
organizations around the world celebrate the day with unique fundraising and awareness
raising events. By bringing together autism organizations all around the world, we will give a
voice to the millions of individuals worldwide who are undiagnosed, misunderstood and
looking for help. Please join Upper Grand District School Board in our effort to inspire
compassion, empowerment and hope by wearing BLUE on Tuesday April 2nd 2015.
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Pizza Information from School Council
Council has, for various reasons, decided to change our pizza provider for the remainder of the school
year. After research and taste testing we will be switching to Dominoes. This change takes effect on
Thursday April 2nd.
Guest Speaker for Parents - Tuesday April 14th 6:30-7:30pm
We are pleased to announce that we have occupational therapist, Elizabeth Bell, coming to speak with
parents about fine motor skills.
This presentation will have tips and tricks parents can use to help their children as well as hands on
learning so you can bring these ideas home to use with your children.
Childcare is not provided, however, if you are in need of childcare it can be arranged. Please contact
the school at 519-822-0675 to register for this.
Literacy Night - Thursday April 30th 6:30-7:30pm
This will be a hands on information evening held in the Library for families interested in learning more
about literacy.
Please join us to learn some tips, tricks and games that will enable parents to better help their children
at home.
* TumbleBooks * UG2GO * literacy games * Book Swap *
This evening is being presented by Mlle Murphy et Mme Thompson in collaboration with School
Council thanks to the PRO Grant.
Students are most welcome to attend and experience along with their parents. Make it a family night
out!
2015
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
1
Thursday
2
3
Railway safety
assembly
5
6
7
8
Crawford Lake
grade 5s
NO SCHOOL
12
13
9
Chess
tournament
20
Bags2School
Clothing drive
14
15
Scientists in
School Lee
16
NO SCHOOL
10
Scientists in
School Young
11
Popcorn sale
21
Bags2School
Clothing drive
22
28
23
Popcorn Sale
24
25
PA DAY
29
Forest of
Reading Voting
Day
18
Graphic Novel
Meeting 6:30
27
4
17
Scientists in
School Nielsen
Panther Pride
Assembly
26
Saturday
Parent Info
night Mansfield
Seeds for
Change
19
Friday
30
6:30pm