Paisley Road Public School Newsletter
FEBRUARY
2015
Andrew Creighton, Principal
Marina Harrison, Vice Principal
Dear Parents/Guardians,
On behalf of the school staff, I would like to thank you for
your support, throughout the year, in helping us create a
strong and positive learning environment. Checking of agendas
on a regular basis, reading with your child(ren), attending
school events, and communicating with classroom teachers are
all important aspects of fostering your child(ren)’s academic
and social growth. Please do not hesitate to contact us with
any questions or suggestions you may have, as we welcome
your input. Thank you for your support!
Contents
Principals Message
Pg. 1
Kindergarten Registration
Pg. 2
Bus Days
Pg. 2
Basketball
Pg. 2
Stay Well Month info
Pg. 2
Fruit and Vegetable Drive
Pg. 3
Forest of Reading
Pg. 3
Pollution and Art info
Pg. 4
Parent Council
Pg. 5
Calendar
Pg. 6
Upcoming Events
Kindergarten Registration
February 2-6th 10:00 a.m. 2:30
p.m.
Report Cards Go Home
February 12th, 2015
Family Day – No School
February 16th, 2015
Pink Shirt Day
February 25th, 2015
We will be having a fruit and vegetable collection on
Wednesday, February 4th. There will be collection baskets in
all of our classrooms to gather fresh fruit and vegetables on
that day. All donations will be sent to the Guelph Food Bank.
We appreciate any support you can give us on this project.
Please note that we will be collecting fresh fruit and
vegetables only and the collection will be held only on
February 4th.
I would also like to thank our wonderful school council for
their on-going support! We have recently received, through
school council, a number of iPads that our students are
enjoying as part of their educational experience! School
Council is also busy planning our year-end Petite Blanche
festival. Please feel free to join us at school council events
which are held the third Tuesday of every month from 6:308:00.
Best wishes,
Mr. Creighton
School Newsletter
Page 2 of 6
JUNIOR AND SENIOR KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
If you have a child who will be 4 years of age on or before December 2015, born 2011- he/she can be registered for
Junior Kindergarten.
Registration will be held at the school the week of February 2nd-6th between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Please bring the following documentation:
 Birth Certificate or Passport
 Immunization Record
 Proof of Address
 Custody Paperwork if applicable
ATTENDANCE ON NO BUS DAYS
When buses do not make their run in the morning due to inclement weather, they will not run in the afternoon either.
If you elect to drive your child to school, you must make arrangements to pick them up at the end of the day. Bus
students who remain home on no-bus days are not required to phone the school to report their absence.
However, students who are not eligible to ride a bus, and elect to stay home on a no-bus day need to contact the
school to inform the office regarding your child’s absence. The school does have an attendance line available 24 hours
a day. Please contact the school at 519-822-0675 ext 100. Thank you for your assistance in ensuring the safe arrival
of all our Paisley Panthers.
BASKETBALL
Basketball season is here at Paisley! Grades 4-6 girls and boys who have signed up for the basketball team have been
practicing during various recess breaks. There will be a tournament of February 17th at Willow Rd. P.S. Girls will be playing in
the morning, boys in the afternoon. More information regarding the tournament to follow. ~Mr. Dunbar/Mrs. Nielsen
STAY WELL MONTH
Reduce the risk of serious infections - proper hand-washing is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick.
Stay home when you are sick and limit contact with others -Children should not be in school with a fever, undiagnosed
rashes, vomiting, or diarrhea and should stay at home at least 24 hours following the end of symptoms.
Cover your mouth and nose - when you sneeze or cough; use a tissue or the bend of your elbow.
You can prevent many serious illnesses by keeping immunizations up-to-date for you and your children. Call 1-800-265-7293
for more information.
School Newsletter
Page 3 of 6
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE DRIVE – WEDENSDAY, FEBRUARY 4th
How do 16 Grade 1 and 2 students make a difference for families in Guelph? They start a brand new idea of a Fruit
and Vegetable Drive for the Guelph Food Bank! Our school and the Food Bank are very excited to try a new initiative
of donating FRESH fruits and vegetables instead of non-perishable food. We hope to provide healthy food for
families! Each class will have a donation basket. This will be a one day only collection to ensure we donate Fresh food.
Thanks for your generosity and support of Paisley’s Social Action Club this coming Wednesday.
FOREST OF READING 2015
It’s that time again! Our very popular Forest of Reading Clubs are back this year with a new selection of great books.
We are starting up our Forest of Reading Program this month.
The Forest of Reading® is Canada's largest recreational reading program! This initiative of the Ontario Library
Association (OLA) offers seven reading programs to encourage a love of reading in people of all ages. The Forest helps
celebrate Canadian books, publishers, authors and illustrators. More than 250,000 readers participate annually from
their School and/or Public Library. Each club offers 10 books by Canadian authors.
Our school will be participating in the following clubs:
Blue Spruce- A club for Primary classes led by their teachers in collaboration with Mrs. Richer (Teacher-Librarian).
Teachers read the books to students in the class and complete a passport. They vote for their favourite book and
celebrate the winner at a Blue Party in May.
Le Prix Peuplier - This is the third year the OLA has now begun a Primary French Club. Now our French Immersion
Primary students will be able to join in the fun ‘en francais’! Students will listen to stories in class, complete a
passport and participate in a special party in May.
Silver Birch Express –A mix of fiction and non-fiction at approximately the Grade 4 reading level (Grade 3 students
and up can join)
Siver Birch Fiction – Novels for Junior Readers
Silver Birch Non-Fiction – Various non-fiction texts for Junior Readers
Le Prix Tamarack Express- Easier level Junior French Fiction and Non-fiction
Students read a minimum of 5 books from any of the Junior clubs to be eligible to vote for the winning author in April.
These students are also eligible to participate in our celebration in May. The clubs will be run through Library Open
Book Exchange times this year.
School Newsletter
Page 4 of 6
Prevent pollution – and show RESPECT for the Earth
Pollution of our planet – air, water and land - is a big issue. It damages our environment, harms or kills plants and animals, and spoils our quality
of life. The largest contributor to air pollution is human activity resulting from the burning of fuels such as used in industry and transportation
using cars and trucks. Water pollution occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or indirectly into rivers and lakes without adequate
treatment to remove harmful compounds. This is done on purpose by some unscrupulous industries or can happen by accident from toxic spills
of chemicals or oil. Pollution of our land is often caused by littering or improper disposal of waste or by contamination of our soil by harmful
chemicals. The Canadian Environmental Protection Act was put in place to monitor pollution and give guidelines for industries. We need to be
aware of what causes pollution and its effects so that we can individually make a difference in protecting our planet.
You as an individual can have a great impact on reducing pollution. Don’t litter, not even something as small as a gum wrapper. Where do you
think it eventually goes? Even better, help pick up litter on your school yard and participate in annual cleanups in your local parks and rivers.
Don’t use disposable plastic products like bags or water bottles. Bring a cloth bag and use reusable water bottles. Tell your family to use
“green” cleaning products like baking soda and vinegar instead of chemical cleaners. Take all batteries, leftover paints, and motor oil to the
hazardous waste depot instead of putting them in the garbage. Take unused prescriptions back to the pharmacy for proper disposal. Encourage
friends and family to help with the anti-pollution cause! As individuals we can put our voices together and make ourselves heard in our effort to
stop pollution on planet Earth.
Green revolution is the best solution to stop pollution. - Let’s go green, everyone!
Talking about Art with Your Child
The gallery on your refrigerator:
The refrigerator is the mini art gallery in many homes where student art is the featured exhibit. How wonderful for students to have their
work honoured in their home and for them to be supported by their family! Also, we know that when the family is involved in a student’s
learning, the student’s confidence, positive attitude and achievement grow.
Show your child that you value their judgement as well as their art. Each week or so, when the “exhibit” changes, let your child select the work
to be displayed. Ask: “Which work are you most proud of - why?” or “Which work show your learning best - why?”. Research shows that when
students assess and reflect on their own work their critical thinking skills develop.
Before or after the art makes it to the fridge reinforce creativity, risk-taking and the ability to communicate with some open questions ...
think questions with no ”right” answer. Ask these questions or turn them into prompts for your comments about artwork:
What can you tell me about your art?
Tell me the story of your art.
How did you make this?
How would you describe your art to someone who hasn’t seen it?
What I notice is (name what you see in their art). What I wonder is (ask a questions about it).
What I like the most about your (name the type of art) is (name what you like in their art).
How do you hope people will feel when they look at your art?
If someone could walk into your art, where should they walk in? Would it be easy or hard for them to get in? Tell me more about that.
What title would you give your art? Explain ...
The gallery in your community:
Taking your child to an art gallery to view and discuss art gives them a place to apply their thinking and learning. Using the same
questions/prompts you use at home will help your child make connections between their work at school and the wider world.
Walk through a room in the gallery, survey the art then return to discuss and spend more time at the work(s) that capture your interest. Try
some gallery games to build critical thinking and discussion. In any room play:
National Gallery: Choose (or make up) a country. Select 5 works that will hang in the welcome room at the airport where you enter the country.
Explain what each piece of art reveals about the country.
Ping Pong: Choose any piece of art and call it a Ping. Choose another and call it a Pong. Don’t explain why or how you made your choices. Then,
thinking about your choices, your family classifies other pieces in the room as Ping or Pong. They explain how they made their decisions while
guessing what your criteria were.
Statue: Each person chooses a figure or object in a piece of art and creates a pose that represents it. The rest of the family tries to guess
which piece of art.
To view contemporary and historical art, visit the MacDonald Stewart Art Center in Guelph (free), the Dufferin County Museum and Archives
in Orangeville and the Wellington County Museum and Archive between Fergus and Elora (free).
School Newsletter
Page 5 of 6
PARENT COUNCIL
École Paisley Road School Council welcomes everyone to our monthly meetings. Parental involvement is critical to improve
student achievement and school performance. At the January meeting we discussed recent and upcoming school events
including the Holiday craft sale, Holiday concert, and various club activities. Please remind your friends and neighbors that
JK registration starts the first week of February. Parent Council has several fundraising activities on the go including
Fundscrip, pizza sales, and look for information on our upcoming Dance-a-thon! It is definitely a favorite with all of the
children at Paisley Road. The many fundraising activities support school needs such as arts curriculum, technology, and buses
for class trips. Our next meeting is February 17th at 6:30 pm. Childcare is available.
PETITE BLANCE ARTS FESTIVAL
The Paisley Road Public School Council is already planning the Petite Blanche Arts Festival that will be held in June at Paisley
Road Public School.
For those new to the school, every June, our school opens its doors to students, their families, and staff. The evening is
organized and funded by our School Council and many volunteers. The event includes art activities, games, music, student art
exhibits, delicious food, silent auction, and a bake sale. The Petite Blanche Arts Festival has become an event at the school
that students, teachers, and families have come to look forward to each year.
Leading up to the festival, our School Council funds special arts instruction for every classroom.
Teachers receive a small arts instruction budget from School Council to cover costs related to the project or program.
Teachers review a dossier of interested artists put together by the School Council and then make arrangements with that
artist to come into the classroom and instruct the class. Depending on the project, it may be a one time visit or a series of
classroom visits (approximately 1-4 hours of time).
At this time the School Council is looking for local artists and art instructors interested in participating in the special
arts curriculum programs in the classroom.
We know there are many parents, family members, and friends that have talents in different areas of the arts and we would
love to see our school community come together and share these talents with the students.
Examples of some possible areas for art exploration with students could be:

Any type of art using a variety of different art media such as painting, pottery, sculpting, etc….

Music programs such as singing/vocal programs, drumming, etc…

Performing arts such as any form of dance, tai chi, storytelling, spoken word or drama

Photography

Digital art such as animation, cinematography

Arts from different cultural, ethnic, and generational sources such as henna, storytelling, calligraphy, ikebana etc…
If you or someone you know is interested in either volunteering their time or instructing at a reduced rate in the classroom
please contact Leah Sadler at leah.sadler@gmail.com as soon as possible. The Petite Blanche organizing committee is also
looking for parents interested in volunteering with the committee or the day of the event, please contact Karyn Boscariol at
karynboscariol@gmail.com
Thank you for considering becoming involved in the arts at Paisley Road Public School!
Sincerely,
Petite Blanche Arts Festival Organizing Committee